Every year, when the summer heat is at its worst and the roads seem ready to melt, one day makes half the country hold its breath.
The day exam results are released.
Outside the apartment windows, the air shimmered. Inside, slouched deep in a worn gaming chair, sat Kael.
He wore nothing but loose sleep-shorts. The air conditioner hummed steadily, blowing cold air straight at him. In his left hand was a can of cola, in his right a half-empty bag of cucumber-flavored chips.
He looked completely relaxed.
The two bright red handprints on his cheeks ruined the picture.
"Score: 250."
The number glowed on the screen like a curse.
Earlier that morning, his parents had seen that same number. The slaps came first, hard and fast and still the words that followed hurt more.
Soon he would be on his own, without their support. They made it clear If he refused to take life seriously, life would deal with him in its own way.
Kael was not even eighteen yet.
He had grown up comfortable and protected. The idea of suddenly living alone felt unreal. It had happened too quickly, and he had not caught up to it yet.
He sighed, then tilted his head back and took a long drink of cola.
The cold fizz rushed through him, washing away some of the heaviness in his chest. He grabbed another handful of chips.
"Crisps and cola," he muttered, "at least you never disappoint."
His gaze drifted to a glowing icon on his desktop.
Aetherion.
Just looking at it made him sit up straighter.
If his terrible score had a reason, this was it.
Aetherion was not just a game. It was the first full consciousness-sync virtual world, created by the tech giant Eidolon Systems. Players did not use keyboards or controllers. They connected their minds directly to the system.
Inside, it felt real.
Mountains felt solid. Wind had weight and you could feel the magic moved through the air like static. Gods ruled the world, and every player aimed to rise high enough to stand among them.
At its peak, nearly a billion players logged in at the same time. Early accounts had sold for huge amounts of money. The first Divine Rank character had been auctioned for a price that shocked the entire world.
Kael had poured years into it.
And Not casually.
He studied builds, combat systems, hidden mechanics, even third-party tools that helped optimize performance. If there was an advantage to gain, he learned it.
"It's time," he said quietly.
He picked up his neural helm and slid it over his head. Lights flickered as it synced with him.
The world went dark.
A familiar system voice echoed around him.
"Welcome. Please play responsibly and rest regularly."
Blue-gold text appeared in the void.
Welcome to Aetherion.
Forge your legend.
Kael smiled.
He did not drink, he did not smoke. This was his escape.
The character selection screen formed around him in soft silver light. His consciousness took shape in a white mist.
In front of him stood a small figure glowing with holy radiance.
Her name was Lyrielle.
Level 52, High Seraph of the Luminous Covenant.
She wore flowing white robes traced with faint golden patterns. A crystal staff rested in her hand. Soft wings of light shimmered behind her. Her face looked calm and delicate, almost unreal.
Yes, this was Kael's character.
Race: Aurelian.
Class: Celestial Luminary.
Why did he choose a small celestial priestess instead of a warrior or assassin? He never bothered explaining it.
A confirmation window appeared.
Enter the world as "StarlitPixie"?
A gentle voice asked for confirmation.
"Confirm," Kael said without hesitation.
The light faded. Darkness returned as the system began loading.
Usually it took only a few seconds.
This time it did not.
One minute passed.
Then three.
Then five.
The darkness did not change.
Kael frowned.
"Did it freeze?"
He opened the emergency interface. A red panel appeared beside him.
Force Logout?
He reached out and pressed it.
The moment his finger touched the command, everything glitched.
The darkness shook violently. Light flickered and tore across his vision. The world distorted like a broken signal.
"What is happening?"
A wave of dizziness hit him. His balance vanished. His thoughts scattered.
The flickering grew brighter.
Then everything went black.
And Kael lost consciousness.
A short while later,
"Mm…?"
Consciousness returned slowly.
Kael's eyelids flickered, then opened. A dull ache throbbed in his head. He lifted a hand to rub it, then froze.
There was no hand.
He looked around in alarm.
"Where… am I?"
He was no longer in darkness. He floated inside a sphere of shifting color. Screens of light surrounded him, layered and transparent. Endless streams of symbols poured across them, numbers and runes flashing and vanishing.
He glanced down at himself.
He was a translucent figure again.
A chill crept through him.
The symbols around him began to shake.
Then, without warning, they surged toward him.
"No—!"
He tried to move, to dodge, but his phantom form would not respond. The storm of data crashed into him and poured straight into his mind.
There was no Pain. Instead, there was a pressure. Overwhelming information flooding his awareness.
His vision blurred.
Time lost meaning.
Then a cold mechanical voice echoed inside his head.
[System initialization complete]
[Class framework complete]
[World map constructed]
[Monster attributes generated]
[Data analysis complete]
[Loading game data]
[1%… 5%… 20%… 50%… 100%]
[Launch confirmed. Aetherion online]
The moment the final prompt sounded, everything changed.
The light shattered.
Kael felt weight.
He felt a body.
Or at least… something like one.
"What the..where are my arms?"
He tried to stretch his limbs.
Nothing.
No hands or legs.
Panic rose in his chest.
A translucent panel appeared in front of him.
Name: Kael Ardyn
Race: Lesser Demon, Abyssal Bloodling
Quality: Common
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
Perception: 0
Agility: 1
Attack: 3
Defense: 1
Critical Rate: 0
HP: 15
Elemental Affinity: None
Elemental Resistance: None
Status Resistance: None
Skill: Gnaw
Evaluation: A bottom-tier creature of the Endless Abyss. Extremely weak. No innate talents.
Auxiliary System: Crimson Devour
[Exclusive override ability. Infinite consumption permitted. Quality limits can be broken. Targets include players, monsters, NPCs. Even an Abyssal Bloodling incapable of defeating an unarmed adult human may evolve into a Great Abyss Sovereign feared by gods.]
[Additional Skill: Holo-Sight. All living targets' attributes are visible.]
World Time: January 1st, Year 10,000 of the Divine Calendar.
Kael stared.
"I… spawned in the Abyss?"
"And I'm a worm?"
The realization hit slowly.
He had not logged into his character.
He had become something else.
One of the weakest monsters in the game.
He remained stunned for several long seconds.
Then his eyes snapped back to one line.
Crimson Devour.
"That's… my old exploit."
Back when class advancement had been nearly impossible without rare conditions, he had written a private script to bypass restrictions. That script created an infinite devour mechanic, allowing forced evolution.
It had worked.
For two glorious days.
Then his account had been permanently banned.
Now that same mechanic sat in his system panel.
It had followed him.
He looked again at the date.
January 1st, Year 10,000.
Server launch day.
The very first day Aetherion opened.
A strange mix of fear and relief washed over him.
In Aetherion, the most terrifying existence was not demons.
It was players.
Players were effectively immortal. Death cost them equipment and experience, but nothing more. At first they were weak as beginners. But given time and money, they became unstoppable.
They would kill gods if gods blocked their path.
They would grind even world-level bosses into loot.
Even the strongest current boss on the main continent would fall within weeks to coordinated high-spenders.
But the date?
Today the servers had just opened.
Most players would still be trapped in beginner zones.
None of them could reach the Endless Abyss yet.
The Abyss was a forbidden region. No sane player entered before reaching Legendary rank.
And even at the fastest pace, that would take at least a month.
"A month…" Kael muttered.
"If I have a month, I can grow."
The Endless Abyss was the most dangerous area in Aetherion.
But it was also empty of players.
No farming parties.
No bounty hunters.
No guild raids.
Just monsters.
And now he was one of them.
He glanced at his pathetic stats again. Fifteen health. One agility and a bite attack.
If he died like this, he had no idea what would happen. Respawn? Permanent death? Something worse?
He did not want to find out.
"First priority," he whispered to himself, though he had no mouth to speak with.
"Survive."
Then, somehow, the tiny Abyssal Bloodling began to move.