Parker had not been himself all day.
He sat inside his smithy with a drink in hand, staring at nothing in particular while the forge behind him burned low and neglected. A deep crease had settled between his brows, and though his skin looked oddly pale, a feverish flush would occasionally bloom across his cheeks, as if worry alone could raise his temperature. When players stopped by to ask about crafting commissions or equipment upgrades, he answered with clipped words and visible irritation, dismissing them so abruptly that more than one left muttering under their breath.
They had logged in to enjoy themselves, not to be barked at by a temperamental NPC.
A few of the hotter-headed players looked ready to test whether the blacksmith could bleed like anyone else, but the presence of the Starter Zone guards outside was a sobering reminder. No one wanted to spend their afternoon jailed by the system.
When Flynn stepped into the smithy, he immediately noticed the difference. Parker looked like a man who had not slept, not properly, perhaps not at all. He clutched his cup without drinking from it, his shoulders tight, his eyes dulled by restless waiting. Only when he saw Flynn did something shift in his expression. A flicker of hope surfaced, tangled with dread.
He pushed himself upright. His voice came out rough. "Young man. You're finally back. I've been waiting for you."
Flynn gave him a careful look. "I can see that. You look exhausted. Didn't sleep?"
Parker gave a small, stiff nod. His hands, large and calloused from years of hammering iron, twisted together in a way that betrayed his agitation. After a moment's hesitation, he forced the words out. "Did you… did you find John?"
Flynn did not answer immediately. Instead, he stepped forward and placed the Hunter's Medallion on the table between them.
"John?" he said quietly. "No."
He drew a steady breath, then set the lumberjack's diary beside the medallion. "Kolut's cave was filled with skeletons. Not a single living person. I found this on one of them." His hand lingered briefly on the worn leather cover of the journal. "And this was at a logging camp nearby. I think… I think John is gone."
He nudged the diary forward. "It explains what happened. You should read it."
"Thank you, young man," Parker murmured, his voice thickening as he moved the medallion aside and opened the diary with careful fingers.
He and John had once been rivals, competing for Lily's affection in their youth, but rivalry had never erased friendship. John had been missing for more than a decade. Parker had long told himself the truth was obvious, yet some stubborn corner of his heart had clung to the possibility that his old friend might one day come walking down the mountain path again.
The diary extinguished that last fragile hope.
It detailed John's obsession with hunting the Bear King, Kolut, and the reckless journey into the mountains that had followed.
"That poor fool," Parker muttered hoarsely. "Why would he chase Kolut? He knew why they called him the Bear King. He knew no one could kill that monster."
Flynn rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… I think he's dead now."
Parker's head snapped up. "What did you say? He's dead? You mean Kolut?" His eyes widened. "The Bear King is dead?"
"That's right."
"For real?" Parker's disbelief was almost comical, grief momentarily shoved aside by shock. "Someone actually killed him. Was it you? It must have been. How else would you have gotten into his cave and come back out?"
"I'm a Rogue," Flynn said patiently. "Stealth gets you into a lot of places. Kolut never saw me."
A shadow of disappointment flickered across Parker's face. "Oh. Right. I forgot. For a moment I thought…" He trailed off, the unspoken words hanging heavily between them.
Flynn offered him a faint smile and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I almost died to his claws. But with some unexpected help, I managed to bring him down."
Parker searched his face, then slowly nodded. "If that's true, then you've done more than most hunters ever dared to attempt." His voice wavered between awe and sorrow. "The news will spread soon enough. The mountain folk will confirm it. And if Kolut is truly dead, then you have avenged John in a way I never could."
He exhaled deeply, the tension in his frame collapsing into weary resolve. "But I have to tell Lily. I don't know how she'll take this."
"I can tell her," Flynn offered gently. "You don't have to."
Parker hesitated. He understood what that meeting would mean. The past, grief, regret, all of it would resurface at once. Finally, he nodded. "Would you? I would be grateful."
He pushed the diary and the medallion back toward Flynn.
The moment Flynn accepted them, a notification chimed softly in his mind. The quest 'John's Clue' completed, and a surge of experience flooded his status screen. The reward was so substantial that he leapt straight to level fifteen. A new quest materialized immediately afterward.
[A Terrible Message.]
Flynn winced internally as he stepped out of the smithy. 'This is not going to be pleasant.'
He was right.
The moment Aunt Lily heard the truth, whatever fragile composure she had maintained for the past decade shattered. Her sobs tore through the small wooden house, raw and unrestrained, shaking the window frames and drawing attention from half the village. NPC neighbors hurried over in alarm, while curious players gathered at the doorway, drawn by the promise of drama or the faint hope of a hidden quest trigger.
What they saw, however, was a tear-stricken woman and a visibly uncomfortable Flynn standing nearby.
The assumptions formed instantly.
"Wow. What a scumbag. Bullying an NPC."
"You don't think he... you know... did something to her, do you?"
"Bro, that's Lily. She's the ugliest NPC in the Starter Zone. His standards can't be that low."
"Hey, don't judge. Everyone's got a type."
The whispers swelled into a chorus of suspicion and crude jokes. Flynn stood there for a moment, staring at the gawking faces crowding the doorway, and realized that any explanation would only make things worse. They were not interested in the truth. They were interested in spectacle.
'Forget this.'
He glanced at the time display. It was already past lunch in the real world. With a faint sigh, he initiated logout.
A pillar of white light enveloped him, his avatar dissolving piece by piece until he vanished entirely from the room.
The crowd erupted.
"Holy crap, he logged out!"
"He's fleeing the scene! He totally did it!"
"He definitely did something!"
One player nudged his friend. "Be honest. Would you?"
The mustached man stroked his chin thoughtfully before nodding with mock gravity. "Loneliness does strange things to a man."
"Dude, that's disgusting."
---
Flynn removed the helmet of his gaming pod and blinked at the ceiling of the guest room. The apartment was quiet. Chad had already left, presumably to handle whatever he had gone home for.
Outside, however, came a lively chorus of feminine chatter.
Flynn remembered Sophia mentioning that members of her studio would be arriving in Central Harbor today. Curious, he stepped into the hallway. The apartment across from his stood wide open. Suitcases rolled in and out from the elevator, and several young women were exploring the space with delighted exclamations.
Chloe spotted him first.
Her face lit up as though someone had flipped a switch. She hurried over, caught his arm without hesitation, and dragged him toward the group. "Ladies, come meet our landlord! He's tall, handsome, and rich. Anybody interested can get his number from me!"
A handful of girls emerged from the apartment, giggling openly as they sized him up.
"Wow, she wasn't exaggerating."
"He actually is handsome."
Flynn leaned closer to Chloe and lowered his voice. "You have my number?"
"Of course," she whispered back. "Chad gave it to me before he left. Oh, and he said to leave your door unlocked. He's coming back."
"Coming back for what?" Flynn frowned. "Doesn't he have levels to grind?"
Chloe looked at him in surprise. "He went home to pack. He's moving in to take care of you." Her expression turned teasing. "So… is there something going on between you two?"
"Don't be gross," Flynn shot back, rolling his eyes. "The guy has ulterior motives. Look at all the beautiful women you have here. He wouldn't be Chad if he didn't try to seize this opportunity."
Chloe laughed. "Fair enough. A guy's gotta try."
She tilted her head, studying him with exaggerated seriousness. "So, Flynn, interested in dating any of us? I can coordinate schedules."
"How about you?" he shot back without hesitation. "Are you available?"
The reaction was immediate.
"Oho, straight to the point!"
"Chloe, you sneaky thing! You were keeping him for yourself!"
"Yeah, look how tight she's holding his arm! She's practically rubbing herself all over him!"
"Wow, Tina, that's so dirty! I can't believe you just said that!"
The hallway filled with playful accusations and laughter. Sophia stepped forward with a resigned sigh, though the faint smile tugging at her lips betrayed her amusement.
"Sorry about them," she said to Flynn. "They can be a handful. I hope they won't be too loud."
He shrugged. "It's fine. Long as they don't knock down the walls."
"What's wrong with knocking down a wall?" Chloe called out, turning back from the group. "Your room is right next to Sophia's, you know!"
Sophia narrowed her eyes at Chloe, who immediately stuck out her tongue and ducked back into the crowd of girls.
Flynn found himself chuckling. He rubbed his hands together. "Have you all eaten yet?"
"Not yet. We were about to go out. Want to join?" Sophia offered. "Like I said yesterday, you're welcome to share our meals anytime."
"Let's do something better," Flynn said. "We'll all go out. My treat. Consider it a welcome dinner."
Chloe's energy came roaring back. "Oh, we couldn't possibly! We can't let you spend your money on us!"
Sophia, though, was more practical. She knew a meal or two was nothing to a guy like Flynn. She clapped her hands. "Alright, everyone, let's get your things moved in. We're leaving in ten minutes!"
"Yay!"
"The landlord is so generous!"
"Awesome!"
"I'll be your in-game girlfriend!"
"Tina, you're such a flirt!"
Watching the girls laugh and joke around, a genuine smile spread across Flynn's face. It was a warm, comforting feeling, one he hadn't felt in a very long time.