—
Congratulations, player! You have earned the Glorious Achievement [Dungeon Opener]!
Congratulations, player! For earning the Glorious Achievement [Dungeon Opener], you have received 3 Free Attribute Points!
Congratulations, player! For earning the Glorious Achievement [Dungeon Opener], you have received 1 Auxiliary Talent Point!
Congratulations, player! For earning the Glorious Achievement [Dungeon Opener], you have received 20 Health Points!
Congratulations, player! For earning the Glorious Achievement [Dungeon Opener], you have received 20 Mana Points!
Congratulations, player! You have earned the Achievement [Blood Hollow Opener]!
Congratulations, player! You have earned the Achievement [First Dungeon Opened]!
Congratulations, player! You have received 5000 Alliance of Light Reputation!
Congratulations, player! You have received 10 Gold Coins!
—
Ryan stared at the steady stream of system notifications flooding his screen. The golden text practically blinded him. So many high-value rewards flashed before his eyes, making his heart skip a beat.
It was just a Glorious Achievement, yet the rewards far exceeded his expectations. Not only did it grant Free Attribute Points and Reputation, but it also awarded an Auxiliary Talent Point!
This wasn't Ryan's first Glorious Achievement. He'd earned [Pet Collector] by gathering 500 non-combat pets, but that had only given him a single Free Attribute Point. Other Glorious Achievements he'd collected usually offered one attribute point, a little reputation, and some gold. Nothing like this.
Before opening the dungeon, Ryan had braced himself for modest gains — maybe two free attributes, a bit of reputation, and some gold. But these rewards were beyond anything he'd imagined.
An Auxiliary Talent Point! That was an incredibly rare prize, practically mythical. Normally, such a point appeared only after defeating the highest-level Boss in the game — and only the very first player or team to do so could claim it. Yet here it was, awarded to him on the very first day.
Every player who reached Level 10 received a quest from their class instructor. That quest would guide them toward a specialized talent tree for their class. Once they completed the specialization quest, their talents became locked. From then on, players could only assign talent points earned from leveling into their chosen specialization.
But the Auxiliary Talent Point was a game-changer. It allowed players to break those restrictions, to invest talent points in other specialization trees. It was a prize every serious player dreamed of.
Caught up in excitement, Ryan barely noticed that the Dungeon Scroll he had just used hadn't disappeared. Instead, it glowed with a steady blue light, floating slowly toward the mountain wall not far behind the platform.
When the scroll touched the rock face, a burst of light erupted. Soon, a shimmering blue curtain of energy appeared, etched against the mountain.
That was the dungeon portal.
"Ah, the dungeon's already open."
It took Ryan a moment to fully register what had just happened. Thankfully, he had activated his recording device before attempting to open the dungeon. The entire process was captured on video.
Ryan rewound the footage, watching with satisfaction. He edited the video carefully, then packaged it and uploaded it to the game forum as a paid video titled "First Dungeon Opening."
Such paid videos had become a common way for professional players to earn a living, especially those with a passion for exploration. These players would release videos showcasing places that ordinary players couldn't reach, making money in the process. Over time, players had developed a tolerant attitude towards this practice.
Ryan had set a modest fee for his video—just 1 copper coin, the lowest possible charge. It was an amount that would allow most players to watch. With millions of players active in the early stages of the game, he estimated that at least a million people would view the video.
After the 20% fee was deducted, Ryan would still earn a few thousand dollars. And this wasn't just a short-term profit. As more players flooded in over the next few days, the video's income potential would only grow.
This single video could net Ryan about thirty thousand dollars in income. It was the power of early monopoly, the allure of being a professional player. Ryan was well aware of this.
He understood that the money from the video wouldn't arrive immediately. It was an unexpected windfall; his first real fortune would come from the newly opened dungeon.
Only then did Ryan notice a new quest had appeared in his log: [Warden's Gratitude]. This was likely the reward for using the Dungeon Scroll.
The quest was simple: return to the starter zone and talk to the Warden to claim the reward.
The reward seemed straightforward: a "Warden's Gift Box." Given the game's usual patterns, it would probably contain a high-tier weapon or armor suitable for the current map, along with some reputation or coins. While this reward was nothing compared to the Glorious Achievement he'd just earned, Ryan still found himself eager for it.
Though the reward might seem minor later in the game, it was incredibly useful at this stage. He'd need all the help he could get for the upcoming dungeon.
"I hope it's a decent two-handed weapon," Ryan thought. "But there aren't any Excellent-grade items in the starter zone."
He felt a mixture of hope and anxiety. If the reward turned out to be just Common-grade equipment, it would be a real letdown. The blacksmith in the starter zone already sold a full set of Level 5 Common-grade plate armor and a Level 5 two-handed sword for just a few dozen silver coins.
The [Warden's Gratitude] quest would grant him 4000 experience points. With that in mind, Ryan decided to complete a few more quests before heading back to the Warden. If he could hit Level 4, that would be perfect.
Level 4 was the minimum requirement to enter Blood Hollow.
Ryan hadn't yet used the 3 Free Attribute Points from the Glorious Achievement. He wasn't sure which path to take. Whether he chose Retribution or Protection specialization, Ryan knew he wouldn't fall far behind those who chose the Divine specialization. However, if he wanted to achieve truly high accomplishments again, Divine specialization would still be his ultimate choice.
Three attribute points weren't a lot, but once allocated, it would lock him into a path. Ryan, who was committed to changing history, hesitated at the thought of returning to his old specialization.
Lost in thought, Ryan completed several quests one by one. It had been over four hours since the game launched, and an hour ago, another Level 2 player had appeared among the Humans—Sky Dragon Ascendant.
With Sky Dragon Ascendant leveling up, more Level 2 players began to pop up across the game world. They were relentless in their pursuit, all striving to reach the highest level.
Most players were still struggling at Level 1, while Ryan had far surpassed all of them.