Chapter 22: When the Hearth Warms Again

Marcus grinned. So this was the Skeleton Captain, the very one Merchant Reginald had mentioned, the one who’d stolen his Keaton Necklace. That meant this was the boss of the Spire’s first level.

“Perfect,” he muttered, tightening his grip. Then louder, “Attack!”

He charged. At Level 9, he had already taken down the Silver BOSS, Black Bear Charla, and even the evolved Golden BOSS, Golden War Bear Charla, though that one had been weakened. A Level 23 Captain was hardly worth losing sleep over.

His sword flashed in a silver arc. –120, –100. The Skeleton Captain retaliated, its blade whistling through the air, landing hits for about 40 damage. Not bad, but manageable.

Marcus’s attack speed was unmatched. Between his high Agility, the Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask, the Swift Blade skill, and his absurdly high Luck stat boosting critical and stun chances, he moved like lightning. The fight turned into a blur of steel and sparks. Three Medium Health Potions later, the Skeleton Captain collapsed in a heap of shattered bones.

“Ding! Congratulations, player Stonehaven, your level has increased! You are now Level 14. HP+10. Focus +10. You have 5 attribute points to allocate.”

Marcus let out a short laugh. “Another level!” The Captain had given him a generous chunk of experience. He assigned his points in a familiar ratio; three to Strength, two to Constitution.

“Ding! Congratulations, player Stonehaven, you have killed the Skeleton Captain! Reputation increased by 30.”

He wasn’t done yet. Kneeling, he activated Gathering on the Captain’s remains.

“Ding! Congratulations, player Stonehaven, you have obtained Black Crystal Stone. Gathering skill proficiency increased.”

Black Crystal Stone: Intermediate material. Has a wide range of uses.

Then he noticed two gleaming items among the bones. His eyes widened. One of them was Golden-tier.

Skeleton Helm: Golden equipment. Requirement: Level 20. Effect: Unknown. Cannot be equipped.

He whistled lowly. Level 20, too high for now. He’d need to get it identified, though the thought of the appraisal fee made him grimace.

The second drop, though, made him grin.

Black Crystal Ring: Blue equipment. Requirement: Level 15.

Attack: +10. Effect: Damage reduction against Death-type monsters by 5. Defense: +10.

A ring. Accessories were described as being notoriously rare. He studied its faint blue sheen with satisfaction. The damage reduction alone made it a solid find, if a Death-type monster hit for ten damage, this would cut it in half.

He chuckled to himself. “If I had four of these, I could probably stroll through the entire Spire without breaking a sweat.”

Unfortunately, the ring required Level 15, and he was still one level short.

He slid it into his inventory and tightened his gauntlets. “Right,” he said quietly, eyes glinting as he turned back toward the hall’s shadowed exits, “time to get back to leveling.”

Marcus immediately activated his Wanderlust skill, setting a teleportation point on the first level of the Black Rock Spire. No matter where he went, he could now return here in an instant.

For the next three days, this place became his world. His routine was simple: return to Dragon’s Peak Citadel only to restock his health potions, then come back to the Spire and fight without rest. Skeleton Fighters, and their BOSS, the Skeleton Captain, he hunted them relentlessly.

The Skeleton Captain was a small-time mini-BOSS that respawned every two hours.

In Dominion, BOSS respawn times varied depending on strength and rarity. Low-level bosses appeared every few hours, Silver-tier ones every other day, Golden-tier bosses once a week, and the most powerful only once a month. Some unique BOSSes never returned after defeat. The rule was simple, the longer the respawn, the stronger the enemy and the better the loot.

“Ding! Congratulations, player Stonehaven, your level has increased! You are now Level 20. HP increased by 10, Focus increased by 10, Luck increased by 1. You have 5 attribute points to allocate.”

It had taken three full days of non-stop grinding to reach Level 20, and that effort made Marcus think about just how hard everything in Dominion really was, rare gear, slow progress, and gold that felt almost impossible to save.

After days of fighting through hordes of Skeleton Fighters, he’d gathered over fifty pieces of Level 15 and Level 20 White-tier equipment. But only twenty-three pieces of Level 15 Blue-tier gear and eight pieces of Level 20 Blue-tier gear. Considering his unusually high Luck attribute, the drop rate should have been far better. The small haul only proved how rare decent equipment was beyond the Newbie Village, and he could only imagine how difficult it would become at higher levels.

Even with constant battles and the Ring of Greed, which increased gold drop rate, he had managed to collect only 1,326 gold coins in three days.

Three days of fighting had only earned him Level 20, barely two levels per day.

Yet, he didn’t feel tired or frustrated. Instead, he found himself loving Dominion even more. The game’s realism, its sense of adventure, and the thrill of discovery pulled him in completely. It felt alive, and so did he.

Finally, Level 20. It was a milestone, one that opened the path to the second level of the Black Rock Spire.

He had tried going there once at Level 18, but the enemies; Zombies and Dark Sorcerers, were Level 25 and aggressively hostile. Even with his strength, the difference had been too much. He couldn’t survive their frenzied attacks and had been forced to retreat.

Now, at Level 20, things were different. He could return to the city, equip his new gear, and finally take revenge. A few Golden-tier items were even waiting for him, ready to be used.

Just as he was about to use a Town Portal Scroll, the doorbell rang. Marcus sighed, logged out, and pulled off his headset.

“Who the hell’s at the door?” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He hadn’t invited anyone over.

“Big bro! I’m back!”

Before he could even process the voice, a blur of motion slammed into his chest. Two arms wrapped tight around his neck, and a familiar floral scent hit him a second later. He blinked down at the slim figure clinging to him like she’d never let go.

“Amber?” he said, startled. “You’re back already?”

Only one person in the world greeted him like that, his little sister, Amber.

“What, you sound disappointed,” she teased, pulling back just enough to grin up at him. “Didn’t you miss me?”

“Of course I did,” he said automatically, though his mind had already drifted past her.

Someone else was standing in the doorway.

The sight of her made the noise in his head fade into silence. She was just standing there, calm and effortlessly beautiful, sunlight catching in her hair. Her posture was relaxed, her smile soft, she didn’t need to try to look good; she just did.

“Lily,” he breathed, his chest tightening with a sudden warmth. “I thought I was supposed to pick you up from the airport.”

“I know,” she said, smiling a little. “I got bored, so I came back early.”

Lily.

She’d always had that quiet grace that drew people in without even meaning to. And right now, as she caught him looking at her, her eyes softened, then dropped, her cheeks flushing with a color that made her even more stunning. She’d wanted him to look at her that way for a long time, but now that he was, she didn’t quite know what to do with it.

Marcus blinked, realizing he’d been staring like an idiot. He cleared his throat, gently set Amber back on her feet, and reached for Lily’s suitcase.

“Here, let me take that. Come in,” he said, smiling a little too quickly before glancing back at Amber. “You weren’t supposed to come back till the semester started. What’s the rush?”

Amber answered, frowning slightly. “What do you think happened? It’s all your fault!”

“My fault?” Marcus raised a brow. “What did I do now?”

Amber crossed her arms, clearly enjoying herself. “Lily and I were having an amazing time, but then you called her. After that, she couldn’t stand being away from you another minute. So she dragged me back early.”

“That’s not true!” Lily said, her voice soft but flustered. “I just… had a few things I needed to take care of before. And it was quiet, so… I came back.”

Her excuse came out smooth enough, but Marcus caught the way she avoided his eyes, the faint tremor in her tone, the warmth underneath the words. She didn’t need to say what she really meant. He understood.

He felt a pang of guilt. She’d always been so careful around him, always trying not to add to his stress. He hadn’t realized how much that thoughtfulness could hurt until now.

Amber frowned at the silence stretching between them. “Hellooo? You gonna say something or just stand there?”

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