Ethan tried his best to focus on the farming event. The tasks were repetitive but straightforward, and the quiet routine gave him a chance to reflect and relax—at least, that was the idea. Yet, no matter how much he tried to ignore it, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

And then there was NightGleam.

The dark-robed mage wasn’t being subtle about their intentions, either. Every time Ethan moved to a new farming spot, NightGleam was there, perched at a distance, observing him with a smug expression. Even when Ethan ignored him completely, the mage’s presence felt like an itch Ethan couldn’t scratch.

“Still here?” Ethan muttered under his breath as he harvested a row of virtual turnips.

NightGleam, seemingly hearing him, leaned casually on his staff and called out, “Don’t mind me. Just enjoying the show.”

Ethan gritted his teeth and resolved not to respond. Engaging would only encourage him.

When ChronoKnight finally logged back in and joined Ethan at the event, Ethan felt a wave of relief. Surely NightGleam wouldn’t stick around now. ChronoKnight was a strong presence, both in skill and demeanor, and most players knew better than to mess with someone of his caliber.

But NightGleam didn’t seem to care.

“Friend of yours?” ChronoKnight asked, nodding toward the mage as he helped Ethan clear out a field of pests.

“Not exactly,” Ethan replied, his voice tight. “He’s just… following me around.”

ChronoKnight frowned, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. “Should I deal with him?”

Ethan hesitated. He didn’t want to escalate the situation unnecessarily. “Let’s just ignore him. Maybe he’ll get bored and leave.”

Unfortunately, NightGleam showed no signs of boredom. If anything, his persistence only grew. Every time Ethan and ChronoKnight completed a task, NightGleam would teleport a few steps ahead, as if taunting them. His actions didn’t interfere with their progress, but his constant presence was maddening.

Finally, after hours of this, Ethan snapped. He turned on his heel, dagger in hand, and marched up to the mage.

“Alright, what is your problem?” Ethan demanded, his voice sharp.

ChronoKnight stood beside him, arms crossed, a look of quiet annoyance on his face.

NightGleam’s smirk widened. “Problem? I don’t have a problem. I’m just… curious.”

“Curious about what?” Ethan asked, exasperated.

“You,” NightGleam said, pointing at him with his staff. “Or, more accurately, your little act. Ash, was it? Quite the name. Sounds like someone trying to live up to a legend.”

Ethan’s stomach tightened. He knew where this was going, but he refused to take the bait. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play coy,” NightGleam said, stepping closer. “You know exactly what I mean. All this talk about Phoenix lately—it’s got people buzzing. And then there’s you, this low-level healer, running around like you’ve got something to prove. I just had to see it for myself.”

“See what?” Ethan asked, his voice steady despite the growing tension.

“Whether you live up to the hype,” NightGleam replied, his tone dripping with condescension. “You know, for a supposed phoenix impersonator, you’re… underwhelming.”

Ethan’s grip on his dagger tightened. ChronoKnight took a step forward, his sword half-drawn, but Ethan held up a hand to stop him.

“I’m not impersonating anyone,” Ethan said firmly. “I’m just playing the game.”

NightGleam chuckled. “Sure, sure. Just playing the game. Funny how your playstyle seems so… familiar. But don’t worry. I’m not here to blow your cover. Frankly, I don’t care who you are or what you’re trying to do.”

“Then why are you following me?” Ethan asked, his frustration boiling over.

NightGleam shrugged. “Entertainment. Watching you flail around as a low-level healer has been surprisingly amusing. I wanted to see if you were worth the hype, but…” He paused, his smirk turning into a mock frown. “You’re not. It’s been fun, though.”

Ethan felt a flash of anger but pushed it down. “If you’re done, you can leave now.”

NightGleam held up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. No need to get hostile. I’ve seen enough anyway.”

Without another word, the mage cast a teleportation spell, vanishing in a swirl of dark smoke.

Ethan let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing. ChronoKnight sheathed his sword and clapped him on the back.

“You handled that well,” ChronoKnight said.

“Did I?” Ethan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I feel like I just got called out for something I didn’t even do.”

ChronoKnight smiled faintly. “Don’t let it get to you. People like him thrive on getting a reaction. The best thing you can do is ignore them.”

Ethan nodded, though the encounter left a sour taste in his mouth. He couldn’t shake the feeling that NightGleam’s words were more than just idle taunts. The mage had struck a nerve, even if Ethan refused to admit it.

For now, though, there was nothing to do but focus on the game. He still had a farming event to complete, and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that for him.

_______

______

Ethan logged into Rebirth Online the next day, already bracing himself for the usual barrage of party invites and casual chatter. But as soon as his avatar loaded in, the chat window flooded with messages.

"There he is! The fake Phoenix!"

"Why don’t you stop acting like a big shot, Ash?"

"Rude much? Who does this guy think he is?"

Ethan sighed and rubbed his temple in real life. The insults were childish, but there were so many of them. It was as if half the server had collectively decided to throw their negativity his way. He scrolled through the messages briefly before closing the chat window entirely.

He had better things to do than engage with people who clearly had too much time on their hands.

When ChronoKnight logged on and joined him at their usual farming spot, Ethan gave him a quick nod of acknowledgment and got back to work. ChronoKnight, however, didn’t seem as calm.

“What’s with all this hostility?” ChronoKnight asked after a few minutes. “My message inbox is overflowing with people asking why I’m hanging out with ‘a fraud’ and someone ‘too rude to help others.’”

“It’s just noise,” Ethan said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. “Ignore it. It’s not worth the energy.”

ChronoKnight frowned, clearly not satisfied with that answer. “This isn’t random noise, Ethan. This has NightGleam written all over it.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ethan’s fingers froze over his keyboard for a moment before he resumed farming. “What makes you say that?”

“He was lurking around us yesterday, stirring up drama,” ChronoKnight replied. “And now, suddenly, the whole server’s turning against you? It’s too much of a coincidence.”

Ethan shrugged. “Let him. If this is the most exciting thing he has going on, that’s his problem, not mine.”

ChronoKnight, however, didn’t look ready to let it go. “This isn’t just about him being petty. People are actively harassing you now. If we let this slide, it’s only going to get worse. We need to do something about it.”

Ethan shook his head. “Like what? Start a war with the server? That’s exactly what he wants. I’m not giving him the satisfaction.”

ChronoKnight opened his mouth to argue further, but a sudden commotion nearby drew their attention.

A group of players—at least five of them—were camped out in the field Ethan and ChronoKnight had been farming. They weren’t actually gathering resources or completing event objectives. Instead, they stood around, clearly waiting for Ethan and ChronoKnight to leave.

“Is this happening?” ChronoKnight muttered, his voice tight with irritation.

Ethan sighed. “Looks like it.”

As they tried to move to another area, the group followed them, cutting ahead and occupying every spot they tried to farm. It quickly became apparent that they weren’t just there by coincidence—they were deliberately targeting Ethan.

One particularly bold player even ran up to Ethan and started spamming emotes, blocking his view and making it nearly impossible to interact with the game environment.

“Don’t mind us,” the player said in the local chat. “We’re just here to keep the legendary Ash company.”

Ethan ignored him, moving to a new spot.

ChronoKnight, however, was clearly losing patience. “This is ridiculous. They’re not even playing the game properly. They’re just griefing us.”

Another group arrived not long after, apparently tipped off by the first. It seemed like everyone wanted to get in on the harassment, and the farming spots became crowded with players running around aimlessly. Many of them got themselves killed almost immediately by the stronger enemies in the area, but that didn’t seem to deter them.

“Unbelievable,” ChronoKnight muttered, shaking his head. “This is exactly why we need to deal with NightGleam. If we let him get away with this, it’s just going to keep escalating.”

Ethan kept his focus on farming, doing his best to ignore the chaos around him. But even he had to admit it was getting harder to play. The constant interruptions were slowing down his progress, and the sheer number of players flooding the area made it nearly impossible to find any enemies or resources.

At one point, he stopped and turned to ChronoKnight. “Okay, so what do you suggest we do?”

ChronoKnight smirked, clearly prepared for this question. “We find NightGleam and give him a taste of his own medicine. You and I both know he’s not half as clever as he thinks he is. We can take him down and send a message to everyone else to back off.”

Ethan shook his head. “That’s exactly what he wants—to bait us into a fight so he can play the victim. I’m not stooping to his level.”

ChronoKnight groaned. “Fine. But we can’t just sit here and let them ruin the game for us.”

Ethan nodded, his mind racing for a solution. “Then we’ll outlast them. They’re here to mess with us because it’s easy and they think it’s fun. But they’ll get bored eventually. People like this always do.”

It was a good plan in theory, but in practice, it was exhausting. For the next few hours, Ethan and ChronoKnight struggled to complete even the simplest tasks. The constant interference from other players made progress slow and frustrating, and it was clear that ChronoKnight was barely holding back his temper.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the crowd began to thin out. Most of the griefers had either logged off or moved on to other areas, leaving Ethan and ChronoKnight with a semblance of peace.

“See?” Ethan said, giving ChronoKnight a tired smile. “Told you they’d get bored.”

ChronoKnight didn’t look entirely convinced. “For now, maybe. But this isn’t over. NightGleam’s not the type to give up easily.”

Ethan shrugged. “Then we’ll deal with it when it comes up again. For now, let’s just focus on the game.”

ChronoKnight sighed but didn’t argue further. Together, they resumed farming, determined to make up for the time they had lost.

Despite the setbacks, Ethan couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. He had stood his ground and refused to let the negativity get to him. And in the end, that was all that mattered.

______

Ethan sat back in his chair, staring at the screen in front of him. He wasn’t angry at the insults being thrown his way, nor the constant messages flooding his chat accusing him of being a fraud or a disappointment. He had thick skin when it came to people like that. What did bother him, though, was the inability to play the game properly.

Every time he tried to farm, there was someone there to sabotage his progress. Whenever he moved to another area, someone would track him down. His inventory was woefully understocked, and his experience points were crawling at a snail’s pace. For a game that had brought him so much joy and escape, it was becoming more of a chore.

The few hours of relative peace he’d earned after the initial harassment had been fleeting. The moment he started making progress, players returned to haunt him, dragging along new recruits for their petty vendetta. It was like a never-ending cycle, and Ethan was reaching his limit.

As another group of griefers swooped in to steal his kills and flood the local chat with spam, Ethan clenched his fists.

“Enough of this,” he muttered to himself.

He leaned back in his chair and pulled out his phone. If they wanted to play games, he’d show them just how serious he could be.

----------------------------------------

Ethan scrolled through his contacts, pausing at a name he hadn’t seen in a while: Aqua. It had been some time since he’d spoken to the former pro-player and streamer. Aqua had been a force to be reckoned with back in the day, known for her sharp wit and equally sharp gameplay. She was one of the few people Ethan genuinely respected in the gaming world.

He tapped the call button and waited.

After a few rings, a familiar, energetic voice answered. “Well, well, if it isn’t the Phoenix himself! To what do I owe this rare and unexpected honor?”

Ethan couldn’t help but smile. Aqua’s playful tone was infectious. “Hey, Aqua. I need a favor.”

“Oh?” Her interest was piqued. “This must be serious if you’re calling me out of the blue. What’s up?”

Ethan explained the situation—the harassment, the griefers, the inability to play the game he loved. He kept it brief, but Aqua could sense the frustration in his voice.

“Let me get this straight,” she said. “A bunch of noobs are messing with you, and you’re calling me for backup?”

Ethan chuckled. “Something like that. They’re relentless, Aqua. I can’t get anything done. I need someone who can shut them down and make it clear they’re wasting their time.”

Aqua laughed, a low, mischievous sound. “Oh, Ethan. You know I live for this kind of drama. Consider it handled. Give me ten minutes to log in.”

----------------------------------------

True to her word, Aqua joined Ethan’s server within minutes. Her avatar, a sleek, battle-hardened warrior with an air of authority, was instantly recognizable. Players in the vicinity began whispering in the chat, recognizing her name.

“No way, is that Aqua?”

“The Aqua? What’s she doing here?”

“Is she with Ash? Are they friends?”

Ethan watched as Aqua took her place beside him, her presence a beacon of intimidation. She opened a party invite, and Ethan accepted without hesitation.

“Alright,” Aqua said through the party chat, her tone dripping with confidence. “Let’s show these clowns what happens when you mess with the wrong people.”

The harassment didn’t stop immediately. In fact, the griefers seemed emboldened by Aqua’s presence, viewing it as a chance to make an even bigger scene. They crowded around, spamming taunts and blocking key areas. But Aqua wasn’t one to back down.

She pulled out her weapon and unleashed a devastating combo, clearing the area of mobs and sending a clear message to the troublemakers.

“Oops,” she said with mock innocence. “Did I steal your kills? My bad.”

Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. Aqua’s sarcasm was legendary, and it was clear she was enjoying herself.

The griefers tried to retaliate, but Aqua was too skilled. She dodged their attacks effortlessly, countering with precision and flair.

“Is this all you’ve got?” she taunted. “I thought you were here to make a statement. You’re just making me bored.”

One by one, the griefers began to back off, realizing they were no match for Aqua’s skill and quick wit.

----------------------------------------

As the chaos subsided, Aqua turned to Ethan. “Well, that was fun. But I have to ask—why didn’t you deal with this yourself? You’re not exactly a pushover.”

Ethan sighed. “I could’ve handled it, sure. But it would’ve taken time, and honestly, I just wanted to play the game. Sometimes it’s easier to call in reinforcements.”

Aqua grinned. “Fair enough. And hey, I’m always happy to lend a hand. It’s not every day I get to flex on a bunch of amateurs.”

Their banter was cut short by a system announcement:

"Attention, players! The Farming Event leaderboard has been updated. Check the event board for details!"

Aqua raised an eyebrow. “So, what’s this event all about?”

Ethan filled her in, explaining the mechanics and the controversy surrounding the lack of healers. Aqua listened intently, nodding as he spoke.

“Well,” she said when he finished, “it sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you. But if anyone can pull it off, it’s you.”

Ethan smiled. “Thanks, Aqua. That means a lot.”

“No problem,” she said. “Now, let’s get back to work. These mobs aren’t going to farm themselves.”

----------------------------------------

With Aqua by his side, Ethan found himself enjoying the game again. The harassment had all but stopped, and the few players who still lingered quickly learned to keep their distance.

Ethan couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude. Aqua had come through for him in a big way, and her presence had reminded him why he loved the gaming community in the first place.

As the day went on, they made significant progress in the event, climbing the leaderboard and earning valuable rewards.

By the time they logged off, Ethan felt more at ease than he had in days. He knew the harassment might not be over, but with allies like Aqua and ChronoKnight, he was confident he could handle whatever came his way.

For now, he was content to relax and enjoy the game he loved, knowing he wasn’t alone in the fight.