After returning to the Plaza of Memories, Braeden picks a random inn that happens to use most of our savings pooled together. He says it's a necessary means of protection, so that we won't get PK-ed in our sleep. Although it should be at the top of my list of worries, my fatigue is taking precedence. I know the moment my head touches the pillow, I'll be out like a light.

Yumi, Serafina, and I stay in one room, while Braeden and Mist are in the one next door to us. Although we've gone through four floors together, I still wasn't completely comfortable around Serafina. Based on the limited interactions we have had, she seems like a genuinely kind person, who would stop at nothing to help her friends. For me, it's enough for me to trust her, but that doesn't mean I'm completely comfortable around her and ready to tell her all my deepest, darkest secrets.

"Doesn't it make you guys feel a little awkward?" Serafina asks suddenly. She is standing by the window in a pink nightgown, staring at the full moon hanging high in the sky. Her lilac hair is not longer in two braids, as it now hangs loosely around her body, falling past her waist. Her glasses sit on the nightstand next to her bed.

"What does?" Yumi replies, joining her. Her blue nightgown flutters from the breeze of the slightly ajar window.

"The emptiness. Maybe it's from being separated from our body, but I can't help but feel a sense of doom looming over me. I know we've only been in the game for a few days, but I can't get over this dread I'm feeling," Serafina explains. "I used to think it would be cool if I could live in video games, but now that I'm trapped in one, all I can think about is all the regrets I'll have if something happens to me while I'm here."

"Our bodies in real life must be suffering from being under for so long. Imagine how coma patients must feel. Unable to eat, unable to drink, unable to speak to your loved ones before you potentially go off into what could be the last battle for your life," Yumi tries to reassure her, patting her shoulder gently. "Sometimes we don't realize just how good we have it until we lose it all. The only we can do is keep our head up and fight."

"What happens if we're stuck in this game forever?"

"We won't be. Even if we aren't the first to reach the ending of the game, there are millions of players here who have an equal chance of freeing us."

I ball my hands into fists at my sides, annoyed with where the conversation has taken a turn. I hate the idea of waiting for someone to save me. If it's one thing Maê ever taught me, it's to never depend on anyone but myself. If I have the strength to get us out of here, then I'll do it. If I don't, then I'll train harder to become stronger. Will Maê finally give me the recognition I desired from her if she finds out I'm one of the few people to help save millions of lives, all through a video game?

"I'm going to bed, and you two should probably do the same," I say suddenly, curling into a ball under the bedsheets after pulling the covers over my head. "No sense worrying over something that may or may not happen," I mutter.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Serafina begins to explain, but I hear Yumi cut her off.
"Don't mind Mai. I know she comes off as harsh sometimes, but she's had a rough life. All she wants is for us is to get some rest, and she's right. It is getting late and we won't be of use to the guild if we're tired. If you ever need someone to talk to, we'll always be here for you," Yumi says in a low voice, even though I can still hear her.

I should agree with her, but I can't bring myself to utter those words. How could I help someone when I couldn't even help myself?

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After a strangely restful night, we meet again in the Plaza of Memories, dressed and ready to take on the day's challenges. Serafina runs towards us with Mist staggering closely behind, small brown bags of food carried carefully in their arms. Based on the buttery smell, I assumed they stopped by the bakery to pick up breakfast. My stomach rumbles on cue and all I can think of is tearing into the mystery food they've brought us.

"This was all we could afford," Serafina says, handing a bag to each of us. "This one's for you, Mai. It's got mozzarella inside it," she adds, noticing I'm watching it suspiciously. "Yumi mentioned you're lactose intolerant. We can't have our only mage getting sick."

"Thanks," I reply, taking the food she's offering. Despite it being bread with cheese, the flavor is heavenly. When I take my first bite, I'm met with a soft, cloud-like texture. Ribbons of melted mozzarella are spread throughout the bread, revealing hidden flavors of garlic, parsley, and a subtle tomato sauce that reminds me of my favorite food, a caprese sandwich. Instinctively, I start humming to myself, as it's something I always can't help but do whenever I taste something breathtaking delicious. No words can describe how overjoyed I am.

I catch myself when I see Yumi snickering at me, having known all my habits. I glance at Serafina, who appears like she's just seen something phenomenal. Braeden's jaw nearly drops to the ground in shock, while Mist stares in amusement.

"Do you like it that much?" Serafina asks, her eyes watering.

I clear my throat, uncomfortable with all eyes on me. "It's okay," I lied, hoping it would get them to stop watching me so intently. "The bread could be a little firmer."

"Oh, stop it!" Yumi exclaims, facing the others. "Mai does this all the time when she thinks something tastes good. You're just lucky she's not doing her little happy dance."

"There's a dance?" Braeden asks, bewildered. He turns around towards the bakery and adds, "Maybe we should get more. I could always kill more creeps before we go to the fifth floor."
I glare at Yumi, sending her a single thought with my murderous stare: traitor. "No, this is more than enough," I reply before anyone else gets any other bright ideas.

Braeden lets out a loud groan as he stretches his arms as far as he can. It's annoyingly loud, but I'm noticing he does it every couple of hours. Every time, he stumbles back and Mist is there to catch him.

"Should we get new equipment for this new floor?" Yumi asks.

"With what money? Serafina probably spent the rest of what little we had on food," I retort. She shrinks back at my words, so I explain, "What I mean is we're low on money after spending it on what we need. There's nothing to prepare at this point until we can get more gold, unless you want to find some secret dungeons to fight in."

"Mai is right. The next floor is relatively easy and is a great place to pick up new gear for free, granted we win the competition. The drops have been pretty cruddy for most players, but I have a feeling the RNG will work in our favor," Braeden chimes in. "Is anyone good at weaving? If not, we're totally screwed."

No one raises their hand, and for the first time, I worry that we've met our match. It's not a strong boss or PK-ers, it's the lack of life skills that may just be our undoing.

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When we arrive on the fifth floor, there is a thick layer of cobwebs spanning all around the room. I feel something sticky touch my hand and I immediately let out a yelp, which made everyone around me flinch in response.

"What?! What is it?" Serafina asked, cowering behind Mist's shield.

The wispy thread of webbing clung to my skin persistently, no matter how much I shake my hand to get it off. My heart rate picks up as images of a large arachnid fill my mind. Wherever a web is, a spider is sure to follow. "Get it off! Get it off now!" I screech, my panic overtaking reason.

Yumi hurries over and helps me, but my worries don't stop there. She scans my clothes and hair, checking to see if there are any creepy crawlies lurking on me. I need a verbal confirmation before we move on or else my thoughts will continue to point to this one troublesome thing.

"Is it on my back?" Braeden shouts, causing me and Yumi to redirect our attention to him. He's frantically pointing at the middle of his back, but it's clear Mist doesn't see anything. "I swear I felt something burrowing here!"

"For the hundredth time, you're good," Mist snaps back.

Yumi smirks at me in amusement that only frustrates me further. "What? Don't give me that look. I'm not anything like him. I listen to you when you say there's nothing there."

"After a thousand reassurances," she answers with a scoff. "Deny it as much as you want, Mai. You and Braeden are more similar than you're willing to admit. Who else gets that terrified of spiders?" She begins to walk away to rejoin Serafina.

"To be fair, I'm scared of all bugs and arachnophobia is a common fear. Serafina's scared! You can't think her fear is silly."

"It's only because you two won't stop screaming," Mist interjects. "We haven't made it ten steps without one of you flipping out. If it's going to be a problem, maybe you should have stayed back. We're not going to make any progress like this." He turned towards Braeden and added,

"Besides, you've already gotten new gear from this level, Braeden. You could have waited at the inn for us."

"Don't be silly. We're a team, Mist," Braeden replies, his skin appearing paler than usual. My eyes widened upon realization he'd broken a sweat in the scuffle. Do I look like that?

"Then both of you need to work on getting over your fear. This level is dedicated to Arachne. You do know what that means?" Mist asks, his gaze flickering between me and Braeden.

My body froze, realizing what I hoped wouldn't come true is about to become reality. Arachne, once a prideful maiden of Colophon, turned into a pitiful spider after competing against the goddess, Athena. The Greek Goddess worked diligently at her loom, creating a masterpiece that depicted the pantheon in all their glory. Arachne committed the most humiliating offense by depicting the Gods as animals, traipsing around with mortal women.

Athena tore the cloth to pieces, but unable to handle the criticism, Arachne decided to end her life with a single string of rope. The benevolent goddess transformed the rope into a spider's web, and Arachne into the spider who spun the thread.

"No, this has to be just a terrain type," I say, shaking my head in disbelief. "They wouldn't make the host of this level a..." I search the dark corners of the room, hoping not to find an arachnid sitting in any of them. But when my eyes finally meet the final corner, I see a large purple spider that makes all the air leave my body in a huff. I begin to hyperventilate, pointing at the creature in shock. "S-spi—S-sp-sp...." I try to say, falling onto the ground.

"Holy shit!" Braeden exclaims. "Look at the size of that one!"

I pull my legs towards my chest, rocking back and forth as I mutter the word 'spider' in shock. Yumi rubs my back, and I vaguely hear her asking me to breathe in and out slowly, but her voice sounds far away. The walls close in on me, and I begin to think that this could be where I fall.

"Enough yelling, already," the spider speaks, making my heart nearly stop. What was next? Flying? I don't even want to think about what would happen if it reveals hidden wings.

"It can talk!" Braeden says loudly, pointing at the monstrous arachnid. I should question why he's surprised since he has been on this floor before, but I can't see past my own fear.

"Didn't you already know that?" Mist replies.

"That doesn't make it any better!"

"Enough!" the spider shouts, making my blood run cold. "Come into the light where I can see you properly." She raises a leg, which carries an extinguished lantern. As she moves it closer to it, the flame ignites, illuminating the area with a soft purple glow. Her fangs are large and intimidating, but it's the set of eyes watching us and large abdomen that strike fear in me the most. Images of her prickly legs touching my skin make me shiver to the point where I feel like throwing up.

We approach her as she requests and she lets out grunts of disapproval. "Oh, this won't do. Your arms are not strong enough to weave for hours on end. Your eyes lack attentiveness. How will any of you defeat my disciples?" Smaller spiders dropped from the ceiling, eliciting a loud gasp from me. Great more spiders. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse. What's next? Wasps for lunch? "If you want to acquire the greatest prize, you must earn my approval. Anyone who cannot out-weave the great Arachne is not suitable to wield such gifts."

"We will accept whatever challenge you put before us," Yumi answered for us, realizing Braeden and I were too afraid to formulate a sentence.

Arachne chuckles and shakes her head. "I can see you are determined to win." She shifts around making me run behind Yumi for protection in case even more spiders appear. Yumi rolls her eyes at me, but doesn't push me away. Arachne spins a pile of webs in front of us, it slowly takes the shape of a brown, wooden loom. "Before we begin, we must go over the basics. I don't want anyone complaining that I wasn't fair in my terms."

A tutorial window for a plain weave opens in front of my face just as everyone receives their own loom. The instructions make my head spin as I try to make sense of what to do next. I scoot my loom closer to Yumi's, still afraid of Arachne's form. I begin reading the instructions aloud, hoping that'll be enough to calm my nerves. "Pull the weft thread over the warp thread, then under the second, over the third, until the end of the warp threads. Start left to right." After completing the instructions, I stare at my product, only to find a huge tangled knot of threads. "Hey, Yumi. This is good enough, isn't it?"

Yumi let out a scoff. "Only if you're trying to make a toy for a cat. You're supposed to use the horizontal thread to guide it over the vertical thread. Like this," she replies. I watch her careful hands follow the instructions to a T, even going as far as weaving the thread the opposite direction. "You should use the shed stick to weave all the way across these threads. It'll help create a gap between the different threads and keep them from getting tangled in each other." She continues explaining and I do my best to mimic everything she does, but the end result is the same.

I peek at everyone else's work to see if it's just me struggling, and sadly it is. Braeden's weave is filled with smaller knots, Serafina's is loose and unstable, while Mist is moving his shed stick across, but nothing is happening.

"It doesn't look like we're going to get the equipment," I comment.

"Don't worry. Only one of us needs to win. Judging by Yumi's silence, she must have it figured out," Braeden explains. "This was much harder to do without a party of people. I barely managed to scrape through."

I guess all those conventions paid off. No one can top Yumi's creativity. "I guess it's all up to you, Yumi," I say, making my way back to her.

"No problem, this'll be a piece of cake," she answers cheerfully.

"Are you ready for the next task, challenger?" Arachne's voice echoed.

The window to accept the quest appears in front of Yumi, and she wastes no time clicking 'Yes.' The first thing she's asked to do is to craft a design with a double diamond weave. Her hands are nimble, moving with the loom fluidly and gracefully without missing a beat. Purple and gold thread appears as she pictures the design in her mind. Within minutes, she's finished a beautiful rug and is ready for the next task.

Arachne picks up the rug and observes it closely. A soft bell resounds, and she claps her legs together, something I thought impossible for a spider to do. "Wonderful! The twill was a nice touch. You have passed my test, but given your extraordinary talents, I shall present an bonus for you. If you can complete this task, you will be given this limited edition bow." As if on cue, a mystical bow appears, the limbs have a special skin akin to stars in a night sky. "Only if you accept."

"What should I do?" Yumi turns to me and ask.

"You can create anything! Your hands are literally blessed by God," I answer. "And it's free! Our moms would ground us for not accepting something being offered with a one hundred percent discount!"

"Good point. I don't even want to imagine that," she says. "What do you guys think?"

"Go for it!" Serafina cheered her on.

" You've got nothing to lose," Mist answers coolly.

"I don't think anyone has the weapon, but the stats look good. Would be a great addition to the team's comp," Braeden adds.

"I accept your challenge," Yumi declares, hitting 'Yes' once again to the new prompt.

"This will challenge your skills as you must weave with fabric to create a fashionable scarf worthy of the goddess Athena," Arachne explains. Purple plaid fabric, yellow yarn, a pair of scissors, a small ruler, and a knitting needle appear on a table next to Yumi. "Using these materials, you have until the clock strikes six." A clock appears above us and Arachne and her minions retreat into the darkness, locked in stasis until we interact with her again or complete her challenge. The time reads three o'clock.

"Have you ever woven with fabric before?" I ask her.

"Once, but it was a failed product. I guess now is as good as any time to practice. It'll take time, but I think it's possible. Can you cut the thread for me? Serafina, hold the fabric in place for me." She turns to Braeden and Mist, who are awaiting instructions. "You two can sit there until we need something."

"Fine with me," Mist answers quickly.

"It'll give us time to figure out next steps. There's a lodge on floor six, so I'll talk to Mist about some food options," Braeden agrees.

Yumi doesn't respond. She's already quick at work, focused on winning. Her fingers tremble, but her eyes are clear and full of determination. If she's nervous about the outcome, she doesn't let us see it. Whenever she asks for more yarn or a fresh piece of fabric to start over, Serafina and I move into place to assist.

The clock ticks away quickly until there are only ten minutes left. Yumi's hands start to shake more as she reaches the end, but hasn't eased up on her pacing. The pastel purple and yellow colors compliment each other, creating a plush, silky scarf.

"I think it's done," she finally says, wiping away some sweat that accumulated on her brow. Every stitch is perfect. I wouldn't have ever guessed that she failed reproducing such a product in the past.

The clock turns to six and Arachne reappears. "Have you completed the task?" she asks, picking up the scarf. "Interesting. The technique is absolutely flawless. Not a loop out of place. This will be the perfect gift to present to Athena to thank her for her gratitude."

Our inventory lets out a ding and we all check it to find a new piece of equipment. Serafina gets new armor that increases her defenses, making her less likely to die so fast to enemies. Mist's shield gets upgraded and Braden's guns now shoot five extra bullets. Yumi is overjoyed with her new bow, but I can't help but notice that all I receive is twenty thousand gold and a lousy ring that increases my critical ratio slightly.

"That's unlucky," Yumi comments, noticing my loot.

"Or maybe it's a blessing in disguise," Serafina says, studying the ring. "What if it has some unique passive ability?"

"Holy RNG! Wow. Well, that's not awful. At least we'll be able to eat more than bread for the next couple of days," Braeden exclaims.

You think you're going to get me down by giving me a shitty drop? Hell no. I'm going to use this money to the fullest and eat to my heart's content. We'll see who's laughing then, I thought vehemently.

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