Pretty pretty treasure.

Tucked away in the leafy branches of a j.a.panese maple, I finally unwrap my precious loot. I suck in a shaky breath as I take in the beautiful sight.

First, I examine a pair of vambraces (forearm guards): dark brown leather with copper fastenings, decorated with a bold streak of s.h.i.+ny copper lightning. Etched into the thick leather, a ferocious wolf howls, surrounded by an intricate border design.

[ Raiju Vambraces ] {Blue}

To Equip: Level 10 / Agility 12

For when defending doesn't feel like enough. These leather vambraces are imbued with the power of the Raiju, a mythical thunder beast with the power of storms. +10% Defense, +5% Attack, +3 Intelligence, 8% Chance to Counterattack with Lightning

Fiiinally, gear that aligns to the bada.s.s persona I'm trying to exude here!

I do a little happy dance, and the red leaves on my branch dance with me.

(I am the darkness.)

Most leveled equipment in Viren's Refuge has a player level or stat requirement, though some crazy gear and weapons have a level + stat requirement. So technically, if I had 12 AGI points right now, I could equip the vambraces even at Level 1. As it is, with the +1 AGI I received from the Climb quest, I'm one-third of the way to rocking these babies!

It's kind of unbelievable that the first piece of loot I snag in this game is Blue-Tier!

In Viren's Refuge, equipment tiers are color-coded to align with the game's "celestial universe" theme: Black, Red, Yellow, White, Blue. The name of the item glows the same color as its tier.

Black equipment is trash. Might as well toss it into a black hole for all the good it will do you.

Red equipment is weak and common, like Red Dwarfs (the dimmest, coldest stars), and can be obtained from low-level monsters and quests.

Yellow Tier equipment drops in dungeons and mid-level quests completed with a B-Rank success rating, and like our Yellow Sun, is good enough for survival, though not overly exciting.

White equipment is excellent and can be obtained from bosses and difficult quests completed with an Rank success rating.

Blue equipment is powerful and rare, like Blue Giants (the brightest, hottest stars), and can only be obtained from Nightmare Mode dungeons, high-level field bosses, and quests completed with an S-Rank success rating.

There's also Nova equipment, ranked Epic, Legendary, and Mythic, but that equipment tier wasn't available in the beta. Or if it was, it was so rare no one found a single Nova item.

Which means I get the honor of being the first!

[ Orion's Belt ] {Nova ~ Legendary Replica}

To hold up your pants. Replica of the belt that once held up the legendary hunter Orion's pants. This belt can store triple the usual number of potions and elixirs. +15% Defense, +5 Strength, increases Durability and Attributes of equipped trousers by 50%. Upgradeable.

I'm feeling a little attacked right now.

Yes, I get it, I HAVE NO PANTS.

But whatever! I just scored an insanely rare, Legendary-ish item! The first Nova item of the game! (Probably. I can't access the forums while in Foundation Village, but what are the odds someone else got as lucky as me?) The triple potions perk is way more OP than even the five level's worth of Strength points. While engaged in Combat or inside a dungeon, potions and elixirs inside Item Storage are locked; a player can only access the vials stored on belts or similar waist storage gear.

I hang the belt across me like an ammo strap and make the three star-shaped sapphires align diagonally across my chest.

*Ding!* [Item {Orion's Belt} equipped!]

Boo-yah! Who needs pants?

I use my new super-strength to lift the final treasure from the Itsumade. It was already light, but now it feels even lighter, so, yay! It appears to be an egg, about the size of an ostrich egg (I say authoritatively, as if I've ever seen an ostrich egg), made out of gold and something that casts an iridescent sheen on its surface.

[ ??? ] { ??? }

It appears to be an egg.

Well, all right then.

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I start to wrap the egg right back into the scarf, when I notice a tiny sparkle stuck to the dark cloth.

A violet earring.

[ Amethyst Spatial Earring ] {White}

To Equip: Charisma 2

Like a pocket, but cooler. This spatial jewelry guarantees 1,000 slots of Item Storage. Stackable Items include: Raw Materials, Ingredients, Crafting Materials, & Projectile Ammunition. All stored items remain fresh during length of storage. Spatial Earring cannot be stolen or auto-dropped upon death. Most stored items cannot be stolen or auto-dropped upon death, except as a result of magic intervention. (Caution: Active Quest Items will ALWAYS drop upon death.)

Note: Not just anyone can pull off this look. Must have unlocked hidden attribute Charisma to equip.

At last. Karmic retribution for the disgraceful lack of pockets!

Crossing my fingers, I hold the small hoop to my upper (upper upper, near the pointy part) cartilage, and grin when I hear the happy ding of a successfully-equipped item.

What do you know? The Fates gave me at least +2 Charisma.

Did not see that coming.

I place the mysterious golden egg into my Item Storage, and it looks good there, all safe and sound.

Fully refreshed, thanks to the healing power of OP pretties, I scramble down the tree, ready to face my final tasks and gtfo of Foundation Village.

------

~At the same time, in Lough Gur Town, Realm One - Gael~

A faint turquoise glow appears above a circular stone platform in the center of town. A man in red plate armor strides out of the Teleportation Portal and then stops, waiting. He does not look around at the breathtaking scenery or react to the bustling town.

He only waits.

A World System Notification chimes:

[World Notification: Congratulations Polemos for being the first player to unlock Realm One! Player rewarded +100 Reputation Points, +100 Silver, +1,000 EXP, and a Blue-Tier Treasure Chest.]

White light s.h.i.+nes on the man, indicating another Level Up, but he does not seem to notice or care. Or rather, he seems to accept it as a matter of course.

He is playing a Human specifically for the leveling speed bonus, after all.

When the Blue chest appears in front of him, he wastes no time in kicking it open. His boots are red down to the soles.

The vicious jagged-egded halberd brings the first hint of emotion to the man's stoic face.

He smiles.

At least, his lips curl up at the corners like a smile, but there's something off about it. Smiles should be warm, but his is scorching heat, eager to burn everything to ash.

Nearby, a curly-haired puppy whimpers and hides behind the baker's son.

Polemos opens his Chat system and sends a message to players Limos, Loimos, and Thanatos, though they will not receive it until they, too, arrive in Realm One:

{Polemos: I'm the first. Meet @ Lough Gur Dolmen - 09:00. Let's Ride.}

He spins his new halberd expertly, getting used to its weight, then smoothly transitions into a lunging thrust.

[Safe Haven] the game warns as it freezes his blade a hairsbreadth from the trembling puppy's eye.

"Killjoy," Polemos sighs.

The once-noisy square falls silent, as NPCs hurry to escape the unnamed fear they feel in the presence of this player. The NPC baker's child picks up his terrified dog and runs away.

They run for the forest outside of town.

Outside of the Safe Haven.

Laughing, Polemos grips his halberd and follows after them.

There's plenty of time for fun before the world burns.