Decades ago, the human world had been peaceful and normal. People worked for money, traders flaunted their wealth in markets and grand buildings, politicians ruled with loud promises, and the law prevailed.
At least… that was what everyone believed they were seeing.
And then, by some grave curse, everything changed.
A Game had appeared.
And with it, the majority of the human race was dragged into its cruel mechanics. A vast unknown system Game that treated human lives like pieces on a board.
Many perished in those early days—victims of chaos, confusion, and the terrifying reality of being the first to become involved in the Game.
But those who survived returned to Earth.
Changed.
They came back with awakened talents.
The Game had altered humanity forever, shattering governments, breaking the old legislature, and proving to the world that strength was the only law that truly mattered.
Thanks to the survivors emerging with supernatural abilities, civil war soon became inevitable.
And after the war…
Earth changed completely.
From the ashes of that war rose a new world leader—the strongest Talent Awakener of all time.
But that was not the only disaster the Game had brought.
There were other threats.
Breaches began appearing all over the planet; cracks in reality itself through which monsters that once existed only in fairy tales began pouring into the human world from the game.
Dragons.
Ogres.
Nightmarish beasts humanity had never seen before.
And along with them came new diseases, strange afflictions caused by exposure to the Game's energy.
"All in all, from what I have learned through experience… I have to get strong fast no matter what," Oliver thought.
His body formed from layers of digital glitches that flickered violently through the air before assembling into solid matter inside a massive stone chamber.
This was the Lobby.
For a player's first visit into the Game, this was where everyone appeared and where their Talents would finally manifest completely.
Not wasting even a single second, Oliver summoned his system.
[Stats]
[Name: Oliver Mori]
[Exp: 0/10]
[Level: None]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 1]
[Agility: 1]
[Senses: 1]
[Mana: 1]
[Stat Points: 5 Free Points]
[Karma Points: 0]
The system looked exactly as Oliver remembered it.
Nothing had changed.
So he wasted no time scrolling down to check the thing that made him the most curious.
His Talent.
[Talent: SSS Rank Summoner]
[Summoning Level: Bronze]
Upgrade Summon Level with Karma Points.
[Talent Description: While other summoners can summon only one monster at a time, you can summon Legendary Beasts. Each Legendary Beast, when matured, allows the Summoner access to the true power of that summon. Maturity can only be reached through Evolution.]
[First Summon: Crow — Reach Level 10 to attain Maturity and First Evolution.]
"Evolution?" Oliver muttered, rubbing his chin slowly.
"What does that mean? If I reach level ten, my summon evolves… but into what exactly?"
His brows furrowed.
"And for a crow to be my first summon… I can only hope legendary summons are as strong as the system is making them sound."
Black wisps of smoke suddenly began to gather in the air before him.
For a brief moment the smoke twisted violently, condensing into a small form.
Then it solidified.
A small nine-inch tall crow appeared and settled comfortably on Oliver's shoulder.
From appearances alone, it looked completely ordinary.
Nothing special.
"A damned tiny crow!" Oliver complained immediately.
"A dragon or even a tiger beast would be much preferable—"
He tapped the system again, requesting more information.
The screen flickered.
[Summon: Crow]
[Type: Assassin-Type Summon]
[Benefits: Cloak of Assassins (B Rank), Blood Drinking Daggers (D Rank), Legendary Crow (SSS Rank), Stealth (C Rank)]
Oliver's face paled instantly.
"The hell are these benefits?" he blurted out.
His eyes frantically reread the system window once.
Then twice.
He had never seen a Legendary Summon in his previous life, not even once.
But even with this small amount of information, Oliver could already see the overwhelming difference between his class and the usual summoners.
Normal summons had the power to tear apart landscapes and devastate battlefields, but they were still monsters the summoner relied on completely.
Legendary summons were different.
They granted their summoner abilities.
While still possessing their own independent powers.
This Talent was no handicap.
"Damn… if I had seen this during the Awakening Exam, I would have killed that damned slut!" Oliver muttered darkly.
"And cut the third leg off that fucking bastard!"
He raged quietly for a moment before eventually sighing.
There would be other opportunities for revenge.
Right now, what mattered most was getting stronger.
Fast.
"Equip Cloak of Assassins!" he commanded.
Instantly his appearance transformed.
A shadow-black hooded cloak materialized around his body, the fabric moving like liquid darkness as it draped over his shoulders.
Beneath it appeared a dark high-collared tunic that fit his frame perfectly.
A light grey sash wrapped around his waist.
His lower half was covered by long hakama-style trousers that flowed lightly with every movement.
Over the lower half of his face appeared a black cloth gaiter mask, concealing everything from the bridge of his nose downward.
It gave him a mysterious and dangerous aura.
His forearms were protected by light bracers that vanished partially beneath the folds of the cloak.
Thin wisps of dark smoke slowly drifted around his body like living shadows.
It felt surreal.
"This is insane," Oliver muttered, admiring the deadly elegance of his assassin attire.
However, the time for admiring himself was over.
It was time to grind.
---
A bright flash erupted.
Out of a burst of digital glitches, Oliver reappeared somewhere else entirely.
He now stood inside what looked like a massive citadel.
The place was filled with people of different classes moving everywhere.
Players walked through the wide streets while merchants shouted from stalls where large numbers of NPCs sold equipment, potions, and weapons.
Others were actively recruiting players into teams.
'This is the safe-zone town… the Base of Alkarya,' Oliver thought.
He quickly noticed the attention directed toward him.
"Wow… an assassin!"
"He looks so cool."
"Show-off."
Oliver ignored every single comment.
'Most likely they will try to recruit me. But the moment they discover I'm a summoner… I will immediately become a liability.'
A moment later his nine-inch tall dark crow materialized onto his shoulder, gripping softly onto the mantle of his cloak.
"Let's see if you are a useful crow," Oliver whispered.
He began walking through the familiar streets toward the massive gate that led outside the town.
While walking he glanced at the many stalls selling equipment he would have loved to purchase before heading out.
But the currency used in the Game was Karma Points.
The most important currency in the world now.
'If I gather enough, I will be able to upgrade the crow and finally see what its first evolution becomes,' Oliver thought eagerly.
Right now there were only three ways to obtain Karma Points.
One was buying them with real-world currency. A method which only benefited the rich.
Unfortunately, Oliver was anything but rich.
The second option was grinding monsters.
So for now…
He had to fight if he wanted Karma points.
It took a while but finally, Oliver reached the end of the houses where the streets opened into a wide clearing.
Ahead stood a massive gate built into thick stone walls that formed a protective circle around Alkarya.
Oliver continued walking toward it.
But just as he approached—
An old man sitting on a nearby boulder suddenly stood up and hurried forward, blocking his path.
The man wore rough sackcloth and carried only a small dagger at his waist.
He looked no different from an NPC.
Despite that…
Oliver recognized him immediately.
He could never forget this face.
Never again.
'This is one of the first people who wronged and bullied me when I first entered the Game before my regression,' Oliver thought coldly.
His eyes darkened behind the mask.
The old man extended his hand, rubbing his fingers together greedily.
"Aye, you are new folk here," the man said.
He waited for a response.
But Oliver remained silent.
"Well… there is a rule here, ya know," the old man continued, licking his lips greedily.
Then he grinned.
"Two Karma Points fee to pass the gate."