The morning of day three arrived with unexpected tranquility. Sanji woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window a detail so realistic it momentarily disoriented him. For a heartbeat, he forgot where he was, thought he might be camping somewhere in the real world.
Then he opened his eyes to the wooden beams of the inn ceiling, and reality reasserted itself.
He sat up, checking his status window out of habit. Level 5, HP fully restored, all equipment accounted for. The routine of checking stats was becoming second nature, a survival mechanism in a world where overlooking details could mean death.
A soft knock on his door. "Sanji? It's Yuki. Meet downstairs in fifteen?"
"I'll be there in ten."
After a quick wash using the basin in his room the water was cold but refreshing Sanji equipped his repaired gear and headed down to the common room. Yuki and Akane were already seated at their usual table, breakfast ordered and waiting.
"You're early," Sanji noted, sitting down.
"Couldn't sleep much," Akane admitted. She looked tired, dark circles under her eyes. "Kept having nightmares about... well, about dying here."
Yuki's expression softened. "That's normal. We're all dealing with the psychological weight of this. But you can't let fear paralyze you. Fear is useful it keeps you alert but you need to channel it into focus, not panic."
Sound advice. Sanji had noticed that Yuki seemed to have an unusually strong mental fortitude. He wondered about her background in the real world, what kind of person she'd been before all this.
They ate quickly scrambled eggs, toast, and some kind of sausage that tasted remarkably like breakfast in the real world. The NPC innkeeper cheerfully collected their coins, completely unbothered by the atmosphere of dread that permeated the village.
"So," Sanji said, pulling out a rough map he'd purchased yesterday from a vendor. "I've been thinking about our route. The western area of Shinrin Forest where we fought yesterday is getting crowded now. I saw at least three other parties heading that way when I looked out my window this morning."
He pointed to a section of the map marked with darker green. "This area here is labeled 'Deep Forest Level 5-8 Zone.' It's more dangerous, but the rewards should be better. And most importantly, fewer players will risk going there yet."
Yuki studied the map. "What kind of monsters spawn there?"
"According to the information I bought from that NPC cartographer, there are shadow wolves, forest trolls, and something called vine serpents. All between levels five and seven, with occasional level-eight elites."
"Trolls have high HP and regeneration," Yuki mused. "We'll need sustained damage to bring them down. Vine serpents are probably poison-based, which means we'll need antidotes."
Akane raised her hand tentatively. "Um, I'm still level three. Won't I be too weak for that area?"
"You'll level quickly," Sanji assured her. "We'll start at the edge of the zone where the lower-level monsters spawn. Once you hit level four or five, we'll push deeper. The key is controlled progression."
They spent another ten minutes discussing strategy and equipment. Sanji purchased three antidote potions from the general store expensive at 15 bronze coins each, but necessary. They also bought rope, torches, and a basic camping kit. If they were going deeper into the forest, they might need to stay overnight rather than constantly returning to the village.
By mid-morning, they were at the western edge of Shinrin Forest, passing the areas they'd hunted yesterday. A few other parties were fighting flower wolves, their shouts and spell effects visible through the trees. The competition for spawns was already becoming an issue.
"This way," Sanji said, using his Game Master's Eye to find the hidden trail he'd spotted on the map. A faint path wound between two massive oak trees, marked only by subtle scratches on the bark that his skill highlighted in gold.
The forest changed as they ventured deeper. The trees grew taller and closer together, their canopy blocking more sunlight. The temperature dropped several degrees. The cheerful bird songs faded, replaced by more ominous sounds rustling in the underbrush, distant howls, the creak of old wood.
Warning: Entering Deep Forest Zone (Level 5-8)
Proceed with caution.
"Stay alert," Sanji warned. "Monsters here won't be as straightforward as the flower wolves. My skill is showing more complex behavior patterns."
They'd only walked another fifty feet when the first enemy appeared.
It emerged from the shadows between trees a wolf, but different from yesterday's foes. This one seemed made of living darkness, its fur absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Red eyes glowed from its shadowy face, and when it snarled, its teeth gleamed like obsidian.
Shadow Wolf - Level 5 - HP: 250/250
Weakness: Light magic, fire
Resistance: Physical damage reduced by 30%, Ice magic reduced by 50%
Special Ability: Shadow Step (teleports short distances)
"Damn," Yuki muttered. "It resists my ice magic. I'll have to rely on raw damage output."
"I'll tank," Sanji said, drawing his sword. "Akane, aim for the eyes they're not shadowy like the rest of it, so physical damage should work there. Yuki, cast what you can, but conserve MP. We don't know how many fights we'll have before we can rest."
The shadow wolf charged, and immediately Sanji saw why it was more dangerous than the flower wolves. It was faster, more aggressive, and its movements were unpredictable. It would dart left, then suddenly be on the right, using its Shadow Step ability to reposition constantly.
Sanji blocked a lunging bite, feeling the impact jar his shield arm. -22 HP. The reduced physical damage was working both ways his sword strikes that normally did 30+ damage were only dealing 20-25 due to the resistance.
This would be a battle of attrition.
Yuki's Ice Bolts struck for reduced damage around 25 HP instead of her usual 40 but she maintained a steady barrage, forcing the wolf to dodge and giving Sanji openings. Akane's arrows were most effective, particularly when she managed to hit the creature's glowing eyes. Critical Hit! -58 HP.
"Keep targeting the eyes!" Sanji called.
But the shadow wolf was learning. After the third eye shot, it kept its head low, protecting its weak point. It Shadow Stepped behind Sanji and lunged at Akane.
"Look out!"
Akane dove sideways, the wolf's jaws snapping shut on empty air. She rolled and came up firing, her arrow catching it in the flank. -21 HP.
Sanji rushed to intercept, driving his sword into the wolf's hindquarters. -23 HP. The creature spun, swiping at him with shadow-wreathed claws. -28 HP.
His health was at 110/160. Manageable, but they'd been fighting for less than a minute.
"Sanji, switch!" Yuki called. "Let me draw aggro for a bit!"
They executed the switch smoothly. Yuki planted her staff and cast a more powerful spell. "Frost Lance!"
A massive spear of ice formed above her, then shot forward with tremendous force. It cost 30 MP a huge expenditure but it hit like a battering ram. Even with the resistance, -67 HP appeared above the shadow wolf.
The creature's attention snapped to Yuki, recognizing her as the greater threat. It Shadow Stepped directly to her position.
But Sanji had anticipated this. He was already moving, positioning himself between them. His shield caught the wolf mid-lunge, and he followed with a powerful overhead slash. -26 HP.
The shadow wolf was down to 33 HP.
Three simultaneous attacks Sanji's thrust, Yuki's Ice Bolt, and Akane's arrow finished it.
The creature dissolved into shadow particles that dissipated like smoke.
+45 EXP
Shadow Essence x1 obtained
Wolf Fang x1 obtained
They stood there breathing hard. One shadow wolf had taken significantly more effort than three flower wolves combined.
"This zone is serious," Akane said, checking her remaining arrows. "I used eight arrows for one monster."
"But the experience is better," Yuki pointed out. "45 EXP compared to 35 from the alpha yesterday. If we can maintain efficiency, Akane will level up after four or five more kills."
Sanji checked his MP: 70/70. He still hadn't used any abilities except Basic Swordsmanship, which was passive. Yuki was at 30/100 MP that Frost Lance had been expensive. They needed to rest.
They found a small clearing off the path, defensible and relatively open. While Yuki meditated to restore MP, Sanji and Akane kept watch. The forest around them felt alive with hidden threats. Several times, Sanji's Game Master's Eye picked up movement in the shadows other monsters prowling nearby, but not close enough to aggro.
After twenty minutes, Yuki's MP was back at 80. Good enough.
"Let's continue," Sanji said. "But slower. We pull one at a time, rest between fights, and stay within retreat distance of the village."
They proceeded methodically, fighting shadow wolves with careful coordination. By the third kill, they'd refined their strategy significantly. Akane learned to predict the Shadow Step ability by watching for a faint shimmer. Yuki timed her expensive spells for maximum impact. Sanji perfected his positioning to minimize damage taken.
After the fifth shadow wolf, Akane's level-up notification appeared. She reached level four, her stats increasing and HP fully restoring. The boost was immediately noticeable her arrows hit harder, her movements were faster.
They were about to engage a sixth shadow wolf when Sanji's Game Master's Eye suddenly flared with warning. Danger. Multiple threats.
"Stop," he said urgently, holding up a hand.
Through the trees ahead, he saw them. Not one shadow wolf, but four. And they were surrounding something another player, backed against a tree, weapon drawn in desperate defense.
The player was alone, level three, and clearly about to die.
"Not again," Akane whispered.
Yuki looked at Sanji. "Four level-five shadow wolves. That's too many. We'd be risking all our lives."
She was right. Saving the ranger yesterday had been risky enough, and they'd been lucky. Four shadow wolves could kill all of them if the fight went wrong.
But Sanji was already analyzing the situation with his Game Master's Eye. The player was a swordsman, still had 60% HP. The wolves were positioned poorly, clustered together. If they could hit them with area attacks while the wolves were grouped...
"We can do this," Sanji said. "But we need perfect execution."
"Sanji" Yuki started.
"I know the risks. But I'm not going to stand by and watch someone die when we can help. You can stay here if you want. I'll understand."
Yuki closed her eyes briefly, then opened them with resignation. "I'm starting to think your compassion is going to get us all killed one day." She raised her staff. "But not today. Here's the plan..."
They had maybe thirty seconds before the wolves finished off the trapped player.
Thirty seconds to execute a perfect ambush, or they'd all die together.
Sanji tightened his grip on his sword.
"Let's move."
To be continued...