The Revival Ring

The harsh echo of Silas Vane's firing order hung in the stale, artificial air of the dining hall. Bram's chair scraped harshly against the cheap linoleum as he sprang up. He stepped right between Varek and the furious general manager, his broad shoulders tense with defiance.

"Mr. Vane, wait," Bram pleaded, his voice loud enough to silence the whispers of the other gold-farmers. "Varek was watching the promotional video to understand the game mechanics. He wasn't slacking off." Bram dug into his pocket, desperation creeping into his tone. "Look, I earned two silver coins today. What if I give one to Varek? That covers his quota for the shift."

Silas crossed his arms, his expression unyielding and cold. "No. In this industry, a single mistake slows down the whole operation. If he falls behind on day one, how will he ever keep up with the progression pace? We run a business, not a charity."

Bram opened his mouth to argue, his hands balling into fists, but a heavy hand rested on his shoulder.

"Tank, it's fine." Varek's voice was smooth, devoid of the panic Silas clearly expected to hear.

Bram turned, his brow furrowed with deep concern. "But Liora needs the surgery money. Without a steady paycheck..."

"Don't worry," Varek interrupted gently, offering his friend a reassuring nod. "I will make enough for the surgery."

Varek turned on his heel and strode out of the stifling dining hall. He pushed through the heavy glass doors of Visionary Studio and stepped onto the damp pavement outside. The cool night air hit his face, and he let out a long, deep breath. A heavy weight lifted off his chest. He was genuinely glad to leave the toxic hierarchy behind. In his past life, he had wasted years grinding his health away for corporate overlords who saw him as nothing more than a disposable farming tool. Not this time.

Rapid footsteps slapped against the concrete behind him.

"Varek, wait!"

Bram jogged down the dim street, breathless. He grabbed Varek's wrist and shoved a sleek bank card into his palm.

"There are twenty thousand dollars on this card," Bram said, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "Take it for now to help cover Liora's immediate medical expenses. When I pull in more cash, I'll send it your way. We are going to get the money for her surgery, no matter what."

Varek stared at the piece of plastic in his hand. A surge of warmth hit him. Tank, Twig, and Specs. Those three had always had his back. They were the ones who kept him afloat during his darkest, most impoverished days in his previous life. He looked up, his eyes locking onto Bram's.

"Tank, leave Visionary Studio," Varek proposed, the idea taking firm root in his mind. "We need to break away. We are going to start our own independent gaming studio. We call the shots. We are our own bosses."

Bram blinked, caught off guard. "Start a studio? Man, if it's just me, I have no objections. But Liora's medical bills are due now. We need stable, guaranteed income."

Varek's gaze hardened with unwavering resolve. "I know. Just give me three days. I will pull the surgery funds straight from the game."

He didn't have a Super God-Level talent in this life, but he possessed something far more dangerous: a decade of comprehensive game knowledge.

Bram studied Varek's face, seeing the iron confidence burning in his friend's eyes.

"Alright." Bram didn't ask for a spreadsheet or a business plan. "I'll call Twig and Specs."

Without another word, Bram spun around and marched right back into the Visionary Studio building. He didn't bother waiting for a manager. He packed his meager belongings, quit his job on the spot, and walked out without his final day's pay.

Within the hour, Bram had fired off messages to Twig and Specs. Both were out of town but agreed without hesitation. Pooling the twenty thousand dollars, Varek and Bram hauled two high-end gaming pods from a local vendor back to their cramped rented apartment. The heavy machinery took up half the living room, humming with latent power.

Varek glanced at his phone. The hospital's number sat in his recent calls. He wanted nothing more than to sit by Liora's bedside, to hold his sister's hand and tell her everything would be fine. But visiting her wouldn't pay the doctors. Generating in-game wealth was the only path to saving her life. He forced himself to pocket the phone.

"Tank," Varek said, strapping himself into the pod. "When you log in, focus on leveling up. Don't rush to the main city when you hit level ten. Wait for my signal."

"Got it."

The pod sealed shut. The direct iris and DNA link bypassed any login screens, dropping Varek straight back into the same character.

The crisp breeze of *Dusk of Divine Lords* greeted him. Varek materialized right where he left off, wooden bow in hand. He plunged back into the grueling, monotonous grind.

For five unbroken hours, his bowstring snapped. Arrows flew. Red-eyed Rabbits dropped one by one. Normal players would have logged out from sheer mental exhaustion, but Varek's mind was locked on the hospital bills.

"Nine thousand nine hundred ninety-eight."

An arrow pierced a skull.

"Nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine."

Another shot echoed across the grassy plains.

"Ten thousand. Finally, enough."

Varek lowered his bow. A massive mountain of rabbit eyes filled his inventory. The early-game grind was over.

He trekked back to the Novice Settlement, weaving through the bustling crowd of players still struggling to kill level two boars. He approached the Settlement Keeper, an old NPC standing near the central fountain. Varek initiated the dialogue, formally accepting the collection quest, and instantly dumped the monumental hoard of ten thousand eyes into the turn-in window.

The Keeper's eyes widened. He stroked his white beard, a bright smile spreading across his wrinkled face. "Great adventurer, you truly have extraordinary perseverance. Few walk such a tedious path. I will give you a special reward."

A golden light flashed.

*Ding! You have completed the Red-eyed Rabbit quest. Rewards: Experience points +1000, Silver coins +5, and Basic Attack Amplification +1.*

Varek didn't hesitate. He opened his menu and learned the skill.

*Basic Attack Amplification (Passive skill): 1 star.*

*Effect: Increases your basic attack range by 5%.*

*Cooldown: None.*

*Consumption: None.*

*Proficiency: 0/1000.*

A five percent range increase was a lethal advantage for an archer banking on kiting high-level targets.

Before Varek could close the menu, the Keeper's voice shifted, turning grave and resonant.

"Brave adventurer, your perseverance is unparalleled. But true strength is tested against formidable foes. If you can hunt ten bosses, I will give you an unexpected reward."

Varek paused. Ten bosses? What kind of God-Level quest was this? He had expected a follow-up chain, but this scaled way beyond standard novice village mechanics.

*Ding! The Settlement Keeper has issued a new quest: Hunt ten bosses in the Novice Settlement. Quest penalty: Deprivation of your skill [Basic Attack Amplification]. Quest reward: Unknown. Do you accept?*

"Accept!" Varek confirmed eagerly.

Hunting bosses aligned perfectly with his immediate plans. To amass rapid wealth, securing boss kills for rare loot drops and server firsts was a mandatory step.

Varek turned his back on the low-level hunting zones. He bypassed the standard monster spawns and ventured deep into the dense, shadowed woods marking the dangerous territory of the level ten Warped Treants.

Thick roots snaked across the forest floor. The towering, corrupted trees roamed the area, their bark resembling hardened iron. He needed to power-level to boost his attack speed before taking on any local bosses.

Varek locked his sights on the nearest target.

*Warped Treant (Normal): Level 10.*

*HP: 1,900/1,900.*

*Attack: 32.*

*Skills: Vine Whirlwind, Revival.*

Varek drew his bowstring back to his cheek. His base attack power was pitifully weak against the Treant's massive defense stat. But physical damage wasn't his win condition.

*Whoosh!*

The feathered arrow struck the rough bark.

*-424*

A massive red damage number floated above the Treant's canopy.

The endless hours of rabbit hunting had artificially inflated Varek's health pool to a staggering 21,200 points. The immense passive true damage from his Heaven's Hand talent scaled directly off his maximum health. The Treant's iron-like defense meant nothing against true damage that bypassed armor mechanics.

The corrupted tree roared, whipping its thick vines toward Varek. He side-stepped the slow attack with ease. He fired again. And again.

It took exactly five arrows to shatter the towering beast. The Treant crashed to the forest floor, dissolving into pixels.

*Ding! You have killed a Warped Treant. Experience points +90.*

Varek smiled with satisfaction. Standard kills for a Warped Treant yielded a mere ten experience points. The generous over-level experience boost rewarded him with a massive ninety points per kill. Combined with the one thousand experience points from the rabbit quest, he only needed to hunt twenty more to level up.

He moved through the dark woods like a phantom, his bow snapping rhythmically.

*Ding! You have killed a Warped Treant. Experience Points +90.*

*Ding! You have killed a Warped Treant. Experience Points +90.*

*Ding! You have reached level 3. Attribute Points +5.*

Varek opened his character sheet and dumped all five newly acquired attribute points straight into his attack speed stat. His attack speed jumped from 0.73 to 0.83. Faster arrows meant more frequent true damage triggers.

By the time the twentieth Treant crumbled into dust, a faint silver glow caught his eye among the fading pixels. Killing monsters seven levels above his own drastically boosted the equipment drop rates.

He scooped up the item.

*Revival Ring: Normal.*

*Level requirement: 10.*

*Effect: Restores 2 health points per second.*

*Durability: 100.*

Varek inspected the band of silver in surprise. It was a notoriously difficult ring to farm in the early game of *Dusk of Divine Lords*. Yet, for his specific build, flat health regeneration was useless. Two health points per second wouldn't even make a dent in his massive twenty-one thousand health pool.

However, what was trash to him was a treasure to the elite guilds. Someone would definitely pay a premium for it.

Varek opened the global trading market interface. He placed the Revival Ring up for bid, setting a starting price of 500 and a strict five-minute timer. If he were in an earlier Novice Settlement, he would have priced it at ten thousand, knowing the top guilds would fight tooth and nail for an early advantage.

He went back to hunting, ignoring the ticking timer.

Exactly five minutes later, a system chime rang out over the sound of snapping bowstrings.

*Ding! Player Highreach Guard has purchased your equipment.*

*Ding! Player Highreach Guard has requested to add you as a friend.*

Varek paused, lowering his weapon. "Highreach Guild member?"

The prefix was unmistakable. Highreach was one of the legendary top-ten guilds in Eldoria. They were veterans who usually dominated the mid-to-late game stages. Seeing one of their core members making power plays this late in the early game launch window was surprising.

Varek opened the flashing notification icon. A private message sat attached to the friend request.

"Glacial King, can you leave me a friend spot? I hope to ask if you got that Revival Ring from a quest. I'd like to buy it from you."