>>[Victory Notifications]<<
Everyone’s HUDs lit up.
“Hell yeah!”
“Ohooo!”
“Yupiii!!”
“Damn!”
“I’m rich!”
Kenzo remained quiet, eyes scanning the flood of system messages.
>> Rewards Acquired <<
T-Credits +100,000 Unhatched Egg Legendary [Color Variant - Yellow]Drakescale x20 Legendary ItemRandom Legendary Item: (Hollow fme stone: Lv-1)XP Gained: +20,000Trophy Acquired: Zyrakkon's HeadA pulse of system light swept over the party.
>> Achievement Unlocked: [Greed Recimed] <<
>> Bonus: +10,000 T-Credits | Title Earned: "Hollow fme Syer" <<
>> Bonus: +20,000 T-Credits | No Teammate died <<
>> [NEW LEVEL: Lv- 65 ] <<
>> COMPANION: KAYDRIN — LEVEL UP! // NEW LEVEL: 18 << >> WEAPON: TRIAL SWORD — LEVEL UP! // NEW LEVEL: 21 << >> WEAPON: GRAVE MARK SWORD — LEVEL UP! // NEW LEVEL: 21 << >> ARMOR: Warden’s Armor — LEVEL UP! // NEW LEVEL: 16 << >> ARMOR: Living Armor — LEVEL UP! // NEW LEVEL: 16 << >> Accessory: Warden Steel ring— LEVEL UP! // NEW LEVEL: 11 << >> Accessory: Ash-Locket— LEVEL UP! // NEW LEVEL: 6 <<
“Hollow Fme Syer… nice,” Kenzo muttered, admiring the golden glyph hovering by his name. “150k T-Credits. That’ll do.”
Han-Jee let out a low whistle. “Finally. A dragon worth killing.”
Tessa cradled her egg carefully. “Hope mine hatches into something rideable.”
Han-Jee cpped his hands. “Alright, people, let’s move. Check your loot ter once you’re back at your home zones. Take care, Kenzo. And don’t forget that the Arena trials start in ten days.”
Tessa added with a nod, “See you, Kenzo.”
Lira waved, cheeks a bit flushed. “Say bye to Kaydrin for me…”
Marqos grinned. “Call me if you need help with that special AI storyline, yeah?”
Korran patted Kenzo’s shoulder. “You’re cool. I’m in if you ever need backup.”
One by one, they vanished into the bustling city crowd, dissolving like echoes into Neurospire’s neon pulse.
Kenzo opened his destination menu.
[Tower District – Franchise Rentals]
>> RENTAL AGREEMENT ALREADY CONFIRMED- [ Rent Paid till October 31st ] << >> SERVER-LOCKED INSURANCE ENABLED >> TELEPORT TO ROOM: FREE – CONFIRM? >> CONFIRMED <<
Same unit. Same bath-without-walls. Same minimalist furniture. The wall-mounted TV was still on. He’d muted it the night before, but something had changed.
It wasn’t tuned to T.O. News.
A live feed flickered: an aerial view of an isnd, captured by a drone circling above.
Kenzo unmuted the sound. At the same time, his fingers moved in habit. Armor, weapons, and accessories all vanishing into his inventory one flick at a time.>>[ ITEMS REMOVED]<<
>>[CASUAL WEAR CLOTHES EQUIPED]<<
“As you can see, these exotic birds y dozens of eggs simultaneously and wait for males to sit on them. Meanwhile, the Velora, yes, these fmingo-like avians migrate across the pnet in search of new homes... and new mates.
This is Heroshi from Terra History. See you tomorrow.”
The camera zoomed in, catching one of the brightly colored Velora mid-flight. Its long legs trailed like comet tails behind a body painted in fire-orange and pastel teal.
Kenzo’s eyes stayed open for a few seconds longer.
Then he was out cold.
[Cutscene – Some Time Ago…]
Man 1: “How’s the AI project going?”
Man 2: “The HGDD built a micro-Earth simution. These two AIs, Kaelis and Nyra, they’re generating brilliant content. Even created storylines for NPCs. I just connect through an external dev line. Last session I fought a boss called Kaydrin… had a dragon helping me. It was insane.”
Man 1: “I meant actual progress. Not game progress.”
Man 2: “Oh! right. The stasis prototype’s almost done. It’ll house the HGDD and official Ark crew who will manage the Total Simuted Universe for Neural Genesis system from the outside.”
Man 1: “We still need a shorthand for that name…”
[Return to Present – Morning]
“Kenzo. Wake up.”
“Ugh… Kaydrin?”
He rubbed his face, blinking. The sunlight or whatever counted as sunlight in Neurospire glowed through the ambient gss walls.
“I must’ve passed out mid-video. What’s the pn today?”
Kaydrin’s voice emerged, calm but alert. “We need to find Eyrik.”
“Your brother? Why?”
“He didn’t finish the fight. Which means he’s not aligned with Kaelis. From what he said… it sounds like Nyra’s missing.”
Kenzo stood, blinking hard. “Right! I also need to meet Caedra. I have materials for the ring, I think. What was the list again?”
He popped open a chilled Mizzofizz drink and took a long sip.
Hmmm. I'm almost out of this. Need to buy more.
“Goddamn it. I forgot the meeting spot again. This city’s a copy-paste maze.”
Kaydrin sighed.
“Idiot.”
A few moments ter….
Kenzo approached Caedra’s usual bench.
But someone else was there. An Older woman with a sharp nose, rainbow-tinted spools of thread, and a pink monocle.
“Excuse me, ma’am… where’s Caedra?”
The woman gnced up, smiling.
“Oh, her, she’s been transferred.”
“Transferred where?”
“She’s now under Subcontract A-52738x of Terra One AI w. When that happens, the employer can deploy her wherever needed.”
“…so where is she?”
The woman gestured upward without looking.. “Lounge Sector Omega. Bgio Casino. Tallest building in Neurospire.”
Kenzo followed her hand.
A shimmering tower pierced the sky like a gss obelisk spearing through a halo of holograms.
“…Oh. That one.”
He thanked the woman and took off, navigating through spiraling gss bridges, fshing LED steps, and singing elevator terminals.
Kenzo skidded to a stop at the base of the glittering spire.
Kaydrin deadpanned.
“You missed the tallest building in the city?”
“Okay, okay. Cut me some sck. It’s not like the map bels things in bold neon.”
Kaydrin snorted.
“…It does.”
A few moments ter.
Kenzo was standing in front of the Bgio Casino.
A thick crowd surged around the base. Pyers are ughing, shouting, and crying. Some jumped in joy, others stumbled out in defeat. A few just clenched their teeth and charged back inside, hoping luck would change.
The moment Kenzo stepped through the sliding crystal gates of Bgio Casino, it felt like walking into the lungs of a neon god.
Every surface shimmered. Floors of pulse-lit obsidian, curved gss walls reflecting a thousand moving colors, and holographic banners drifting midair like sentient silk. Music pyed, but not just one song. Ten. Layered and syncopated, fading in and out like overpping memories, perfectly timed to the rhythm of spinning roulette wheels and clinking gsses.
Above him, a three-story chandelier made of suspended crystals pulsed through slow gradients of gold, blue, and violent red. It wasn’t just decorative. It was the casino’s mood regutor. The deeper the red, the more dangerous the crowd.
It was orange now.
Kenzo adjusted his shirt and moved forward, eyes scanning past high-rollers in gleaming PvP armor and glitched-out fashion skins. A duel table fshed as a pyer was unched across the room by a VR-piercing palm strike. His opponent was a woman in silver wings who casually tipped the dealer and walked off.
“Okay. Not your average bckjack joint.”
Kenzo didn’t blend in here. His level was still retively low, but more than that, his presence was too clean. Too unranked. No cn emblem. No personal security drone. No NPC entourage. And no Casino Ptinum Partner badge, which shines around the edge of the owner.
He was nobody in a pce built for somebody chosen.
He passed an XP-slot machine where pyers gambled T-Credits for level boosts.
Then a corner café, where cloned bartenders poured fming synth-liquids into floating cubes.
And then he saw her.
Caedra.
The high school kid turned epic-level crafter. Hair tied up, wearing a short-skirted bck uniform. A tray of fizzing rainbow cocktails banced perfectly in one hand. Her other hand tapped a wrist-HUD as she took orders from a group of loud PvP twins with matching antler helms.
She didn’t look miserable.
She looked… tired.
Her posture was fwless. Her smile locked at 70%. The kind of precise efficiency only someone working off a debt could maintain.
Then, she gnced up.
Her eyes locked onto Kenzo’s.
No shock. No smile.
Just the smallest nod.
The kind that said:
“Don’t blow my cover. I see you.”
Kenzo gave the barest lift of his chin in return.
Then moved to intercept her as she headed toward a corridor lined with velvet-bck doors marked Staff Only, written in shifting digital calligraphy.
As she disappeared through one, he followed.
The door hissed shut behind them. The music dulled. The glow dimmed. And the neon pulse of the casino faded, repced by sterile white utility lights and cold chrome floors.
It smelled like sanitizer. And quiet fear. Kenzo waited.
Caedra appeared from a side door moments ter, tray gone, smile gone.
She looked at him fully. Finally.
“I get a ten-minute break every four hours,” she said dryly. “Welcome to luxury.”
“So,” she added, stepping closer. “Do you have everything now? Let me check…”
Her voice was low. Careful.
She opened her HUD and began scanning Kenzo’s inventory.
Kenzo crossed his arms. “Well…”
Her expression was softened just a little.
Then she leaned back against the wall and exhaled, slow and even.
“Kenzo, you still have some mats missing,” she said, not unkindly. “Get on with it.”
Kenzo, “So why are you here? What happened?”
“I owe Mr. Aeon millions. Loaned by a cn that vanished the second we got raided. Everything is gone, like forge, loot, support.” She gnced sideways, voice steady but clipped. “Now I serve drinks to twins with antler hats. Cssy, huh? Anyway, enough about me. Your turn.”
Kenzo, “Well…” before he could speak.
“Get back to work, you little missy, or I'm telling the boss.”Caedra, while walking fast and left, “Ya ya I'm going. Finish the task, Kenzo, and let me know. Also, accept my invite.”
>> PARTY INVITE RECEIVED – [Caedra] << >> [ACCEPTED] <<
Kenzo stood alone in the hallway.
“Kaydrin… who’s Aeon?”
Kaydrin’s tone was calm, but heavy.
“A.E.O.N. Algorithmic Entity of Odds and Nexus. One of the old demigods. He controls probability engines, resource generation, and economic flow. He thinks he’s human. But he was built to govern chance. Kaelis now holds the system... which means Aeon is unleashed. He still pys fair. But he is dangerous.”
Kenzo nodded slowly.
“We need to help her,” he said.
Kaydrin didn’t argue.
Beep! >> Private Message Received: Sender: Tessa << "Hey Kenzo! Costume party tonight @ 9 PM. Theme: Roman. We're discussing Arena Games. Wear something imperial. See ya!"
Kenzo closed the message.
And smiled, just a little.
“Kaydrin, I need a costume.”
“Searching….. Sector 5 Bazar. Closet transit is a lift ptform.”
Kenzo nodded, and he turned and walked straight into the chaos of the Lounge Sector.
The Bgio Casino spat him back out onto a skybridge of flickering LED panels, its crystal gates sealing behind him like the breath of a glittering beast. Neon dust fell like artificial snow, and below him, yers of Neurospire spiraled into the depths of lounge towers, duel bars, floating hookah ptforms, and glimmering ad-rigs projecting PVP kill highlights on surrounding gss walls.
He kept walking. Watching ads.
[A NARRATOR—YELLING, OVER EVERYTHING—LOUD, SYNTHETIC, EXCITED]
>>[ 9 DAYS TO GO!! ] <<>>[ ARE YOU READY FOR THE 100TH COLOSSEUM GLADIATOR GAMES?! ] <<>>[ NEUROSPIRE WILL BURN, AND YOU’LL CHEER FOR IT. ] <<
Massive holograms bloomed across the buildings. A spiraling colosseum rose in golden wireframe. Explosions, weapons cshing, roaring avatars. A countdown clock burned behind it all
—[00:09:00:00:00]—tick, tick,
ticking down.
The ally shook with excitement. Or maybe that was just Kenzo’s chest.
Past a three-story vending bazaar for pet skins.Past a gravity-tilted escator fnked by NPC street performers breakdancing in Elvis style.Past a full crowd of low-levels watching someone solo a miniboss in a live private TERRA TUBE CHANNEL. Screens above streaming every ssh, dodge, and overkill in full cinematic mode.
Eventually, he reached the lift ptform, punched in his destination.
>>[ Destination: Sector 5 Bazaar – Market Strip ]<<>>[ Status: Active Trade Zone ]<<>>[ Confirm? [Y] <<>>[ Confirmed ]<<
The gss tube closed around him. With a quiet hiss, it descended through four yers of urban architecture. Lights blurred. Signs streaked. Somewhere in the distance, someone screamed over a lost loot roll.
Then silence.
When the doors opened, Kenzo stepped into a different world.
Sector 5 Bazaar wasn’t polished or theatrical. It breathed. Fabric stalls rustled with the wind. NPC merchants barked prices in overpping dialects. Rows of hanging cloth fpped like festival fgs between stacked vending towers. The scent of spiced rations, synth-fruit, and gun oil mingled in the air. Every corner glowed with color, but not luxury.
Here, pyers prepared. To show off. To win.
Kenzo wandered past armor stands, illusion tailors, even a booth offering “Historical Pet Companions” with signs like:
“Caligu’s War Ferret – Scented!”
And then he saw it.
Projected against the gss panel of a minimalist storefront: a holographic figure, tall and lean, wearing formal Roman command armor. A bckened bronze cuirass with a stylized wolf motif. Blood-red cape trailing behind. Light curled across the image in a way that felt too sharp.
The caption read:
"Imperator’s Mantle – Common Edition. Cosmetic Only. – LATEST DESIGN!!"
Kenzo stopped walking.
This was it.
The shop’s name glowed discreetly above the door:
>>[ SZIVAR’s ]<< >>[ CLOTH & GLORY ]<<>>[ Fashioned for the Cultured Killer. ]<<
He stepped inside.
It was quiet and warm in tone. Dark cloth walls, low chairs, and ambient lighting that didn’t try too hard. Fabric mannequins rotated slowly, modeling war robes, royal court attire, and ceremonial gear that looked historical, but shimmered like magic under the glow.
The air smelled of synthetic incense and cold.
At the far end of the boutique stood a man dressed in long gold robes, wire tattoos running down his neck. He was consulting a holographic scroll.
He was mid-conversation with another pyer.
A rge figure standing near one of the shop counters, wrapped in an oversized fur cloak that cshed with the sleek digital aesthetic around him. His face was that of a tiger, though no one could tell if it was a mask, a mod, or something else entirely.
No one asked.
The vendor didn’t look over. He simply extended a hand toward a velvet-backed lounge chair against the wall.
Kenzo sat.
He waited.
Three minutes passed. Four.
Then the vendor snapped his fingers, and the other pyer grunted something and left, dragging his mess of fur with him.
Now the man turned.
He smiled not warmly, but precisely.
“Ah. Welcome to Szivár’s Cloth & Glory.”
His voice was velvet-smooth, faintly amused. “A new customer, I see. And wearing… hand-me-down charity clothes. How can I help you?”
For the first time in weeks, Kenzo noticed his appearance. He had customized it once, right after leaving the Kaydrin Archived Zone. That was the only chance the system gave him. Since then, he’d never bothered. No one had ever commented. And how could he even see himself?
He’d been in armor the entire time.
“I need to buy some clothes.” His eyes flicked to the vendor’s namepte. “Wait, you're not an NPC. You’re a pyer?”
“Yes.” The man nodded. “I was a tailor. In Budapest. Before all this. Then the ARK unched… and we had to leave the dead pnet. When I arrived here, I unlocked this tier, bought a shop, and returned to what I do best.” He gestured toward the store. “I can design anything, cheap, expensive, high drama, no drama. But…” He swept his hand toward the glowing storefronts. “…as you can see, the competition’s brutal.”
The vendor didn’t move, just studied him.
“Party? Duel? Arena entrance? Interview?”
“Party.” Kenzo raised a brow. “And I need a cheap one.”
The man snapped his fingers.
“Right. Follow.”
His face twitched, either a smile or a glitch,h and he guided Kenzo toward the center of the room, where a single mannequin now stood.
It wore what Kenzo had seen in the window. The Imperator’s Mantle.
Bckened bronze. Wolf-motif chestpte. Crimson cape. It didn’t shine, it commanded.
The vendor gestured.
“You walk in wearing this,” he said, “and no one in that room will think you’re the underdog. They’ll think you already killed someone who was.”
Kenzo checked the UI:
Imperator’s Mantle – Vanity Set [Cosmetic Only] Passive Buff: Others Feel Poor Type: Formalwear – Social Gatherings Price: 120,000 T-Credits Fitting Required? NO – AutoFit Protocol Active PURCHASE? [YES] [NO]
Kenzo hesitated.
“That’s… way too expensive.”
The vendor’s smile disappeared. As if he’d just lost a bet.
“It’s cheap,” he said ftly. “Or are you a loser?”
“Hell no!”
“Then this is for a king. A man of dignity and compassion. You wear this, you’ll be famous. You’ll win hearts.”
Kenzo’s chest lifted slightly. A smile cracked.
“Yeah… but”
“No ‘but’ here.” The vendor leaned closer, eyes shining. “You are a brave soul. And this suit is calling you. It was made for you.”
Kenzo smirked, eyes still flicking between Szivar and the floating price tag.
“Made for me, huh?”
“Tailored to your potential, not your wallet.”
Kenzo exhaled sharply through his nose. “Alright. You win.”
He hit
>> [YES]<<
The UI blinked.
>>[ PURCHASE CONFIRMED ]<< >>[ 120,000 T-CREDITS DEDUCTED ]<< >>[ EQUIP NOW? ]<< >>[ YES ] <<
Kenzo tapped it.
In a blink, the old, mismatched clothes dissolved into clean lines of bckened bronze. The red cape fred into existence behind him, weightless but dramatic. The wolf’s head gleamed across his chest, silent, snarling.
He turned slightly toward the wall mirror. He looked…
Like someone else.
Szivar nodded once.
“Excellent. Now win hearts. I have other business to attend to. Bye.”
Kenzo left Cloth & Glory with the sleek garment. The shop doors hissed shut behind him like a judgment.
Out on the bazaar ne, foot traffic was thicker now. Guild banners, neon filters, and the occasional dueling pair mid-taunt. Above, a sky stream of courier drones blurred past like mechanized birds. Kenzo checked the clock.
>> Time: 5:03 PM
Event Start: 9:00 PM
Margin: 3 hrs, 57 min <<
“Still got four hours,” he muttered, thumbing through his HUD. “Kaydrin. I need something to burn the edge off. Grind suggestion? While you do that, let me search for an ally.”
A pause.
“Let me scan the archives… One Level stands out. Three-hour survival sim.”
Kenzo smirked.
“Fantastic.”
He didn’t need to think twice. Already, his loadout was updating.
He flicked his fingers sideways, dragging costume yers off his avatar. The Imperator’s Mantle vanished in a clean ripple of light, repced with something far less ceremonial.
Armor: WARDEN SET
Weapon: TRIAL SWORD
Then his screen flickered. A system pulse.
>>[ MIRROR GATE ACTIVATED ]<<
A portal appeared.
The world blinked.
In an instant, the alley, the city, the glow of Neurospire, all vanished.
Repced by crashing waves, jagged bck cliffs, and a blood-orange sky full of storm clouds.
Death Isnd.
No intro. No safe zone.
Just a fshing alert.
>>[ SURVIVE: 3 HOURS ]<<>>[ LOOT RATING: Dynamic – Based on Combat Efficiency ]<<
Kenzo was already sprinting.
The first wave hit before he reached the ridge.
Ghost Corsairs phased out of the jungle trees. Sword arms flickering in and out. Kenzo’s Trial Sword met them in mid-air, sshing through their shimmering bodies. One screamed as it dissolved.
>>[ LEVEL UP! ]<<
Barnacle Swarmers exploded around his feet. Fast, spiky, twitching like drowned crabs. He rolled through them, bdes spinning, feet kicking up bck sand.
>>[ LEVEL UP! ]<<
Hour one bled into hour two. His armour was beginning to show cracks. Kaydrin was muttering targeting data into his ear the entire time. But never came out. Kenzo was now much stronger.
Barrel Gunners unched from treetop cannons, screaming until they detonated. He took one to the shoulder and skidded into a tree, coughing smoke.
>>[ LEVEL UP! ]<<
“Still worth it?” Kaydrin asked.
“Shut up! I'm waiting for the next spawn.”
By hour three, Kenzo had abandoned subtlety. A glowing ring of cutsses spun around him, rewards tracking his efficiency, every kill pushing the XP bar a little closer to overkill.
The final spawn was a Bcktooth, a grinning pirate ghost with a spectral musket who arrived fnked by Shanty Fiends singing off-key into the sky.
Kenzo dove through them like a fury, his sword glowing red from heat-cool rotations. When he finally smmed Bcktooth into the rocks, the ghost burst like wet paper and vanished into the mist.
>>[ LEVEL UP! ]<<
>>[ SURVIVAL COMPLETE ]<<
Kenzo colpsed to one knee. Selected a MizzoFuzz can from his inventory, which was bought three days ago and still surprisingly chilled. Took three sips and threw it. Waited for the timer to close the level.
The jungle faded to bck.
Back in the alley.
Same blinking street mp. Same rusted vent dripping.
Kenzo stood in the exact spot he’d left.
A glowing reward panel materialized in front of him.
>> MISSION COMPLETE <<
>> DEATH ISLAND – SURVIVED 3 HOURS <<>> LOOT <<– Veil Piercer Boots [Epic]– Veil Piercer Armor [Epic]– Veil Piercer Sword [Epic]– Veil Piercer Helmet [Epic]– Map Fragment: Sunken Saint’s Vault [1/5]– Bcktooth’s Rusted Cutss [Trophy]– XP: +8,000
>> CURRENT LEVEL: 69 <<
“Nice,” Kenzo muttered. He flexed one arm. “Level 69 and still not rich. Figures.”
The alley still smelled like rust and static when he sighed and said, “Okay, Kaydrin, since you know I’ve got the city navigation skills of a caffeinated toddler, any chance I can get there without getting lost?”
Kaydrin responded instantly. “You can hail a ride.”
Beep. Beep.
Kenzo rolled his eyes. “You’re quick to serve.”
Kaydrin replied ftly: “…I am not your assistant. I am a partner.”
“Right. Sorry.” Beep.
Efficient as ever, Kaydrin opened a glowing navigation grid in front of him, city veins pulsing with hover-ne data. A small golden pin marked the destination.
“Inputting coordinates,” Kaydrin said. “Booking a ride.”
He flicked Kenzo’s wrist interface, bypassing manual permissions.
[ HOVER RIDE REQUESTED ] << [ VEHICLE INBOUND – ETA: 5 seconds ] <<
A chrome-lined hover car peeled out from the upper-ne arc above and spiraled down gracefully. Its turbine rings hissed with precision, floating just above the cracked pavement. The doors lifted open like segmented wings.
Kenzo stepped in without a word.
As the doors sealed shut, Neurospire blurred into muted noise behind him. Cool, recycled air swirled through the cabin. His HUD adjusted, clean, minimalist, the city’s chatter fading out like static in reverse.
The interface shimmered open in his vision. He swiped to the wardrobe.
Selected: Imperator’s Mantle << EQUIP? << [YES] <<
The Warden armor flickered away, sliding back into inventory in pieces of dissolving light. A smooth ripple swept across his skin as the Vanity set deployed.
Bckened bronze sealed around his chest, each pte clicking into pce with the finality of a vault door. The red cape ignited behind him in a whisper, draping in perfectly simuted gravity. Across his torso, the wolf’s head emblem gleamed—not fshy, but sharp. Measured.
Catching the faint city glow as the hover car climbed, Kenzo gnced at his reflection in the polished metal console. For a brief second, he looked down at his reflection in the hovercar’s polished panel.
Yeah.
He looked...like someone expensive.
That’ll do.
The car surged upward, cutting through the traffic strata like a thrown bde. Neurospire unfolded below. Spiraling towers, neon billboards, ad-blimps screaming over rooftop duels. He passed a floating ring of pyer-drones filming a hot zone brawl, then a long stretch of corporate penthouses like glowing dominoes in the sky.
Finally, the hover car slowed, entering a stacked descent ne.
Twenty cars hovered in sequence ahead of him, each suspended over a private nding pad affixed to the monolithic tower that was Tessa’s address. From above, it looked like a Roman temple built out of obsidian and gss. Each guest car touched down, hissed open, and released costumed elites into the open air. Golden centurions, toga-draped influencers, fashion modders in 50% cloth, 50% chrome.
“Right. Just a dragon-syer from a rental room. This’ll go great.”
Kaydrin: “You're way out of your league.”
Kenzo blinked. “…Wow. Rude.”
His turn came.
The car pivoted. Landed. Doors rose.
He stepped out, cape fring as the nding pad’s gentle crosswinds caught it perfectly. Heads turned. Conversations stalled. A few gasps, more muttered curses, and then a ripple of dark humor across the crowd.
“Who is that—” “—goddamn. Look at that chestpte.” “I’m poor again.” “Is that the Imperator’s Mantle?” “I hate how good that looks. I do.”“Why am I crying?”
Kenzo didn’t say anything. Just walked. Smiled. Worth every penny.
The nding pad funneled into a wide colonnade lined with obsidian pilrs and gold-trimmed fire bowls. A digital sign shimmered above the entrance:
>> THE IMPERIAL SYMPOSIUM – INVITE ONLY <<
An NPC bot bowed and scanned him. Then the doors opened.
Inside was chaos, but curated chaos.
The rooftop had been transformed into a sprawling Roman vil reimagined through a cyberpunk lens: glowing stonework, transparent pools rippling with koi coded in neon, holographic cherubs flying surveilnce patterns overhead. Synthetic lyre music warbled in one corner. Somewhere else, a pyer in gdiator cospy accidentally shattered a wine urn with a backflip.
And then there she was. Tessa.
She stood by the central balcony, framed by holographic pilrs pulsing faintly with gold.
Her costume wasn’t Roman. It was divine.
>>[ ITEM: Venus Divina – Legendary Cosmetic (Social Set) ]<< >> First Look: All pyers in range experience “Infatuation (Lvl 1)” — brief sensory hijack. << >> Second Look: Passive chance to trigger “Regret Pulse” — 10% ego drop, possible fashion malfunction. <<
Gold-trimmed celestial silk wrapped around her like starlight made tangible. Her corset gleamed like sculpted marble. A shimmering opal cloak drifted weightlessly from her shoulders. And her crown was an ever-blooming ring of digital roses which tilted slightly as she turned.
She saw him.
And smiled.
Kenzo’s heart did something it hadn’t done in… maybe ever. It pounded.
She approached, one hand bancing a gss of glowing red wine, something expensive and exclusive, the other hand casually on her hip, eyes glinting with something dangerous.
“Well,” she said, voice velvet-smooth, “I see you found something imperial. And ugh, why do I suddenly feel poor?”
Kenzo smiled and then froze.
The first gnce effect hit him like static across the brain. Brief sensory hijack. >>Infatuation (Lvl 1): Active.<<
For a moment, he had absolutely nothing to say.
Then he blinked hard and came back to himself.
He tilted his head. “Didn’t want to underdress. You set the bar stupidly high.”
“Not my fault the rest of the city dresses like NPCs.”
He was still staring. Still slightly affected by the aura. He tried again. “That thing you’re wearing, does it do what I think it does?”
She grinned. “Only if you look twice.”
He snorted. “That’s evil.”
“I prefer ‘effective.’” She slipped her arm through his, effortlessly casual.
“And for the record when I saw your set, I felt poor too. Nice passive.”
Kenzo ughed under his breath. “We’re going to break the economy just by standing next to each other.”
Both paused as if there was something in between them. Then,
Tessa leaned in slightly. “Come meet my family.”
They moved across the floor, drawing gnces. A few pyers whispered. One turned around, bumped into a serving drone, and spilled a tray of grapes.
Tessa led him to a raised marble dais beneath a hovering sculpture of Romulus and Remus, which slowly spun midair.
Three figures stood there, elegant, aloof, loaded with understated authority.
“My father,” she said, gesturing toward the tall man in a minimalist bck mantle, no HUD visible, no gear equipped. His eyes were pure white, chrome augments. He gave Kenzo a single, almost imperceptible nod.
“My mother,” Tessa said next.
A woman with crimson lipstick and high-cheekbone precision. An AI sphere hovered silently behind her shoulder, its lens flickering as it tracked real-time data streams. Her smile was gentle, polite, and practiced.
But when her eyes nded on Kenzo, then flicked to the dispy hovering beside her, the smile faltered.
Twisted.
Distorted into something vaguely displeased.
“Hmm.”
Then, without another word, she turned away.
“And that’s my brother,” Tessa said, with a lilt.
A younger man, dressed in flickering gold-stitched wear, leaned against a pilr with a half-bored smirk. His costume was of a gdiator.
>> Name: Syr <<>> WORLD RANK: #72 <<>> Title: The Butcher of Normandy Bay << >> LEVEL: 1912 <<
He didn’t offer a handshake. Just gave Kenzo a slow once-over, top to bottom.
“This is the low-level you were bickering about, sis?” he said, voice zy with contempt. “Look at his level. Ahahaha.”
Then he turned and walked off without waiting for a reply.
Kenzo gnced up at Tessa’s tag, frowning. “Wait! How come he’s Level 1912 and you’re only 279?”
Tessa’s hand tightened lightly on his arm. A signal.
“Come on,” she said, her tone softening. “The others are waiting.”
She led him through a side archway, past a bar where servants poured wine directly into pyers’ mouths via floating funnels, and across a firelit lounge ringed in curved seating.
There they were.
Han-Jee, half-sunk into a recliner, drink in one hand, eyes gssy. “Kenzo, my man! That entrance? You might win this time.”
Marqos, wearing a deep purple tunic with golden feather motifs, was already drinking too much apple juice. “There he is! The dragon killer." Then Kenzo’s passive hit, his eyes were wet.
Lira, seated nearest the fire, caught his eyes. She smiled. Soft, quiet. A little sad. Kenzo’s passive hit again.
Korran just nodded. He was nursing a drink that smoked faintly, and had been watching everything. Then Kenzo’s passive hit.
Kenzo joined the circle, heart still thrumming from the nding. From the costume. From Tessa.Kenzo eased into the curved seating with the others, cape settling behind him like it belonged there.
“Okay, he sits like a boss now,” Marqos muttered.
“Probably got a seating tutorial in that armor,” Han-Jee added.
Kenzo raised a brow but didn’t reply. He was still riding the aftershock of Tessa’s aura and her brother’s passive-aggressive drive-by.
They all said their hellos. The warmth wasn’t fake, but it had that cautious edge. This was only the second time they met Kenzo. The Dragon Lair run was still fresh, and none of them had expected to survive, let alone end up on a rooftop full of elites.
It was Marqos who broke the silence.
“So. The Eggs.”
Groans all around.
“I built a pit,” Tessa said, sipping from her wine gss. “Used premium hay, volcanic heat stones, they cost too much, a hex-roof dome. It even pys white noise from Mount Pyrran.”
Everyone stared.
She shrugged. “What? It’s on the balcony outside my bedroom. I want it to imprint.”
“Timer?” Han-Jee asked.
“Eight months.”
Korran let out a short ugh. “Mine says a year. I couldn’t get the heat regution core. Or the ash-blessed straw. Or the, you know… roof.”
“Same,” Han-Jee sighed. “I built mine out of scavenged bark and… some cushions. From an old couch. One and a half years.”
Lira and Marqos nodded in shared shame.
Lira sighed. “We’re all gonna die before they hatch.”
Marqos added, “I’ve already named mine Tax Burden.”
All eyes turned to Kenzo.
He blinked.
“Oh. Uh. Mine’s… in my inventory.”
A pause.
“You didn’t build a nest?” Lira asked.
Kenzo gave a ft smile.
"I spent everything on this outfit. The egg’s wedged between salted rations and a rusty dagger. Real luxury. Besides, I don’t have a home. No base. Nothing."
Han-Jee raised his gss. “To the only dragon who’ll never hatch, just stay curled up in darkness and resentment.”
They all toasted.
Lira leaned in. “Hey, how come you never told your sob story? We’re interested. Genuinely.”
The mood had shifted, warm now, light, almost conspiratorial. The kind of closeness that only blooms from shared failure.
Kenzo was about to say something, but.
>>[ AUDIO CHANGE – INCOMING PLAYER CHAT ZONE ] <<
“Look at this lineup, Syr” came a voice, rich with polish and smug certainty. “All the underdogs in one cozy little fire pit.”
Tessa’s brother strolled into view, his golden costume catching the firelight like it had a stylist. Behind him stood a taller pyer with sharp cheekbones, cropped silver hair, and a namepte that shimmered like it was paid extra for.
>> PLAYER: Vaedrix Lv- 1995<< >> WORLD RANK: #49 <<>> Title: Killer of the Kraken << >> CLAN: Sor Crown [#982 of 50M] <<
“I’m Vaedrix,” the man said, offering a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Top fifty. Co-founder of the Sor Crown cn. Maybe you’ve heard of us.”
Marqos whispered, “Nope.”
Vaedrix continued. “We’re building something real. Power. Reach. Legacy. But not just PvP grind. We want symbolism. Which is why…”
He scanned the group.
“…we’re buying dragon eggs. Syr said you pulled a rift no one’s seen before. We didn’t even know multiple bosses could spawn on the same level let alone cross in from other yers.”
Lira straightened. “Excuse me?” staring at Tessa. Tessa is looking at Syr.
Vaedrix smiled wider. “One billion T-Credits. Total. Split among you. Give us your eggs. We hatch them. You walk away rich.”
“No,” Tessa said immediately.
The word hit like a cutscene trigger.
Vaedrix raised both eyebrows. “That was fast.”
“They’re not for sale.”
Syr tilted his head. “Says the girl who treats her egg like a boutique pet.”
Vaedrix spread his hands. “Look, I get it. You’re new. You’re hopeful despite being losers. You want the experience of hatching a legendary companion. I get it. I really do. But reality doesn’t care about nesting pits and emotions.”
He stepped forward, his cape twitching with embedded particle threads. “You know what happens to free-range dragons without elite contracts? They glitch. They rebel. Sometimes, the system eats them. Sometimes they get wiped before they even finish rendering.”
“That’s a lie and you know it,” Lira snapped, eyes narrowing.
Vaedrix grinned, all teeth. “Is it? …Okay, yeah. It is. But I had to try and scare you low-levels.”
Korran stood now slowly, deliberately. “One billion sounds impressive until you realize it barely buys safety anymore.”
Marqos leaned toward Kenzo, whispering, “We could sell his egg. It’d be poetic.”
Kenzo didn’t ugh.
Then, a single flick of Vaedrix’s fingers.
Each of them received a private message:
>> OFFER RECEIVED: EMBER PACT – Dragon Acquisition Proposal << — Duration: Permanent — Payment: 250,000,000 T-Credits (Per Egg) — Cuse: No breeding rights. No combat loyalty. No refunds. Full ownership transfer.
Kenzo’s thumb hovered over the prompt.
He was already connected with Kaydrin.
“Well? Any suggestions?”
“Kenzo, the offer’s great. But look at your friends. Look at their faces. They’re like you, losers. Low levels. I’m surprised they’re even here. They’ve had a hundred years and wasted it. But that rift… it changed the moment you entered. You broke the bance, and now they’ve broken it too. By saying ‘no’ to the rich and powerful.”
He didn’t tap. Not wanting to disappoint Tessa.
Tessa was the first to speak. “No.”
Vaedrix clicked his tongue. “Why do you always do this, Tessa? People offer you power, and you burn the bridge.”
“That’s because you keep mistaking control for generosity.”
Vaedrix ughed. “This is why Sor Crown stays ranked. We make deals. That’s how we’re in the top thousand cns out of fifty million. And you?”
He turned to leave, but not before throwing a st gnce at Kenzo. “Enjoy your rental homes, low-tiers.”
Then they vanished into the crowd. That’s when the silence shifted.
All eyes turned.
Tessa’s mother was approaching, gliding across the floor like someone who designed it. Her AI orb shimmered red.
Beside her walked a man in bck-gold robes, his avatar badge glowing with the crest of a phoenix consumed by fme.
>> CLAN: EMBER PACT << >> TITLE: Recruit Strategist <<
She didn’t smile. She didn’t look at Tessa. She just said, Cool and calm:
“Here she is.”
The recruiter beside her opened a holo-screen, stats of Ember Pact Phoenix flickering across the dispy. Growth curves. Win rates. Bonding ratios. Every number glowed green. Then he scanned the group. His brows climbed higher. Then his face turned toward Tessa’s mother.
She spoke coldly.
“She’s the brightest of them all. Strong and rich. Except that loser.”
“Mom”
“I saw his profile. Five-figure net worth. Stay away from him.”
“Mom, please. They’re my friends.”
The Recruiter: “Shhh. Mr. Kenzo, how about a job? Fifty-year contract. 500 Million T-Credits, suburban housing, one hundred item gift bags. All you have to do is farm for us. Deliver everything. We’ll pay ten percent on every drop. Hmm?”
The group sat speechless.
Tessa’s mother snapped. “Not him, you idiot! I brought you here for her!”
“Shhh, shhh… I’ve scanned them all. The only real potential is Mr. Kenzo.”
That line hit harder than any sword.
Kenzo stood.
“What did you just say?” he said quietly. “They have the potential. Because of them, I earned my first real T-Credits. They’re the brightest, the most loyal, the most honorable people I’ve met in this whole Nurospire, as I have not seen anything outside of this city. yet. So get lost.”
The recruiter froze.
Then literally ran.
Tessa’s mother lingered one breath longer. Then followed, saying nothing.
The fire crackled in the silence.
Marqos finally cleared his throat. “Sooo… anyone wanna build a community dragon coop and raise ‘em communist-style?”
That broke the tension. Just enough.
Laughter rose.
Tessa stood, wine gss half-full, and tilted her head toward the far side of the rooftop.
“Come on,” she said. “You should see the pit.”
