! {Additional changes were made to the Ability System. A maximum of 5 Spell Slots has been implemented and a player can only have 1 Title active at a time}

“Mhm,” listening as I allocate the attribute points.

! {Strength points affect your combat attack when using Heavy Weaponry while Dexterity increases your combat attack when using Light Weaponry}

! {Endurance affects your Combat Defense and it acts as a base for your Magical Defense should you have enough points invested into Intelligence. Speaking of which, will enable you to learn even stronger magic while additionally increasing your Mana Regeneration}

! {Investing in Faith will allow you to learn stronger magic with it as a requirement. Vitality affects all of your Attribute's Regeneration. Agility affects your Stamina Regeneration and movement speed. Motion sickness may occur, thus invest responsibly}

! {Luck affects the chances of items you will obtain throughout your gameplay time}

===== Profile Status =====

Statistics
Name: --- / Level: 1 / Class: Mage

Primary Attributes
Max Health: 100 | Max Mana: 400 | Max Stamina: 100
Health: 100 | Mana: 400 | Stamina: 100

Secondary Attributes
Strength: 0 / Dexterity: 0 / Endurance: 0
Vitality: 0 / Agility: 6
Intelligence: 13 / Faith: 0 / Luck: 1

Combat
Physical Attack: 0 / Physical Defense: 0
Magical Attack: 0 / Magical Defense: 0
Health Regeneration: 1 / Mana Regeneration: 2 / Stamina Regeneration: 1

Gear
[Ragged Outfit]

Active Effect
None

===== Profile Status =====

! {Naming can be done once you have entered the new world. The change is permanent. Thus, we recommend that players to evaluate their circumstances before deciding on their username. We hold no responsibility to a player who reveals their identity by their own decision}

! {As you chose the Mage Class, you will receive an upgrade to your entire abilities based on what you chose to specialize in after reaching the milestone of Arcane Ranks. At level 10, Novice. At level 25, Apprentice. At level 50, Adept. At level 75, Expert. At level 100, Master}

! {Further from that, unrelated to your class, you will follow the Soul Arcane Ranks. Level 1000 will grant you a Transcendental Purity of an Eternal. At the max level of 10000, you will be granted the Transcendental Purity of an Ethereal. More details will be revealed to you in due time once you have achieved it}

Specialization. In my previous life, I was all in on Light spells because of the priest class. This proves Specialization isn’t all that great until your reach some mad number levels. The same situation for Jack of All Trades, you can do everything, but you can only do it mediocrely.

Made me scratch my head, ‘Guess I’ll just think about it when the time arrives. Besides, I can still upgrade my abilities at a later date.’

! {Character Creation has been Completed. Would you like to enable Realism Mode?}

‘This again.’

Sighing as I’m pondering about it.

‘Content consumption from my previous life is about 40% completion, which means there’s a good chunk of content left to explore. Not to mention the Expansions, which add even more stuff to do.’

Comparing myself to the grand scheme of things. Professional Players, I may be in the top 1000 but it is still the top 1000. There are 999 people stronger than me. Not to mention the Ranked Players who also dominate when it comes to popularity.

Kurira and Rakuri may celebrate this accomplishment of mine but it’s still a drop in the bucket and that bucket is ocean-wide.

‘All right, I've decided.’

Steeled my resolve, I clenched my butt tight as I responded, “Yes.” But upon answering that question, the edges of the girl’s lips tilted to a grin.

! {Realism Mode has been Activated}

~ {Starter Pack will be given once you have entered a Safe Zone}

She doesn’t even ask me if I’m sure of this important decision I’ve made. But regardless, I chose to enable it. And I hope the experience I’m about to have is truly worth it.

! {Thank you for purchasing Ekolia}

~ {Your new life in the Second Earth…}

~ {… Starts now}

In a second, my vision went blank. But the moment I blink, opening my eyes, I can feel that I’m no longer with that girl. But I couldn’t see anything since my eyes are still adjusting to the dark. Though, I know where I am right now.

This place used to be famous for entrapping people to play. I’ve never experienced the early version of Ekolia but this short introduction the dev calls “Tutorial” used to be hellishly brutal. Thus, resulting in them making a change into what it is now. A place where one struggles to fight their way through a choice they made, though, it’s not really a hard one these days.

{Prison Realm}

Separated into 4 different levels of difficulty one can pick and choose with the hardest being the West Gate called the [Gifted End], and following that in order, the South Gate [Righteous End], the East Gate [Evil End], and the North Gate [Common End]. Each of them leads to a portal, it’s the exit of this place that will teleport them to the surface that is [Ekolia].

‘Guh, my head still spinning, but I hear voices…’

‘Right, it must be the NPCs… but wait,’ it’s odd, ‘Don’t Ekolia give people different intro every time they play? For Rakuri and Kurira, they said they don’t meet the NPCs I met, in fact, they didn’t meet anyone at all. But even then, am I really going to meet the same NPCs?’

The same circumstances apply to many players out there. Only a few out of the billions of us who play only gets to experience some that are called unique, but I thought it was because I was lucky, and there’s no way that I would meet those people again.

Those NPCs whom I treated as nothing but fodder to start my gameplay. The expression on their face, that despair, they have long gone from my memories. Why did it return now? I refuse to believe it, ‘Haha, there’s no fucking that way would happen really. Once these eyes can see, I’m sure that…’

My eyes slowly adjusted to the dark.

‘… I’ll be meeting a new NPC that's not only different, but I'll have an entirely…’

'... different experience than my previous...'

I want to burst into laughter, my stomach is holding it, but suddenly, I see light. I see shadows on the walls. People are talking, and the number of those shadows kept increasing.

‘No, it can’t be…’

Light from the campfire. Inside this cell where 7 NPC gather. It was then that my eyes peeled after seeing their faces.

‘How can this be…’

I see every single one of them is here.