The world returned in a surge of light and pressure.
Michael stumbled forward, blinking hard. Grass swayed beneath his boots, green and real, but somehow too perfect. The sky overhead shimmered with painted clouds that never quite moved. He was standing on a cobbled road that led into a sleepy hamlet of thatched roofs and wooden signs creaking in a breeze.
[Welcome to Dawnstead Village]
Region: First Reach – Veilborn World Instance 1.12a
The tutorial was over. And yet—his heart was still pounding. His sword hand ached as if it remembered the battles more vividly than he did. He could still smell the smoke from the Trial Fire… still see the gleam of the mini-boss's cruel blade.
He hadn't just survived. He had cleared what the system itself declared "near-impossible."
And now the world seemed… still.
Michael sat down on a carved stone marker near the village entrance and opened his interface for the first time in peace.
📜 Status Window – Michael
Level: 4
Class: Sellsword (Novice Tier)
HP: 124/124
MP: 41/41
EXP: 60% to Level 5
Stat Points Available: 0
Stats:
Strength: 8
Vitality: 6
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 4
Spirit: 3
Skills:
Echo of the Veil (Passive – Rank F)
A growth-type blessing. Activates under strain. Slightly enhances survivability and perception under extreme duress. Effects increase gradually with exposure to danger.
"Alright," he whispered, flexing his fingers. "So I'm not strong. Yet. But I'm not nothing either."
The system had granted him the freedom to shape himself, stat by stat. Every level would offer three more choices—three more ways to fight, run, think, or endure.
And that skill… Echo of the Veil… what exactly did it mean to be a growth-type?
He could feel its presence even now, as though it were watching alongside him.
Just then, a soft chime echoed in the air. Different than any system prompt he'd heard so far.
[Hidden Quest Unlocked: The Veiled Star's Descent]
Type: Worldbound – Chain Quest (Class Path: ???)
Quest Rank: Unknown
Status: Initiated
Description:
You are being watched.
Others see a world to conquer. You see the cracks beneath it.
Seek the light that hides in shadow and the name that no system speaks.
Objectives (Chapter 1):
– Investigate the stranger's trail
– Locate the ruins "where silence breathes"
– Survive what comes next
Reward (Tiered):
– ??? Affinity Increase
– Progress toward ??? Class
– ??? Skill Fragment (if no failure during step 2)
– Bonus: Interaction with the Veil itself
Penalty for Failure:
– Access to this questline is permanently revoked
– Certain hidden classes locked out
– Willpower gain temporarily reduced
Michael stared, barely breathing.
No directions. No markers. Just riddles and risk. But also… potential. This wasn't some generic starter quest.
This—was his story.
He stood slowly, brushing dust from his trousers. Dawnstead loomed ahead. Peaceful. Unassuming.
But something was waiting just beyond the village gates. Something the others wouldn't see.
And he would follow it.
Even if it meant stepping off the map.