Oops, I'm a Monster with a Too Long Prefix!-Chapter 26: One Wave After Another

"Thanks."

Polite, but distant. That one word left AishaDoll with an odd sense of disappointment.

Her chat, on the other hand, wasn't nearly so subtle. Viewers flooded the stream with requests:

Ask him his level!

Who is he, really?

But this time, Aisha didn't follow their lead.

She already knew—LoneMadness wasn't a fan. His tone, his detachment, it was all too clear.

To him, she wasn't Celestia's top streamer. Not a "pro gamer" or someone with a million followers.

She was just another player.

This guy... really was something else.

And in that case, maybe the best thing she could do was not bother him at all.

At exactly 9:00 PM, Daffino respawned on schedule.

Isaac and Red Team quickly took him down.

Then Isaac logged out.

He'd always believed energy was finite. Grinding late into the night didn't make you stronger—it just burned you out faster. After three intense days, he needed a proper rest.

—

The next morning, Isaac stepped outside to grab breakfast and stock up on chips and soda.

It had only been three days since his last trip out, but it felt like stepping into a different world.

Even the corner stores in his residential complex had Celestia: The Eternal Realms posters plastered on their windows. The buzz around the game was everywhere.

He overheard a group of high schoolers walking by, chatting excitedly:

"Hey, what level are you now?"

"Level 3. Got stuck in the starter village on day one."

"Same here. And we've got classes, man. No way we can catch the pro players. Monkey's already level 5."

"Level 5? Get outta here!"

"He bought a weapon for 300 bucks. That's how he did it. He's got the highest level in class now."

Hearing that made sense—young gamers talking games.

But what caught Isaac off guard was the elderly group in the neighborhood fitness park, deep in their own discussion:

"I told you, didn't I? You really can feel young again in there!"

"Yeah... Tech's gone way too far. Who'd have thought you could feel like your younger self in a game?"

"Right? Inside, we're no different from those kids. Running, jumping, even fighting. My blurry vision's gone too—I can see everything so clearly now! If my son hadn't insisted, I never would've tried it."

"Your son plays too? Doesn't he work full-time?"

"He plays to relax after work. Helps with stress."

"And did you hear? Lee got himself a helmet yesterday. Guy's been in a wheelchair for decades. But in the game, he's standing on two legs again."

"Have you noticed how much better he looks the past couple of days?"

Tech had done what medicine couldn't—it gave these seniors their youth back.

Even if they didn't understand XP rates or loot tables, even if they couldn't fight monsters or chase achievements, simply walking freely, breathing fresh digital air, basking in virtual sunshine... it was more than enough.

Celestia: The Eternal Realms wasn't just a game anymore. It was quietly infiltrating every demographic and social class.

"No wonder the player count keeps rising..." Isaac muttered. "And if this keeps up, it's only going higher."

—

After stocking up, he returned to his apartment and logged back in.

Overnight, Daffino had respawned again. Isaac, of course, wasn't going to miss the opportunity.

Down went Daffino once more.

With the two Cragstones and two shoulderpads he now had—including the one from the night before—Isaac notified the usual guild contacts and threw everything on the auction house.

Cragstones: 3,800 each.

Shoulderpads: 1,400.

Plus a few level 1 Hyenaman Clubs.

All in all, he netted just over $10,000.

"Not bad. Ten grand before breakfast." Isaac grinned as he watched the balance on his PayPal climb to nearly $40,000.

But there was one problem.

At level 10, the nearby Hyenaman zones were getting too low-level. Most monsters were level 7, a few level 8s. XP gains were diminishing fast.

And after a full night offline, he figured player levels had probably climbed again. It wouldn't be long before a few fearless grinders stumbled into his territory.

Time to move.

"Well, I can always come back to check on Daffino," Isaac said, grabbing his club and rallying Red Team. They set off down the mountain trail.

—

After hiking a narrow path up the mountain's shoulder, Isaac found himself stunned by what lay ahead.

A vast, primeval forest stretched out in front of him. The trees were taller, their canopies dense and dark. Wild undergrowth choked the forest floor, filling the air with the earthy scent of moss and damp wood.

A crystal-clear stream ran gently through the landscape, its burbling the only sound in the otherwise still woods.

"Damn... This doesn't feel like a game anymore," Isaac muttered. "Aegis, you maniacs... You've outdone yourselves."

As they followed the stream, something shimmered in the distance—a glowing stone tablet.

"Huh? What's that?"

He approached.

A system notification popped up:

[You have left the Starter Zone. Entering: Venommist Forest]

"Wait... I just left the starter area?" Isaac was surprised.

So this tablet marked the official boundary between newbie zones and the wider world?

He read the inscription carved into the stone:

Venommist Forest frёewebηovel.cѳm

This forest is the only path to the Level 10 Capital. It is inhabited by extremely dangerous creatures. Historically, fewer than one in ten who enter make it out alive.

Fighting here is ill-advised. Find a way to pass through quickly.

"Historically? Really?" Isaac laughed. "The game's only been live for a few days."

"Don't fight... just run through?" He frowned. "How bad can these mobs actually be?"

Then again, this was Aegis. Their games weren't like others. This might be more than just flavor text.

"Maybe it's just their way of making the road to Level 10 Town harder," he mused. "Reaching level 10 is a big turning point—spirit power, cultivation techniques... Makes sense they wouldn't want everyone to hit it easily."

He looked again at the stone's dramatic warning.

"One in ten makes it out alive, huh? You guys really enjoy torturing your players."

Just then, the trees in front of him rustled.

Descending on silk threads were five massive spiders.

Each one stood at least a meter tall, covered in mottled gray fur. Their beady eyes gleamed, and their mandibles clicked hungrily.

One of them, however, was much larger. Over 2.5 meters high, its entire body was inky black, its eyes glowing red, legs long and needle-thin.

4x Forest Venomspiders (Level 8)

1x Forest Venomspider (Level 9 – Elite)

Isaac narrowed his eyes. "They're already spawning? Not as scary as I thought."

The spiders didn't hesitate. Despite Isaac being a fellow monster, they surrounded him and Red Team immediately.

"They're aggressive toward me too?" he muttered in surprise.

The stone had warned not to engage... but Isaac's gaze locked onto a certain word.

Elite.

That was all it took.

Warnings? Forgotten.

Danger? Ignored.

His mind was now focused on one thing and one thing only:

Elite mobs drop Star 3 materials.