Chapter 215: Meeting Jack [2]
At the exact moment the evaluation ended, a voice suddenly drifted over from the entrance to the training ground.
"It seems I underestimated you after all."
Zich turned around. A young man with neatly trimmed light-green hair was slowly walking toward him.
The young man glanced at the dissipating data warrior before letting out a quiet chuckle.
"I originally thought your first time entering the simulation world would require some time to adjust. But now it seems a champion is still a champion."
As he spoke, he took the initiative to extend his right hand toward Zich.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly... I’m Jack Green."
The gentle smile never left Jack’s face as he took the initiative to extend his right hand.
Zich extended his own hand and lightly shook it.
Their movements were completely natural. Neither of them deliberately tried to close the distance because of their identities, nor did either place themselves above the other because of their strength. They simply seemed like two boys of similar age meeting properly for the first time in an unfamiliar place.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you." Zich spoke calmly.
"The pleasure is mine." Jack nodded with a smile before glancing toward the data warrior that had already completely dispersed.
"Although I watched your battles many times during the tournament, seeing them in person is still quite different from watching recordings. Your close-quarters combat is even stronger than I imagined."
Zich didn’t respond. He understood that Jack wasn’t merely being polite.
During the previous battle, he hadn’t summoned Slimy, called forth any undead, or used a single skill. He had relied entirely on his physical instincts from beginning to end.
That fighting style was completely different from the one he had displayed during the tournament.
Naturally, Jack had noticed the difference.
"Are you curious about what this world really is?"
Jack suddenly asked.
"I am."
Zich nodded and then added with an impressed look in his eyes.
"It’s far more realistic than I expected. So realistic that I almost forgot this is only a simulated world."
Hearing that, Jack chuckled softly, and in a voice that was oozing with pride, he said,
"Almost everyone who enters this place for the first time feels the same way. In fact, when Power Evolution was first created, the development team had one primary goal."
"We wanted everyone who entered this place to forget the difference between simulation and reality."
As he spoke, he slowly raised his right hand.
Snap.
A crisp sound echoed through the air.
The entire training ground suddenly began to change.
The enormous circular arena rapidly dissolved into countless streams of blue data before recombining into entirely new landscapes.
A forest, a snowfield, a desert, a canyon, and an endless ocean.
One environment after another flashed before their eyes. Within only a few seconds, the scenery had changed dozens of times.
Finally, the entire world returned to its original expansive platform.
"This is only the beginner training area."
Jack spoke slowly.
"The real Power Evolution is much larger than this. It contains countless different simulation regions. And every region has its own unique rules."
"Some are designed for individual combat training. Some allow teams to complete missions together. And there are even regions constructed entirely from real-world data."
At that point, he paused briefly."Including the living environments of some race."
A faint glimmer appeared in Zich’s eyes.
"So, if I enter another race’s territory in the future, I can familiarize myself with it here beforehand?"
"Exactly."
Jack nodded.
"But you’ll need sufficient access."
"Those maps contain a great deal of important information, so they aren’t open to everyone."
Zich didn’t ask any further questions.
He already understood. The truly terrifying aspect of this system wasn’t simply its perfectly realistic combat.
It was its ability to allow players to adapt to unknown environments before ever stepping into them.
That advantage alone could multiply a person’s chances of survival during real missions in the Mountain of Ascension.
At that moment, a new system notification suddenly appeared before both of them.
[High-Level Access Holder Detected.]
[Access Verification Complete.]
[Welcome Back.]
Seeing those lines of text, Zich instinctively looked toward Jack.
Jack merely smiled helplessly.
"Don’t misunderstand. It’s not welcoming me. It’s welcoming you."
"Me?"
"Mhm." Jack nodded.
"The login device I gave you isn’t the standard version. Your account already possesses the highest beginner-level access. So many functions that ordinary users can’t access are already available to you."
"Of course, access doesn’t represent strength. It simply means you have more choices."
Zich suddenly recalled the login device Jack had previously sent him.
Only now did he realize that the so-called highest access meant far more than simply gaining access to the simulation world.
As the two continued talking, the entire space suddenly trembled once more.
An holographic screen, dozens of times larger than the previous one, slowly descended from the sky.
Countless golden words continuously flowed across its surface.
[Basic Tutorial Complete.]
[All Basic Functions Unlocked.]
[Please Select Your Next Training Activity.]
The next moment, a series of entirely new options appeared before Zich.
[Personal Training.]
[Multiplayer Cooperation.]
[Combat Simulation.]
[Battle Recordings.]
[Rankings.]
[Arena Hall.]
[Mission Hall.]
...
Function after function filled the interface.
There were hundreds of them.
At a single glance, the list seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.
For the first time, Zich realized that everything he had experienced until now had merely been the most basic part of Power Evolution.
Only at this moment did the true simulation world finally begin to reveal a small corner of itself.
Standing beside him, Jack noticed the look in Zich’s eyes, and the smile on his face grew a little wider.
"So? More interesting than you expected?"
Zich slowly nodded. "It is...It looks like I won’t be bored anytime soon."
Jack smiled. "That’s good, but..."
His gaze slowly shifted toward the enormous ranking board floating high in the sky.
His tone remained calm but now carried a deeper meaning. "Before you truly begin your training, would you like to see what kind of monsters are standing at the very top of Power Evolution?"
The moment he said those words, the ranking board, which had remained dormant until now, suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light.