The golden afternoon sun cast a warm light over Beginner's Rest, but Akhil barely felt it as he moved through the streets. His body ached from the poison, his armor was still stained with swamp mud, and the wound on his side throbbed where a thorned vine had caught him during his escape. Yet none of it mattered. He had survived Crimson Hollow. He had completed a quest most players would have ignored in fear. And in doing so, he had crossed an invisible line, stepping into a world far beyond ordinary beginners.
He passed through the crowd without a word, the courier safely taken in by the healers. Players turned to look at him some whispering, others simply staring. Akhil didn't acknowledge them. He moved like a shadow, blending into the town's side alleys, avoiding the main squares where recruiters and merchants shouted deals.
Akhil needed time to think. He needed a place to breathe.He found a small, half-forgotten corner near the town wall where broken crates and unused barrels gathered dust. Sitting on an old crate, he opened his Status Window carefully.
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[Akhil's Status Window]Class: Glitchborn (Hidden Class)Level: 8Health (HP): 360/360Mana (MP): 120/120Stamina (SP): 180/180Strength (STR): 14Agility (AGI): 10Intelligence (INT): 3Vitality (VIT): 10Dexterity (DEX): 9Luck (LUK): ??? (Hidden)
Skills:
Night Predator (Passive)
Whisper Sense (Passive)
Minor Poison Resistance (Passive)
Equipment:
Weapon: Iron-Edged Dagger
Armor: Reinforced Leather Armor
Boots: Worn-out Sandals
Accessory: Broken Miner's Amulet
Title: Survivor of Crimson Hollow (+5% Poison Resistance, +2 Agility)
Credits: 205Quest Active: None
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The numbers were still low compared to the flashy high-spenders in Beginner's Rest, but every point here had been earned through survival and blood. No shortcuts. No purchased strength. Only real, hard-won progress.
Closing the window, Akhil leaned back against the wall and let out a slow breath.He wasn't just another nameless beginner anymore.
Someone or maybe many had started to notice.The real question was: What next?
Sitting still wouldn't build a future. He needed a plan. Something bigger than running quests for scraps.He remembered the feeling deep inside Crimson Hollow — standing alone against death, carving victory out of impossible odds.
He didn't just want to survive anymore.He wanted to create something.A place for players like him.The ones who were ignored. Mocked. Left behind.The ones who weren't supposed to exist.A hidden guild.A real family forged by hardship, not money or power.He smiled faintly, the first real smile in days.
ZERO ORIGINS.
The name formed in his mind naturally, as if it had always been waiting for him.A place for those who started from nothing.
The first step toward building Zero Origins was strength. Not just personal strength, but visibility. Even hidden players needed to be recognized in certain circles to attract the right kind of people. He couldn't create a guild out of thin air. He needed achievements. Reputation. Proof.
Akhil stood up, stretching his sore arms. His eyes scanned the bustling town, calculating.He could continue taking hidden quests, building silent fame. Or he could enter competitions -- beginner tournaments often held by the town's mercenary guilds. Winning would earn Credits, fame, and contacts. Losing could destroy his fragile beginning.
He needed to pick carefully.He wandered toward the marketplace again, passing through the edges where fewer players gathered. A small bulletin board stood near the blacksmith's shop, half-covered in dust and torn papers. Among the clutter, a fresh notice gleamed faintly.
[Beginner's Survival Tournament — Open Registration!]Sponsored by the Ironhawk MercenariesEntry Fee: 50 CreditsLevel Limit: 5–10Solo Only. No Teams.
Reward:
1st Place: 500 Credits + Ironhawk Recognition Token
2nd Place: 300 Credits
3rd Place: 150 Credits
Additional:
Exceptional Fighters may receive private offers.
Akhil studied it carefully.
The tournament was dangerous. Fights were one-on-one against other players, not predictable monsters. Human minds, human tricks. And the Ironhawks were known for spotting new talent to recruit into their growing mercenary ranks.
Winning here would be a giant step forward.
He checked his Credits.After the Crimson Hollow bonus and selling swamp materials, he had 205 Credits. Enough for entry, gear upgrades, and emergency supplies.
Without hesitation, he accepted the tournament entry through the bulletin system.
[Tournament Registration Confirmed.]
The first round would begin in two in-game days.
Enough time to prepare.
He moved quickly through the town's shops. First, replacing his worn-out sandals with proper Scout Boots, boosting his movement speed slightly. Then, purchasing a set of lightweight throwing knives cheap but useful for mid-battle tricks. Every Credit spent was calculated, nothing wasted.
He spent the rest on antidotes and minor healing potions. One good hit from an underhanded poison user could end a match before it even began. He wouldn't allow that.
Satisfied, Akhil retreated once more into the quiet side alleys, reviewing his equipment and practicing simple movement drills like side rolls, dagger parries, quick sprints between broken crates.
Every move had to be natural.Every response automatic.Victory wasn't going to come from stats alone.It would come from the survival instincts he had sharpened since stepping into this world.
Night fell quickly over Beginner's Rest. The warm golden tones of afternoon shifted into deep purples and soft silvers. Street lanterns flickered to life, casting pools of light along the cobblestone streets.
Akhil moved like a shadow between them, his figure barely noticeable among the crowds of players celebrating victories, boasting about loot, and bargaining with merchants.
He overheard snippets of conversation as he passed.
"Did you hear? Some solo player cleared Crimson Hollow yesterday!"
"No way. That's a Level 15 zone at least."
"I swear! My friend saw him dragging some kid out of the swamp."
"Probably fake. No one under Level 10 could survive there."
The rumors had begun to spread.
Akhil didn't stop walking, but inside, a quiet satisfaction burned.He didn't need to explain himself.The truth would reveal itself soon enough.
He made his way toward the temporary tournament grounds — an open, fenced field behind the Ironhawk headquarters. Workers were setting up simple obstacles, marking battle zones, and preparing spectator areas. The scent of oiled wood and steel hung thick in the air.
WhisperToma leaned against a building nearby, watching Akhil quietly.
"He's serious," Toma muttered to himself, impressed. "No hesitation. No wasted steps."
Other scouts were beginning to notice too. Hidden figures in cloaks and plain clothes, pretending to browse stalls or chat with players, kept their eyes subtly on Akhil's movements.
They saw what the common players missed.The way he moved.The way he planned.The way he didn't panic or brag.
Akhil wasn't just another beginner.He was something else.Something dangerous.And tomorrow, when the tournament began, they would all see it for themselves.
Returning to his quiet corner near the town walls, Akhil reviewed everything again. His gear was ready. His mind was steady. His skills were sharpened.He sat down cross-legged, resting the dagger across his knees, and closed his eyes briefly.
In the real world, he had been overlooked. Mocked. Forgotten.Here, in Luminaria Online, he would not repeat that fate.Here, he would rise.
The system's interface flickered softly in the air before him, offering a reminder.
[Tournament Match Schedule: 10:00 AM, Game Time, Tomorrow.]
His first opponent's name was listed: Ryder314. A typical pay-to-win player by the looks of his public record — high equipment purchases, low real combat experience.
Akhil smiled faintly.The first match would be the beginning.
Not the end.
He opened his inventory one final time, checking the throwing knives, the potions, the dagger's sharpness.Satisfied, he leaned back against the rough wall, gazing up at the starry sky above the town.
Tomorrow, Zero Origins wouldn't exist yet.Tomorrow, he would still be alone.
But one day soon...The players who laughed would beg to join him.The guilds that ignored him would offer alliances.And the world that forgot him would whisper his name.
Because Akhil was no longer playing the game the way they expected.He was rewriting it.
One quiet, deadly step at a time.
TO BE CONTINUED.....................