Len was coming back from his first year of college, heading home to his parents' house for summer break. He packed up his things, boarded the bus, and eventually transferred to a train, watching the countryside blur past the windows. By evening, he arrived at his parents' house, greeted them warmly, and joined them for dinner, chatting about the usual small updates and family news.
Later, upstairs in his room, Len scrolled through random videos to pass the time. One caught his attention. The thumbnail and title immediately stood out: "Saline // Online — The VR Game That Feels Real."
Curious, he clicked and watched. His interest grew as he learned more about the game. After checking the price of the required VR headset, he saw it was only three hundred dollars. That's doable… I'm getting it, he thought to himself.
--------------
The next day, the headset arrived. Excited, he picked it up and hurried upstairs to try it out. He placed the helmet over his head… and immediately frowned. The game didn't start. A notification on the screen made it clear: the official release was at 00:00 tonight.
Len leaned back, disappointed, but a small spark of anticipation flickered inside him. Not long now, he thought, glancing at the clock as the minutes slowly ticked away.
Len sat on his bed, the new VR headset resting beside him like a promise. The clock ticked closer to midnight, each second stretching longer than the last. He tried to keep himself busy, scrolling through his phone, but his mind kept drifting back to the game.
Finally, the clock hit 12:00 AM. A soft chime echoed from the headset. A faint glow pulsed through the visor, inviting him.
[Connection available. Proceed?]
Without hesitation, Len pressed Yes.
The world around him dissolved in an instant. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his room. He stood on a perfectly flat field under a sky that shifted from pale orange to deep purple. The air was crisp, almost metallic, and a gentle hum seemed to vibrate through the ground.
A floating interface appeared in front of him, glowing softly.
[WELCOME TO SALINE // ONLINE]
[PLEASE SELECT YOUR CLASS]
Three options floated before him:
Warrior – Master of melee combat.
Archer – Skilled with ranged attacks.
Mage – User of elemental magic.
Len reached out and pressed the Archer icon.
Len stood before the glowing class options: Warrior, Archer, Mage. Each radiated the kind of power players expected. Most people would pick one instantly, and the game would be over for them.
Len, a hardcore stealth player, felt the urge to choose Archer. Its sleek, agile form was tempting. But something made him pause. He wasn't a prodigy—just a careful, curious player willing to pay attention where others wouldn't.
He wandered his gaze over the interface, leaning closer, touching nothing. Then he noticed the faint edges of the system's code—the kind of subtle visual "white noise" left in the interface, visible only to someone observing closely. Tiny symbols blinked at the edge of his vision, patterns that didn't belong to any normal menu.
Len sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes, letting the hum of the world settle around him. For ten minutes, he did nothing but focus, meditate, and watch for anomalies—the vibration beneath his feet, the flicker at the corner of the interface, the tiny pulses of light that seemed to respond to his awareness.
When he opened his eyes, a soft golden light had emerged where nothing had been before, hovering faintly, pulsing gently in rhythm with the world around him.
[Hidden class detected. Only those who observe and persist may access it.]
Len leaned closer and pressed the glowing icon that had appeared:
Cultivator – One who seeks to understand the laws of the world, drawing power from the essence of existence itself.
The interface dissolved, leaving him in the open field.A new panel materialized in front of him, glowing softly.
[ROLL FOR SPIRIT ROOT]
Len frowned, intrigued. Spirit root? He leaned closer, reading the faint text that floated above the panel: "Your connection to the essence of existence. Your path begins here."
The system explained the possible roots:
Quintuple Spirit Root
Quadra Spirit Root
Triple Spirit Root
Dual Spirit Root
Single Spirit Root
He hesitated. Each outcome would shape his entire journey. The rarer the root, the greater the potential—and the harder it would be to cultivate.
Taking a deep breath, Len pressed the panel.
Immediately, the world around him dimmed slightly, as if time itself had slowed. Colors twisted and spun in the panel, symbols flashing faster and faster. Numbers, lights, and energy patterns danced chaotically before converging into a single point of focus.
[Calculating…]
A soft hum resonated in his chest. The spinning slowed. His heart raced.
[SPIRIT ROOT ROLLING…]
He could feel the pull of possibilities—five elements, four, three… maybe even two. The tension was almost unbearable.
The light froze on a single outcome, golden and steady.
[SPIRIT ROOT ROLLED: Quintuple Spirit Root]
Len leaned closer, but instead of awe, a sinking feeling crept through him. Five roots appeared before him: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Lightning. They pulsed faintly, raw and untamed—but he already knew what this meant.
"This… this is the 5-Elemental Root?" he muttered, his stomach twisting. "Everyone says this is the worst one. Too weak at the start… too much energy needed for cultivation… too slow."
The panel dissolved, leaving him alone in the field. The five roots hovered like distant stars, each one a promise of potential, but for now, they felt like a burden.
[Ding]
Tutorial Detected: Cultivator Class
[Step 1] Observe Spirit Roots.
[Step 2] Draw energy from the environment using meditation.
[Step 3] Balance all roots to avoid
dominance.
Len settled onto the soft grass of the virtual field, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. The five Spirit Roots hovered faintly before him: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Lightning. Each pulsed rhythmically, a subtle vibration he could feel through the VR suit's haptic feedback.
He drew a deep breath and muttered under his breath,
"Let's give this a try…"
Focus… sense each root… balance them…
He extended his awareness to Fire first. The energy was unstable, flaring and sputtering like a weak flame. Shifting his focus to Water, he felt it ripple unevenly, flowing in fits and starts. Earth throbbed sluggishly, heavy and resistant. Air flitted too quickly, hard to catch. Lightning sparked erratically, sharp and unpredictable.
Len exhaled. Okay… this is harder than I thought.
He shifted his posture slightly, arms resting on his knees, breathing slowly and deliberately. He concentrated on each root in turn, trying to feel the flow of energy and let it settle. Fire calmed a little, glowing faintly. Water rippled steadily. Earth felt more solid. Air slowed its frantic fluttering. Lightning pulsed, still quick but no longer darting uncontrollably.
Minutes passed. His body tingled as the effort to maintain all five roots at once drained him physically. The VR suit translated that effort into subtle feedback, reminding him that even virtual cultivation demanded concentration and endurance.
A small panel appeared in front of him, simple and blinking:
[You have gained 1 Spirit Energy]
Len exhaled slowly, sweat forming at his brow. He didn't feel powerful—far from it—but for the first time, all five roots flowed together, even if imperfectly.
He leaned back, letting his mind rest for a moment. The path ahead would be grueling.
[Ding!]
[Would you like to proceed?]