Opening Scene – Arrival in Veylan Port
The light returned in a slow wave, flooding Christian's vision until he had to blink against the brightness. When his eyes adjusted, he was standing at the crest of a hill overlooking a massive city sprawled along a crescent-shaped bay.
Ships with white sails and iron hulls glided into the harbor, unloading goods under the watch of guards in polished armor. Beyond the docks, winding streets climbed toward a towering citadel of silver stone and blue banners snapping in the wind.
[System Notification: Welcome to Veylan Port – Starting City of the Southern Continent]Population: 1.4M (NPCs and Players)Available Services: Market Square, Guild Halls, Training Grounds, Adventurer's Union.
Around him, dozens of new players were blinking into existence, most wearing the default tunics of their chosen classes. NPC vendors called out offers for bread, armor, and basic potions. Players ran past, chatting excitedly about forming parties and grinding spots.
Christian glanced down at himself — still in the black hood and gloves from the hidden trial. His weapon, the Abyss Dagger, gleamed faintly in the sun, a weapon far too high-quality for a Level 1 player.
He tapped the edge of his interface and pulled up the Appearance Concealment option which he got after he finished the quest, toggling it on. Immediately, his rare dagger's appearance was masked as a simple starter blade, and his hood shifted into the default leather cap of a Swordsman. His profile would read as Class: Swordsman, hiding the truth from other players.
In a game with a real-currency economy, being known as the only Abyss Assassin in existence was a death sentence.
Christian blended into the crowd moving toward the gates. Inside, Veylan Port was alive — street performers juggling flaming torches, merchants hawking spices from foreign lands, and guards keeping watch from raised balconies. The smell of saltwater mixed with grilled meat, and somewhere nearby, the clang of a blacksmith's hammer rang out.
The Adventurer's Union was a massive stone building at the heart of the city, its front doors thrown wide. New players lined up inside to register and receive their beginner quests. Christian took a number, waited, and when called, approached the clerk — a cheerful woman with auburn hair tied in a braid.
"Welcome to the Union! First time registering?" she asked.
"Yeah," Christian replied. "Just got off the boat."
She smiled and slid a small brass token across the counter. "This marks you as an Adventurer. You can accept guild contracts, hunting missions, and delivery jobs. To start, I'd recommend—"
Her voice cut off. A shadow passed over her eyes, as if she'd just remembered something she wasn't supposed to say. She slid a folded scrap of paper under the token.
"If you're interested… the Black Harbor has work. No questions asked."
Christian waited until he was alone in a side street before opening the paper.It was blank — until black ink bled across the fibers, forming a single sentence:
Docks. Warehouse 17. Midnight.
The Black Harbor wasn't on the official map, but he'd read about it in pre-launch rumor threads. It was supposedly a hub for illegal contracts, smuggling, and PvP bounties — a place most players would avoid.
Which made it exactly where he needed to be.
Until midnight, Christian spent his time getting used to the city. He purchased a basic set of leather armor for appearances, accepted a low-level rat extermination quest for pocket change, and familiarized himself with the combat mechanics in a nearby training yard. The fluidity of movement and responsiveness of skills confirmed it — Shadow Nexus was skill-based enough for him to dominate.
As night fell, torches flickered to life along the main streets. He slipped away from the crowds, taking narrow alleys toward the docks. The air grew colder, the smell of salt and fish thickening.
Warehouse 17 sat at the far end of the pier, its wooden walls weathered and warped by years of sea spray. A single lantern burned by the door.
Inside, the warehouse was dimly lit. Stacks of crates formed narrow aisles. At the center, a man in a dark vest and gloves sat at a table, polishing a dagger. His eyes were pale gray, his expression unreadable.
"You're not here for the Union's rat hunts," the man said without looking up.
Christian didn't answer.
The man slid a small contract across the table. "A merchant named Haldrin has been refusing to pay his protection fees. He'll be leaving the eastern gate tomorrow morning with a caravan. Make sure he never reaches the next city."
Christian scanned the paper.Target Level: 5Escort Party: 2 guardsReward: 5 silver coins + one rare equipment piece.
"Do it quietly," the man added. "If anyone connects this to the Harbor, we'll both have a problem."
Back at his rented room, Christian pulled up his skills:
[Shadowstep Lv.1] – Dash behind a target within 5m. Basic attack included. Cooldown: 8s. [Silent Kill Lv.1] – Instantly kill a target below 20% HP. Cooldown: 60s.
The plan was simple — track the caravan from the rooftops, isolate the merchant, and eliminate him before the guards could react. With Silent Kill, one clean strike would finish it.
Dawn broke over Veylan Port. Christian followed the caravan as it wound through the streets toward the eastern gate. The merchant was a stout man with a gold chain around his neck, laughing with his guards.
Once they passed into open countryside, Christian climbed onto a low ridge ahead of them. He waited until the guards slowed to deal with a loose wheel on one of the wagons.
Activating Shadowstep, he appeared directly behind the merchant, dagger flashing across the man's throat.
[Silent Kill Activated – Target Eliminated] [+500 XP] [Item Drop: Gold Chain (Common)]
The guards shouted, but Christian was already gone, melting into the trees.
That night, he returned to Warehouse 17. The man at the table smiled faintly and slid a bundle across the table.
[Reward Received: 5 Silver Coins] [Reward Received: Dagger of the Fallen (Rare)] +8 Attack Power, +5% Critical Chance
The dagger's dark steel matched the Abyss Dagger perfectly — now he could dual-wield.
As Christian turned to leave, the man's voice stopped him.
"There's someone who wants to meet you. Said you'd be coming."
A figure stepped from the shadows — tall, robed in black, face hidden behind a silver mask.
When they spoke, the voice was low and deliberate:
"Christian Wyatt. You've taken your first step into the Abyss. Now… let's see if you can survive the fall."