In the dim torchlight of an underground dungeon, a small, translut bde of wind tore through the air.

  “Kree?!”

  Shik.

  The bde cut deeply into an ugly goblin’s neck, spurting a fountain of blood into the surroundings as the goblin sunk to the ground. A sed wind bde hit the same wound and fully severed the head from its body.

  “Nice!”

  That was a really nice shot, Rone didn’t think he could do it again even if he tried.

  Magic-casting as a mage required a rge amount of focus and visualisation. In Hero of Liberation, casting using a simple, spoken intation and gave a linear, reproducible result which was very simple to use, though a bit cklustre. trarily, in the four years leading up to the unch of World of Heroes, Virtek had advaheir teology and were noable of reading signals from the brain’s visual cortex. This breakthrough led to the creation of the new magic system, whereby the pyer only need imagihe spell t it into reality.

  Rone found anoblin and prepared his spell. The spell sele and damage calcution fes in this game was calcuted using a metric called ‘thought pulse’. The clearer and more vivid the visualisatioed by the pyer in their mind, the higher this value would bee and the more devastating the spell’s effects. This meant that more advanced spells ter on in the game would definitely be more difficult to trol, but for now, Rone only had to trol his small starter spell, [Wind Bde], which summoned a sharp bde of pressed air to unch at high speed.

  Even though it was a starter spell, it was still fairly hard to visualise, because the bde artially transparent and also not a solid object. Approag the goblin, Rone densed his spell and prepared to fire.

  Ring Ring!

  “Fu-” The spell colpsed and veered off-course, scraping the ground and dissipating into the floor. Rone kicked the goblin away with his foot and fired an inaccurate sed wind bde, gouging a hole in its leg before retreating for distance.

  Pig up the call, Rone spoke into the air with undisguised annoyance, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Did something happen?” A voice with a discreet hint of glee came through from the other end.

  “No, nothing. How far through the dungeon are you?”

  Max tutted in slight dissatisfa. “I’m done. I was teleported out before I could even pick up my arrows. You could have warned me about that, you know.”

  “Eh? You’re done?”

  “Yeah, the boss didn’t even put up a fight. He just fell over, like a schoolgirl seeing a spider i sink. Are you nearly done? Because if not, I might as well go in again.”

  Rohought for a moment. ‘It’s been like 4 minutes?! I’ve only killed 10 goblins, how is he clearing the ehing in that time??’

  “Rone?”

  “Uh, yeah. I think I’ll be a while, so go do whatever. This css is a bit weak at the start.”

  “Kay!” Max abruptly hung up the call.

  “...” Ign the injured goblin, which was slowly crawling toward him, Roared into the long dungeon passage ahead with a vat expression.

  ‘Is that guy actually a monster?’

  ...

  ...

  Max ehe call and took a moment to stretch, flexing his arms and legs. It eculiar that stretg felt good at all in the game, given that his body was motionless in real life.

  “Excuse me, sir?” Someone walked up to him and called out to him.

  Max turned around and saair of men, one seemingly in their 20s and the other in their 40s. Somehow, they both seemed to be fitted with good equipment already, despite the game having only just unched.

  The older man had addressed him, so Max stopped staring and responded, “Hi, I help you?”

  “Yes, we were just w where we could find a hat like yours, it looks rather impressive.”

  Max smiled widely. The bck cattleman hat was aension of his body now, so a pliment to his hat was like a pliment to himself. “It was given to me by the NPC at the archery range. He should have a few more like this, but this is the only be.”

  “Alright, thank you very much.” The man whispered into his friend’s ear, like a butler inf their superior of importaails prior to entering business iations.

  “How much?” The other man spoke up.

  “Huh? For the hat?”

  “Yes. I want that hat.”

  “Sorry, but it’s not for sale.” Max smiled. “I’ve grown too attached to it already.”

  “What about 200 gold?”

  “? No, I’m not ied in selling. Thank you for the offer, though.”

  “...”

  The atmosphere suddenly turned chilly as the two men reached an impasse.

  “...Gee.” The younger man spoke again. “Just take it off him.”

  The older man sprung towards Max and reached for the hat. Max swiftly sidestepped and watched as Gee sailed past, grabbing air.

  “Hey now, did you think you could just steal it since you couldn’t buy it?” Max’s tune was still pyful as he took off his hat and held it behind him, dashing backward to avoid Gee’s following tackle. “No-no-no, I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, fels. If you want to get a hat like this, you have to earn it fair and square.

  Tristan and Gee watched as Max held the hat out in front of him, before it spontaneously disappeared into the air. Max dusted his hands theatrically and made eye tact with Tristan.

  “What?! What did you just do?”

  “What else? I put the hat in my iory.”

  Tristan took a moment tister before he cursed and turo Gee. “Hey, we still get it if it’s in his iory, right?”

  “I’m sorry young master, I’m not sure. It might be only equipped items that-”

  “Wh- *cough* Hahaha, did you just say young master? What is this, a Wuxia novel? Who are you calling young master in the 21st tury?” Max ughed and poi Tristan mogly. “Maybe I should be scared, you have a big family behind yht?” He taunted.

  Tristan narrowed his eyes. “As a matter-of-fact, I do. My name is Tristan Avaricius, cousin of Damien Avaricius, heir to the Avaricius Corporation. I’m sure you’ve heard of us, no?” Tristan smiled, w how subservient this arrogant guy would bee now that he heard his real identity.

  “Nope.”

  “Huh?”

  “Never heard of them. Either way, do you think being a retive of a retive of some big-name pany gives you the right to steal from people? If so, that’s pretty me, bro; what would your cousin think?” Max grinned and threw out a btant provocation.

  “...” Tristan stared at Max, who stared back impassively. “...Gee.”

  “Yes, young master.”

  “Kill him.”

  As if waiting for permission, Gee took an iron sword out of his iory and luoward Max.

  “Woah! So quick to violence!” Max adroitly evaded the blow, “It seems this is the true face of the Vicius family! Tsk tsk.”

  Max skilfully dodged and weaved through Gee’s attacks, adding insult to injury by stig out his foot, over which Gee cartoonishly tripped, nearly falling as he stumbled.

  “Gee! Take this seriously!”

  “Y-Yes, sorry young master. Do not worry, I’ve mao successfully er him now.”

  Tristan took a g the surroundings. Indeed! Gee had applied pressure to push Max toward the dungeon wall. There would be little room for him to dodge now. “Good, now finish him off.”

  “You guys aren’t very smart, are you...” Max eaking a step backward, he took his hat out from his iory and pced it ba his head just as his body faded and he was teleported into the dungeon.

  ...

  ...

  “Pfft~ oh my god haha, the look on his face.” Max appeared in the dungeon spad couldn’t help but burst out ughing.

  At the moment of teleportation, Tristan’s face torted into a look of shod unwillingness as he realised Max’s pn. Max felt as if that guy might actually die from disappoi.

  “Oh, man.”

  Max posed himself, only to instantly remember Tristan’s face again and lose it pletely.

  “P-hahahaha!” Max grabbed his stomad k on the ground.

  He really wao make that face his new phone aper.

  ...After ughing for a bit too long, Max forcibly stopped himself. He’d been too noisy and attracted a goblin, which attempted to sneak up on him from behind. Without turning around, he fired an arrow, and it dropped to the floor.

  “Haah, right, dungeon.”

  Max got up and yanked his arrow out from the goblin. The green monster disied intht red particles, which scattered about befradually fading into the air.

  “Oh, so the obs don’t stay as corpses either.” Max recalled the goblin boss, which disappeared in the same way during his first dungeon clear. It seemed like that happened for all monsters, not just bosses.

  Hopping bato grind-mode, Max went through the dungeon again, killing all the goblins. He paced himself this time, as now he o collect his arrows after each shot; he was already down to less than 100 of the 200 arrows he started with, which had been generously given to him by his favourite rancher.

  There were no treasures or special loot in the dungeon, which was quite disappointing. He did loot one small dagger from a goblin, but that was about it. After defeating the boss again, Max cimed its on and sucked it into his iory, pnning to sell it somewhere and earn moo buy more arrows.

  There didn’t seem to be a room or anything, so Max unceremoniously stomped on the dungeon core crystal with his foot to end the dungeon run.

  “...As expected.”

  When Max returned outside the dungeon, his two attackers were still standing there waiting. Tristan pointed and yelled at Max, who didn’t feel like dealing with that and stepped bato the teleportation radius again, peacefully culling moblins and pretending nothing had happened.

  ...

  After some time, he approached the boss room again before receiving a call from Rone.

  “Max! Are you still in the dungeon; there are some crazy weirdos chasing me, g that I’m your aplice!”

  ‘ht. He existed.’

  “Max! are you there? My agility stat is higher after levelling up, so they ’t catch me, but I ’t cast a spell since being chased by people who want to murder you is too distrag!”

  Max was forced to nod in agreement. People trying to stab and kill you was indeed distrag.

  “Max!”

  “Alright, I’m ing, I’m ing. Circle back to the dungeorance.”

  “Okay!”

  Max made swift work of the boss a back to the surface. Upon seeing the unfolding chase, which looked pretty funny, Max was tempted to watch for a little longer but opted not to because Rone might get angry. He drew his bow and issued a warning, “Get away from him or taste arrow! You have five seds!”

  “Max, shoot them!” Rone called out in panic, “They’re heavily geared, we ’t defeat them easily! Sihey’re both melee, we o-”

  Pew.

  Pew.

  An arrow impaled the skull of the rge, speedy man known as Gee, while a sed disappeared behind Tristan’s hairline a few paces behind. Uedly, both pyers turned into particles.

  “Uh?”

  “Wha?”

  All four people were shocked.

  ‘D-dead in one shot??!’

  Roopped running and turned around as the blue particles dispersed in the air. “M-Max? Did you use a skill or something?”

  Receiving no answer, Rourned back around. “Max?”

  Uedly, Max had an expression full of grief as he stared at the interfa front of him.