The login screen pulsed like a heartbeat.
A black void with a single line of golden text etched in an ancient, arcane font:
MYTHOS ONLINEEnter the world your soul was meant to conquer.
Ethan Ryker sat in the NeuroDive V1 capsule—the old model from five years ago. No pain-dampening gel. No luxury-grade neural shielding. It was uncomfortable and raw, and that was exactly what he wanted.
He took a deep breath and spoke clearly:
"Login."
[Welcome, user. Initializing neural sync...][Memory core stabilized. Body signature: linked.][Warning: no facecam or identity verification enabled. Proceed as anonymous user?][Y/N]
He smirked.
"Y."
[Please create a new character.]
CHARACTER CREATION INTERFACE
Name:AshenGrimRace:Human (Neutral Origin)Build Path:Manual Assignment (Legacy Build: Not Available)Body Type:Realistic Sync (100%) — Reflex Priority EnabledPerception Scaling:Manual Control (Dynamic Visual Range Activated)Stream Settings:Broadcast: Enabled (Anonymous Mask - Grim Type Selected)Start Zone:Ashforge Ruins – [Extreme Difficulty Zone]
He selected his race, ignored the recommended starter classes, and manually built a custom archetype from the dozens of root classes available. He bypassed anything flashy. No flashy spells. No overhyped starter kits.
He picked tools. Traps. Stealth. Efficiency.
His class tree was a Frankenstein's monster of three forgotten branches:
Wraithblade – A cursed assassin class that gained bonus damage the more you fought alone.
Tactician – A forgotten utility path with map control and environmental manipulation.
Junkforger – A scavenger support class that could build traps, explosives, and crude weapons.
A trash build in the hands of a noob.
A godkiller in the hands of someone like him.
[Character creation complete. Welcome, AshenGrim.]
[Entering Ashforge Ruins…]
The world roared to life.
Flames. Screams. Blackened sky.
Ethan stood in the center of a ruined fortress, armorless, holding a rusted dagger and a torch.
A pack of corrupted wolves stalked him from the treeline.
[Welcome to the Ashforge Starting Zone. You have selected Hardcore: Perma-Loss Enabled.][Note: This zone is reserved for expert players. No tutorials. No guides. No assists.]
Perfect.
The system would flag him as suicidal. Players would never expect someone to willingly start here. But Ethan knew something they didn't:
In Patch 2.4, this zone would become the gateway to a legendary world boss—the Sin of Wrath. A raid-level monster no one would be able to beat for two years. But for the next 24 hours, a hidden supply bunker lay buried in the north quadrant.
Unclaimed. Forgotten. Packed with pre-nerfed weapons, traps, and schematics.
He ran.
No hesitation.
Through flame, fang, and shadow.
He slid down into a collapsed trench and ducked under a blackened archway. The wolves chased, but he baited them into collapsing debris. Two died instantly. One was crippled.
He stabbed it once. It screamed.He stabbed again. And again.
[You have killed: Corrupted Wolf (Lvl 5)][+32 XP | +1 Dexterity | +2 Pain Tolerance]
[You have earned the Passive Trait: Blooded Hunter]Killing with low-tier weapons increases critical chance by 5%.
He wiped the blade. Moved on.
Every step felt real. The way the gravel shifted under his feet. The way the air burned with heat.
This was more than a game. It was a battlefield.
And Ethan Ryker was built for war.
10 Minutes Later — Supply Bunker (Unmarked Location)
The hatch hissed open, revealing a pitch-black chamber lit only by arcane blue glyphs.
Ethan stepped inside, triggered the failsafe manually, and activated the supply chest.
[WARNING: Accessing a Tier 3 Armory Chest as a Level 1 Player. Proceed?][Y/N]
He didn't hesitate.
[Confirmed.]
Inside, he found:
"Sawblade Tripmine" Blueprint
"Wyrm Fang Dagger" – Tier 2 | Bleed Effect 14%
Toolbelt: Scrap Forger's Rig
50x Steel Shards
1x Unknown Data Crystal (Encrypted)
He grinned.
This was it.
The start.
He equipped everything, logged the data crystal for later decryption, and set two traps outside the bunker entrance.
Then he sat down and opened the final panel.
Streaming Interface: VibeNet Ghost Channel
Streamer Alias: AshenGrimFacecam: DisabledVoice Modulation: EnabledStream Tags: No Commentary | Solo Nightmare Start | Hardcore | No Donations
[You are now live.]
0 viewers.
Then it exploded.
[You have entered global streamer visibility due to your spawn zone choice.][4,218 viewers watching your live feed.]
AshenGrim has entered the Ashforge Ruins.
AshenGrim has killed 3 corrupted beasts with a rusted dagger.
AshenGrim has accessed an unmarked armory chest.
The chat exploded.
[ROGUELIVE]: Who tf is this guy?[GAMERWOLF17]: He just got a fking bleed dagger at level 1 lol**[KREEPSHADOW]: No cam. No name. Who is AshenGrim??[MODWIZARD]: This is a stunt account, right? Some corpo marketing thing?
Ethan didn't respond.
He set another trap.
He picked up his dagger.
And he walked into the dark.