Depraved Veracity

"The next phase of your training involves mastering other Catalyst's [Basic Skill]."

With that, my Tutorial stage continued.

Ding!

 

 

"Now, let's introduce movement. In real combat, you will not be stationary."

And I kept going through it all.

Ding!

 

 

"For the final test of this session. You will face a simulated enemy. Use everything you have learned. Adapt, control, conquer."

A massive figure of code and pixels gradually formed into a perfect creature. It was a replica of the hybrid dragon that served as the game's main enemy in the [Open World], complete with jaws and sharp claws.

Even though it was a dragon, it had a humanoid appearance as tall as an adult man (around two meters or more?) with two arms and stood on two legs. Unlike the usual image of dragons, this being lacked wings, giving it an appearance similar to mythological of "Eastern region" dragons, but with a twist. Like a human being made to look like a lizard.

The only difference from humans was its black scales covered its entire body with an unnaturally bloated shape. Also, the hard skin jutted out behind its head like two pairs of horns.

"That is a Pawn Grade hybrid," Noir interjected, "the lowest tier enemy suitable for a newcomer like you to fight."

It was only natural to be given this enemy Grade at this stage. But in World: The Origin, with its realistic traits, the hybrid ahead of me wouldn't be like the mindless monster fodder in most RPG games that were easy to kill.

Did as usual, then.

'Observing.'

The immediate challenge was the landscape: running on uneven ground felt cumbersome, and losing balance could mean slipping or falling. On the other hand, my enemy likely had more advantages. Despite its bulky appearance, it might possess agility and speed beyond what its form suggested—a common trope in fantasy games where reality's constraints didn't always apply.

I needed to prepare for either scenario: an enemy that was swift or one that was slow.

The next factor was understanding the use of my Skill. [Ice Lancer] allowed me to create up to three projectiles simultaneously, with a Cooldown of five seconds between uses. The damage and performance depended on my [Stability] and [Reflex] stats (which were still painfully [F]). With a Casting Time of around one second, it would take only that second for all three projectiles.

It was best to let the enemy make the first move.

After a prolonged staring contest, the creature charged. At a distance of twenty meters, I could have launched a projectile. Still, I held back, knowing my low [Grade Control] meant I needed precision. I studied its movement—slow compared to a human's sprint, likely limited to 2 m/s. The bulk of its body seemed to hinder its mobility, with its feet occasionally sinking into the sand.

When the distance between us lessened, I spread my fingers to cast three ice projectiles. My hand stretched out to aim as it got closer... even closer... its steps momentarily faltering in the loose sand—

'Now!'

Stab! Stab!

—two ice projectiles struck right into its eyes with a sickening squelch. But my triumph was short-lived as the last one missed its intended mark.

Still, it was enough.

The creature let out a deafening howl, stumbling backward with its hands wildly clawing at its face; it was loud enough to make my ears ring even from five meters away.

I decided to maintain our distance.

Considering a Pawn was the lowest enemy rank, it shouldn't have high intelligence or senses. Unable to see, it wouldn't realize I was no longer where I was and wouldn't know where I currently was. Its instincts would lead it to the last place it saw me.

A straight dash.

Like now, its mouth opened wide in anger as it ran straightforwardly with a loud howl while I was already walking away. Not wanting us to be too far apart, I summoned another ice projectile and shot it at its back—

Clang!

'Hard scales!'

I wasn't sure if the enemy had a high defense or if my Grade was still too low to penetrate its skin. Or perhaps it was both. Either way, this meant I had to adjust my approach.

Because of the attack, the hybrid knew where I was. With a surprised flinch, it turned around and sprinted toward me, its massive feet kicking up clouds of sand. I moved from my position, hoping the sand would muffle my steps and erase my tracks.

The monster ended up dashing behind where I had been.

'How fortunate this sand can dampen my step.'

While sand could muffle the sound of movement, a quiet desert still carried the risk of footsteps being heard—unless there was a steady wind. Fortunately, my conditions seemed favorable; even a gentle breeze was enough to mask the sound of subtle movements like footsteps in the sand.

I kept moving, biding my time for [Ice Lancer]'s cooldown as the hybrid reeled from my last feint.

Subtly adjusting my path, I edged closer to its unpredictable movements to ensure it stayed within striking distance. Refocusing, I cast three more ice projectiles, keeping them ready while whistling sharply to catch the creature's attention. Alert, it perked up, its tiny ears twitching as its head turned toward the sound: me.

I continued whistling as it approached angrily.

Just about it lunged at me; I stopped whistling and dropped into a quick crouch. The creature's momentum carried it forward, its jaws snapping shut just above my head by inches. I aimed upward at the underside of its jaw.

 

 

Those numbers represented the damage I had caused. That was pretty low, I realized. Perhaps this game didn't use high damage numbers after all.

I rolled away as the creature cried out, coping with the pain I caused. I readied myself for the cooldown of [Ice Lancer] to end. Targeting its underside jaw was another gamble; I didn't know where this monster's weak point was. All I understood was that creatures with armored skin often had less protection around their mouths to allow for more flexibility.

'But that didn't necessarily mean it was enough to kill the monster, right?'

The cooldown was up, and my [Ice Lancer] was already floating in my hand. In the distance, the monster was swaying slightly as if unsure of its next move. Then, with a final miserable groan, it collapsed onto the sandy ground, and its body dissolved into countless pixels and faded into the air like mist.

'...It is done?'

I didn't think it would be this easy; I hadn't anticipated the fight with a Pawn Grade enemy to end... quickly. Yes, I know; my tactics and timing were calculated. But the actual outcome seemed to unfold faster than I had mentally prepared for?

"Oh, well, if the enemy is weak, then it really is just weak."

Ding!

 

With a long sigh, I wanted to close that notification; however, just as my hand went up, it was replaced with another screen that kept coming.

Ding!

 

Ding!

 

'Too much text!'

I averted my gaze to see Noir approaching me, clapping her hands. The simulation room also returned to its original state—a vast room with a giant holographic globe.

"Excellent work. Now, you may proceed with your next task to maintain your Mount. I will leave the care to Daniel in the Gear Department. I have marked the location for you."

Ding!

 

"My duty to guide you has ended." Noir gave her trademark military salute. "Have a safe trip, and good luck with your mission, student Luo."

Then she began to walk away—

Ding!

 

'Damn it! Why does this game have so many notification screens?!'

Rather than paying attention to them—including the notifications from the completed Tutorial stage that were still popping up—I walked down the hallway to exit the building.

As soon as the elevator in front of me opened, I rushed in and found someone already inside. And that "someone" seemed surprised to see me after being immersed in... his cell phone? Yes, a phone! When I entered the lift, he quickly looked up to meet my gaze.

This game seemed to be set in an Old Era. Since, in reality, people used cell phones like that before switching to Helios.

It was around a thousand years ago!

Chances were he was also an NPC, as he held a non-player object like that. But why did he keep looking at me with such shock? Never mind. I glanced in the other direction and looked up.

Fourteen floors? Pretty high, and with the slow pace of the lift...

'...this gonna take time.'

Standing in a small space with strangers felt awkward, so while waiting, I checked my earlier notification screen to close it—Wait...

 

 

'A rare item?!'

"Excuse me."

Surprised, I looked behind me and noticed that "someone" was nervously peeking at me. Why would an NPC talk to me out of the blue? A random event? Closing the previous screen, I turned around to face him properly.

But my actions... ah, yes, that expression.

Fear.

He inched away, looking down. Well, he seemed nervous by holding his own arm. How nostalgic. I hadn't seen such a reaction in a long time. And the reason for such a reason might still be the same.

'My eyes.'

Most people couldn't bear to look me in the eyes. Weird that an NPC would respond like that, too. Whereas Noir seemed normal when seeing me. And modifying the avatar's eyes was a common thing, no? So, even though mine seemed intimidating in the real world, it should be "normal" here.

But this was useless; I couldn't gain anything if he kept silent. Instead of continuing, I turned away, and once the lift showed I had reached the first floor, I quickly went out.

Stepping out of the building, I found myself amidst Vaughan's bustling streets. Players on their Mounts, including motorcycles emitting blue-white energy, zipped past, their engines harmonizing with the murmur of groups mingling here and there.

The presence of a crowd outside caught me by surprise.

Out of curiosity, I approached, cutting through the crowd of players and NPCs to see what had attracted such attention. With each step, the heart of the gathering came clear—a group of people lined up led by... Noir?!

'She went straight there, huh?'

In this game, NPCs, such as Noir, were unique—there was only one in the entire game world. If players wanted to interact with them, timing was necessary; they needed to be aware of the NPCs' schedules, which varied and were designed to imitate real-life dynamics. Some were said to roam freely, while others remained in one location.

Growing more and more curious, I walked over—

Thud!

—but instead crashed into an invisible wall.

Oh, come on, it had only been a few hours since I started playing, yet I was already ridiculously bumped into something. Twice! What was wrong with me today?! Ugh. Instead of thinking about it (it was my own fault, after all), I turned to look ahead; I noticed the transparent wall was giving a red notification.

 

 

'Raid, huh?'

The sight before me began to make sense.

A small group of players stood beyond the barrier. They were high-level, evidently from their impressive equipment. A select few prepared to take on the Raid while the rest—including me—remained behind, unable to join. Even the NPCs mingling within the scene outnumbered those players, highlighting just how exclusive Raid participation was.

This exclusivity wasn't just about skillfulness; it was tied to the device required to play World: The Origin. The game could only be accessed using the VR:Scanner. Yet, its production had been discontinued several months ago (around six months) for reasons that remained a mystery. That made participation in events like these an even greater symbol of prestige for the few.

And one of those few insides was... looking at me?

Now, it felt like I was eye-to-eye with her? A long silver-haired girl with golden irises that were quite soft, making it seem like—Nah, it was just my feeling at best, like... the direction of her gaze was this way, but her focus wasn't on me. I'd better work on the next Quest.

I began to walk away.