Jayden arrived at the Pod Den, the neon glow of its sign buzzing faintly in the early afternoon light. He pushed open the glass doors, the scent of ozone and synthetic leather hitting him… the familiar aroma of the gaming haven.

He strode to the counter, his jacket brushing against his side. The receptionist, a woman in a sleek black uniform with a glowing wristband, looked up with practiced politeness.

"How long today?" she asked, her fingers already hovering over the translucent console in front of her.

"Three hours," Jayden replied casually, sliding his credit card across. His voice was calm, but inside, his thoughts were already ahead. He planned to grind every bit of EXP he could wring from the virtual realm. It was the perfect EXP farm.

The System in the real world demanded constant growth, and EverRealm was proving to be a surprisingly effective training ground.

After completing the transaction, the receptionist returned his card and gestured down the sleek corridor. "Pod 42. Second left."

and moved down the corridor. The hallway was long and sleek, lined with pods that resembled silver coffins standing upright. Each pod pulsed faintly with the blue-white glow of neural sync technology at work. He traced the numbers until finally, the bold 42 blinked at him.

He stood before it for a moment, his reflection faint in its curved surface. Then he turned to the side console. A holographic screen bloomed into existence, projecting game titles and options. His hand moved quickly to the option that read 'EverRealm.'

Without hesitation, he selected it, and the pod's hatch hissed open with a soft sigh of displaced air.

He climbed inside, laying back against the cushion as the hatch sealed behind him. A soft blue light enveloped him, and then, a profound darkness. The pod did its work, gently, efficiently, swallowing his consciousness whole.

Jayden woke in his personal game lobby, a serene, minimalist white space. A familiar message appeared before him:

[Welcome back, Orion]

Below, a series of shimmering options:

Quick match

status

shop

customize

He wasted no time and selected Quick match immediately. The space of his lobby dissolved, replaced by a flash of light.

When his vision cleared, he found himself amidst a vast, sandy desert arena. Towering dunes rippled under a hot, orange sun, the air thick with the promise of a mirage.

In front of him, his opponent materialized.

A tall, lean figure with sharp features and brown hair wrapped in a desert scarf. His cloak whipped in the hot breeze.

His status floated above his head, briefly visible before the match began:

*Level: 8

*Ability: Aerokinesis

*Hp: Status

Jayden exhaled slowly, a faint sound even in the virtual silence. Once again, he hadn't picked any in-game ability. He didn't need to. The abilities he possessed from his real-world… the frightening strength he could unleash, the subtle touch of telekinesis, the insidious poison he could secrete, the absolute invisibility he could command. He could use them all here if he wanted to, and without restraint. This was no mere game for him; it was a proving ground, a crucible for his true powers.

The robotic voice boomed across the arena, starting the countdown.

"Three… Two… One… Fight!"

The wind user didn't hesitate. With a flick of their wrist, a vortex of sand erupted around them, obscuring their form. The very air seemed to thicken, pressing against Jayden as twin pillars of focused wind shot towards him, aimed at his torso.

He sidestepped, the projectiles whistling past where he'd stood, kicking up plumes of dust. The opponent, a blur within their swirling sand shield, began to move, using the shifting dunes as cover, creating small, localized sandstorms to blind and disorient Jayden.

Jayden didn't panic. Instead, he focused deeply on the dunes, and then… everything faded into a spectra of colors. The swirling sand, the dust-filled air, the oppressive heat… it all melted away.

He saw the faint, shimmering outline of his opponent's energy signature, a vibrant blue core moving rapidly within the chaotic sand. It wasn't just a game avatar; it was an energy construct, a living, breathing being within this digital realm.

Jayden had just used dragon eye. A system skill, usually requiring mental command in the real world, manifested here as a pure, instinctual perception.

Jayden was surprised by this. He didn't think his system skills worked here. He allowed himself a small, dangerous smile.

The wind user, thinking Jayden was disoriented, launched another volley of compressed air blasts, this time from three different directions, aiming to box him in.

Jayden didn't just dodge; he flowed. He bent his knees, his muscles coiling, and pushed off the sand with a force that sent him hurtling forward, a speed that was impossible for an un-buffed Level 3 player. He went low, beneath the whistling wind attacks, straight towards the blue energy signature he now clearly perceived.

His opponent reacted, a sharp, cutting gust of wind sweeping down from above, meant to slam Jayden into the ground. But Jayden was already in motion. His hand shot out, not touching, but grasping with telekinesis. He didn't try to stop the wind; he merely diverted its focus. The gust, instead of hitting him, struck the ground just behind him, sending a geyser of sand high into the air, momentarily blocking the opponent's view of his next move.

Now, he was close. Too close for the wind user's liking. He tried to create a powerful outward blast, to push Jayden back, but Jayden was faster.

In a blink, he activated Invisibility and vanished from his opponent's perception. The wind user's attack faltered, his eyes scanning wildly.

"Where did he go?!" the man's frustrated voice echoed, distorted by the wind.

Then suddenly, Jayden reappeared directly behind the man, his speed blurring the transition from invisible to visible. Before the wind user could even register his presence, Jayden delivered a single, devastating kick to his skull.

BOOM!

It wasn't just a kick; it was a concentrated burst of his enhanced strength, a telekinetically amplified blow.

The wind user's robes shredded as he flew forward, tumbling across the sand. He hit a giant dune with a dull thud, his HP bar plummeting to zero before his avatar disintegrated into light.

The arena went silent. The swirling sand settled.

Then a victorious chime echoed. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel·fiɾe·net

[K.O - ORION WINS]

Jayden stood amidst the stillness, breathing evenly. His smirk was faint, but the fire in his eyes blazed. He had confirmed it… Dragon Eye worked even here. His system wasn't just bound to reality. It bled into the game too. This was an interesting discovery.

The world dissolved, pulling him back to his lobby.