"Ugh... Where am I?" Roan slowly opened his eyes, and immediately, the vast grassy landscape entered his sight.
"Grassland? What is this? Wasn't I in the Demon King's castle just before, after stealing the last hit and receiving the reward for becoming the MVP?" He furrowed his brow, and suddenly, his eyes widened in shock.
"Wait! Could it be that the reward is really active?" With a guess that terrified him, Roan quickly summoned the status system.
"Status, activate!" He whispered softly, and the system panel immediately appeared before him.
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[Name]: Roan William
[Class]: Warlock
[Health Points (HP)]: 1.000.000/1.000.000
[Mana Points (MP)]: 3.000.000/3.000.000
[Race]: Human
[Age]: Twenty-five
[Level]: 700 ↑ (Breaking the Limit)
[Ability Status]: STR (Strength): 700 ↑, AGI (Agility): 700 ↑, DEF (Endurance): 550 ↑, VIT (Vitality): 700 ↑, INT (Intelligence): 1,500 ↑, DEX (Dexterity): 700 ↑, LUK (Lucky): 300 ↑
[Weapon]: Mana Bracelet (mythical-class item), Darkness Magic Staff (divine-class item), Dark Prince's Cloak (divine-class item)...
[Body Status]: Exceptionally Well
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Upon seeing his status change, Roan's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Breaking the limit to level 700? Is this some kind of joke?" Roan mumbled to himself in disbelief.
In the game Initium, the highest level a player could reach was capped at level 500, and further leveling was impossible due to the developer's imposed restrictions.
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Now, his status has undergone a remarkable change, far beyond his expectations.
"Wait! Level 500 is the limit within the world of Initium. My level is now at 700, which means I'm no longer in the game world, right?" Roan quickly accessed his inventory, and indeed, the reward he had received earlier had completely vanished.
"Another world? Is this truly another world and not just a new map in the game?" Roan slowly lifted his gaze to the bright blue sky, which was markedly different from the usual world of Initium.
What convinced him that he wasn't on a new map within the Initium game was the fact that the developers had specified that any new world map in Initium would be linked to a dark environment, featuring more monsters and underground spaces for players to explore.
However, the scenery before him was entirely unfamiliar and didn't align with the criteria described by the developers in the internet leaks.
"I need to investigate further to confirm whether this is a new world map or something entirely like another world. I hope I haven't somehow ended up in a different world, like the ones I often read about in fantasy novels." Roan took a deep breath and vanished from his current position, reappearing in the midst of the bright blue sky.
His gaze swept over every corner, confirming that this was indeed an unusual place, and he had no clue about his location.
While biting his lower lip, Roan attempted to suppress his anxiety.
Suddenly, at the corner of his vision, a large shadow of unknown origin approached him rapidly.
Observing this, Roan's curiosity got the better of him, and he tried to move closer to the looming shadow.
"Whoosh!"
Roan's figure disappeared in an instant, employing teleportation magic.
...
In a flash, Roan reappeared hundreds of meters away from the direction of the immense shadow, and he was taken aback to see that the colossal, shadowy figure was an enormous dragon.
Its massive black horns gave it an extremely ferocious appearance.
With wings spanning over twenty meters in width and its entire body clad in dark black armor that seemed remarkably sturdy, this dragon was a sight to behold.
"This dragon is massive. I never expected to encounter such a colossal creature," Roan remarked while maintaining a safe distance.
Roan had no intention of provoking this entity he had come across.
In the world of Initium, dragons were known to be exceptionally formidable adversaries for players.
The average dragon in Initium typically fell within the range of levels 450 to 500, making them a force to be reckoned with.
In a direct confrontation, Roan wasn't certain of victory due to the considerable difference in size and the dragon's innate abilities.
Dragons were, after all, creatures shaped by nature, and their strength could be considered limitless as long as they remained in their own world.
As Roan continued to observe the massive dragon, he was startled when the dragon's gaze shifted towards him, and their eyes locked in a mutual stare.
Sensing the dragon's attention, Roan's alertness surged to a heightened state.
"Boom!"