Meanwhile, back in the real world, Ethan wasted no time after returning home and immediately jumped back into the game. Once inside, he found himself once again in the inn at Cross Town. As always, his first order of business was to check his personal stats.
To his surprise, his experience bar had moved up to 86% of Level 3.
**"Hmm... If I'm not wrong, this should be thanks to No. 1."**
Ethan smiled. He had been expecting this. This was only the beginning. Once his Spirit attribute increased, and he could summon more Shadow Clones, his leveling speed would skyrocket.
**"Alright, time to head back and turn in my quest."**
He closed his character panel and left the inn, hopping on his sled to retrace his path through the snowy wilderness.
...
Meanwhile, on the frigid plains of the Snowy Highlands, two figures were trudging through the snow—Ethan's No. 1 Shadow Clone and Simon.
**"Achoo!"**
No. 1 sneezed, pulling his coat tighter against the biting cold. His face was full of annoyance.
**"I should've brought the Eternal Flame with me. This damn weather could freeze me to death."**
**"Didn't you buy 100 bottles of frost resistance potions? What are you complaining about?"**
Simon gave him a sideways glance.
**"You wouldn't get it. Frost resistance potions aren't free, you know. I've got a family to take care of—wife, kids, the works."**
**"Stop lying. You're just a clone. Where'd you get a wife and kids from?"**
Simon rolled his eyes. He remembered that regular clones didn't have this level of intelligence. Something felt off.
**"I'm not just any regular clone. Anyway, add me as a friend, will ya?"**
**"Huh?"**
Simon froze. Add him as a friend? A clone, acting like a regular player? He must be joking.
[Ding! You've received a friend request from No. 1. Do you accept?]
Simon stared in disbelief at the system notification, alternating between looking at No. 1 and the prompt.
**"You... you're actually sending a friend request?"**
**"Of course I am. I told you, I'm not your ordinary clone. Hurry up and accept. We've got dungeons to clear."**
**"Dungeons? Holy crap!"**
Simon couldn't help but curse in shock. Was this really a clone? This was starting to feel more like Ethan's main body!
**"Look at you, freaking out over nothing."**
No. 1 shook his head, clearly unimpressed. **"Not only can I run dungeons, I can browse forums and even post on them. Just treat me like any other player from now on."**
**"Good lord, I can't handle this!"**
Simon felt like his worldview was being shattered. He was certain that this wasn't a normal clone—it had to be a product of some high-level ability. He began to wonder just what kind of talent Ethan possessed. It had to be at least an A-tier ability, maybe even S-tier. It was terrifying.
It took Simon a while to calm down and accept what was happening. After a moment of silence, he cautiously glanced at No. 1 and asked:
**"Do you gain experience from killing monsters too?"**
**"Of course, but it all goes to the main body. And don't get me started on names—this idiot calls me No. 1. Why not something epic like 'Emperor of the Desolate Sky'?"**
**"You win."**
Simon was speechless. It was clear that No. 1 wasn't just a clone; he seemed more like an independent personality—a reflection of Ethan himself.
**"Wait a second. I've got a proposal."**
No. 1 suddenly stopped, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked at Simon.
**"What now?"**
Simon was wary. He now saw No. 1 as a player rather than just a clone, which meant he had to be careful.
**"Have you joined a guild yet?"**
**"No,"** Simon shook his head. **"There aren't many players in the Snowy Highlands, so there aren't any guilds around here."**
**"Perfect. Let's start one then. I've already got the name figured out—'Frostwind Brigade.' How's that sound?"**
**"Uh... does Dustwalker count as part of it?"** Simon asked cautiously.
**"Who cares about him? It's just you and me."**
**"Is that even allowed?"**
Simon sighed, feeling a headache coming on. He had never imagined teaming up with a clone to start a guild. It didn't seem reliable at all. What if No. 1 disappeared one day or got recalled by Ethan? Then what?
**"Of course it's allowed. Trust me."**
No. 1 wasted no time and immediately created the guild, sending Simon an invitation.
[Ding! You've received an invitation to join 'Frostwind Brigade.' Do you accept?]
Simon stared at the system prompt, torn with indecision. After a long pause, he sighed and accepted the invite.
**"Fine."**
**"Smart choice. Our goal isn't too big—just to become the rulers of The Northlands. You'll be the Hunter King, and I'll be the Night King!"**
**"Have you been watching too much TV?"** Simon grumbled, rolling his eyes.
And so, the two of them continued their journey, beginning their own little story in the Snowy Highlands. But that's a tale for another time.
...
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Ethan had been traveling non-stop across the wilderness. Finally, after hours of hard riding, he crossed Icewind Gorge and reached the southern slopes of the Dragonspine Mountains.
It was still night, with only the faint light of the moon illuminating the terrain. In the distance, the familiar outline of Frostleaf Town came into view.
**"Whew, finally! That was exhausting."**
Ethan stopped his sled, deciding to rest for a moment. After all, there was no rush. He had been racing nonstop, and his status had dropped significantly. His sled dogs, in particular, were panting heavily, completely worn out.
**"Alright, time for a break. Don't want to run you poor guys to death."**
Ethan tossed some meat to the dogs and sat down to eat some food himself.
Unbeknownst to him, a player from *Third Heaven* had been watching him from the nearby forest. Upon seeing Ethan, the player froze in shock, then quickly typed into his guild chat, tagging the guild leader.
**"Guild leader! I've found Dustwalker! He's at the southern slopes of the Dragonspine Mountains. Coordinates: Latitude 75° North, Longitude 43° East."**
At that very moment, Archangel, the leader of *Third Heaven*, was grinding mobs near Frostleaf Town. When he saw the message, a wicked grin spread across his face.
**"Finally! After all this time, Dustwalker has shown himself. Let's see how you escape this time!"**
For the past few days, Archangel had mobilized a lot of his guild's resources to track down Ethan. Their progress had slowed down, and his guildmates had begun grumbling. Even the sponsors behind the guild had started to pressure him. If he weren't the guild leader, he wouldn't have been able to handle the heat.
But now, Dustwalker had reappeared, making all that waiting worthwhile. All that remained was to catch him, force him to reveal the secret behind the sled, and seize those two precious purple-gold items.
With a wave of excitement, Archangel barked orders into the guild chat:
**"All elite squad members, gather on me! We're moving out—target: Dustwalker!"**
**"Yes, sir!"**
A chorus of eager voices responded as the guild began to mobilize.
Meanwhile, Ethan, still unaware of the impending danger, was casually finishing his meal. Once his sled dogs had recovered, he began to prepare to move again.
But just as he was about to set off, a fireball shot out from the nearby forest.
**"What the—?!"**
Ethan's instincts kicked in as he immediately dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the explosion.
**"Boom!"**
The fireball detonated with a deafening roar, sending shockwaves through the air. Although Ethan had dodged in time, his three sled dogs were not so lucky. The fireball hit them directly, and they fell to the ground, limbs twitching in agony.
In mere seconds, the dogs stopped moving altogether. They were dead.
**"Damn it!"**
Ethan's eyes turned red with fury. Those sled dogs were expensive, and now he'd have to pay a hefty sum to replace them. The thought of all those wasted gold coins made his heart ache.
**"Which bastard did this? Show yourself!"**
Ethan shouted angrily, glaring into the forest.
**"Dustwalker, I told you there would be consequences!"**
A smug voice rang out as a group of players emerged from the trees, led by none other than Archangel. The group quickly fanned out, surrounding Ethan.
**"Archangel!"**
Ethan ground his teeth in frustration. This bastard had been hunting him down this whole time.
**"That's right, it's me!"**
Archangel sneered. Just days ago, Ethan had
insulted him. Now, he'd have his revenge.
Archangel dusted the snow off his clothes and spoke with a smug grin:
**"Dustwalker, I'm not here to make things difficult for you. Just hand over the sled and those two purple-gold items, and we'll call it even. Otherwise..."**
**"Call it even?"**
Ethan couldn't help but laugh. This bastard had caused him to lose 300,000 gold coins and now wanted to settle things like nothing had happened? Did he think Ethan was a pushover?
**"You're dreaming. If you want to mess with me, you better be ready to pay the price."**