“Sir as requested, the progress report on the Ascension project.”

Receiving a thick manila folder with TOP SECRET written in big bold red words across the cover, an average-looking man dressed in a black turtleneck and jeans quickly and quietly flipped through it before tossing it onto his desk.

“Excellent, 80% of the first 5,000 users have already logged on to Ascension within the first twelve hours of launch and zero incidents thus far. Have we pin-pointed any outstanding users?”

“There have been approximately eighty users thus far who have breached level 30… There are a few other anomalies but the team has deemed it too early to decide their worthiness. Almost all of our 2,000 handpicked candidates are performing beyond standard levels though some are hindered due to the lack of gaming experience at this stage.”

“Excellent, how about Project Omega?”

“All subjects but two have been successfully convinced and inserted on schedule. All records and trails relating to the remaining forty-eight subjects have been erased and all surviving relations and connections have been informed of their deceased status. Project Omega launch was completed three hours ago, all subjects have been scattered in throughout Athal’s final continent.”

“And their progress?”

“All subjects are beyond level 50 and progressing at an incredible pace… We have seen nothing comparable, furthermore their brain activity levels are rapidly increasing and gradually exhibiting unknown patterns. Our neurological team warns that possible breakdowns can occur and we might lose subjects rapidly. They recommend re-instituting the neural dampeners as per Project Ascension.”

Drumming his fingers on the desk, the man considered the recommendations for a few seconds before issuing his commands in a cold emotionless voice.

“No. Prepare additional subjects, if necessary.”

“Understood sir.”

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World of Athal - Explanations

Stats

Strength: The amount of physical force the body is capable of exerting, influencing physical attacks, carrying capability.

Dexterity: The fine motor skills of the body which affects skills reliant on technique or accuracy.

Agility: The nimbleness of the body which is primarily related to movements of the body and speed.

Constitution: The condition of the body which enables it to endure greater damage, physical conditions and directly affects the amount of health possessed.

Endurance: The combined ability of body and mind to persevere through challenging conditions, and directly affects the amount of stamina possessed.

Wisdom: The experience and understanding of the mind which enables better judgments and insights.

Intelligence: The learning ability and knowledge of the mind, which affects memory and learning.

Luck: An unknown factor which governs chance. (Luck cannot be increased by stat points obtained from leveling up.)

More stats are yet to be revealed and will be added as they are revealed in the story.

Stats (Real Life Relative Comparison)

0 – 10: Child (0-12 years old)

11 – 20: Teenager (12-20 years old)

21 – 30: Adult (21+)

31 – 40: Enthusiast

41 – 50: State-level Competitors

51 – 60: National-level Competitors

61 – 70: Global-level Competitors

71 – 80: World Champions

81 – 90: World Record Holders

91 – 100: Superhuman

100+: ???

Skill Tiers

1. Novice

2. Basic

3. *To be revealed later in the story*