Something was lying on the floor. It was the ‘Sparkler.’ The very item she had searched so desperately for yesterday was sitting plainly right in front of the cave entrance.

What? Why is this here?

Even stranger was the pretty red ribbon tied around the ‘Sparkler.’ Like someone’s carefully prepared gift. Considering yesterday’s urgent situation and what Xenon had gone through, this made absolutely no sense.

Could it really have been this easy to find?

Rudis tilted her head in confusion as she picked up the Sparkler.

[Quest Name: The Real Beginning

Quest Description: Find the ‘Sparkler’ and submit it to the Lord to prepare for the ‘Beginning of Spring.’ ‘Sparkler’ 1/1

Deadline: Before the ‘Beginning of Spring.’

Reward: ???]

Could it be… someone left it here deliberately? Or… what exactly is going on?

Rudis carefully turned around and examined the interior closely. There was truly nothing there. Not a single trace of the villains who had imprisoned Xenon could be found.

Her heart beat faster and faster. Still, she heard no sounds and sensed no presence. Yet a strange tension filled the air.

What does this mean?

Rudis was about to examine the deeper part of the cave with the Sparkler in hand but stopped herself.

‘There’s no need to go deeper and risk danger. What matters is that I found the Sparkler…’

‘Let’s head back.’

Rudis bit her lip as she carefully placed the Sparkler in her bag. She decided to think about the meaning of the red ribbon later. For now, the priority was safely bringing this item back to the village.

But a corner of her mind still felt uneasy. Nothing about this quest made any sense at all.

* * *

Rudis pulled her straw hat down low as she headed home. She had spent the morning cleaning at Noah’s house that didn’t even show, and the afternoon checking on Xenon’s condition had completely drained her. Though she was fortunate to find the Sparkler more easily than expected, all that remained in her body was considerable fatigue.

Trudge, trudge.

The soft spring sunset permeated the roadside where her weary footsteps echoed. The sky transformed from burning orange to deep pink, with gentle purple settling on the distant mountain edges. The sunlight, having spent its daily strength, lazily settled on the ground, coloring the village in warm, peaceful hues.

Beautiful. So lovely.

Rudis smiled beneath her straw hat. The fresh breeze carrying the sunset seemed to sweep away the fatigue that had seeped into every corner of her body.

“Hello, Rudis!”

Someone approached with a bright greeting as Rudis stood by the roadside enjoying the rustling sound of leaves in the gentle breeze.

“Hello, Shasha!”

It was Shasha with her always unique aura.

“Don’t you feel that yesterday, today, and tomorrow are different? All flows are changing.”

“…”

Rudis looked at Shasha with a slightly bewildered expression. Shasha always spoke in such puzzling ways. Her words often sounded like nonsense at first, but sometimes they contained important hints that became apparent only later. Usually, Rudis would understand their meaning too late… She always felt somewhat challenged whenever Shasha spoke to her.

“Everything is changing. But don’t expect light to illuminate everything. Truth isn’t always a blessing, after all.”

Just like now.

Rudis tried hard to interpret Shasha’s words, but soon her head began to throb.

“I’ll be going now. Flowing water never stops, but nobody knows where it will flow. Goodbye.”

Shasha waved her hand with a bright smile. Her final words were the only ones Rudis could understand, having heard them occasionally in the past.

Is it going to rain? But the sky is clear?

Rudis suddenly looked up at the sky. It didn’t seem like rain would fall from the endlessly clear, transparent sky. But since Shasha’s words often strangely came true, Rudis quickened her pace. On her way home, the sky remained dazzlingly clear.

* * *

Shasha must definitely be a prophet. It really is raining.

Rudis thought as she looked up at the gray sky where thunder was rumbling. She had thought it strange to hear about rain in spring, but since last night, rain had been steadily falling.

‘Iska probably won’t come, right?’

Rudis looked around the farm once. She knew he wouldn’t come to work on rainy days, but she checked just in case. As expected, there was no sign of Iska.

‘Shall I start my day then?’

After a long stretch, Rudis headed to the storage shed. Just because it was raining didn’t mean her work disappeared. She needed to bring materials and build a house for Sandra now that she knew what kind of house she wanted, and she also needed to deliver the Sparkler to the Lord. And above all…

‘I’ve been penniless for two days!’

The day before yesterday, when she went to the village to earn money, she had been too busy gathering information to sell the items she brought.

A completely empty balance. 0Z was absolutely intolerable.

It was raining like this back then too…

Having gathered items to sell from the storage shed, Rudis walked down the rainy spring path and suddenly fell into old memories. She remembered when she first entered this game, completing small quests one by one in confusion. People were so happy and rewards poured in just for picking up trash or gathering a few berries.

It had been very unfamiliar to Rudis. In reality, no matter how hard she tried, praise—let alone rewards—was rare.

‘And eventually, I completely adapted.’

Some might point fingers and call her a pushover, but Rudis liked herself this way. She valued knowing the preciousness of work where rewards came even for small tasks and where feelings were exchanged.

“Welcome, Rudis. How can I help you today?”

Lost in old thoughts, she suddenly found herself at the shop. Thomas, the shop owner, greeted her warmly with an energetic smile.

“I want to sell all of this.”

“Did you bring these yourself today too?”

“I came to say hello as well.”

Rudis joked in response to Thomas’s question. Of course, the greeting was just an excuse. Although there was a dedicated sales box provided by the shop in front of Rudis’s house, she preferred to bring items directly to the shop to sell. That’s because putting them in the sales box meant paying a commission!

Besides, selling directly at the shop meant she could receive cash immediately, which was even better. It was a kind of habit from when she was poor.

“Great. Good to see you. Just a moment…”

While Thomas calculated the value of her goods, Rudis looked around the shop interior. Nothing had changed from eight years ago.

“As expected, items from Rudis are always reliable! I’ve given you a special price. What would you like to do?”

“I’ll sell everything.”

“Great. Here you go. Looking forward to your next visit.”

Rudis accepted the bundle of money. It wasn’t enough to fill her wallet in one go, but it was sufficient to comfortably fill her pockets.

After securing the money, Rudis headed straight to Kuku’s workshop without hesitation.

“Hello, Rudis. Welcome.”

“Hello, Kuku. I’d like to build a house with this.”

“What kind of house would you like me to build?”

Without delay, Rudis described a two-story house. It matched exactly what Sandra had requested. Not only would the materials cost a lot, but the money required would be substantial as well.

“Then I’ll prepare while we wait for the permit. Construction will start the day after approval and take about a month. Remember, if it’s not approved, construction won’t begin.”

On top of everything, she needed the Lord’s permission. Everything else was fine, but as soon as the permit was mentioned, she let out a deep sigh. But what could she do? Work had to be done. She had expected this anyway. It wasn’t her first time building a house.

‘That’s why I brought the ‘Sparkler’ too.’

Since she had to see him anyway, wouldn’t it be better to take care of both matters at once rather than going twice? Praising herself for being efficient, Rudis headed toward the castle.

The Lord’s castle stood tall on the highest hill in the village. The castle walls stretched fearlessly toward the sky. Each brick carried traces of time, but their unyielding appearance exuded an aura suggesting they had never once yielded.

The inside of the castle walls was completely invisible from the outside. All windows and doors leading inside were thoroughly covered, and the thorny bushes planted along the perimeter refused approach like a living barrier. Beyond the tightly closed iron gate flowed not silence but a suppressed sense of intimidation.

Rudis stopped her steps as she looked up at the iron gate. It felt like a cold energy was seeping through the cracks in the gate. Even the wind brushing over the castle walls somehow felt sharp.

“Haah…”

But what could she do? Work had to be done.

Rudis took a deep breath and knocked on the massive castle gate.

Bang bang.