The sun had barely crested the trees when a low rumble passed through the forest floor. Birds scattered from branches, and nearby monsters paused their patrols. Kaito's gaze sharpened.
"It's here."
The Stonehide Ravager[Iron] had returned.
The ground near the lair cracked slightly as the massive creature pulled its bulk from the earth. Craggy plates jutted along its spine, dust shaking loose from the armored hide as it shifted its shoulders and let out a guttural growl.
Kaito was already in place.
He moved first—no hesitation.
Using the same trap he had exploited before, he baited the Ravager forward, letting it charge between the roots and rocks he'd cleared earlier. The Ravager's momentum trapped it once again, wedged between two thick boulders with gnarled branches locking its forelimbs.
But this time, Kaito wasn't dealing with a monster four levels above his own.
Now, both stood at Level 9.
His strikes came faster. Cleaner.
[Damage – 11]
[Critical – 18]
[Piercing Thrust Bonus – 6]
The Obsidian Fang Blade cut through the Ravager's hide with more impact now that his Strength stat had scaled. The monster roared, lashing its tail against the trees, trying to shake free.
It didn't work.
Kaito kept the pressure on. His stamina control was near flawless—light-footed maneuvers, feints, angled slashes, rip-through lunges. He struck only when openings appeared.
Still, the battle wasn't easy. Even with his damage reaching double digits, the Ravager's enormous health pool held strong.
[Evade Successful]
[Counter – 14]
[Durability: 82/100]
Dust kicked up in spirals around them. The fight dragged on for nearly ninety seconds—a grueling back-and-forth that pushed both player and beast to their limits.
Then—
[Fatal Strike – 21]
[Stonehide Ravager Defeated]
The Ravager slumped with a final groan.
Kaito exhaled, lowering his blade as the reward panel floated into view.
[EXP Gained: +400]
(Down from +630 due to equal-level matchup)
[Loot Acquired]
– Refined Ravager Hide ×1
– Beast Muscle Fiber ×1
– Ravager Claw (Crafting Material)
– +3 Gold, +28 Silver
He checked his EXP bar:
Level 9 – 945/5000
Still not enough.
No surprise. With the level gap gone, the bonus multiplier had dropped significantly. But that was expected. He sheathed the Fang Blade and turned to go.
Before he could leave the ridge, a notification blinked.
A friend request notification appeared in the corner of his vision:
[Friend Request Received: Meirin]
Kaito's eyes widened faintly.
Of course. That name—Meirin. Not just a coincidence. In his past life, she had used the exact same in-game name. They'd spent hundreds of hours playing side by side. He remembered her sharp wit, her tactical instincts… and her tendency to yell through voice chat when he charged in without backup.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he accepted the request.
Immediately after, a new pop-up appeared:
[Voice Call Request from Meirin – Accept?]
He tapped "Yes" without hesitation.
Her voice burst through, familiar and full of energy.
"RAEN! You madman! Level NINE already?! What the heck are you doing up there—soloing bosses like a psychopath?!"
"I had a bit of a head start," he said mildly.
"I should've guessed. We've been training like crazy, but... it's so hard to grind at night. Do you know how many times I died?"
"I can imagine. Night stat penalties are brutal," Kaito said.
They talked for a few more minutes—mostly Meirin sharing how her team was forming slowly, that most of the original girls had reached level 6 or 7, and that they were planning to complete the basic village quests today.
Kaito encouraged them to keep pushing. "Once I reach the town, I'll send you a coordinate ping. We'll regroup there."
"Got it. Don't forget to rest!"
The call ended. Kaito exhaled.
After ending the call, Kaito returned to the basin near the stream. A few Gravepelts and Vineclaws remained scattered, and he spent the next 30 minutes cleaning up the area.
[+200 EXP]
[+220 EXP]
[+180 EXP]
And finally—
[Level Up – Raen has reached Level 10]
The glow from the panel faded as he opened his updated stats.
[Character Panel – Raen]
Level: 10
EXP: 00 / 8000
Class: Swordsman
Title: Commoner
Reputation: Friendly (Verdant Hollow)
Honor: 10
Gold: 10,006
Silver: 110
Attributes
Strength: 10
Agility: 11
Vitality: 8
Endurance: 7
Intelligence: 4
Health: 160
Attack: 32
Defense: 10
Unassigned: 18
Equipment: Obsidian Fang Blade (Bronze)
Inventory: Ravager Hide ×2, Ravager Claw, Beast Muscle Fiber, Iron Shard Token, Village Advance Fragment (1/3), (2/3)
As soon as he reached Level 10, a prompt appeared.
"You have reached the current level cap for Verdant Hollow."
Advancement Quest available from Chief Elgar.
His level had capped at 10. No more experience could be gained—not until he completed the village advancement quest and officially graduated from the novice phase. His character panel had reflected
Kaito closed the panel and turned his steps toward the village chief's house.
The old man—Chief Halros—was already awake, sitting at the low wooden desk in his hut and sipping a bowl of broth. When he saw Kaito step in, his eyes twinkled.
"You've grown strong, lad," the chief said. "Stronger than most who pass through this village."
"I want to move forward," Kaito replied calmly.
Halros nodded, then motioned toward the hearth. "There's a story I must tell first. It concerns the guardian of these lands—once a protector, now a curse."
Kaito remained silent as the old man stood, his face turning grim.
"Years ago," Halros began, "a man named Baggio served as this village's champion. He was not born here—he arrived injured, half-dead, carried on a stretcher by refugees from the western frontier. But he healed. And he gave us hope."
The chief walked slowly to the window, staring out toward the forest line.
"Baggio defended this village for years. Monsters feared him. Bandits cursed his name. But the more he protected us, the more obsessed he became—with strength, with order. When the village denied his request to become chief, he snapped. He vanished into the woods… and returned changed."
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
"Changed how?"
"His mind gone. His body twisted. He no longer called himself Baggio… the only 'Barkjaw.' We believe a relic in the forest corrupted him. He built himself armor. Fused beast bone and metal. Became something… unholy."
The room was silent.
Kaito already knew most of this, but hearing it from Halros gave the tale a fresh, human weight.
"Your advancement requires that you defeat him," the chief said
A scroll appeared in Elgar's hands.
Quest Received: [Test of the Village Guardian]
Objective: Collect three [Advancement Scroll Fragments] to prove your right to leave Verdant Hollow.
Kaito opened his inventory and turned in the first two fragments instantly.
Elgar grunted. "You're ahead of the rest, I see. But the last piece… you'll need to earn it."
He pointed east.
As Kaito stepped out of Chief Elgar's hut, the morning sun washed over Verdant Hollow's cobbled paths. The air was quiet, fresh, still too early for the square to bustle.
His mind lingered on the name Elgar had spoken.
Barkjaw.
A beast whose name echoed through the village's older tales—tales that had gone ignored by most players. It wasn't just a boss; Barkjaw was a relic of the village's first tragedy, a corrupted guardian spirit sealed within the eastern grove. A Silver-class monster, Level 10, empowered with stats far beyond a typical foe. Facing him would be no small feat.
And Kaito would need every edge.
He brought up his interface to double-check.
[Level 10 | EXP: 0 / 8000]
[Unassigned Attribute Points: 18]
He didn't rush to assign them. Not yet. A proper build required a calm head, not one burdened by fatigue.
His eyes flicked to the upper corner of the display:
[C-Series Virtual Helmet | Session Duration: 7h 58m]
A sigh escaped his lips.
Cutting it close.
He made his way to the village tree, the same one where his journey began. A soft breeze rustled through the leaves, brushing past as if bidding him goodbye.
Kneeling beneath it, Kaito gave the world one last glance.
"Log out."
The interface dimmed. The sounds of the village fell away. The trees dissolved into motes of light.
Then—silence.
His eyelids fluttered open in his room.
The helmet slid off with a faint click, and the weight on his neck disappeared.
Kaito stretched slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His body felt stiff, but not aching. His mind, however, still moved with the rhythm of battle.
He sat on the edge of the bed and checked his terminal.
The delivery tracker blinked at him.
[Platinum-grade Virtual Cabin – In Transit. Estimated Arrival: 90 Minutes.]
A smirk tugged at his lips.