VR Games
The Blue Dragon emerged from the flames, its body glowing with a radiant, bright blue light. Its scales shimmered like polished sapphire, reflecting the ambient light like precious gems. The dragon was sleek and muscular, with a long tail that swayed gracefully behind it. Its wings were wide and majestic, with translucent membranes that allowed the light to pass through, casting intricate patterns across the ground. When fully extended, they appeared almost delicate in their beauty.
The dragon's head was elegantly shaped, with sharply defined features. Its large, deep blue eyes shimmered with intelligence. Above them, two arched ridges curved upward, lending the beast a regal, almost ancient expression.
Frills fluttered along the sides of its snout as it breathed, and when it opened its mouth, rows of sharp, pearly teeth glinted. As the dragon settled, it exuded both immense power and a strange calm. It curled its tail around itself and rested its head gently on its forelimbs.
Kyle instinctively stepped back. He was stunned by the sight of the dragon. He could hardly believe it.
"I have a soul beast...? The system gave me a soul beast—and I'm supposed to train with it. But how?" he thought, feeling both overwhelmed and excited.
The dragon fixed its gaze on him, as though awaiting a command. Kyle paced back and forth, uncertain. Then an idea struck him. With cautious determination, he raised his hand, inspiration gleaming in his eyes.
"Let's try a small command. Down," Kyle said.
Immediately, the dragon obeyed, lowering its body to the ground and awaiting the next instruction.
"That worked!! Fly, then breathe out fire."
With a single motion, the dragon spread its mighty wings and soared into the air, creating a powerful gust of wind across the training ground. Then it released a stream of fire from its mouth, blazing blue and fierce.
Kyle was amazed.
He continued to experiment with various commands. Once the training session was complete, he decided to name the dragon.
"Kerg," he said softly. It was the only name that came to mind. It felt right.
The system screen appeared once again:
> [Quest Completed]
[30 EXP Rewarded]
[EXP: 35/100]
"That's it. I'm done," Kyle said with a satisfied grin.
The dragon vanished into thin air. Kyle decided to return to the hostel, completely forgetting about Eddie and Jake in the library.
---
Upon arriving at the hostel, he found Jake and Eddie already in the room, playing games on their tablets.
"Why... Whatever," Kyle muttered. He glanced at his wristwatch.
"9:30 p.m."
He flopped onto his bed and called it a day.
---
The following morning, class schedules were delivered directly to the students' wristwatches. That day, various mages would demonstrate and teach them how to control their abilities. The overarching goal was clear: achieve full mastery and unlock their abilities' highest potential—to one day defeat the Beast King.
On the second day of classes, an ability test was held. It assessed each student's potential and provided an opportunity to reawaken their mage seeds and increase their rank.
After classes, students typically spent time training on the grounds. Many sparred with one another. Others, like Eddie, Jake, and Kyle, alternated between the training hall and the library.
Day by day, Kyle dedicated time to training with Kerg and studying mage abilities in the digital library. He eagerly waited for the system to issue more quests, knowing that levelling up quickly was key.
He also needed to define his fighting style. The system was a powerful advantage—it could copy his opponent's combat skills, making Kyle a mirror of their strengths. After training, he entered a sparring challenge.
Eddie and Jake stood at the entrance to the training grounds, cheering him on. Kyle had begun to warm up to them. He waved back before the match began.
The system screen appeared:
> [New Quest: Defeat the Enemy]
[Enemy Count: 1]
[Soul Beast: None]
[Skills: Wind]
[Reward: 20 EXP]
"Exactly what I wanted," Kyle thought as the system screen closed.
The opposing student launched a wind blast toward him. Kyle swiftly dodged it by diving to the side and immediately closed the distance. Wind abilities were less effective in close-range combat.
The system had copied Eddie's rather mediocre hand-to-hand combat style—but it was just enough to outclass the opponent.
Kyle landed a kick that forced the boy to stumble back. The boy regained his footing and, with some distance created, fired another blast. Kyle's invisible shield activated—but strangely, the wind blast broke through, sending Kyle flying across the training ground.
He crashed to the floor but scrambled up quickly, dodging a second incoming blast. The boy kept launching attacks, but Kyle weaved through them with speed and focus.
Once he got close again, Kyle struck with several fast punches, disorienting his opponent. Then he stepped back and conjured a fireball in his palm. He hurled it forward—too fast for the boy to dodge. The fireball hit, slightly burning his uniform.
The boy raised his hand in surrender—or so Kyle thought. It was a ruse. The boy immediately launched another wind blast, catching Kyle off guard.
"Kyle, watch out!" Eddie shouted.
Just then, a wall of earth rose from the ground in front of Kyle, blocking the attack. Jake had used his ability—for the first time.
Kyle was furious at the boy's deception. He rushed forward and delivered a powerful kick to the boy's face. The boy collapsed, unconscious.
"Not cool," Kyle muttered as he rejoined Eddie and Jake. He turned to Jake.
"Thanks for the backup."
> [Quest Completed]
[20 EXP Rewarded]
[5 Bonus Points Received]
[EXP: 60/100]
"I'm getting closer to levelling up," Kyle thought, grinning widely.
The three of them headed to the arcade for some leisure time.
---
The arcade featured a vast, open layout. Interactive OLED panels lined the walls, displaying vibrant artwork and shifting game visuals. The centre hub contained high-tech gaming pods with full-dome holographic displays, immersing players in 360-degree environments. Each pod was equipped with biometric sensors that adapted gameplay to the user's heart rate and reactions.
Around the hub were sleek gaming stations with touch-sensitive surfaces—players could simply swipe the air to choose a game.
In one corner was a VR arena with multi-user setups. Players wore lightweight haptic suits that delivered real-time feedback—making every movement and impact feel real. Advanced motion tracking captured every gesture flawlessly.
A dedicated esports zone featured high-performance gaming rigs and large transparent displays for live matches. Drones zipped through the space, delivering snacks and drinks directly to the players.
The trio stood there, overwhelmed by the choices.
Eventually, Eddie and Jake went for the gaming stations. Kyle headed straight to a VR pod. He wanted to experience a virtual battle more than anything.
He paid 10 teras for an hour-long session without hesitation—it was all he had left.
Inside the pod, he was transported to a white digital space. A game interface appeared in front of him:
>
Kyle had never used virtual reality before, so he created a new account. He entered his name and nationality—Kingdom of Tara. His username?
Kingslayer. He used it in every game he'd ever played.
>
He was transported instantly to the battlefield. It resembled the academy's training hall, but it had the feel of an ancient temple. Before him stood the opposing player—draped in a golden silk robe, wielding a soul weapon.
"Soul weapons and abilities can be used in here? Amazing," Kyle thought.
He recognised her immediately. She was the same Rank A girl from the entry test—the one with the Fang of Zyrax.