Isaac jolted awake—9 AM.
"Crap! I was supposed to get up at 7 to grind… how'd I oversleep?" he muttered, rushing to the bathroom.
He had no idea if, in the past eleven hours, anyone had caught up to him.
After wolfing down a quick breakfast, he threw on his headset and logged back into Celestia: The Eternal Realms.
There it was—the string of words above his head: "Special Sturdy Agile Robust Hyenaman."
"Whew… still a mob." Isaac let out a sigh of relief.
[Ding ding ding…]
Oh right—he'd forgotten about the gear he'd listed.
He opened his mailbox in a hurry.
All 11 clubs, including the two auction items, had been sold.
"Looks like they were all bought just after 10 last night—sniped as soon as I posted them."
He checked his messages. Eleven payments, all around 10 PM, totaling $3,915.
"Damn! That brings yesterday's total to over $7,000! That's two months' salary!"
Instantly re-energized, Isaac was ready to grind again.
"Let's check what the rest of the players are up to…"
He opened the official livestream page and clicked on the top-streaming female host—AishaDoll.
Aisha was currently standing near the newbie village gate, seemingly waiting for her team.
What surprised Isaac was that the village was still a packed madhouse.
"What the hell? I stared at this scenery all day yesterday. Then watched it all night! I literally stood here overnight! How is this game even playable?!"
"Hour 22, minute 18, second 43 of being stuck in newbie village. I crave freedom…"
"Why are more people logging in?! Am I going to die in here? Aegis, PLEASE FIX THIS!"
AishaDoll had at least made it out of the village—and she was even holding a Hyenaman Club!
"Man, these people are struggling." On stream, a delicate-looking girl sighed.
Aisha's looks were top-tier—elegant features, big expressive eyes with a touch of redness, and a naturally soft face. Not the typical sharp-edged filter queen. Her hair was slightly messy in a cute way, makeup minimal, with visible dark circles.
Even the furniture in her background wasn't warped by overused beauty filters. She didn't need them.
Natural beauty and charisma. That's probably why she was the most popular female streamer on the platform.
"Hehe, lucky I logged in early. I got out." Aisha grinned mischievously.
"Ugh, leveling is brutal though. I played 'til 4 AM yesterday and barely hit level 3."
"And gear drops are ridiculously rare."
Then she said something that made Isaac freeze.
"By the way, have you guys heard of LoneMadness? How the hell did that guy get so many drops?"
Wait, what?
The platform's top streamer was talking about… him?
"No idea what kind of monster he is," Aisha muttered.
The chat blew up.
"Don't overthink it, he's just a reseller."
"Yeah, I'm in a pro guild, and we can't even get that many drops. No way he's legit."
"He probably lowballs newbies who don't understand item value, then flips it."
"Exactly. This game's hype pulled in tons of people who've never gamed before. Some guy gets a drop, doesn't know what it's worth—bam, he's scammed."
"My neighbor's 40+, no kids, wheelchair-bound. Never gamed in his life. Bought a helmet just to feel like he can walk again in Celestia. People like him get drops… you really think they won't get taken advantage of?"
"I heard even blind people can play this game. Quantum helmets restore sight in-game. That true?"
Isaac was stunned. Were there really that many casuals?
Well… yeah. That made sense.
This game was so immersive, it was pulling in people who normally avoided gaming—seniors, people with disabilities, even the tech-averse. In-game, they could live differently.
But most of those casuals?
Stuck in newbie village.
Even early birds would struggle without party mechanics, mob kill knowledge, or just by dying and getting booted back to square one.
Seeing her chat heat up, Aisha pouted.
"Even if he is a reseller, I think LoneMadness has skills. Ever seen another flipper with that kind of inventory?"
The chat went silent.
Nobody had an answer.
Isaac smirked. She's not dumb after all.
Sensing the tension, Aisha quickly changed topics.
"Hehe, Spencer just logged in. Alright, we're grinding hard today! Gonna hit level 4!"
Chat immediately voiced concern:
"Anyone at level 3 or 4 now has to be a pro. Can you keep up?"
"I heard some people hit level 5."
"Level 5? No way. That's god-tier. Less than three people in the entire server, I bet."
"I heard level 6 needs 10,000 XP Orbs. Is that true? That's insane."
Aisha tilted her chin proudly.
"In our newbie village, no one's level 5. I don't know how much XP that takes. And anyway—I'm a pro too! My level's not low. Plus, my team has two weapons. We'll manage just fine."
Isaac raised a brow. She played all night and still wasn't level 4?
That's… slow.
But level 5 players were already popping up?
He hadn't realized how close others were getting.
What he didn't know was that Aisha's popularity wasn't just about looks or charm—she was also a top-tier gamer.
No one wanted to watch streamers stuck in a village. Viewers wanted high-level content.
Aisha had not only reached a high level quickly, but her team was well-equipped. Having two clubs in one team was a rare advantage—even most pro guilds didn't have that.
And even if someone had reached level 5, they were still behind Isaac.
Level 5 to 6 wasn't just one level—it was a wall. The XP requirement tripled to 10,000 Orbs.
And in a team, if only one person hit level 5, they still couldn't farm higher-level Hyenamen.
Bottom line: Leveling past 5 was no joke.
Isaac felt the pressure.
Before closing the stream, he did something completely out of character.
He tipped $10 in the form of ten virtual chewing gums.
Not because he was stingy—he just wasn't the type to tip streamers. But since Aisha had spoken up for him, he figured she deserved a thank-you.
On her level of stream, such small gifts usually went unnoticed.
But somehow, this one flashed on screen.
And the username?
LoneMadness.
Aisha froze.
Not at the amount—but at the name.
"LoneMadness?" she whispered. "No way… is that the LoneMadness?"
"Hey! Quit spacing out! We'll miss the spawn!" Spencer's voice yanked her back into the game.
Aisha nodded absently, eyes still distant.
…
Isaac, meanwhile, exited the official site and returned to the game.
"Level 5s are showing up? Time to hustle!"
Panic mode: activated.