Sunlight sliced through the blinds, striping the floor with bars of light.
On the wall, the red digits of the digital clock cycled silently.
Ten seconds until official launch.
Kael leaned back on his bed, the login helmet secured.
[Welcome to Godpath. Please name your character—]
“Dawnbreaker.”
[Name confirmed. Please select your class—]
“Archer.”
[You have 5 initial attribute points. Do you wish to allocate them according to the system recommendation?]
“No. Allocate two points to Strength and three to Agility,” Kael replied calmly.
[Selection confirmed. Randomly assigning you to a starting zone… Assignment successful.]
[Destination: Starting Zone #9999: The Starlight Village.]
A flood of sensations washed over him instantly—the roar of a crowd, the crisp scent of grass, the distant clang of a blacksmith’s hammer, all mixed with the rich aroma of damp earth.
Kael stood on the soil of Godpath.
Around him, columns of white light flared into existence. As each pillar faded, a new player was born, their faces painted with shock and euphoria.
“Holy… is this really a game? I can feel the wind on my face! It’s insane!”
“My deluxe login pod was worth every cent of the 200,000 USDT! The manual said I’d get an extra lucky draw and higher clearance levels. I can even get laid in Godpath” a portly man crowed, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Dude, look at the NPCs! That one by the tavern… my god, she’s hotter than any A-list star!”
A player named ‘ThrillDrill’ locked his gaze onto the female NPC, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. “Yo, watch this, guys. I’m gonna go cop a feel. Those tits look unreal.”
Rubbing his hands together, he sauntered over with a disgusting smirk.
Kael looked at him like he was already dead, then shook his head.
Sure enough, the eyes of a nearby archer guard flashed cold. Without a wasted motion, just as ThrillDrill’s hand reached for the NPC, the guard’s arm snapped up.
Swish!
The sound of displaced air was sharp.
ThrillDrill’s smirk froze as an arrow buried itself between his eyes. Before he could scream, his body dissolved into a flash of white light and vanished.
His starter weapon clattered to the ground.
The surrounding players stared for a heartbeat, then erupted in jeering laughter.
“Hahaha! What an idiot!”
“No stats, no reputation, no affinity, and you try to molest an NPC? You’re asking to get deleted!”
Kael ignored the commotion. It was a standard scene on launch day. He slipped away from the dense crowd, finding his way behind a deserted wooden shack in a corner of the village.
He took a deep breath and entered the 15-digit unique serial number tied to his helmet into the virtual interface.
[Serial number verified… Processing your first-time login lucky draw…]
[Congratulations! You have received: Mysterious Teleportation Scroll x 1]
This is it!
Kael’s heart hammered. An ancient parchment scroll, edges burning with faint spatial energy, appeared in his inventory.
[Mysterious Teleportation Scroll]
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
[Description: A scroll capable of taking you to a place unknown.]
Kael tore the scroll open.
Space warped, far more violently than when he first entered the game. A powerful force pulled at his body, blurring the world into a smear of color.
When everything settled, he stood in a silent, desolate village.
The sky was a dreary gray, the air thick with the smell of dust and decay. The village houses were dilapidated and empty. Aside from himself, there were no players.
Just then, a man in a gray robe emerged from the shadows at the far end of the village.
Kael found him vaguely familiar, yet couldn't place the identity no matter how hard he tried.
The stranger walked up to Kael and offered a faint smile. “Young one, I feel the potential simmering within you. Would you… be willing to share some of your strength with me?”
It was a strange request, but Kael didn’t blink.
“I am.”
[System: You have lost 5 attribute points.]
A wave of weakness washed over him. Kael checked his stat panel; Strength and Agility had reverted to base values.
His expression remained placid as he watched the NPC.
The man's smile widened. He nodded in satisfaction. “I am somewhat hungry now. Could you find some food for me?”
[System: You have triggered the hidden quest: The Mysterious Man’s Plea.]
[Quest: Find enough food for the mysterious man.]
[Progress: 0/100]
[Time Limit: 30 Days]
Kael’s focus sharpened. A hundred units of food.
For a level one player with no stat bonuses, the task was brutal.
Kael recalled that Bloodshadow didn't rise to fame until a month after launch. It seemed that to complete this quest, Bloodshadow had been trapped in this map for at least twenty days.
Kael got to work, eyes locking onto a wild chicken pecking in the dirt. He drew the system-issued wooden bow and nocked an arrow.
Thwip!
The arrow scribed a pathetic arc but managed to hit the bird.
-1
A pitiful red number floated up. The chicken squawked, flapping its wings and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Kael abandoned the target. With his current stats, outrunning that chicken was a pipe dream.
Turning away, Kael focused on the dilapidated houses. He squeezed through a crack in a wall into a dust-choked room. A moment later, he emerged carrying a pile of junk.
[Petrified Banana]
[Quality: Common]
[Spirit: +1]
[Note: A favorite of single ladies.]
.....
[Rusted Knife]
[Quality: Common]
[Strength: +2]
[Bleed: 10% chance on hit to cause a bleed effect, dealing 1 damage per second for 5 seconds.]
It was trash. Just as he was about to give up, the corner of his eye caught a flash of color near the base of the wall.
A Mottled Toadstool!
A jolt of excitement shot through him. He recognized this. In his past life, it was a rare ingredient for high-level poisons. But even consumed raw, the juice had a potent paralytic effect.
He used the rusted knife to pry the mushroom loose, carefully mashing it into a pulp.
Plan in hand, he walked toward a small pond at the edge of the village. It was more of a murky puddle, but Kael noticed animal tracks deeply pressed into the mud—signs of large beasts.
This is the spot.
He crumbled the toadstool into the pond, the water taking on a milky white tinge. Trap set, he scaled a nearby tree, muted his presence, and waited like a patient hunter.
Ten minutes later, a Horned Wildebeest ambled into view.
Kael held his breath.
The wildebeest lowered its head to the water’s edge and drank deeply. Sated, it shook its thick neck, turned, and prepared to leave.
It didn’t get fifty yards. The beast's massive frame shuddered, legs buckled, and it collapsed with a heavy thud.
It’s working!
Kael leaped from the tree, rusted knife in hand, and sprinted toward the prey.
He plunged the crude blade into the wildebeest's soft underbelly with all his might.
-2
-3
-1 (Bleed)
-2
.....
The paralytic effect would only last thirty seconds. Kael’s mind raced, calculating damage as his attacks rained down. Just as the beast began to recover, its health bar hit zero.
[You have slain: Horned Wildebeest (LV 2)]
[Experience Gained: 0]
[You have acquired: Food x 24]
Zero experience.
This place really does have its own rules, Kael thought. But seeing the 24 units of food in his inventory, he knew the first step was a success.
He didn't harvest the entire carcass. Instead, he placed a piece of raw meat on the ground, then concealed himself once more.
Soon, the scent of blood attracted a new hunter. A sleek leopard approached, scanning the area warily before feasting. After eating its fill, thirst drew it to the only water source—the poisoned pond.
History repeated itself.
Three hours later, Kael held a stack of 100 food units.
He returned to the village center to find the mysterious man in the exact same spot.
“You have done well,” the man said, a hint of approval in his eyes. “Would you be willing to trade all your equipment for what I have to offer?”
Another strange request, but Kael stripped off his starter gear and handed it over. Aside from the system-issued candle, his inventory was now empty.
The man accepted the equipment, then ceremoniously placed a stone glowing with soft, warm light into Kael’s palm.
[System: You have received the Crystal of Fate.]
Kael checked its properties.
[Crystal of Fate]
[Tier: Transcendent]
Transcendent-Tier!?
Kael’s heart hammered. In his previous life, the highest tier he’d heard of was ‘Divine.’ He’d never even heard of Transcendent.
The crystal came alive, pulsing with a seven-colored halo. He didn’t hesitate. He crushed it.
Crack!
The crystal shattered, dissolving into a brilliant cascade of light that flowed into his body.
[System: You have completed the SSS-Rank Hidden Quest: Destiny's Crossroads.]
[The Crystal of Fate has bonded with your soul…]
[Your Luck has been permanently increased by 999!]
[Special instance closing. Teleporting you back to Starting Zone #9999…]
Holy shit!
Kael’s eyes went wide as he stared at the notification scrolling past.
His Luck… had increased by 999?
