The death screen faded like a curtain being pulled back, turning the screen black. But a few seconds later, with a beep sound, the screen opened again. His avatar reformed in a kneeling pose, whole again, inside a vast circular temple.
Kai exhaled through his nose. "Yep. Respawn temple. Guess this is where they hype me up."
Before he could take a step, the camera locked into cinematic mode. Black bars slid down the screen. His character drifted forward on scripted rails, walking toward grand doors that towered above him. The doors burst open with a flare of light, revealing a final gauntlet of Virds waiting in a wide corridor.
A beam of divine energy erupted from the ceiling. Kai's avatar shot forward like a comet, tearing through the enemies so fast they disintegrated before even reacting.
At the far end of the hall, beneath a massive statue of the goddess Eir, a lone monster stood watching him.
[BOSS: Reaper of Death]
HP: 3740
It's torn priest robes fluttered around a skeletal frame. A crude mask clung to its face, and black mist leaked from its body. The Reaper raised a clawed hand, and Kai naturally attempted to cast a buff.
Nothing happened.
A message blinked at the center of his screen:
[SYSTEM NOTICE: All Skills Disabled for This Encounter.]
Kai leaned back in his chair in the cyber café, letting out a smirk. "Oh, right. The newbie-slayer. No buffs. No spells. Sniper rifles are useless."
Inside the game, he swapped back to his staff. Not to channel energy, but just to use it like a club.
Kai launched himself at the boss.
The first strike cracked across the Reaper's ribs with a dull metallic thud. The Reaper staggered back, and Kai kept going, weaving around slow swipes and jabbing the staff into its skull, chest, ribs—anywhere he could reach. His fingers moved faster than he consciously thought about them.
Up above in the right corner of the screen, his speed was displayed, which was increasing every second.
[APM: 201… 229… 244… 271]
His hands moved so fast across the keyboard that it appeared like a blur, and with each strike, the boss's health ticked down.
45…
45…
45…
The Reaper tried to summon minions, but the animation was too slow. Knowing its weakness, Kai slipped in, canceling its cast with a clean strike to the mask. A second hit shattered part of the mask. A third nearly knocked the creature off its feet.
The health bar plummeted:
85… 40… 10… 0
The Reaper's body broke apart, dissolving into a swirl of black smoke before finally disappearing. Silence washed over the temple at last.
From behind the altar, footsteps then echoed softly. A woman dressed in flowing white robes stepped into view. She then bowed with gentle grace and said warmly. "I am Herida, Priestess of Eir. Immortal, I welcome you to your new existence to the..."
Kai hit the Skip button.
Herida vanished mid-sentence.
"Three minutes of lore about gods and destiny… nah, waste of time," he muttered.
A soft notification appeared:
[Quest Updated: Begin Your Life as an Immortal]
The scene shifted again. This time, he stood in a dim control chamber full of metallic consoles and cool blue lights, looking too sci-fi compared to that ancient temple he had just completed the scenario.
A floating projection of a man with slick silver hair and narrow glasses appeared in the center.
"Greetings, Immortal!" the projection said brightly. "Flavius here—chief scientist, professional genius, and part-time philosopher. I hope you're enjoying the gift of immortali..."
Kai pressed Skip again.
He turned on his heel and headed straight toward a glowing pod labeled [Transport: Combat Simulation]. The inside looked like pure white mist, the kind of tutorial room meant to teach you how to use skills and combos and such.
Kai paused, sighed, and selected Exit.
A warning popped up:
"Leaving now will permanently lock this tutorial. Enter again? No."
He clicked Yes.
+50 EXP
+5 Credits
Training Module Completed.
The world dissolved once more.
When it reformed, he stood in a place far more majestic.
It was the Divine Observatory. The main place where the game is run from.
Kai observed that the graphics were sharper than he remembered. The colors were richer, with wide draw distance, and reflections of the players down below glimmered across glass walkways suspended above the sky. In the center hovered a massive arcane globe, rotating slowly with its surface marked with storms, oceans, clouds, and even places...
Players filled the Divine Observatory, some in shiny armor while others wore half-complete sets they must have thrown together in excitement. Level tags floated above their heads: lots of 1s, a scattering of 10s, and a handful touching the cap for newbies: 20.
"Not bad," Kai murmured with a nod. "They really upgraded the visuals."
His quest panel blinked:
[Main Quest: Speak with Herida at the Divine Observatory]
He headed down the curved walkway. Along the way, he passed players bargaining over loot stats, a small guild taking a group photo, and someone playing a strange flute near the balcony. The place felt as lively as ever.
This is the best example of showing the popularity of a game. Any old game has high-level players, basically the old players who were clinging onto the game, whether it is running or dead. But if a 15-year-old game that still has hundreds, or thousands of newbies constantly seen, yup... it just shows how popular it was. That also reminded Kai of Masaru's offer to him, the other day.
Back to the game, Kai walked. Eventually, near an arched passage, he found Herida again. She has the same robes, the same faint glow, and is standing like a statue.
Kai interacted with her.
A cinematic swallowed the screen again. Her voice echoed through the observatory:
"In this sacred place, we Immortals watch over Aelion. Though our powers grow, we must never forget our duty to shield the helpless, to confront the horrors that threaten our world, and to guide those who cannot guide themselves..."
Kai's eyes glazed.
"Still the same speech after four years," he muttered.
He pressed Skip.
Herida's form dissolved, replaced by a stream of notifications:
[Map Unlocked]
[Main Quest Initiated]
[Objective: Travel to Dankit Island]
Kai exhaled through his nose, finally seeing progress. "Good. Let's start for real."
He stepped toward the floating globe at the center of the observatory. When he touched the surface, a huge holographic map unfolded over the sky. Most regions were greyed out, concealed under fog-of-war. Only one location blinked with a faint blue marker...
Dankit Island.