It truly was insane. Bell looked around; what he saw was an empty and almost lifeless land. There was almost no one in sight. No, that wasn't it. Aside from him, there wasn't anyone or even anything as far as his eyes could see!
There wasn't even a starter town! What was this? He frowned heavily; it was as though the developer's budget was short and he couldn't afford to design anything other than flat ground.
"Fuck. What should I do?" Bell scratched his head from confusion. Should he explore first?
As if answering him, the system's message occupied his vision once more.
[You can now open your starter supplies.]
Starter supplies? Bell then lowered his eyes as the worm-like thing disintegrated, leaving a small box. He didn't immediately open it, though. When he took a step, his attention was then caught by his senses.
Now that he had already appeared for a few minutes, he finally managed to observe himself. An astonished expression once more occupied his face. He deliberately moved, jumped, and walked. Bell also examined his senses. He looked up and took a deep breath.
Finally, his eyes grew wide.
"Fuck, these sensations are too real, right?" Bell had tested a lot of games, and those were all mediocre borderline trash, but he also would play the top-rated games in the market when he was free.
Even Fantasy Land, which the world governments were pushing as a revolutionary game, had yet to reach absolute perfection. Their sensations were there, but they were a bit dull, and one would still discern them as being inside the game.
But this time, Bell was surprised to know that he had a hard time distinguishing between reality and the virtual world! His heart skipped a beat, and while there was a system, he still couldn't help but get scared.
"System, open my user interface."
Soon, his game information was displayed.
[Player Name: GamerBell
Level: 1
Race: Abyss Knight
Abyssal Essence: 0/5
Evolution Progress: 1% (Newborn)
Common Skill: Abyssal Strike (Upgradable)
Attributes: [Hidden]
Evolution Bonus: 0
Lord's Favor: N/A ]
Bell finally sighed in relief and read his information. Another system message was then prompted.
[Say your name to summon the system again.]
Oh, okay. He nodded at this convenience. There was a bit of similarity in the usual game interface, but there were a lot of unfamiliar names as well. What first caught his attention was the Abyssal Essence. What was that? Perhaps the experience points?
Scratching his head, he closed the interface once more and proceeded to open the small box, which was said to be his starter supplies. It was indeed a small box that could only hold a few things at most.
Bell didn't have hopes that it would include valuable supplies—perhaps a weapon at least. However, when he opened it, he was surprised that it was much bigger inside.
Then again, it made sense. After all, it was a game with an obvious magical theme. He was deceived by the real sensations and thought that he was using his normal common sense.
Sighing, he looked at what was inside. There was a sword, armor, and a small booklet inside.
[Abyssal Realm's Basic Manual
- A small book that holds the basic information about Abyssal Realm. It includes, but is not limited to, monster information and the customs in the Abyss.]
[Do you want to learn Abyssal Realm's Basic Manual?]
Of course, Bell said yes, and the small book shone as it scattered and merged within him.
[You now have basic access authority]
Eh? That's it? What does basic access authority mean?
Bell didn't delay too much, and as he pondered, he also equipped his weapons, which only had a trash rarity, and decided to explore ahead. He was intrigued by this game as time passed. Although he had no clue about the full content of the game, just from its technology alone had already reached absolute realism, Bell had decided to approve it.
And while Bell was walking towards the unknown, someone was also watching him. Zyreth sat on his throne as he watched Bell on his monitor.
His eyes looked not only at Bell but even within him, examining the soul of this human. It was still pure, but as he looked closely, there was now a slight blemish in it. It was only the size of a dot, but considering Bell's soul was a bit inferior, it was already significant.
Zyreth's lips curved into a satisfied smile. His test was successful. Not only did he successfully summon the human soul, giving them rebirth in his domain, but he also confirmed that his plan was possible. These little influences were like a seeds that would no doubt germinate as they continued to evolve as abyssal beings.
He also looked at the condition of Bell's body. It was stable, and even though his soul was actually not within the body, he only looked asleep at most.
Nodding his head, his test inside was complete. Bell's job was finished; Zyreth didn't want to waste too much time with evaluation, and he wanted to release his game immediately.
Now that Bell was inside his domain, slightly influencing his thoughts was extremely easy. Before he could proceed further into the Abyss Edge, Bell decided to log out and approve the game.
Although he didn't know, he was extremely eager for this game to be released! Maybe he really wanted to introduce this game to the world. Looking at the dark surroundings and almost horrifying atmosphere, anticipation surged within him.
For the first time, he was looking forward to when this place would be bustling with players!
After he logged out, Zyreth also confirmed that nothing was wrong when they disconnected from the game and returned to their main body. The only change was the slight influence of the Abyss.
In less than an hour, the Game of the Abyss was approved. Although it was extremely quick, it didn't garner too much attention from the higher-ups. They were all uninterested in the games approved by the lower-ranking teams.
Unknown to everyone in the world, this day marked a new era.
Zyreth only wanted the legal certificate and nothing else; otherwise, he would be marketing in the underground world, which was too slow for his liking.
Being approved means he could promote out in the open. Of course, his company or game didn't have any popularity, so garnering attention was still difficult at first. However, he knew that it was only a matter of time before his game would create a sensation among the player community.
He used his absolute supremacy over the virtual network and made his own advertisement for the game. Zyreth wasn't too concerned about the teaser for the game. He only released a twenty-second silent video. It didn't have a lot of information aside from clips of the Abyss Edge, some Abyssal creatures, and the silhouettes of the races.
Zyreth had spread it over the main platform and even gave it a recommendation on the game sales platform. Now, he only had to wait for the release.
-
-
[The Abyssal Realm Opens on 6.6]
"The Game of the Abyss?" a deep voice rang in the darkness; his eyes were fixed on the screen. "It seems it's interesting." Gradually, his eyes squinted in amusement, his lips arching into a smirk.
Atlas Quin, a solo player. What waves would he create in the future?