"Hey, wake up! It's time to go."
Zed opened his eyes and saw Lina shaking his shoulder.
"Let me sleep more. We'll go later." Zed closed his eyes.
Lina was speechless. "We can't be late. We are entering a Playground today."
"Well, getting a chance to enter, to be precise."
Zed opened an eye and looked at her.
"We got a message." Lina grinned. "A playground popped in our country's territory, and it's Tier-1, so it's for Novice-rank Players like us."
Zed got up and blinked. "That's interesting."
"Get ready. I'll tell you more on the way." Lina's eyelashes fluttered as she blinked and smiled before leaving.
[ She is getting attracted to you slowly, my lord. Your performance in the upcoming tournament is sure to charm her even further. ]
'So you got the information.' Zed entered the bathroom.
[ Yep. This Tier-1 Playground has 20 spots total, so only 20 Novice-rank Players can enter. They'll hold a competition for all Novice-rank students to select the 20. ]
'Well then, let's get to it.' Zed took out the reward for the side quest he completed yesterday.
10 x Power-Up Candies and 100 U.R points.
'Wow, these candies are amazing.' Zed raised his eyebrows.
[ Power-Up Candy ]
Rank: Special Tier-1
Effect:
—> Increase all four stats by 10 to 20.
Zed was truly surprised.
[ Well, this is a low-tier resource in the scope of this Shingle Realm. It's not hard to increase the stats of a Novice-rank. ]
'Well then, I just became a peak Novice-rank Player.' Zed chuckled.
He ate six candies, and all of his stats reached 100.
[Zed Tye Iranes]
-Rank: Novice (Peak)
Vigor: 100
Ki: 100 (1000/1000)
Lumen: 100
Spirit: 100 (1000/1000)
1. Ki: Blood Rage (B)
2. Spirit: Thundering Cloud (A)
3. Hybrid: Wind Laced Flurry (B)
4. Healing Hands (C)
< Cultivation Manual >
1. Frozen Spark Manual
'What do I need to do to become an Elite-rank Player? Eat one more candy? But I feel some kind of restraints on me.'
[ You would need to gather experience as a Novice-rank Player in a Playground. The restraints you feel are from the rules of this world of nine realms. Once you enter a Playground and get experience, you will acquire a Rune that can be nurtured to become your foundation power, and it will acknowledge the world, so the restrains will leave, and you will be able to become stronger by using various resources and training. ]
'Gotcha. I won't have a problem getting resources with the system, so all I would require is getting Playgrounds for breaking through.'
[ Main Quest is generated. ]
'Oh, one day has passed. Let's see what it is. I also need to check my 2nd Legacy Quest and first one's rewards.'
…
Soon, Lina and Zed arrived at the academy.
All Novice-rank students were gathered. The total number was 136.
It was higher than what Zed expected because yesterday, there were only 94 Novice-rank Players, and he even killed three of them.
[ My lord. All Novice-rank from all over the country are here. ]
'Yeah. And many of them are at the peak of Novice-rank.'
[ Many had been waiting for a Novice-rank Playground to appear so they could gather experience and break through. ]
'But the appearance of Playgrounds is frequent, right?'
[ Indeed. Twenty to thirty Playgrounds a week is the rate of appearance for now. For the population of five countries, this number is still low, and fierce competition occurs for them in the unowned part of the world. ]
'Is that why Players are not generally knowledgeable in this world yet? Playgrounds are not enough?'
[ Indeed. That also meant a lack of resources. But this should be solved pretty soon. ]
'Why?'
[ Secret. I'll tell you later. ]
'Haha, fine.'
"Everyone. As you all got the message, a Tier-1 Playground has appeared in our territory, and every Novice-rank will be given a fair chance to gain an entry. A total of 20 Novice-rank Players can enter among the 136 of you."
The middle-aged man in a plain white embroidered robe floated upward and spoke while facing the students on the big ground.
"Stand your ground and remain firm on your feet. I am going to apply a gravitation pressure on you." The middle-aged man waved his hand as a faint purple-blue orb conjured and floated in the center of the gathered students before expanding into a dome that covered everyone.
"The first round will start right away. I am going to apply the pressure for five minutes. Those who can remain standing until then will proceed to the next round."
The middle-aged man's eyes glinted. "The round begins!"
The students were not expecting this at all, but everyone gritted their teeth and stood firm as the pressure began to apply to them.
To pass the time, Zed started opening the tickets.
The 5 x Lucky Draw tickets he got by completing the 1st Legacy Quest.
1 x Ticket Spin!
[ Congratulations, you have acquired a Tier-2 Flying Dagger: Bakratsu. ]
'Oh?'
[ This is a good reward, My lord. Your control of Spirit is already at the peak, so you should be able to wield this Tier-2 Flying Dagger. It is a Spirit Weapon, so it will bind to your mind, allowing you to control it. ]
'Great. Let's bind it.'
Soon, a dagger appeared in Zed's inner space. About ten inches long, the dagger had a slender, curved body that seemed to shimmer between metal and mist, colored dusty orange. The edge glowed with a faint violet hue that pulsed like a heartbeat, while the blade's surface bore ancient, flowing runes that shifted whenever light touched them as if alive.
[ Flying Dagger: Bakratsu ]
Rank: Tier-2 / High
Attribute: Fire
Cost: 10 Spirit per second.
Attack Power:
—> Lumen x 20.
—> 20% extra damage if the user's Spirit has a fire-attribute.
Weapon Skill:
Eating Explosion (A) / Cost: 500 Spirit.
'Cool. My Lumen is 100, so this dagger deals 2000 damage? How strong is it?'
[ 2000 damage can cut apart someone with 100 Vigor without any resistance. It can injure people with up to 500 Vigor, so it can hurt peak Elite-rank Players, unless they protect their skin with the Ki or Spirit barrier or with a defensive skill. ]
'This seems quite powerful. Of course, if it were ice attributed, it would've been better.'
Still, Zed was satisfied with his first ticket's reward.
'Let's see what I get next.'
1 x Ticket Spin!