He scrambled to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face to calm the burning.
"Get it together," he muttered to his reflection.
Back in his room, Marcus flopped onto the bed. Might as well distract himself with some internet browsing before departure.
He pulled out his phone and started exploring the social apps. "Whoa!"
The tech of this world was incredible. While flicking through gaming forums, his eyes widened at a trending advertisement.
"Awakeners! Train your talents and battle opponents in the #1 virtual reality system - EMPRESS ARENA!"
Marcus sat up. "Virtual reality? For talent training?"
The site showed awakeners launching spells, engaging in combat, and earning ranks—all from the comfort of their homes.
"And there's a leaderboard?" He scrolled through names, recognising none but noting the predominance of female players.
His heart raced.
'This is the perfect way for me to practise and improve my experience,'
"Price?" He tapped the purchase tab.
"Five hundred stars for basic, 999 for premium." The difference seemed to be mainly based on comfort, an exclusive nametag and the ability to change appearance inside the game.
Marcus didn't hesitate. "Premium it is."
He confirmed the order, watching as stars disappeared from his account. Almost instantly, a notification popped up:
[Order Confirmed. You will receive your item in the next 15 minutes.]
"This quick?"
But then again, nothing in this world operated on Earth's timeline. Fifteen minutes later, another message arrived:
[Order is at the window. Please receive your order.]
Marcus jumped up. Through the glass, a sleek drone hovered, a package suspended beneath it.
He rushed to the window, sliding it open. The drone lowered the package into his hands, beeped once, and zipped away.
"That was... efficient."
Inside the box lay a slim headset with neural connectors. The setup instructions were simple: equip, activate, create account.
Marcus quickly strapped everything on. The moment the headset touched his temples, it hummed to life.
[Welcome to EMPRESS ARENA.]
[Initialize voice command by saying "Connect"]
"Connect."
Creating new user...
[Please enter nickname: ]
"Hmm...Let's go with my old gamertag back on Earth. CharmingPrince"
[User Created: CharmingPrince]
[Talent scanning...Please activate your talent for detection.]
Having already about that, Marcus activated his Fire mage talent.
'The Charm talent will not make me stronger.'
[C-Rank Fire Mage detected]
[Welcome, CharmingPrince]
[Tutorial begins in 3...2...1...]
The world dissolved around him, rebuilt as a massive training arena. A feminine voice guided him through basic movements, then talent activation.
"Focus your energy. Picture the flame. Release."
Marcus extended his hand, concentrating. Fire erupted, which responded to his every thought.
"This is incredible!" He laughed, sending fireballs soaring across the virtual space.
"Tutorial complete. Would you like to enter un-ranked or ranked battles?"
He hesitated. Smart move would be to start slow, learn the ropes.
"Unranked."
The system hummed. "Matching opponent... opponent found."
The training arena dissolved around him, reconstructing into something entirely different—a massive colosseum with tiered seating extending upward as far as he could see. And those seats weren't empty.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of spectators filled the stands.
'Is this normal?' Marcus thought, heart pounding. 'I thought unranked would be... private.'
Across the arena floor, a figure materialised. It was a beautiful, slender female dressed in flowing blue robes.
A transparent barrier shimmered into existence between them as a countdown appeared:
[PREPARATION TIME: 15 SECONDS]
Marcus adjusted his stance.
Across the barrier, his opponent's lips were moving rapidly, her hands gesturing as if... talking to someone?
"Why is she talking to herself?" he muttered.
"Look what we have here, folks! A newbie. Not only that, it's a male." Lysandra grinned, knowing her facial expressions would be captured perfectly by the streaming interface.
The chat panel on her peripheral vision erupted
StormQueen99: Crush him!
FrostMistress: LMAO a male in Empress Arena? Is he lost?
WaterWitch21: Fresh meat for the queen!
Lysandra laughed, adjusting her virtual robes. "That's right, darlings. Today's stream just got interesting. Who wants to bet how long this takes? Ten seconds? Five?"
The donation alerts chimed:
[StormQueen99 has gifted 50 stars: "Make him cry!"]
[EmpressSimp has gifted 100 stars: "Show him why women are the rulers!"]
"Thank you, thank you." She blew kisses to her invisible audience. "Now, let's see...male fire user."
WaterWitch21: Lol water vs fire, he's extra dead
StormQueen99: "CharmingPrince"? Seriously?
Her chat exploded as the countdown continued.
PREPARATION TIME: 5 SECONDS
The donation alerts wouldn't stop either.
BATTLE BEGINS IN: 3... 2... 1...
The barrier vanished.
Marcus had barely a second before a torrent of water surged toward him like a freight train.
He dove left, summoning fire on instinct. The flames erupted from his palm, evaporating the edge of the water blast but not stopping its momentum.
"Gotta do better than that, male!" His opponent's voice carried across the arena, amplified for dramatic effect.
Marcus scrambled to his feet, keenly aware of the virtual crowd's jeers.
He focused harder. When the next water blast came, he was ready.
Fire erupted not as a simple counterattack but as a concentrated stream that met the water head-on.
Steam exploded between them, obscuring the arena.
"Oh!" Lysandra gasped, genuinely surprised. "He's got some moves!"
Her chat went wild.
"Don't worry, darlings. I'm just warming up!" She raised both hands, drawing on more mana.