''That Rhuzerv means my account ID, huh.''
But instead of thinking about that now, I turned back to Noir. She said, "Very well, student Luo. Follow me. We have important procedures to initiate for your integration at Vaughan Academy."
With a nod, I followed behind her—Oh, before that, I was now dressed in an academy uniform with a red-black tone that matched Noir''s military uniform. The one I was wearing was much simpler, though.
When we reached the long hallway, my eyes drew to something else. Not to the walls lined with holographic displays showcasing various aspects of the academy''s life and achievements. It was too usual. But my head couldn''t escape from looking up at the ceiling that had its own painting. Like... a dragon-slaying story?
That being said, this game mixed elements of both sci-fi and fantasy; it was unique to see dragons, which might later be countered with nukes (whether that "nuke" was available in this game or not).
"Hey, isn''t it—"
My sight-seeing ritual was interrupted when I heard a voice that felt quite close. With a slight glance, I saw two female students whispering together until their bodies were pressed against each other. From their clothes and too many accessories, it explained they were players.
It meant I played the same global server as VR:Scanner was sold to the public.
About their whispers? Of course it wasn''t directed at me, so I didn''t focus on it. I was a newbie, after all; who wanted to notice me? Their whispers and attention were clearly directed at my guide.
Talk but no action. How puzzling those players didn''t dare to engage with Noir. As this game emphasizes relationships, I heard that the NPCs here were responsive and could be requested to be friends. I knew they idolized her. Especially with the way their eyes looked at her. Walked and then stopped to make eye contact. The crowd grew larger and larger...
''Ah, I sense trouble.''
If I was still close to Noir or made it clear that she was my guide, I could imagine being labeled "a newbie taken care of by the leader." And then be bombarded by all kinds of questions from people who were interested in this NPC. Uh, no thanks, being in the center of attention like that.
''Why did I get a leader as a guide, anyway? I thought it would be an ordinary one like others.''
I slowed down my pace to be a little further away from Noir. Thankfully, she had a long-range sense. If a player was outside its radar, an NPC usually would stop until the player was on its side again. Also, why was Noir this well-liked? Tsk. How lazy to join the forum to read the players'' outpourings merely to find out such trivial...
But as I lingered in the back, other players'' gazes turned—Nope! Sorry, you saw nothing. Shift a little... a little more... then went to the side and pretended to adjust my stance. Moved softly. Steady. My presence then faded into the background among the sea of crowd. And when those people looked for a new focus of interest, they found none in me; I was blending in on the sidelines.
A new face appeared when VR:Scanner was no longer produced, attracting attention, too, huh? It was understandable; I was probably the only newbie in "World: The Origin."
So, as Noir entered a room, I took advantage of the opportunity to carry out my escape plan: move through the rotating groupings of people. Blending into the background. Move. Become just another face in the crowd. Enter. I went inside.
And the door closed behind me just three seconds after Noir.
''Clear!''
My guide turned to face me, her mouth open as if ready to explain something. But I interrupted her by saying, "Let''s be friends."
This invitation to be friends wasn''t a sudden one. Based on the interaction just now... and the limited amount of data available on the internet, it appeared that just a few people could befriend the leaders or that they were extremely difficult to find in the first place. This was proven by the lack of their illustrations on Wikia.
Having a connection with a high-status NPC would be advantageous. But the players'' "keeping a distance" response when they eventually encountered Noir suggested there was a cost for taking the wrong steps to communicate with her, resulting in being unable to talk or even meet her again. As a result, they avoided interacting with her. At all.
And I, with my "newbie" condition, could take a bold move to test it. Because I had no status. The system shouldn''t be able to ban or penalize me if something wrong happens.
But it turned out the system had anticipated this...
Ding!
[Friend request denied!]
[You haven''t met the requirements; further reputation within Vaughan Academy is required to unlock this feature]
Right. That bright red notification popped up after saying the word friend, like a slap in the face that I couldn''t outsmart the system to cheat my way to what I wanted.
And Noir, with her usual expressionless face, inclined her head slightly. "Did you say something?"
''Uh, yeah, plan failed.''
I immediately shook my head.
Noir seemed to accept my response without further question, her focus returning to the task as she gestured to go deeper inside the room. "This way, please."
With each step inside the room, the dim blue light that seemed to be the lighting got brighter. When I arrived in the center, I saw a chamber with circuitry designs on the walls and a soft blue light. At the upper center of this area was a transparent-looking holographic globe encircled by a small one, which could be the room''s lighting source, making the entire thing virtually blue-white.
"This is the scanning room." Noir''s voice echoed slightly in the expansive space. "Here, we will create your Heart Core."
At the center of the room—right below the giant globe—was a pedestal, and hovering above it were two translucent orbs that blinked with a gentle glow. Noir motioned for me to stand in front of it. As I did, the orbs hovered to align themselves with my head and heart.
A beam of light emanated from the orbs, scanning my body from top to bottom. I could feel a tingling sensation, not unpleasant, but funny because this feeling was foreign as their light passed over me. Perhaps this sensation was more akin to a mild electric shock? But rather than being painful, it was tingly and radiated throughout the body.
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Once the scanning was complete, the orbs merged into a single sphere. It hovered over Noir before cracking open like an egg, revealing a smaller, denser core that fell into her outstretched hand.
She then presented it to me.
When I received it—Whoa! Small but heavy! The size, shape, and weight reminded me of a javelin-throwing ball. Though, the texture was glassy with galactic twilight within.
"That is your Heart Core," Noir said, "the essence of your being within Vaughan Academy."
And a system notification popped up in front of me, seemingly backing up what she had just said.
[Heart Core activated]
[User Interface Unlocked!]
Intrigued, I tapped the notification twice using my index; it expanded to reveal a series of sub-menus: [Status], [Inventory], [Quest], [Map], and more. Although the layout was identical to many games I had played, the Heart Core connection was entirely new. Because other games were primarily related to the system, the user interface (UI) appeared automatically after login.
I glanced at Noir, who nodded, likely encouraging me to explore the interface further. I tapped the [Status] icon, and a detailed breakdown of my character''s abilities appeared. Numbers and bars indicating my health, fatigue, and other attributes adjusted in real-time.
Not only that. The HUD (Head-Up-Display) finally sprung up around my previously empty field of vision, making me slightly distracted that I was actually in the game world; appeared a status bar above Noir''s head, too, with the level showing [???].
It made me curious... whether her level was that high to be unreadable or if her level would always be above whatever existed in the game to not have a fixed representation.
Ah, I became hungry to manipulate the game''s very foundations, including to be her friend; maybe like understanding the underlying algorithms? Finding patterns and perhaps uncovering hidden mechanics or exploits? Of course, I wasn''t thinking this way because I wanted a little trickery—although it was on my list of reasons—but considering that I, the only newbie in this game, would definitely experience my own set of obstacles as the weakest player.
I had to find ways to survive.
''Oh, how nostalgic, trying to survive, no matter how...''
Snap!
The sound of Noir''s fingers flicking brought me back to focus on her again. And there was a full-wall screen right at the back of the room. It flickered to life, displaying an array of statistics and data. My stats, to be exact.
"Your abilities here are a reflection of your potential. Your development in various skills, adaptability, and strategic thinking will contribute to your growth; please take note of that when you want to raise your current poor status."
That was what she said and what was on the screen...
[Player ID: 234310317]
[Main Grade: F]
[Name: Luo]
[Level: 1]
[Title: Freshman]
[HP: 400/400]
[DP: 110/110]
[Fatigue: 0]
[Strength: F]
[Speed: F]
[Stamina: F]
[Defense: F]
[Reflex: F]
[Power Grade: F]
[Stability: F]
[Tactic: F]
[Mind Def: F]
[Sync: F]
[Focus: F]
[Control Grade: F]
...my status was still poor.
I didn''t expect Noir to say this bluntly—Oh, well... what did you expect from an AI? On the one hand, her words made me notice that "raise" wasn''t just limited to this virtual space but must also go through development in the real world.
For example, if I had an A-level grade (in the real world), my Grade status, which was currently full of Fs, could swiftly improve to an A. However, if I didn''t improve my abilities in the real world any longer after that, my game status would be stuck at Grade A forever.
I could conclude this as I heard VR:Scanner works with the health sector, encouraging players to stabilize their wellness digitally and in reality. Also, the helmet itself was about empowerment and healing. With their NeuroVerse system, NeoGen created a game where players could engage in mental exercises that, over time, train their minds to control various bodily functions.
This was why VR:Scanner became highly sought-after; not only as a medium of entertainment, this helmet could help restore the nervous system that had been paralyzed with the help of stimuli in the digital world. Hence, everything started from [F] to ensure a fair start for everyone, including those with disabilities, to ensure they could compete with others and their progress could be tracked well.
"Now," Noir turned to face me, and my eyes shifted to glance at her as well, "it is time to choose your Class."
Then, in front of the massive screen, four tube devices emerged from the floor, with a concave section in the center that I believed was where to place the Heart Core. The whizzing sound of the popping tubes stopped, followed by a holographic screen emerging on every pillar.
I walked closer and saw each writing on the screen had a different color and explanation.
[Swordmaster (Fire)]
[Focuses on defense]
[Characteristic: Melee-type]
[Weaknesses: In exchange for great defense and stamina, has low speed]
[Weapons: Sable (slender sword, offense) & Zweihander (large sword, defense)]
[Gunner (Wind)]
[The biggest damage dealer]
[Characteristic: Mid to long range-type]
[Weaknesses: In exchange for high speed and attack power, struggles in close combat]
[Weapon: Twin Gun]
[Assassin (Earth)]
[Flexible; can attack at close, medium, or long range]
[Characteristic: Melee to long range-type]
[Weaknesses: In exchange for reflexes and flexibility, has low defense]
[Weapon: Dual Dagger]
[Catalyst (Ice)]
[Best support due to its skill in providing healing and AoE attacks]
[Characteristic: Long range-type]
[Weaknesses: In exchange for high support capabilities, requires high control grading]
[Weapon: Floating Hourglass]
From each, I had previously researched specifics, Skills, potentials, and so on to make things easier for me in situations like this... to be exact, to fulfill my curiosity (I already said I want to play this game myself, right?).
So I put my Heart Core into a tube, and the galaxy whirls on my crystal orb turned blue glitter.
Yes, I decided to choose the tricky Class.
Catalyst.