Chapter 2:
[Welcome to Last Haven.]
A glowing blue screen hovered before him:
[Please enter your username.]
He stared at it for a few seconds, then smiled faintly.
"ReZero."
[Username available.]
[Welcome, ReZero. New adventurer of Last Haven.]
[Choose Continent Of Origin]
He looked at the twelve continents he could choose from and selected the seventh one
[Continent Aetherion Selected]
[Choose Nation Of Origin]
[Nation Oblivia Selected]
The last step before he can finally start playing was selecting a city.
[Chose City Of Origin]
[City Austrock Peak Selected]
With that the creation process was over. The glass floor beneath him shimmered like rippling water as the world began to materialize mountains, skies, and a massive floating city far in the distance.
Adam exhaled slowly, a spark of determination in his eyes.
"Let's begin again… from zero."
A blinding light enveloped him once more, and when it faded —
Adam stood in the heart of Austrock Peak.
The city was breathtaking. White stone buildings lined the wide streets, glowing softly with embedded mana veins that pulsed like living arteries. Floating platforms drifted above, carrying merchants, adventurers, and armored guards moving between spires. Massive banners fluttered from tall towers, each bearing the silver insignia of the Aetherion Alliance.
The sound of bustling players and NPC chatter filled the air — the clang of blacksmith hammers, the hum of spellcasters practicing, and the faint melody of a bard tuning his lute nearby.
Everything was exactly as he remembered.
Seven years ago, this was where it all began… where I joined a random guild, got betrayed, and watched everything crumble.
He clenched his fists slightly, feeling the difference — his body, his mind, his resolve.
[Tutorial Active]
A blue window appeared before him, listing the basics of gameplay.
Movement, interaction, combat training — skip tutorial?
Adam smirked. "Like I'd need that."
He tapped Skip.
'I don't need that rubbish '
The interface changed, showing his personal data:
---
Name: ReZero
Level: 1
EXP: 0/1000
Class: None
Title: None
Stats:
Strength: 2
Speed: 2
Defense: 2
Vitality: 2
Intelligence: 1
Stamina: 100/100
HP: 100/100
Free Points: 0
—
He opened his inventory and equipped the starter gear that every new player received — a Level 1 - Common Iron Armor Set consisting of a helmet, chestplate, armguard, belt, and boots. Alongside it was a Level 1 - Common Iron Sword.
Metal shimmered faintly across his avatar's body as the armor materialized, the faint sound of steel locking into place echoing through the empty void around him.
"Alright," Adam muttered, gripping the sword's handle. "Let's get our class."
He walked through the bustling streets of Austrock Peak for nearly ten minutes, watching players trade, shout, and rush toward quests. Eventually, he stopped in front of an elderly beggar sitting by a worn stone fountain.
"Spare some change, please, young adventurer," the old man said, head bowed beneath a tattered hood.
"Forgive me, elder, but I only have a copper coin to spare," Adam replied softly.
Every new player started Last Haven with a hundred copper coins enough to buy supplies, a room, or maybe a weak potion.
"That would be more than enough," the old man said, his voice rough but grateful.
Although Adam said he had one coin to spare, he went ahead and gave the man the hundred copper coins in his possession.
The old man finally lifted his head, revealing a face marked by deep scars and weary eyes that had seen too much.
"This…" His voice trembled, words catching in his throat. "Thank you… thank you so much, young adventurer." His tone was filled with genuine joy. "How can I ever repay you?"
A faint smile crept across Adam's face, those were the exact words he'd been waiting to hear.
"Esteemed elder," Adam said, his tone respectful yet calculated, "any information you have right now would be enough for me."
The old man stared at him for a long moment, his cloudy eyes suddenly sharpening, as if peering straight through Adam's soul. The joyful tone from before faded, replaced by something ancient.
"So, you seek knowledge… not riches," the old man murmured. "Few adventurers ever ask for such things."
He slowly stood, his ragged cloak fluttering slightly as a faint shimmer of energy rippled beneath it. For a moment, Adam could swear the air around the man was distorted for a few seconds.
"Then listen well, young one."
A small, faintly glowing parchment appeared in the old man's hand. He extended it toward Adam.
"This continent holds many secrets of the past. It's especially true for this very city, Austrock Peak. Deep beneath the streets of Austrock Peak, lies the Starlight Temple, sealed and forgotten long before this age began. Legend has it that anyone who uncovers all it's would awaken a lost forgotten power."
Suddenly, a notification flashed before Adam's eyes.
---
[Hidden Class Quest Discovered: "Uncover The Secrets Of The Starlight Temple "]
Difficulty: Unknown
Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: Permanent Decrease In All Stats By 50%, EXP need for each level up is increased by 300%.
—
Cold sweat dripped down his face after reading the penalty. This is too much.
"Seek the temple's bells," the old man whispered, his voice now barely audible. "But be warned… not all echoes are kind."
Before Adam could respond, the old man's figure flickered fading into a wisp of light that vanished with the wind.
Adam stared at the spot where he'd stood, his expression firming.
"Just like I remember," he muttered.
In the past, the player accidentally stumbled on this class quest, later became one of the top ten top elite players globally in Last Haven because of this class.
Although the quest was quite hard to complete, the player shared how he was able to complete the quest, because even if they wanted to, they couldn't get the class as hidden classes were limited to one.
"If I remember correctly, this quest has three chapters. But I have to get to the Starlight Temple first to activate it."
Adam wasted not time and ran east of the city. Last Haven was very similar to the real one. Running for extended periods of time would consume stamina and when the stamina reaches zero, the character becomes out of breath and sluggish until recovery.
After run for up to five minutes, he eventually deplated his his stamina which made him to walk the remaining distance.
After another fifteen minutes of walking, Adam arrived at a shabby and run down building. The build looked like something that had been abandoned for decades which actually was. Adam ventured into the temple.
Inside the temple were bones littered here and there, broken furnitures, some weird markings and three statues. Adam walked up to the statues and twisted one the arm.
'How did that guy know all this.' Adam couldn't help but be surprised at the player from his past life.
Suddenly, a series of mechanical clicks echoed through the temple. One by one, locks disengaged. A few moments later, the statues slowly shifted aside, revealing a long, dark staircase that spiraled down into the unknown.
He descended the staircase, as he walked deeper, flame torches on the wall automatically lit up whenever he was five meters of it's range. The stairs were long and tiring.
Adam eventually got to the end of the stairs. Suddenly he received a notification.
—
[Hidden Class Quest: "Uncover All Secrets Of The Starlight Temple" (Chapter 1: Locate The Starlight Temple) Completed.]
Rewards: 100Exp, 10 copper coins.
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