Chapter 2: The Official Release (2)
Blake gazed at the sleek black capsule that had replaced his bed.
After turning eighteen and following a heated argument with his family, he had taken the capsule from his parents' house. The situation resembled an incident within the game world that had led to him being known as The Humbled Dog—a nickname stemming from his guild’s name and the events that transpired.
Cerberus had lost its two prominent heads, leaving the middle one isolated and humbled, cast into the shadows.
Only after spending time with nothing did Blake open his eyes and confront his unbearable self.
He never wanted to return to that world.
He didn’t even want anything to do with it.
All the wealth and fame he’d accumulated felt like a curse, reminding him of the atrocities he’d committed.
In the one-year gap between the beta’s finale and the official release, Blake rented a small apartment and worked for minimum wage, persistently scraping by and refusing to use his savings.
As the official release approached, he knew he’d return to Ashen World Online. The fact that he hadn’t discarded the capsule said it all.
Gently touching the capsule’s surface, Blake closed his eyes and reminded himself of his new principles and goals.
He’d grind the game solo and participate in events alone for as long as possible—not to prove he could clear the game by himself, but because he was too afraid to face his old companions.
He also didn’t seek their forgiveness.
He simply wanted to be part of the world that excited him the most.
‘I can’t mend those old ties, and I doubt they want me to,’ Blake thought. ‘I’ll just work on myself like I’ve been doing all this time.’
That was quite challenging for a lone nineteen-year-old man.
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Blake tilted his head upon seeing this system notification.
He expected to dive into the game world and begin anew. Perhaps the gaming company had sent him some reward for participating in the final boss battle?
He didn’t know what it could be and even dreaded checking the message.
That was a part of the past he didn’t want to revisit.
After five minutes of deliberation, he opened the message. If it was what he thought it might be, he would delete it.
What appeared on the screen, however, surprised him.
It was a message from an NPC friend, Edward.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
‘They say the game’s official release is set one hundred years after the beta testers' final battle. It's not surprising that Edward could reach me since I used the same capsule,’ Blake thought, shaking his head and clenching his fists. ‘I shouldn’t be dwelling on that right now…’
Thanking Edward for the blueprint, Blake offered a moment of silence. He then reviewed the description again and reached the same conclusion as his old friend—he would truly experience hard work by building all these things and rebuilding himself from the ground up.
Blake didn’t even know how he’d fare in crafting.
Reflecting, he recalled that crafters who relied less on the game system had higher chances of producing high-quality items and creating whatever they desired. The more the system assisted them, the poorer the quality.
The game system was useful for mass production.
But if one truly wanted exceptional items, using one’s own hands, mind, and strength was the way, rather than letting the system control the tools to perform the task.
Blake accepted this uphill challenge.
With a smirk, Blake thought of his friend who must have already entered the game world in search of legendary items, while he stood in the character creation room with two of them already bestowed upon him.
A moment later, Blake rubbed his face to erase the smirk.
He couldn’t be the only one to receive a title during character creation.
Other beta testers might have schemed to receive similar messages or perhaps hidden their weapons or title tokens somewhere in the vast world to retrieve later.
‘Thank you again, Edward,’ he thought.