(S1) Chapter 9 - Sharpening the Axe
One week later.
Henry stood at the top of a sand dune, scanning the endless horizon for anything—any sign of life, a landmark, a shadow, something.
In the end…
Nothing.
His clothes, now torn in several places, allowed sand to work its way into every possible crease and fold.
It’s already been a week…
Do I really have time to waste like this?
The desert stretched on without mercy, and with it came an unbearable heat that only brought frustration.
With one last look at the desert, Henry let out a long, tired sigh before logging out.
?
Slowly waking up, the lights of the capsule started to turn off one by one. A metallic click unlocked the door before it opened, sending cool air rushing in.
“Aaaah! Oh how I missed you, air conditioner!” Henry said with relief.
Climbing out of the capsule with a stretch, the sounds of bones cracking could be heard throughout the room.
Henry stood up straighter and more confidently than before.
At least the game is helping me with my posture, he mused.
Frustration replaced by hunger, he left the room, carefully avoiding the large hole when descending the steps.
The light sound of Ava moving a chair backward to sit down could be heard from the stairs.
Putting on his best smile, Henry walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Ava.”
Ava frowned.
“It’s way past morning, Dad,” she replied without looking up.
His smile faltering, Henry moved toward the refrigerator to grab the bread, turkey, and mayonnaise.
“How’s the game going?” Ava asked suddenly.
Henry paused for a moment before continuing to make his sandwich.
“It’s going good, honey. Really good.”
Ava slowly turned around with a skeptical look.
“How come it sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself of that?”
Henry just gave her a lopsided smile instead of answering.
“What level are you now? Did you get a class yet?” Ava pressed.
Henry looked at her in surprise.
“You’ve been looking up Horizon’s End?”
“If my dad plans on playing it professionally,” she replied calmly, “I might as well know what he’s getting himself into.”
Henry nodded at the logic, but still—it felt oddly comforting that she did.
Carrying the sandwich to the table, he took a large bite before sitting down.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Henry wiped his mouth.
“I’m level zero… and no, I haven’t unlocked a class yet.”
Ava’s eyes widened.
“Level zero?! Are you kidding me right now?!”
Henry quietly took another bite of his sandwich.
“You said you wanted to do this,” Ava continued, frustration rising in her voice. “Fine. But you’re not even taking it seriously?”
Henry slowly set the sandwich down.
“I’ve been taking it seriously… more than you know,” he snapped back.
Ava didn’t back down.
“You still being level zero says otherwise.”
Her voice sharpened.
“Are you even past the tutorial?”
Henry looked down and said nothing.
Ava clicked her tongue in annoyance, stood up abruptly, and stormed out of the house.
The door slammed behind her.
Henry sat there in silence, his appetite gone.
Standing up, he put the rest of the sandwich back in the refrigerator.
Am I really taking this seriously…?
Or am I just playing around?
?
Henry walked back upstairs, his feet feeling heavier than before.
Maybe we should skip this and just get a normal class, he thought.
In the room, Henry’s eyes drifted over the capsule humming quietly in the corner. Thinking about the endless desert that awaited on the other side was enough to persuade him out of going back in.
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Collapsing on the bed, Henry spoke aloud.
“Zoey… call Colin.”
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
On the third ring, Colin picked up.
“Hey Henry. Did you find something out?”
Henry stared at the ceiling.
“Nope. The only thing I found was more sand in my boots.”
“I wonder what we’re missing.”
Taking a few seconds to organize his thoughts, Henry spoke up.
“Colin… listen. I don’t think we should keep doing this.”
“What?” Colin said. “What do you mean?”
“It’s been a week,” Henry replied. “We haven’t found a single clue. It feels like we’re just wasting time.”
“Where is this coming from?” he asked. “You haven’t talked about quitting before.”
“I had a run-in with Ava earlier,” he admitted. “She said some things that stuck with me.”
“Henry… I know it feels like we’re wasting time,” he said in a calm voice. “But think about it like this.”
“You know how some people cut down trees?”
Henry frowned.
“Yeah?”
“Well, imagine two people trying to chop down the same tree.”
“One guy rushes in and starts swinging immediately.”
“The other one spends time sharpening his axe.”
“People might laugh at the second guy,” Colin continued. “They might think he’s wasting time.”
“But when he finally starts swinging…”
“The tree falls in just a few hits.”
Henry exhaled slowly.
“I see your point.”
“Good! Just remember—we’re sharpening our axe right now.”
Henry was silent for a moment, letting what Colin just said sink in.
“Just keep going,” Colin replied. “We will see the rewards of our diligence soon.”
With that, the call ended, leaving Henry staring at the ceiling for a long moment.
His gaze shifted to the capsule in the corner. A small spark of determination returned.
He stood up.
“Alright…”
“Let’s try this again.”
?
Inside the game, Henry wandered through the desert, overcoming sandstorm after sandstorm.
He searched every dune.
Every valley.
Every ripple in the sand.
Still—
Nothing.
Eventually, exhaustion caught up with him, making him collapse onto the sand, the blazing heat draining every ounce of energy from his body.
His vision began to blur as images of himself gaining a powerful mage class played in his mind.
Henry smiled weakly while the wishful daydream of an overpowered class played in his head.
Without realizing it, his finger began tracing letters in the sand.
M.
A.
G.
E.
The moment he finished the word—
The entire desert shifted.
The dunes dissolved, replaced by trees erupting from the earth as the endless desert transformed into a lush forest.
Henry scrambled to his feet.
“N-no way…”
He rushed to the nearest tree and touched it. The bark felt rough and real beneath his fingers.
“Am I hallucinating?”
A notification appeared.
NEW QUEST
Quest: DreamWalker Trial
Objective:
Complete the trail to unlock the Mage class.
Rewards:
? Mage class (Common)
Failure Penalty:
? Failure to unlock the Mage class
Time Limit: Unknown
Difficulty: D
Do you wish to accept?
YES
NO
His eyes went wide at the pop-up as he threw both fists into the air.
“I DID IT!”
Collapsing on the ground with laughter, the sound echoed throughout the forest. Lying on the cool dirt ground, the quest line blinked, waiting for a response.
What would happen if he refused? Henry thought before hesitantly selecting No.
The forest dissolved beneath him as the endless desert returned.
Henry’s excitement surged as he thought about all the possibilities and what this meant.
“Okay, okay, calm down Henry. We still have a lot more testing to do.”
Bending down, Henry started writing Assassin, Swordsman, and Healer in the sand.
Each time the environment changed with a new quest line pop-up for those classes.
Testing out a new idea, he tried writing stats down in the sand.
But nothing happened.
“The desert doesn’t react to stats… It seems to only react to class names,” Henry spoke to himself. “But how far can this go?”
Crouching down again, Henry began writing Mjolnir Wielder in the sand.
“If this works…”
“…I might break the game.”
The desert transformed instantly as sharp, cold wind cut through his clothing like butter.
Snow swallowed the landscape where the sand used to be. Towering mountains surrounded him, their peaks hidden behind thick storm clouds.
A new notification appeared.
NEW QUEST
Quest: DreamWalker Trial
Objective: Complete the trial to unlock the Mjolnir Wielder class
Rewards:
? Mjolnir Wielder (Mythic class)
Failure Penalty:
? Failure to unlock the Mjolnir Wielder class
Time Limit: Unknown
Difficulty: S
Do you wish to accept?
YES
NO
Staring at the message with shock and excitement, a hushed whisper escaped his lips.
“A real Mythic class…”
“I’m going to be the strongest player in the world!” he shouted before accepting the quest.
Quest Accepted
[Ice Giant Hunter]
[DreamWalker Trial] ? Rank S
Objective: Slay the Ice Giants that rule this frozen land.
Quest Details:
Long before men walked these lands, the Ice Giants ruled the mountains of the north. Only those with the strength to challenge them may wield the thunder of Mjolnir.
Progress: Ice Giants Defeated: 0 / 1000
Completion Rewards:
? DreamWalker Trial part 1 complete
Failure Penalties:
? DreamWalker Trail Failure
The wielder of the class Mjolnir Wielder is watching you.
Henry froze.
“…Watching me?”
Was there another NPC here?
Was someone judging him?
Before he could think further—
A wave of freezing cold slammed into his back, freezing him instantly. The pain shot through him like needles made of ice.
Henry slowly looked up.
A massive Ice Giant stood before him.
It had appeared from nowhere.
The giant’s red eyes burned with cold fury.
It reached down, ripped an entire tree from the ground, and lifted it high above its head.
Henry couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, or even shout as the tree came crashing down.
BOOM.
