Smurf.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air, mixing with the faint scent of pastries from behind the café counter. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across polished wooden tables. Outside, the city hummed with life—people moving in waves along the sidewalks, the distant sound of traffic blending into the background noise of daily routine. It was a familiar atmosphere, one that hadn't changed despite the world inside Ascent constantly evolving.

A week had passed since Eclipse clashed with Twisted Demons, in a friendly capture-the-flag event. Despite the casual premise, the match had been anything but easy. Twisted Demon was a well-established guild, full of skilled players, but in the end, Rael's team had pulled off the win. It wasn't just about the victory, though. The experience had strengthened their coordination, forcing everyone to trust in one another under pressure.

Now, Eclipse was surging forward. They had spent the past several days grinding non-stop—dungeon runs, faction quests, and resource gathering—all pushing them closer to Guild Level 3. 

Sitting near the window, Rael took a slow sip of his coffee, the warmth spreading through him as he skimmed through his phone. Under normal circumstances, he'd be logged in, pushing for that last stretch. But Ascent was currently under maintenance, preparing for a major update.

The patch notes hadn't dropped yet, but Kepler Inc. had just released a gameplay trailer, and the forums were already on fire. The biggest reveal? Official auction houses.

For the first time, a structured trading system was being introduced, allowing players to exchange items and gold more efficiently. The catch? Real-world money was practically worthless in comparison to in-game currency.

Unlike most MMOs, where cash shops dominated, Ascent's unique design had flipped the economy on its head. Gold was king. Players weren't looking to cash out—they were desperately trying to acquire more gold. With factions waging wars, establishing territories, and securing influence, having gold meant having power. The conversion rate between real-world money and in-game gold was laughable, and discussions on the forum were filled with players complaining about how pointless it was to even consider buying currency with cash.

For most, Ascent wasn't just a game—it was like a second life in a new fantasy world, and gold was the blood that kept everything moving.

Aside from the auction system and currency exchange, there was another rumor stirring excitement—the First Championship Cup. Discussions across forums and social media suggested that an official tournament was on the horizon, with internal sources claiming that confirmation would come within six months.

Rael, however, wasn't convinced. Kepler Inc. was notoriously secretive. They never revealed their hand too soon, and most of the so-called "insider leaks" turned out to be nothing more than speculation. It was possible that a tournament was in the works, but until there was an official announcement, it was just another theory floating around.

Still, if a competitive circuit was introduced, Ascent would evolve once again—not just as a faction-based MMO but as a proving ground for the best players.

But that wasn't the only major change.

Another feature showcased in the trailer had players losing their minds—the introduction of Hybrid Classes.

Previously, subclasses served as enhancements to a player's core abilities, offering specialized perks that complemented their main class. Now, once a player hit Level 40, they would gain the option to fuse their subclass with their main class, creating a Hybrid Class instead of keeping both as separate paths.

It wasn't just a simple combination of skills—hybridization meant a complete transformation of how abilities worked. The trailer had given a brief but jaw-dropping preview: a hybrid Arcanist Mage, her hands wreathed in smoldering grey fire, launching a spell that withered everything in its path.

Theories exploded instantly.

Most players speculated that she was a hybrid of Pyromancer and Necromancer, combining fire magic with death energy to create something entirely new. If this was the level of customization being introduced, then Ascent was about to become even more unpredictable.

More flexibility meant more freedom—and if there was one thing gamers loved, it was freedom.

A light tap on his shoulder pulled Rael from his thoughts. He barely registered it at first, still lost in the endless calculations of how the game's balance would shift. But then, the tap came again—more insistent this time. With a sigh, he turned around, expecting a waiter or some random stranger.

Instead, he found himself face-to-face with a familiar silver-haired woman, her arms crossed, lips pursed in a knowing expression.

Without thinking, the words left his mouth.

"Crazy lady—"

The moment it slipped out, he realized his mistake.

Her frown was instant. "SABRINA! Not 'crazy lady'—SABRINA!!"

Rael blinked, then gave a half-hearted, robotic, "Apologies."

She rolled her eyes but didn't press the issue. Instead, she crossed her arms and said, "We meet again at this café, huh? Last time, you ran off before I could repay my debt."

Rael wryly smiled, already shaking his head. "It wasn't—"

Before he could finish, she pulled out her phone, tapped it against his, and a second later, his screen lit up with a transaction notification. His fingers hovered over the absurd number.

He stared at it. "…This wasn't needed."

"I don't care." She slid into the seat opposite him, the sunlight filtering through the window making her silver hair shimmer.

Rael was tempted to protest again but decided against it, taking a long sip of his coffee instead.

After a beat, Sabrina tilted her head slightly and asked, "By the way… I never caught your name. You know mine, but I don't think you've ever told me yours."

Rael blinked. It wasn't something he had expected, but it wasn't as if he had ever planned on giving it to her. He didn't really care about making an impression on her. "Rael."

Sabrina grinned "Nice to meet you, Rael."

Her eyes flickered to his phone, where the patch notes thread was still open. "You're checking the forums? You're actually interested?"

Rael shrugged. "Nah, not really. Doesn't matter to me."

Sabrina leaned in, clearly eager to explain. "Well, the big change is hybrid classes. You know, once you hit level 40, you can mix your subclass with your main one. So, imagine a Ranger who also takes the Beastmaster subclass. You could summon a companion to fight by your side, like a hawk to scout ahead or a wolf to attack. It gives you more versatility—you can focus on ranged attacks, but you've also got a pet helping out with the melee when things get too close. Kind of like having the best of both worlds."

Rael's eye twitched, but he nodded along. "Right. Cool."

She beamed. "Yeah, I think it'll be awesome! You can combine all kinds of abilities and make your character totally unique. I'm pretty sure it'll break the game in the best way."

Rael, not really invested, gave a small shrug. "Sounds… fine."

Sabrina didn't seem to catch his lack of enthusiasm and continued, her excitement bubbling over. "I can't wait to see all the new combos. I bet players are going to go crazy with it."

Rael took another sip of his coffee, silently agreeing with her but not letting his true feelings show. "Sure."

Sabrina continued talking for the next five minutes, her excitement for the hybrid classes and updates never slowing. Rael found himself zoning out, staring at his coffee, contemplating whether he'd ever step foot in this café again. It was getting harder to ignore her constant rambling.

Finally, Sabrina leaned forward, her tone suddenly curious. "By the way, what's your username in Ascent?"

Rael blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Eh, I don't really play that much. Doesn't matter."

She wasn't having it. "Come on, it's just a game. What's your name? It'd be fun to team up sometime."

Rael shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not human race on my account anyway, so not like we could meet up in-game."

Sabrina clapped her hands together with an odd enthusiasm. "That's perfect! I could power-level you to level 20, so you can get the mark, and then we'd be even. Easy, right?"

Rael winced at the idea, already feeling the weight of the request. "I really don't—"

She cut him off, her grin widening. "You know, if I wanted to, I could probably find your ID easily, right?"

Rael froze, eyes narrowing as he thought about her words. She wasn't serious, of course—Sabrina was just trolling. But the way she said it still sent a chill down his spine. He couldn't let her find out he'd been lying about not playing much.

He quickly scrambled to make up something that would stop her from digging deeper. "Uh… it's EzPz4040."

Sabrina stared at him blankly, her expression bordering on disbelief. "...EzPz4040?"

Rael squirmed, defensive. "What? By the time I logged in, all the other names were taken, alright? It was the best I could do!"

Sabrina shook her head slowly, clearly unconvinced. "Right..." she muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "EzPz4040. That's cute."

Rael's eyes darted awkwardly around, and without thinking, he blurted, "Oh, hey, my squirrel needs food. I, uh, I should get going. You know, priorities."

Before Sabrina could respond, he grabbed his things, stood up, and made a hasty exit from the café.

Sabrina blinked, staring at his retreating back. "Squirrel?" she muttered under her breath, her brow furrowing. "Huh. He ran away again... and he has a pet squirrel, too?"

She shook her head, a small grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

* * *

Rael walked into the room, still fuming from his awkward encounter at the café. Elias was near his pod, watering the plant—yes, the one he kept near his immersion setup. Rael couldn't help but stare at it, raising an eyebrow.

"Why do you even keep a plant near your pod?" Rael asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

Elias didn't even look up, a small smirk curling on his lips. "Motherly tendencies."

Rael blinked. "What?"

"You know, I like nurturing life." Elias shrugged casually. "What's it to you?"

Rael shook his head, muttering under his breath. He was about to say something else when Elias suddenly turned to look at him more closely.

"You okay? Why do you look out of breath?"

Rael hesitated for a second before launching into the entire story—how he'd met Sabrina, how she'd insisted on paying him back, and how she had dragged him into the conversation about hybrid classes, completely ignoring his attempts to act like a clueless noob and then cornering him into giving her his username.

When he finished, Elias was doubled over in laughter, barely able to catch his breath. His face was red, his hand clutching his stomach.

"Wait, you told her your name was EzPz4040?!" Elias gasped between chuckles, his voice cracking with the effort to breathe. "Oh man, that's priceless."

Rael's face flushed with embarrassment. "Shut up."

Unable to take it anymore, Rael walked over and bonked Elias on the head. "OWW!" Elias yelped, hands instinctively flying to his skull.

Rael shot him a glare, but Elias's laughter didn't die down. After a moment, he managed to calm himself, wiping his eyes.

"Okay, okay." Elias grinned mischievously. "Now seriously, what's up with that name?"

Rael sighed, leaning back against the wall. "I didn't want her to know I was Noctus. I told her I was a noob, right? So I have to make a new account. Ascent allows up to three accounts per person. There's no inventory sharing or anything, it's just a clean slate. Plus, I needed something unique, just in case somebody had already taken the name. And, you know, a name like EzPz4040 sounds like a casual player, not someone serious about the game."

Elias stared at him, clearly unconvinced. "Uh huh. Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy."

Rael just sighed and rubbed his temple. "It's the best I could come up with on short notice."

Elias snickered again, but this time, he seemed to let it go. "Alright, Noctus... or, should I say... EzPz4040?" He gave Rael a wink, and then turned back to the plant, humming contentedly as he continued to water it.

Rael glared at Elias for a moment, his frustration evident.

Without saying another word, he turned on his heel and headed for his room, feeling the weight of everything from the café encounter to the ridiculous conversation about his new account.

As he passed by Elias, the laughter still echoing in the background, Rael muttered under his breath, "I'm going to take a nap."

* * *

Three days passed, and the servers were finally back online after the update. Rael wasn't in the mood for a drawn-out character creation process. This time, he decided to speedrun it.

He breezed through the race selection, quickly choosing Lunaris. The Lunaris were a night-based hybrid class, with bonuses to their abilities at night and an innate skill for greater vision—perfect for his needs. Their glowing, cosmic skin during the night was a little flashy, but it added to the character's appeal. He didn't mind standing out, especially not in a world where he'd be blending in most of the time anyway.

Next, he selected his class: Ranger. Since he was making a new account, he figured it was the perfect opportunity to experiment with the ranger class.

He briefly considered if it'd be possible to roleplay as a cowboy with this setup, but dismissed the thought. The Lunaris race already gave him glowing skin at night, so a cowboy with an alien twist would have to wait for another time.

With a few quick clicks, he accepted his choices. The character creation screen flashed, and the confirmation appeared.

Rael leaned back as the world around him began to materialize. The familiar melodic voice ringing in his ears:

["Welcome to Solmora."]

Unlike his previous spawn as a human, Rael found himself in a wet marsh this time, the ground soft and squelching beneath his feet. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, and the trees towered above him, their trunks wrapped in vines and low-hanging branches. The grass was sparse, mostly just small tufts poking through the murky water. Nighttime had settled over the area, and the sky above was deep with stars, the moon faintly glowing.

Rael glanced around, his eyes narrowing as he took in the unfamiliar terrain. The environment was nothing like the bustling cities or familiar landscapes he'd grown used to in-game. This felt different. But he was in the game now, and he needed to focus.

He opened his interface, his fingers tapping through the screens quickly. His character's profile popped up. He took a moment to inspect it.

Lunaris had a cosmic aura about them, and Rael had to admit, it looked pretty damn cool. His skin now shimmered slightly, with a faint, almost ethereal glow under the moonlight, like the constellations were woven into his very flesh. His eyes were darker too, almost midnight black, adding to the alien vibe.

Rael quickly closed the interface, shaking off the lingering thoughts about his appearance. He didn't have time to admire his cosmic skin; he had levels to grind.

Rael knew he couldn't stay at level 1 for long—it would be too suspicious, especially with Sabrina around. He needed to level up fast. He pushed deeper into the marsh, moving cautiously through the swamp's eerie quiet. He kept his senses sharp, ready for anything that might help him get at least to level 10 before his cover was blown.

Every step felt like a race against time.