The morning sun had barely crested the horizon when Jayden stirred from sleep. His body, still humming with residual fatigue from the past days brutal fight, protested as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Every muscle thrumd with anticipation for the next battle, every joint stiff from the relentless training and hunting he had subjected himself to. But pain was nothing new.. it was an old friend, a constant companion in his pursuit of strength.
His mind, however, was already sharp, cutting through the fog of sleep like a blade. One goal dominated his thoughts: training.
A quick shower washed away the lingering exhaustion, the hot water soothing his sore muscles. He dressed in loose athletic wear, the fabric flexible enough to allow unrestricted movent. Breakfast was a hurried affair... protein-rich and efficient. He wasn’t here to savor flavors; he was here to fuel his body for what ca next.
Then he was out the door, jogging through the waking city toward the Pod Den.
The streets were still quiet, the world slowly shaking off the remnants of night. The crisp morning air filled his lungs, sharp and invigorating. His breath ca in steady puffs of vapor, his feet pounding against the pavent in a rhythmic cadence that matched his heartbeat.
By the ti he arrived at the Pod Den, the place was already buzzing with activity—far more than he’d expected for this early. Dozens of people milled about, so already imrsed in pods, others clustered in small groups, chatting excitedly. His eyes flicked over the crowd, taking in the familiar faces.
The tournants.
Most of them were students from his academy, all granted ti off to prepare. And what better way to train than in EverRealm, where battles were as real as they could get without actual pain and bloodshed.
Jayden strode to the receptionist, a bored-looking woman with neon-pink hair who barely glanced up from her screen. He slid his card across the counter, paid the required fee, and was directed to a pod near the back.
The sleek, futuristic capsule humd faintly as he climbed in, the interior molding to his body like a second skin. He tapped the console, scrolling through the ga list before selecting EverRealm.
The pod sealed shut, and darkness swallowed him... only to dissolve into blinding white.
[Welco back, Orion]
A familiar holographic nu materialized before him:
Jayden selected Status, and another screen flickered into existence:
User ID: Orion
Level: 1
Abilities Chosen: None
Weapons: None
Matches Played: 1
Global Ranking: 545,679
He exhaled and closed the tab. His stats were pitiful, but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t there to admire numbers—he was there to fight.
He selected Quick Match, then chose Random Battle... a mode that paired players within the sa level range across the globe.
The world dissolved into blinding white, then reford into a vast expanse of snow and ice.
Jayden blinked as the biting wind stung his cheeks, the crunch of fresh powder beneath his boots. Towering mountains lood in the distance, their jagged peaks piercing the steel-gray sky. The air slled crisp and clean, carrying the faint tallic tang of impending battle.
Across the frozen tundra, his opponent materialized... a wiry figure clad in form-fitting blue combat gear, a floating HUD hovering above him.
*Level: 3
*Ability: Cryokinesis
*HP: 100%
Jayden tutted in dissatisfaction. The terrain clearly favored his opponent. But he didn’t fret.
The man rolled his shoulders, his breath misting in the frigid air as he sized Jayden up with a sneer.
"You’re coming into a battle with no weapons or abilities?" The man scoffed, flexing his fingers. "How foolish."
Jayden didn’t respond. He simply stood there, hands loose at his sides, studying his opponent with quiet intensity.
EverRealm was unique in one crucial aspect: the ga matched players based on their in-ga level—nottheir real-world skill. A person at level 1 could be a complete novice, or they could be a seasoned warrior at level 30 who simply hadn’t played much.
That ant every fight was a gamble.
And Jayden loved that.
The countdown began, the disembodied voice booming across the wasteland:
"Three..."
Jayden exhaled slowly, watching the way his opponent shifted his weight from foot to foot.
"Two..."
The man’s fingers twitched, already forming intricate patterns in the air.
"One..."
Jayden’s muscles coiled like springs.
"Fight!"
The opponent struck first, his hands blurring as jagged shards of ice crystallized from thin air. With a sweeping motion, he hurled a volley of frozen daggers straight at Jayden’s chest.
Jayden moved.
Not with any special ability or enhanced speed—just pure, refined footwork. He pivoted on his lead foot, letting the first dagger whistle past his ear. The second ca low—he sidestepped, feeling the cold kiss of the blade as it grazed his thigh. He caught the third dagger midair, the ice shattering in his grip as he closed the distance between them in three long strides.
The man’s eyes widened. He backpedaled, summoning another ice dagger, but Jayden was already inside his guard. A sharp jab to the solar plexus drove the breath from his lungs. A follow-up elbow to the jaw sent him stumbling back, blood spraying across the pristine snow.
"You—" the man gasped, wiping his mouth. "How are you this fast?"
Jayden didn’t answer. He simply circled, his boots leaving shallow prints in the snow. The cold didn’t bother him, if anything, it sharpened his focus, made every sensation more vivid.
The opponent snarled and clapped his hands together. The ground trembled as a wave of jagged ice erupted from the snow, racing toward Jayden like a frozen tsunami.
Jayden leapt straight up, tucking his knees to his chest as the icy spikes tore through the space where he’d just stood. He landed lightly, already moving as the man charged forward, twin ice blades forming in his hands.
Their dance continued... the opponent attacking with increasing desperation, Jayden dodging and weaving with effortless grace. A slash aid at his throat was parried with a forearm block. A low sweep was avoided with a simple hop. Each ti the man attacked, Jayden countered with precise, economical movents... a jab here, a knee there... never using more force than necessary.
After several minutes of this, Jayden sighed. The man was skilled, but predictable. His patterns were obvious now, his breathing ragged from exertion.
"Ti to end this," he muttered.
The next ti the man lunged, Jayden didn’t dodge. He stepped inside the strike, catching the wrist holding the ice dagger. Then he twisted—
CRACK.
The man scread as his wrist gave way. Jayden’s other hand shot forward, fingers curling into a fist that connected squarely with the man’s jaw, snapping his head back with a broken neck.
The opponent crumpled to the snow like a marionette with its strings cut, his avatar disintegrating into light.
[KO! — ORION WINS]
The world dissolved into golden light as the system announced his victory.
Back in the white lobby, Jayden stretched his arms overhead, rolling his shoulders. That fight had been... therapeutic. The crisp efficiency of combat, the purity of testing his skills against another fighter—it reminded him why he’d co here in the first place.
Then, with a quick command, he logged out of the ga, his eyes flickering open in the real world.
Almost imdiately, the system screen appeared in his vision.
[ 10 EXP RECEIVED]
His eyebrows rose. "Ten exp?" he mumbled. Last ti, when he fought against Cassandra, he’d only gotten two.
But he didn’t linger much on this and counted it as the universe favouring him.
A slow smile spread across his face as he went back into the ga.
He had logged out simply to see if he would get exp for defeating that opponent. And he did.
And that confird it.
He could gain exp from the ga.
This changed everything.
Without hesitation, he selected Quick Match again. The ga wasn’t just entertainnt anymore—it was training. And Jayden never half-assed his training.
As the world dissolved into another battlefield, he cracked his knuckles.
"Ti to level up."
The next arena materialized around him—a ruined cityscape, crumbling skyscrapers stretching toward a blood-red sky. The air slled of smoke and rust, the distant echo of collapsing debris filling the silence.
His opponent appeared across the shattered street... a towering figure clad in heavy armor, a massive warhamr resting on his shoulder.
*Level: 5
*Ability: Enhanced Strength
*HP: 100%
Jayden smirked. His opponent reminded him of a certain beast.
The countdown began.
"Three..."
The armored man hefted his hamr, the tal gleaming under the crimson light.
"Two..."
Jayden rolled his neck, loosening up.
"One..."
The man grinned behind his helt.
"Fight!"
The ground shook as the brute charged, his hamr swinging in a devastating arc. Jayden didn’t retreat, instead, he dove forward, sliding beneath the strike as the hamr obliterated the concrete where he’d stood.
Before the man could recover, Jayden was on him.. elbow slamming into the gap in his armor at the ribs. The man grunted, staggering back, but Jayden didn’t let up. A spinning kick to the knee buckled his stance, and a follow-up palm strike to the chin sent him reeling.
The man roared, swinging wildly, but Jayden was already gone.. darting behind him, driving a knee into his spine. The man stumbled forward, and Jayden leapt, driving both heels into the back of his helt.
CRUNCH.
The armored figure face-planted into the rubble, motionless. Then his figure crumpled into light and faded away.
[KO — ORION WINS]
Jayden exhaled, satisfaction curling in his chest. That was another 10 exp gained.
But this was only the beginning.
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