Chapitre 1: Prologue
In a luxurious mansion, a young man sat in front of his desktop computer, looking extremely bored. He leaned back in his gaming chair, resting his head on his hands.
The room around him was a testament to his achievements: walls adorned with certificates, shelves lined with trophies, and a glass cabinet displaying medals from every imaginable competition.
"This is so boring... isn't there anything exciting happening right now?" he muttered, his voice flat as he stared at the ornate ceiling.
"I've done everything—from skydiving to going to space, winning every competition there is, and more. Is there nothing left for me to do? I might die of boredom at this rate," he sighed, a hint of despair creeping into his tone.
As a genius who could excel at anything he tried, he had accomplished feats that most could only dream of. But this success had left him feeling empty and dispassionate about life. The thrill of achieving had long since faded.
"If only the scenarios from comics and novels happened in real life... that would be exciting," he mumbled wistfully, though he knew, that such fantasies were highly improbable.
Suddenly, a notification popped up on his computer, causing his eyebrows to rise in surprise and interest. He quickly checked the message.
[Nexodia: Great Sage! Log into the Exgate-Online now! There's a massive event happening between Ruphas and the seven top players!]
"Ruphas and the others?" he muttered, surprised, not expecting his close friend, which is Ruphas to be involved in something big.
[Mercurius: What's going on? What event are they doing now?]
[Nexodia: Just get online and log into the game! You'll see for yourself!]
Seeing the urgency in the response, the young man with the username 'Mercurius' immediately opened the game and logged in with his account.
Speaking of games, Exgate-Online was the only source of entertainment that relieved his boredom.
Released in 2027, the game quickly became a sensation due to its unique systems that couldn't be found in other games.
One of its unique features was the [War System], which allowed players to create their own territories and nations, and battle against other players to expand their domains.
Another distinctive feature was the [Novel System], where all player actions and their short stories could be officially incorporated into the game's history without any charge!
Additionally, the extensive character customization offered millions of combinations, causing players to spend a lot of time perfecting their avatars.
It was no surprise that Exgate-Online became the most successful game in the world, with only a handful of players quitting even after its sixth anniversary!
Ren, thanks to his genius talent, easily became the number one strongest player in the game.
He was known as the 'Great Sage' among the players because of his YouTube guide videos, which effectively and clearly explained how to defeat bosses and monsters. These guides helped many struggling players, earning him respect and the honorable title of 'Great Sage.'
Once logged into the game, Ren immediately saw his avatar and couldn't help but smile with pride.
His avatar, Mercurius, was an androgynous man with long, dark blue hair tied in a ponytail. He wore an elegant black robe, a crisp white shirt, a black tie, and white gloves.
This avatar was a perfect replica of a character from his favorite series in his previous life, a series called 'Shinza Bansho,' which boasted the strongest cosmology in all Japanese and global fiction.
Yes, Ren was a reincarnator. Although his memories were partial and incomplete, it was a fact that he had been reborn! A phenomenon that should have been impossible in reality and only appeared in fictional stories like comics and novels.
Ren remembered that his previous life had the same name as his current one, but there were differences in his world. Many exciting fictional series existed there that didn't exist in this world, or 'Earth.'
Apart from these differences, most information about his current and previous worlds remained the same. He lived on planet Earth in the Solar System and was born in Japan, and even the world's history was similar.
"So quiet... It seems like this event is so big and exciting that it drew everyone in," Ren muttered, observing the unusually empty lobby area, which was usually bustling with players.
His curiosity grew, and he sent a message to his friend.
[Mercurius: Where is the event happening? I don't see anyone in the lobby.]
[Nexodia: Hurry to Ruphas' Tower! Everyone is there right now!]
Seeing the message, Ren immediately activated his mage class character's teleportation skill to travel to the location.
In an instant, his character appeared at the tower, greeted by a chaotic and intense battle scene. Countless unique characters of different classes and jobs were fighting against large stone monsters, which appeared to be golems.
The fierce battle between the various races and the overwhelming number of monsters felt like an epic war in a fantasy world, where humans and other races joined forces to fight against the Demon King for the sake of peace.
Even Ren's heart was pounding, and he took a deep breath, feeling the epic atmosphere of the battle. He wanted to jump into the fray, but he restrained his impulse because there were more important things he needed to do.
[Mercurius: I'm here, but where are Ruphas and the seven top players?]
[Nexodia: While everyone is fighting Ruphas' army, the seven top players are likely confronting Ruphas alone near the tower! I don't know exactly where they are because I'm busy fighting the golems. You'll have to find them yourself.]
Ren quickly activated all his stealth skills, like 'Invisibility' and 'Presence Hiding,' to avoid being targeted by Ruphas' forces before he started searching.
Speaking of Ruphas' forces, they weren't all golems. There were also twelve powerful monsters equivalent to or stronger than typical monsters or bosses.
These twelve monsters were Ruphas' tamed beasts, known as 'The Twelve Heavenly Stars,' each named after a zodiac sign, with unique and incredibly strong abilities.
Their presence made it extremely difficult for the players, and many had fallen due to their overwhelming power. Truly, it wasn't surprising that this scene was reminiscent of an epic battle against the Demon King to onlookers.
Back to the young man.
After searching around Ruphas' tower, he finally found his target: Ruphas, currently engaged in a battle with the seven top players. True to her title as the strongest player in the game, Ruphas was holding her ground against their coordinated attacks.
Various spells and skills were launched at Ruphas, but she calmly countered and dodged them. The young man watched silently, curious about the outcome of the battle.
As Ruphas' friend, of course, he wanted to help, but he knew this battle was a planned scenario by Ruphas and the others. He didn't want to ruin it by interfering.
So he waited patiently until the scenario played out.
"This is the end, Ruphas! Soon, you'll run out of energy and magic from our forbidden spells!" shouted one of the players, glaring at an elegant, beautiful woman with long blonde hair, ruby-red eyes, and dark black wings, exuding an aura of grace and authority.
"You fools, did you think such spells could stop me?" Ruphas retorted with an arrogant smirk, and the spells binding her shattered instantly.
Everyone was shocked but quickly composed themselves. One of the party members, the warrior who had spoken earlier, saw an opportunity. His eyes lit up, and he swiftly rushed forward, slashing at Ruphas with his greatsword.
Caught off guard, Ruphas barely managed to block the attack with her arms. But at the same time, all the party members' eyes lit up, seeing their chance.
"Now!" shouted an elf party member urgently, activating their trump card.
[Hyperspace Seal]
A seal began to form around Ruphas, space starting to close in on her, forming a black sphere that gradually shrank, enveloping her.
Seeing this, Ruphas paused for a moment before snorting. "Hmph! That was splendid, Heroes. You did well in proving you could surpass me!"
With a proud smile still on her beautiful face, she continued, "If it's you, maybe you can win against that efreet!" and disappeared as the black sphere completely enveloped her.
A moment of silence enveloped the scene, but it was quickly broken by the party members' cheers of joy. "We did it, guys! We finally defeated Ruphas and freed everyone from her control!"
"We did it! I can't believe we defeated her!"
They continued to celebrate, feeling like true heroes from a fictional story who had just vanquished the Demon King or final boss.
However, seeing their elation, a wild idea formed in the young man's mind. With a smirk on his face, he decided to act on it.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Heroes who have defeated the final boss? What an interesting situation you all are in now," he said, suddenly appearing in front of the party.
His sudden appearance shocked everyone. They had never expected Mercurius, the 'Great Sage,' to show up right after they had defeated Ruphas.
"Great Sage! Why are you here?!"
"Why am I here? Am I not allowed to be? Hahaha," he chuckled. The party members were utterly confused by this unexpected turn of events. After all, there had been no scenario or plan involving Mercurius appearing in their storyline.
But, as professional role-players, they quickly adapted and acted as if this was all part of the planned scenario.
"Hurry up and tell us! What's your plan now?!"
"Plan?" he chuckled, then continued, "I plan to defeat you all and conquer the entire kingdom now that Ruphas is out of the way. Finally, that annoying obstacle is gone!" He snorted heavily as if irritated by Ruphas' existence.
Everyone was shocked but also admired Mercurius for creating such a dramatic and believable scenario.
"Y-You! I never thought the Great Sage, someone as noble as you, would have such grand motives! I've misjudged you completely, Great Sage!" shouted one of the members, glaring at Mercurius. But Mercurius only snorted in response.
"Well then... You must all defeat me, or the fate of all creatures will revert to what it was under Ruphas' tyranny!" He grinned, and the party immediately readied themselves for battle.
But before the fight could begin, Mercurius' avatar suddenly vanished, leaving everyone shocked and confused as they looked around at each other.
"Well... where did the Great Sage go?" one person asked.
"Maybe... he disconnected? I think?" another member replied uncertainly. One thing was for sure: the disappearance of Mercurius left the atmosphere strange and awkward.
On the other side, the young man was startled to see his screen suddenly change. An NPC GM named Alovenus, who usually appeared to announce game events, now stood before him, presenting a quest-like request.
```
[I shall offer you a new role.
Do you accept it?
YES/NO]
```
"What the heck? Why did she suddenly appear? And what's this quest? Could this be a hidden quest that hasn't appeared for anyone else?" he wondered aloud, his excitement growing at the thought of accidentally discovering a hidden quest.
With a curious smile, he clicked "Yes." Suddenly, a blinding bright light enveloped his screen, forcing him to close his eyes. At the same time, a strange sensation washed over him.
"Frieren-sama, are you sure this is okay?" a concerned girl's voice echoed nearby.
Huh? This voice? Why does it sound so clear, as if it's not coming from my headphones?
"Don't worry, Fren, this magic is harmless. Look! It's working now!" shouted another girl, full of excitement.
After a few moments, the light began to fade, and the young man opened his eyes. His eyes widened in shock as he found himself in a new place, with two beautiful girls staring at him curiously.
What the heck?
— Un nouveau chapitre arrive bientôt — Écrire un avis
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone