"Three..."

"Two…"

"One…"

Liu Ye's surroundings changed after the countdown reached zero. The flash of light split into millions of small pixelated cubes that later formed into mutating shapes and colorful figures.

"Huh?"

Just earlier he was standing on a flat white surface, but now, his toes had sank into yellowish sand while his feet submerged in ankle-deep water.

Liu Ye didn't expect this game to feel so real.

Crystal clear water bounced off his legs as he found himself in the middle of a shallow stream. Not only could he move his individual toes, but he could also feel the difference in the texture of the fine sand and pebbles, as well as the coldness of the water.

"Amazing…" Liu Ye muttered as he looked around in interest.

The stream appeared first, then with him as the center, the visuals of the rocks, grass, and trees unfolded. The whole world of Avatar Online materialized itself around him, including the sky and the sun. Sunlight warmed his face as a gentle breeze brought the fresh smell of the forest.

For a second, Liu Ye even forgot that he was inside a game until a person spawned at the riverbank.

"Adventurer! Welcome to Avatar Online!"

A tall, middle-aged man called out in greeting, his leather armor giving Liu Ye medieval vibes. His name was blue with an exclamation mark above his head.

[Red Claw (Trainer) - Lvl. 10]

"My name is Red Claw," the trainer introduced himself as he displayed his wolf-tooth necklace. "Would you like to proceed with a tutorial before we—"

"I will skip it," Liu Ye cut him off mid-sentence. He hated tutorials, preferring to explore games on his own instead.

Ding!

Immediately after Liu Ye spoke, he heard a notification sound and the exclamation mark above the NPC turned into a grey question mark.

His wrists vibrated and to his surprise, Liu Ye saw two screens above his forearms. The right screen displayed his character profile while the left one gave him quick access to his inventory. He could easily check how much Health or Mana he had left without the need to open his profile.

He tapped the previously empty Quest Tab and saw a new quest.

[Red Claw's Test]

[Description: Defeat the enemy to impress your Trainer!]

[Reward: Bronze/Silver/Gold Treasure Bag depending on Player's performance.]

Liu Ye glanced at the Elemental Tree tab that just unlocked for him but he was quickly disturbed, his eyes spotting movement ahead of him.

Awooo!

A big grey wolf came out of the forest, its red eyes glaring at him as if challenging him for a fight.

[Adult Wolf - Lvl. 5]

[HP: 150/150]

The graphics and the immersions were also too vivid, and the wolf looked and felt like a living, breathing wild animal about to tear out his throat.

"The world of Avatar Online is filled with dangers! Before I let you continue on your journey, you need—"

Red Claw's voice disappeared from Liu Ye's mind as he dashed at the monster with all his senses activated. Liu Ye showed no fear on his face as if it wasn't the first time he faced a wolf this size.

A red light flashed on the wolf's eyes before it launched itself as well, both of them heading straight at each other.

Instead of pouncing at him, the wolf stopped right before him and attempted to bite at his leg.

How could Liu Ye let that happen?

He lifted his leg up before collapsing his whole weight at the wolf's head and wrapping his arms around its neck.

The Adult Wolf yelped, struggling to throw him off his back, but Liu Ye already had a firm grasp around its throat, crushing it with all his strength.

-1

-1

-1

Stream of damage numbers flew about the wolf as Liu Ye continued to pin it down. No matter how much it howled and wiggled, Liu Ye stayed on top while the wolf's health evaporated within seconds.

[Ding! You killed the Adult Wolf. You received 300 Experience and 1 gold.]

[Ding! Congratulations! You reached Level 2!]

[Ding! Congratulations! You reached Level 3!]

[Ding! Quest Red Claw's Test Completed! Meet Red Claw to claim your reward!]

Multiple notifications assaulted his mind as the struggle stopped. He stood up and looked down, nodding in its honor. Even though the wolf failed to get him, the Adult Wolf did fight till the very end, worthy of his respect.

"I finished your task," Liu Ye reported.

Red Claw brightened, approaching to pat him on the shoulder.

"Well done, Adventurer! Your battle skills impressed me! I can see you have great potential. Here! Take this Gold Treasure Bag I prepared for you as a reward," Red Claw called out, passing him a small gold bag. "You can put it in your Inventory to unpack it."

Liu Ye barely touched it before a loud announcement filled his surroundings.

[Ding! Server Announcement! Player Grind God was the first to claim the Gold Treasure Bag. Achievement Reward: 5 gold and 10 Fame.]

"…" Liu Ye rolled his eyes, but he somewhat expected this concept would exist in-game as well. Now, all the players knew he received the best reward.

Although the additional gold would help him greatly, he wasn't happy to receive the reward in this flashy manner. He didn't dare to underestimate the greed of players. Liu Ye didn't want to be targeted, only wanting to peacefully grind and help out Xu Yue to pay off his debt as soon as he could.

Liu Ye glanced down at his gold bag and followed Red Claw's instructions. The bag got sucked inside his inventory and he held his finger on the icon to unpacked it.

Items spilled into his inventory and his eyes smiled in surprise when he checked the first item.

[Bandana]

[Description: Hides your identity from Players with lower levels than you.]

[Requirements: Lvl. 1]

Although this Bandana didn't provide him with any protection like bonus stats to his defense, the passive ability was what he perfectly needed right now.

Liu Ye tapped on the icon to equip it and a black bandana magically appeared on his face. It didn't feel uncomfortable nor did it hinder his breathing in any way. Simply a perfect fit.

[Leather Armor Set]

[Bonus Stats: 100 Max Health Points, 20 Physical Defence]

[Requirements: Lvl. 3]

Aside from the Bandana, Liu Ye also received a whole set of black leather armor which he immediately equipped. Instantly, his body transformed and was covered with black leather from head to toe. It provided him with a new pair of comfy boots as well, and thus, he was no longer barefoot.

"Nice," Liu Ye approved as he checked himself out in the inventory. It had a small miniature image of his character, displaying the whole outfit.

Liu Ye couldn't see a place where he could equip individual pieces of equipment, so he guessed there were only full sets in this game. From the business perspective, it was a smart decision. He could already see players spending all their money on the customized outfits the moment developers decide to turn on the pay-to-win.

Be it in ordinary online games or VR games, it was always a pain to see players use their real money to buy all the best equipment without much effort, but Liu Ye was not one to complain. He wouldn't be able to earn money if not for them.

[Medium Health Potion x10]

[Description: Regenerates 200 HP in 20 seconds.]

———

[Medium Mana Potion x10]

[Description: Regenerates 200 MP in 20 seconds.]

———

[Waterskin]

[Description: A leather container used to hold water, most commonly used by Waterbenders as quick access to a water source.]

Besides his outfit, Liu Ye also received medium potions and a waterskin which seemed standard. The only difference between the rewards would probably be their numbers and sizes. Either way, seeing how much Mana and HP he could regenerate with the potions, it would be a waste to use them at the start.

"Adventurer! Are you ready to continue your journey?" Red Claw called out the moment Liu Ye closed his profile.

"Yes."

The faster he finished the tutorial, the sooner he could start his grind.

"Alright then! Let me show you the way to the Village."

Instead of walking away, Red Claw simply smiled and their bodies turned into white pixels.

Teleportation!

His surroundings slowly materialized and he found himself standing on a round marble platform. There was literally no one in his surroundings, and the village was extremely quiet, with only a handful of NPC villagers strolling around what appeared to be the plaza.

Liu Ye's quiet observation was disturbed by the lovely voice of Katherine sounding inside his mind.

"Welcome to Avatar Online, a world where Elements reign supreme. Your main Quest? Master all Elements and become Avatar, the protector of mankind! There can only be one Avatar so hurry up and start with your adventure! Good Luck!"