2 Meeting Shade
The notification appeared before Alex's eyes, and he became unconscious, unaware of the outside world. A VR Helmet like that one, from the last generation, had a sensor which would warn the user if anyone got close to its real body, but the developers always said it was best to only use it when in a safe space.
Alex couldn't think of a safer place than a cell inside a prison with tons of guards and cameras.
After the first notification, Alex found himself inside a black room with a mirror. It was a strange place that despite being entirely black, Alex could still see the things clearly.
It didn't have any window or anything else inside the room, just the mirror.
"This is so fucking real. It feels exactly like real life. How did the company do this?" Alex wondered.
He moved forward, getting close to the mirror, seeing himself on the mirror. Then, a voice echoed inside the room, and a cute girl appeared.
"Welcome adventurer. This is the place for you to choose your starting class, appearance, starting village and nickname. Remember, we don't allow too much customization."
"Do you want to see the tutorial?" the cute girl asked.
"Skip," Alex said without thinking too much.
Alex read about the game during the entire afternoon, and he wasn't stupid. The tutorial mostly spoke about the classes, which were the same as most games: Warrior with sword and shield, Berserker with two-handed weapons, Archer with a bow, Rogue with two daggers, Cleric and Wizard wielded staffs.
There were plenty of other classes in the game, and at a certain level one could get some specialization and turning into completely new classes. The Wizard for example could become a Necromancer.
But the developers decided not to share everything with the players, and let them figure it out, especially considering how real the game was. So they didn't share all the sub classes, hidden classes, and specializations. It was all a mystery, one that brought charm to the game.
Alex went with the Rogue class without thinking too much about it. He was a thief in real life, and the classes resonated with is personality. After that, he chose his nickname, Shadowborn.
His appearance remained unchanged. Alex didn't see a reason to it because the amount of details one could change were small, and some people would still recognize him so why bother?
As for the race, there were a few available: Human, Elf, Dwarf and Orc. He chose human as well, as that was what most would choose and it was solely for looks because there were no benefits among races, only if a player finds a hidden race and change it during game.
After that, he chose his initial village called Twin Oak. The starting village did not matter much in the grand scheme of things, everyone would meet up in the same big city after level 10, but depending on what village you chose, you would be part of another kingdom.
There were four kingdoms within the game: Platora, Saadia, Linslasir, and Junta. Platora and Saadia were both dominated by humans, while Linslasir was the kingdom of elves, meaning only players with the elven race could start there, and Junta was for the orcs.
Alex was part of Platora Kingdom after choosing that specific village to start in. The moment he set everything, his body got transported directly to the village, and many other players were around him.
He looked around, seeing the wooden houses and the forest in the distance. The blue sky and the bright sun. Everything looked as real as real life. All the players, including him, were shocked to see such a realistic game.
"Look at this! This will be the greatest game ever," one of the surrounding players said.
The number of players just in that starting village was high, and soon, many were speaking with the village's chief to get the first available quest, one that asked them to kill wolves in open fields.
'Tsk. It will be almost impossible to kill these monsters because of how many people are here. I wonder if there's other types of quests…' Alex thought.
Before doing anything else, he checked his status.
[Nickname: Shadowborn]
[Level: 1 (0/100)]
[Health Points: 100/100]
[Stamina: 50/50]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Rogue]
[Attributes:
[STR: 2]
[DEX: 4]
[VIG: 1]
[INT: 1]
[FTH: 0]
[LCK: 4]
[Active Skills: Piercing Dagger (LVL 1): Pierce your dagger into the target, dealing 60 Damage + 200% of your DEX, and 200% of your LCK stat.]
[Cost: 10 Stamina]
[Passive skills: Platoran Language: Fluent in the language of the Platora Kingdom called Platoran.]
The Rogue class did not use Mana but something called Stamina. It acted basically as the same thing, but it regenerated faster than Mana, but the amount was lower meaning the Rogue class had to burst the opponents, and not fight for extended periods.
Because Alex was only level 1, there were plenty of skills missing, like the good and old invisibility of the Rogues.
'I'll eventually get them. Now, where can I find more quests?'
Alex knew very well a lot of companies and gaming studios were playing the game, so they formed groups to level up faster and get the monsters. But Alex? He was alone there, and he did not have friends to play with, so it would be almost impossible for him to kill the wolves for the first mission, at least until the players started doing other quests.
Not that he was sad about it. One of Alex's close friends, part of his crew in real life where they robbed banks, betrayed him, so he wished to play alone for a while.
Out of all the places Alex could go, he went to the only tavern in Twin Oak village.
"Hello young one," the bartender said, "This is the best place for a drink."
The way he talked and acted was just too real. Alex looked at him, "Isn't this the only place selling drinks? Being the number one spot is mandatory."
With a laugh, the bartender said, "The first drink is on me. Can you tell me who are all these people here? I've never seen any of them before, you included."
"They are play-"
Alex tried to say the world players or that they were inside a game, but it was like the words got stuck within his throat.
'The game doesn't want the NPCs to know this is a game. Clever move. I believe the players will shake up the kingdom in the next days,' Alex guessed.
He shook his head, "No idea who they are. I just came to visit. Is the free drink still up?"
"You betcha. Take this mug of ale and relax young friend."
Alex grabbed the mug of ale and turned around to see a table to sit, and there was only one more person inside the tavern. A man wearing a ragged black cloak, and he looked like a person who lived on the streets.
He went to the man's table, sitting right before him.
"Want a drink?" Alex asked.
The man, who was looking down, moved his head up, meeting Alex, and his expression changed completely.
"What? H-How?"
Alex was surprised to see such a reaction, "Are you excited about the drink or something?"
"No, that's not it. You, you have the bloodline of the Shadow Hunters. How in the world you have this?" the man asked.
The bloodline of Shadow Hunters. That was something Alex had no idea what it was, but his family indeed had a different bloodline in real life. Not that it was something incredible or anything, but most of his family were like ninjas working as hired assassins. That was one of the reasons Alex entered the crime life in such a young age.
"I don't know. Is this a good thing?" Alex asked.
"Of course it is! I'm the last Shadow Hunter alive, and I wish to keep the legacy of our clan alive! Tell me, young man, are you willing to learn the secrets of the shadows, and become a Shadow Hunter?"
[Ding]
[New Quest]
[Shadow Hunter Inheritance]
[Description: the mysterious man sitting in a tavern's table sensed that you have a special bloodline, allowing you to become a Shadow Hunter, acquiring a new hidden class.]
[Quest Rank: S]
[Rewards: ???]
Alex couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had barely started playing the game yet there was a hidden class called Shadow Hunter available to him all because of his bloodline in real life!
Could other players be dealing with the same thing as he was? Alex looked at the man with clear excitement and said, "I wish to become a Shadow Hunter. What should I do?"
The man only laughed, taking off his hood. It was a young man with black-hair, and purple eyes. His eyes gave Alex a strange feeling.
"I am called Shade, and I'll be your master."
"Shadowborn. Nice to meet you."
"Ha, what a strange name. Anyway, follow me, there's a place I want to show you, and if you succeed in the trials, I'll teach you the basics of being a Shadow Hunter."
