Kamal didn't log out right away.Most players logged off when they were out of coins or stamina, or when their health dropped too low. But Kamal stayed.
Because real life didn't give him power, but Eternea had just given him something no one else had—a second chance.
And a skeleton named Raksh.
"Come on," Kamal whispered. "Let's see how far we can go before dawn."
He opened the world map. Most of it was still grayed out—the Whispering Ravines were isolated from the main zones. No teleport access. No player markets. And no cities nearby to trade with.
But something caught his eye.A blinking yellow dot.It wasn't there before.
New World Event Triggered
Location: Glimmerroot Hollow
Event Type: Emergency Defense
Reward Pool: $1–$50 (Varies by contribution)
Current Player Count: 0
It was only 300 meters away.Kamal checked his health (still full) and Raksh's stability. The wightling was quiet—but alert.
"Let's earn our first dollar," he said under his breath.They moved.
Glimmerroot Hollow was a small NPC village. At least, it had been once. The fences were broken, the houses crooked and half-collapsed, and pale blue torches flickered on crumbling stone walls.
A group of ghostly farmer NPCs huddled in the center, clutching pitchforks and lanterns.
"Bandits are coming! We can't run again. Someone—please—help us hold the gate!"
No one answered.Kamal stepped forward.
At once, the villagers turned toward him, shocked—but hesitant.
Reputation Detected: -10 (Necromancer)
"You,,, you command the dead?"
He could feel it, the distrust. The fear.But one of the older NPCs stepped forward. Her hands shook, but her voice didn't.
"Even death has strength. If you'll fight for us—we'll pay."
Accept Event: Defend Glimmerroot Hollow?
Reward: Base $1. Bonus +$0.50 per villager saved.
Difficulty: D
Time Limit: 5 minutes
[Accept] – [Decline]
Kamal clicked Accept.At that exact moment, wolves howled from beyond the ridge.
The raid had begun.They came fast—Shadow Hounds, Level 2s, in packs of three. Any other solo player would've run. But Kamal didn't fight like other players.
He positioned Raksh behind a broken stone wall, just outside the center square. Then he grabbed a burning stick from the ground and stabbed it into a dried-up oil lamp.
Flames sparked.
Environment Interaction: Flammable Trap Created
He hurled it into a nearby bush, then called out:
"Raksh. Distract."
The skeleton ran straight into the first wave of hounds.They snarled and lunged—exactly where he wanted.
The flaming bush exploded.The hounds screeched as the fire spread.
Kamal sprinted forward and struck one with a stick—barely damaging it, but enough to confuse its movement. Then Raksh returned, bones smoldering, and tackled the wounded beast.
+16 XP
+1 Bonus Loyalty Point (Raksh)
The other two enemies turned to run—but NPC villagers joined in, throwing rocks and shouting and just like that—wave one was over.
By the time wave three arrived, Kamal was bleeding from one leg, his health down to 32%. Raksh's skull was cracked, and two villagers had died despite his efforts.
But five still stood.
Event Complete: Emergency Defense
Villagers Saved: 5
Bonus Activated: First-Time Completion (Undead Class)
Hidden Contribution Bonus: Tactical Fire Use x2
Total Reward: $5.75
Funds added to digital wallet. Available for withdrawal.
Kamal froze.It wasn't much. Not for most players. Not compared to streamers earning hundreds every raid.
But for him?
It was real money.
Enough to buy eggs and milk. Enough to buy Anu her textbooks. Enough to mean this game could be something more.
He stepped back from the screen and stared at the glowing prompt.
Do you wish to log out?
Not yet.
He looked over at Raksh, who despite missing a rib stood silently nearby, as if waiting for the next order.
Kamal smiled faintly.
"You did good," he whispered.
For the first time in months, he felt like his actions had real weight.Not just in game.
But in life.
Outside the café, real sunlight was starting to creep through the cracks in the metal shutters. Kamal removed the headset, wiped sweat from his face, and tucked the printed payment receipt into his shirt pocket.
$5.75 wasn't much to others.
But it was enough for hope.Enough for him to come back.And the next time? He'd earn more.
Not just money.But a place in this world—even if it was one he had to build from bones.
As Kamal left the crumbling village of Glimmerroot Hollow, Raksh trailed behind him, his bones still slightly charred from the earlier fight. The torch-lit path faded behind them, replaced by fog and crickets and silence. Above, the simulated sky was beginning to warm with false dawn.
Time in Game World: 4:56 AM
Health: 32/100
Stamina: 40%
Gold: $5.75 (secured)
Kamal stopped and crouched near a twisted tree stump. Not because he needed to—but because Raksh had begun twitching.
One foot scraped the ground. The skull trembled.
"Raksh?" Kamal whispered.
Then he saw it,flashes of something not in the game UI.
Memories.Not graphics. Not code. But something deeper, like the bones were remembering the last moments of their first life.
Undead Alert: Minor Fragment Recall Event Triggered
Result: Behavior instability (5 sec) / Personality growth (+0.1%)
"Raksh is evolving."
And then it passed. The skeleton tilted its head, adjusted its stance, and looked forward again—waiting.
Kamal stared.
"I'm not the only one changing, huh?"
Raksh said nothing. But Kamal swore something about its posture looked proud.
Thirty minutes later, Kamal climbed the edge of a ravine cliff to reach the next waypoint: Silent Path Ridge. It was a minor area, known for having shadow wolves and no real quests.
He thought he'd just farm a few mobs.But the moment he entered the clearing, a new sound echoed across the trees:
"Wooo! And there it is! That's wolf number seventy-three, baby! Let's get some dabs in the chat!"
Kamal ducked into cover.A floating name above a distant armored figure pulsed with golden glow:
PLAYER: LordZayan
[Streamer - Verified - 61K Subscribers]
Class: Flameblade Knight (Epic)
Mount: Inferno Drake Lv.22
And just behind Zayan? A party of followers, laughing and joking. Half of them didn't even look like they were grinding seriously. One was doing emotes. Another was just hovering, livestreaming the hunt.
"Okay chat, we've almost cleared this zone. After that, we're gonna head to Frostbite Keep and melt the boss with the team's new build!"
The stream camera swung around and for just one second, it caught something in the trees.
Kamal and Raksh.
"Yo chat, what the—what is that? Is that a necro minion?"
"A skelly? LMAO broke build!"
"Bro! Dude's got a freebie class! That skin even legal??"
Kamal stayed hidden.But Raksh moved forward—just one step. Almost protectively.
"Wait,, hold up, chat. Enhance. Enhance that. Did anyone see what it just did? It twitched weird… like, not normal NPC behavior. That a glitch?"
A pause.Then one of the off-stream players spoke in team chat:
"Should we kill him? Just a noob necro guy. Might drop bones."
But Zayan, to his credit, hesitated.
"Nah. It's too weird. I've streamed here like ten times, and I've never seen a summon like that."
He tilted his sword."Leave him. Let the dead wander."
And just like that, they were gone.
The clip hit the gaming forums one hour later.
Thread title:
"Wandering Necro with NPC-like skeleton? Hidden class glitch?"
Comments followed quickly:
— "It looked at the camera."
— "That wasn't part of the standard bonewalkers."
— "No name tag. No guild. Who is this guy?"
— "Yo, imagine if Eternea snuck in new classes no one's unlocked yet…"
The mods locked the thread after 30 minutes.Too many upvotes.Too many theories.But it was already too late.
Somewhere, buried beneath the algorithm's surface.....Kamal had become a question.
And questions?
They get remembered.
Back at the café, Kamal rubbed his eyes, blinked at the receipt still glowing on screen with the $5.75 total—and sighed.
Not because he was tired.But because something inside him had clicked.
Like Raksh's bones snapping into place.
Like a memory slot unlocking.He didn't know where this path led.Didn't care if people laughed.
He wasn't looking to be famous.But he would not stay forgotten.
Not in this game,not in life.He looked over his stats, then selected one final command before logging out:
Minion Directive: Guard Silent Path Ridge – Passive Patrol
Raksh turned to him.
And for just a second—he raised a skeletal hand and saluted.
Log out confirmed.
Darkness.
Real life.
But this time,,, it didn't feel as heavy.
Tomorrow, Kamal would return and the next day and the one after.
He would raise more than just bones.He would raise the legend.
To be continued....