Ivan took his switchaxe out of the kit bag he had brought. The instant Brainboss_7 concluded his address, reality warped around him and the other special characters, giving them a strong feeling of vertigo.
Ivan appeared in a world with a reddish firmament. However, it took a while for him to regain his coordination. When he recovered, he realised that he wasn't the only one in this hostile world. There were nine other people here with him.
The landscape of this world was utterly hellish: the atmospheric temperature exceeded forty-five degrees Celsius. There were pits of molten magma irregularly strewn across the red, rocky terrain. Countless heaps of gruesome corpses and bleached bones could also be seen scattered across the land in irregular patterns.
Associated with this grotesque scene was the strong, acrid stench of sulphur, iron, and ammonia. Ivan could barely control himself from retching as his eyes surveyed his terrifying surroundings.
"Welcome to the Gamers' Realm, newbies," a familiar voice spoke, cutting through the oppressive atmosphere.
Ivan and the nine other individuals with him turned around to see Brainboss_7 calmly staring back at them. Their hearts raced erratically as soon as they registered who was standing before them. They had been feeling a strong, oppressive aura from the instant they recovered. They had assumed that it was a natural phenomenon tied to the environment they were in. But little did they know that Brainboss_7 was responsible for the suffocating aura that was chilling their spines.
Brainboss_7 had done his utmost to control his aura's flow, which was an innate consequence of the tremendous amount of power surging within his being. It was a miracle that powerful individuals like Lady Flux were able to perfectly control their aura.
"Over there is the gate that this party's members will band together and raid," Brainboss_7 said, gesturing towards a distance behind the group.
The group instinctively turned around and looked into the distance, searching for the object that the Awakened Transcendent being was looking at. Their eyes soon settled on a swirling vortex of crimson and black. The vortex exuded a palpable, terrifying pressure on those below Bronze rank when looked at directly.
"What in the world is behind that gate?" Ivan blurted out, a mix of apprehension and curiosity in his voice.
Brainboss_7 replied, "Good question. Behind that gate is the realm housing the Vate Undead Skeletons. From time to time, the Gate is raided to dampen the ever-growing strength of the undead skeletons living in that realm. If they are not dealt with regularly, they will eventually grow strong and bold enough to venture out of that gate, entering this plane."
"Believe me when I say those skeletons are a real pain in the arse to deal with."
He gazed at Ivan's weapon before looking over to a character whose avatar name was Blue-black and, subsequently, Baka. The reason he gazed at the trio was because they possessed items that were above F-rank grade. For base-rank characters like them, it was impressive they possessed these items despite the fierce competition.
"This group is stacked. I hope that this translates into a successful raid. Remember, don't murder yourselves. It attracts consequences you won't like. Good luck, hatchlings; don't die," Brainboss_7 concluded his orientation speech, vanishing into the void the instant the last word left his lips.
A system panel popped up in Ivan's perception. It was unexpected, but he controlled himself, concealing his astonishment. The others with him experienced the same thing, and some of them, like Sarah_ze_beauty, couldn't control themselves from openly expressing their shock.
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Player Black Riot 79: Reborn, welcome to the Gamers' Realm.
You have dared to oppose; hence, you have started your journey of ascension along the power scale. The Gamers' Realm is a place of opportunity, and you have found it. You have prepared yourself for it by choosing an avatar name earlier before your arrival.
Now, what is left for you to do in order to jump into the hunting fray of limitless opportunities is to customise your avatar form.
'Avatar form?' Ivan was surprised to see this piece of information. He felt a strong sense of déjà vu, as if he were about to play an MMORPG.
He began to rack his brain on how his avatar form should appear. To his amazement, before he could fully assemble his thoughts, most of his teammates had already assembled their impressive avatar forms.
One guy, Baka by Avatar name, manifested as a towering 200-metre-tall draconic person who wore all-black attire—a black leather jacket over a black T-shirt, matched with black jean trousers and a pair of dark crimson boots.
SheCyclones, a lady, retained some aspects of her real self. She still stood a few inches above five feet in height and had long blond hair that extended almost to her butt, but her face was now concealed behind a silver masquerade mask that was styled with sacred engravings. She wore a gradient colour dress that was a combination of silver and luminous blue.
These two manifestations were what caught Ivan's attention the most. He liked the beautiful flair of the lady and the stark simplicity of the dude. He quickly reined in his excited thoughts and began to critically decide what outfit he should wear. He wondered if he could get something that could defend him from suffering damage or other items that could help him evade damage from his customisation panel. He was let down. What was available were just normal garments.
Ivan's apprehension increased. He began to deeply worry if he was going to survive this raid. Since he couldn't find a fit that could protect him, he was at liberty to choose something eye-catching.
His being flickered when he had concluded customising his appearance, just like his teammates. Ivan wore a buttonless robe dominated by deep black fabric that served as a dramatic canvas for intricate gold designs. This dark, flowing robe featured ornate golden patterns on the chest, hood lining, and sleeves. The elaborate patterns and golden clasps conveyed regal authority and magical significance, truly befitting a powerful figure.
This astonishing buttonless robe exposed Ivan's bare trunk, which was a highlight of his well-built, prominent muscles. He matched the robe with a black karate gi zubon that also featured intricate golden designs on the sides.
Ivan felt confident in his attire. He shadowboxed, warming up for the formidable task ahead.
Baka approached one of his teammates, Wanyama. His aim was to get along with his teammates and build synergy. No one else was attempting to do that. Ivan was preoccupied with himself and hadn't thought about this crucial move.
Wanyama, who manifested as tall as Baka, warmly got along with Baka. Wanyama informed Baka that he was a Combustionist-class special character. The numerous flame-like runes drawn around his torso and forehead were a testament to his class.
Baka tried to get along with the others, but most of them rejected communicating with him. Ivan was among the three who got along with Baka. The other six seemed to want to go solo, but a few among them were confused and wary of others because they didn't feel safe.
Baka, Ivan, Wanyama, and Alita_72—the only lady among the four—took the bold initiative to approach and enter the gate. The other six, some of them hesitant, followed behind the quartet.