The lands around Kasia, the capital of the Virtonis Empire were with few trees, some low hills and it gave the most space for a city in the entire continent. It was huge, open, and warm.
The plains gave home to a city that looked like a modern one at night. It was massive and it almost looked like a metropolis.
At nightime, the large tree Max was standing in front of, which was thirty meters tall, glowed white and purple. He stood at the grave of a legendary figure of this floor's history. Nobody knew where his body was.
A sword was buried with him, which was told to Max by the note left behind by the Architect. Max learned a bit more as he traversed back to Virtonis about history and these figures.
He was going to take a sword which had partially conquered a lost land at least as dangerous as the third floor.
He stood and looked at his teammates.
"Go ahead. No one's around." Eliyah said. Though he was tense.
"I could use a hand..." Said Max.
"Nah man, you on your own." Thomas replied.
Max sighed and summoned a shovel out of his inventory.
And started digging.
Stefan's sister Misa Zanoza flew with her blue brightly glowing wings. Three shining tail whips of electricity extended from her. Two from her shoulders which moved the wings themselves and one from the lower back.
Her brown eyes suddenly shone bright white-blue as she focused her vision down at four players she spotted on her way to Virtonis to meet her brother.
"Huh?" She exclaimed. What are they digging? The girl thought.
She noticed them as she was staring at the large glowing tree in the night.
Misa looked at Kasia briefly. Then down at the players again. Curiousity snatched her and she descended towards them. She was an Awakened capable of defending herself. Yes, an Awakened on the fourth floor isn't impressive at all, but here? It's a different story.
"What the fuck? Guys?!" Eliyah exclaimed as he saw a glowing winged figure fly towards them. It looked like some celestial being was descending.
Max stopped digging and quickly looked at Eliyah, then snapped his gaze to match the mage's.
He put down his shovel and clutched the sword handle at his waist. His aura flowed through his body, vitalizing him. He felt and sensed more clearly and deeply. The world and the colors of lights became more intense.
Misa saw their uneasiness and landed away from them. She slowly approached. The wings disappeared and glowing light blue aura swirled around her. Lighter than Max's.
"What are you guys up to?"
"Uh, it's a quest." Thomas blurted.
"Quest?" The girl frowned.
She looked at Max, who had dyed blonde hair. Perhaps recognizing him as the biggest threat.
"Players?" Misa asked.
"What?" Max blurted.
Eliyah chuckled.
"You're a player too?" The mage asked the glowing girl with a smile.
"Yeah. You guys look strong for this place. And you're an Awakened." She raised her chin as she looked at Max.
"Uh, should I tell her?" Max looked at the squad, Manuel mostly. The spearman shrugged his shoulders. "Why not." He said, uncaring.
"He's the Epic boss killer." Thomas said.
The girl looked at Max. "I dyed my hair blonde." The young man said.
The girl looked at the ground. Max could have sworn he saw her smile.
Then she covered her face with her right hand and laughed.
Max gripped his weapon in nervousness.
"Well, your blue aura matches him. The hairstyle is similar...What's the title you got for being the first to slay that?"
"Uh, I got Pioneer."
The girl nodded. "Priam got that title for...I mean primerose got that title for killing the first main boss. He told my brother and I when my brother asked about the details of his floor clearing. He used to be with him on the second floor. Former friends and shit. My brother also has that title for something else."
"Who's your brother?" Max frowned, swallowing nervously.
"His username is glowse. Check the leaderboard. G-L-O-W-S-E." She spelled out.
Max opened the Menu and then the leaderboard.
[1. primerose - Level 401 (view profile)
2.highper - Level 399 (view profile)
3.francylav10 - Level 395 (view profile)
4.glowse - Level 393 (view profile)
5...]
"Your brother..."
"Is him, yeah. Anyway he's no longer with Priam, I mean primerose. What are you digging for?" The girl pointed at the hole in front of the huge tree.
"Is that even important? What's the sister of that guy doing here? You look Awakened at least." The Awakened blonde man asked.
Max looked at Manuel who nodded.
"She's telling the truth." The spearman said. He used a lie detection ability of his.
"I can't tell you that. Will you be at the tournament here?" She answered. Her brown eyes meeting Max's own.
"Uh yeah. I'll just have to sign up. Is something wrong?"
The girl nodded and walked past him. Max took a nervous step to the side and turned.
"No, I'm just curious." She said in an uncaring voice.
She looked down at the hole. A coffin made of black steel laid in it. 3 meters down. The girl extended her hand and as if by a magnetic force, the coffin flew into her palm snd stuck to it.
She laid it on the ground beside the hole and looked at Max.
"Come on, open it. I wanna see." She gestured with her head.
Max looked at her as if she was an alien, mouth open. Pretty though, she was. He thought. Then he shooed those thoughts away.
He would have to cut steel. Some kind of black variant. If it was even steel.
He drew his Virtonia and charged it.
A dozen heartbeats of silence later, the sword shone in a bizzare shower of colors. Purple smoky aura enveloped a rainbow storm of moving colors inside of it, seemingly containing it.
The girl looked at this with an open mouth.
"You have an Attribute already?"
"Yeah, in the weapon itself as you can see."
Max raised the sword and swung it down like an axe. It struck the black steel coffin and a loud noise reverberated. The others covered their ears.
There was a solid indent in the steel when Max looked at it afterwards. He had hoped he could one shot it.
But then, purple light weakly shone on it. The indent started to melt.
Max looked closer and so did the girl.
A hole was made from the effect of the mysterious aura.
"The status effect is pretty random I think. That's how it works."
"Uh huh." Said the girl, looking at Max for a few seconds.