God's Sponsorship

Tonight is the OLYMPUS midnight launch!

Markus attended the midnight gaming event with his gaming organization. However, before he could enter the gaming room, he was directly brought into his team manager's office. He sat outside the office waiting to be called in while fiddling with his thumbs nervously. This job was his only source of income, and without it he would be on the streets.

"Markus, the manager is ready for you." A girl around the same age as Markus stepped out of the office. She yawned and patted him on the back as she walked past. "See ya in-game."

The physical contact made him flinch due to his nerves. He awkwardly laughed and nodded his head toward the girl. "Thanks Leona…"

She gave him a wink and seemed to mumble 'sure thing, bro.' as she walked away. He was fully aware of her casual attitude toward the organization and other members. Since she was the top tank player in the group, everyone tended to rely on her. Markus bit at his nails and walked into the office.

"Sigh, Markus, I'll just say it outright. Your performance this month is disappointing again. The only reason you haven't been fired is because of your contract. This is your three-year contract you signed when you were sixteen. As you can see, it ends tonight at midnight. I have spoken with the team, and everyone agrees that there needs to be some changes."

Markus didn't have anything to say. He was the youngest player in history to be hired by a big gaming organization for a huge salary. When he was younger, his attitude was very diligent, and he practiced day and night. Because of this, he showed incredible levels of skill and concentration in popular games like Counter Fire and Clash of Champions.

However, after the first year of soaking in the fame and glory, he began to slack off on training and his performance reflected that result. Then, in the end of his second year, he hurt his wrist. This was the ultimate career ender for many, so he hid it. Instead, his attitude toward training and gaming became worse, using excuses like he was tired and even began blaming his teammates for losses.

Then one day, news that the first Full Dive Virtual Reality game would come out: OLYMPUS. Markus tried to turn things around, but it was too late. Despite his efforts, his performance was a shadow of the past. His pay began to get cut to the minimum outlined in the contract, and rumors of him being removed from the team began circulating.

The manager suddenly broke the silence, "I knew your father very well, so I am willing to give you another chance. This is a probationary contract for one month. You can take your time to read it, but I'll sum up the main points. First, you must attend every training session, including the ones for newbies. Second, you are required to play for at least eight hours a day. Third, and this is very important, you are being moved to the second team."

"Thank you, sir! I promise I won't let you down!" Markus was ecstatic. He immediately skimmed the contract and signed at the end. Seeing this, the manager nodded and let Markus go back to the gaming room.

Once Markus exited the office, he felt as if the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders. The first thing he did was return to his dorm and begin reviewing the spoilers and speculations for OLYMPUS. He was determined to be completely prepared when the game launched.

The game was marketed as the ultimate massive multiplayer game that ever existed. The rules in the game world weren't revealed, but it seemed to be based on a class system. Each player would create their character with a build in mind. Then, their stats would be allocated based on the chosen class. There was even a hint that the super AI would use a predictive algorithm to determine a talent suited for the player's personality and playstyle.

This was the main selling point for new players and veterans alike. A character designed specifically for them! Of course, many people were skeptical of the validity of such a claim and believed that the game would just randomly generate talents. Regardless, the potential for being someone special in the game world was enough to pull in gamers and non-gamers from every corner of the world.

OLYMPUS pre-sales broke every sales record in every country. Additionally, the company Gameplex, that created the special game-pods, became the richest company in the world overnight. Many big corporations attempted to rope in the company, but the owner didn't even put the shares on the market! It wasn't a publicly traded company!

Markus's gaming organization, Fenix Studio, had purchased twelve of these gaming pods, enough for the ten members plus two backups. The price tag for a single pod was $100,000 so they directly forked out over a million dollars!

After confirming the limited information on the game, Markus played through the initial stages of the game in his head. He would quickly choose a Damage focused class and immediately start leveling. A short demo video played in his mind repeatedly. He had watched it a thousand times and completely memorized all the details. The starting area was instanced, so only a hundred people would exist in the same area.

Because of this, it was unlikely for his gaming team to get together and begin raiding. Therefore, it was imperative that everyone reached level 10 as soon as possible to leave the starting area, complete the tutorial scenarios, and form a guild. In games like these, the pioneers would always have an advantage. Many players prepared to stay up for 24 hours in order to secure a top position for their team.

Markus shut down the computer and went directly to the gaming room. From outside the door, he could hear everyone chatting casually. The energy in the room was lively—until he stepped in. Everyone suddenly stopped talking and stared at him. Most of the players in the team joined after Markus and were subjected to his arrogant and lazy personality.

After a year of being under his thumb, those newbie players slowly rose up and began to replace him one by one. It had already been a year since he was considered not part of the main team. In fact, he only held a position as the team captain in name. Leona looked over at him with a smile. She was promoted to team captain officially in the meeting room just before Markus entered earlier.

"Alright guys, since Markus is still part of the team, that means the manager believes in him. Let's put aside our previous grudges and look forward to a new game. I'm sure Markus will show us a new side to him."

Hearing Leona speak up for him, Markus felt his shattered pride get ground up even more. He had once told her to quit gaming, that she wasn't cut out for it. He felt a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and swallowed to push it down. He was determined to prove his dedication and skill once more. Instead of ruining the mood anymore, he went over to the kitchen area on the other side of the wall.

Once he left everyone's line of sight, they returned to chatting about various things happening in the world and in their lives. While they did that, Markus took out his notebook and reviewed the few details of the game once more. Not long after he drank an iced coffee, a buzzer sounded off.

"Alright guys, get in your pods and get ready for character creation. We have already discussed roles and specs. Remember to post a description of your talent so that we can discuss strategies and groupings! Servers open in one minute, go team!" Leona's tone motivated the fighting spirit in everyone.

Markus got into his designated pod and closed the lid. After connecting the appropriate devices, the machine booted up. It ran a safety check, and after all clear, Markus felt his vision go dark. Not long, he arrived in a bed of clouds. What greeted him was an old man with a long white beard. His eyes seemed to contain several lifetimes of wisdom.

"Hello Heroic Spirit! I am Prometheus. Do you remember your name?"

[Name: ??? /Enter]

Markus input his given name in the text field and confirmed. Prometheus grabbed a bundle of clouds and a handful of clay. Then, he began molding what looked to be a human figurine. Filling the body with the golden clouds. While he worked, another prompt popped up.

[Class: Fighter/Caster/Guardian]

Markus immediately chose Fighter. Based on his understanding, these core classes would branch off into hundreds of specializations. Markus was most familiar with shooters, and rumor had it that Fighter could branch toward using guns. This was his target.

After choosing, Prometheus's eyes turned golden, and he seemed to become enlightened. He worked quicker than before. The clay figure began to show tone muscles and a perfect physique. As the figurine was being finished, a final prompt appeared.

[Name: Markus

Class: Fighter

/Confirm]

After confirming the prompt, his perspective suddenly changed to the dolls. The human-sized Prometheus suddenly looked like a giant from his tiny body. After being submerged in another golden cloud, he was thrust down into the world below. Around him, dozens of other clay figures were falling. Soon, the golden clouds enveloping their bodies turned into beginner gear and they landed safely in the starting area.

[Welcome to the Forest of Kosikas]

[Generating Blessing…]

[Lazy Genius

Rank: Minor God

Effect: You automatically learn skills and abilities. Also, all advancement quests will be half as difficult. However, the more time and effort you put into any action, the harder it will become.

Message: "Relax! Skip training for the day, put your legs up, enjoy some wine and partake in some pleasure" – Dionysus]

"… Huh?"