Five minutes remained until the gate's anticipated opening. Yet, the developers had kept its location a closely guarded secret, leaving players to speculate. Conventional wisdom dictated that the EASTERN continent would indeed lie to the east, prompting a surge of activity towards the map's easternmost locale—the Elysian Isles. Meanwhile, others scoured forums and chat rooms for any elusive hints or leaks.
"Think it'll be a traditional Eastern theme?" Phoenix's query cut through the quiet of the main hall, where he lounged beside Jimmy.
Jimmy shrugged, his expression reflecting the uncertainty shared by many players. "Can't say for sure. This game's full of surprises"
With just ten seconds left on the countdown, anticipation hung thick in the air. Players braced themselves for the impending update, their expectations soaring. The promise of an expansive expansion, sprung as a surprise by the developers, only fueled the excitement further.
The moment arrived, with one minute slipping by, then five, and still, there was no sign of the gates. Anxious tension filled the air, palpable as players around the world awaited the promised update. Suddenly, all screens went black, plunging players into darkness save for a lone message that materialized:
THANK YOU FOR PLAYING PHASE 1 OF SWORDMASTERS..
COMMENCING PHASE 2..
Rage's room was violently jolted by a massive earthquake, prompting him to seek refuge beneath his desk. The tremors felt endless, a cacophony of chaos and uncertainty.
Eventually, the earth settled, and an eerie calm descended. But it was short-lived. A subtle tremor rippled through the ground, signaling the arrival of colossal gates—massive portals that materialized in the heart of every major city across the globe.
Rage looked out the window to see crowds gathered around this imposing structure that he could see just outside his window, drawn by curiosity and a sense of awe. Police hastily erected barricades, attempting to maintain order amidst the growing chaos. Reporters and players alike clamored for a closer look, their excitement bordering on reckless as they crowded around the gates.
Among the Highthorn players, a stunned silence descended over the group call as each grappled with the enormity of the unfolding events. Suddenly, without warning, a status window materialized before Rage:
INITIALIZING PLAYER DATA
PLAYER DATA VERIFIED
PLAYER LEVEL: 425 | NEW LEVEL: 1 | PRESTIGE LEVEL: 4.
PLAYER: RAGE.
LEVEL: 1 (P4).
CALSS: ELDRICH KNIGHT.
UNIQUE SKILLS: DEMONIC AUTHORITY.
PLEASE REDISTRIBUTE YOUR STATS.
UNSPENT STAT POINTS: 10.
Rage's heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the surreal display before him. With trembling hands, he rubbed his eyes, half-expecting that information window to vanish. Yet, as the words remained before him, he realized this was all too real.
Breaking the silence, a voice pierced through the haze of disbelief. "Listen, no matter how insane this seems, it's happening. Let's redistribute our stats and regroup at the gate in 30 minutes" Phoenix's reassurance carried a faint undercurrent of anxiety, mirrored in the eyes of his companions
Rage carefully placed his stats the same way he did when he started the game.
STAT DISTRIBUTION COMPLETE.
STR: 2 | AGI: 4 |STA: 2 | WIS: 2
After dressing, he hesitated at the door, a sense of unease lingering in the air. Opting to forego driving in such tense atmosphere, he set out on foot toward the city center where the gate loomed.
He walked his way towards the city center, where the gate appeared. It wasn't that far, but his inner thoughts made it feel like an eternity.
Arriving at the gate, he was greeted by a vast crowd, quickly recognizing his friends by one of the cafes they used to hang out in.
"Has anything happened yet?" Rage asked.
"Not really; the police are all over the place preventing anyone from getting near the gate" Sensei replied.
Suddenly, amidst the chaos, the sky looked like it had split, a colossal angel-like being descending before hovering above the gate.
"Greetings, swordmasters; I am Aelarion, the lower administrator of the gate, known among you as the game developer."
A hush fell over the once-raucous crowd as news spread that Aelarion's presence was simultaneously broadcast in every country.
"Thank you for completing the first phase of Swordmasters; your world has been chosen as the third participant in the grand Interdimensional Exploration Initiative, aimed to introduce different worlds to each other; before initiating phase 2, please allow me to give you the rules."
Aelarion cleared his throat, adopting a more formal tone.
"All players were set to hardcore mode; respawns have been disabled inside the gate, so caution is advised"
A sudden commotion broke the previous silence, but Aelarion's authoritative voice swiftly subdued the crowd as he proceeded with the rules.
"The three worlds will be connected through the eastern continent, giving access to all three worlds through their respective gates"
"Moving on to phase 1 rewards, every 100 levels will be condensed down to one prestige level; prestige can't be gained again until phase 3, this will only apply to players above level 200 and will grant access to a special prestige shop"
The announcement of the Prestige Shop opening drew his gaze to his status window, where a new button had appeared labeled 'Prestige Shop' He made a mental note to explore it later, returning his focus to Aelarion's speech.
CALCULATING PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR PRESTIGE REWARDS.
TOTAL PLAYER BASE: 1.2B | VIABLE PLAYERS: 45,512,711.
PRESTIGE SHOP IS NOW OPEN TO PLAYERS WITH PRESTIGE LEVELS.
Rage looked at his status window, and a new button appeared, "Prestige shop" he left it for later, focusing more on Aelarion's speech.
"Lastly, the special rewards for Phase 1 presented to the top 3 players"
A hologram materialized in front of the gate, displaying a giant screen. Below it stood three distinct figures: Rage, the clan master of Highthorn; Adrian, the guild master of Azure Knights; and the solo player Scarlet.
Rage's body ascended, seeming weightless as he was drawn toward his holographic representation. Madeen couldn't contain his excitement, breaking the tension with cheers for his friend.
"Rank 1, Rage from Egypt"
The vast screen's broadcast showed Rage before shifting to a blonde, blue-eyed young man being pulled towards the gate.
"Rank 2, Adrian from Germany"
The screen shifted again, this time to a short young woman with red hair.
"Ah, look, it's the gremlin" said Madeen chuckling to himself.
"Rank 3, Scarlet from Korea"
PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR REWARD
As the screen prompted them to choose their rewards, the expressions on their faces revealed their emotions: Adrian exuded confidence, Scarlet remained stoic despite her trembling hands, and despite his stress, Rage swiftly made his selection.
ALL REWARDS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN
With all rewards chosen, Rage returned to his spot, only to be engulfed by a swarm of players and reporters clamoring for autographs and interviews. Madeen intervened, materializing his scythe to create a minor tremor that halted their advance.
"Calm down, fellas" Madeen asserted, positioning himself protectively in front of Rage, restoring order to the chaotic scene.
INITIATING PHASE 2, GOOD LUCK SWORDMASTERS
The player's reactions were mixed, some confident rushing inside the gate, looking for a head start. In contrast, others hesitated and decided to observe for the time being.
The police came in, escorting all six Highthorn players to the nearest police station for safety; an old officer greeted them; his body was in great shape despite the white hair giving his age away.
"Hey kid, you with me?" the old man on the desk called out.
"Ah, y-yes, sir, I'm sorry.." Rage replied.
The old man sighed. "This entire situation is a mess. I'm a bit old, so I don't know much about those video games, but I was hoping to get an explanation"
Rage didn't know how to explain; he was as confused as the old man, but he tried to describe the game and the announcement that was released a day before.
"I see; by the way, you may want to look at your eyes" the old man said.
Rage looked confused, "My eyes?"
The old man reached down to one of his desk drawers, grabbed a hand mirror, and handed it to him.
Upon looking at himself, only one thing came out of his mouth: "Oh no..".
After looking at the mirror, he saw his eyes turned black, with a dark yellow iris; his game character was a demon, so it had distinct racial features, but he never thought it would reflect on his real-life appearance.
"Well, we will move your residences temporarily closer to the station for safety purposes"
"No need, sir; since we already have a clan house inside the gate, it won't be a problem. My clan mates and I will spend most of our time in the gate anyways"
"Take all the time you need; my name is Youssef. I already left my number with your friends. I'll make sure those lousy reporters don't cause more ruckus"
Old man Youssef took his jacket and headed outside the office, leaving Rage drowning in his thoughts.
After a minute, Rage made his way out of the office to meet back with his friends; an escort was tasked with delivering them safely to the gate.
One short drive later, the players were dropped by the gate. It was still crowded, but most people either went inside or left judging by how less crowded it was.
"Alright, time to head inside as well" Rage said, stress still visible in his voice.
They closed their eyes as they crossed the gate, emerging in a vibrant forest filled with both players and normal civilians, civilians seemed to be able to pass the gate but were unable to use any of the items the players used.
There were no signals so live broadcasting was impossible, but most reporters just resorted to capturing videos.
Sensei walked closer to Madeen, a sense of curiosity in his eyes.
"By the way, how did you take out that scythe?" Sensei asked Madeen.
"I don't know, I just thought about it, and it appeared in my hand" Madeen answered, "It's not like we have a UI for our inventory now"
"We do" Jimmy said, "Just say inventory, the same you do with the status window to make it appear, but it looks like you figured out a way to take items out without opening the UI; how curious" he added.
"Also, what's with all this? I got dual daggers and reinforced leather armour, which are all level 80 and above" Rage said with a confused expression.
"I think it's because of our prestige level. Most players here are P2 or have no prestige at all, so they received a shabby shortsword and wooden shield or some rags for armor" Jimmy answered.
"Well then, time to go hunting" said Madeen with a smirk before taking off toward the forest.