Lucien sat hunched over his screen for sixteen hours straight, digging through everything he could find about Evolution Online—specifically, Evelaine Hollows. What he scraped together was barely more than scraps he already knew. The strange Moonshade Pact had thrived in the game's early days before vanishing without a trace. Their territory now lay cut off from the Western Continent by an impenetrable mist.
He stumbled across several forum threads and discovered what Artifact-grade items truly meant.
They were beyond rare. One user had offered fifty million dollars for a single piece. Another player tried to outbid him, and the thread nearly turned into a full auction before an admin shut it down.
Hours of research filled his head with faces of prominent players. His friend Halo appeared in a few discussions, though far less than legends like the Demon God and Ice Empress.
Information overload finally drove Lucien to the kitchen. Harun had stocked the house with basic supplies, and the cooking skills he'd picked up in school served him well enough. He threw together simple noodles with chicken and egg, made some in-game purchases online, and converted his remaining cash into Evo currency while he ate. Afterward, he collapsed onto Halo's bed.
Halo spent most of the time glued to his phone, talking to some girl. Sometimes he paced by the wall for hours. Other times he sprawled in the chair with his legs crossed. Lucien caught fragments of the conversation, but it wasn't his business. Still, anyone could tell his friend had fallen hard.
Poor Harun.
Lucien killed time for the rest of the forty-eight-hour lockout. Waiting felt like torture, especially when he remembered how reluctant he'd been to start playing just three months ago.
Finally, the endless hours crawled by, and Lucien logged back in with his pulse racing.
[Welcome Back Player Cien]
[Due to Unavailability of Respawn Point in Evelaine Hollow, you will be revived at Thelvaine's Edge.]
A new world spread before his eyes.
Ancient ruins stretched in every direction, choked with thick vines that twisted around towering pillars. Moss blanketed the broken structures, and murky pools of water filled the cracks in shattered stone. Only the area around the Respawn Altar remained clear.
A wide platform connected the altar to solid ground. At its center sat a stone figure, cross-legged and bowed in eternal prayer.
Lucien walked forward and settled on the platform's steps. His first challenge stared him in the face—finding Evelaine Hollows. The mysterious mist that sealed it from the world made it nearly impossible to locate, let alone enter.
But finding it was his only real problem. He already held the key.
[SWORD OF THE FORSAKEN Lv. 100]
Item Type: Weapon
Rarity: Artifact
Binding: Unbound
Durability: 350/890
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Base Damage: 800 ~ 1,000
Attack Speed: + 50
Special Effect: [You have a critical chance of 30.5% when fighting nature type monsters.]
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Evolution Potential: Dormant
[Slay the Black Godzilla to unlock Evolution]
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Item Information: [When the Moonshade Pact ruled at the dawn of time, this sword served as their symbol of power. It has become the only key that can pierce the portals within the mist.]
As he studied the HUD display, Lucien suddenly remembered.
'Right. I received a hidden quest. Let me see what that's about…'
Using just his thoughts, he summoned the unread messages.
[Hidden Quest (Unique)]
Quest Information: Ten thousand years ago, when the Cradle World came into being, the Elves of the Moonshade Pact were among the first to walk the land. However, while trying to seal a primal evil, they were betrayed by their own kin. The strongest race of elves was sealed away.
- Unseal the Ancient Race of Wood Elves by spilling the blood of the Black Godzilla upon the altar of the Evelaine Sanctuary.
Quest Reward: +1000 Reputation, +5 levels, +10,000 reputation amongst the Wood Elves of Moonshade, A Bespoke Weapon and Armor set of your choice, forged by the lost art of the Moonshade Pact, unmatched in the Cradle World.
A small smile touched his lips.
"So many rewards for something I'll enjoy doing. That's perfect."
He sighed and slowly stood up.
"First, I need to level up. If there's one thing I learned from the forums, it's that a level zero player challenging a level 120 monster is beyond absurd. As much as I want to defy the odds, I have to be realistic. So I need to gain some levels."
He paused and looked around.
"But thanks to my brilliant decision-making, I chose a place with no monsters. My only options now are waiting for someone to come fetch me, or journeying away from here to hunt. The problem is that Thelvaine's Edge—the closest respawn point on the northern edge of the Western Continent—is a level 80 zone.
"So if I try to reach the city, I'll face monsters between level 60 and 80. At least level 50. And I'm level… negative one."
Lucien released a frustrated sigh.
"If only I'd known gaming would be this intense, I would've prepared better. All I wanted was to sleep… how's that working out for you now, buddy?"
He opened his player profile.
"At the same time, this new path I unlocked and my class should offer something useful, right?"
[PLAYER PROFILE]
Name: Cien
Alias: none
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Race: Human
Class: Classless
Level: -1
HP: 100 / 100
MP: —
FP: 0
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[CORE ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 12
Stamina: 10
Agility: 19
Dexterity: 76
Composure: 75
Intelligence: 189
Wisdom: 23
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[SYSTEM NOTES]
Status Effect: [You can use any item, skill and buffs that belong to any class.]
System Flag: Fusion
Fusion Tier: I (You can temporarily fuse with anything between level 1 - 100 for Fusion Points ranging from 5 to 1,000)
Fusion Acquired: None
Special Trait: None
Lucien's eyes widened as he finished reading, especially the last part.
He looked at the silver sword in his hand, a sudden idea sparking in his mind.
Then he touched the blade.
"Fuse."
[You do not have enough Fusion Points]
[You need 1,000 Fusion Points to fuse with Sword Of The Forsaken]
[You can gain Fusion Points by slaying monsters]
'...but it's possible. It's really possible to fuse with anything. And what would happen if I fused with the sword? Damn, I'm so excited to find out, I can't just sit around!'
On top of everything, he could use items from any class. The limitations that should have restricted his fusion ability were completely gone with his Classless status.
"Is this even supposed to be possible? Isn't this like a bug or something?"
Lucien stared at his hands, trembling with excitement. He could almost hear his heart pounding.
"That's it… I'm going for it. Either I get killed, or I kill something."
The only problem was… Lucien looked around the vast ruins. There didn't seem to be any way out except one place.
Behind the statue was a silent waterfall that beat endlessly against the ground. It was the source of the murky pools that had cracked the concrete floor and fed the moss and thick vines with nutrients.
Lucien walked closer to the waterfall, circling the statue.
'This wouldn't be one of those situations where the waterfall has a hidden entrance, right? Like in those old novels—convenient tropes, really.'
Even as he thought this, Lucien could see darkness behind the curtain of water.
He grinned.
'Really convenient tropes.'
Lucien walked into the waterfall, letting it pelt and drench him for a moment before stepping through into a cavern entrance.
A narrow passage stretched ahead, and blue ghostly flames began flickering to life along the walls.
Instantly, Lucien saw a message.
[Congratulations]
[You are the first person to find the first Dungeon that emerged in the Cradle World]
[A Hidden Scenario is unlocking…]
[After ten years of stagnation, the MAIN QUEST is finally proceeding…]
That last message was a world announcement. Only Lucien didn't know it… yet.