Kap City is the industrial head of the Gloria continent. As I enter the town tailgating Aileen and the other four in my team, I'm stunned by the difference between Kap City and Star Town. Here, it looks like a thriving metropolis of the 21st century. There are skyscrapers and cars, billboards lighting up the sky with advertisements of virtual accessories and other cosmetic items. I smell smog and gasoline. The smoke from the factories clouds the sky. It's a huge town, full of shopping malls and apartment buildings. I wonder how many Starlia players have set up their home base here. It looks like it could fit a hundred thousand.

"Let's get you two some new equipment," Mags says.

The pro members of Mysteriously lead me and Aileen to one of the shopping malls. There's no doubt that Kap City has advanced past the medieval state of Star Town. There are escalators and elevators leading up to multiple floors. Kiosks hold pamphlets and maps of Starlia. One has a giant overhead sign, reading Find the Weathering Fragments for an Ultimate Reward! Players are gathered around, watching the video of the first weathering fragment being found from the witch boss. Excitement sparks in their eyes, and gossip runs throughout the mall. I'm sure the weathering fragments are the most popular topic.

"The fifth floor has weapons and armor," Olivia informs me. "If you want to become pro players, you and Aileen need the proper equipment."

I ascend the escalator, admiring the glass dome ceiling and the overwhelming amount of boutiques selling clothing and accessories. Like Olivia said, the fifth floor is home to a giant display of weapons and armor. An NPC heads the front of the store. He smiles at us and twirls a finger through his gray-speckled beard. His warm brown eyes look friendly enough.

"Welcome to the Kap City equipment store," he says. "Please find me if you have any questions."

"This place is enormous," Aileen says, her eyes wide. "I've never seen so much equipment in one place before."

Nathan grins. "It's a bonus to know about all the fancy places, once you're a member of Mysteriously."

Our guild leader sends us off to look for weapons and armor that spark our interest. He says not to worry about cost, since we're rich after getting thousands of gold from the monster party event. I stroll through the aisles dedicated to bards. There are hundreds of harps here, various styles and sizes. The clothing also screams fancy, made of silk and other expensive fabrics. My eye catches a midnight blue choir outfit. It looks more pricey than all my real-life clothing combined. I cringe upon further examination.

Midnight Blue Robe. Price: 10,000 gold.

Ten thousand gold? That's twice more than all the gold I've gained in the game so far. I would never—

Nathan grabs it off the rack. "Nice choice. It fits within our budget too."

I look at him like he told me he's going to burn down the guild house. "Huh? I don't feel comfortable spending so much."

Nathan winks at me. "Mysteriously is richer than you know. We have enough funds to buy out this whole store."

Next—a new weapon. The harps are suspended on wooden shelves, rows and rows of them that must fill the space of a football field. For a good hour, I'm walking through trying to decide. There's so much variety. Do I want a metal harp or a wooden one? Should I go for a big size or smaller?

Cody taps his foot at the front of the store. "Can you hurry up, Josiah?"

Aileen waits there with her new equipment, armor made from violet-colored metal and a sleek broadsword that's polished to high heavens.

"Take your time," Nathan says, directly contradicting his general.

I pick the harp that caught my attention first. It's made from rose gold, with brass-colored strings and a medium-sized frame. It costs 12,000 gold, and it pains me a bit to bring both my choices up to the counter. Even though it's virtual money, I was always taught to be frugal with my resources.

"Try on your new clothes," Nathan says, pointing to the changing room.

In the stall, I take off my tan-colored robes and don my new outfit. In the mirror, I must admit that I look pretty stunning. I feel expensive. Outside, I take my rose-colored harp and play several notes on the strings.

"One positive of having a bard on the team," Mags says. "Always good to have some music to ease the mood."

Aileen looks equally professional when she steps out of the changing room. "Is it too much?" she asks, spinning in her violet armor, her sword attached to her back.

"Never," I say. "You look amazing."

Aileen and I sell our old equipment to the NPC, who gladly takes them in exchange for a few hundred of gold. I stuff my pockets and head out of the equipment store with a spring in my step.

"Someone is happy about using our funds," Cody comments.

I lose some of my bounce, but still, I'm ecstatic. It feels like I'm becoming someone important in Starlia. In school, I was satisfied to stay in the background most times. Do my work, be obedient to the teachers, don't make too much noise. I never was one to draw attention to myself. Here, I don't mind when players look my way to admire my outfit and harp. Maybe joining Mysteriously has changed me. I like the attention. I like thinking about what it'd be like to become a legendary bard in the game.

Kap City looks brilliant in the sunset. The sky takes on a rusty orange. The buildings reflect gold in their rows of glass windows. Players stroll through the streets filled with lampposts and relax in the landscaped parks. Taxis, which hold NPC drivers chauffeuring players to their destinations, fill the streets. Some people are even walking their virtual pets. I take note of a trio of Huskies, their tongues hanging loose and eyes curious.

"There's so many towns that I want to explore," I say, mesmerized.

Nathan looks like he's glowing, perhaps still in the celebration of winning the monster

party event. "Kap City is probably the biggest town in Gloria. It's right in the dead center. It's also the most advanced in terms of technology."

I fall into step beside him. Ahead of us, Olivia and Cody are discussing strategy on how to find the most weathering fragments. Aileen has taken to Mags. They're laughing about some stupid joke about virtual dog poop.

Nathan and I are in the backlines, taking in all the glory ahead of us. I even notice a cathedral, which emits worship music from the front doors. Could players here hold services every Sunday? Everything seems possible. It feels like I could fly.

Ken has challenged you to duel.

I turn around. The boy with blue hair, one of the nasty ones from Dragoon, faces me with a wicked smile. He holds his silver dagger and points it at my face. "Josiah, I've been looking for you and your crew."

Nathan realizes what's going on. The others in my team stop ahead, turning around with stony expressions. "What do you want, Ken?" says Mags. Then she sees the dagger pointed at me. "Oh."

Nathan steps in front of me, capitalizing on his position as my leader. "You don't need to accept the challenge, Josiah. This guy just has something stupid to prove."

Here I thought I'd be taking a peaceful stroll through Kap City. A walk before becoming fully invested in finding the weathering fragments. There are a hundred of them, so we have a long journey ahead of us. There should be no time for distractions...

Then Ken reaches into his pocket. He holds out a sky-blue gem. A weathering fragment.

"How did you get that?" I ask, my voice strained.

"Does it matter?" Ken wears a sickly-sweet grin. "The winner of the duel gets to keep this."

Before anyone in my team can convince me, I make my decision. "I accept your request for a duel."

Aileen puts her arm on my shoulder. "Josiah..."

Nathan, Mags, Olivia, and Cody all wear expressions between uneasy and sickly. Do they doubt my chances of winning? Maybe I have something to prove here. A chance to show that I'm not some weak and helpless bard.

"Follow me to the community park," Ken says. "We'll complete our duel there."

The community park is surrounded by oak and cedar trees, a rare spot of pure greenery between the skyscrapers. There are couples on dates, people lying on the grass and staring up at the cloud-filled sky. Ken stands in the center of the park, in a section between two fountains spilling crystal-clear water into tiers. The grounds have been paved into a small concrete square. If this is a popular place for duels, it sure does make sense. This is a prime spot for an audience.

Speaking of... a handful of people are already gathering around. The leaders of Mysteriously and a member of Dragoon seem bound to attract attention.

"Ready whenever you are," Ken calls out. "I'll let you make the first move."

Aileen can't hide her worry. She's practically gnawing on her bottom lip, begging me with her eyes to call off the duel. The other members of Mysteriously look concerned. Even Cody looks close to jumping in and offering to take my place.

I may be low-leveled, but I can win if I showcase enough strategy, can't I?

I wield my harp and stare at Ken with level eyes. I run my fingers across the strings. "Play."

My attack barely affects Ken. At level seventy-five, his health only goes down a fraction.

Ken. HP: 98%

Ken rushes in before I can react any further. "Slash."

He's too fast for me to dodge. He gets my entire right arm, cutting deep into my flesh. I wince, watching as my arm bleeds for a moment before the gore is healed up—a smart choice by the developers, not to make the blood permanent. My pride's crushed. My HP sinks all the way down to 65%.

But there has to be some good in this, right? He's close enough that I can attack him. "Strings." I bring my harp down onto Ken's head.

He dodges effortlessly. "Assassinate."

His ultimate move doesn't give me any chance to save myself. He drives his dagger straight into my heart, twisting it for good measure. The crowd gasps, and some people even let out spurts of laughter. I fall to the ground. I hit the concrete hard as blood flows from my heart. It eventually stops, the discomfort fading from my chest. But the embarrassment blossoms more intensely than any real pain.

Josiah. HP: 0%

Hold up. I can't believe it's almost January? That happened way too fast! How are you doing? Are you making any last touches to your resolutions (if you made any)? 

I am learning to take things one day at a time. Sometimes, it's frustrating to feel like you're not making progress. But with my writing journey and everything else, things rarely fit our plans or expectations. 

Hope January greets you with good health!