The boat cut through calm waters, heading south along the coast toward Twinfire. I found a quiet spot near the stern, away from the other passengers, and opened my inventory.

  The Stat Redistribution Potion looked like liquid silver, in a vial much bigger than any of my other potions so far.

  I couldn’t get to doing this ever since I logged in, but now seemed like the perfect time. We had a couple hours before arrival, and I needed to be at my best for whatever waited in that burial chamber.

  And with the new system, my current build was definitely not considered “best.”

  I pulled up my status window to check my status.

  It was still functional, sure, but not optimal. I'd invested heavily in Strength early on, and my results so far had proved it to be the best decision.

  But the tournament had shown me the limitations. Too many close calls, too much of barely dodging the attacks had made me wish I was a bit faster.

  The new stat system changed everything.

  Attack speed was still ultimately my most important value, and while power was still a close second, I couldn’t dismiss movement speed either.

  Thankfully, with how they rewired DEX and AGI, I could get a fair bit of all three of them.

  I uncorked the potion and drank. It tasted like grenadine juice; much more intensive than the minty taste of the HP pots or the blueberry of the mana elixirs.

  The effect was immediate and disorienting. My body felt weightless for a moment, as if every muscle had simultaneously relaxed. Numbers flickered across my vision as the system announced the newly redistributable attribute points.

  Once again, my attributes had reset to the base value, and with all of my items together I had 6 points of strength, thanks to the Copper Ring I was still using giving 1, and 21 points on agility due to the rest of my equipment.

  I also had 33 points on dexterity because of my items and my Archery Adept title.

  I decided that I was going to leave the INT, VIT and WIS as they were; defenses and HP were never a priority for someone who focuses on dodging, magical power and healing rate didn’t do anything for me as of now, and although more mana would have been nice, it still felt like a waste to spend precious points just to barely be able to afford one more skill.

  My OCD started to kick in, and I had to fight the urge to push my attributes to an even number.

  Deep down I knew that this early on my equipment was ever-changing, and there was no reason to keep stats nice and tidy, but who didn’t like seeing even numbers on their stat sheet?

  I spent 45 of my 75 free points immediately on Dexterity, raising it to 78. It was very clear that with 2 attack speed and 1 physical power that was the stat I should be scaling off of the most.

  I then spent 25 points on Agility, just so I had a decent amount of movement speed and more increase to attack speed and power as well.

  Agility suddenly became a really good attribute for those who needed it. It only increased the respective values by 1, but to give a bonus to attack speed, movement speed and strength was incredible. It was definitely the go to stat for Rogues, Swashbucklers and possibly Brawlers as well.

  I had 5 status points left. I was debating on which of them to put it on, but in the end I dumped them into Strength simply because I wanted my Health to get past 290.

  After pondering for a bit I accepted the changes, and took a look at my status window.

  "Quite the difference, isn't it?"

  I turned to find Kara leaning against the railing nearby, her red hair catching the morning light.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "How long have you been standing there?"

  "Long enough to see you grinning like you just discovered fire." She walked closer. "Stat redistribution?"

  "Yeah. You ready with yours?"

  "Yeah. You know, we waited long enough for you to get to the tower," she teased me.

  "Fair enough."

  “You really took your time,” Athos chimed in. “But understandable, we really maxed out our time yesterday.”

  “Speaking of which,” Kara started. “We should talk about sessions. This is definitely going to be a multi-day quest.”

  “Yes,” I nodded. “And we all should be moving together.”

  “12 hours works for all of you?” she asked. “That gives us time to rest during the cooldown period, plan our approach and come back fresh.”

  "Makes sense," I agreed. "We have seven days for both locations. Even if each dungeon takes two full sessions, we'd still have time for setbacks."

  "Assuming we can even complete them," Athos added.

  "I wouldn’t be worried," Kara said lightly. "We’re all competent players. I don’t think the game would give us impossible challenges this early."

  Lothras materialized beside us as if he was summoned by the conversation. "Twelve hours is acceptable. But not more. I have other obligations and can't afford to waste time."

  "How generous of you to fit us into your schedule," Kara said sweetly.

  He ignored her. "When we arrive in Twinfire, I suggest we gather intelligence before rushing in. Calian gave us the Insignias for a reason. Most villages have restricted sections of libraries or official buildings holding information about the vicinity."

  It was the first reasonable thing I'd heard him say.

  "Agreed," Athos said, clearly surprised he had something in common with our favourite paladin.

  The conversation lapsed into silence as the boat continued south. I spent the time familiarizing myself with my new stats, testing small movements, gauging reaction times. Everything felt sharper, more responsive.

  Twinfire appeared on the horizon exactly as I remembered from the first boat ride; black volcanic rock, rising steam, buildings constructed to withstand the heat.

  We docked at the small harbor and disembarked onto the piers.

  The air was warm, but not unpleasant. The sun didn’t shine as powerful as it did yesterday, and other than the local geysers pumping out heat, the weather was pleasantly chill.

  The village was bustling, mostly with NPCs disassembling the tents of the Spring Festival. Even though it should officially be over with the Count visiting the village, the actual festivities had come to an end.

  "Library first," Athos said, and we followed him through the streets toward the village center.

  Twinfire's library was smaller than I expected but well-maintained. A weathered stone building with thick walls to keep the interior cool. The librarian was an elderly woman with sharp eyes, and she barely glanced at us before returning to her work.

  I approached the desk. "Excuse me, we're looking for historical documents about the burial site in the middle of the village,” I said after switching to the Count’s Insignia.

  Her demeanor shifted immediately once she noticed the amulet. "Of course. Right this way."

  She led us past public shelves into a back room lined with locked cabinets. She selected a key from the ring at her belt and opened one, retrieving several bound volumes and parchments.

  "The burial chamber was constructed approximately two hundred years ago," she explained, laying the documents on a reading table. "Or so think the historians. It houses members of House Trynd, a merchant family who had once wanted to rise to power during the Coastal Wars."

  "Coastal wars?" Kara asked.

  "Before the current Count's lineage consolidated power, multiple families vied for control of Tidemark, especially land and sea trade routes. House Trynd was one of these families, but had chosen the losing side, and not long after that, House Vizgrad had occupied the Seastone Throne."

  I scanned one of the documents. It listed names, dates, and accomplishments. Military commanders, mostly. A few merchants and advisors. Nothing particularly that screamed ancient magic, or relics inside the burial chamber.

  "Any mention of magical wards or guardians?" Lothras asked.

  "It was an ordinary burial chamber all the way until the Veil had emerged. " the librarian said. "After that, nobody could get inside… or out."

  “Out?” I asked. “Do… dead people usually come out of burial sites?”

  “Not unheard of,” the lady said. “But that is not the case here. I’m talking about this,” she said, putting a parchment in front of me.

  “According to this document, the keepers of the burial chamber were doing their yearly routine work inside the chambers when the Veil emerged. They were never seen again.”

  Now we’re getting somewhere.

  “How many of them were trapped in?” Kara asked.

  “The documents say nothing about that,” the librarian answered.

  “Do you think they got stuck inside, and then the crypt turned into a dungeon due to the Veil?” she turned toward me. “The world uses the Veil as some sort of a trigger for the land turning into Godsrealm, right? That would mean…”

  “They could have been turned into dungeon mobs?” I asked back.

  It made a strange sort of sense. The game's lore was surprisingly consistent about these details.

  The librarian let us go through all of the documents, but there was nothing else worth delving into there.

  We thanked her and left, following the directions she'd provided toward the burial site. It was at the center of the village, built into a hillside overlooking the coast. The entrance was marked by a stone archway inscribed with faded names. House Trynd, I assumed.

  Two of the Count's knights stood guard nearby, looking bored and frustrated. They straightened when they saw our Insignias.

  "You're the adventurers the Count sent?" one asked.

  "That's us," Lothras confirmed.

  "Good. We've been standing here for three days. The door won't acknowledge us at all. It’s incredibly boring."

  I approached the entrance. It was a stone door, carved with intricate signs depicting ships and battles. At its center was an empty keyhole, and below that, a smooth panel that seemed designed for a handprint.

  I placed my hand on the panel.

  The stone warmed beneath my palm, and the system chimed in.

  You need a party to enter.

  "We should party up," I said, pulling my hand back. "System's asking for it."

  Lothras sent the party invitation. We all accepted, and our names appeared in a list at the edge of my vision.

  Level 18.

  I stared at Lothras's name, processing the number.

  Kara being 17 made some sense. She was the teammate of Kaelith and Seraphina, and she didn’t spend a whole day fighting at Oakenlight. She had a lot more time to level up.

  But 18 was unprecedented. The highest-level players I'd heard of were barely touching 17.

  "You're level 18?" I couldn't keep the surprise out of my voice.

  "Obviously," Lothras said with insufferable smugness.

  "How?" Athos asked.

  "By not wasting time." He glanced at us. "While you were playing in the sand, I was clearing elite spawns by myself."

  "Impressive," Kara said, and she actually sounded genuine.

  "I am."

  She rolled her eyes.

  I placed my hand on the panel again before they could continue. The stone warmed, and new text appeared.

  Twinfire Burial Site

  Recommended Level: 15+

  Recommended Party Size: 6

  "Six," Athos read aloud. "We're two short."

  "We could recruit from the village," Kara suggested. "There are a few players around."

  "No," Lothras said flatly. "The Count chose the four of us specifically. This is clearly intended to be completed with this exact party composition."

  I hated that he was right.

  “Besides,” he continued. “I don’t want any more dead weight.”

  Why does he always have to say something whenever I keep building up an ounce of respect for him?

  "The recommendation is just that: a recommendation," Athos added. "We're all above the level requirement, and we have a good class spread. Paladin tank, two damage dealers, and support. It shouldn’t be a problem."

  "We also have better gear than most," I said. "And more experience with difficult content."

  "Alright," Kara said. "We go in as four."

  I pressed my hand firmly against the panel.

  The stone door groaned, ancient mechanisms grinding to life after centuries of stillness. Dust cascaded from the archway as the door swung inward, revealing darkness beyond. Cool air rushed out, carrying the scent of earth and old stone.

  A notification appeared.

  Entering: Twinfire Burial Site

  And then we got yanked from the ground. The next time I opened my eyes, we were already inside, at the very start of the corridor leading down to the chamber.

  A proper dungeon, I thought. This is the first time I get teleported into an instance.