NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter : Prologue:
It's the first Wednesday of the year, following New Year's Day.
Checking the emails on my personal device to verify if the school had already sent the requirements and details for the second-semester enrollment.
It's already 10:04 a.m., and I just woke up feeling tired from the New Year celebration last night.
While sipping my black coffee, an unread email from Atlas Inc., sent ten hours ago, caught my eye. The message read, "Congratulations! Leirsa, you are invited as a Beta Tester for our upcoming game Hollow Earth Online." -Atlas Development Team.
A wave of puzzlement followed, as no memory of signing up for a Beta Test surfaced. Then I remembered, a few years ago, the same developer, Atlas Incorporated, was behind a game once played with my cousin.
Back then, we managed to be part of the leaderboards and this is the same email that was used to register the account. It had been a while since diving into a VRMMO game, as several important matters and schoolwork had taken priority. After a brief pause, curiosity took over, and I clicked the link in the email (https://www.hollowearthonline/download/pr0004), leading to the download site. The game was downloaded and installed while leisurely enjoying the lunch prepared by mom.
Using my few years old VR device developed by Echo, a subsidiary of Atlas Inc., the login process commenced. After half an hour, character creation and tweaking were complete, a mid-height male warrior with platinum blond hair named Leirsa.
Respawning in the game, a world unfolds that feels centuries removed from modern architecture.
The setting is both nostalgic and charismatic, with houses and buildings crafted from clay bricks and stones, evoking a sense of ancient times.
A quick glance at the world map reveals my starting point is located on the Far Eastern Continent. Everything feels eerily familiar, despite the architecture resembling early medieval times.
The setting is a castle town near a river, covering approximately two miles in radius.
Opening the character window reveals a detailed look at Leirsa's stats and skills. As a Warrior, the base stats are heavily focused on strength and agility. In addition to the normal attack, Sword Strike, the current available skill is Sword Parry.
After exploring the town, I venture into the nearby forest and reveal several typical low-level monsters: slimes, boars, and even wolves.
Half an hour of grinding, using the basic Sword Strike attack to defeat the creatures, resulted in reaching level five. With this achievement, a new skill was unlocked: Sword Slash.
I allocated all my available stats equally to strength and agility and ventured deeper into the forest, encountering a Giant Treant, likely a mini-boss, at level 10 in a beginner-level area.
Hesitant to engage due to its higher level, I made a quick retreat and hunted weaker treants and forest wolves roaming around the nearby area for about an hour to improve my levels. Afterward, I logged off and took a brief break to enjoy some homemade cookies.
Armed with only a worn-out Rusted Sword, I faced the Giant Treant once more. The tension was palpable as the colossal creature swung its massive branches in my direction.
A swift use of the Dash skill, which I acquired at level ten, allowed me to evade the treant's initial strike, narrowly avoiding the powerful sweep of its branches.
Repositioning myself strategically, unleashing a series of sword slashes, aiming at the treant's woody exterior.
My Sword Slash skill danced through the air, leaving trails of blue arcs as each strike connected with the Giant Treant's wooden exterior.
The Giant Treant retaliated, lashing out with its long, vine-like appendages. Anticipating its attack, instinctively activating Sword Parry, deflecting the onslaught of vines with precise and well-timed maneuvers.
The clash of metal against wood echoed through the forest, expertly parrying the treant's strikes, minimizing the damage inflicted upon me.
Undeterred, continues my assault, moving between the treant's limbs and exploiting every opening.
The Rusted Sword, though worn, gleamed as it cut through the wooden body of the monster. The Giant Treant, showing visible signs of wear from the relentless assault, roared in protest.
In a final, daring maneuver, I executed a Sword Slash, aiming directly at the Treant's core.
The sword hacked through the wooden exterior, leaving a sizable cut. The treant began to stagger, and spotted the chance for a decisive strike, swiftly activating Dash.
Closing the distance in an instant,I unleash a precise downward Sword Slash. My sword connected with the core, ripping it apart and the Giant Treant crumbled to the ground.
As the wooden remains vanished into thin air, an Ironwood Sword was left on the ground which was a significant upgrade over the Rusted Sword which is crumbling after I expended most of its durability.
With the gaming session concluded, it was time to log out and shift focus to preparing dinner and attending the tasks for the upcoming second-semester enrollment.