The New World—a hyper-realistic virtual reality game—was about to go live. Advertisements dominated every street, every channel, and every corner of the internet. The entire world was excited.
After all, this wasn't just another VR game. It was a single massive server that could host everyone at once. With a medieval fantasy theme filled with magic, dragons, and endless opportunities, anticipation was at an all-time high.
Adrian was no different. Clutching a box in his hands, he stepped out of the electronics store, a wide smile spreading across his face. Inside the box was the newest VR headset—the key to entering The New World. He and his friends had already made plans to meet up after finishing their tutorial missions in-game.
All around him, crowds of people hurried home with the same purpose. The city streets buzzed with excitement, every other person carrying the same headset.
When Adrian reached home, he found his father already there."Dad, you're back early. Everything alright at the café today?" Adrian asked.
His father chuckled. "Everything's fine. But most of the teens are rushing home to log into The New World. The streets are empty, so I figured I'd close up shop early."
Adrian carried the box upstairs to his room, carefully setting it on his desk before heading back down. Together with his father, he watched the news, which was—of course—broadcasting yet another segment about the game's launch. Moments later, his mother's voice echoed from the kitchen, calling them for dinner.
At the table, nothing unusual happened. Adrian ate quickly, too impatient to linger. After wishing his parents goodnight, he dashed back to his room.
He unpacked the sleek black headset and slid it over his head. A soft hum resonated as the device scanned his iris—an anti-cheating feature that ensured only he could access his account. One player, one character. No exceptions.
The loading screen faded, and Adrian found himself in the character creation menu.
He had two options:
Choose from five available classes.
Roll for a random class with a chance to unlock rare or hidden ones.
His available classes were: Warrior, Berserker, Mage, Assassin, and Beast Tamer. The rest were common starter paths.
Adrian hesitated only for a moment before selecting Random Class. A glowing roulette wheel appeared before him, spinning rapidly. The wheel slowed… and landed on a single word:
Necromancer.
A short cinematic played—a hooded figure stood tall with a bone staff, commanding endless waves of undead. Zombies, skeletons, and ghouls surged forward in unending numbers, while colossal bone dragons circled overhead. Kingdoms burned before their march.
The vision faded, and Adrian spawned in a bustling Novice Village overflowing with players. Everyone rushed toward the gates, eager to hunt monsters, gain levels, and begin their journeys.
Adrian took a deep breath and opened his character panel.
On his glowing blue character window, Adrian saw a rotating 3D model of himself on the right—his avatar was a robed figure with pale skin, dark eyes, and a faint aura of green mist.
On the left, neat rows of glowing text displayed his stats:
[Character Panel]Name: AdrianRace: HumanClass: Necromancer (Hidden / Rare)Level: 1 (Novice)Health (HP): 100Mana (MP): 150Strength: 5Agility: 6Endurance: 5Intelligence: 12Spirit: 10
Skills:
[Summon Skeleton (Lv.1)] – Summons a fragile skeleton warrior to fight by your side. Consumes 20 Mana.
[Corpse Sense (Passive)] – Detects nearby corpses or remains suitable for necromancy.
[Necrotic Touch (Lv.1)] – Deals minor dark damage to enemies. Consumes 5 Mana.
Unique Trait:
Deathbound (Passive) – The more minions under your control, the faster your mana regenerates.
Strength (STR): Determines physical attack power and carrying capacity. Higher strength means stronger melee damage and heavier equipment can be used.
Agility (AGI): Governs attack speed, movement speed, reflexes, and accuracy. Essential for assassins and archers.
Endurance (END): Increases defense and health points. Higher endurance allows players to survive longer in battle.
Intelligence (INT): Boosts magic attack power and spell effectiveness. Critical for mages and spellcasters.
Spirit (SPR): Enhances mana pool, mana regeneration, and resistance against mental or spiritual attacks.
t
There it was—his Unique Trait.
Adrian's heart raced as he read the glowing words. Traits were rare, and most players would be lucky to ever see one, let alone one that perfectly matched their class.
Deathbound.
He remembered what the official website had said: mana was the lifeblood of all magic classes. Without it, spells failed, summons collapsed, and mages became useless. But this trait meant that every undead under his command would feed his mana back to him, ensuring he would never run dry.
Adrian grinned. This… this is perfect.
He left the Novice Village, following the dirt road into the open fields. The area was already filled with players slaughtering low-level monsters—white-furred rabbits hopping helplessly in the grass. But it wasn't really a fight; it was a one-sided massacre. Blades cut them down, arrows pierced their hides, and spells burst them apart.
Adrian decided it was time to test his own abilities.
He raised his hand. [Summon Skeleton].
A glowing magic circle appeared before him, spinning with eerie green light. From within, a bony hand clawed its way out of the ground, followed by a rattling skeleton. It was fragile, unarmed, and barely clothed in scraps of old leather.
Not satisfied, Adrian channeled more mana. One skeleton became two… then three… until his mana strained.
Among them, he noticed something different—one skeleton carried a rusted sword and cracked shield, while another wore a dented helmet and clutched a bone blade. They looked weak, but at least they weren't empty-handed.
Adrian pointed toward the rabbits."Go. Hunt."
The skeletons clattered forward, their movements stiff but purposeful. The rabbits froze in fear before being quickly overwhelmed, cut down by bone blades and skeletal claws.
Adrian watched, his grin widening.
All his seven skeletons started to kill the rabbits. While his skeleonts where bussy on thier work.
Adrian looked at their information.