First-time play and introduction [2]

The element panel began to roll, and the long-awaited object finally appeared before their eyes, yet there was complete silence.

"Rey, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" James asked, to which Rey nodded.

"Could you pinch me to see if I'm dreaming?" James requested. Rey pinched him without hesitation, causing James to leap up in pain.

"Ouch! Are you serious, bro? I was just kidding," James exclaimed as he stepped back, but neither Rey nor Evan paid him any mind, stunned by what was on the screen.

On the display, the element belonging to Evan's character was revealed, along with its name and rarity category.

<Shadow>, Rarity: Unique

These two lines left them in awe, and even Evan was taken aback despite being new to this. James and Rey had explained that unique elements were exceedingly rare, even more so than legendary ones. While over fifteen players might possess a legendary element, only two or three might have a unique one. Once an element is claimed, there won't be a second unless the character is deleted, at which point a new one could be obtained.

"I never imagined your luck would be cool enough to draw out a unique one with odds of only one in a billion, bro," Rey said as Evan simply smiled and rubbed his neck.

"Hey, quickly show us the effects or skills you've acquired," James said as Evan clicked the next option and the effects or skills appeared before him.

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<Effect:< strong> +10% speed increase in darkness, +1% critical hit chance in darkness (increases with levels)>

<Skill:< strong> {Shadow Steps} - Instantly teleports the character within a five-meter radius.

Uses per match: 3

(Usage and distance increase with levels)

{Shadow Blades} - Unlocks at level 20

{Shadow Stealth} - Unlocks at level 50

{Shadow Descent} - Unlocks at level 100>

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As they watched the screen, Evan was amazed by what he saw and remembered the attack that killed him: a user with the fire element who finished him off with a blade surging with fire.

"So cool, the players who battled against the unique ones were right; the skills are too OP to begin with," James remarked as he witnessed the skills in action.

"Indeed, they're incredibly OP. Mine are just agility-based, but his cover multiple areas: agility, attack, stealth, and even the ultimate skill is extraordinary," Rey recalled the time when a unique user fought a legendary one, using his ultimate skill in a scene that seemed overwhelmingly powerful to him and remained etched in his memory.

"Well, if the element selection is fine, why don't we have a training match before the real deal?" James suggested to Rey as he sent a friend request to Evan, who accepted it immediately.

<Mighty Jong> and <Supreme Rays> are the usernames of James and Rey, respectively.

"Both of you have quite impressive names, and you're both high-leveled," Evan observed as he looked at their characters, stylishly dressed; James's character held a stylized guy in one hand with a large blade on his back, while Rey's character was agility-focused, armed with two pistols and a sleek bow on his back.

"Yes, they represent three years of hard work. My account is at level fifty-four, and Rey's is at forty-seven," James explained, as Evan realized that James was a dedicated gamer from his appearance, and Rey seemed more average, though his looks suggested the obsession should be the reverse, but appearances can be deceiving.

"Let's see if you can hold your own against the guys, Evan," James said as he initiated a match against an AI for Evan, with Rey joining in spectator mode.

Evan's character was teleported to a ruined church map, positioned in the west, while his opponent appeared in the east.

"What do I do next, guys?" Evan asked as two eyes appeared before him—the spectator cameras of his friends beside him.

"Why don't you just pick a weapon from the shop icon?" suggested Rey. Evan accessed the shop and discovered various tabs such as cold weapons, firearms, equipment, and medicine.

He selected cold weapons and saw an array of blades, daggers, swords, spears, bows, and more, but he managed to equip only a single dagger before the shop icon vanished, his movement shield disappeared, and the countdown in the sky ended.

"Why did my shop screen disappear, and where's the icon for it?" Evan inquired, his character motionless.

"Evan, didn't you notice the two-minute timer on your screen? It was the countdown to get ready, and you spent it browsing weapons. Now you're left with just a dagger. How will you defeat your opponent?" James exclaimed, drawing astonished glances from the surrounding crowd.

"Hey, what are you doing? Do you want to get us banned here?" Rey said as he pulled him down.

"Sorry, I just let my emotions get the better of me," he said with an apologetic smile.

"Phew, Evan, listen, you only have to survive this round. If you last for three minutes, it will end, and you'll get a chance to use the shop, so please, don't try to die," Rey instructed. Evan nodded and began to move his character, which was sluggish at first. He didn't see his enemy, which was both good and bad—it could mean a trap was being set or that the enemy was waiting for the right moment to strike.

Evan started to gain control and practiced attacking in the air to adapt to his character.

His skill was ready to be used, and he could use it at any time, but his friend had told him to save it for a dangerous situation.

Half the time passed, but the guy didn't show up. Evan and his friend grew suspicious, unaware that their quarry was also watching them from a distance, hidden inside a damaged room.

It was a man in a military outfit, holding a rifle, with a spear strapped to his back.

The player controlling him was just an average guy, afraid of losing the game. When he saw his opponents, he was taken aback.