The morning in Seoul was grey and quiet. Ji-Hoon opened his eyes and sat up in his bed. His body felt heavy, but he felt good. He liked the feeling of waking up and knowing he had a secret job to do. He walked into the kitchen and saw that his mother had already left for work. There was a small note on the fridge that said, "Have a good day. Don't forget to eat your rice!"
Ji-Hoon looked at his sister, Ji-Yoon, who was already sitting at the table with her tablet. She was looking at the market prices for the game.
"We made another 35,000 won last night," she said. Her voice was calm. "The market for the Stink-Weed is very stable. People need it to make basic poison resistance potions."
"That's good," Ji-Hoon said. "That pays for the groceries for the next few days. Mom won't have to worry about the bill."
They ate a quick breakfast and then went back to their rooms. They climbed into their pods. It was time to go back to work.
[Sync Rate: 99.8%]
[Day 6: Village of Oros]
When they appeared in the village, the air was cold. It was the kind of cold that made a person want to go inside and sit by a fire. But Selena and Zenith didn't go inside. They walked to the tanning racks and sat down on their bench.
They checked their status screens.
[Selena: Level 2 — 250/1,500 XP]
[Zenith: Level 2 — 250/1,500 XP]
"We are very far behind the other players," Zenith said. He watched a group of players walk past. They were wearing shiny leather armor and carrying long bows. They looked strong. They were probably Level 12 or 13 by now. "They look like they are having a lot of fun fighting big monsters."
"They are having fun, but they are following the path the game made for them," Selena said. "We are making our own path. It is slower, but it is ours."
They stood up and walked out of the village. They didn't run. Running used up stamina, and they wanted to save their energy. They walked past the guards, who didn't even look at them. To the guards, they were just two people who lived in the village.
They went back to the woods. Today, they wanted to try something different. Instead of just killing the wolves or the toads, they wanted to find something stronger. They walked deeper into the forest, where the trees were very close together.
They found a Level 4 Forest Spider. It was big and black, and it was hanging from a web between two trees.
"If we kill this, we get a lot of XP," Zenith said. He felt a little bit nervous, but also excited. "But we have to be careful. The poison will hurt."
"I will use my light to stop the poison," Selena said.
Zenith moved first. He didn't use a magic bolt. He used a heavy stick he had found on the ground. He hit the spider to make it come down. The spider dropped and hissed. It was fast. It tried to bite Zenith's leg, but Zenith moved back just in time.
Selena moved in from the side. She used her skinning knife. She was precise. She stabbed the spider in its soft belly. The spider shook and tried to spray silk at her.
Zenith grabbed the spider's legs. He held them tight. He could feel the spider's heart beating. It was a very strange feeling. He felt strong. Even though he was only Level 2, his body felt solid.
Selena stabbed the spider one more time. The spider stopped moving.
[You have defeated 'Forest Spider' (Level 4).]
[Experience Gained: 100 XP (Split: 50 XP Each).]
[Total Progress: 300/1,500 XP]
"That was good," Zenith said, breathing hard. "50 XP each. If we kill ten of these, we get 500 XP."
"Yes," Selena said. She knelt down. She used her jars to collect the spider's venom and some of its blood. She also looked for the mana core. It was small and green.
She lifted the jar of spider blood. It looked very thick and dark. She looked at Zenith. "I am going to drink it now."
She took a big swallow. It was very bitter. It felt like fire in her throat. She felt her stomach turn. The system showed the Nausea warning, but she didn't stop. She used her Divine Light inside her body. The golden light made the fire in her throat go away.
[Human Density: 100%]
Zenith took the green mana core. He bit it. It tasted like sour fruit and metal. He chewed it and swallowed. He felt a small spark of energy go into his chest.
"It still says 100%," Zenith said, looking at his screen. "We have been doing this for six days and nothing has changed."
"It takes time to change a person's nature," Selena said. "The system is checking to see if we will give up. If we keep doing it, the number will move. We just have to be patient."
They spent the rest of the day in the woods. They killed four more spiders. It was hard work. Their clothes were covered in spider silk and dirt. By the end of the day, they were very tired.
They walked back to the village in the dark. They saw the other players sitting in the tavern, laughing and drinking ale. Those players were Level 15 now. They were buying expensive food and talking about the big city.
Selena and Zenith went to the market. They sold the spider venom for a very high price. A merchant was very happy to see them.
"This is good venom," the merchant said. "I can make many potions with this. You two are very good at finding things in the woods."
"Thank you," Selena said.
They got their gold and went to their usual bench. They didn't talk much. They just sat together and watched the moon.
"I'm happy, Noona," Ji-Hoon said through the party link. "I like that the merchant knows us. I like that we are making money for Mom. I don't care about the levels."
"I know," Selena said. "I am happy too."
They logged out. In the real world, Ji-Hoon went to the kitchen and drank a glass of cold water. He looked at his hands. They looked like normal hands. But in his mind, he could still feel the weight of the spider's legs. He went to bed and fell asleep instantly. He dreamed about a house by the sea for his mother.