'The Game points and the reputation are a great bonus, but the real prize is these titles,' Vlad thought, his eyes shining as he read through their detail.
✮✮✮✮✮
Name: Venomous Harbinger
Grade: Epic
Effect(s):
+15% Poison Damage for all poison-based attacks, while the poison created by the user is also 30% more potent.
+20% Resistance to poison damage.
Description: The poison is the messenger of slow and painful death, and you, as its herald, understand it.
----------
Name: Lone Calamity
Grade: Legendary
Effect(s):
Solo Scaling: When not in a party, all stats are increased by 5% to 15%, scaling with the enemy Ascendant Rank.
Calamity Aura: The longer the player fights, the more aura he radiates, instilling fear in enemies' hearts and doubt in their minds, reducing their morale and combat effectiveness.
Undying Fury: The player enters a state of rage when his health drops below 10%. All stats increase by 50% for 60 seconds.
Description: A Title granted to a player who can cause widespread destruction and chaos, relying on their own strength.
----------
Name: The Rising Legend
Grade: Legendary
Effect(s):
Heaven's Favor: +100% Reputation Gain with all Light Factions.
Rising Hero: The player is treated as a hero in all established organizations, and High-tier NPCs are more likely to treat the user as a friend or VIP.
Hero's Echo: When below 30% HP, temporarily gain +20% to all stats.
Luck/Unluck: It is easier for the player to find himself in Lucky/Unlucky situations.
Description: A title earned by a few in history, each bearer having proven their worth on the world stage, achieving something deemed near impossible.
✮✮✮✮✮
"The Rising Legend, a fitting title," Vlad murmured. Even though he had expected something grand, the sheer value of these titles left him breathless.
Titles were one of the best power-ups a player could acquire, but the difficulty of acquiring even a low-grade one was extremely high, as even common titles had the toughest of conditions which the majority of players could never achieve.
So players with legendary titles were few, in hundreds among the now hundreds of millions of players, but even they were not all equal.
'There are no free meals in this world,' Vlad murmured, understanding that while the titles brought outstanding gifts, they also brought trouble. The crowd waiting to meet Vlad was a good example of the trouble they brought.
But the pros greatly outweighed the cons.
'With my current status, even one of the spirit sovereigns would be willing to make a contract with me,' Vlad mused, happy and excited for his future growth.
Vlad checked the other few notifications, and his updated status window, before turning to the grand crowd standing ready to welcome him.
'Let's hope they offer me something more than just invitations,' Vlad thought, scanning the familiar faces.
He saw players belonging to all top guilds, stars who would not even have spared him a second look in his past life, but now they all stood patiently outside the barrier, probably waiting for the past ten or eleven hours.
The players were not the only ones, as giants of various empires also stood outside, their powerful gazes scanning him from head to toe.
Vlad understood that at the moment he was just a blank canvas with great potential, and while every power would be happy to have him on their side, they all, without exception, would want him to be tied to them.
As a trusted ally, or more like a slave.
At this moment, he was a wild card who could become a hero or a bane for them. So everyone would be happy to invest in him, but in return, they would demand his complete surrender.
If he wished to stay unaffiliated, they would want security so that he would not become a headache to their power in the future.
The world powers were willing to go to such lengths because Vlad was an immortal adventurer, an unkillable soldier who could grow at an impossible speed.
He also had the protection of Lucid, the entity they knew as the Outsider, an entity that could tear their empires down without anyone being able to do anything about it.
So, every time the big powers discovered a talented player, they would either make him tied to their power or ensure that he would not be a threat to them.
'Let's first change this hideous name,' Vlad thought before he opened his status window, and clicked to change his name.
'I wonder how they would react if I changed my to Villain?' Vlad mused, and the image of a bad future quickly flashed in his mind. 'V, it is,'
He cut the long line of numbers, and just left the letter 'V'. The system notification told him the price of the name change, and how his money was refundable if someone else bought it.
He paid the price and his name instantly changed for everyone to see. With his decision already made, he turned and confidently strode toward the exit.
The moment he stepped out of the barrier, a man clad in gleaming golden armor appeared before him.
He was human, and towered over Vlad, appearing to be in his thirties, his presence immense. His aura radiated warmth but carried a suffocating weight. Pride burned in his golden eyes, and his very demeanor made one instinctively lower their gaze.
But Vlad stared him in the eyes and held his ground.
"I am Caelum Rynn, Warden of the Golden Spires, of the Human Empire Sylaris," the man said calmly, a composed smile stretched across his face.
"V, a lone adventurer," Vlad answered, his voice booming aloud, reaching every person present.
The golden-haired warrior laughed, and so did the elven beauty, and many others present.
"I will stay unaffiliated, so if you can give me an oath stone, I would like to take my oath and be on my way," Vlad followed, and Caelum stopped chuckling, still smiling, but suddenly the air felt a touch too hot.
"Do you recognize these players?" Caelum asked, turning to gesture toward the group on the side. His voice sharpened, carrying a firmer edge. "They are like you, talented."
"But the world is full of talented people."
"Kael, the Emberbound. Nyxveil, the Silent One. Virel, the Venom King. Darius, the Unshaken Wall. Venn, the Verm."
"They all became who they are because they had the support of the Empire," Caelum said, as he handed Vlad a milky white crystal.
He said nothing more. His meaning was clear, and with time any new player would understand—but Vlad already knew.
Vlad understood that with the backing of a faction, countless opportunities would open up. But he didn't need anyone's help to acquire the best of the best opportunities.
"I, with the World Laws as my witness, take the oath to never bring unjust harm upon the innocent, nor walk the path of senseless evil."
"I shall not be a threat to the light of this world, nor a burden to its keepers, so long as their light stays true."
"I take this vow with a clear conscience, under no pressure, fully aware of the consequences if I ever break it," Vlad said the vow. The crystal in his hand grew brighter by the moment before it began to dissolve, turning to dust which slipped through his finger.
Vlad felt the mana in his veins boil, while the very reality around him began to twist, fading to gray and white—a clear sign of a successful law oath.
{Player V is now bound by an eternal law oath.}
The vow was called a law oath, and the crystal used to take it was a law crystal.
It was a promise to the laws of the world, and breaking it would mean not being able to use the laws, meaning magic, for weeks to decades, depending on the severity of the situation.
It was one of the few guaranteed ways to make someone keep their word, and though expensive, the security it offered made it worth every coin.
Vlad's plans mostly involve destroying bad factions, both player and NPC, so the oath would never really pose a problem, and when it did, he knew ways around it.
"This is a Sun Badge," Caelum said, handing Vlad a flame-shaped emblem that seemed to roar with heat. "It grants you direct entry into the Sun Academy's special course."
He paused, then added with calm conviction, "I suggest you join early, because only with a strong foundation can one build something that truly lasts."
Caelum turned, a bright golden aura radiating from him, which burned the very fabric of reality, opening a rift to the pitch darkness of the void.
He stepped into the abyss, vanishing without sparing Vlad or his peers a single glance.
The crowd barely had time to settle before a tall, fur-covered figure stepped forward, silver eyes gleaming with wild intensity.
His snout stretched past his hooded cloak, predatory eyes staring Vlad down, and the scent of wilderness clung to his presence.