7. First Preparations

7. First Preparations

Even if he did not look like Noble Zero, Matteo knew it wouldn't take a genius to piece it together after a few slip-ups. Meeting The Dragon twice would be a bad start to his journey. If his identity wasn't discovered, the fool could still link him to someone else or take out his frustration on him.

Matteo hurriedly picked a good sword off the wall and pulled it down. It fell to the ground with a loud clang.

"Damn, it's heavier than I thought," Matteo cried inwardly as he started to drag it away. Something caught his eye—a small throwing dagger. He swiped it off the wall and barely made it to the secret exit hidden next to an empty bookshelf, slipping away just as The Dragon reached the secret room.

Afraid that The Dragon might come charging through the secret exit, Matteo made his way out and appeared at the back of the martial arts building.

It was empty, but that did not put his mind at ease. He moved stealthily to one of the nearby buildings. It hadn't officially opened yet, but for the hundred players, it was possible to enter.

The interior was a drama hall. After ensuring he was alone, Matteo collapsed to the ground, exhausted from carrying the heavy sword. He sat down and tried something he had been attempting since the Game Master appeared.

He was trying to summon his stat window, but it was easier said than done. It took a few minutes of intense focus before it finally appeared, and when it did, Matteo felt drained.

But it was worth it.

[Player Stats]

[Name: Matteo]

[Title: 1 (inactive)]

[Class: None]

[Level: 1]

Matteo hadn't expected to see anything special, so he focused on the next page.

[Stats: Strength - 5, Dexterity - 5, Agility - 5, Intelligence - 5, Mana - 5]

[Skills: None]

[Inventory: 0/10]

Now that he no longer had to carry his heavy burden, he sent his items into the inventory.

He wondered why his stats hadn't applied yet. Some players had already awakened their stats, while others, like him, waited for a miracle. But Matteo wasn't waiting for miracles—he soon realized the difference.

His body wasn't yet equipped to handle the power he had. He had never put in the physical work necessary to activate his potential. He used the little time he had left to train.

Push-ups and sit-ups would build his strength and dexterity, while jogging and stretching would help his agility stat activate. After a few minutes, his body started to feel stronger—better than when he had first arrived in Neon Solaris.

The next step was choosing a class. His three most logical choices were melee-based fighter classes: Swordsman, Warrior, or Knight.

Swordsman wasn't an official class to some, but it was a very versatile combat style. Warriors were similar but had better adaptability and survival capabilities. Knights were slower but tankier.

All three classes could complement or replace each other. As long as a player put in the effort, the difference wouldn't be noticeable.

Matteo was after the Swordsman class—it was versatile and allowed him to learn different sword arts. Not to mention, it was one of the most balanced classes in terms of close combat, attack speed, and explosiveness.

A loud ding sounded. He knew what it meant. In a few seconds, class allocation would begin. It wouldn't be a problem for the veterans—there was a wide array of classes, and they already knew which ones suited them best.

The class selection screen appeared before him.

[CLASS SELECTION]

[PLEASE CHOOSE A CLASS WITHIN 30 SECONDS]

KNIGHT

WARRIOR

MAGE

SWORDSMAN

CARPENTER

ARCHER

SPEARMAN

ASSASSIN

BEAST TAMER

SNIPER...

The list went on, each class displaying its specialties. Matteo didn't have time to analyze every detail, so he chose Swordsman.

[SWORDSMAN CLASS HAS BEEN CHOSEN]

[YOU HAVE RECEIVED SKILL: "BASIC SWORDSMANSHIP"]

Matteo smiled as he made his way back to the court to prepare for the main quest.

"I would have really loved to practice my skills and get a feel for them, but I can't risk someone seeing me," he thought.

While many would choose or be assigned a class, most wouldn't have weapons yet.

As he approached the town square, he wondered if his friend Leonardo was in the game already. If he was, their paths would cross eventually.

A small commotion caught his attention. A veteran was making a scene—a proud one at that.

A huge woman wielding a clubbed mace was gathering five people, promising them safety in her party.

Matteo knew her well. The Proud Bull.

If The Mad Dragon was a persistent mosquito, she was a tick or a bed bug. She knew exactly how to exploit idiots.

Seeing her in person, she was undeniably beautiful. She had wild, fairly long red hair—unkempt, but that was to be expected. Gamers rarely had time to take care of their health, let alone their hair.

She was manipulating these players at their most vulnerable moment. She had the three things needed to survive in Neon Solaris:

1. Experience

2. Weapons

3. Confidence

Of course, others would want to join her.

Not long after, the first objective to reach the next floor appeared.

[1ST FLOOR STAGE]

[OBJECTIVE: FIND AND KILL THE FLOOR BOSS]

[STATUS: ONGOING]

[DIFFICULTY: EASY]

[REWARD: 1000 GC]

[TIME LIMIT: 7 DAYS]

Matteo set his sights on the twin gates and the vast world beyond them.

A grin spread across his face as he became the first to step out of town.

"Time to loot."