Ethan stared at the strange text for some time before making a swipe with his hand, and it went to the next screen.
Earlier, before entering the pod, he had read the manual carefully, so he knew how to operate the pod, which felt like it had transported him into a different world entirely.
The next screen showed up, and there were two texts now.
[Create a new account] [Login to proceed]
Ethan proceeded to create a new account since this was his first time.
After creating the account and imputing his new password, he was transported from the white space and he appeared in a black space that seemed void and looked endless.
A few seconds later, several square-shaped boxes began to pop out, filling the black space. Within the boxes, there were photos of different fighting terrains.
The boxes had various terrains, such as space, for space battles; huge fields, for training; a Roman-styled colisium; fighting rings; islands; deserts; and an underneath water training ground.
Ethan skimmed through the different fighting terrains. While navigating through the photos, he saw some boxes were blank and a huge lock was placed on them.
He assumed those to be locked, as he had read in the manuals that some terrains were locked and only available for high-ranking players.
Ethan finally swiped a box upward, and he was transported again from his spot and appeared on an island.
"This feels so real," Ethan said as he felt his leg sinking deep into the white beach sand.
The island seemed to be relatively small in size, and it looked to be situated in the heart of a vast blue sea. Several lush brown trees could be seen all over the island, and the sweet, nostalgic pine scents sipped into his nostrils. Birds could be seen chirping away in the trees, but what stood out the most was the huge table-shaped mountain in the middle of the island, which seemed to be occupying 2 thirds of the island.
Ethan was impressed by the graphics of this VR world because the place also gave a relaxed vibe, but for someone, it was about to become a training ground.
The manual stated that this was a virtual world, and it was mainly used by the military for training and, occasionally, a few tournaments to decide the world ranking of players. The tournaments can be participated in only among the military departments and factions, but since they have introduced the world military academy, students can also participate now. It also had PvP features.
Ethan walked to a nearby tree, which had a rough exterior, and he hurled a punch. His hand print appeared when his fist collided with the tree.
"Now to start my training," Ethan said, and swiftly took off his top.
"Since I am going to spew flames like crazy, my clothes need to be intact—wait, isn't this a VR world? Why am I even taking off my shirt?" The realization struck him, but the deed had already been done. The visual was so real that he forgot himself.
"The best place to train would be that mountain," Ethan thought, glancing at the table-shaped mountain.
[Partial transformation activated]
Immediately after Ethan activated his transformation, strong red wings started protruding out of his back slowly.
"Ah..." Ethan gritted his teeth and clenched his hands tightly as his scream echoed throughout the island. Despite the fact that it was VR, there was still pain due to the pain features, which Ethan had forgotten to turn off. As a result, it is set to the maximum.
The wings ripped through his back before the wongs finally freed themselves, and it made a flapping sound
....
"Oh f**ck!" Ethan screamed as he approached the tall, huge tree. He had no control over his wings; the wings act as if they have a mind of their own.
Some minutes ago, he had steady control of the wings, but when he got closer to the huge mountain, the wings suddenly stopped flapping, and now he was falling at a relatively fast speed.
He was now a few meters away from colliding with the huge tree truck. He had already imagined countless ways the pain would feel.
"Holy fu*ck!!!" Ethan screamed as he etched closer to the tree.
"Idiot, flap your wings in reverse." Ethan abruptly heard Rowena's yelling voice.
Ethan flapped his wings backwards, and the force it generated pushed him backwards.
After he gained balance in the air, Rowena started lecturing him.
"moron, Don't treat the wings as if they're an accessory. It is now a part of your dam body," Rowena yelled.
Hearing Rowena's tone, Ethan knew he was pissed.
Ethan didn't know how to react, because even back in the Draconian empire, the dragons normally learned how to fly, and it takes months. He was able to lift and flap his wings just after his evolution, and this usually takes others a month to accomplish, but here he was being berated because he suddenly lost control of his wings.
Rowena realized his outburst and said in a softer voice, "Try controlling the wings the way you would normally control your hands."
Ethan nodded and took a deep breath before flapping his wings, and this time, he had controlled them the way he would normally control any part of his body.
" Alright, time to do this," Ethan said after he had gotten the hang of it, and he curled his wings, narrowing them closer to his body, and after a second, he zoomed upward like a missile.
"Now you're talking," Rowena chuckled.
Ethan moved upward, following the huge, tall mountain wall.
When he got closer to the top, he slowed down before he accelerated and zoomed past the mountain. He soon stood in the air with his wings flapping behind him and his hair waving in the air.
"I wish I could use this in the real world," Ethan said before he shifted his gaze to the island.
"It seemed like the humans had surpassed the Draconian empire in this aspect," Ethan said before he descended to the ground.
Earth 2 was designed in such a way that people could use any of their abilities within it, and the best part was the secrecy; the developers designed the game in such a way that even they would not know which abilities were being used, which was one of the reasons why Ethan used his abilities freely and carelessly.
Upon stepping onto the flat mountain top, Ethan saw the space in front of him distorted, and red sparks started forming around the spot before it started to spin around, creating a tornado.
The dust from the tornado sipped into Ethan's nostrils, making him sneeze.
"Is something wrong with this game?" Ethan said, and just as he finished his sentence, the red sparks stopped and revealed Rowena's tall figure, who stood there with a smug expression.
"Were you expecting a reaction?" Ethan asked because the latter still had his smug face, and he added,
"Is that why you made such a grand entrance?"
"It seems like you have the strength to talk, so let's get this ass kicking. I mean, training on the way, "Rowena said, and flexed his muscles.
" And also, this training will be hard because of your upcoming match, and I might teach you one or two skills. And remember, the purebloods are not to be underestimated; they were tough opponents for even me in the past. "
Ethan asked after hearing what the latter said, "Did I hear you right? You said even for you, so does that mean you–"
"Yes, I once fought against them, and guess what, I trashed them well," Rowena said with a smile.
This is the second time Ethan has heard about Rowena's past life. He would have loved to know more, but the latter seemed tight-lipped and wouldn't reveal anything.
"Alright, time for the moment of truth. Let the ass-kicking begins!!"
*****