The bell above the entrance gave a sharp chime as Ezekiel stepped into the crowded smithy.
Carlson's Iron Den—unlike Lance's humble forge tucked away in the alleyways of Fwerah—was a hub of player activity.
The wide interior was bustling with chatter, clinking armor, and heated discussions as dozens of adventurers roamed about, admiring weapons and equipment displayed on tall racks and well-lit counters. The air was thick with the tang of heated iron, sweat, and faint sparks of excitement.
Ezekiel kept his head down, intentionally blending in. He had long since stored his iron sword away in his inventory. The weapon had already caused a stir at Lance's smithy, and he wasn't looking to draw that kind of attention again.
Same with the wolf armor set he'd earned from the pseudo-epic quest. Flashy gear in the wrong crowd invited questions he wasn't ready to answer.
The chatter around him was constant.
"...I swear I almost died! Thing jumped me from the bushes, man—had glowing red eyes!"
"I heard there's a hidden questline if you keep talking to that old fisherman at the marketplace."
"No way, I already tried five times. He just complains about his knees."
"...Gotta be a flag or something we're missing..."
"Flag for what? A chiropractor class?"
"...why does that actually sounds like a legit profession?"
"Because it is, you cretin! Do you live under a rock?!"
Ezekiel browsed the smithy's wares casually, seemingly interested in a row of bronze-tier shields as he quietly absorbed every piece of information he could pick up.
While he held encyclopedic knowledge of ReLife—knowledge that could shame even the most dedicated veteran after playing the game for decades—he was learning fast that nothing was set in stone.
Already, his intervention had shifted a pseudo-epic quest to an epic one. His choices had consequences.
Butterfly effects exist here. And they'll only get bigger the further I go.
He wandered deeper into the smithy, where the crowd thinned slightly. Then he saw it.
A dagger.
It rested on a plain stand, nestled between two standard short swords, but it outshone them all. It was a sleek, curved weapon with a matte black finish that seemed to drink in the light. No reflections, no glint—just darkness, shaped into steel.
It was void incarnate.
Ezekiel reached out and grasped the hilt. A subtle hum vibrated in his fingers as the system window popped up.
Dark Nebula (Bronze)
Level Requirement: Level 5
Level Range: 5–15
Attack: +10
Durability: 100/100
Stat Bonuses: +3 Agility; +2 Dexterity; +2 Vitality
Effect: Increases Movement Speed by 20%
Aesthetically, it was stunning. Purple and gold specks glinted faintly along the blade, like stardust caught in perpetual twilight. While nothing about its stats screamed "legendary," in the current phase of the game, Dark Nebula was a treasure.
Most players were still punching rabbits and kicking snakes while praying it would work.
For an assassin build, this thing's a dream, he thought, weighing it in his hand. It fit him just right.
He made his way to the front counters. Three cashiers were handling lines of players, each flanked by shelves of gear and constant background noise. As Ezekiel stood in line, he listened closely.
"I swear, we need a tank. We were nearly wiped by a group of three boars."
"Nah, bruv, I'm telling you. Don't fight them head-on. Just trap 'em with your mage, and boom—fireball!"
"You're only saying that because you got lucky and found a fireball skill. We've got nothing!"
From the conversations, it was obvious that these players were part of teams. Some had entered the game with real-life friends, others had formed temporary alliances in the village square.
But they'd all figured out one crucial thing: they couldn't die—not yet.
That single discovery had emboldened players to throw caution to the wind and start grinding monsters like mad. Most groups relied on their numbers to overwhelm low-level beasts.
The weaker party members would then haul materials back to sell to Fwerah's material vendors. Though the profits were modest, the method worked well enough.
If BigBadWolf's party were here, they would've had their horizons broaden immediately. Perhaps, then they wouldn't view Ezekiel as some extraordinary gaming expert.
But how could ReLife—humanity's last hope—be so simple? This strategy wouldn't work for long.
They'll be in for a surprise once they hit Level 6, Ezekiel noted, his sharp eyes briefly scanning the players. Most hovered between Level 3 and 4—just below the threshold where the world stopped treating them as harmless adventurers.
He finally reached the front of the line.
The cashier, a tall and lanky NPC with a bronze beard and tired eyes, gave the dagger a glance. "That one? One silver."
Gasps erupted behind him. Conversations paused mid-word.
Then—
"Did he just say one silver?"
"Wait, he's buying it?!"
"Bro, does he even know how hard it is to get one silver?!"
"Maybe he's bluffing. No way anyone has that kind of cash already!"
Ezekiel ignored the rising commotion. He calmly confirmed the transaction with a mental tap through the system interface. In a flash of light, the dagger vanished from the counter and appeared in his inventory.
Another stunned silence turned into excited murmurs. Several players began whispering intensely, and a few even stepped forward as if to approach him.
"Wait a second… his level isn't visible…"
"Is he a pro? Maybe a dev?"
"Crap, I should add him as a friend—"
"Hey! Do you wanna join our guild?!"
But Ezekiel was already moving. He turned on his heel and strode out the door. As the crowd began to stir in his direction, his form flickered—and vanished entirely.
"Wait—where'd he go?!"
"He already has a skill?!"
"Damn it!"
Ezekiel used Stealth, his movement silent and undetectable.
Slipping into an alley, he scaled the back of a broken wooden fence and dropped down behind a market stall. From there, he moved fast and low, weaving through alleys until the voices and footsteps faded behind him.
He didn't stop. Stealth lasted only 60 seconds, but it was enough.
He knew he couldn't avoid confrontations forever. He just needed time. Time to grow stronger. Time to prepare. Because if cornered with ill intentions, his only option would be to kill.
Besides, if it were any other game, Ezekiel would have no qualms with fighting. But in ReLife, the consequences of death was far more sinister.
Unless he was facing against true menaces courting their own deaths, he refused to stoop that low. Most of these unpleasant confrontations could be avoided anyway with enough caution.
In a few days, these very same players wouldn't even bat an eye at some silvers or a common skill. Ezekiel would only be a fleeting memory in their minds when that happens.
By the time Stealth ended, Ezekiel had reached a quiet grove near the outskirts of the village. He emerged from behind a tree, undetected and unnoticed. No players nearby. Just the distant chirps of birds and the murmurs of a crowd in the distance.
He leaned against the tree and opened his status screen.
Time to distribute those stat points.
After completing Ariel's Dilemma, he'd gained a hefty reward of unallocated stats. He had deliberated long and hard about how best to build himself, and now the decision was made.
+5 Vitality
+5 Intelligence
+3 Strength
+3 Agility
A shiver ran through his body as the changes took hold. His breathing steadied. Muscles subtly thickened beneath his clothes. His mind cleared, his thoughts moving sharper, more precise.
Satisfied, Ezekiel closed the window and began walking toward the North Gate of Fwerah.
Unlike the East and West gates, which were constantly choked with players coming and going, the North Gate was barren. It was the gate that led to the Level 7 to Level 15 hunting area, much like the South Gate.
But the North Gate also opened up to a cliff. Most players had yet to realize that Fwerah sat atop a massive waterfall.
The sound of rushing water echoed across the stone path, majestic and unbroken. Only the most thorough explorers ended up here, and there were only a handful of them.
Two guards flanked the gate, clad in bronze-tier armor emblazoned with the sigil of the Klarincè Kingdom—a chimera with a greatsword in its mouth.
Just like the other NPCs and players, he couldn't see their levels without the Appraisal skill, as he was lower level than them.
Ezekiel didn't try to interact. He simply walked past.
The guards gave him a glance, then returned to their posts.
Opera's Protection had quite a lot of perks beside not dying to monsters at a low level. Once a player reached Level 6 and the protection expired, they'd be forced to pay a two-copper entrance fee—or risk being jailed, or worse... banned.
He crossed the threshold.
Silence.
No other players around. Just nature—and danger. Even reckless teams farming no-death kills wouldn't dare come this far. Without proper weapons, appropriate stats, and skills, they would only amount to punching bags for the monsters. Not being able to die would then become torture.
Finally alone, Ezekiel opened his inventory.
He equipped the Iron Sword, Dark Nebula, and the full Wolf Leather Armor Set.
Wolf Armor Set (Bronze)
4 Pieces: Helmet, Cuirass, Gloves, Boots
Level Requirement: Level 5
Durability: 100/100 Each
Defense: +20 total (+5 Each)
Set Bonuses:
• 2-piece bonus: +5 Agility; +3 Dexterity; +5 Vitality
• 4-piece bonus: Skill "Ambush"— A successful sneak attack has a 50% chance of Critical Hit and a 400% Critical Damage multiplier. MP Cost: 40. Cooldown: 30 Seconds.
Ezekiel smiled.
Monsters up to Level 6 won't even scratch me now.
Defense and Attack were invisible stats in ReLife, governed by gear alone. And with 20 defense points now stacked, even the strongest Level 6 beast wouldn't pierce his armor.
Ambush is the real gem, though.
The armor was tailor-made for the stealth-based combat style he was planning on developing himself into. Every strike from the shadows had the potential to deal lethal damage.
The Armor Set really lived upto its reputation as a Bronze-tier equipment.
He opened his updated status screen.
Name: Ezekiel
Age: 22
Level: 5 (3%)
Title: Wolf Nemesis
Class: {Empty}
Sub-Class: {Empty}
HP: 100/100
MP: 125/125
Vitality: 15 (+5) [1 VIT = 5 HP]
Intelligence: 25 [1 INT = 5 MP]
Strength: 5 (+3)
Stamina: 7
Agility: 10 (+3, +5)
Wisdom: 18
Dexterity: 5 (+3)
Luck: 12
Charm: 10
Skills: Stealth (Active); Parry (Active)
Equipment: White Tunic (Cloth); Brown Pants (Cloth); Iron Sword (Common) — Durability: 90/100; Dark Nebula (Bronze) — Durability: 100/100; Wolf Armor Set (Bronze) — Durability: 100/100
Inventory: 3/75
He closed the screen.
The forest loomed on the other side of the cliff, wild and untamed. Somewhere deep within it, the entrance to the hidden dungeon—White Stone Cave—awaited him.
Without a sound, Ezekiel vanished into the trees.