ShadowLord

"Welcome to Myth!"

A grand voice resounded in Rylan's ears. In the next moment, brilliant light swirled before his eyes, and a majestic panoramic scene stretched out in his field of vision.

This was "Myth" in all its glory.

From a bird's-eye view, he could make out mountains and rivers, forests and oceans, along with marshlands, waterfalls, forts, and cities… Though many areas were concealed by a layer of clouds that obscured the details, the mere glimpse was enough to convey vastness and grandeur, stirring an overwhelming sense of awe.

Yet, as Rylan looked upon this familiar map, his emotions were complicated.

In his previous life, he had fought and struggled in the world of "Myth" for many years. While it might all be new and bewildering to others, to him it felt like his second home. He even recognized many of the lands on the map, recalling their names without hesitation.

The system, however, gave him no time to reminisce.

"Please enter your character name!"

As the opening animation concluded, a female voice spoke up, and a character creation panel appeared before Rylan.

The creation template for "Myth" was straightforward. Thanks to the login device's ability to capture the user's biometric data, your in-game gender was fixed. What's more, "Myth" offered no starting classes—everyone entered simply as a civilian.

Thus, you could only adjust your character's appearance and choose a name.

Following the system prompts, Rylan modeled his character closely after his real appearance with a few minor tweaks, then submitted it.

Finally, in the name field, he typed: ShadowLord. It was the same name he had used in his previous life.

"Congratulations! Your character has been created!"

"You are the 1,232,683rd user to log in. You have been placed in Novice Village #123."

"May your journey in Myth be a great one!"

Buzz…

Once the goddess-like system voice finished speaking, the scene before Rylan's eyes began to shift. Darkness descended for a brief moment, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a brand-new world.

"Wow, there are so many people here!"

"Oh my god, this is really something else. Look at the sky, the trees, the grass—it's as real as real life!"

"How are there so many people up at 00:30 AM?! Don't folks sleep anymore?"

"Hey man, what are you doing? Pulling down your pants in front of everyone?"

"I just wanted to see if I can jerk off in-game!"

"Whose hand was that on my ass? Damn it, I'm a guy, man!"

Rylan hadn't even had a chance to take in his surroundings before a chaotic uproar filled the air around him. He quickly gathered that he was standing in the village square of the game's newbie zone.

Thanks to the intense global advertising campaign, countless players had flooded in the moment "Myth" went live, packing the Novice Village to an almost claustrophobic level.

Rylan stood still, scanning the crowd.

At least ten thousand people covered the village square, yelling about leveling up, looking for NPCs to get quests, or simply gawking around in amazement. It was total mayhem.

"Silence!"

Suddenly, a booming voice emerged above the din.

A flash of light sparked, and in the center of the crowd appeared an old man in white robes, looking strikingly like Gandalf. Beside him stood a massive purple crystal pillar roughly fifty feet tall. At his arrival, every player's eyes were drawn to him.

"New visitors from another realm—today is the day of your birth here!"

"Behold this purple crystal by my side. It is called the Magic Godstone, the ultimate creation of the Myth universe. It will awaken the power within your bloodline, enabling you to survive and thrive in this world."

"Now, place your hands upon it! Activate the gift that belongs solely to you!"

His deep, resonant voice carried across the square as he raised his staff. The Magic Godstone beside him began to glow with a soft, warm light.

"Magic Godstone! Awaken my power? Must be a starter quest, huh?"

"I'm up first!"

"Out of my way—let me try it first!"

No sooner had the old man spoken than the players around him grew eager, surging towards the crystal. Those nearest it quickly reached out to touch the stone.

[Congratulations! You have awakened a D-tier talent: Strength Boost.]

[Congratulations! You have awakened a C-tier talent: Magic Herb Cultivation.]

As soon as someone's hand met the Magic Godstone, the stone responded at once.

"A talent awakening! So that's what this does!"

Inspired by the system announcements, the rest of the players erupted in excitement. In a heartbeat, everyone's eyes were on that glowing purple crystal, pushing forward step by step.

Rylan wasn't close enough to touch it immediately, so he shuffled along with the crowd. As he inched forward, his mind replayed information about the Magic Godstone and player talents.

In "Myth," every player received a single chance to draw a starting talent. They could be physical, life-based, magical, summoning, curses, and so on.

The means of awakening was to simply touch the Magic Godstone—yet the system actually rolled them randomly, and for most players, the results were fairly mediocre (E- to D-tier).

According to the data from Rylan's previous life, only 0.18% gained talents of A-tier or higher. S-tier talents were astronomically rare.

In his last life, Rylan missed out on a combat talent entirely. Now, as he faced that familiar crystal, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of anticipation.

But for him, that emotion wasn't overwhelming, because he knew of a different way to gain an initial talent.

However, the requirements for that method were somewhat strict.

…

[Congratulations! You have awakened an A-tier talent: Skeleton Summoning!]

"Holy fuck, an A-tier talent!"

"Oh my god, can you believe that?!"

While Rylan was lost in thought, a stir swept through the crowd. He looked up to see an African American man standing near the crystal, shouting in delight—he had awakened an A-tier talent.

Within the same short timespan, quite a few people had finished their talent awakening, but just as before, most got E- to D-tiers, with a few occasional C-tiers. No one had seen a B-tier. Now an A-tier talent made its appearance, and it promptly became the center of attention.

In the blink of an eye, that lucky man was surrounded by players who had already awakened their own abilities, each one angling for his favor.

Soon, he headed away from the square with a small group in tow, including a few female players with eye-catching figures.

Rylan only glanced for a moment, then looked away. Right now, he needed to awaken his own talent.

Soon enough, thanks to the jostle of the horde, Rylan reached the Magic Godstone. He placed his palm upon it.

Buzz…

A pulse of light rippled from the Magic Godstone.

[Congratulations! You have awakened…]