Back in college, Marcus played games casually for fun, but this time, things were different. Dominion allowed players to trade in-game gold for real currency. That meant skill could translate directly into income, and possibly, a career.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy. Nothing worth doing ever was. But if you had vision, talent, and the nerve to chase opportunity when it came, then nothing was impossible. And Marcus believed in himself completely.
For now, he might have been unemployed, but life wasn't exactly hard. The rent from the house his parents had left him, more than three thousand dollars a month, was enough to keep both him and his sister comfortable. Still, he wanted more than comfort. He wanted to prove himself.
And if the Black Rock Spire was his next step toward that goal, then so be it.
He adjusted his sword belt, checked his inventory one last time, and set his sights on the dark horizon where the Spire was said to rise.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Time to see what this place is really made of."
—
The house Marcus lived in was the kind most people could only dream of.
It was a three-story detached villa with its own courtyard, sitting right next to the lively stretch beside Crestwood University; a piece of prime real estate. The entire first floor was rented out as office space, bringing in more than Three thousand dollars a month.
At one point, Marcus had considered leasing the second floor too, which would have easily added another two thousand to their income. But his younger sister, Amber had flatly refused. She disliked the idea of strangers living under the same roof, and to her, renting out the first floor was already a huge compromise.
Marcus didn't insist. He wasn't short on money anyway, their parents had left behind a comfortable inheritance, and the rent alone covered their living expenses. Peace and privacy were worth more than a few extra dollars.
There was another reason too. Before their passing, his parents had spent over two hundred thousand dollars renovating the place, turning every corner into something luxurious and elegant. Marcus couldn't bear to let anyone else live there and risk spoiling it.
Every time he thought of Crestwood University, a quiet pride stirred in him. He had graduated from there himself.
Crestwood was a prestigious institution founded a century ago with heavy national investment. It was the country's only top-tier liberal arts university, backed by more than three billion dollars in funding. Within fifty years, it had climbed into the nation's top ten, earning the reputation as the fastest-rising university in the world.
Over the following decades, its programs in Management, Economics, Law, Arts, and Literature all reached the number-one ranking in the country. Crestwood had produced countless outstanding figures, many of the nation's leaders were among its alumni.
Today, Crestwood stood shoulder to shoulder with Harvard and Yale, a flagship national university and a globally respected name in higher education. Naturally, the students admitted there were the brightest in the nation and the best from abroad.
Marcus's acceptance into Crestwood had proved his own ability. He'd once been full of ambition, ready to build a shining future.
But right after graduation, his world collapsed. His parents passed away, and he was forced to part ways with his beloved Snow. The double blow left him spiraling into depression. Trying to drown the grief, he took a job at Mellory Financial, one of the country's top hundred companies.
Marcus's work performance had been excellent, but his immediate superior, an embittered old man whose wife had eloped with another man after embezzling company funds, developed a particular dislike for him. The man harbored resentment toward any capable young man who reminded him of his own failures. Somehow, he convinced himself Marcus had been the one who'd stolen his wife, and in a fit of petty malice, fired him.
It was humiliating at first, but in hindsight, that moment marked a turning point. Losing his job helped Marcus break free from the gloom he'd been carrying. It was, as the saying went, a blessing in disguise. His sister, Amber, had even thrown a small celebration, saying she finally saw her real brother again.
So when Marcus later decided to become a professional gamer in Dominion, it wasn't purely out of desperation. He wanted to make some money, yes, but more than that, he wanted to enjoy himself. If success came with it, all the better.
---
Pulling himself back to the present, Marcus stopped by the Herbalist's shop, bought several Antidote Potions, and then sprinted out of Dragon's Peak Citadel, heading toward the Black Rock Spire marked on Silas the Wanderer's map.
He knew zombie attacks caused poison damage, and once poisoned, a player's health would continuously drain away. Silas's map had warned of this, and Marcus who had played countless games knew it was standard zombie behavior. The Antidote Potions were his insurance.
'Why does it have to be so far?' he grumbled inwardly. After running nearly an hour, he finally spotted a cluster of small hills up ahead. That had to be it.
The Black Rock Spire lay hidden behind a patch of forest on a hill northeast of Dragon's Peak Citadel. Because of its remote location, few players ever ventured there. And according to Silas's notes, after the Spire had been sealed, five great masters had used an Arcane Seal to block its entrance completely. No one had entered since.
That meant the place was practically untouched.
Despite the long run, Marcus felt a rush of excitement. He doubted there was another player out there quite like him.
As the saying went, practice is the best test of truth. The monsters between Levels 10 and 15 that he'd encountered along the way had certainly tested his skills.
The weaker ones weren't even worth mentioning. He could cut down a Level 15 Black Panther with just two or three strikes, sending it sprawling helplessly before it could even counterattack. His sharp movements and precise control confirmed what he already knew, he was playing on a completely different level.
A sense of pride welled up in his chest. With his sword in hand, it felt as if the world itself was waiting to be conquered.
Then, suddenly, the familiar chime of a System Notification echoed through the air.
"Ding! The Dreamland Continent now has one thousand players who have completed their class advancement. The various leaderboards are now open. All players are encouraged to check them, strive for the top, and achieve eternal fame."
The announcement repeated three times in a booming voice. Every player in Dominion, no matter where they were or what they were doing, heard it clearly. A wave of ambition spread through the player base, stirring everyone's competitive spirit.
'Wait, what?' Marcus blinked. He had thought he was far ahead of the pack, yet a thousand players had already advanced their classes. It seemed Dominion was full of far stronger competitors than he'd imagined.
"Ding! Stonehaven, your level is 12, placing you among the Top Ten Experts in Dominion. Would you like your name to be displayed on the leaderboard?"
"Do not display," Marcus said immediately. He had always believed in keeping a low profile, and that habit carried over into the game as well.
"Ding! Stonehaven, your Reputation is 1030, placing you on the Reputation Leaderboard in Dominion. Would you like your name to be displayed?"
"Do not display," he repeated without hesitation.
'Heh, not bad', Marcus thought with a grin. Two leaderboards already. Curious, he decided to take a look at the rankings.
When the lists appeared before him, he couldn't help but whistle. There were quite a few leaderboards; more than he expected.
—
Top Ten Experts Leaderboard (higher experience at the same level ranks first):
1. Level 12, Male, Name Hidden, Knight
2. Level 11, Male, RogueTheory, Warrior
3. Level 10, Male, SoulSync, Sorcerer
4. Level 10, Male, InfernoRider001, Warrior
5. Level 10, Male, HeavenBreaker, Assassin
6. Level 10, Male, Hexium, Sorcerer
7. Level 10, Male, Name Hidden, Sorcerer
8. Level 10, Male, ThreeleafAxe69, Knight
9. Level 10, Male, GimmeABlade, Assassin
10. Level 10, Female, VioletNova, Archer
---
Reputation Leaderboard:
1. 1030, Name Hidden, Knight
2. 800, Name Hidden, Archer
3. 430, RogueTheory, Warrior
4. 380, InfernoRider001, Warrior
5. 350, ThreeleafAxe69, Knight
6. 350, Hexium, Sorcerer
7. 340, SixWingedBoss, Warrior
8. 330, SoulfireBlade, Knight
9. 310, VioletNova, Archer
10. 300, GimmeABlade, Assassin
---
Wealth Leaderboard:
1. CryptoWarlord – 1843 Gold
2. CarterPrime – 1818 Gold
3. InfernoFiend001 – 1632 Gold
4. ThreeleafDad – 1558 Gold
5. PantherTech – 1439 Gold
6. Hexium – 1310 Gold
7. SoulfireBlade – 1259 Gold
8. GimmeABlade – 1205 Gold
9. GoldDiggerIRL – 1189 Gold
10. Name Hidden – 1055 Gold
—