As Alexander descended from the sand dune, Jessica bent down to gather the loot scattered on the ground. She piled it up and, with a generous smile, said, "These are yours. You earned them. Take them."
Alexander glanced at the items and, without hesitation, accepted them all. He appreciated Jessica's straightforwardness and, in turn, she seemed pleased with his decisiveness. Grateful for his help, she added, "Thanks for helping me out today. If you ever need anything, just send me a message, and I'll be there."
"Let's add each other as friends!"
Jessica was strikingly beautiful, with perfect features and a lively personality. After a moment of thought, Alexander accepted her friend request.
[Friend: Jessica]
[Gender: Female]
[Level: 47]
[Class: Battle Mage]
That was all the information Alexander could see, which was the standard for what players could display to others.
At the same time, Jessica saw Alexander's information and let out a surprised "Huh?" She looked him up and down, scanning him with curiosity.
"You're only level 10? A newbie?"
Alexander nodded, wondering if his actions had raised any suspicion. But before he could say anything, Jessica laughed and playfully patted his shoulder.
"But, I admire your guts, taking on the Bradford family's lackeys like that!"
Alexander thought for a moment and asked, "Why? Is the Bradford family really that domineering in this game?"
Jessica sighed. "It's not just in the game. They're just as powerful in the real world. The Bradford family is an ancient and influential clan with deep roots... Wait, you don't know about the Bradfords?"
Jessica's eyes filled with doubt as she looked at Alexander.
Feeling a bit awkward, Alexander quickly pulled out the excuse he had prepared long ago. "I'm not in the best of health, so I don't go out much."
Jessica's expression softened with understanding, and a hint of sympathy appeared on her face. She assumed Alexander must be someone suffering from a serious illness in the real world. It made sense that someone like him wouldn't be familiar with the Bradfords or other major families.
Her suspicions eased, but she also lost interest in continuing the conversation about the Bradfords.
"The Bradfords are making such a big move this time, even disregarding the face of my family. They must be planning something huge."
"I need to log off and take care of some things. We'll talk later, bro."
Bro?
Alexander didn't have time to dwell on the nickname. Instead, he quickly spoke up before she could leave.
"Actually, I need your help with something."
Jessica, despite being in a hurry, paused. She remembered how Alexander had jumped in to help her without hesitation, so she decided to hear him out.
"Go ahead. Whatever you need, just say it."
After saying that, Jessica glanced down at herself. Her clothes had been torn during the battle, and her bra and panties were partially exposed. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she quickly added, "Except for sex, I can help with anything else."
Alexander rolled his eyes, completely baffled by her train of thought. "I just want to ask you something. I need to know where I can find an Instance. I want to enter one."
Jessica gave him a surprised look. "You don't even know that?"
Fortunately, she was more surprised by his lack of knowledge than suspicious of him. She didn't press him for details.
Jessica quickly pulled a map from her inventory. "You must have bought a beginner's map, right? This is a more detailed one. It marks all the regular Instances and world boss spawn points in the Howling Plains, Crimson Flame Desert, and Frozen Mountain Range."
"You're still a newbie at level 10, and you haven't chosen a class yet, right? Without a class, you won't be able to enter certain Instances unless a higher-level player takes you."
"But even if someone takes you, you won't survive. The monsters inside can kill you with a single scratch."
"I need to log off and handle some things, and I might be gone for a while. In the meantime, you should head to the Howling Plains and clear the newbie Instance. That should get you to level 15."
"Once you hit level 15, go do your class advancement quest. After you've chosen a class, you'll be able to access the Instances in the Crimson Flame Desert and Frozen Mountain Range."
"By the time I'm back, I'll take you through the newbie instance."
It was clear that Jessica was in a rush. She rattled off her instructions quickly, handing Alexander the map and a few booklets.
Before Alexander could even process everything, Jessica had logged off, disappearing in a flash of white light.
Alexander didn't fully understand what "logging off" meant. He had just seen Jessica vanish, but with his Insight Eye, he could sense a faint spatial fluctuation. It didn't seem like she had truly "logged off" but had been transported somewhere else.
However, Alexander's level was too low to fully comprehend the spatial shift.
He didn't dwell on the concept of "logging off" for long. His focus shifted to the items Jessica had given him. Aside from the map, the booklets contained information about the various classes in Oracle and guides for completing class advancement quests.
For now, these weren't of much use to him. After all, unless his talent reached SSS-level, he wouldn't be able to gain experience points. However, thanks to his E-level talent, his attributes weren't lagging behind, even if his level was.
Looking around at the vast desert, Alexander knew this wasn't a place he could stay for long. He quickly unfolded the map and found the nearest Instance marked in the Howling Plains.
The map indicated that once inside an Instance, players wouldn't be disturbed by the outside world.
He decided to head there first, check out the Instance, and then figure out his next steps.
---
Fifty minutes later, Alexander arrived at the entrance to the Death Valley Instance.
Looking at the twisted, hidden entrance, Alexander stood in silence for a moment.
No wonder he hadn't found this Instance after scouring the Howling Plains multiple times. The entrance was incredibly well-hidden.
"I wonder how the first player to discover this Instance even found the entrance," Alexander mused as he stepped through the mysterious glowing portal.
In the blink of an eye, the world around him shifted.
The scene before him darkened, and when his vision cleared again, the environment had completely changed.
A cold, biting wind howled from all directions, as if trying to tear his soul apart.
Alexander's surroundings were shrouded in a thick, gray fog.
He raised his hand to shield his eyes and squinted through the haze. All around him were towering piles of bones, and even the ground beneath his feet was littered with scattered skeletal remains.
Cautiously, Alexander took a step forward.
Crunch!
A bone beneath his foot crumbled into dust, carried away by the relentless wind.
At that moment, a notification appeared in front of him, providing information about the Instance he had just entered.