Zack slumped back in his chair. His avatar had faded from the world, yet the game still echoed in his thoughts, numbers and tactics swirling like an afterimage.
He pulled out his phone, tapped open the VRMMO, Immortal Conflicts Forums, where theory crafters, grinders and lunatics alike gathered to share their findings.
[Global Announcement Thread – "Beginner City Compilation"]
Total Spawn Cities: 32 (2 days ago)
Divided into 4 Major Regions:
– North Region
– South Region
– East Region
– West Region
Each region contained at least one Field Boss, two known dungeons and rumors of at least one hidden dungeon. Rumors because not a single player had managed to map all of them.
The posts scrolled endlessly. Players debated spawn mechanics, location scaling, recall stone usable once you reach level 3 and even whether hidden dungeons were procedurally generated per server.
Screenshots flooded the page: glimmering portals in obscure corners, strange sigils glowing beneath rivers and vague system messages before sudden deaths.
Zack exhaled softly. So that's how it is, huh?
He tapped into a sub-forum labeled "Progression – Power Beyond Levels." That's where he found what he was looking for. A pinned guide with a catchy title —
"You Don't Need Levels to Get Strong — The True Stat System of Immortals Conflict"
He began to read.
Apparently, your base power wasn't entirely tied to your level. There were parallel routes: systems designed for patient players or those clever enough to dig deeper:
Unique Quests And Reputation System
Some NPCs weren't random quest givers, they were key holders to high-tier content.
Building Reputation with certain factions or NPC could unlock unique quests that rewarded bonus stats, permanent boosts or even passive skills.
A few screenshots showed players gaining +1 Vitality or +2 STR after completing Quests.
"But here's the catch." The guide tapped the page with a stylus. "Reputation isn't about stacking quest completions. It's about the impact of each one.
Screw up a major assignment and some factions won't touch you again, no matter how many small favors you've done."
Secondary Professions (Can only pick 2)
Once chosen, they became permanently bound to your character.
Each profession wasn't just a crafting job, it added passive bonuses and gives stats the higher you leveled it.
Alchemist — Creates potions, elixirs, toxins and consumables that provide buffs or effects.
Blacksmith — Forges weapons, armor and shields; reforges and upgrades physical gear.
Enchanter — A profession that infuses weapons, armor and accessories with magical bonuses using rare materials.
Cook — Prepares meals and food buffs that boost stats, stamina or recovery.
Rune Scribe — ritual markings (only special classes can use this features)
Engineer — Builds gadgets, traps, tools and mechanical devices for combat and exploration.
Tamer — Handles pets and beasts; improves mounts and tamed creatures stats.
Miner — Extracts ores, crystals and rare stones used in crafting professions.
Fisher — Catches fish, aquatic materials and occasional treasure from water sources.
According to a few beta testers, Immortals Conflict worked differently from normal VRMMOs.
The game only allowed one character per account. Once you picked your faction, stats and two Secondary Professions, they were locked in permanently.
Rumors said that your professions would influence your late-game path, maybe even which end-tier gear or skills you could unlock… but no one had a full picture yet.
Exploration and Secret Events
"Hidden dungeons" weren't marked on maps, nor did they have entry triggers in quest logs.
They seemed to respond to conditions: party alignment, time of day, weather or even server population.
One screenshot showed a portal that only opened when lightning struck a frozen peak, another claimed a fog-covered graveyard opened its gates after midnight.
Clearing one supposedly gave "title bonuses or first clear bonus" a mechanic still not fully understood.
Zack's eyes narrowed at the details, his fingers idly scrolling through comments. So far, no one in his server had even touched half of this content.
Most players were too busy grinding monsters or reselling materials for gold. But it wouldn't stay that way for long.
If he could find this information, then so could everyone else. The race had already begun.
He flicked over to the Region Tab of Gaia Server. Each of the four regions had players competing for first field boss kills.
Frostpeak Ridge: Frostmaw Behemoth – Unclaimed
Verdant Frontier: Verdant Colossus – Claimed
Ember Plains: Molten Drake – Claimed
Silverflow Marshlands: Lurking Leviathan – Unclaimed
So this was the Hall of Fame, Zack mused as his eyes landed on his own name and the names of the party members beside it.
Only two had fallen so far and both were killed by Zack and his parties, the Marshland's field boss he hadn't seen a trace of it himself.
The server was barely four days old and everything was still new, fragile and unexplored, like a world still waking up. Players were still learning the game's pulse, testing what worked and what didn't.
Every valley, every ruin, every whisper on the forums hinted at something buried just beneath the surface, waiting for someone bold enough to uncover it.
Across the Gaia server regions, a few parties had already started making history.
The first-tier (Low Difficulty) dungeons — Ruins of the Deep Marsh in the east, Verdant Hollow in the south and Frostfang Cavern in the north, had all been cleared within hours of each other.
Forums flooded with kill videos, strategy breakdowns and loot flexes but one thing stood out to Zack, the highest rarity so far was only Rare.
He then continued scrolling….
But beyond those? Only few hidden dungeon had been discovered so far — The Gloomspire Depths, unearthed accidentally by a scouting party who triggered its entrance after defeating a rare mob in Silverflow Marshlands but not yet cleared as the entry requirement was Lvl 8.
[Hidden Dungeon Cleared – "Crystal Vein Depths" | East Region]
[Hidden Dungeon Cleared – "Frozen Howl Den" | North Region]
[Hidden Dungeon Cleared – "Temple of Verdant Echo" | South Region]
[Hidden Dungeon Cleared – "The Shattered Coil" | West Region]
Zack scrolled through the comments, most of the dungeons, he hadn't even seen the entrances to, yet here they were, already marked as cleared.
It had to be true, Zack himself had already conquered two hidden dungeons, the Ember Sanctum deep within the Ember Plains and another located near the old watermill outside Gaia City.
That alone indicated something significant to him. There were more hidden dungeons, many scattered throughout the map, waiting to be uncovered and if others weren't seeking them yet… that was perfectly fine.
Because Zack would be searching and in the end, the numbers never lie and the allure of greater stats was an irresistible pull.
Zack continued scrolling through the forum, partially reading disputes, partially skimming memes, until a newly pinned thread captured his attention:
[Server Feature Unlocked: Player Level Rankings (Available from Lv.5+)]
He blinked,"…How did I miss this?"
He'd reached Level 5 earlier but clearly hadn't paid enough attention.
Curiosity won out and he opened it.
The leaderboard exploded onto the screen in a blaze of gold frames and dramatic fanfare, like it was auditioning for a fantasy movie trailer.
Top 50 – Server Level Rankings
1. LordOfAFK – Lv.6
Comment: "Hit level 6 without killing anyone. AFK fishing supremacy"
2. XP_Fraudulent – Lv.6
Comment: "This is not an exploit.Probably"
3. MomSaidTurnItOff – Lv.6
Comment: "Climbed three levels while grounded"
4. StabFirstThinkLater – Lv.6
Comment: "If it moves, it gives XP"
5. TwoBrainCellsMax – Lv.6
Comment: "I allocated my stats randomly. No regrets"
6. SoupIsNotAWeapon – Lv.6
Comment: "I disagree"
7. TaxEvaderIRL – Lv.6
Comment: "The IRS can't reach me in a game"
8. LagMage – Lv.6
Comment: "Teleporting is a feature, not my ping"
9. BuffMyClassPlease – Lv.5
Comment: "I will cry until devs notice me."
10. ChairEnthusiast – Lv.5
Comment: "No comments available. Player has chat disabled"
43. Zack – Lv.5
Comment: "No comments available. Player has chat disabled."
Zack froze, his scrolling coming to an abrupt stop.
There were forty-two people ahead of him?
He'd been moving through the game with the smug certainty that he was blazing past the competition: first dungeon clears, boss steals, efficient grinding. By all logic, he should have been near the top.
But the leaderboard didn't care about logic; it slammed that confidence straight out of him. The top spots were filled with Level 6 players, each one climbing faster than he had thought possible.
And their comment sections…Zack blinked.
Then blinked again.
It honestly felt like he'd stumbled into a chatroom shared by insomniacs and comedians but every comment was a flex, in one way or another.
He found himself thinking back to the letter, the one warning him that this world wasn't as straightforward as it looked.
"…You've got to be kidding me" he muttered under his breath.
Zack gazed at his own empty comment line for a moment. He wasn't strong enough to take on those monsters yet, he mused.
But now he had clarity, a path and a plan to follow.
"Reputation quests… profession bonuses… and hidden dungeons, huh?"