Logging back into Age of Eternity filled me with a gnawing sense of dread. It wasn’t the PK guild hiding in the mist or even the Guardians of the Wood that unsettled me. No, it was what lay beyond: Floor 61—the Ascended.

These so-called "chosen ones," chasing forbidden power, had become the game's darkest enigma. The stories I’d heard painted them as zealots, enslaved by an algorithm that blurred their sense of reality. Their delusions of divinity weren’t just roleplay; they were infectious.

I reappeared at the small, abandoned camp where I had logged out, its decayed tents and smoldering embers a fitting backdrop for the unease settling over me. The Log Out button was still there in the corner of my HUD, taunting me with its simplicity. I could leave now—log out, stretch, walk away. But I wasn’t the type to run from a fight, especially not when I had come this far.

Taking a deep breath, I checked my inventory. Potions? Full. Weapons? Sharpened and ready. My blade gleamed with the enchantment I’d ground hours for—a faint blue aura, barely noticeable, but potent enough to turn the tide if things got messy. No non-lethal options existed in this game, which made what I was about to do weigh even heavier.

“How do I stop them without killing them?” I muttered under my breath. There were no passives, no mechanics for mercy in Age of Eternity. The developers had crafted a world where violence wasn’t just the answer—it was the only option.

And yet, the thought of cutting down a group of misguided kids chasing a god complex turned my stomach.

I wasn’t naïve, though. “Kids” was a misnomer. Plenty of adults played this game, and I knew firsthand how many would take power without hesitation or question. The Ascended weren’t just foolish—they were dangerous. If the rumors about their so-called "Wisdom of the Ancient God" were true, then they were a threat to more than just themselves.

I had no choice but to confront them.

With a resigned sigh, I stood and moved toward the edge of the misty forest. Every step crunched against brittle leaves, each sound echoing like a warning. The mist coiled around me, heavier than before, and the distant glow of red eyes flickered in the shadows. The Guardians weren’t going to let me pass without a fight—not again.

As I gripped my blade, the HUD flashed:

Guardians of the Wood

HP Bar: 100%

The air chilled, and the fog thickened as their eyes multiplied in the darkness. I tightened my grip. The first one emerged—a red-eyed elf, blade drawn. His movements were fluid, almost lifelike. The AI for these NPCs was astonishing, mimicking human-level reflexes. Our swords clashed, the metallic ring piercing through the forest.

I parried his strike and drove my blade into his chest, his HP bar chunking in response. Another appeared, then another. This wasn’t the warm-up fight I needed, but it was the one I got.

I activated Light Step, dodging the arrows that came whistling through the fog. Two more Guardians leaped from the shadows, their swords aimed for my head. I rolled to the side, countering with a wide slash that caught both in its arc. Their HP dropped, the bar on my screen shrinking with each kill, but the mist only seemed to thicken.

The fog wasn’t natural—I was sure of it. It was part of their design, an environmental hazard meant to disorient and frustrate. But I wasn’t going to let them have the upper hand.

The final Guardian fell with a sharp cry, and the mist began to clear. Their HP bar hit zero, vanishing from my HUD, but I didn’t relax. My instincts screamed that something worse was coming.

When the last trace of the fog dissipated, I found myself at the base of an enormous stone staircase leading to Floor 61. Each step was carved with intricate runes glowing faintly, pulsing as if alive. At the top, the gate loomed—an ancient structure of blackened metal, twisted and jagged.

I took the first step.

The sound of my boots echoed against the stone, and with every step, the air grew heavier. By the time I reached the top, my HUD was flashing again.

Warning: PvP Zone Activated

I wasn’t alone.

A figure stepped out from the shadows near the gate. He wore a hooded cloak, the deep crimson fabric emblazoned with gold symbols that I didn’t recognize. His weapon—a curved, jagged blade—hung loosely at his side.

“You’re the one who cleared the forest,” he said, his voice distorted through a voice modulator. “Impressive.”

I didn’t respond, keeping my blade at the ready.

“You’ve come for the Ascended, haven’t you?” he asked, stepping closer. The gate opened behind him, revealing a glowing, ethereal light. “Foolish move.”

Before I could reply, he lunged.

His blade clashed against mine, the impact sending a jolt up my arm. He was fast—too fast. Activating Light Step, I dodged his follow-up strike and countered with a flurry of my own. He parried each one, his movements precise and calculated.

“Who are you?” I demanded, locking blades with him.

He laughed, the sound low and menacing. “Just a gatekeeper. You’ll find out soon enough what lies beyond.”

With a burst of strength, he shoved me back, creating distance. Raising his free hand, he activated an ability. The ground beneath me glowed red, and I barely had time to dodge as spikes shot up, narrowly missing me.

This wasn’t a normal player. His abilities weren’t in any class tree I’d seen before.

“You’re stalling,” I said, circling him.

“Maybe,” he replied. “Or maybe I’m just enjoying the last moments of your sanity.”

I didn’t give him the chance to follow through. Charging forward, I feinted left before slashing right. My blade caught his side, and his HP bar dipped, though not by much. He retaliated with a spinning strike that clipped my shoulder, my own HP bar flashing yellow.

The fight was brutal, every swing and dodge a test of endurance and skill. Finally, with a perfectly timed parry, I broke through his defenses. My blade sank into his chest, and he staggered back, his HP bar draining to zero.

As he fell, the gate behind him swung open fully, the light intensifying. His body dissolved into code, leaving only his voice behind.

“Welcome to the wisdom of gods,” he said, his tone mocking. “You’ll wish you never came here.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped through the gate. The teleportation sequence dragged me through rapidly shifting skyboxes: verdant forests, barren wastelands, endless ocean skies. Finally, my surroundings resolved into a dark, jagged cave. The soft sound of dripping water and the faint echoes of footsteps greeted me, underscored by a chilling drone of what I soon realized was chanting.

Proximity Voice Chat Activated.

Whispers melded into words as I moved deeper, crouching to avoid detection. The glow of torches spilled through the cavern ahead, revealing a massive amphitheater carved into the rock. Hundreds of players were gathered, each adorned with the title Ascended. Their names above their heads glitched into unreadable Wingdings, clearly manipulated by illicit code. My lips curled in distaste.

At the center of this madness, elevated on a makeshift dais, stood the instigator of it all: Takahiro Sakaguchi.

The Sermon of MadnessHe was an avatar of arrogance—a long, black robe adorned with gaudy gold accents and glowing crimson eyes. His voice boomed through the cavern, dripping with false reverence.

"You gather today to receive my wisdom! Soon, we shall ascend those deemed unworthy. Those who resist will join the collective, willingly or not! Fear not, my chosen, for you undertake a task that will transcend games, humanity, everything! We shall—"

I dropped from the shadows, landing with a flourish directly in front of his dais. The sound of my boots against stone silenced the room, every glitchy head snapping toward me. Takahashi’s sermon came to an abrupt halt, and his glowing eyes narrowed.

"You..." he hissed, his voice low but boiling with rage.

"Yeah, me," I spat back, my voice carrying venomous disdain. I jabbed a finger at him. "Have you told them what happens if they fail to comply, you little criminal? Told them about the kid in Osaka whose eyes were burned out by your corrupted code? Or how you’re playing god by hijacking their EternaLinks for your own selfish revenge fantasy?"

A ripple of confusion swept through the crowd. Murmurs broke out among the Ascended, some shifting uncomfortably. Takahashi's composure cracked.

"How dare you!" he roared, his voice echoing with digital distortion. "I have given them power! Power they chose! Not threats—gifts! They stand here because they are worthy!"

I chuckled darkly, drawing my sword. The polished blade gleamed in the torchlight.

"You want power? Earn it like the rest of us," I growled. "This game is about freedom, about overcoming challenges—not handing your soul over to a pissed-off NEET who's salty at the devs."

A private message flashed on my interface:

Keep him occupied. We've traced his location, but we need you to engage him to deploy a Code Injector in your inventory. It’ll tag his avatar with malware, exposing him to the authorities. Target him directly—don’t engage the crowd.

I opened my inventory quickly, finding the Code Injector. A sleek, glowing attachment for my blade appeared, its timer ticking ominously at 999 seconds. I attached it to the hilt of my sword and took a deep breath.

"Alright, Takahiro Sakaguchi" I called, my voice dripping with challenge. "Let’s see if your stolen power holds up against someone who actually earned theirs. Or are you too much of a coward to face me?"

His avatar warped with a sickening animation, morphing into a massive, muscled figure clad in obsidian armor. His long black hair flowed wildly, and in his hands materialized an impossibly large blade—a twisted, jagged monstrosity resembling a dragon's spine.

"You’ll regret those words, worm," he snarled.

The amphitheater erupted as he lunged, his massive blade cleaving through the air like a falling meteor. I sidestepped just in time, the impact cracking the stone beneath me. Takahashi was fast—unnaturally so.

Before I could recover, he chanted a spell. Fireballs launched from his fingertips, but as they arced, they fragmented into dozens of smaller, homing projectiles. I rolled, zigzagging to avoid them, but a few grazed me, eating into my health bar.

"Pathetic!" he bellowed, closing the gap again.

I activated my counter—Abundant Step of the Pact. A surge of shadow propelled me forward, and I struck him hard with my blade. Dark Pact: Stamina Drain, Mana Drain, HP Drain activated simultaneously, siphoning his energy into mine. The Code Injector hummed ominously, embedding itself into his avatar.

"What... what have you done?!" he screamed, dropping to one knee as his avatar glitched and warped. His movements became sluggish, his attacks delayed.

"Just evening the odds," I said, smirking.

He swung his massive sword in desperation. I dodged and followed up with Impaling Strike, driving my blade through his chest and pinning him to the stone floor. Sparks erupted from his glitched avatar as the Code Injector did its work, flooding his system with corrupted data.

"You... you traitor!" he gasped, his voice distorting as his health bar drained.

I leaned close, my tone ice-cold. "This isn’t betrayal—it’s justice. Enjoy the cops, Takahiro."

As his avatar disintegrated into a pixelated mess, Sato’s message appeared in my interface:

He’s in custody. The operation was a success. Thanks for your help.

I turned to the stunned crowd. "I’d suggest you all log out and rethink your life choices. Your ‘god’ just got fried."

One by one, the players disappeared, logging out in silence—except one.

He lingered, his glitchy form cloaked in black smoke. His malice was palpable.

"We’ll meet again," he growled, his voice low and venomous. "And when we do, I’ll have a coffin ready."

With that, he vanished into the shadows.

I returned to the Safe Zone on Floor 60, exhaustion washing over me. Stepping into the tavern, I spotted a woman sitting alone at a table. Her nameplate read Sato (GM) with her level marked as ???.

She smiled and motioned for me to join her.

"Odd that we never hear phones through headsets," she said as I sat. "Just wanted to thank you for your help. Those coerced into the Ascended have had their EternaLinks patched. Oh, and I replaced that bugged orb in your inventory."

She was referring to the ??? Orb. I opened my inventory to find its replacement: Orb of Ascent.

"Use it wisely," she added. "With it, you can descend to the bottom of the Lower Dungeon—or ascend to the Upper Dungeon. Your choice." she logged out with a smile. I logged as well, stretching and turning on the news.

The broadcast began with an ominous tone, the soft hum of tense strings weaving through the background as the anchor appeared. Her expression was grave, her voice steady but weighted with unease.

“In what authorities are calling an unprecedented breach of digital and personal safety, police have apprehended Takahiro Sakaguchi, a former developer of the groundbreaking Full-Dive MMORPG Age of Eternity. Sakaguchi was accused of orchestrating a sophisticated and highly dangerous malware operation, weaponizing the very technology that powers the immersive virtual reality experience.”

The screen shifted to footage of the arrest: officers in tactical gear storming a dimly-lit apartment. The room was a chaotic mess of tangled cables, flickering monitors, and scrawled diagrams on the walls. The faint glow of code danced on the screens, with glimpses of Age of Eternity’s interface overlaid with corrupted imagery.

“According to investigators, Sakaguchi’s malware exploited vulnerabilities in the EternaLink VR headsets, causing the devices to overheat to dangerous levels. This malicious code led to severe injuries, including the case of a teenager in Osaka who suffered irreversible damage to his eyesight.”

The anchor leaned slightly forward, her tone sharpening as she delivered the next detail.

“When questioned, Sakaguchi confessed to his involvement, stating he was part of something far larger and more insidious. In his chilling words to authorities:

‘You don’t get it. This is just the beginning. I’m just the first step. The real architects? They’ll make the game your reality. And when they do, you won’t even know you’re already lost.’”

The footage cut back to the anchor, her eyes narrowing slightly as she continued.

“The implications of Sakaguchi’s statement have sent shockwaves through both the gaming and cybersecurity communities. While the developers of Age of Eternity work tirelessly to address vulnerabilities, many now question just how deep this conspiracy runs—and what might still be hidden in the game’s code.”

The image on the screen transitioned to the familiar logo of Age of Eternity, its edges flickering as though corrupted. Shadows seemed to spill outward, giving the impression of something alive and watching.

“Authorities warn all players to remain vigilant, urging them to update their headsets immediately and report any suspicious activity. And yet, the central mystery remains—if Sakaguchi wasn’t acting alone, who are the architects he alluded to? And just how far are they willing to go to see their plans realized?”

The background music faded, replaced by an unnerving silence. The anchor’s voice dropped to a chilling near-whisper.

“And in a final, unsettling twist, just days after his arrest, Takahiro Sakaguchi was found dead in his cell. Authorities report his eyes appeared to have been burned from the inside, and his body bore dozens of unexplained lacerations. The investigation is ongoing.”

The screen cut to black for a moment before a cold, metallic logo of the news channel appeared, accompanied by a discordant hum. The broadcast ended, leaving an oppressive silence in its wake.

I knew then... That this wasn't over.

END OF THE FIRST ARC: THE ARRIVAL OF THE MASTER BUILDER