Vin squinted at the bottom of the letter, trying to make sense of the last messy scrawl.
"And yeah vin, just to make sure i prepared her only for you so you need to thank me!"
It was crammed in the corner, nearly falling off the page. Written like the god had been rushing to meet a deadline or forgot mid-way and came back in a panic.
Vin looked up slowly.
"I... think your dad shipped you to me like a limited edition figure."
Miyo tilted her head.
"A what?"
"Nevermind"
Vin sighed and folded the letter, slipping it into his inventory—or well, his hoodie pocket for now.
"Alright... We should get out of this forest. If you've played the game, you should know why."
Miyo's expression turned grim.
"Blue Salamander, right?"
Vin shivered.
"Yeah. Blue Salamander."
The name alone gave him flashbacks.
A towering lizard with shimmering sapphire scales, dripping glowing blue saliva that melted through steel. Worse part? They're completely immune to anything colored blue. This includes almost all early-game weapons, spells, and items.
"Disgusting creature. And it camps the exits." Vin muttered, gripping his fist.
Miyo nodded. "I hope you don't still have your blue hoodie on."
Vin looked down. Blue hoodie.Blue shoes.Blue laces.
"...I'm screwed."
"Not only you look at my hair," Miyo said slowly
Vin turned his head and stared.
"...Ah."
Before anything bad could happen, Vin ran. Miyo quickly follows him running
They headed in opposite directions, both looking for the Alvo Rune—a stone that spawns in the nest. Luckily, they both knew where it usually appeared.
"This cave!" Vin said in his mind, stepping closer.
"Alright, Miyo, let's en—"
"..."
"Miyo?"
No response.
.
Miyo looked up at one of the towering trees—its thick branches cradling a large nest near the top
'The salamander nest! I can't climb it... but maybe a little magic will help.'
She focused wind magic at her legs and launched herself upward.
"Alright, let's see."
Wind pushed beneath her feet, lifting her up toward the ledge.
'I realized something… This world doesn't use divine power like godhood. I have to use mana—just like in the games. That's why I can't use my power!'
Vin sighed as he stepped into the cave. It wasn't a dangerous place—just a nest for bugs. Still, the memories hit hard. Vin had some serious PTSD from fighting the monsters in this place.
"Where are you, crappy Alvo?"
As he walked deeper, he spotted the glowing stone nestled inside a large bug nest.
"Yes! I'm lucky there's no T-Rex guarding this one."
Bold III had dinosaurs in the game. Most players used them as mounts or meat. But to Vin? They were PTSD fuel. Taming one was already a damn achievement.
"Alright, time to find her."
Vin grabbed the Alvo rune and tossed it lightly in the air before catching it again. The glowing words shimmered—right as a giant eye opened nearby.
"…What the—"
.
"Hell no... there's no Alvo Rune..."
Kriiik...
A sharp creak echoed through the treetops.
Miyo froze.
"...Please no..."
Slowly, she turned her head—eyes twitching with dread.
Perched high atop the tree, its glowing blue scales glistening under the soft light of the Sovereign Forest, was a Blue Salamander. Its forked tongue drooped from its mouth, eyes wide and unblinking, staring directly at her.
And then—
It smiled.
A crooked, unnerving grin stretched across its face.
"Of all the monsters..." Miyo muttered, voice dry."...It had to be that disgusting lizard."
The Salamander's tail twitched. Its legs shifted. The bark beneath its claws cracked softly.
It was getting ready to leap.
Miyo leapt from the tree with urgency, the wind slicing past her as a sharp rip tore through her skirt. Midair, she quickly grabbed the torn fabric and twisted it, using it to tie her long blue hair into a short, messy bun.
She could've cut it—but no way was she cutting her hair for real.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Fireball."
She pointed a single finger at the branch she just escaped from. A glowing red sphere formed instantly and blasted out, slamming into the Blue Salamander just as it lunged. The explosion lit up the forest canopy, setting the branch—and the creature—ablaze.
Flames cracked through the leaves as she landed hard, knees bending, then sprinted through the forest, dodging roots and vines.
The forest roared behind her.
The salamander screeched, writhing in the flames—but not dead. Not even close.
Blue light flickered in the corner of her eye.
"Shit… it's regenerating."
Miyo dashed through the underbrush, looking over her shoulder—and smacked straight into Vin.
"VIN! A T-REX!"
"HURRY UP AND RUN!" vin shout
The ground shook, trees crashing down as a massive T-Rex burst through the canopy, its roars echoing through the Sovereign Forest.But then—it paused, eyes catching the blazing salamander nearby. With a hungry snarl, it lunged and devoured the thing in one bite.
Vin didn't stop to admire the horror show.
"MOVE, MIYO!"
"DO YOU HAVE THE RUNE?!"
"YES! HERE!"Vin flashed the glowing stone in his hand, its light pulsing bright blue.
Ahead, a large wooden door stood embedded in a moss-covered cliffside. One of the four stone slots was missing a rune.
Vin rammed the stone into the empty slot.
Clunk!
The door groaned open. They didn't wait.BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!The T-Rex turned back to them, saliva flying from its jaws as it charged.
They dove inside just as the beast slammed into the entrance, narrowly missing them.
Inside, a lift jerked to life, ropes creaking as they rose.
Silence.
Vin slumped back against the wall, catching his breath."Crap..."
"I'm not going back there again!" Miyo shouted, hair messily tied, skirt torn, and face covered in soot.
They sat in the rope-drawn elevator as it ascended.
Vin looked at her."So... Miyo. The letter said my power is in your soul core."
She blinked."Yeah, so?"
"So, you should know what it is, right?"
She stared at him, wide-eyed."You want me to connect our soul cores?! That's soul bonds!"
"..."
"Alright, il do it... But I'm the one taking charge!"
"Hell no, me!"
thinking a way Vin tough a way
"Rock, paper, scissors"
"Fine!"
Rock, paper, scissors!
3-0 Vin lost the battle
"Heh..."
"Ughhhh!"
"Now stay still," Miyo said with a mischievous grin.
She placed her hand on Vin's back.In Mureus Adventure, mana was everything. The soul core was the heart of it—amplifying one's strength and allowing advancement through ten mystical states known as the Ten Realms.
Both Vin and Miyo were currently stuck in the First Realm.
Miyo began channeling her mana into Vin's body. Threads of energy ran through his veins, heart, and finally—his soul core. Her consciousness slipped into his inner realm.
Most realms were colored blue or green.
Vin's?
It was pitch black.
"Pfft—Vin, you've got a Dark Realm."
"Oh, come on." Vin groaned.
The Dark Realm was often mocked as the weakest—unstable, chaotic, and hard to grow. But what people didn't know was that if someone managed to push it all the way to the Tenth Realm, they'd become a monster…Only one player ever achieved that.Vin.
As Miyo explored the swirling shadows of his realm, she located the soul core pulsing deep inside. Carefully, she reached out and began weaving a mana string, tethering her soul core to his.
"Alright, Vin. To complete this bond, you need to agree to my terms."
"...I've got a bad feeling about this."
**"First—you obey me."
"No."
"Do you want your power or not?"
"Yes…"He paused."...Damn it."
Miyo giggled triumphantly and sealed the bond.The Soul Bond activated.
Rarely used in the game, this technique had a powerful passive:Both users would now share EXP from any enemy either of them defeated.
"Connection complete~" she sang, tapping his back."Now we're stuck together."
"...Great." Vin muttered.