Chapter 1: The Official Release (1)

In the year 2081, a select few individuals around the globe were granted beta access to the first-ever VRMMORPG, a game that would transport players to fantastical realms and was destined to take the world by storm.

The final quests of the beta testers were livestreamed, further igniting the public's excitement. Many could hardly contain their anticipation.

As a result, those fortunate beta testers became celebrities as the masses avidly followed their exploits in the new world.

Some guilds crumbled, others rose, and in the ultimate battle where all the leading guilds allied to defeat the final boss—whose demise would announce the game's official release date—something unexpected occurred.

“Stop dying like idiots! Can’t you follow a simple tactic and countdown—”

“You’re the one who can’t cooperate! I’ve had enough of your selfishness! I’m leaving!” shouted a female player in charge of the healers of Cerberus, the top guild.

“...seems like the only sensible option. If we join other guilds and regroup quickly, we should be able to defeat the final boss without him,” added a man with short white hair and a cold demeanor.

“It’s not like he cares about us. We’re just tools to him anyway,” another prominent member of Cerberus remarked nonchalantly, his arms crossed behind his head.

As if on cue, the guild’s lieutenants began abandoning their guild and leader on the battlefield.

Following them were other guild members who had turned a blind eye to their leader’s arrogance and selfishness.

In the blink of an eye, the guild leader of Cerberus stood alone amidst the battlefield's scars left by the final boss, whose colossal form loomed over him.

The Rotten Leviathan, an amalgamation of sea and land creatures whose putrid flesh dropped onto the battlefield in heavy chunks, shuddered at this unforeseen development.

The man who had inflicted the most damage upon it had been cast aside even by his closest aides.

How could the final boss not rejoice?

Its booming, grating screeches struck Blake like an avalanche.

The guild leader of Cerberus, now utterly alone, looked up, settled into his stance by bending his knees and back, and placed his right hand on his katana’s hilt.

He whispered as crimson flames roared within his sheath, eager to strike the final boss. “Some things never change. One of them is me dying in style.”

The ground beneath him cracked, debris billowing up as Blake enveloped himself in crimson flames, charging at the final boss like a meteor...

...that would crumble and crash upon impact.

-

At a mall, two men were on evening cleaning duty, mopping the floor. One of them swung his mop aggressively, his face contorted in frustration.

The other calmly attended to his duties, listening to the late news from the TV hanging above them.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

[We suspect that a lot of people will go to bed early tonight.]

[Ah, the official release of Ashen World Online! I can’t wait either!]

[We have one of the beta testers as our guest today! Mr. Alan, one of the guild leaders who defeated the final boss, will share his story with us and his expectations for AWO!]

[Thank you for having me. It’s been a year since that final battle. I still can’t forget the thrill...]

As the beta tester discussed his time in the game world, the man in the mall wielding the mop like a spear suddenly raised it and shook it at Mr. Alan on the screen. “This damn bastard looks like he stepped straight out of the game! How many plastic surgeries did he get?! Huh! If only I’d had access to the beta release, I wouldn’t be here! I’d be a millionaire like those lucky bastards! Just wait till I get into the game!”

[There’s a popular thread on SNS about The Humbled Dog’s return. Do you think he’ll come back to the game and establish a guild again to prove everyone wrong? Despite being abandoned in the last battle, his contribution against the boss still surpassed everyone else. That Final Meteor Rush is the second most-viewed gaming video on SNS!]

[Ah... him. I met him a few times during quests and naturally cooperated in the last battle. He always struck me as overly talented but blinded by it, so I wasn’t surprised when his lieutenants approached me before the last battle to discuss a potential merger.]

[That's intriguing!]

[Yes. His guild members must have been fed up with him for a long time but decided to endure his selfishness until the end. There were doubts, certainly, hence the plan B.]

[What do you think he’s doing now? Planning a comeback? Enjoying a new hobby?]

[It’s hard to say. Of course, we earned substantial income after our adventures became public and were livestreamed. He could be doing anything, really. At the very least, I don’t think he’d take up a normal job.]

“Hey, Blake! You think The Humbled Dog is a millionaire?” the jealous man with the mop turned to his coworker. “I kinda feel bad for him. That dude was a beast! But if he's a millionaire too, then damn him!”

“He is,” Blake replied.

“You sound pretty sure,” the man said, squinting.

“The second most-viewed video they mentioned is from his perspective.”

“Ah, damn them all!” the jealous man vented his frustration by scrubbing the floor vigorously.

Just then, their obese boss waddled in, his bulging belly bouncing. “That’s the passion I love to see! Keep it up, you two! The first million is always the hardest! Haha!”

Blake bit his lip.

“Damn them all! Just wait! I’ll stumble upon a legendary class and earn millions in the first few months! You gonna play tomorrow, Blake?”

Blake closed his eyes. “Yeah, I will. Solo grind, you know.”

“Best of luck, mate!”

“You too. By the way, there aren’t any classes in Ashen World Online.”

“Huh?”

On January 1st, 2084, Ashen World Online’s official release became available to everyone!