"There's no way I'm going back to grinding for gold. Not in this life. No way am I settling for an ordinary existence. From this day on, even if I die of thirst, starve to death, or jump off a cliff—I'll never walk the beaten path!"
"So this time, I've decided to become a thief and steal my way to the top!"
Inside a small, sparsely furnished apartment, Zane Carter sat in a chair, staring at the VR headset on his desk, making his declaration with absolute conviction.
The headset was the login device for Ascension Online, the revolutionary VRMMORPG that had taken the world by storm.
Zane had spent years making a living through gaming.
In other words, he was one of those so-called professional gold farmers—a player grinding for in-game currency to sell for real money.
Lazy by nature and unwilling to conform to the constraints of a normal job, he had once been a legend in internet cafés, earning admiration from casual players.
When VR gaming rose in popularity, he shifted into professional gold farming full-time.
Though the work was exhausting, even more so than a regular job, it gave him freedom. He wasn't rich, but he made enough to live comfortably while avoiding the monotony of a nine-to-five grind.
But over time, Zane started to feel like he was wasting his life.
When gaming becomes work, even the most exciting game loses its fun.
He was getting sick of it.
Then, as if fate had answered his frustrations, Ascension Online was announced.
Marketed as the ultimate VRMMORPG, the game was developed through global collaboration, backed by governments worldwide, and promised 100% realism for an unprecedented level of immersion.
The moment the game was revealed, it became a worldwide sensation.
News outlets, streaming platforms—everyone was talking about it.
And for Zane, the timing couldn't have been better.
No more grinding. No more treating games like a job. Screw that!
From now on, he would play only for himself.
At exactly 7:59 PM, he checked his phone one last time.
"One minute left until launch. Time to get started."
Lying down on his bed, Zane put on the VR headset.
As the clock struck 8:00 PM, his vision went black. A strange sensation washed over him, as if his consciousness was detaching from his body and traveling through an endless tunnel.
Then, suddenly, light filled his vision.
When he regained his senses, he found himself standing in a majestic golden hall.
A luxurious red carpet stretched beneath his feet, towering golden pillars surrounded him, and a sacred, orchestral melody played in the background.
"Damn… this is way too real."
Jumping in place, he felt the weight of his body, the texture of the ground beneath him—it was nothing like any game he had ever played before.
After taking a moment to admire the surroundings, he proceeded through the usual character creation process.
His default avatar was an exact replica of his real appearance.
After tweaking a few details, he settled on a slightly rogueish, yet charismatic look.
"Please enter your character name."
A smirk formed on his lips as he typed in the perfect name.
"Not Your Average Worker."
At that moment, a sacred magic circle appeared above the hall.
Golden runes lit up, radiant light cascaded from the sky, surrounding him in an ethereal glow.
This was the Talent Awakening Ceremony.
Talents were a core feature of Ascension Online, as explained on the official website.
They were divided into nine ranks: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS.
They were also categorized by type, including attack, defense, speed, support, and special traits.
According to the developers, even SSS-Rank Talents wouldn't grant overwhelming power early in the game. They even released examples of lower-tier talents to reassure players not to worry too much about rankings.
Of course, no one actually believed that.
A higher-tier talent might not be overpowered at the start, but it would definitely become game-breaking later on.
For example, mages would naturally want a magic attack talent.
Archers would prefer something that boosted range.
To accommodate different playstyles, the game offered two awakening methods:
Manual Awakening allowed players to choose a category, ensuring compatibility with their preferred playstyle. However, the strongest possible talent through this method was capped at S-Rank, and special trait talents were completely off-limits.
Random Awakening, on the other hand, was pure chance. The result could be anything. A warrior might receive a speed-based ability, forcing them to reconsider their build. A healer might end up with an offensive power they had no use for.
A bad roll could ruin someone's entire plan.
For risk-averse players, Manual Awakening was the safest option.
"Please select your Awakening Method."
[Option 1: Manual Awakening]
[Option 2: Random Awakening]
A soft, melodic voice echoed in his ears.
Zane didn't even hesitate.
He picked Random Awakening.
He had already decided to live on his own terms—so why play it safe?
Time to take a gamble.
The sacred runes above started spinning faster, their glow intensifying. Suddenly, a beam of pure, divine light descended upon him.
At that moment, he felt something deep inside him unlock—a power waiting to be unleashed.
"Congratulations! You have awakened the SSS-Rank Special Talent—'Infinite Potential'!"
For a moment, Zane just stood there, blinking.
"Wait… did I just hit the jackpot?"
Then, realization hit.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Guess even fate wants me to live freely."
Pushing aside his shock, he eagerly pulled up his Talent Menu.
[Infinite Potential] (SSS-Rank Special Talent)
Effect 1: Choose up to 10 active skills to gain unlimited growth potential. These skills have no level cap and a 20% chance to mutate with each level-up, unlocking new effects.
Effect 2: Every 5 player levels, gain +1 additional skill slot for unlimited growth.
Effect 3: Cooldowns reduced by 50%, resource costs reduced by 80%, and skill mastery progression increased by 1000%.
Description: An SSS-Rank Talent. You cannot begin to fathom what happens when a skill reaches its true potential.
Zane whistled.
Even without testing it, he knew this talent was beyond broken.
The developers were right about one thing. Even the strongest talents were not game-breaking at the start.
But this was different.
A plan was already forming in his mind. The more he thought about it, the clearer the possibilities became.
A sly grin crept onto his face.
"This is going to be fun."
In the golden hall, Zane Carter chuckled darkly.