After that, Arthur went to eat some dinner. Although the entire kitchen was filled with serum, he somehow was able to reach the fridge and pull out a noodle packet. After that, he quickly prepared a simple meal before he sat down on his old couch to watch TV.
‘Holy… Every single channel is talking about the game. Even news channels that aren’t related to gaming kept talking about this game every single day. However, the information they have about the game before its release is minimal if non-existent.’
The secrecy around this project was perhaps the strongest anyone has ever seen. Not even Divinity Corp’s public records led the reporters to any possible leaks or even information about the world, the lore, or the gameplay if it can even be called gameplay.
However, that wasn’t a negative thing as that made the aura around this mysterious game even more interesting. Everyone wanted to know what awaited them inside that world. Perhaps they would find things that would transcend their comprehension or even more mysteries they had to unravel.
In either case, Arthur was one of those people who looked forward to the adventure aspect of the game. The glimpses of Divinity Online’s world were already analyzed frame by frame and some theories already formed about the world and its stories.
But, nobody could conform to none of those theories.
‘Now that I think about it. Those streamers are going to be the ones to benefit the most from this.’ Opening his old phone, Arthur checked the streaming app to see what was happening. Watching live streams was something he did regularly so he knew a lot about it.
“Well, look at that. Someone already has 3 million live viewers and the game is still three hours away. I wonder how much money they’re making.” He sighed. “Probably more than I could ever even imagine.”
‘Well, Divinity Online promised a real-life currency exchange so people are most definitely going to get extremely rich and extremely popular due to this game. Maybe… I would be one of them?’
The moment he asked himself that question, he felt an urge to laugh. “Like that would ever happen, hahaha! Well, if I can at least make some allowance from this, I would be satisfied. I’m not in it for the money either way.”
With that, Arthur continued eating the noodles and watching the TV. Many celebrities were talking about how they were going to play it. Nobody Arthur knew wasn’t interested, it was almost as if Divinity Corp had everyone held in a chokehold.
After finishing the food, Arthur quickly took a cold shower and changed clothes. Then, he went around the house doing chores and finishing everything he would usually do before getting into the game.
‘I luckily don’t have work tomorrow so I might spend the entire day playing if I can.’
After he was done with everything he wanted to do, Arthur sat down and stared at the clock. He didn’t even feel like using his phone or watching TV with how excited he was. Time passed slowly until it was a few minutes before the release.
“I’m gonna wait the rest of the time in the capsule.” He muttered as he opened the glass door and went in. A few seconds later, the boy found himself in that same white world again with the holographic window floating in his vision indicating the time left before the worldwide launch.
[Time left before release: 0:01:30.]
“Ok, come on, I’m ready!” He said as he sat casually in the emptiness. Time ticked by, very slowly until it was only a few seconds before the launch. That was when Arthur finally lifted himself up and got ready.
[Time left before release:0:00:15.]
His heart rate slowly increased as he watched the last ten seconds with anticipation. He was so excited he didn’t even bother to make any stupid comments. This was perhaps the biggest thing he wished to experience ever since he was born. Not even seeing his parents again felt as desirable as entering this world.
[Time left before release: 0:00:10.]
‘I’m finally here. I will make sure to enjoy every single second of it.’
“I hope this adventure will indeed last me a lifetime.” He smiled widely, his eyes flashing with a myriad of emotions.
[Time left before release: 0:00:00.]
[Ding!]
[‘Divinity Online’ official launch!]
[Welcome, Player Arthur.]
[Please choose your class.]
A series of notifications assaulted Arthur’s eyes. At the end of them, he saw a long list of names he had to choose from.
“Class, huh? I guess that’s expected from An RPG. There are a lot of classes.”
The first thing Arthur noticed was that the classes were separated into four main categories: ‘Melee Classes’ which include classes like Knights, Paladins, Samurai, Vanguards, etc. Then, there are ‘Arcane Classes’ which include Battle Mages, Defensives Mages, Spellweavers, Pyromancers, etc. Then, there are ‘Stealth Classes’ which include Assassins, Thieves, Nightblades, Shadowdancers, etc. Finally, there were ‘Support Classes’ which included Herbalists, Healers, Combat Medics, Commanders, Chemists, and Scavengers.
All in all, the variety of classes surprised Arthur. He easily counted 50+ classes, each with their unique name and role.
‘Hmm.’ Rubbing his chin, Arthur tapped on a random class. Immediately, a new window opened that explained to him the class’s role and its stat distribution.
[Class: Knight
Description: Knights are stalwart defenders and paragons of chivalry, specializing in heavy armor and melee combat. They’re skilled with a variety of weapons and capable of withstanding significant damage. They have a balanced battle style so they shine in most situations.
(Basic Abilities):
Swiping Slash: Quick and effective slash that does 20% extra damage upon contact.
Victory Roar: Increase defense and offense upon use by 15% each. Lasts 15 seconds.
(Basic items):
Iron Sword: A normal yet robust iron sword. It has a long range and a balanced build.
Iron Armor set: A normal yet robust armor set. It negates 10% of all physical damage and 5% of all Magic damage.
Stats:
Health: 15
Strength: 14
Agility: 9
Stamina: 14
Mind: 2
Presence: 1
“Wow… This is a lot to take in.” Reading through the class explanation, he realized how deep this goes. Even the basic class had such deep details behind it.
So, Arthur started skimming through the classes, reading each one that he found interesting. The variety of classes really showed the range of this game. He was certain nobody would be like another person no matter how much they tried.
Each player will have their unique build and their unique play style.
“Hmm, what should I choose for my class? It’s definitely going to be offensive, though. I like to deal damage.” He muttered.
Although the rest of the categories were interesting, Arthur was still a battle-oriented player at heart. He liked the feeling of dealing damage and being at the far front, killing enemies. So, he started looking more into the offensive classes, trying to weigh their pros and cons and trying to link them with his style of playing.
A few minutes passed and Arthur only felt even more lost. He really liked so many of the classes which made choosing a single one even harder. Eventually, he decided to go with one particular class.
“Well, I guess the best class is Knight. It not only has the most balance, but it can also possibly have way more possible variations down the line. As much as the other classes sound more special, I want something versatile.” He muttered.
He had considered every possibility and the only wise answer was to choose the Knight class. So, with that in mind, Arthur finally looked at the confirmation button. Then, he tapped on it.
‘Finally, it’s time to actually play the game.’ He thought to himself as he smiled. “Let’s see what this game is all about.”
However, instead of the world around him shifting, Arthur was suddenly met with something he never expected at all.
[Ding!]
[Class selection failed!]
“What?” Arthur frowned. “What do you mean failed?”
[Ding!]
[Divine Bloodline has been detected.]
[Ding!]
[Special Class has been revealed.]
[Special Class has been automatically selected.]
[Blood Monarch.]
The boy looked at the series of notifications with his mouth hanging open. He was in complete confusion.
“… Huh?!”
