Day two on the HCIM and I’m already starting it the only way I know how: sleep-deprived, schedule absolutely cooked, and somehow still sprinting after a clue scroll like it’s going to pay my rent. I knock out Death to the Dorgeshuun (without getting smoked by some cave-dweller nonsense), grab myself the Dorgeshuun bow, and then I’m straight into the real early-game ironman tech: HAM storerooms. People can call it outdated, I don’t care—37 games amulets, dueling rings, power and strength ammy, and suddenly I’m teleporting around like a proper human being again. From there it’s full quest goblin mode: Priest in Peril, Restless Ghost, Elemental Workshop, and I’m freeballing Fairy Tale Part 1 praying the game doesn’t ask me for a nature talisman (because then I’m cooked). I get fairy rings online, Fossil Island unlocked for birdhouses, and I’m scraping money together in the most shameful way imaginable—picking up wines off the floor and selling them like a gremlin. Between birdhouse runs I grind agility, sort the bank, and set the main goal for the day: beat the life out of Elvarg. Hardcore is stressful, mate—one mistake early and you genuinely can lose everything.