Promotion

The screen in front of Greg taunted him with its glowing icons, mocking his progress—or lack thereof. He could feel his jaw tightening as he cycled through his inventory one more time, just in case something had magically restocked itself. But no, there it was in stark numbers: zero experience potions, zero skip tickets.

“Are you kidding me?” he groaned, pressing a thumb into his temple. He’d poured hours into this grind, only to be staring down the barrel of another endless run, and now he was running on empty. “All that just to be told I’m stuck doing this the long way.”

Greg scrolled back to his character selection screen, his eyes falling on the newest addition to his team. He hadn’t meant to pick up the Flame Mage—if anything, he’d been half-asleep when he’d scrolled through the event listings and found the oddly named character as a free event character.

“Rare collectible, they said,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. “Having to bring him to level 60 is In-game currency well spent, right? Even now looking at the event rewards he still can't make anything of it.

The only thing intriguing him to try to level the magician up is the last title of the quest “ Key of the Dragonic Abyss Greg muttered The hardest dungeon in the game the impossible stage and a weak fire mage is the key. We will see Greg's thoughts as the images of those idiot streamers

He tapped the mage’s profile, bringing up the stats he was quickly learning to resent. F-ranked fire spells, minimal defense, and hardly any practical abilities—this wasn’t the kind of character he’d usually spend his time on. The only halfway useful aspect was the party-wide buff, and even that felt like grasping at straws. And yet… there was something strange, something just a bit off about how the Flame Mage felt during the last run. The minor buff had shown up on his party’s stats, enough to keep him intrigued, if barely.

“Guess it’s time for another dungeon,” Greg sighed, selecting the usual low-level grind. “I swear if I’m wasting more time on this…”

The screen transitioned, pulling him into the familiar dungeon setting, the one he could nearly navigate blindfolded. Dark stone walls, dripping with digital condensation, eerie lighting, and the usual array of low-level mobs clustered in the first chamber. His team loaded in: the stalwart knight, the swift rogue, and, trailing behind like an afterthought, the unimpressive Flame Mage.

Greg’s annoyance simmered as he watched the character’s stiff movements. “Why’d they even bother designing you?” he muttered, his thumb hovering over the basic attack. “You’re just a placeholder for a real character, a little F-rank fire toy for low-level dungeons.” He watched as the Flame Mage moved forward, slightly more hesitant than the rest, almost like there was a person in there learning to navigate for the first time.

As they cleared the first wave, he caught himself zoning out just clicking the skills he knew to be aoe, watching the others clean up the mobs with swift precision. The rogue’s Shadow Cascade sliced through the group, leaving the Flame Mage standing awkwardly behind, casting the occasional fire spark that barely registered in Greg’s mind.

“Okay, here’s your shot, little mage,” Greg mumbled, his thumb pressing down to cast the ultimate skill. He half-expected nothing, just the usual spark. But to his surprise, flames burst forth, spreading over the enemies in a wide arc. The fire clung to them, bright and persistent, and he could see the health bars of each enemy slowly ticking down.

Greg blinked, a smirk breaking over his face. “So, you’ve got a bit of a debuff after all, huh? All right, maybe you’re not a complete waste of space.” He leaned forward, interest sparking as he watched the effects ripple through the enemies. They stumbled, their attacks faltering, health slowly burning away under the mage’s lingering flame. It wasn’t exactly game-breaking, but it was something. Something different.

“I guess I can keep you around for a while,” Greg murmured. “Not like I’ve got much choice, anyway. No potions, no skip tickets… Guess it’s you and me, Flame Mage.” Ding Dong A ring of his doorbell followed by banging on his door knocked him out of his musings. He clicked on the auto button and increased the speed to 3x and sat up from his chair while doing a stretch.

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“ Oh who is it, Greg said, moving closer to the door as he stuck his eye through the peephole.” He saw a man he didn't recognize with a metallic black box.

The man quickly asked as soon as I opened the door “ are you GrChaosLegion?

“ What is this about and why do you know that? Do I need to call the authorities? Is that a bomb? “

Greg’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes flickering to the metallic black box clutched in the stranger’s hands. It was sleek, almost unnervingly so, the kind of design you’d see in some high-stakes heist movie. His grip on the door handle tightened, wary as the stranger leaned forward just enough to fill the space.

“Relax,” the man said, his voice calm but with an undercurrent of urgency. “I work for Arcane Studios. We just need to confirm you’re GrChaosLegion. You’re… one of our top players, actually.”

Greg felt his brow furrow, thrown off by the unexpected turn of events. He’d been a hardcore player, sure, but he never thought it would lead to some random stranger showing up at his front door. “Arcane Studios? Like the studio that runs Eternal Chaos War. This is about the game?”

The man nodded, offering a disarming smile as he extended the box toward Greg. “Exactly. And no, this isn’t a bomb. It’s… well, think of it as an exclusive promotional item.

The man gave Greg an assuring smile, the kind that was a touch too professional, too practiced. He gently nudged the black box forward, holding it out like he was presenting some rare treasure. “This is something we’ve been rolling out to a select few top players and streamers,” he said, his voice taking on a rehearsed tone. “Arcane Studios wanted to reach out to a few key players of Chaos Blade—especially those who have contributed heavily to the community.”

Greg’s skepticism didn’t waver. He glanced down at the box, its sleek design catching the hallway’s dim light. He couldn’t deny a twinge of curiosity, though. “So, you’re saying this is a gift from the company?”

“Precisely,” the man replied, his tone smooth and unwavering. “We’re hoping to encourage players like you to stream your experiences, to dive deeper into the game’s… let’s call them ‘hidden aspects.’” He gestured to the box. “Inside, you’ll find a state-of-the-art gaming setup. The laptop’s built for peak performance, and the headset’s our latest model. But there’s one item we think you’ll find especially intriguing.”

Greg raised an eyebrow, his gaze drifting back to the box. He wasn’t fully convinced yet, but the lure of the free gear was starting to chip away at his reservations. “And what might that be?”

The man tapped the top of the box lightly. “A custom-built streaming device,” he said, leaning in with a hint of a smirk, like he knew he was reeling Greg in. “This isn’t just any streaming tool—it’s tailored specifically for Chaos Blade. You’re looking at the first of its kind: the Chaos Nexus. It’s designed to link directly into the game, giving you access to exclusive features, special streaming overlays, and… let’s just say it might help you gain some insight into those ‘impossible’ stages.”

The words “impossible stages” were enough to make Greg’s ears perk up. He’d been banging his head against that brick wall for weeks, especially now that leveling the Flame Mage seemed tied to some elusive secret of the dungeon’s last, unbeatable floor.

“So… this Nexus,” Greg said, crossing his arms, “what exactly does it do for Chaos Blade?”

The man’s smirk widened. “Think of it as a direct line into the developers’ minds. This device unlocks special UI features, gives you enhanced monitoring tools, and lets you see real-time data that isn’t available to regular players. It’s also got some unannounced in-game rewards that will only trigger for accounts connected to the Nexus. In essence, it’s a device to bridge you to the game’s core mechanics in a way no other player can experience—at least, not yet.”

Greg blinked, absorbing the information, feeling his suspicion blend with intrigue. “And… you’re just handing this out?”

The man shrugged. “We’re selective. Only a handful of players meet our criteria, and you’ve caught the studio’s attention. We’re invested in seeing if you, with your playstyle, can get to the bottom of Chaos Blade’s most elusive quests.” He leaned in closer, his voice lowering. “We want to see if you’re the one who can unlock… The Key of the Draconic Abyss.”

Greg’s breath caught. The Key of the Draconic Abyss—the name that had taunted him from that uncompleted quest line, sitting in his task list like a dare he couldn’t resist. He glanced down at the box again, feeling his hands twitch in anticipation.

“Fine,” he said, finally reaching for the box. “But if this thing is some marketing gimmick, I swear I’ll roast you all over the forums.”

The man chuckled, clearly unbothered. “Fair enough. Just make sure you read the instructions thoroughly. The Chaos Nexus isn’t like your usual plug-and-play device. You’ll need to follow the steps exactly, and there’s a bit of a… calibration period. Oh, and one more thing.” The man’s expression shifted slightly, his smile fading to something more serious. “Once you start, the tasks will be time-sensitive. We’ll be tracking your progress.”

Greg’s eyes narrowed. “Time-sensitive? What am I signing up for here?”

“Think of it as an interactive experiment,” the man replied, stepping back with a glint in his eye. “Let’s just say we’re curious to see how far you’re willing to go—and how deeply you’re willing to delve into Chaos Blade’s secrets. It’s all part of the game, after all.”

And with that, the man gave a final nod and turned, leaving Greg alone with the box in his hands and the lingering echoes of cryptic promises.