"Hey, you bastards, can't you let me have this? Is it really necessary to chase me for three days and three nights?"
A middle-aged man with long silver hair, covered in dirt and damp with sweat, had a few scars on his face as he looked at the thousands of people equipped with various artifacts, all staring at him with hostility in their eyes.
"Phantom Thief—no, I should say Victor Vanglory—you should have thought twice before stealing from the Blackmoon Guild," a young man stepped forward and said looking at him filled with hostility.
"Mathew Hayes." Victor's eyes narrowed at the man. He was the leader of the top guild and was now looking at him with extreme anger and hatred.
He looked at the potted plant in his hand, which was the source of all this trouble, and then glanced around his surroundings, which were filled with people from other top guilds.
Now, how did he end up in this situation? Well, it was because of his bad habit of stealing things that did not belong to him.
This time, he kicked an iron plate when he heard rumors about how the top guild had acquired a very precious item that could grant a powerful bloodline to a person. So he directly raided their base to steal the item.
What he did not expect was that, due to his notorious reputation for stealing from top guilds and players, they were anticipating him and had prepared an ambush. But he still managed to steal it from them and was chased for three days and three nights. Somehow, the other top guilds also learned about it and joined in to obtain the item, leading to his current predicament.
Victor's lips twitched as he looked at the enraged Mathew and thought, 'Well, can't blame him for being angry'
Even if the Blackmoon Guild managed to get the fruit from him, they would still need to fight the other guilds for it and would suffer heavy losses.
'Should I just toss the pot into the air and make a run for it?' Victor thought as he eyed the circle of players. He was sure that once the pot left his hand, everyone would pounce on it, and he could use the opportunity to escape.
Just as he was thinking this, not only his eyes but every single eye fell on the plant, which was shimmering in golden light, as a bud appeared and transformed into a golden fruit.
He appraised the item, and his jaw dropped.
[Origin Fruit]
[Rank: ???]
[Description: Upon consuming the fruit, the user will obtain the strongest Warlock Bloodline in existence.]
Gulp.
Victor's throat bobbed as he read the description.
He looked at the crowd with sweat trickling down his forehead. Not only him, but even Mathew glanced at the other guild armies nervously. There was a tense silence for a few seconds before shouts erupted.
"Kill him, get it before the Blackmoon Guild gets it!"
The shout was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, and everyone looked at Victor hungrily.
"Shit, no choice." Victor leaped backward and plucked the fruit from the plant.
Victor looked at Mathew with a smirk and bit into it.
"NO, BASTARD, STOP!"
Crunch.
Victor did not stop and kept biting into the fruit.
"AHHH, KILL HIM!"
Gulp.
Victor swallowed the fruit, and the last thing he saw was thousands of attacks being hurled at him from all directions before his vision darkened.
---
"Are these the new recruits?"
"Yeah."
"This batch looks weaker than the previous one and won't survive the trial."
'Damn, did I get caught by the guilds?' Victor, who was pretending to sleep, was extremely alert as his ears picked up the conversation.
Bang.
"Wake up," a bulky man said as he kicked one of the people.
"Ugh." Victor grunted as he felt someone kick him and slowly opened his eyes. Under the blinding lights, he squinted and then warily took notice of his surroundings.
The first thing he noticed was the stench of sweat and filth. He looked around and saw a few other men and women surveying their surroundings with excited eyes.
Victor frowned when he heard their conversation, and then his eyes widened in disbelief as he froze when he looked at the man who had kicked him earlier.
"Tch, you looking for trouble?" the bulky man scowled when he saw Victor glaring at him, which he misunderstood, and was about to step forward and give him another beating.
"Stop, they need to be uninjured for the trial," the other man in the room stopped him.
Victor was staring at the text hovering above the heads of the men.
[Black Church Grunt, Level 4]
[Black Church Grunt, Level 5]
'Weren't the Black Church destroyed decades ago? How come they are here?' Victor then looked around.
There was a puddle of water nearby, and he looked at his reflection and froze when he saw an average-looking man with short black hair. 'Damn, wasn't this the same default look I had when I first played the game before the system allowed me to use my real appearance? Don't tell me…'
A bold idea popped into his head as he felt that his current situation was something he had lived through in the past, and then he overheard the whispers of the other captives.
"Is this the tutorial of the game?"
"Damn, I did not expect Evolution Online to be so realistic."
'Yep, looks like eating that fruit has somehow made me regress to the time when Evolution Online was first released,' Victor thought, feeling both excited and nervous.
In the year 2040, the first-ever VRMMORPG, a fully immersive virtual reality game, was launched, and during its peak, nearly everyone on Earth was playing it.
The game was set in a vast universe, and Planet Eldora was the starting point.
At first, everyone treated it as just a game, but everything changed after the first trial, when they realized they could use powers and bring items out from the game, which altered the world's landscape. Gradually, dungeons started appearing on Earth until Planet Eldora and Earth, along with their galaxy, completely merged together.
[Ding Dong]
[You have reincarnated as an NPC but have also retained your player uniqueness]
[You can freely switch between Player and NPC mode]
[NPC: You are the heir and last member of the declining and weakened Silvernum Barony in the Kingdom of Eindrik. While you were traveling, you were ambushed by the Black Church, and your weak and few guards were killed. You were captured and brought to the recruitment area. They were tipped off by your uncle and rival baron, who wanted you dead so he could seize your lands. (Note: After the trial, the appearance you select will automatically become your true player and NPC appearance.)]
"Huh?" Victor's eyes widened in shock as he saw the notification and thought, This might be transmigration.
He shook his head, then looked at the NPC description and felt excited that he was a noble, but clicked his tongue when he read the rest of the description. 'Sigh, I will deal with this later after I escape'
Ring. Ring.
Suddenly, the sound of an alarm rang across the cold, damp room, accompanied by red lights flickering along the walls.
"Alright, get up and pick a weapon from there, and then your first trial will start," the grunt said as he pointed toward the distance where all kinds of weapons were stored together.
Everyone's eyes lit up as they ran toward the weapons. Victor shook his head and also stood up as he listened to their conversation.
"Haha, I always wanted to wield a sword and play the role of a knight."
"Damn, the graphics are so realistic that I can feel the coldness of the steel."
"Where are the skills and stat sheets?"
"I wonder what the trial is."
Victor watched as everyone grabbed swords, axes, spears, and all sorts of weapons. He walked toward the end of the row and picked up a handgun. He was the only one who chose it.
Even though the world had magic and revolved around cold weapons, modern weapons had not lost their significance.
"Hehe, alright, everyone step on that teleporter and it will teleport you to your trial site. I hope you have fun," the grunt said with a sinister smile on his face.
Victor's eyes snapped open, and he found himself in front of a large steel door.
[Ding Dong]
[You have received a Quest]
[Quest: Pass the Trial]
[Reward: Connection to the Akashic Record, ???]
Creak.
Victor did not have time to read the text as he hurriedly loaded his handgun and stared at the iron door as it slowly opened.
Grrrr.
"As expected, it's the same monster I faced in the past," Victor mumbled as he looked at the small wolf cub emerging from the door, with faint blue lightning flickering around its body.
[Lightning Wolf Cub, Level 1]
The small creature looked at him with bloodlust radiating form it's small frame, as if wanting to tear him apart.
The last time, Victor had picked a spear and fought a life-and-death battle with the wolf cub, nearly dying during the trial, but this time he knew its weakness.
The wolf cub opened its mouth, and immediately a small, finger-sized projectile was hurled in his direction.
"Chance." Victor immediately sidestepped as he dodged the projectile and raised his gun.
Bang. Bang.
Victor fired directly at its ears, which briefly turned blue, and the creature fell dead to the ground instantly. Previously, he had not known that after launching an attack, the ears of lightning wolves became vulnerable, and that fast, ranged weapons were their nemesis.
[Ding Dong]
[You have completed the Trial Quest]
[Establishing connection with the Akashic Record]
[Connection has been established]
[Character panel has been unlocked]
[You have received a Gift Pack]
[Opening Gift Pack]
[You have received the passive skill: 100% Drop Rate]