> Zone: Forest of Mists — Eastern Depths
The sun had barely broken through the digital clouds. But beneath the thick canopy, a fluid shadow moved with the grace of a wild beast.
Hakaijin, level 4, had just sliced through the last "Crystal Crow" blocking his access to a strange clearing. His blade still vibrated, imbued with a strange energy.
> [Side Quest Completed: The Blade and the Echo]
Reward: +180 EXP | Elixir of Concentration | Fragment of Memory
He wiped his forehead. Sweat was dripping despite the constant artificial temperature.
He smiled softly.
— This world is… perfect.
FLASHBACK: A few hours earlier
He had chosen the nickname himself: Hakaijin — "Destroyer." A strange choice for a young man so polite in real life. But here, in Genesis, he could let go. Break the shackles of his too-perfect life. He was no longer Ren Daiki, heir to a Japanese-Korean dynasty, trapped between ceremonies, reputation, and silence.
> Base Class: Warrior — Broken Blade School
Style: Direct Strike, Surgical Precision, Reflexive Parry
Active Skill:
Swing Strike (AOE)
Martial Focus (+ Accuracy)
Reflexive Counter
He had moved away from downtown Erasthia almost immediately after entering the game. Too many people, too many distractions. He had found an old hermit (NPC) at the edge of a ravine. The man had tested him, then guided him to this hidden clearing, where the fauna wasn't just digital... it was memory. Each monster seemed to carry a story.
Back to the present.
A crystalline pillar stood in the center of the clearing, surrounded by animated glyphs.
Hakaijin placed his hand on the stone. A voice echoed directly in his head.
> Do you wish to seal a wish?
— Yes.
He thought of freedom. Of his mother. Of that constant pressure to always be "the example."
> Wish recorded: Break one's chains.
The stone pulsed. A digital tattoo was etched on his left arm.
> ORIAS System: Wish Mark granted. Passive effects unknown.
He remained frozen.
— This game… is much more than what it claims to be.
Meanwhile…
> [Signal detected. Presence of another player in the peripheral zone—Alias: Z3RO]
Hakaijin frowned.
> — Another hunter…? Interesting.
✦ End of Chapter 6
Next: Z3RO vs. the Steel Wolves — Discovery of an unstable portal…