If the first announcement had startled the players and guilds who had just entered Reverbs universe. Then the second announcement had practically shaken the entire world at its roots.
[What the fuck! How is that possible]
[Who the heck is player Neo, we are both playing the same game but not only has he reached level 1 but he has even killed a level 5 boss]
[That's right, am having trouble just keeping up with a level 0 monster. How can a level 1 beat a level 5 elite?]
[If you ask me, he is definitely cheating. Just watch how the system administrators will call the guy out for cheating In a few minutes]
[Yeah, if someone wants to cheat, at least do it reasonably. What an idiot!]
[I don't know guys, could this player neo be some super awakened S rank expert from the real world?]
[Its possible.....]
Discussions among all players within the game had become heated over a single phenomenon. All of them were talking about the new, sensational player, Neo with his Godlike cheating skills in the system forum's chatbox.
As players had just started the game, the early stages were the most difficult times to conquer. All those hot headed players who had dashed straight into the woods to go hunting for level 0 or level 1 beasts the moment they stepped into the game had all experienced the same thing.
Death and without exception too....
So when the system announcement occurs telling them of the fact that someone had already broken through to become a level 1 player, it had shocked everyone, especially those super experts and awakened hunters in real life.
The Major and minor guilds were no different in this area.
"Who has any idea who this player Neo is, am practically dying with curiosity. Am willing to pay".
"Yeah right! Who knows when someone might come out and start claiming to be player Neo".
"Not when, it's already happening..."
"Who the hell is this guy? I haven't even stepped outside my city yet and he has already killed an Elite monster!"
While the players discussed heatedly about the whole situation, they were still just players after all, and were nowhere near reaching he level of top experts so the system notifications didn't cause much of a problem within them and had only sparked their curiosity.
However, it was the exact opposite for the famous guilds, high and low within the game. At this moment, all the guilds around Reverbs universe were in turmoil and were frantically using all their connections to try and locate this mysterious player that appeared out of nowhere.
Unlike regular players who only knew so much, they were super guilds and their connections spread far and wide. Not to mention the fact that they had their own players and experts under them who had gone out to challenge the strength of the monsters.
What was the result? Everything went horribly wrong.
Unless two or three players of the same level ganged up against a level 0 monster, they would be cleanly swept away like chickens being cut by a knife. Even those awakened experts all frowned as they had personally fought with those monsters and knew how dangerous it was.
Currently, there was not even a single awakened expert that had reached level 1 as the difficult requirements were too much to fulfil at such a short time. An unknown player practically accomplishing such a feat barely 12 minutes after the game was launched was a huge slap to their faces.
At this moment, many experts as well as B rank, A rank, even the few S rank guilds available were all in doubt. Who the hell was Neo!
It didn't take long before majority of the guilds came to a mutual understanding with each other even if they didn't realize it at all. They had to locate this player at all costs.
Meanwhile, Ethan who had caused the world announcement was completely oblivious to it as he had turned off the notifications for the game forum the moment he entered the game.
This was essential as you would never know when one would be interrupted by either a phone call or a message or even a sudden announcement in the chatbox when in the middle of a life and death battle.
If Ethan was accidentally killed because a message appeared on the forum, thereby distracting him from his thoughts, he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This kind of situation had happened to him one too many times in his previous life and was responsible for every 1 out of 5 deaths in the early stages of the game. It was so frequent that Ethan was very surprised that he managed to even reach 2nd Seal in his previous life when the bombshell news concerning the players deaths being directly proportional to the decrease in potential was released.
Currently, Ethan was inspecting his system screen. He derived a couple of theories for himself which he couldn't prove if they were true or not.
The first theory was that the plundering system was currently active but because he was in the game, the system screen for it wouldn't show but the functions would still be displayed.
The perfect example was when the notification had appeared in front of Celeste, the 3rd Seal angel right in front of her but she didn't even notice it. It seemed like the system was invisible to everyone else but himself, however, he couldn't bring himself to be sure of that possibility.
After all, he was in a world where the laws of physics had been defied time and time again. In fact, the subject physics itself had long since been removed from the teaching curriculums of high schools and universities years ago and had been replaced by the much broader and more interesting metaphysics that practically dealt in the study of Awakened hunters, their body structure and the supernatural itself.
All this started with the appearance of small pocket sized dimensional rifts appearing in several places all over the world leaking in some kind of energy called Mana.
Scientists were stumped all over the world as they scrambled to find the cause of this phenomenon while also examining the air contents to see what this new substance was.
A few months later, another phenomenon appeared. The first woman in the world who could lift a 100kg with only her finger.
As if that wasn't crazy enough, more crazy phenomenons happened one after the other. People who could run twice as fast as the fastest racecars, smashing a brick with bare hands, scaling a building with a single leap. Damn there were even those who could shoot fireballs from their hands and cover buildings in ice.
This was the beginning of the new world order.
The Beginning of the Awakened and the emergence, of powerful hunters and for a short time, the whole world was plunged into chaos.
Governments fell and were replaced by guilds, nations were renamed, crime became rampant and everywhere was in chaos. That was, until humankind was faced with the threat of extinction.
The Hunters association was created and in the face of a grave threat, humanity finally managed to pull through and come back from their chaotic era. After which, order was quickly reinstated.
It had been 30 years since the big phenomenon and now, however, that was before.
<< Reverb Universe >>
The worlds most realistic virtual reality game. Or at least, everyone thought it was a game at the very beginning.
"Open Character screen". Ethan said inwardly and with a thought, the system homepage was now in sight. However, Ethan was stupefied by the heaven defying changes his stats had gone through.
Name >> Neo
Level >> 1
Bloodline >> ?????
Class >> None
Health >> 225
<< Strength: 17/ Agility: 29(+29)/ movement speed 28 (+28)/ Stamina: 16/ Defences: 10/ Mana: - / Perception: 30 / Endurance: 10 >>
( Angels Source: Assimilation... 16% )
Spiritual Power >> 50
Damage power >> 35
Stat points: +1
His stats for a beginner player were currently, too horrifying. Despite the fact that he didn't break through to level 2, he could feel that he was very close to doing so. However, his level was the last thing on his mind right now and instead, what was currently the only thing in his sight, was the status character screen.
To be more specific, it was the Angels source assimilation bar. Ethan stayed still for a while before rummaging through the barrage of notifications he had received during the fight earlier. And sure enough.
<< You have pushed your perception stats to the limit and achieved a breakthrough in your perception >>
<< Because of fully unassimilated Angels source, Your rate of improvement will be twice as fast than ordinary players until assimilation is complete >>
< You have pushed your agility to the limit and achieved a breakthrough/ Your agility has increased >
<< You have pushed your Movement speed to the limit and achieved a breakthrough/ Your movement speed has increased >>
"Angel's source! This was what the system assimilated from Celeste. But, how is it still assimilating? Ethan fell into deep thought as he pondered over the possible reasons.
"Could it be that the assimilation wasn't complete so the system actually stored it and allowed me to access that power slowly". Ethan suddenly jerked up as his eyes twinkled like bright stars in the darkness.
"If that's the case, I have hit the jackpot". Ethan exclaimed as he held back the urge to laugh out loud to the heavens. He was currently in a dungeon map and attracting the attention of a superior being towards himself was the last thing he wanted to do.
What he didn't know was that the moment he stepped into this dungeon, something was already keeping watch on him. Not just him, all the other players who had entered the Undead ruins were being watched without knowing it.
Ethan smiled in happiness and stored back his system screen. He took a look around and headed back in the direction of the undead goblins, after all, their bodies were valuable loot and there could be some equipment or copper coins.
Ethan had automatically ruled out skill books as there was no way he would obtain a skill book from a monster below level five. He ran at lightning speed and in a matter of a dozen seconds, he had crossed more than 150 yards and arrived in front of the rotten bodies of the undead goblins.
With Ethan's stats right now, he could be considered invincible among level 1 players. Such strength and stamina stats were considered outstanding even among awakened hunters as most awakened had only increased their stats by a three points or four points at most, with the highest being at 15 points for any stat.
However, Ethan's strength stats had already exceeded 16 points and was already at 17. His stamina was nothing to joke about as well as it had also passed the 15 meter mark that had been set by those expert players.
Although nobody would realise it at the start, those who didn't build up their stamina stats early in the game would regret it in a few months time. During that time, stamina potions would become extremely expensive as energy would be drained during fights with monsters.
If ones stamina drained halfway during a fight, the result would be obvious.
"When I finish this quest, I will immediately stockpile on the resources used to create the novice stamina potion". He said as a determined look appeared on his face.
"Despite that, the most horrifying stat I have right now should be my agility stat and movement speed. Wait..... My perception is even higher than both of them". Ethan sighed out loud.
Currently, because of his active skill, he was currently the fastest player alive and would probably remain so for a long time.
Ethan then turned his attention to the next most important thing he had to look at.
"Although it isn't bronze rank, it should still be something good. Its one grade higher after all. Pleaseee be in there". Ethan pleaded as he opened the Silver grade mystery box. He couldn't help but have his back soaked in cold sweat as he opened it.
The mystery box opened with a dazzling silver light burst forth with a stunning radiance. Ethan crossed his fingers like a child would as he tried to calm his beating heart.
If he wanted to make enough money for him and Lily to not starve to death, the fastest way was for what he wanted to still be inside this box. If not, his money making plans would be brought to a temporary hall
<< Congratulations Player Neo for being the first person ever to open a Silver Grade Mystery Box >>
<< Rewards: +5 Reputation points >>
The dazzling lights finally dimmed, alongside the appearance of the notification, Ethan saw two items hand landed on his palms. One was a skill book which had a bright blue cover with the picture of a round flaming ball on it.
The other, was a dark blue ring with special engravings on it. Ethan who had been a little interested in magical runes knew what those engravings were. They were space inscription engravings.
"Phew! What a relief, thank goodness that its still a spatial ring". Ethan eaved a sigh of relief as he took the ring and placed it on his finger without a shred of hesitation.
<< Equipment obtained: Dawrven Inter spatial ring. Grade: Silver. Space within: 20 cubics. Equipment level:0 >>
<< A separate dimensional space made by the dwarfs rare spatial magic. Able to store objects and non living things in this separate space >>
<< Warning: cannot store Living beings or other spatial materials >>
"Its actually 20 cubics! The space increased!" Ethan's eyes lit up and he stared at the spatial ring with a burning gaze. Originally, he would have been very contented as long as the same spatial ring came out, but not only did it come out, it actually came with a doubled space.
Besides that, it had been accompanied with a special skill. What good luck did he receive in his second life. Ethan felt over the moon as he kept the picked up the second item. The reason why he needed this spatial ring was because in the game, storage inventories didn't appear until a player reached the 4th Seal.
This was a major downer and had caused a lot of inconveniences for players, especially those who had killed a rather large monster and wanted to transport it to sell.
Not only were they unable to move such heavy beasts, but some of those players who weren't strong enough had even been robbed. This proved the significance of having a spatial ring with you.
Just for the convenience alone, it was a good item to have. Ethan needed the spatial ring for another purpose.
<< Blue flaming ball skill: Shots a concentrated amount of fire from the palms of your hands and shoots it forward to cause high damage attacks >>
<< Requires 30 mana points for each shot >>
<< Level: unranked (Growth potential: 4th Seal ) >>
Ethan nearly choked on his own saliva. Wasn't this a little too lucky.