SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God Chapter 3: First Title Unlocked

Five, four, three, two, one...

Ding!

The shadows surrounding Damon evaporated as he opened his eyes, replaced by a world bathed in brilliant sunlight. He found himself standing before a grand, imposing monolith.

A stunning angel glided toward him, her face brightening with a charming smile. A halo hovered delicately above her head, while her plumage—soft and feathery—glinted in the radiance like woven silver. Her golden locks swayed in the wind, and her gaze beamed with a sense of pure innocence and warmth.

"Welcome to Earth Online!" she exclaimed, her voice possessing a melodic, airy quality. "Through the grace of the Skyfather and the collective blessings of the Seven Realms, you have been selected to tread the path of destiny!"

Damon squinted as his vision adjusted to the sudden luminosity. His senses were still recalibrating to the environment.

"I am Moonshine, your guiding angel. It is my duty to introduce you to this realm and demonstrate all the—"

Knowing the introduction spanned an entire hour, Damon had no intention of squandering his time on such formalities. "Skip," he said, cutting the angel off.

Showing no sign of being offended, she simply reached out a hand toward him. "Would you like to start the tutorial?"

While Damon would have gladly bypassed this as well, he possessed secret knowledge regarding this specific tutorial. He was determined not to miss out on a certain title this time around.

Damon grasped her hand. "Yeah. Let's start."

The scenery wavered the moment their skin touched. The sun-drenched fields and soft breezes dissolved, replaced by the tutorial zone: a modest cave.

The cavern felt snug, its surfaces covered in patches of moss. A moment after his arrival, the first rabbit materialized. Two more followed shortly after. They were plump, downy creatures with twitching snouts and large, shimmering eyes. They came in white, brown, and even black-spotted varieties, their ears flopping as they hopped about in a harmless manner.

These creatures were entirely benign. They provided no experience points and dropped no loot. Their attacks were negligible, dealing only a single point of damage. Their only purpose was to provide a safe environment for novices to practice movement and timing. Typically, players spent no more than five minutes here before venturing into the "true" game.

Damon was the exception. He reached down, gripped a stone of significant size, and without a second thought, brought it crashing down upon the nearest rabbit.

Thud. The impact was heavy; the creature didn't even manage a squeak. Its frame collapsed under the strike, its soft pelt shredded and its skeleton crushed. Crimson fluid pooled beneath the carcass, draining into the fissures of the stone floor.

Damon looked at the remains for a brief moment. The game's commitment to realism was evident in the way the rabbit's skull had shattered. Having lived through this before, he was already desensitized to such sights.

He moved swiftly to the next target, and before long, the bodies began to stack up. However, he had only killed dozens, and his goal required hundreds. Taking a deep breath, he set back to work. He maintained efficient, small movements to conserve energy. As a few hours slipped by, his stamina reached its limit. Finally, a system alert rang out.

[Ding! You have finished the tutorial]

[Ding! Title Unlocked: Rabbit Killer - I hate cute little bunnies]

Damon vanished from the cramped cave and reappeared in the center of a small beginner village. He was clad in basic linen trousers and a simple shirt.

He had returned to Gryphon Town, a settlement located on the fringes of Nieta Falls City. This had been his starting point in his previous life, and he had been assigned the same location once again.

A sigh of relief escaped him. Starting locations were generally randomized, and he had feared that a stroke of bad luck might ruin his strategy. It seemed, however, that even randomness bowed to fate. He had spawned exactly where he needed to be.

All around him, other players were manifesting out of thin air. The air was filled with gasps and startled cries as the crowd realized how lifelike the game felt.

"Unbelievable! How can this feel so real? Why haven't we had this technology sooner?"

"My god. I can actually walk... run... jump!"

"Hey, do you think we can do *that* in here? It's supposed to be realistic, right? To hell with it. Where are the brothels? Today is the day I finally lose my virginity!"

"You're a disgusting pervert! ...By the way, where *are* they? I'm asking for a friend."

"What is this? Why is my character profile so fat? Dammit! I can't even edit my appearance?"

"That's right, loser. If you're ugly in the real world, you're going to be just as ugly in here."

"Wait, we can't even switch genders? What kind of garbage game makes it impossible to catfish people?"

The atmosphere was chaotic and vibrant as players struggled to comprehend the simulation and enjoyed the sensation of existing in a new world. A few women turned their attention toward Damon.

"What the hell? 'Rabbit Killer'? Did he actually slaughter a bunch of those bunnies?"

"What a weirdo! Who could bring themselves to kill those cute things?"

"Dammit! If I had known there was a title for it, I would have stayed in that tutorial longer!"

Damon ignored the judgmental glares and envious looks. He walked away, silently opening his status window to make adjustments. His first action was to hide his title display. Then, he began tweaking the rest of his profile.

In truth, there wasn't much he could change. The avatar was essentially a carbon copy of one's physical body. Furthermore, the primary in-game name was tethered to one's government ID. The only customizable element was the nickname; everything else was set in stone.

Damon winced slightly as he entered his chosen alias. He was forced to select a name he utterly despised—the same cringeworthy nickname from his past life. It was a necessary evil, as it was crucial for the path he intended to follow.