Chapter 1 "The Monk Who Sat Too Hard"
Welcome to Realms & Ranks Online.
Please select your class.
Ren Takasugi squinted at the list of classes floating in front of him.
Sword Saint
Arcane Reaper
Shadow Dancer
Dragonborne Paladin
…AFK Monk?
"…Bruh."
He blinked at the glowing monk icon. A peaceful bald avatar meditating on a cushion while floating sparkles circled its head. Above it:
> Difficulty: Boring
Role: None
Combat Potential: LMAO
Ren grinned. "This one speaks to my soul."
IRL: Ren's Bedroom
A cluttered room. Open chip bags. A half-charged laptop playing anime in the background. A calico cat named Spam snoozing on his keyboard.
Ren adjusted his VR headset and yawned. "I didn't come here to sweat in dungeons. I came here to chill and maybe roleplay as a wise old man who says cryptic things and disappears into trees."
He clicked "Confirm."
[Loading… Now Entering: Whispering Wound – Lvl 70+ Restricted Zone]
BZZZT!
Lightning cracked.
An earthquake shook the ground.
Explosions echoed in the distance.
"…Why is the sky on fire?" Ren asked.
The newbie login cutscene bugged out he was supposed to start in Cozy Bunny Village. Instead, he materialized on a misty mountain cliff surrounded by twisted pine trees and howling wind.
> You have entered: Whispering Wound (WARNING: High-level corrupted zone – Do not AFK here.)
A cherry blossom tree stood nearby, completely untouched by the corrupted landscape, like a peaceful NPC asset spawned in the wrong zip code.
Ren blinked. "Pretty tree. I'm sittin' here."
He pressed the only skill he had:
> [Skill Used: Sit]
[Activating Meditation Mode…]
Top of a Mountain, Blossoms Falling
Ren's monk sat calmly under the sakura tree, eyes closed, arms folded.
The wind stirred his robes. His name floated quietly above his head:
> [Zentropy – Lv. 1]
He hadn't moved in minutes. He hadn't even looked around.
Because IRL?
He was scrolling for snacks with one hand and petting his cat with the other.
---
Elsewhere Nearby…
A mid-tier raid party of five players from the SteelSun Guild arrived at the base of the cliff, preparing to spawn the zone's elite boss.
Tankinator_69: "Alright team, stack up. We pull the Blight Wolf and rotate cooldowns wait… who's that?"
ArcaneToast: "You mean the bald guy under the tree? I don't see a guild tag."
HealsForReels: "Why would someone AFK up there? That's literally where the boss spawns."
SneakyWitch: "Maybe he's an NPC? New questline?"
Tankinator_69: "Nah bro, he's got a player tag. Zentropy. Level 1."
ArcaneToast: "...What kind of lunatic spawns here at level 1?"
SneakyWitch: "Maybe... he's part of a secret developer storyline?!"
HealsForReels: "What if he's like, cursed? Like a broken god or something? Should we… bow?"
[BLIGHT WOLF ALPHA – LEVEL 72] EMERGES
The ground trembled. Trees cracked. Shadows shifted.
From the mist emerged a towering wolf covered in black flames and glitching pixels one of the strongest overworld bosses in the game. A creature players spent weeks preparing to fight.
The raid team froze. The boss turned.
But not toward them.
No.
Its glowing red eyes locked on the peaceful, motionless monk meditating under the tree.
It snarled.
And then it hesitated.
A low growl rumbled from its throat… but it didn't move.
Tankinator_69: "Yo… is that thing… backing off?"
ArcaneToast: "Wait. It's… turning around?!"
HealsForReels: "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
---
Meanwhile… Ren (IRL)
"Spam, no—don't sit on the keyboard. Buddy, not now."
His cat flopped onto his lap, headbutting him. Ren shifted slightly in his chair.
In-game, his monk leaned ever so slightly to the side.
A shockwave of tranquil energy pulsed out from under him like a spiritual EMP.
The cherry blossom tree glowed. The mountain trembled.
The Blight Wolf yelped like a puppy that got caught chewing wires, glitched, and then
despawned on the spot.
> 📢 [System Announcement]:
The World Boss [Blight Wolf Alpha] has fled from the presence of a higher force.
Player [Zentropy] has received karmic rewards.
[New Title Unlocked: Embodiment of Stillness]
[World Balance Shifted +1 toward Peace]
Global Chat Erupts
ChickenWhistle42: "WHO THE HELL IS ZENTROPY?!"
BigBonkBlade: "LVL 1. SAT DOWN. BOSS RAN AWAY."
ToastMeDaddy: "This is like watching a baby hold a nuke."
BuggedOutBarb: "Is he a dev plant? A secret quest? A new class?"
FlameFangFangirl: "I was in the raid. I saw the boss apologize."
Ren's Inventory
Blight Fang (Legendary)
2,000 gold
Fan Mail x18
Shrine Blueprint: "Pillar of Peace"
Ren, finally returning to the game screen:
"...Why do I have mail?"
He clicked on a message.
> "You are the calm in our storm. I have left my guild to follow you."
He clicked another.
> "Teach me, Sensei of Stillness. I too wish to sit violently."
He blinked.
"I... I sat for like four minutes."
Spam meowed on his lap.
Zentropy has become a symbol. A moment. A meme. A movement.
And he still doesn't know what EXP stands for.
END OF CHAPTER 1
Author's Note Chapter 1
Welcome to Zentropy: AFK to Ascension the story of a chill dude who sat down too hard and accidentally became a spiritual nuke.
This chapter marks the start of Ren's very dumb, very meme-fueled journey through a VR game he doesn't understand and never bothered to read the manual for.
He picked a joke class.
Skipped the tutorial.
Sat under a tree.
And now the game thinks he's a god.
Honestly, he might be, but like... by accident.
Thanks for reading Chapter 1! If you laughed, cringed, or spiritually resonated with the idea of defeating your enemies by simply doing nothing you're already part of the cult of Zentropy
Next chapter's got hot springs, confused newbies, and more divine misunderstandings.
Stay chill. Stay still.
🧘♂️
— The Author Who Also Skipped the Tutorial