Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World

One second, Ark was consumed by darkness, and in the next, he was greeted by a brand new world.

Eden... the word on its own meant paradise, and at first glance, that was exactly what this world appeared to be.

The sky was an artwork of blue, and white clouds that appeared like a masterpiece crafted by the very gods. Perhaps they were, Eden was not of natural origins after all.

Unlike the black asphalt he was used to on earth, streets were made of square stone kerbs that were arranged in aesthetic patterns.

Medieval structures stood on each side of the road, as though he had been sent back in time, and at the center of it all was the most magnificent part of the city—

It was a statue of a man in thick armour, holding a broadsword to the sky. It was so large, that it towered even higher than the tallest buildings, and since it was made of white stone, it stole the attention of anyone who so much as glanced at it.

The Hero’s statue....

The hero’s statue was like a god to most players for one simple reason, it served as a refresh point.

No matter what injuries you obtain in Eden, excluding high grade curses, it could all be cured at the hero’s statue.

Because of how important they were, in the past, some players had actually organised a heist to steal the statue by blowing it off its base.

But that was when they realised that those statues were practically indestructible. You could drop an entire nuke and you wouldn’t even get a scratch.

Which only made it even odder...

If the statues were so strong, then who was strong enough to scratch off their faces?

Across all statues ever found in Eden, there was one feature they all shared. Their faces had been scratched off by the claws of an unknown beast...

Ark let out a breath, before taking his eyes off the statue.

”I’ve finally made it.” Ark was in the beginner city of Issen.

”Hey, there is a sale going on! We need to get there now!” A boy in dark leather armour grabbed onto a girl’s arm, pulling her along with him.

”Urgh! I’m coming, I’m coming!”

By the other side of the road, a party of three were chatting loudly, while hauling the head of a massive beast.

”I didn’t even see it coming, Hahahah! That was one crazy monster!”

”You would have died if not for me, you know? I want fifty percent of all credits!”

”Fifty percent?!” The girl next to him, a hydra, grabbed him by the neck. ”Don’t be a greedy bastard!”

Clop Clop Clop—!

”Hey, get out of the road you filthy undead!”

Ark immediately dashed out of the way as a carriage rushed past him, the coachman whipped the horses, urging them to go even faster.

”They weren’t kidding when they said Eden is like a game...”

It felt like those VRMMMORPGs he used to play back on earth, only that this time it felt very real.

The way the sounds reverberated in his ears, the feel of the wind on his bones, the players themselves... everything was far too real to be called a game.

[Welcome To Eden]

[Please Select A Nickname]

And yet it was so much like one...

Nicknames were like aliases people could use when they didn’t want to reveal their true identity.

Ark stared at the blinking cursor for some time. ’I guess I will just use the nickname I always use...’

”Hitler.”

[Error, this name has been banned.]

Ark hissed. ”Seriously?”

There were a number of games back on earth that ban the name, but it was just a name wasn’t it?

’Wait...’ Ark froze.

’This isn’t earth, why then is the name banned?’ He felt a cold chill run down his spine, but he shook it off.

”I’ll just go with my alt account name then...”

”Khan.”

[Nickname has been updated successfully]

Ding!

__

>>Quest received!

[Objective: Complete your very first mission in Eden.]

Duration: Two weeks

Rewards: 100 EXP

Failure: nil

__

Ark read through the quest screen before exiting it. ”I guess I know where to start—”

”System map.”

A large, semi transparent map appeared in front of him.

His position on the map was indicated by a white dot, and an attached arrow that showed the direction he was facing.

The area was also brighter than the other parts of the map, which appeared foggy.

This meant that he had not explored those regions, the moment he visited them, they would brighten up.

Apart from his indicator, there were a number of other icons on the map as well.

A sword for the Adventurers Guild, a cross for the Cathedral, an anchor for the Docks, and scales for the Player Association headquarters.

Ark tapped the Adventurer’s Guild sign and pressed the [Track] option.

Almost immediately, small, gold dotted lines appeared on the street, showing him the way to go.

”Alright then, let’s see what quests are available...”

He was about to start walking when a man suddenly stepped in front of him.

”Good morning, Mr Ark Karras, can I have a minute of your time?”

Ark immediately jumped back on impulse, his feet screeching against the floor as his eyes locked on the man standing before him.

’What the hell?’

He hadn’t sensed his presence right until he was already far too close for comfort.

A dagger immediately sparkled to life in his hand and Ark held it tightly, his eyes never leaving his figure.

He was dressed up in an expensive suit in the style that fit the medieval atmosphere in Eden. His dark brown hair was styled neatly, but his skin was pale, far too pale to belong to anything alive.

”An undead?”

The man smiled. ”Not a bad guess.” He stuffed his hands into his pocket and was about to take a step closer when he suddenly stopped.

Then he slwoly reached out his hand and plucked a steel web from the air.

”So you laid a trap in the short second you saw me? And here I was thinking you were just skittish.”

”Hmm...” the webs snapped with one casual pull. ”D-rank? Maybe C? Not bad for your level I guess.”

”Who are you?”

Ark noticed a few other people at the far back. They seemed interested in what was going on, but were far too afraid to come closer.

”A friend.”

”I think I would know my friends.”

He smiled.

Ark’s grip on the weapon tightened further, he could feel the rough hilt of his dagger grinding against his bones.

The man was strong, immensely so.

’Is he a player killer?’

His face darkened slightly, and so did the ground below his feet. It was not unusual for newbies to be jumped by older players.

There was little to nothing to gain from newbies, but they did it anyway, it was almost like they simply derived joy in killing people weaker than them.

Issen was considered a safe zone, so he wouldn’t really die, but that didn’t mean Ark was willing to become anyone’s punching bag.

”What do you want?”

The man stuffed his hand into his suit and pulled out an envelope before handing it to him.

Ark took it skeptically, never once dropping his guard. He glanced at the seal on the paper, only to be shocked beyond his wildest imaginations.

”This...!”

It was the seal of Harrow.

One of the top five guilds in Eden.