Aincrad, November 31, 2022.
Town of Tolbana
As the second largest town on the First Floor, Tolbana stretches nearly 2,000 meters in diameter from one end to the other.
Surrounded by solid fortress walls, the town lies in an open valley, only about a thirty-minute walk from the First Floor Labyrinth.
Tolbana stands out with its iconic windmill towers clad in white walls, symbols long associated with this land.
Its structures include a variety of inns, several bars and restaurants, and residential houses for players.
But what surprises any traveler upon arrival isn't the scale of the architecture, but rather the gentle and refreshing atmosphere the town exudes.
Spacious plazas, neatly cobbled streets, and strips of lush green grass lining the roads are all meticulously maintained.
Unlike the grandeur of the Starting Town, Tolbana radiates a soft and gentle charm, dotted with countless small fountains.
Scattered among the townscape are modest trees, never towering, but tall enough to cast comforting shade on passing pedestrians.
The closer one gets to the town center, the sparser the trees become, giving way to an open sky and the soft murmur of trickling water an ephemeral peace amid a world brimming with danger.
Players move quickly through the busy streets, their eyes filled with a blend of caution and resolve.
It's hard to imagine that just four days ago, this town was desolate, not a single player having stepped foot here.
Nestled deep in the northern valley of the First Floor, surrounded by rocky mountains and dense forests, Tolbana is one of the most remote and perilous locations at this stage of the game.
Unlike the Starting Town, which connects seamlessly to the existing road system and surrounding villages, this place can only be reached by traversing monster-infested, trap-laden paths.
Many player groups had to band together, fighting side by side, just to carve the first passage leading to this location.
That arduous journey unintentionally transformed Tolbana into a symbol of determination and ambition, a destination not everyone dared to reach.
And as the morning light gradually lit the red-tiled rooftops, streams of players continued pouring in...some newcomers, others returning from battle.
Unfamiliar faces brimmed with anticipation, while dusty footsteps marked those who had barely survived the Labyrinth.
All passed through the central street, where a large market had formed spontaneously in less than two days.
Alongside NPC-owned shops with neatly carved wooden signs and carefully etched price lists, player-run stalls began springing up, forming an unprecedented sprawl of makeshift marketplaces.
Some consisted of little more than scraps of fabric and rope for tents, or wooden boards displaying loot, homemade recovery potions, animal pelts, snake scales, even chipped weapon parts.
Lively sounds filled the air: vendors calling out, customers haggling, the clink of metal from makeshift blacksmith stations at the end of the street.
Here and there, sighs escaped from players clutching their coin pouches, counting their last remaining Cor.
Pioneer players gathered in small groups, exchanging information, sharing the locations of rare monsters and secret basements in the Labyrinth, places they had only just escaped from with half their health.
Tolbana was no longer a barren land. It had become a living fortress.
A place brimming with both passion and ambition, where hope flickered faintly and fear lurked just around the corner.
The windmills turned slowly under the pale sunlight. Small fountains scattered across the plazas continued to spray clear water, catching glints of light like tiny diamonds.
Low-hanging tree branches shaded the stone benches lining the roads, where a few lone players rested, tending to wounds or carefully repairing broken swords.
If the Starting Town was a place for the weak to take their trembling first steps, then Tolbana was where those who had tasted danger paused to redefine their goals.
It wasn't a place of peace, but it was where all roads to the future converged.
At a small stall tucked quietly into the bustling yet not-too-noisy marketplace, Agil had just completed a transaction.
The player in front of him bowed in thanks, a satisfied smile on their face, then hurried away to continue their journey.
As usual, Agil didn't rest after each customer. He leaned down, adjusted some equipment laid out on the wooden table, gently wiped a freshly polished axe, and neatly rearranged leather pouches filled with monster drop components.
Without looking up, Agil could already sense the presence of the next customer approaching, footsteps slow and heavy, more from exhaustion than the weight of their gear.
When he finally looked up, his eyes immediately settled on a figure standing a short distance away.
A player...slim build, average height, cloak covered in dust, and a hood pulled low, hiding the face.
The person stood with a slight lean to one side, as if some invisible weight was pressing down on their entire body.
He didn't look like someone who had just scored some loot, nor like those overly excited to arrive in Tolbana for the first time. He simply stood there, quietly as if searching for something… or someone.
Agil raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharpening more than usual. To him, players like that were always the most promising customers.
Not because they were easy to sell to, but because they often carried strange, one-of-a-kind items.
Beneath that layer of dust could be a worthless rusty sword… or a rare drop from some unnamed monster deep in the labyrinth.
He'd met people like that before, quiet, unassuming types, but when they opened their inventories, even Agil himself sometimes had to furrow his brow in surprise.
His mind quickly ran through a few possibilities. A new player in Tolbana, judging by the look, had just come out of a fight or perhaps arrived with a group.
The gear was mismatched, most of it worn down. But there was something in that gait… as if the boy didn't care what he was wearing, or what he was holding, as if what truly mattered wasn't in his backpack at all.
Agil rested his elbows on the counter. He didn't call out, didn't invite the player over, he waited. After all, people like that only came to the stall if they had a reason. And when they did, their stories were always worth hearing.
The player stepped forward, slow but steady, walking as if trying not to draw attention. Agil leaned in slightly, offering a warm, practiced smile, the kind only veteran shopkeepers could master.
"Welcome," he said in a deep, calm voice edged with experience. "Looking to buy something?"
The player didn't respond right away. His eyes, partially hidden under his hood, scanned the goods laid out on the counter. There were axes, leather armor, a few daggers, and even a short sword with a dark leather sheath.
All well-maintained, the steel still glinting beneath the sunlight. But his gaze didn't linger on any of them.
"Not buying," he said flatly, voice rough with fatigue. "I want to sell."
Agil raised an eyebrow. Not out of annoyance, he didn't mind if the kid wasn't buying, but because of that voice. It wasn't cold, exactly, but there was no emotion in it either.
Exhausted? Maybe. Distant? That too. But above all, it was the voice of someone who had been through something… difficult.
"Alright," Agil nodded, eyeing the player with a bit more curiosity. "Then show me what you've got… and how you'd like to price it."
The boy didn't answer. Or maybe he didn't think he needed to. Agil didn't press. In Aincrad, sometimes silence said more than any explanation.
The player frowned slightly, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
"…No," he muttered softly, almost to himself, then pulled back his hand and closed the inventory window before any item could be taken out.
Agil tilted his head, one eyebrow rising in surprise, but he said nothing. He'd dealt with many kinds of players, reckless, cautious, cunning, and he knew some just needed time to decide.
This one clearly wasn't the type to be rushed.
The boy took half a step back, as if weighing the idea of simply walking away. Not because his item wasn't valuable...but because the shopkeeper in front of him… made him hesitate.
Not dangerous, exactly, but...
…A bit intimidating.
Part of it was his size, built like a castle gate guard...but most of it came from his presence.
The dark-skinned man had a towering frame, muscular arms visible through a sleeveless earth-toned shirt. A polished metal breastplate covered his chest like he'd just stepped out of a labyrinth, but it clashed entirely with the fur boots and light brown pants he wore.
A stern face, eyes seasoned with experience. A neatly trimmed goatee and a pair of silver earrings in his left ear made him look like a veteran thug straight out of an action movie, the kind of side character that made you wonder, "Should I really mess with this guy?"
The player swallowed hard. He couldn't say he'd met many people before… but few had made him hesitate like this.
Then, perhaps because the silence stretched on a little too long, Agil chuckled softly:
"What's wrong? Do I look that scary to you?"
He spoke as he picked up an axe from the counter and began wiping it down, eyes flicking toward Ren as if gauging his reaction.