The creature spun, tentacles flailing, but Max was already moving. The Shadow Echo materialized above the second Watcher, raking claws across its body, and Max followed up with a horizontal slash that nearly cleaved the injured one in half.
[Void Watcher Defeated!]
[+50 EXP]
One left.
The final Void Watcher, sensing its impending doom, made a desperate play. Its eye glowed brighter, charging some kind of powerful attack. Max's combat instincts screamed danger.
Shadow, interrupt it!
The Shadow Echo dove, solidifying into its most physical form yet—almost completely visible. It wrapped around the Watcher like a cloak, and Max felt a drain on his MP as the spirit expended energy maintaining the physical form.
[-20 MP]
[MP: 50/170]
The Watcher's charge interrupted. Max didn't waste the opening. He sprinted forward and drove his sword upward into the creature's side, where the tentacles met the body.
CRITICAL HIT!
-95 HP!
[Void Watcher: 55/150 HP]
He pulled the blade free and struck again. And again. The Watcher thrashed, its movements growing weaker, until finally it burst into light particles.
[Void Watcher Defeated!]
[+50 EXP]
Max stood panting in the aftermath, his stamina bar nearly depleted. The Shadow Echo drifted back to his side, its form flickering—running low on duration.
[Battle Complete]
[EXP Gained: 250]
[Level Up! You are now Level 3!]
[Level Up! You are now Level 4!]
The rush of power hit him like a wave. His HP and MP refilled completely, and his stamina bar replenished. Max felt the exhaustion drain away, replaced by renewed energy.
New skill points appeared in his interface. His stats had increased automatically:
MAX THORNE – Level 4 Soulbinder
HP: 160/160
MP: 210/210
Stamina: 140/140
Stats:
STR: 11 | AGI: 15 | INT: 20 | VIT: 13 | LUK: 8
Corruption: 5/100
Unspent Skill Points: 8
Max looked at the Shadow Echo, which was now barely visible, its form stuttering like a bad connection. Through their bond, he felt something like... satisfaction? Pride?
"We make a good team," Max said softly.
The spirit sent warmth through their connection—unmistakable affection, alien but genuine.
Then its duration ran out, and it dissolved back into Max's shadow.
He opened his inventory and found the loot from the battle:
[Void Essence] x5 – Crafting material
[Watcher's Eye] x2 – Alchemy ingredient
[32 Silver coins]
Not bad for his first real fight.
Max sheathed his sword and looked toward the exit of the Fractured Abyss, visible in the distance. The game stretched before him—endless zones, impossible challenges, and secrets waiting to be discovered.
He pulled up his friends list and typed a message to his Discord group:
MaxThorne: Level 4. Starting zone clear, moving to next area.
The replies came instantly:
Velara: ALREADY LEVEL 4?? How
RaidKing47: what the hell are you speedrunning
ShadowMiko: Im just lvl 2
Max grinned and started walking. His mother's words echoed in his mind—make me proud—and for the first time in years, he felt like he actually could.
This was just the beginning.
**
The Fractured Abyss had been beautiful in its alien way, but the moment Max crossed the threshold and saw civilization, his breath froze in his throat.
[Entering New Zone: Veridian Gate – Level 3-8 Area]
The city lied on top of a massive plateau, built around an enormous crystalline structure that emerged naturally from the earth. Buildings of white stone and dark wood filled the crystal structures, connected by bridges and platforms that seemed to defy gravity.
And the detail.
Max had played dozens of MMOs, seen countless virtual cities, but nothing compared to this. He could see individual roof tiles, laundry hanging from balconies, birds flying between buildings.
The city felt alive.
As he approached the main gate, the sounds immediately filled his senses: merchants calling out their stocks, the ring of a blacksmith's hammer, conversations in a dozen different languages as players from around the world gathered in this starting hub.
Two massive guards flanked the gate entrance, NPCs in decorative armor that looked straight out of fantasy novel. As Max passed, one of them turned his head—actually tracked Max's movement—and nodded slightly.
The realism was uncanny.
[Welcome to Veridian Gate]
[Safe Zone: PvP Disabled]
[Major Hub City – All facilities unlocked]
Max stepped through the gate and into the city.
The main plaza was packed with players, their username tags floating above their heads in various colors depending on their level and status. Most were still in starter gear, clustering around NPCs with quest markers, comparing loot drops, or simply standing in awe at their surroundings.
But it was the NPCs that truly caught Max's attention.
A female merchant stood behind a fruit stall to his right, wearing a fitted dress in deep green. Her appearance was striking—soft features, warm brown eyes and brown hair that was tied in a braid. When she leaned forward to hand an apple to a customer, her movements were completely natural. The fabric of her dress shifted realistically with her motion, revealing a hint of cleavage.
Max felt his face heat slightly. The developers had clearly spared no expense on character models. Every NPC he saw looked like they could be a real person—distinct facial features, natural body proportions, realistic physics for clothing and hair movement.
A group of female NPCs walked past, dressed in various outfits ranging from traveling clothes to more elegant city wear. The animation quality was impeccable.
"They really didn't hold back on the asset design," Max muttered to himself.
"Tell me about it."
Max spun around. A player stood behind him—a tall woman with white hair styled in a high ponytail, wearing leather armor that marked her as a rogue class. Her tag read:
[Velara – Level 5 – Shadowblade]
"Vel?" Max grinned. "Holy shit, you made it!"
Velara pulled down her cloth mask, revealing a familiar smirk. Her avatar looked beautiful up close—sharp features, mischievous gray eyes and the kind of face that seemed alive even in pixels. Though she was just his online friend and they had never met in real life, Max could tell she was probably just as pretty beyond the screen.