After logging off, Mysterious actually spaced out for a moment—a rare lapse. Having grown accustomed to his frail virtual body in-game, the sudden surge of strength flooding his real limbs felt strangely unfamiliar.

But the disorientation lasted only a second. Mysterious quickly adjusted, pressing the button beside him. The game pod’s hatch hissed open instantly.

Game pods were engineered to be nearly impregnable from the outside. When players activated the full-dive holographic mode, they lost all awareness of the physical world. This reinforced design prevented external harm. Any violent impact would forcibly wake the user, and built-in comms ensured safety protocols kicked in immediately.

“Eh? You’re awake?” A girl’s voice floated over as Mysterious sat up. “Did I accidentally wake you?”

Beside his pod stood a petite girl around 160cm tall. Her youthful, makeup-free face held delicate features. Jet-black hair brushed her shoulders, and she wore a crisp high school uniform—clearly still a student.

“No… Morning. Your shift today?” Mysterious greeted her calmly, utterly unsurprised by her presence in his solitary villa. As if a teenage girl materializing in his home was perfectly ordinary.

“It’s Saturday,” she nodded. “I was about to cook. Join me?”

Her name was Guxiyu. At seventeen, she was a second-year high schooler—and a full-fledged agent of the Meta Ability Administration. Don’t let her age fool you: in a real fight, few in Han Ge’s squad could match her. As the youngest and only female member, everyone doted on her… Mysterious included.

Though officially part of the Administration, Guxiyu prioritized her studies. She lived on campus and rarely engaged with field operations. Since Han Ge’s team was currently assigned to “monitor” Mysterious—with no other active missions—Guxiyu participated too. Her method was… unconventional.

Every weekend or holiday, she’d show up at Mysterious’s villa under the guise of surveillance, staying over with perfect legitimacy. An orphan with no guardians, she had nowhere else to go. Mysterious never objected—his luxury villa had more than enough space.

This arrangement made Guxiyu the squad member who interacted with Mysterious most frequently. If anyone in Han Ge’s team could claim closeness to him, it was her.

“…I’ll pass,” Mysterious declined. Then he frowned slightly. “Did something happen just now?”

“Huh? Nothing at all,” Guxiyu tilted her head, thinking. “I just checked on you. Didn’t touch your pod… Did I disturb you?”

“Shouldn’t have,” he shook his head. The pod only triggered alarms under forceful impact—and Guxiyu had zero reason to smash it. Any emergency could’ve been handled via the call button.

Still, Mysterious swept his senses around the room. Confirming no anomalies, he prepared to log back in.

“Hmm… Heading back to play? How’s *EndlessHorizon*?” Guxiyu asked as he moved. “Everyone in class was buzzing about it yesterday. Sounded fun.”

“…It’s good,” Mysterious replied. After a pause, he amended, “Actually—excellent. In every way.”

“Oh? I’ll try it when I’m free,” she nodded. “Don’t let me keep you. Go play.”

Minors could access *EndlessHorizon*, but age-based restrictions applied—not to loot rates, but to sensory immersion. Pain intensity and gore levels were heavily filtered.

…

Mysterious reappeared in the dim room. Everything remained unchanged from his brief logout.

He first collected the drops from the Goblin King and Aidraite’s projection before the system could despawn them—though he wasn’t entirely sure how *EndlessHorizon*’s refresh mechanics worked.

The Goblin King yielded standard boss-tier gear, slightly better than common loot. Aidraite’s projection, however, dropped two intriguing items:

**[Frenzy Medal (None) | Level Req: 0 | Badge]**

HP: +200

**Skill: Frenzy**

Enter a frenzied state: +30% damage dealt, +30% damage taken, +15% movement speed. Duration: 60s | Cooldown: 300s

**[Chaos Emblem | Special Item]**

A wondrous artifact forged by the Chaos Sovereign. Its bearer wields unstoppable power.

**Active Effect:** Shatters barriers, seals, and bindings. Cooldown: 30 days

Having hit Level 10, Mysterious could now equip all his stored gear. After gearing up, he checked the system notifications he’d missed during his abrupt logout. Just kill confirmations and level-up alerts—nothing critical.

The unsettling sensation of being watched never returned while he organized his inventory. It felt like a false alarm… yet Mysterious knew his instincts never lied about such things. With no solution in sight, he pushed it aside.

Mission complete. Time to report back.

Though Mysterious had foiled the plot, the frenzied beasts—and goblins—remained aggressive. They still attacked him on sight. Level 10 capped his XP gains in BeginnerVillage, but he didn’t spare any goblins he encountered.

He was killing time. Dawn was less than an hour away.

Thanks to his precise timing, Mysterious reached the village minutes before sunrise. Unlike the earlier sea of players, the streets were nearly empty. *EndlessHorizon* had been live nearly 24 hours; most pioneers were offline resting. Not everyone could skip sleep like him.

When NPCs emerged at dawn, Mysterious headed straight to the village chief’s house. Saya stood at the door, seemingly about to leave.

“Nameless One, you’ve returned,” she greeted him. “What brings you here?”

Her unspoken question hung in the air: *How did the mission go?*

“No need for suspense,” Mysterious stated plainly. He recounted everything—the cultist in the Goblin Stronghold, even the Jungle Heavy Lizard King (though he glossed over that part).

Saya fell silent for a long moment. Then she nodded slowly. “So it begins… I didn’t expect them to stir so soon.”

“Them?” Mysterious immediately thought of Aidraite.

“The Dark Fiends of the Demon Realm,” Saya explained, her voice heavy. “Centuries ago, their invasion was halted by nine heroes. Yet now…”

Her words echoed *EndlessHorizon*’s lore:

Centuries past, the Demon King led his legions from the Demon Realm, plunging the world into chaos. Nine heroes rose—uniting nations and races—in an epic war. They sealed the Demon King and his army back into the abyss, nearly destroying him at the cost of their own lives.

Players now walked this world as summoned Adventurers, heirs to that legacy.

“Nameless One, I thank you,” Saya bowed deeply. “Without your actions, countless innocents would have suffered under the Dark Fiends’ cruelty.”

Mysterious subtly stepped back half a pace. This Superbeing, despite her immense power, struggled to accept gratitude.

“As thanks, I wished to grant you the Valor Emblem—reserved for the bravest warriors,” Saya continued. “But you already possess it. So allow me to elevate your proof.”

“This?” Mysterious produced the Valor Emblem after a pause.

“Yes.” Saya’s fingers brushed the emblem lightly.

**[Player Nameless One completed quest: Report & Investigation. Earned the respect of all BeginnerVillage residents. Valor Emblem upgraded to Elite Emblem.]**

**[Elite Emblem: A mark of true excellence, surpassing the Valor Emblem. Awarded only to the most exceptional.]**

“My aid ends here,” Saya said. “Your strength has plateaued. Staying longer won’t make you stronger. Seek Kael. He’ll teleport you to the main city—your true stage. Present this emblem to the Class Instructor. He will guide your path.”

Level 10 was the threshold. Per *EndlessHorizon*’s design, it was time to leave BeginnerVillage for class advancement.

“Thank you,” Mysterious inclined his head. Though a quest reward, Saya’s help mattered. This Elite Emblem would surely grant advantages during job selection.

“You’re this village’s hero. No need for thanks…” Saya waved it off, then hesitated. “Before you depart, Nameless One—might I ask one final favor? A personal request. Unrelated to the village.”

“If it’s within my power,” Mysterious agreed.

He hadn’t planned to leave immediately anyway. Blacksmith Hu had mentioned a follow-up to the ring quest at Level 10. One more task for Saya wouldn’t delay him.

“Thank you.”

Saya bowed again. From her sleeve, she drew a palm-sized, ancient-looking scale. Her gaze locked onto his.

“You mentioned encountering the Jungle Heavy Lizard King, didn’t you?”