Depraved Veracity

Catalyst tube glowed brighter as the Heart Core settled into place, resonating with my choice. The blue glitter within the core swirled, mirroring my determination. As I chose this, actually, not just for my personal satisfaction.

But it was something I considered in the long run.

Although I didn't join a forum dedicated to "World: The Origin," I often read it and even encounter discussions about this game on social media because of its popularity. As previously said, Catalyst was the hardest to master; many players struggle with it.

Apart from requiring a high [Control Grade], this Class demanded high adaptability. If players didn't choose Catalyst during a tutorial and unlocked it later, the adaption time was significantly longer than that of other Classes, making opening Catalyst for the second Class not optimal.

Since the Skill sets and attributes prioritized in Catalyst differ significantly from those in others. For example, a Class based on speed, like Gunner, would develop different player attributes than Catalyst, which used strategy planning and control considerably more. Hence, the psychological aspect of players came into play, where they would choose their comfort zone Class (or their first chosen Class) that was aligned with their playstyle to its strengths and weaknesses.

This made sense. Catalyst was like the mage, caster, or priest roles found in other RPGs—roles that used special powers that didn't feel as real as physical fighting. These Classes felt less grounded in games that didn't use magic. But in World: The Origin, this particular power was a part of the game's story; Catalyst was the sole Class that represented "magic."

So, only players who chose Catalyst from the beginning (usually experienced gamers who liked using "mage") might continue to use this Class, making their existence rare.

But this game emphasized the issue of balancing team composition; no matter how complicated the Class was, it still had its own role.

Including Catalyst.

Then, of course, the existence of Catalyst would be sought after, but only a few took the Class. Wouldn't this be a great opportunity? This was a counterintuitive strategy; I did zigging when everyone else zags.

Ding!

The notification screen appeared before me. Noir stepped back, giving me space as the transitions occurred.

The giant holographic globe above me glowed and spun quickly before spreading out as it activated the room's simulation mode. This place, which was merely panel screens moments ago, had been turned into a desert with numerous sand dunes and boulders. Several red-colored flying drones also appeared in the distance.

"Your first lesson as a Catalyst," Noir began, "is manifest your Floating Hourglass. Concentrate on the Heart Core and imagine the weapon of your chosen Class."

Nodding, I reached out my hand to grip the Heart Core and focused on it. In my mind, I pictured the Floating Hourglass, which, for some reason, was already clearly drawn in my mind what it looked like.

My crystal orb floated slightly as digital fragments began to surround it, forming a frame around the Heart Core with large octagonal holes resembling a honeycomb. Two long chains hung above it like decorative ribbons. It kept spinning its frame, the ribbons fluttering, which seemed to be its own attempt to stay afloat on my palm.

Noir stepped forward. "Let's begin your training. Your first task is to learn the basic movements of the Floating Hourglass."

With a snap of her fingers, she summoned her own Floating Hourglass. Overall, the shape was the same; it had a frame with decorative ribbons. But in detail (honestly), Noir's was more elegant with those golden accents, better decorations, and detailed motives as well.

'And her instant summoning explains her Class Grade; perhaps S—Ah, no. SS?'

Noir extended her arm and curled her fingers. The Floating Hourglass responded by ascending into the air. As she twisted her wrist sideways, the weapon moved with it.

'Sure, it won't be as easy as it looks.'

I raised my hand. My first gesture was simply an upward of my wrist, expecting the Floating Hourglass to rise. Instead, it wobbled uncertainly, hanging there as if hesitating before it jerkily moved upwards.

See? My [Control Grade] was clearly less refined than Noir's.

I tried again... to move the weapon from one side to another. Unfortunately, my movement was too jerky, and Floating Hourglass mimicked it by darting sideways at an uncontrollable speed.

Tsk!

'Explaining why just at the tutorial stage is enough to make people not want to choose this annoying Class...'

Seemingly aware of the click of my tongue, Noir said, "Floating Hourglass is sensitive to your intentions. Move with finesse."

There was it; her instructions were too abstract. No clear steps. All relied on how the player perceived it. What the fuck was finesse?

'Indeed, you can't expect more from AI.'

So be it—understanding it in my own way.

Intentions... this was a virtual reality game; what Noir meant by it must be specific algorithms that interpret the player's inputs in a particular way. It would be the player's thought patterns, as VR:Scanner was strongly tied to brainwave connections.

The solution, then, was to execute directional thinking; if the player wanted Floating Hourglass to rise, they wouldn't only think "up" but visualize it elevating in a controlled manner.

Although this sounds quite complicated, it was relatively easy, and I did it regularly.

'Negative trait like overthinking has its own advantages, you know.'

I began calculating the flight distance, visualizing the path, imagining how it should move, estimating the direction of the glide, and adjusting the ascending rate. But my weapon remained stubbornly in place despite all my efforts. Perfect!

With that, I focused on my Floating Hourglass again. I changed my approach to be more patient and careful. Its movements were still stiff, sometimes irregular. I tried again, slowly... Yes, there it was! My Floating Hourglass finally moved! See that? My weapon started moving the way I wanted it to! Horizontally. Vertically. With one swift motion, the Floating Hourglass also shot forward.

Nice!

'I wonder how others will overcome this stage...'

I admit, many people certainly didn't consider making up a way out like this, especially when wanting to enjoy—Oh, well... they could skip the Tutorial and forget about the extra rewards from the early stage if it was all too bothersome.

"Good." Noir clapped her hands, making me look again at her. "You are beginning to understand."

"Oh, really? I had no idea. I thought I was just randomly waving my hand around for fun."

And Noir looked at me with that same expressionless face. Before eventually saying, "Now, understanding the [Basic Attack]."

I rolled my eyes; it would be fun if she responded to my sarcasm... or maybe not. It would be troublesome if this NPC was back-to-back with me, so I shrugged it off and refocused on her.

"Catalyst basic attack, [Ice Lancer], is essential in battle because it doesn't rely on your Dragonic Power (DP). This allows you to continue attacking or defending even when your DP is depleted. However, remember, it is still categorized under [Basic Skill]."

I understood what Noir meant.

Although [Ice Lancer] was categorized as a [Basic Attack], just like how Assassin swings their Dual Daggers, it was still classified as a "Skill," not just a raw attack, which meant even though it didn't require DP (or Mana in other games), it was still very much tied to the Casting Time and Cooldown.

'Well, this is one reason Catalyst is classified as more complicated than others.'

As if supporting my explanation, a holographic screen displayed the [Skill Tree] that focused on the [Ice Lancer] appeared before me.

Every disadvantage came with its advantages; because [Ice Lance] was classified as a "Skill," it had its own upgrades like this. It might seem niche, but if, for example, my Grade Class reached SSS, just one [Basic Attack] could give me an upper hand, no?

Additionally, Catalyst had Crowd-control (CC) Skills that could slow enemy movement, freeze, stun, or immobilize them, among other effects. It also had Area of Effect (AoE) abilities that could deal damage or apply effects to multiple enemies within the area.

'But everything I said is biased, anyway, because I chose Catalyst. Whereas other Classes have their own OP-ness. Like the Swordmaster that thick as hell.  And raising Grade is a challenge...'

Satisfied with reading, I waved my hand, and the screen disappeared. Stepping closer to Noir, I said, "Then?"

"Then summon an ice projectile." She stretched her hand out to me. Instantly, a single, pointed ice cycle ten centimeters long appeared steadily above her palm. "Focus on the Floating Hourglass and visualize the ice forming."

Complying, I kept my palm under my weapon and concentrated on it.

When I concentrated, a faint, shimmering magic circle appeared in my palm, its pattern glowing with a soft blue light. The air around my hand became colder. Slowly, a shard of ice appeared above the magic circle and crystallized, matching the shape of the one Noir had summoned.

I aligned my hand with the target and moved my wrist to send the ice shard flying. It shot through the air with a soft hissing sound, leaving a trail of frost behind it.

Stab!

It hit the red drone five meters ahead of me; since I already understood the fundamental workings of the Floating Hourglass, it wasn't too hard like before.

Noir observed my successful hit, nodding slightly. She then pointed towards a distant red drone, significantly further away than the previous one—around twenty meters away.

"Now, try aiming for a farther target."

Nodding, I refocused on my weapon, then to the distant target. Another ice projectile hovered in my hand. And with a confident movement of my wrist, I sent it soaring through the air—

Woosh!

—but missed.

Hmmm, this wasn't surprising.

Not that I suddenly became a dumbass or anything; from this distance, factors such as gravity, wind, and even the slightest hand tremor could alter the trajectory. That said, the principles that applied to long-range sniping in the real world were in effect here, which means...

'...Exterior Ballistics.'

Of course, snipers overcame that law with the help of scope for precise measurements. But for me, using Class Catalyst, there was no such thing as a scope or the like; I just relied on my judgment and the Floating Hourglass's response to my commands.

Thus, estimating these factors was more challenging.

But things like this were still on me.

As I mentioned, I knew... and had seen brief footage from people who had played this game. The PvP conducted. Monsters fought. Challenged Dungeons and missions. Seeing it all and their teamwork, composition, and different Classes made me more aware of what happened.

Which included situations like what happened here.

'And personal experience also helpful.'

I again positioned my hand beneath the Floating Hourglass and focused on creating another ice shard. This time, I used my fingers as a rudimentary sighting tool to visually measure the distance and angle between myself and the target. Extending one finger, I envisioned a curved trajectory accounting for the ice shard's drop over distance.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting my aim slightly higher to compensate for the drop, I flicked my wrist again to send another shard flying.

Stab!

The shard arched at the target.

"Impressive. Quicker to adapt than most."

"Nah." I looked down at the ground before locking eyes with Noir. "I guess I just got used to it."

'Yeah, as a dog trained to lurk in the shadows...'