PLAYER SYSTEM C3 EXCLUSIVE

The PLAYER ability filled Jack with renewed hope. His eyes shimmered with excitement as he closed them and dove back into the BEYOND System Lobby.

“I’m even more hyped to play Blackstar’s new game—The War of Eve,” he said to himself, the familiar kaleidoscope of blinding lights swirling around him. “Not only am I going to enjoy it… but I’ll actually gain something from it—physically, in reality. Not just inside the virtual world anymore.”

Moments later, Jack found himself standing once again in the spacious, white System Lobby. His eyes scanned the floating library of games before a sudden idea hit him.

“Wait a second… if I’ve awakened the PLAYER ability, then maybe I can transfer my items and levels from my other MMORPGs. Wouldn’t that instantly boost my stats?”

Driven by the thought, he quickly navigated to the menu of one of his oldest games—

‹Warrior’s Journey›.

It was the first VRMMORPG he’d ever played, back when he was just ten years old. He had maxed out his warrior level and earned legendary gear and weapons over years of grinding.

But just as he tried to access his old avatar and inventory, a cold mechanical voice interrupted:

[Reminder: The PLAYER ability cannot be applied to outdated MMORPGs with a player base below one million. All avatars and items in such games are invalid.]

Jack froze, shoulders dropping in disappointment. “Figures… Warrior’s Journey is way past its prime. Barely a couple hundred thousand players now. Back in the day, it had millions…”

Still unwilling to give up, another idea struck him.

“Wait… what about S&M: Legends of Heroes? That one’s still popular. It launched just four years ago and still has millions of active players.”

With a swift gesture, the game list rolled like spinning cards until it stopped at ‹Sword & Magic: Legends of Heroes›.

“This should work.”

He eagerly selected it, ready to see his level 98 avatar and sync it with his PLAYER stats—only to be hit with another unexpected notification.

[Reminder: Since the PLAYER ability has just been granted, to prevent early abuse, all valid game avatars have been reset to Level 1.]

“What!?” Jack blurted out, his voice echoing through the lobby. “That’s ridiculous!”

Frustrated, he massaged his temples. “So much for having a head start…”

He shook his head, brushing off the disappointment. “Whatever. Might as well try The War of Eve now.”

With another flick of his hand, he rolled the library and stopped at the game’s icon. The moment he tapped Start, a strange force stirred around him—as if a vacuum was sucking everything in.

The lobby began to warp. His avatar, the menu, even the background dissolved into a swirling vortex of light.

Then—flash.

Silence.

A new world began forming.

Jack found himself standing in a pitch-black void. A mechanical voice echoed around him:

[Welcome to The War of Eve, Player. Please begin character creation: Customize your avatar, and choose your race and starting class.]

In front of him appeared a tall mirror, reflecting his current faceless BEYOND avatar. Alongside it, a full interface appeared—presenting all character creation options.

Class selection: Warrior, Mage, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Tamer and Engineer.

Race selection: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Beastkin, Demon—each with unique traits, pros, and cons.

Jack stared at the options, a spark of excitement returning to his eyes.

“Interesting… which race and class should I choose?” Jack muttered, stroking his chin, a small smile playing at his lips as he examined the five available races and seven classes floating before him.

“Let’s think this through,” he said aloud. “As an experienced gamer, I know race affects class potential. Some combos just don’t work. Like—Demons probably can't be Priests, and Humans might be too limited to bring out the full potential of a Warlock. So ideally, the race and class need to synergize.”

He scrolled through the race list, recalling details from the guidebook he’d bought weeks before release. “According to that pre-release guide, The War of Eve was designed with better balance than most MMORPGs—no pay-to-win, and every class has a counter.”

But before he could finish weighing his options, the race selection screen suddenly flickered.

[Error: An unexpected problem has breached the system.]

Jack blinked. “What the…? Is it glitching?”

The entire race section warped and jittered with digital distortion.

“A glitch? In a Blackstar game?” he muttered in disbelief. “No way… sure, their earlier games had bugs, but this is The War of Eve. They've been working on this for over twelve years!”

He was just beginning to doubt the integrity of the game—when the glitching stopped.

His eyes widened.

A new race appeared on the screen.

[Half-Blood]

“What the hell…?”

A message immediately followed:

[The PLAYER system has detected race selection. A unique race has been added for the user.]

“You’re telling me… the PLAYER ability caused the glitching and broke through the game’s rules to create a new race?”

He stared at the screen in awe.

[Half-Blood: A hybrid race. A fusion of two lineages—such as Human and Demon, or Demon and Elf. Grants dual affinity and allows for greater versatility. Choose two races to define your heritage.]

Jack stood silent for a few seconds, absorbing what he was reading. Then, a crooked smile spread across his face.

“Damn… this almost feels like cheating,” he said with a wry chuckle. “I actually have my own exclusive race?”

A strange mix of guilt and exhilaration rose in his chest. For a moment, he felt like he was bending the rules too far.

But then he shrugged, grin widening. “Whatever. If I’ve got the edge, I’m gonna use it.”

Without hesitation, he tapped [Half-Blood] and began customizing. “Now... what races to mix?”

He glanced between the options.

“Elf and Demon? Nah... too cliché. They’re both mystical. Not enough contrast. But Human and Demon? Now that’s an interesting mix—light and dark.”

He locked in the selection.

Immediately, his avatar changed—bearing the features of both races. One side of his face retained human warmth, the other hinted at a demonic lineage—sharper cheekbones, faint crimson in the iris, and a pair of small, curved horns.

Then, something even stranger happened.

A new class appeared.

[Twilight]

Jack’s breath caught.

“No way… my ability can influence the game this much?”

The system displayed a new prompt:

[Twilight: A class of balance and conflict. Light and shadow. Priest and Warlock. A unique class available only to Half-Bloods with Human and Demon lineage.]

Jack stood frozen for a second, then whispered, “A class that fuses light and dark magic… this is insane.”

His grin returned—sharper this time.

“I’ve always hated cheaters…” Jack muttered, smirking. “But damn… this is too good to pass up.”

His grin widened as he tapped the screen. “Just hope the devs don’t ban me for life over this.”

Without hesitation, he selected the exclusive Twilight class.

The moment he confirmed both his race and class, the screen transitioned to the character customization panel.

Jack examined his avatar. His mixed bloodline features stood out immediately—one half of his face bore human softness, while the other hinted at his demonic heritage. Crimson streaks in his eyes, faint horns barely poking through his hairline, and a subtle aura that felt... different.

“This look’s gonna draw attention,” he muttered. “And that’s the last thing I need—especially from moderators.”

He started tweaking his appearance, aiming for something more discreet.

“I should look more human. No need to flash ‘OP hybrid freak’ across my forehead.”

He tried to remove all signs of his demon lineage—but quickly realized he couldn’t.

Certain features were locked. The heterochromia—one golden eye, one crimson—remained. So did the horns, though he managed to shrink them down and hide them beneath his hair.

“Alright… if anyone asks, I’ll just say it’s cosmetic—part of a skin or a vanity item.”

He paused. “But if someone touches them… yeah, I’m screwed.”

He sighed. “Guess I better buy a hat.”

Opening the in-game store, he browsed through the available categories using his starter coins. He flipped through the Hats & Accessories tab, scrolling past dozens of options—some flashy, some ridiculous, others overpriced.

“I just need something simple... low-key, affordable, and stylish.”

His eyes scanned the list, looking for that perfect blend of aesthetic and practicality.