Congratulations.
Champions Trial #013 Rank: First.
Rewards Granted: +5 All Stats, +100 HP.
Her focus locked onto a single icon hovering beneath the rewards list; a unique consumable.
Unique Reward (Consumable)
Skill Upgrade Card (Bound)
Effect: Instantly upgrades one Lv.1 active or passive skill to Lv.2.
Restriction: Usable only during the Tutorial Stage. Automatically expires upon tutorial completion.
She inspected it once, eyes narrowing, then closed the panel without expression as she was teleported away.
***
A portal tore open above the grassland outside Gaia City, and Zack was spat out, slamming face-first into the ground. Nearby players, clearly all new and bewildered by the strange phenomenon, paused their farming.
One user, armed with a spear, cautiously stepped forward and poked Zack on the head to see if he was dead. A loud THWACK! resonated with a 29 damage appearing above his head.
Zack: "..."
Zack swatted the spear away with one hand and gave a death stare.
The spearman froze for a moment, then sheepishly grinned and took a few steps back.
"Uh… sorry about that," he mumbled, rubbing his head.
Zack didn't move right away. Instead, he brought up his status panel, eyes locking onto the time stamp. Three hours had passed, meaning there was still a 1:1 time ratio.
The next thing he noticed was that he had lost 80% of his experience. He hadn't had much to begin with, and now he was left with only 349/40,000 EXP.
He adjusted his stance, scanning his surroundings. He had been in Gaia City's plaza before the teleport but his location has changed.
Recalling a brief glimpse of his attacker before his death. The strike, the sudden loss of control, the shape behind him it was her, the female assassin.
He had assumed he had defeated her, but his carelessness had betrayed him, in those final seconds, his guard had slipped.
After some time, he finally exhaled and accessed his panel, noting the awarded +5 stats and +100 HP.
Nevertheless, even with those improvements, his mind was still tumultuous.
Despite his boosted stats, he found himself in a precarious situation and understood that dying in this game was not an option.
Especially since the chatter box guardian whom he thought of as a warrior class told him how some people are planning to weed out champions and despite being a tutorial, you can't afford to get on the bad side of your sponsor who might get rid of you permanently.
He knew that, in the end, they were all enemies. So it didn't feel strange to him. They would have had to fight each other eventually, it was just that the others had made the first move.
His mind raced as he processed through the information he got. These players were just like him, each with a different class and a different build.
The assassin was clearly running a semi-archer setup, built around a charged skill shot.
If not for the boss and the presence of other players, she could have camped Zack without him ever realizing it.
Sure, he dealt impressive damage and could likely hold his ground, but that was only true if he weren't facing someone as unpredictable as himself.
He wasn't as strong as he had believed. The fight had torn away that illusion, making the gap between raw damage and actual survivability painfully clear.
The guardian alone boasted multiple skills capable of countering his abilities. He understood that a one-on-one fight would be a close one.
Against opponents who understood his flaws, damage alone wouldn't mean much.
Worse, he had no reliable counters against the female assassin apart from barriers, which he had already exhausted. He couldn't even begin to imagine how their builds would evolve in the future.
After some reflection, he opened his skill slot, his gaze landing on Detect.
That skill had proven largely ineffective during that trial and he could do nothing about it.
"I need something that can at least offer protection from an assassin-class." He murmured to himself, sitting on the slanted grassland.
Around him, new players hunted boars, casting occasional glances his way as if he were some NPC offering a unique quest.
The spearman, lingered nearby, eyeing him as though waiting for a dialogue prompt to appear.
He opened his status panel, pondered, and ultimately made the decision to switch to VIT going forward.
[Character Status – Zack | Priest | Level 6]
HP: 1315/ 1315
MP: 1180/ 1180
Magic Attack Power: 430-445 | INT: 140 | VIT: 47 | Physical Defense : 72
Lacking proper defenses against assassins, he resolved to play it cautiously. His damage might suffer, but as long as he stayed alive, he could still find a way to make an impact.
He cast a glance toward the distant sun, rising over the mountain peaks. Taking a deep breath, he stood, then made his way to the safe zone to log out.
***
After logging out, the first thing he did was check the different channels tied to him. Getting a job was not an option, not because it wouldn't help, but because he couldn't afford to waste time.
There was a blade hanging over his head now, and these channels were meant to cover his daily needs.
Once that was done, he headed to the kitchen and prepared breakfast for himself and Rin, who was out.
It was August 16th, the eighth day since the server launched.
After eating, Zack sat down and began combing through forums, hunting for information on other classes and factions.
It didn't take long for him to realize how badly he lacked detailed knowledge about anything outside his own class and build.
He read everything he could find; light factions, dark factions, class strengths and weaknesses, making a checklist of synergies and notable skills. Anything even remotely useful went onto his list.
One topic kept surfacing over and over again: active and passive skill limits. Complaints flooded the forums, players venting about how their entire builds had been ruined overnight.
"I planned my whole kit around this!"
"Who caps skills this early into a server?"
[FighterForums] Aquatic Fury – Worth It?
FierceBlade92: Great, I can breathe underwater and do +30% damage… if I'm IN water. Who even fights in water?!
Tactician77: I feel your pain… I leveled this and haven't seen a pond in three days.
[AssassinLounge] Flame Step Issues
ShadowStrike01: This skill leaves a trail! I keep getting spotted in stealth. Seriously, who thought fire trails were a good idea?
SilentBlade23: Haha, welcome to my nightmare. The system should warn you before giving a 'stealth-killer' a glowing trail.
[RangedMasters] Stone Skin Arrow
ArrowKing: Converts 10% of crit damage into lifesteal… only on crits! Are you kidding me?
[MageTalk] Berserker's Roar
FireMage99: Increases attack for every enemy I taunt… but the range is so tiny I literally have to jump into mobs to trigger it. I'm basically a human target dummy!
SpellCaster21: Why do I feel like the devs just wanted us to suffer?
Zack could only smile wryly and sigh a relief. Maybe enough pressure will force the devs to change it, he thought.
Even so, players were already rolling fresh characters on Server #Jazaya, the 40th server launched right after the update.
Some did it to chase better starts, others just to experiment simply for fun or to escape builds that had already gone irreversibly wrong.
Since it was still early, many decided it was better to go for it now than regret missing out later.
Zack considered it himself. Just briefly. Then he dismissed the idea and moved on.
He refreshed the page. When a headline snapped into view: MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES, DEATHS TRIGGER GLOBAL ALERT
Reports were pouring in; thousands missing, others found dead, across multiple countries.
Different nations were issuing statements, pointing fingers at one another, calling it coordinated attacks. Authorities insisted evidence was still being gathered, urging the public to remain calm.
Several media outlets have drawn unsettling parallels to the infamous VR game incident of 2028. A case that led to widespread panic after some users suffered unexplained psychological effects.
That game was ultimately shut down under public pressure, and the company behind it collapsed into bankruptcy amid lawsuits and outrage.
Below the article were images and video links.
Mutilated Bodies.
VR capsules.
Scenes that made his stomach tighten.
Zack's fingers froze above the keyboard, his heartbeat climbing fast.
It had barely been an hour since the game ended. And yet… he knew. Knew, without a shadow of doubt, that this was connected to the Champions Trial.
Cold sweat crept down his spine as his thoughts spiraled. If his decision back then had really been nothing more than instinct, what if he hadn't participated? Would he be one of them now?
That decision had saved him, his mind screamed, over and over, his chest pounding as if it would burst.
A notification sound cut through his thoughts.
He jolted, as if reacting to an ambush, and opened the message without even noticing the sender.
"Your thesis has been approved. All academic requirements have been satisfied, course credits fully verified, and both advisor and departmental clearances successfully completed. With every student obligation formally concluded, your degree will be conferred automatically during the next scheduled administrative cycle."
It was about his thesis. The one he had completely forgotten.
Another message followed, this one from a professor he was close to, asking him to visit the institute the next morning.
Zack let out a short, disbelieving laugh. Even with his life on the line, college still found a way to show up at the worst possible moment.
Heck, he didn't have time for congratulations or gossip.
What he had seen went far beyond rumors or scandals. Illegal organizations were running a death game inside a game. Those images weren't just disturbing; they were proof.
For the first time ever, he made a decision he'd always avoided.
I'm calling in sick.