Location: Aethernal (Newbie Planet of Cosmic Ascendance)
Address: Cosmic Arcade // Special Dimension No: 4122
The air crackled with the scent of ozone and the rich smell of nature, in this custom designed dimension. A feature available with a Tier III membership in the cosmic arcade.
This feature allowed players with this level of membership. To purchase and customize mini dimensions they could use for meetings or customize for games. In this custom dimensions, the owner could apply different rules, such as no-death penalty or restriction of skills. In this space currently occupied by five players. Four of them stood before a sleek, modern gazebo, the targets in the distance their focus.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots were fired, perfectly placed.
"Damn! Nice shot, Hunter!" Dax-7015, a lean man with an athletic build, exclaimed. The shooter, Big-Fish Hunter, a level 27 Gunner, grinned, bringing the weapon to his mouth for a dramatic blow on the muzzle. He had just landed three consecutive bullseyes at the 300-meter mark, a feat that few could match. His name, emblazoned on the ranking board, now boasted a score of 900 points, the fruits of his recent performance.
"What a nonsensical pose. Show-off," Elizabeth D 3rd, a woman with a close-cropped buzz cut that could easily be mistaken for a man's, chirped, her voice laced with playful sarcasm.
"Make that remark when you can pull this off at 150 meters, and maybe, just maybe, I'll consider taking you out on a date," Big-Fish Hunter retorted, a smug glint in his eyes.
"Shut the hell up. Why would I subject myself to such torture as a reward for improving my shooting accuracy?" Elizabeth D 3rd countered, her tone playfully dismissive.
The group, all members of Cosmic Ascendance's top-ranked guild, the "Void Keepers," were a collection of highly skilled players, each at the pinnacle of E-Rank prowess.
- - - - - - -
"She's been in communication for a while now," BigFatBob, a towering figure with a shaved head, rumbled, a black rifle materializing in his hands.
Dax-7015 made way for the behemoth, stepping aside to allow BigFatBob to take his place on the shooting line. "They rarely issue emergency summons," Dax continued, "And the meeting venue being in a special dimension… I'm guessing it's something serious."
"The fact that it's hosted in a dimension indicates confidentiality," Elizabeth D 3rd agreed, her gaze fixed on the gazebo.
Seated within the gazebo was Wrathful-Snow, the team's leader, an ethereal beauty with skin like milk and a braid cascading down her chest. She sat in a meditative pose, a picture of serene focus.
Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta!
Shots rang out as BigFatBob began his practice.
"Nice job, man!" Elizabeth D 3rd cheered. BigFatBob had unleashed a fifteen-round burst at the 150-meter target, landing eleven shots with fair accuracy.
The scoreboard updated, displaying BigFatBob as the second runner-up with 770 points.
"No clean bullseye, I don't think it's that spectacular. He's just using his size to absorb the recoil and spray shots towards the target," Big-Fish Hunter remarked, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Well, he's a Tanker class, not a Gunner. It's impressive he could score this much," Elizabeth D 3rd defended.
"I didn't use any active skill to improve my aim, We restricted them in this room. My performance was purely my ability," Big-Fish Hunter retorted, the smug look still plastered on his face.
BigFatBob, the subject of the conversation, shrugged off their banter. He wasn't one to engage in the sketchy constant flirting of Big-Fish Hunter and Elizabeth D 3rd. He was ready to leave the range, and the rifle he had summoned disappeared as he unsummoned it.
Dum
The deep sound of a suppressed gunshot sliced through the air, silencing the lighthearted bickering. All eyes snapped towards the source.
Ruthful-Snow, the leader, was now standing. Her handgun, disintegrating.
With silent footsteps, life waves in a lake, she made her way towards them, stepping down from the gazebo.
"The Void-Lord has assigned us an assignment," she announced, a list of names materializing in each player's POV with a flick of her wrist.
"We are to investigate each of these eleven players. They are all very new players. We are to observe and ascertain their current levels and check for the presence of any peculiarities. We have a week to submit results. The assignment is classified as an A-Grade mission."
"A-Grade mission?!" The group repeated in unison, the words hanging in the air.
A-Grade missions offered a Void Core as a reward, an item that could only be obtained as gifts from the Void-Lords. Players had a 100% chance of obtaining a skill from absorbing this orb.
The announcement immediately extinguished the carefree mood, replacing it with a focused intensity. They had to excel.
Finishing her briefing, Wrathful-Snow surveyed her teammates. She knew how seriously they would take the mission. But to ensure their success, she had things to put in place.
With a swipe of her hand, she brought up the control interface, exiting the custom space. The meeting was adjourned.
As the four remaining occupants stared at her, trying to fully absorb the announcement, Wrathful-Snow disintegrated.
"What a brat," Elizabeth D 3rd muttered, breaking the silence. "She could have used her voice to summon us. Why fire a suppressed firearm, like we're some animals to be herded?"
"I don't think it was just to get our attention," Big-Fish Hunter replied, his gaze fixed on the ranking board.
He was no longer ranked number one. Wrathful-Snow had taken the top spot with a score of 1000 points.
As Elizabeth D 3rd turned to face the board, her jaw dropped.
"Don't... Don't tell me, she fired at the 1000-meter target with a handgun and achieved 100% accuracy. She's a monster!" Dax-7015 stammered, his mind reeling.
As he was still reeling, he took a look at the list, he had just received. He saw a name that seemed familiar: "Rex Axel."
His father was a lawyer and he could recall that there was a time his father had been handling a case that involved an "Axel."
He quickly exited the room, as he hurried to log-off. He needed to further investigate his assumptions.
If he was lucky, his intel could prove vital in their assignment, and that could prove beneficial in his relationships with the Void-Lords.
- - - - - -
Somewhere far away in the Cosmic Ascendance universe, the unassuming Rex Axel was finally waking up from his fatigued rest.