After some conversation with NPCs about the safest direction for beginners, the group left the city through the northern gate.
The heat immediately settled back onto their shoulders.
The exhaustion icon began to pulse at a steady rhythm.
Sienna pulled her cloak higher, covering more of her face.
"Okay. Second time heading out to die of dehydration. Loving the experience."
She cast a quick glance at her status bar, as if hoping the game might show mercy. It didn't.
"At least now we know we have somewhere to retreat to," Jay said. "It's not like the forest, where it felt like the entire map was trying to swallow us."
"Great," Sienna replied. "So now we just die with proper tourist guidance."
They walked in silence for a while, sand crunching beneath their boots.
The sound was too constant. Too irritating.
"Did you notice the text on the bar?" Ethan commented after a few minutes. "'Slow Progress.' That means, for now, we can endure it."
"'For now' is the part that worries me," Sienna muttered. "This game loves that phrase. It always comes right before something goes very wrong."
Elenya, who had been walking slightly ahead, stopped abruptly.
"Movement."
"Of course," Sienna murmured. "Because crossing a desert in peace would be way too weird."
Shapes began to rise from the sand.
Large scorpions, about the size of a big dog, with rigid shells in light brown tones, dark eyes, and sharp pincers. Their tails ended in gleaming stingers.
Sienna tilted her head, assessing the scene.
"Mentally noting this down: extreme heat, exhaustion… and now giant insects. Excellent starter package for beginners."
"Standard desert monster," Jay said, raising his shield. "Nothing we can't handle."
The scorpions charged.
Jay took the first hit. The impact of the pincers against his shield sent vibrations rippling through his entire arm.
"Okay, correction: they hit hard."
Sienna stepped back, opening a circle of energy beneath her feet.
"Go, go, go…" She snapped her fingers, and three translucent feline figures sprang into existence, rushing in from the flank. "Bite them until they remember they're insects!"
Elenya fired an arrow at the joint between one scorpion's head and thorax. The creature shuddered and collapsed to the side.
Marcus surged through the opening, drawing his sword from his back and slicing another scorpion along its side.
Ethan raised his hand, concentrating fire into a precise point. A sphere of condensed flames detonated beneath the third scorpion, tossing it aside and scorching its legs just enough to destabilize it.
The fight ended with heavy breathing, stinger marks embedded in Jay's shield, and a few scattered scratches across the group.
"These things aren't bosses, but they're definitely not 'early floor' mobs either," Sienna complained, wiping sweat from her forehead.
On the ground, the scorpions' bodies began to dissolve, leaving behind:
Durable Carapaces
Hardened Stingers
Instanced vials labeled [Thick Scorpion Venom]
Ethan picked up one of the vials, turning it toward the light.
"This could be useful later. Not just for damage. Poison is raw power. Depending on what you mix it with… it could even become healing."
"Then keep it," Marcus said. "We're probably knocking on some alchemist's door in SAHARIM sooner or later."
They continued forward.
More scorpions appeared.
More fights.
More fatigue.
Gradually, the exhaustion icon began flashing more intensely. Everyone's HP bar started to tick down slowly, even without taking direct hits.
Jay noticed it first.
"Our HP is dropping even when we're not getting hit."
Ethan frowned.
"The panel wasn't joking. The environment itself is hostile."
Elenya pressed her lips together.
"I think it's time to head back."
Marcus checked everyone's bars.
"Without healing potions, we won't stand a chance if something bigger shows up."
Sienna raised a hand.
"'Survive until tomorrow' protocol: retreat now."
No one argued.
The return trip to SAHARIM felt longer than before. When they crossed back into the safe zone, the red exhaustion icon began to fade, but their HP bars remained low.
"Yeah… it doesn't regenerate on its own," Jay noted.
"Let's find someone who knows how to deal with this," Ethan said, still holding the vial of venom. "And see what's worth selling."
The central area's stalls were busier now. Players haggled over loot, debated routes, compared equipment.
The potion tent was impossible to miss: colorful bottles, hanging herbs, small crystals catching the light. Behind the counter, a woman with gray hair tied into a high bun stirred a cauldron.
Ethan approached.
"Do you work with… potions?"
She lifted her eyes, sharp and attentive.
"With anything that enters the body and changes how it feels the world," she replied. "Sometimes for the better. Sometimes for the worse. Depends on the buyer."
Sienna leaned over the counter.
"We've got a basic problem: the desert is trying to kill us slowly. Got anything for that?"
"Simple healing, rapid recovery, slowing environmental damage…" the woman murmured, pulling out different vials. "Your HP is low. You can start with these." She slid several pale green potions toward them. "Not cheap, but not a scam either."
Jay asked the obvious question.
"Anything that completely negates the heat outside?"
She let out a dry laugh.
"If there were, no one would die trying to cross the desert. The entire floor is built around that. You can ease the pain, delay the inevitable… or find a way to adapt the body. But erase the heat? No."
Marcus placed the carapaces and stingers on the counter.
"And these? Worth anything?"
She examined the materials.
"Basic physical protection. You can sell them to a beginner blacksmith. Nothing special."
Then she picked up the venom vial.
Her eyes lit up.
"Now this… this is interesting."
Ethan straightened.
"You can use it?"
"Poison is just power waiting to be redirected," she replied, carefully rotating the vial. "With the right herbs, I can convert part of its aggressive effect into regenerative stimulation. Leave me a few vials, and I'll return them as enhanced healing potions."
Sienna shook her head, impressed.
"Alchemy is basically sorcery with extra steps."
"And more responsibility," the woman shot back.
They negotiated.
They traded part of the venom for better potions. Sold extra carapaces and a few stingers. Refilled their canteens. Then they sat in the shade for a few minutes, drinking cool water.
Elenya stared at the surface of the fountain, thoughtful.
"If the entire floor revolves around heat… then the most important item here isn't a weapon," she said. "It's whatever keeps us from melting."
"The right armor," Jay added.
"Thermal equipment," Ethan concluded. "And we don't have that yet."
The alchemist, who had still been listening, lightly tapped the counter.
"If you want to adapt the body to the heat, drinking isn't enough. You have to wear it." She gestured toward a slightly distant tent filled with hanging fabrics. "Look for Rahima. She sews better than anyone in SAHARIM. Bring the right materials, and she'll make it fit like it was never even there."
Marcus followed her gaze.
"The right materials, huh…"
He didn't know it yet, but those materials were only a few encounters away.