First In

There was more than just rent money in that account. There was tuition money. Hope. Ryan quickly whipped up a new Paladin character, skipped all the boring tutorials, and logged right out.

He yanked off his headset, and sure enough, his sisters were curled up beside him on the floor, whispering back and forth. Their voices were so full of doubt, it just broke his heart.

"Alright, alright! No more gloom and doom!" Ryan declared, scooping them both up in his arms like they were little kids again. He spun them around the tiny room. "Just give me a few days. Seriously, just a few. Things are gonna look a whole lot brighter, I promise!"

And for the first time, he actually believed it. Yeah. A better future was definitely on its way.

----

Loud music thumped through his headphones as Ryan relentlessly clicked the Kingdom Forge icon, absolutely determined to be the very first one in.

The servers were supposed to go live on August 1st, but the developers hadn't said a peep about the exact time. Ryan had a strong feeling it would open at 6:20 AM, but he wasn't about to risk being even a minute late.

It was just after six. His two younger sisters were already up, hovering by the doorway, watching him with worried eyes. His own eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were trembling, not from fear, but from pure, unadulterated anticipation. The guy hadn't blinked all night.

Then it happened. A soft click echoed from his speakers.

6:20 on the dot.

The massive in-game gates finally creaked open, and Ryan's Paladin strode forward, full of purpose, stepping into the digital world as if it were his destiny.

A brilliant flash of white light surrounded him, then gently faded, revealing a quiet, almost forgotten village nestled in the hills.

"First one in," Ryan mumbled, a little surprised at how deserted the place was. Aside from a few NPC guards patrolling, the village felt completely empty.

Above him, glowing orbs started appearing, one by one, descending from the sky. New players were arriving.

He pulled up his character sheet.

Name: Featherlight

Race: Human

Class: Paladin

Level: 1

HP: 80

MP: 60

Divine Power: 0/9

Strength: 18

Stamina: 15

Agility: 16

Intellect: 12

Spirit: 14

Arcane Resist: 0

Fire Resist: 0

Frost Resist: 0

Shadow Resist: 0

Nature Resist: 0

Ryan gave it a quick once-over. Everything still looked familiar.

Level 1 Human Paladins were ridiculously balanced, which, ironically, made them unpopular. Most early players completely ditched Humans and flocked to the Dwarves instead. Higher Strength right off the bat? Sold!

But here's what they didn't get: Humans might be a little behind on base stats, but when it came to racial perks, they were unbeatable.

Swordplay: Humans saw swords as a symbol of nobility and grace. Nobles spent years perfecting the art, and it really showed. Passive: +1% hit chance with one-handed and two-handed swords.

Paranoia: Humans were naturally suspicious, always aware of their surroundings. Because of that, they were ambushed far less often than other races. Active: Temporarily boosts stealth detection. Duration: 20 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

Diplomacy: Silver tongues, natural charm, Humans knew how to work a room. Passive: +10% reputation gain.

Faith: Among all the races, Humans were the most devout. Their willpower? Practically iron. Passive: +5% to total Spirit.

For Paladins, Humans weren't just a decent choice, they were perfect. Every single racial perk was useful.

Swordplay made gear scaling easier, especially for those running Retribution or Protection builds. Even a tiny boost to hit chance meant players could focus on other stats, essentially getting bonus attributes in disguise.

Paranoia? That was pure PvP gold. Rogues and Druids absolutely hated running into Human players. Human Rogues were even nicknamed "sniffers" in some circles, they could uncloak enemy stealth units like bloodhounds. It made them kings in mirror matches.

Diplomacy had every other race drooling. An extra 10% to rep gains saved literal days of grinding, which was huge when almost everything in the game was tied to faction standing.

And Faith? For healers, that bonus to Spirit was everything. More Spirit meant faster mana regeneration. Later in endgame raids, it became an absolute must-have for any support build worth their salt.

Ryan opened his spellbook mid-jog, only to find... nothing. Not a single skill.

He blinked.

"Right. Early game," he mumbled, slowing down. "You've gotta visit your class trainer first to unlock spells."

It had totally slipped his mind. This was one of those launch quirks. Back in beta, you started with two basic skills automatically. But here on the live servers, they'd stripped it back. A quiet little Easter egg for the old-school grinders.

Ryan stopped just before the village gate and started scanning the area.

After a few moments of looking around, his eyes lit up. Tucked into a corner off the main road was the guardhouse. The Paladin trainer stood right next to the Warrior trainer, chatting like two old college buddies.

Ryan walked up to the Paladin trainer and started the dialogue. Two quests popped up.

---

Path of Retribution:

Trainer Harnel seems to doubt your strength. Prove yourself by getting his old longsword from outside the village.

Objective: Harnel's Longsword 0/1

Reward: Fist of Light (Skill), 200 EXP, 50 copper

Path of Grace:

Trainer Harnel doubts your faith. Go to the village chapel, say a prayer, and talk to Priestess Talia.

Objective: Prayer 0/1; Speak with Talia 0/1

Reward: Radiant Light (Skill), 200 EXP, 30 copper

---

He accepted both, chuckled, and made a beeline for the chapel. Better to knock out the easy one first, no point running around before grabbing the low-hanging fruit.

The place was dead quiet when he arrived, just as he expected. Only one NPC was inside, a woman in white robes kneeling before a massive statue, deep in prayer.

No players yet. Most had probably rushed out to grind on level one critters with their bare hands.

"Good morning, honored Priestess Talia."

With those words, the quest triggered, pulling Ryan's character right next to her in a smooth animation. He bowed respectfully.

"Ah, Featherlight. The newly anointed Paladin," Talia said with a warm smile.

Half the quest was done right there.

He joined her in silent prayer for a few minutes. When the sequence ended, the second half ticked off.

"My dear Featherlight, your devotion truly moves me. I'll vouch for your faith without question."

Another short dialogue later, the quest was marked complete.

You have learned: Radiant Light.

+200 EXP

+30 copper

Radiant Light: Heals yourself or an ally for a moderate amount. Costs mana. 3-second cast time.

Ryan cast it on himself a few times, watching the healing numbers float up. The first hit restored 78 HP, massive overkill at his level. And the mana cost? Just six.

Yeah, this was definitely going to work. He was confident now, this was his first step toward making bank.

Instead of heading straight for Harnel's sword, though, Ryan veered off the path. There was a hidden NPC somewhere nearby. If he found the right one, he'd unlock a timed side quest, not part of the main story, and easy to miss.

'Got it.'

He stepped into an unmarked shack with the door slightly ajar. Inside, a wounded NPC slumped against the wall, breathing heavily.

Wounded Jimmy

Level: 5

HP: 200

Race: Human

Ryan fired off Radiant Light a couple of times. After the second cast, the NPC's name changed.

Survivor Jimmy

A golden exclamation point popped above his head.

Side quest unlocked.

Ryan grinned, cracked his knuckles, accepted the quest, and jogged toward the edge of the village, ready to grind.