Little Pink Starfish

As the deputy steward of Golden Rose Manor, Kesso rarely left the Mage Tower in Adrien City, and when he did, it was usually just to visit the manor.

In fact, most mages on the continent of Yali were quite reclusive, functioning more like a research-based profession. Mastering spells and delving into advanced magic required intense study; it simply wasn’t possible without dedicating significant time to learning.
Thus, mages who frequently traveled outside were the true minority.

After reporting the news, Atwell led a flustered Bersa into the room. With Kesso missing, Bersa, his disciple, was completely at a loss. She didn’t even dare spread the news casually. Everyone knew the Mage Tower in the Lanno Territory only existed because of Kesso. Though Kesso usually commanded great respect, now that he had disappeared, Bersa feared how the other mages might react.
What she feared most was someone breaking into her teacher’s magical research room.

So she kept it from everyone and secretly returned to Golden Rose Manor, but of course, Kesso wasn’t there either. Since she wasn’t from the manor, she couldn’t even get in to see Eagle.

In the past, Kesso would occasionally ask Bersa to help clean Eagle’s room, but Bersa was proud and didn’t get along well with Eagle. Only now, with her teacher missing, did she realize that without him, she was nothing. Kesso wasn’t just her teacher—he was also her uncle. Without Kesso, she had no noble status or background to fall back on. As a mere apprentice mage, she was disposable to nobles like Eagle.

Because Eagle disliked her, the manor’s people only treated her with courtesy out of respect for Kesso. With her proud nature, Bersa never made connections with the maids and didn’t know many people in the manor. Only Atwell seemed friendly and approachable—he was the only one who’d spoken a few kind words to her.

Running into Atwell outside, Bersa finally dared to confide in him and ask to be brought to Eagle.

“When exactly did he disappear?” Eagle asked. Though he disliked both Kesso and Bersa, Kesso was still the deputy steward of Golden Rose Manor, so the question had to be asked.

Pei Sen quietly pushed the magic book on the table farther back, hiding it behind some others, just in case Bersa remembered and asked him for it.
But Bersa, clearly distressed, didn’t even think of it. “I haven’t seen Teacher in a very long time,” she said, almost in tears. She was only sixteen or seventeen after all. “Half a month ago, Teacher shut himself in his research room, and I didn’t check on him. It wasn’t unusual for him to be in there for days at a time, but this time it was too long, so I went to look…”

And found that Kesso was completely gone. She searched the entire Mage Tower but couldn’t find any trace of him.

Kesso was not the kind of person to disappear without a word. He was methodical and precise. It was totally out of character for him to vanish without informing anyone.

“Did anything seem off about him that day?” Atwell asked gently, trying to calm her down.

Bersa thought carefully. “He received some kind of message from the capital that day. I don’t know the details, but his expression wasn’t good.”

Eagle and Pei Sen exchanged a glance—they both remembered what Sadin had reported that day.
If Sadin had received news, Kesso must have as well. In fact, based on the timeline, Kesso likely got the news even earlier.

Kesso used to be a member of the Royal Mage Corps, and Sadin’s information came from Duke Burke Angre. Both men should’ve been well-informed about news from the capital. Of course, it depended on when others decided to share that information with them.

For instance, the Bosweiko family, which had taken over the Aiken family’s territory, would’ve had access to that news much earlier. That’s why they were able to act against Aiken so quickly.

“Are you saying Kesso disappeared because of Leiser’s attempted assassination?” Eagle asked skeptically. “Is there even a connection between the two events?”

It didn’t seem related. Leiser was still alive, just bedridden. The Royal Mage Corps remained active in the capital.
Even if Kesso followed Leiser’s orders, it didn’t make sense for him to disappear just because Leiser was attacked.

Pei Sen thought for a moment. “Kesso is a high-level mage. In this world, very few people could make him vanish without a trace. Maybe he left urgently and didn’t have time to tell anyone.”

That was the most plausible theory. While it was possible to defeat a high-level mage, capturing one without any disturbance was nearly impossible.

The stronger the mage, the greater their perception. Kesso’s perceptiveness would’ve allowed him to avoid most dangers—
unless, of course, that legendary archmage intervened. But that was unlikely.
That old man hadn’t made a move in many years.

Pei Sen, an expert player, had always wanted to challenge that old man—but even finding him was impossible.

In the game, players could be promoted to Apprentice Mage upon accumulating enough spell knowledge and reaching Level 20.
At Level 40, they’d become Intermediate Mages, and at Level 60, High Mages.
The only requirement was spell knowledge; everything else was secondary.

Even among top mage players, only a few had reached the same level as that old man. Pei Sen’s main account hadn’t gotten there.
But even then, acting alone wouldn’t be enough to avoid detection.

Pei Sen knew from experience—being a high-level mage didn’t make one invincible. Killing or capturing was possible, but doing so without anyone noticing? That was the real challenge.

After hearing Pei Sen’s words, Bersa calmed down and thought it over. That’s right—her teacher had been in the Mage Tower, surrounded by other perceptive mages. No one could’ve snuck in and taken him away.

“If Teacher left on his own, then why hasn’t he returned after half a month?” Bersa’s face went pale. “Could something have happened to him outside?”

Eagle remained cold and indifferent. “Then that’s Kesso’s own problem. No one told him to leave. If something happened, he can only blame himself.”

Tears welled up in Bersa’s eyes, and her whole body trembled with anger.

Pei Sen wanted to sigh. This brat never liked Kesso to begin with. Even if news came saying Kesso had been killed, Eagle probably wouldn’t feel a shred of regret.
He had grown up isolated in the manor and, in many ways, had been raised wrong.

As a typical noble, Eagle had no sympathy for commoners. Their lives meant little to him. And with his strong sense of likes and dislikes, if he hated someone and they crossed him, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.
Eagle didn’t have much respect for life. That coldness sometimes made him seem downright cruel.

In the end, Bersa was allowed to stay at the manor temporarily. Eagle passed the matter of Kesso’s disappearance to Sadin, letting him worry about it. Eagle had no intention of stressing over it himself.

—

At this point, the players who had just entered the third beta test were already exploring the game.

Casey City could accommodate 10,000–20,000 people, and after its reconstruction, it was upgraded to hold 30,000–50,000.
Yet now, only a few thousand civilians remained. There was still a huge gap before it would feel like a bustling city.

Even with 10,000 new players, it wouldn’t be filled completely—but the city was clearly livelier.

Third-beta players were far more goal-oriented than those from the first and second tests. Most had already done their research on forums and weren’t wandering in confused.
Of course, curiosity and exploration remained strong—there were still meme-loving players who’d dig up dirt just to see what it tasted like—but most headed straight for Golden Rose Manor, planning to join the faction, grind, build, and take quests.

This particular quest had no level requirement, and the sooner you leveled up, the sooner you could catch up to earlier players and take on that notoriously difficult dungeon.

As the majority of players swarmed toward the manor, a few special ones stood out—
Like the one staring in awe at their newly functional legs, or another gazing tearfully at their hands, overwhelmed with emotion.
One player leisurely examined Casey City’s infrastructure, taking notes while chatting with NPCs.

Clearly, their goals were different.

Bix Magic Cube allowed paralyzed players to run again and bedridden people to experience health. Some elderly players had even entered to explore this unique world and conduct special research.

Pei Sen didn’t know how many extraordinary people had entered during this phase.
But he knew this game never lacked talent—just that most players still thought of it as “just a game,” and never considered applying real-world skills to it.

It would be years later before that idea became mainstream.
Eventually, Bix Magic Cube would frequently be used for scientific research and even for experiments impossible in real life.

In this world, physical rules and material transformation were similar to Earth’s—
Despite magic and sword energy being inexplicable, everything else wasn’t drastically different.

Whether due to danger or environmental constraints, certain experiments were actually easier here than in reality.

After all, players couldn’t truly die, and with magic and class skills, even extreme conditions could be simulated.

But for now, most still saw Bix Magic Cube as just a game.

Third-beta players were far more enthusiastic about city-building than those from the first and second tests, driven by a strong desire to level up.
However, the sheer number of players meant that many of them roamed far and wide, reaching even Arzi Town, Adrien City, and the dangerous Starfall Plains.

Players always found creative (and often reckless) ways to tempt fate.

---

“Lord Eagle, we’re now able to issue the next round of commands.” Pei Sen looked at the scene displayed in the magic eye and spoke to Eagle.

Eagle was astonished by the sheer number of Bixkin flooding in. “Those earlier ones were just the vanguard? How large is this Bixkin tribe, exactly?”

The number was overwhelming.

Pei Sen: “…”

You think this is a lot? Just wait until the open beta—it’ll be jam-packed! That’s what you call a real crowd.

At that time, the Lanno Territory wouldn’t be able to contain that many players.
But in three months, with good preparation, these players could still seize the initiative.

Soon, players discovered that new quests were available.

“Arzi Town…” they quickly realized it was the little town next to the dungeon. “So that’s Arzi.”

“This quest has an interesting description,” said one of the designers, looking around. “I bet most people haven’t noticed.”

Faction Main Quest: Rebuild Arzi
Arzi Town Mayor Soan has betrayed his lord, Count Eagle Lanno. The Count has decided to execute Soan and rebuild Arzi.
Phase One of Rebuilding Arzi: Execute Mayor Soan and raze Arzi Town to the ground.
Rewards will be based on player contributions: Experience, Gold, Faction Contribution, and Task Treasure Chests.

It looked simple, and players didn’t overthink it. Wasn’t this just like what happened in Casey City? Flatten the place, kill the town leader—nothing new.

But the designer noted this quest had a very different delivery method. In Casey City, the task wasn’t presented this way at first.
This time, the entire Arzi questline seemed to be handed entirely over to the players, and the vague description gave them a lot of creative freedom.

The content of this task was fundamentally different—it felt far more flexible and now included treasure chest rewards, not just the standard experience, gold, and contribution points.

“It really feels like a closed beta,” the designer murmured. “The game’s definitely adapting and evolving.”

Especially in the way quests were issued.

What the designer didn’t know was that Pei Sen was complaining too. “What’s going on with Bix Magic Cube? It’s like the game’s suddenly taken a liking to me and started giving me more power?”

That’s right—this time, the task wasn’t triggered by Pei Sen’s words or actions. Instead, a task-publishing editor interface popped up directly in front of him, scaring him half to death.

“Normal NPCs can’t do this, right? Is it because I’m an NPC with a player interface?” Pei Sen muttered, watching the flood of players heading for Arzi on the forums’ real-time stream. He sighed, “At this rate, I feel like I’m the game’s chosen one.”

The task editor not only let him write quest content—it also let him select various rewards. As soon as he saw treasure chests were an option, he selected them without hesitation.

“This level of freedom… is too much, right?”

But Pei Sen had tested it. He could only issue tasks within his capabilities. For example, the Arzi quest had to first be approved by Eagle, who held the real authority, before it could be made available.

Pei Sen also deeply suspected that if he started issuing tasks recklessly, Bix Magic Cube would revoke his authority.

“Better play it safe. Use good steel where it counts.” He closed the editor, feeling satisfied as he watched the players converging toward Arzi—the numbers were impressive.

Eagle set down his spoon and glanced at Pecks, who was scarfing down food nearby. It seemed Pei Sen was distracted again and hadn’t noticed that Pecks had eaten way over his limit.
Eagle didn’t say anything, but suddenly lost his appetite.

“Pei Sen.”

Pei Sen hadn’t responded yet, but Pecks jumped in surprise, thinking Eagle was about to scold him. He started eating even faster.

Sure enough, once Pei Sen turned back, he saw Pecks practically licking his plate clean. He said disapprovingly, “Double exercise this afternoon. This won’t do.”

A shadow cat too fat to melt into the shadows? That would be the one right in front of him.

Pecks meowed twice in protest. If this continued, the cat was going to run away from home!

Eagle smiled faintly. “Pei Sen, you promised to take me out again. The deadline’s almost here.”

Pei Sen replied calmly, “I know. It’s not here yet, is it?”

He could stall for another two days.

---

By now, the players had reached Arzi, and finally began to realize something—

Flattening Arzi was going to be very different from flattening Casey City.

After Eagle and Pei Sen were retrieved outside Arzi by Sadin, the town mayor, Soan, had already grown uneasy.
No—he’d been uneasy even before that.

Had he known even Wallis was going to be killed by that young noble, Soan would never have skipped the birthday banquet. He would’ve taken Eagle more seriously.

Truth be told, none of the three city lords had paid much attention to Eagle. A minor noble, still underage, locked away in his manor—who would take him seriously?

Especially Soan, who came from humble beginnings. He was once illiterate, a mere commoner who had clawed his way up to become mayor.
While Wallis might’ve guessed Eagle was a possible heir to the throne, Soan never imagined such a thing.

To Soan, the only thing that mattered was keeping a grip on the profits from Arzi. Everything else meant nothing.

Ignorance breeds fearlessness—that’s Soan in a nutshell.

On Eagle’s birthday, Wallis and Adrien City’s Lord Lacory both showed up respectfully, bringing generous gifts, whether they respected Eagle or not.

Only Soan, brash and ignorant, blatantly snubbed the occasion. He dismissed it with a flimsy excuse about poor health and didn’t show up for years, staying in Arzi like a petty tyrant.

“I’m not Wallis,” Soan growled.

His son, Palta, looked worried. “I don’t think these adventurers and mercenaries are necessarily stronger than the Dragon Star Knights from Casey City.”

But even the Dragon Star Knights had fallen.

Soan snorted, “Relax. The merchant caravans have also promised to defend Arzi. They took our money, so they’ll do their job.”

Palta remained anxious. “Are we openly rebelling against the lord? We can’t stand up to Lord Sadin.”

A Level 8 Swordmaster was far beyond their league.

Soan was sweating heavily but still barked, “So what? Should we just sit here and wait to die?”

“Father… we could leave…” Palta murmured. They’d accumulated wealth over the years—enough to live comfortably elsewhere.

Soan glared. “Palta, did you forget? If we leave here, you’re no longer the mayor’s son. We’re just commoners.”
Then, he became strangely lucid. “A commoner can be rich, but not this rich. Once we leave Arzi, people will be watching us.”

Though the Kingdom of Esmia was relatively peaceful, it wasn’t exactly safe. They’d be nothing more than wealthy fleeing traitors—low risk, high reward for robbers.

Soan didn’t even dare hire adventurers or mercs to escort them out. He couldn’t trust those desperate people.

They might as well make one last stand—throw their money into resisting that young noble, and show him that Arzi wasn’t so easy to flatten. Maintaining the status quo was their best option.

If possible, Soan would’ve handed most of his fortune over to Eagle just to be spared.
But Wallis’s death had killed that fantasy.

So they couldn’t leave—leaving meant death.
And if they were going to die, Soan would rather die in his Arzi.

“No news from the Mage Tower.”
“No movement from the manor guards either.”

Bad news, sure—but at least not worse.

Soan relaxed a little. “Only a couple thousand of those weird foreigners? That’s not enough to take Arzi.”

There were nearly a thousand adventurers and mercenaries in town. Including the merchants’ guards, their numbers weren’t far off.

“We’re not the Dragon Star Knights. We don’t need as many.”
“They can surround the Knights, but they can’t surround us.”

“They’re weak anyway. I fought three of those Bixkin in Starfall Plains—completely unskilled. Took them down with ease.”
“Without Arzi, we’re in trouble too. Besides, Mayor Soan paid us well.”
“I heard those Bixkin don’t fear death?”
“Rubbish. Who doesn’t fear death? Must be rumors.”

“We’re adventurers. We’ve seen blood and death. Not afraid of these stories.”

Most of them didn’t believe the hype. They thought it was just fearmongering.

Lately, they’d seen Bixkin wandering near Arzi. A few seemed… off, but nothing alarming.

Unlike civilians, these adventurers, mercs, and guards were all seasoned fighters—used to blood, accustomed to danger, and not easily spooked.

“They’re coming!” a nimble scout shouted from atop a tree outside town.

Before he could get excited about the upcoming battle, his face turned pale and he leapt down in a panic.

“What is it?” someone asked.

“Who said there were only a couple thousand?!”

“A tidal wave of people is coming! Too many to count!”

“All of them—people!”

“Those Bixkin… they’re swarming over the hills like locusts. They’re everywhere.”

Grey-clad, ragged, each wielding a wooden sword—and not a trace of fear.

Hidden among the adventurers, a cloaked lich caught sight of them and was instantly reminded of the nightmare from two months ago.
Back then, a group just like this had halted his freshly summoned skeleton army. They were like a relentless grey tide. Even as bones piled into mountains, they never backed down.

“Fearless” didn’t begin to describe them.

Now, there were even more of them—and they were coming.

The lich quietly stepped back…
Then took another step.

No matter what the others decided to do—resist or stay—

He was done. No amount of money could make him face that nightmare again.