Chapter 5 (1/2)

The wind blew, covering my entire body and causing me to break out in goosebumps. First was my face, neck, shoulders, legs, and then my back. The hairs on my arms seemed to be soft though. Simultaneously, messages appeared in front of me.

[You have been selected by seven stars for the first time.]

[The Big Dipper is crying out that you are the true king.]

[The heavenly star ‘Monarch of Brilliant Promise’ has been acquired.]

[All stats have been raised by 20 points.]

The system messages called me the true king. The voice was echoing in my head, not my ears.

[Humans...]

It was the voice of the guide who existed in ‘Brightness’, which was now on the Altar of the Stars.

[Under the seven stars of the Big Dipper, take note that the true king has awakened.]

The strange voice that was still a mixture of male and female voices was showing off like it was an inviolable existence no one could go against.

[A person who walks seven lonely and arduous paths at the same time will appear. However, he is now like a leaf in the wind. He who hides what he hears and he who hides what he has seen—be careful until he stands tall as the king himself.]

I was forced to listen to the divine voice that spoke of what seemed like a prophecy. At the same time, the Altar of the Stars started to shine.

“......”

I suddenly landed on the ground and stared blankly at it. The seven stars of the Big Dipper let out their iridescent colors, like puppies greeting their owner. Then...

“Um?”

From the star on the far left, they started to overlap one by one. Soon, all the stars came together as one. Watching this, I felt an unfamiliar and mysterious feeling. At this moment, a light burst. It was a terrible flash. The dazzling brilliance that was like the divine sun quickly calmed down and in front of me was a colorful figure.

“The keeper of time, who has protected the prophecy of God Gaia from the beginning, greets the master of the seven precious stars.”

...Who? I looked surprised. An old man—who had a long white beard, white hair, and a staff that was like an old tree—knelt down on one knee and bowed to me.

Simultaneously...

“I greet the king of the seven precious stars, as foretold by the God of Creation, Gaia.” Psyche also knelt down and bowed.

The sudden situation made me speechless. I was a king...? I couldn’t say anything to the two people who unreservedly called me a king, so I just watched them bow their heads. Then I spoke to them after a short moment, “Get up. This is really embarrassing.”

I held one of their arms and slowly raised their bodies, carefully observing their faces.

“...”

They were crying, but they didn’t look sad. It was like tears of joy after being liberated from something.

“You must have many questions, but there isn’t much time. Brightness has disappeared, and the time and space that it sustained have started to break.”

The sound of something cracking came from above. I instinctively looked up at the sky. No, the entire space was cracking.

“Reach out to the light in front of you.”

The old man looked at me, and I reached out without asking why. I felt like I grabbed something at the end of the light.

[The Sealed Star Fruit has been acquired.]

...What was this? I wanted to take a closer look, but I didn’t have enough time.

Psyche said to me, “Please take care of the Star Fruit, and don’t lose it. Right now you have to be careful. Like a leaf in the wind, many trials and tribulations will come your way. However, don’t forget. If you move forward through any challenge without losing hope, there will be light at the end...”

Was it because she knew we had to separate? Her eyes seemed a bit sad, but they also swirled with an unknown emotion. Simultaneously, the old man beside me wielded his staff and created a black space behind me. I started trembling.

“Don’t be alarmed. This is the way for you to escape from here.” He started to chant a spell while moving his index finger, and I was sucked into the black hole-like space.

It was dark all around me. My surroundings were filled with dark spheres. In a small light in the distance, there stood Psyche and the old man. Their lips moved as they spoke to me at the same time. I could only hear one thing: “May the protection of the stars be with you.”

It was the last of it. The light gradually disappeared and completely concealed its appearance. I closed my eyes as my consciousness gradually faded. As I lost consciousness, I heard a drowsy voice say, [The tutorial has ended.]

* * *

Union—the corporate group with the highest stock price in South Korea and the creator of Arcstar, the world’s leading virtual reality game—was a company that recently achieved the dream of having one billion users all over the world.

Yoo Minseok, the team leader of Union’s Strategic Planning Office, yawned as he leaned against a soft chair.

“Ha~ap. Oh, why is the weather so good?”

He felt bored and tired with the daily routine. Turning in his chair, he felt like he was on a summer getaway as he soaked up the sunlight.