I found myself in an old, shabby room with four beds and four closets lined up neatly against the walls.

  But I was alone.

  No one else was there—except for a small spider in the corner, snacking on a fly caught in its web.

  "Man, they really love their little details,"

  I muttered, watching it for a moment before shifting my gaze toward the rge, dark wooden door.

  After one st look around, I opened it and stepped into a wide, dimly lit hallway where teenagers rushed across a long red carpet.

  "Good morning, BakingTray!"

  A soft, gentle voice called out from behind me. When I turned around, familiar pink hair spilled over slender shoulders.

  "Did you sleep well?"

  Ellis asked, hugging a thick book tightly against her chest.

  "Oh, what's good, Ellis? Yeah, I slept fine," I replied, gncing at the book. "What are you reading?"

  She hesitated, cheeks tinting pink before answering.

  "Oh—uh—it's Magic for Beginners, volume five. The head librarian lent it to me since I help out on weekends."

  She said, flustered, avoiding eye contact with me.

  "Oh, I see. That's cool,"

  I said with a smile, giving her a thumbs-up before turning away to look for the exit.

  I wandered the halls for a while before finding a staircase leading down into a massive hall.

  A chandelier hung from the elegant ceiling, triggering brief, unpleasant fshbacks.

  Of a certain very strong crocodile in armor.

  But there were better things to focus on.

  Shaking of my wierd throughs I looked forward

  Then...

  I pushed open the rge wooden gate leading outside.

  A small loading symbol flickered at the lower-left corner of my vision.

  Sunlight hit my face—and with it came hundreds of floating usernames.

  People shouted all around me.

  "We still need two more for a squad! Anyone interested?"

  Two pyers in beginner gear waved me over, but I ignored them, pushing straight through the crowd.

  Deeper into the city, the noise thinned out. Only a few pyers remained—some in pairs, others solo—wandering with the same goal I had.

  Quests.

  I searched for far too long without finding anything.

  I had checked every corner and crack in this damned city and found nothing at all.

  "Damn. There's not a single quest in this whole city,"

  I compined, sitting on a bench overlooking a rge fountain in the market square.

  "Haaa..."

  I sighed, resting my head in my palms. "At least the sightseeing was decent."

  I sat there for a while, doing nothing but watching the water spill from the fountain.

  Until something caught my eye.

  A man burst out of a shop, sprinting away as a chubby, dark-skinned man chased after him, shouting and throwing objects.

  "What was that all about...?"

  Curious, I followed.

  As I opened the shop door, a small bell chimed softly. The scent of wood filled my nostrils instantly. Countless wands of varying designs and sizes lined the walls.

  Behind the counter stood the same chubby man, visibly distressed.

  I approached, gncing at the dispys.

  "Hey, I saw what happened outside—"

  Only then did he look up.

  "Oh! Forgive me, sir," he said quickly, rubbing his forehead. "I have a very important order, but the adventurer I hired quit at the st second!"

  "That does sound bad," I replied. "If you are up for it, I could help out."

  He blinked, leaning forward.

  "What do you mean, young man?"

  "you see... I'm an aspiring adventurer myself. In desperate search for a quest. If you tell me the details, I'm on my way."

  I let my eyes wander over the wands again.

  "Take your time and think about it."

  "So... I'm guessing you're a wandsmith?" I added, gently lifting one from its dispy and running my fingers over the dry wood.

  The magic tool felt familiar. As soon as I touched it, it synchronized with me. With my mana, almost as if it became a part of my body.

  "Truly high quality wands here..."

  I muttered under my breath.

  "Fine!"

  He smmed his hands on the counter, making me flinch.

  "The reward is five dimes. No more, no less!"

  I turned back to him with a grin, extending my hand.

  "You got yourself a deal wandsmith!"

  He looked at me for a moment, then at my hand, and back at me before engaging in a firm handshake.

  "Call me Borealis!"

  I nodded, taking a seat on one of the chairs and leaning back.

  "So what are the details of my mission Borealis?"

  Borealis took a deep breath before sitting down as well, lighting his tobacco pipe with a match.

  He inhaled deeply, tossing the match into an already overfilled ashtray before letting out a cloud of aromatic smoke.

  "Here is the thing, I need exactly thirty ghost wood twigs from a dreadwood. I would appreciate high quality twigs if possible but I'm not too picky!"

  He told me, taking another deep drag from his pipe while combing through his bck beard with thick fingers.

  "That should be possible, where exactly do I find dreadwoods, is there any special location where they live?"

  I asked.

  He huffed, then straightened himself.

  "Dreadwoods can spawn in practically any forest but they are most commonly seen in the Purpur Woods located about an hour foot walk west, you notice the forest on the purpleish leaves of the trees!"

  With that settled, I stood up and nodded. Fttening my wrinkled cloak again.

  "Good, that's all the information I need. If that is all I will be on my way now."

  Walking back through the door into the bright sunlight, I was once again greeted by loud shouting and hovering name tags.

  "So the crowd finally made it to the pza,"

  I muttered, heading toward the western gates.

  The walk took me through slums, the stench like a waste deposit site, trash piled high.

  It was so bad, that even rats were scurrying half-dead in the corners.

  Finally, I emerged to see two guards standing in front of massive stone gates. Relief washed over me.

  Taking a deep breath of breathable, fresh air.

  I made my way over towards soldiers.

  But just as I was about to approach, a soft hand gripped my wrist, stopping me in my tracks.

  "Uhm... excuse me..."