After an arduous battle, Nameless One finally slew the elite Mine Rat with his sword. The elite rodent had a max HP of 400—losing nearly a third still left it with over 200 HP. That meant Nameless One had swung his sword over two hundred times.

Defeating the over-leveled monster flooded him with rich experience, instantly boosting Nameless One to Level 5. Had the level rankings opened before players reached Level 10 and left BeginnerVillage, his rank would’ve shocked everyone.

Leveling in *EndlessHorizon* was painfully slow. Even now, aside from Nameless One, the highest level any player had achieved was merely 4. But the slowness wasn’t due to excessive EXP requirements—it stemmed from the game’s core mechanics.

With hyper-realistic immersion, players moved and fought almost exactly as they would in reality. To reach Level 2, a player needed 100 EXP. Village-adjacent Level 1 monsters granted 5 EXP each—seemingly simple math. Yet unlike traditional keyboard-and-mouse games where killing monsters meant clicking buttons, *EndlessHorizon* demanded physical effort. For players who’d never held a real knife, swinging a sword twenty times was grueling. Only system assistance and enhanced in-game stamina prevented half the player base from quitting immediately.

Worse, at launch, every player started at Level 1, swarming the sparse Level 1 spawns. Monsters vanished seconds after respawning, leaving players scrambling for scraps of EXP—often just 1 point per kill. Reaching Level 2 required touching a hundred monsters. Venturing to higher-level zones avoided competition but sacrificed safety; soloing even a Level 1 hen could leave players struggling.

...

Picking up the green-quality Staff and two copper coins dropped by the rat, Nameless One finally left the mine. Since he wasn’t a caster, he didn’t even check the Staff’s stats before tossing it into his bag.

*EndlessHorizon*’s night sky was breathtaking—a tapestry of stars shimmering with dreamlike glow. Though modeled after Earth’s constellations, the game’s stars burned far brighter. In truth, real-world skies hadn’t held visible stars for decades; their memory lived only in planetariums and paintings.

Nameless One stood still, gazing upward for several minutes before turning toward the village.

Unlike the dazzling heavens, the earthly night seemed deliberately dimmed. But darkness troubled Nameless One little—his night vision pierced the gloom, though visibility shrank compared to daytime.

Back in the village, he headed straight for the blacksmith’s to turn in his quest. Seeing the repaired roof, he felt cheated.

Most shops closed after business hours—NPCs needed rest too. While NPCs usually lived above their stores, disturbing their sleep tanked reputation. Low reputation with neutral NPCs was never wise.

But Nameless One held a quest, so he knocked firmly on the smithy’s back door.

“Who is it?!” A gruff voice barked from inside. The door stayed shut.

“Me. Nameless One.” He knocked again.

This time, Blacksmith Hu opened the door.

“Let’s be clear: I’ll give you nothing but the Holy Light essence. No weapons. No help.” Hu’s words hit first.

“Is this what you need?” Nameless One ignored the bluster, pulling out *Vivian’s Resolve* and waving it.

Hu nodded absently. “Yes, that’s it. Just bring it to me and—” He froze mid-sentence, eyes widening. “What? You already have it? So fast?!”

Hu had given a three-day deadline precisely because he deemed Nameless One too weak—a “disabled” player, in his view. Only the Valor Emblem had convinced him to risk sending this cripple on a suicide mission.

“Mm.” Nameless One nodded flatly, as if he’d picked up a pebble by the village gate.

“...Come in.” Hu stepped aside.

“Hello there~” A woman’s voice chimed the moment Nameless One entered. He hadn’t even scanned the room.

“...Hello?” He responded automatically. He recognized Seamstress Qiuxia—she’d given him a quest earlier. But why was she here?

“You returned so quickly? Truly remarkable.” Qiuxia smiled, pouring him tea. “Nameless One, when will you finish *my* task?”

“Later.” He took the cup. Her playful tone didn’t mask his genuine plan: turn in Hu’s quest, then grind monsters. Qiuxia’s task required ten rabbit pelts for a gray-quality Rabbit Fur Chestguard.

*Nights in EndlessHorizon were perilous.* Monster stats increased slightly, and nocturnal elites emerged—offering richer EXP and loot. Yet no players farmed at night. Not because of stronger foes, but crippled visibility. Torches sold at the general store were too expensive; their cost outweighed monster drops at current levels.

For Nameless One—a Superbeing—sight was irrelevant. Even in this weaker avatar, hunting small fry was trivial. Only a walking cheat code like him could defy game balance so casually.

“You didn’t go straight into the mine, did you?” Hu approached, eyeing Nameless One like a zoo exhibit.

“Problem?”

“...No problem. Hand over the ring.” Hu shook his head, palm outstretched.

Nameless One placed the ring in his hand.

> **[Player Nameless One completed quest "The Lost Ring." Awarded 100% EXP of current level. Reputation increased with Hu, Qiuxia, Gray, Kate, and Fengmian.]**

Golden light washed over Nameless One as he hit Level 6, finally escaping the Level 1 bracket. He knew all five NPCs: Hu and Qiuxia, plus Gray (general store), Kate (teleport master), and Fengmian (apothecary)—BeginnerVillage’s core functional NPCs. Each had given him minor quests during his wanderings.

But why did this quest involve the others? He had another question.

“Actually, I wanted to ask—”

“I know you have questions,” Hu cut him off. “But not yet. Return when you’ve grown stronger.”

“No—I meant, why is Qiuxia here? She runs the tailor shop.” Nameless One pointed at her.

“Because I’m his wife.” Qiuxia lifted her left hand, flashing the ring on her finger. “I’m home. Problem?”

The angle had hidden her ring earlier.

“Wife?” Nameless One blinked, confused. “Then this ring...?”

“I said—*when you’re stronger*.” Hu shot him a look.

“...” Nameless One suddenly felt foolish. He’d assumed it was a dead spouse’s wedding band. He’d overlooked that his ring and Hu’s didn’t match—too focused on Vivian’s identity.

“Here. Your reward.” Hu tossed him a pair of metal bracers.

The Level 6 green bracers offered defense and +5 Strength—solid gear that eased Nameless One’s abysmal attack stat. Leveling to 6 had doubled *Reaper’s Mercy*’s bonus damage to 14. Combined with his Novice Sword and stats, his attack barely breached 20. Most Level 6 players would scoff, but for a “disabled” player relying on “-1” mechanics, it was plenty.

Leaving the smithy, Nameless One strode toward the village gates and vanished into the boundless night.