The entrance to Tana Forest was a bottleneck of amateur ambition. To most players, the dark treeline represented a boundary between safety and "The Grind." To Liam, it was just the entrance to a very large, unorganised walk-in freezer.
Everything looked enormous from Liam's perspective. At his randomised height, boots stomped past him like leather pillars, and cloaks swept over his silver hair like heavy curtains. Huge players pushed past, barely registering the tiny, armoured figure in their peripheral vision. When a glance did linger on him, Liam could feel the immediate, jarring confusion: a three-and-a-half-foot-tall wolf girl carrying a shield the size of a coffee table.
Liam adjusted his iron helmet, which had a habit of sliding down over his nose every time he breathed too hard. Through the narrow slit of his visor, his red eyes narrowed.
I look like a mascot for a failing blacksmith shop, Liam thought, his inner monologue deep and resonant. But the balance of this armour is atrocious. The centre of gravity is too high. If I take a hit from the left, I'm going to roll like a discarded beer keg.
Two figures approached him from the side of the path. Liam didn't need to check the interface; their party chat was already scrolling with the kind of "elite" gamer toxicity he'd come to expect from teenagers with too much free time.
The Rogue was short and stocky, holding his daggers like he expected the trees themselves to mug him. His eyes scanned Liam once, then twice, slower the second time.
"…that's our frontline?" the Rogue said, his voice flat with disbelief.
Mirra stepped up beside him. She was smaller, with wispy red hair, and she gripped a wooden staff as if it were a life preserver. She looked down at Liam. Then she looked down again.
"…is it… a child?" she whispered.
Rogue crouched slightly, squinting at Liam's visor. "No way. There's no way the devs let kids into a VRMMO. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen. Is this some kind of weird loli-bait skin?"
Liam stared back, his expression hidden by iron. I am an eighteen-year-old man who can de-bone a duck in twelve seconds, he thought. But if pretending to be a mute toddler gets me into a party for a quest, I will play the part.
"Are you mute?" Rogue asked.
Liam nodded solemnly.
"…great," Rogue said, standing back up. "A silent, armoured child-tank. That's exactly what I wanted today. I'm sure this will end brilliantly."
Mirra looked genuinely concerned, her staff glowing with a faint, anxious light. "Do you… know how to frontline? To take the hits? We just need someone to hold aggro and not die."
Liam paused, then gave a stiff, iron-clad nod.
I won't die, he thought. Death is a waste of ingredients. He typed into the party chat: [I won't die.]
"Confidence is high for a kid who looks like they fell into a dumpster at the armoury," Rogue muttered. "Whatever. If it dies, I'm looting the armour. Let's move."
The light dimmed almost immediately as they stepped under the canopy. The air cooled as the sounds of the town faded. The deeper they went, the quieter it got, until it was just footsteps, breath, and the occasional rustle of something moving where they couldn't see.
Rogue slowed slightly, raising a hand. Mirra stopped. Liam stopped, his boots making a final, heavy CLANK that echoed through the silence.
"Alright," Rogue said quietly, "first pull. Let's see if this… whatever this is, works."
Liam didn't wait. He surged forward, his small body hitting a surprising velocity. [Bull Rush] didn't care about his size; it cared about his momentum.
CLANG!
Liam crashed into the nearest Rabbit Toad—a hideous, furry amphibian that looked like a jackrabbit had been merged with a swamp-frog in a blender. The creature let out a wet, choking croak as it skidded back, its health bar dropping sharply.
"Whoa," Mirra gasped.
Rogue followed instantly, daggers flashing. The rabbit toad collapsed in seconds.
[+500 EXP]
Liam didn't hesitate. He walked straight up to it, crouched, and, to the absolute horror of his teammates, took a massive, crunching bite out of the toad's hind leg.
The forest went silent. Even the insects seemed to stop chirping.
"…what?" Rogue whispered.
"…WHAT." Mirra shrieked.
Liam took a second bite. To him, it didn't taste like raw monster meat. The [Absorption] skill translated the data into flavour. Gamey. High protein density. Needs a garlic rub and a low-temperature sear to break down the connective tissue.
"NO, NO, NO, YOU CAN'T JUST—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Mirra lunged forward, almost tripping over her staff.
Rogue dragged a hand down his face. "Why is it eating it? Is this… are you roleplaying? Should I be streaming this?"
Mirra rounded on him. "NO! WE SHOULD BE FINDING ITS PARENTS! That is not food! That is a MONSTER!"
Liam swallowed. He looked at them with his large, red eyes. He didn't respond to their panic; he was busy reading his notifications.
[Absorption Progress: 5 / 1000][Target: Rabbit Toad]
Next one should have the glands I need, Liam thought. The first one was just the appetiser.
They found the next one quickly. Rogue didn't even finish speaking before Liam moved again, slamming into it with his shield. The creature reacted instantly, mouth opening wide—and a thick stream of purple liquid blasted out.
It hit Liam directly in the face.
"POISON—" Mirra shouted.
Too late. The liquid splashed across his visor, hissing and sizzling. Liam didn't move. He just stood there as the purple goo dripped down his armour.
"…why isn't the child moving?" Rogue asked slowly.
Liam tilted his head slightly. Then he reached up, wiped a finger through the purple sludge on his shield, and licked it.
[+15 Poison Resistance]
[+25 Poison Resistance]
Mirra stopped breathing. Disbelief and escalating fear left her rooted in place.
Rogue blinked once. "…no."
Liam typed into the chat: […Why does this taste like grape juice?]
Truly remarkable, his inner voice mused. The tartness is balanced, likely due to a high concentration of citric acids in the toad's venom sacs. It would make a fantastic glaze for dessert.
"BAD CHILD!" Mirra snapped, already casting heals in a panic. "DO NOT DRINK THE MONSTER!"
"STOP DRINKING THE MONSTER," Rogue added, backing up.
Liam didn't stop. He licked the shield again. yum, he thought.
But then, a strange tingling swept over his body. His vision blurred. His character's muscles locked up.
Ah, Liam thought as he felt his body drop to the ground with a heavy THUD. Over-absorption. The system is punishing me for my lack of self-control. Typical.
"Oh, it's dead," Rogue said, his gamer instincts taking over. "Can I loot it now?"
"NO, IT'S STILL ALIVE I THINK!" Mirra spammed her heals on Liam's "dying" body.
A notification pinged inside his head.
[Congratulations, you are now immune to all Rabbit Toad poison!]
[Recipe Unlocked: Grape Soda]
[Immunity: Permanent (User only)]
Liam couldn't answer. He just lay there in the dirt, paralysed but tasting grape soda.
Suddenly, a blur of pink and silver crashed into the clearing. Elizabeth
—EllieTheWarrior—arrived so fast that Rogue barely had time to react.
She lunged at Liam, forcing a high-grade potion down his throat. "Drink that!"
Liam coughed as the potion broke the paralysis. He pushed himself upright, his armour clanking.
He typed: [What are you doing here?]
Elizabeth froze. Then she exploded. "I SAVED YOU! I tracked your location because I knew you'd do something stupid!"
Mirra coughed into her hand, looking between them. "Are you… Is it a mother?"
Rogue didn't miss a beat. He looked at Elizabeth's gear, then at her cat-ears. "Nice milf."
The silence that followed was absolute. Elizabeth's tail puffed out until it was the size of a chimney brush.
Liam looked at the system message floating in his peripheral vision.
[Warning: You have 'Over-Absorbed'.]
[Make sure to only consume one part of each monster.]
Oops, Liam thought. Haha.
He looked at the Rogue. He looked at the Healer.
"Food," he whispered, his husky voice sending a shiver through the Rogue's spine.
He didn't wait for the lecture. He adjusted his helmet and waddled toward the shadows. Elizabeth could scream all she wanted; there was a King Toad in these woods, and Liam was going to find out if it tasted like vintage wine.
[Status Window]
Level: 2
DEFENSE: 35
ATTACK: 50
NEW PERK: [Permanent Poison Immunity]
CURRENT GOAL: Find a bigger pot.