"At first we laughed at Dynasties Online, then came terror, helplessness, greed, until finally we all willingly or not – took part in the constant conflict."

"All this stemmed from that fateful day."

"The announcement of Dynasties Online."

Lee Smith, CEO of Emart

…..

Rain beat down on a lonely figure standing before 2 snow-white marble graves lay before them, a mix of pink and purple flowers drip clear rainwater onto the cracked concrete below. Rigid ice-cold hands hold the strong oak handle united to the pitch-black protective canopy, which hung motionless overhead as the relentless rain pitter-pattered down the spiked edges.

The young man, seemingly unbothered by the downpour of liquid around him, his turquoise eyes mesmerised in nostalgia as his chestnut brown hair blows softly in the breeze. The rounded face stared softly at the marble grave, his mouth curved into a slight frown as a tsunami of memories break his normally cold and stoic demeanour as wisps of unattended facial hair bereft of care adorn the lower part of his face and jaw. A white shirt meets with the sleek black suit, providing polite protection for his body as he is lost in the sea of memories, its violent waves crashing into his mind.

"Young master James?"

"Young master James?"

An older man said, repeating himself a little louder than before, standing a few meters away from the figure, a long black fur-trimmed coat draped over one arm. The lonely figure, a young 30-year-old man, paying respect to those who have long passed away, seems to snap out of his stupor as he looks over at the old butler standing a few meters away.

"It was 15 years ago today, wasn't it?"

"Yes, young master…."

"It was."

The old butler had a downcast look on his face as he stood under the unrelenting rain.

"It was not your fault, young master."

Said the butler trying to comfort him.

'Even after all these years….

'He still blames himself.'

The old butler thought to himself as he stood a respectful distance away from the young man.

James turned to the butler, his cold expression returning as he asked the white-haired man.

"Are the preparations ready, Julius?"

He asked, his voice like a sheet of ice on a frozen peak.

"Yes, young master, everything is prepared. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Do it!"

"Yes, young master."

The butler said, a worried expression on his wrinkled face.

…..

"Tap Tap Click!"

A large yawn came from a young 18-year-old man whose dark brown eyes are focusing on the computer in front of him as he moved his units on the screen like a spider building a meticulous maze-like web as he patiently waits for its prey.

'Whose bright idea was it to have lectures at 9 in the morning?'

The young man complained in his mind as he played on the gaming laptop in front of him as he was going through a routine battle on State Conflict Three Kingdoms, a game where you build up a dynasty on a campaign map where you manage lands and create armies which you then command in real-time on a strategic battlefield looking down from overhead. In the current battle that the man was fighting, he was going through State Conflict Tactics 101.

'Lure them to attack with trebs, hold them with infantry, defeat their cav with our better ones and then hit them from behind with our remaining cav rinse repeat victory.'

'Finally, use our OP heroes to kill their heroes and auto-resolve when you find yourself fighting their OP heroes.'

As he thought that, he absentmindedly ordered his cavalry to charge into the back of the AI enemies after the other side's cavalry was taken care of. This eventually led to a rout and the young man won the battle and an overlay popped up in front of him.

[Decisive Victory]

The overlay read as his stiff shoulders relaxed and a sigh escaped his mouth before yawning loudly again.

'I really should go to bed earlier than 3 am.'

He thought to himself as he stood up from his blue plastic chair, left his room and went towards the kitchen down a narrow corridor to make dinner and began to make sausage, chips and beans, first getting chips out of the freezer and putting them on a tray to put into the oven. After 5 minutes of waiting for his meal to cook, the door opened and a clean-shaven black-haired man came into the room with a smile on his face and piercing blue eyes, looking over the microwave oven before saying. '

"Hey, Reg making sausage chips and beans again."

"Yep, it's simple and easy to make while being plain enough for my taste. What about you? What is your plan for tea today?"

The young 18-year-old Reginald asked back. The man was Carter, one of his few friends in the student halls accommodation he lives in as a first-year university student.

"Curry. How the lecture go?"

"Slept through half of it and was put to sleep by the other half."

"By the way, Reg…."

"That VR game you were interested in for having a realistic world has made the news something about being able to make money in the game while not being able to buy in-game currency directly from the company."

Carter said as rains stopped and orange rays of light from the setting sun shone like a beacon through the double-glazed windows, its soft warmth relaxing the two men as they worked in the light.

"Not like we will be able to afford it! The tech needed to play such games is unavailable to people like us."

Reginald said in a depressed tone.

"What's the unemployment rate these days, like 25%?"

Reginald asked

"30% last time I checked but that's irrelevant."

"You see, that's the thing…."

Carter said excitedly.

"We will be able to play it! They announced that those with lower incomes could rent the minimum gear required to play the game. Even those without a job and living off UBI will be able to afford it, while those who have the money will have to pay the full price! Of course, you must bring some sort of evidence that you are on such schemes or such a low income to get it!"

"You're not joking, right?"

Reginald said suspiciously

"This is not a scam, is it?"

"How will the company make money and be able to keep up the servers if people are making money from the game and have to pay very little for the product?"

Carter shrugged his shoulders as he replied

"No idea you're the business student! Is that not your expertise? But does it matter as long as we can make a bit of money out of it and it is guaranteed by the Larants and for them, reputation is everything. Even if they go bankrupt, they will make sure to pay their debts!"

"Anyhow, there is an announcement at 7 pm tonight if you are interested. Apparently, James Larent, the CEO of the gaming company and head of all their associated businesses, is the one doing it."

"He is…."

Reginald said in deep thought.

"This game must be something major then."

"6:20 right now. Tea should be ready in 30ish minutes…."

"Meaning we should be able to eat while watching the broadcast."

"Sounds good"

Carter said as they prepared tea and began to watch the broadcast.

…..

In a high-rise building in the centre of London with large glass-paned windows, a party was happening attended by some of the most influential people in the country. Multicoloured lights shine down from the crystal disco ball hanging from the ceiling as many wealthy young men enjoy a life of debauchery with the help of their shares in differing businesses.

However, there was a strange man in the gathering who radiated a coldness that should not be present in such a place of happiness, sitting in the corner of the large open ballroom unmoved by the upbeat jazz music coming from the stage as it started to play some of the latest hits from music artists across the world.

As the man began to fade into the background of the party and the dancing stopped differing people of wealth and status began to set off into smaller groups to chat and socialise. It is on these occasions that connections and deals can be made, which could even have wide-ranging effects.

Among these groups was a small gathering of young men no older than 30 who were heirs or leaders of different companies and were making merry and talking about recent events, which were close enough for the cold-looking man to hear as they spoke amongst themselves.

The cold man looked at his watch as he went on his phone, got up the CCB news network and looked up 'dynasties online' in the search bar, and found the announcement for this new game.

'What are you planning, James, my old friend.' The cold man sighed as he thought to himself.

'You are not one to announce things lightly. What have you been hiding from the world for the last 12 years? Even giving up a first on your business degree so you could spend more time on it and hide it even from me.'

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the laughing coming from the small group of young people near his little corner of the room however, in that little group, there was one slightly older person that was not laughing.

"What's that idiot brat James doing now, a game where you can sell your in-game currency for money but not the other way round? He must be going mad!"

Said one of the young scions.

"Exactly what kind of business model is this? Even if he can get money back through the subscription to the game and selling and renting of the helmet, it's not sustainable to think that he was seen as talented as expected for a person who failed to get even a 2/1 on his business course."

Another added.

"Hey, do you think this will lead to a loss of assets for his family and may lead to opportunities for us to take advantage of this? What if we made him lose money constantly through us playing his game and making money off it?"

A third one said, drinking from his small martini.

"If the family goes into decline, then we will have the ability to gain some shares in his companies that he has been so reluctant to give up and make a nice profit for ourselves."

The first man said while they all laughed but one together, talking about different businesses that James owned that they were planning to crush or acquire.

"That new car company looks nice, and hasn't he set up businesses in almost every sector and industry? What was it called again?"

"Larent Motors."

"Yep, that was it! I have got my eye on that company as it could be competition for mine in the future, especially as they are trying to make it so that the battery in the electric car can last longer."

"That idiot has also expanded into many different industries as his supermarket company looks like something nice to acquire."

"Appears we are all going to make a nice profit from this." said the second person who talked earlier while laughing.

"Are you sure there is not something that you are missing? A businessman who has never made a mistake before this, is suddenly seemingly making one. Does this not seem at all suspicious to you?"

The one who did not laugh said to the group with a serious expression, trying to figure out the purpose behind this seemingly bad and stupid move.

'Something is suspicious about this Dynasties Online game. I am going to have to keep an eye on it, though with James behind it, I was going to do that anyway.' He thought to himself before his thoughts were interrupted by one of the 5 people in the small group.

"Chairmen Lee, we know that you are friends with that eccentric James guy alongside that cold bastard over there, so you will want to defend them, but tell us how this cannot be a mistake on his part."

One said to Chairmen Lee.

"I don't know. All I know is that everything James has done so far has been successful and meticulously planned. He would not release this, especially something he has worked on for 12 years without reason."

Chairmen Lee responded to them, knowing his friend and his frightening capabilities.

"See, not even you can see the logic behind James' move. Not wanting to socialise with us is one thing as long as he has been making semi-logical moves with his companies and investments, however this is an instance where he is not and is a huge risk to him and his assets."

"Just watch and see how we take his assets and businesses away from him! We will punish him for being so arrogant as to not even try to socialise with the big business circles. Who does he think he is?"

"A genius?"

"Don't make me laugh! He could not even get a first on his university course!"

A different person from the group said as if it was funny.

Chairmen Lee sighed and started to walk over to the cold man in the corner after getting a bottle of red wine from the bar and navigating himself through the maze-like groups of people that occupy the building and picking up 2 glasses as he thought to himself.

'Bunch of idiots with heads up their asses! To not even be suspicious when someone makes what seems like a weird and illogical move and not even to investigate the reasons behind it. It seems sucking on the tit of wealth and privilege has degraded the abilities of some of the businessmen these days and has sent them into decline.'

The cold man had just finished searching and finding the broadcast that would begin in 4 minutes when he heard footsteps coming towards him and he looked up at his phone to see the 6-foot 2 chairmen lee towering over him, a smile on his face as his light brown eyes look softly over his friend.

"How's our king of the arctic doing?"

Chairmen Lee asked his old friend Theodore called Theo by his friends observing that he is preoccupied with his phone usual.

"Browsing the web looking at the news."

Theo said nonchalantly back, his expression no longer as cold as before after seeing Chairmen Lee arrive, his Icey blue eyes made even the bravest man shiver by the coldness they seem to radiate however, Chairmen Lee used to it looked calmly into them.

Theo then replied with his own question.

"You?" Theo asked, his eyes squinting in concentration and saying the question in a much friendlier tone to his long-time friend.

"Socialising and talking about the news. Honestly, if you're going to come to these gatherings, at least make some connections with the other wealthy and powerful people, you can't just leave me to do the heavy lifting."

Chairmen Lee complained to his friend as he took a seat next to him and placed the bottle of red wine on the table.

"I would if any were worth talking to! At least I come to these gatherings unlike that person and give my respect to them. At least some of the old monsters are worth my time, so be thankful for that."

Theo said, sitting back relaxedly.

"Am I not worth talking to?"

Chairmen Lee asked in jest.

"The only one who is in this den of debauchery and stupidity."

Theo responded

"Is red still your favourite?"

Chairmen Lee asked, removing the cork from the bottle, pouring it into the 2 glasses in front of him, and passing one over to Theo.

Theo just smiled at his friend and held up his glass to his friend as they both drank the sweet fruity taste of the whine exploding in their mouths, relaxing them as they continued their conversation.

"So that guy's finally moving."

Theo said in a serious tone.

"Yep, it seems the world will be put into upheaval again after 15 years."

Chairmen Lee sighed and said back.

"It's that monster after all. Even I must surrender to him when it comes to ambition and ability."

Putting his smartphone on a stand in the middle of the oak wood table with the live news of CCB live streaming with 30 seconds left until the broadcast started, he put 1 wireless headphone in his ear as he held another one out in his hand toward Chairmen Lee.

"Interested?"

Theo asked his friend.

Chairmen Lee had a slight smile on his face as he took the headphone and sat next to his friend as the stream began to start.

....

Authors note: please read the author's note if you haven't already as it explains the release schedule and more about the overview of the novel itself.