Chapter 6 Beta Phase II

As the four of them reached the location of the beta phase, they couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and anticipation. The building where the beta test was being held was a towering structure, with sleek, modern architecture that gleamed in the bright sunlight. The line of beta testers stretched out in front of them, snaking its way around the building and disappearing into the distance.

Seeing the long line in front of them, Kai let out a sigh, "Looks like we're going to wait for a while."

Kate shrugged, "I told you that there will be 996 other beta testers. Don't even mention the people who are staying in line, hoping to get a place when someone doesn't show up like they should."

The four of them sighed in defeat and waited patiently in line for their turn. As they waited, Kai started to talk about the start of the game. "The developers told us on the news that when we start the game, we will appear in a virtual room where an AI will test our talents and make a status based on it. Isn't that exciting? I wonder what my status will be like!"

Kate added, "Not only that, Kai. The AI will also give us specific skills that are compatible with our talent."

Layla and Zephyrion were amazed as they heard their friends talking. They had played games before, but never a VR game. They had been busy with training, and the first full dive VR games had only been released a year ago. The thought of experiencing a fully immersive virtual world was both exciting and intimidating. 

As they stood in line, the four friends discussed their expectations for the game. Kai couldn't wait to embark on an adventure and explore the vast, open world. He was excited to see what kinds of creatures and landscapes awaited him. Kate was determined to test her skills and push herself to the limit, eager to see how far she could go in the game.

Layla was looking forward to engaging in combat and testing her Martial-art against all kinds of creatures and opponents in the game. Zephyrion, on the other hand, was intrigued by the game mechanics and how they would work. He wanted to understand the underlying systems that would govern the game and how players would interact with them.

As the four of them finally reached the front of the line after waiting for three hours, the person behind the counter asked for their invitations to the beta phase. Kate pulled out four invitations from her bag and handed them over to the guy.

He checked them and then handed each of them a small device that looked like a bracelet. "This is your VR device, make sure to keep it with you at all times while in-game. Your unique ID is encoded in it, so don't lose it," he said.

Excitement bubbled up inside them as they left the counter and made their way to the gaming area. The gaming area was a large, dimly lit room with rows and rows of futuristic-looking capsules. Each capsule had a smooth, metallic exterior with a glowing emblem of the game's logo on the front. The capsules were about the size of a single bed and were lined up in neat rows, stretching as far as the eye could see.

As they walked down the rows of capsules, they could see other beta testers eagerly entering them. The process was simple: they put on the helmet attached to the capsule, lay down inside, and the next moment the capsule closed and the person inside was enveloped in darkness. The capsule was equipped with advanced technology that would create a full-dive virtual reality experience, allowing the players to fully immerse themselves in the game world.

Finally, they reached the next available capsules and quickly put on their VR helmets. Kai's eyes lit up with excitement as he lay down, eagerly anticipating the adventures that awaited him.

"See you soon, guys. Peace," he said as he lay down in his capsule and closed his eyes.

Kate shook her head at Kai's eagerness and put on her VR helmet. As she closed her eyes, the real world faded away and she was fully immersed in the game world.

Layla, on the other hand, gave Zephyrion a small kiss and a playful wink before entering her capsule. She was looking forward to testing her combat skills and exploring the world with her friends.

Zephyrion smiled back at Layla and followed suit, entering his capsule and putting on his VR helmet. As he closed his eyes, he felt the world around him fade away as he fully dove into the game.

Zephyrion slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a small, blue room that resembled a virtual reality chamber. As he took in his surroundings, he was amazed by how everything looked and felt just like the real world. He stood up and stretched, feeling his muscles flexing with ease. Just then, a message board appeared in front of him with the words.

[Welcome, Player] 

Zephyrion read the message and waited for the next one to appear. After a few seconds, another message appeared on the board, which read:

[Please wait until your status is completed] 

Zephyrion settled down on the floor and waited patiently. The room was eerily quiet, but he could hear the sound of his own breathing echoing through the chamber. After a few moments, a new message appeared on the board:

[Your status is complete. Say 'Status' to view it. Feel free to check your status while we finish measuring your talents and assigning you an approval skill] 

Zephyrion couldn't contain his excitement and immediately said, "Status." Suddenly, a holographic display appeared in front of him, revealing his stats in great detail.

[Status] 

Name: [Please chose your name] 

Race: [Human] 

Class: [None] 

Title: [???] 

Level: [1]

Next lv: [0%]

Stats:

Hp: [160/160]           Sta: [45/45] 

Atk: [+8]                     M-Atk : [+0] 

Def: [+9]                     M-Def : [+9]

Spd: [+25%]               Sense : [+45%]

Str: [4]

Agi: [5]

Dex: [7]

Int: [0]

Vit: [8]

End: [9]

Wis: [0]

Stat points: [10]

Skill points: [1] 

Aktiv skills: [0/10]

Passiv skills: [0/15]

Zephyrion looked over his status board in awe, marveling at the vast amount of information presented to him. However, he was confused about how his stat points would affect his abilities in the virtual world.

"Wait a minute," he thought, scratching his head. "What do these stat points actually do? And how should I allocate them?" 

As if in response to his thoughts, multiple messages appeared on in front of him, providing a explanation of each attribute and what benefits it would give him.

[Str=Strength: 1 Str point gives +2 Attack damage] 

[Agi=Agility: 1 Agi point gives +5% movement speed] 

[Dex=Dexterity: 1 Dex point makes the 5 human senses +5% better] 

[Int=Intelligence: 1 Int point gives +2 magic attack damage and +10 mana points] 

[Vit=Vitality: 1 Vit point gives +20 HP and +0.2% HP recovery each minute. (HP recovery only works when out of battle)] 

[End=Endurance: 1 End point gives +1 defense, +1 magic defense, +5 Stamina, and +0.02% Stamina recovery each minute. (Sta recovery only works when out of battle)] 

[Wis=Wisdom: 1 Wis point gives +0.5% mana recovery each minute. (Also works while fighting)] 

Zephyrion nodded as he read through the messages, finally understanding the benefits of each attribute. He began to plan how to allocate his stat points, hoping to maximize his effectiveness in the virtual world.

As Zephyrion glanced at his status board again, he couldn't help but notice the title section, which displayed only [???]. He furrowed his brows, wondering what it could mean.

"What does this mean?" he muttered to himself.

[My apologies for the confusion. After reviewing the information, it appears that the [???] in your status board is a technical error, and I am unable to determine what your title is supposed to be at this time. However, please be assured that your title will still be revealed to you once the technical error is removed] 

As Zephyrion tried to make sense of the mysterious title, he was interrupted by a new message from the AI. It read:

[The measurement of your talents has been completed, and as a result, you have been granted an suitable skill] 

Zephyrion's curiosity was piqued at the mention of an suitable skill for him. He wondered what kind of skill it could be and what it could do. He looked up at the message board and said, "Show me the details of my suitable skill, please."

The message board immediately responded, displaying the following information:

[Suitable Passive Skill: Learning

Rank: Normal

Effect: This skill enhances the user's ability to learn, allowing them to acquire new knowledge at an accelerated pace.] 

Zephyrion was excited to see what kind of skill he had been assigned, but he couldn't help but feel cheated off when he read the details. The skill simply helped him to learn faster, and didn't seem to provide any other benefits.

Zephyrion couldn't help but shout, "What the hell is this useless skill!?" He had been expecting something more combat-oriented, like increased strength or agility. But a skill that simply helped him learn faster seemed like a waste.