The grass was soft beneath our feet, the green Galrinth Fields spreading out in all directions. Every now and then the sun would go behind a cloud, casting shadows over the distant hills and valleys."Datalent?""Just call me Data.""Data, then. Where exactly are we going?" I was hoping it was somewhere more exciting than this field. The landscape was boring enough that my thoughts had run away with me again, and I needed to think about something more than what was going on in the real-life hospital. After everything I'd heard of how fun this place could be, I was eager to find out for myself what all the hype was about."Widows' Forest, just over there." He pointed across the grasslands to a forest in the distance, separated from us by only a lake, a few trees, and half a dozen miles.We were traversing the open fields in that direction. Our first landmark was a wide bridge, and the realism of the river that flowed under it was enough to impress me with the game's attention to detail. Having once been a keen gamer before the Dream Engine was invented, but also knowing how cautious I would need to be to survive here, I had mixed feelings about the beautiful graphics.After about half an hour of walking and talking to him, I could tell that Datalent wasn't just a good player but, judging by the passion behind his words when talking about aspects of the game, a bit of a geek as well. He used most of the time that we were walking to explain the game mechanics, and the bright, animated tone in his voice made me wonder whether he had once been a sales rep for the Wona Company. He showed me his equipment and patiently ran through a list of which items I could synthesize to make a weapon that would benefit me as a Spellcaster, and the ones I didn't need to bother with."My gear for instance." He pointed to the thick, dark-gray leather covering his shoulders and chest that thinned out and became tighter around his waist. The same thick leather continued down over his beltline in shell-like protrusions. "This is Rhino Leather. I had to get it from the Primatier monsters on the Onjira Plains. It's incredibly tough, and players need a high level of strength to wear it. So much strength that it's practically useless for your Niche.""So what would be the best garments for a Spellcaster?"He grinned as though he was expecting the question."That's why we're heading into Widows' Forest. The best Spellcaster starter robes are made from Arachnid Silk. If we can spend a few hours cutting through the monsters in there, we'll be hitting two birds with one stone."Something in his words struck a chord in me."Arachnid... that sounds like—""We're going to be fighting spiders, Noah, really big spiders. I hope you're not an arachnophobe.""I'm not."At least, I don't think I am. Sue was usually the one who picked them up and threw them outside, afraid that I would squash them. I had a suspicion it wasn't going to be as easy as dealing with spiders in real life.The artificial sunlight in the fields dimmed as we advanced toward the ominously dark, web-strewn forest. As soon as we approached the trees, the sky automatically darkened, and a full moon appeared high above us.Great. The forest has a horror-movie theme.The spider webs everywhere made this obvious. Soft, ambient music that I hadn't even registered until now suddenly switched to a minor key."How familiar are you with this place?" I asked, but Data remained silent.Despite my growing anxiety, I was impressed with the detail of the forest, from the flaking bark on the trees to the feeling of the prickling needles on my skin. Even my avatar's reaction to the roots rang true as I lost my footing and my vision tilted. I was forced to regain my balance."Watch it!" Data hissed. He stepped over a large root and brushed a veil of spider webs aside as he led the way through. "And to answer your question, there's no good reason for a Warrior class to hang around for long considering the main items you get here won't help me. I usually just walk straight through. I suggest you keep your eyes up, Arachnids can drop down from the trees."I looked up. I could only just see above our heads with how thick the pine tree branches were above us. Cobwebs filled the natural canopy, the scent of pine a lot more authentic than any air freshener I'd smelled. We moved further in, and the roots began to spread out to form a wide path. I kept my eyes open, looking for anything resembling a spider. The moonlight shining through the needled branches made me jump at shadows. We walked through undisturbed, but the lack of enemies made the forest even more terrifying via the sheer suspense. Not knowing when something would jump out at us really put me on edge.This is just a game, I kept reminding myself. It's not real.Thankfully we arrived in an area where the trees were more spaced out, the artificial moonlight shining into a large, oval-shaped glade. It was completely empty except for the wind-bent grass.Datalent stopped and pulled the cork out of a water droplet-shaped bottle he had pulled from his rucksack. He waved it about in the air around us."What's that?""I did some reading on how to draw out the Arachnid monsters. Turns out you get the best haul from using a special pheromone item." He corked the bottle and put it away. "It took me a while to find it because I've never had to use it before. I'm hoping it's not too powerful."My gut clenched in fear. "Why?""Because if it is, we might draw out too many of them, or..." He grinned. "A Mother Spider."Considering I'll go into a coma if they kill me, Data doesn't sound very worried.Panic rose in me as I saw swift movement from the edge of the clearing. I equipped the Copper Sword Data had bought for me and held it ready.He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes narrowed."Focus on your magic for now. If you use the blade first, it will break too early, and you'll be screwed." He equipped two symmetrical, golden-laced, dual-wielding swords, spinning them as they appeared in his hands. "Leave the outliers to me. You stay in the middle and give cover fire. Use the blade if any get too close, but, other than that, your Fire Ball spell will be your best option."I nodded, moving into the middle of the clearing as the first lot of Arachnids appeared, closing in on hairy legs. They looked like your garden-variety tarantula, still freakish but nothing a few hours on the Discovery Channel wouldn't have prepared me for. There were big ones, though, with some even coming up to my waist.Seeing how Datalent took out the first one, the large spider vanishing in a bright flash, I realized I should be more concerned about the smaller ones that he was less likely to spot. I let a Fire Ball fly, and, as the monsters' health bars plummeted to zero, it cleared