Noah sat on the floor of his small room, the space ring resting in his palm. He pricked his finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto the cool metal.
The ring pulsed with a faint blue light, connecting with his spirit. He then opened it with his spirit, revealing its contents.
Inside, nestled on a bed of soft velvet, lay an envelope, a hammer shimmering with lightning energy, and a golden ticket.
Noah's breath caught in his throat as he read the text above the ticket.
[Name: Noah Walker]
[To: Shooting Star 00987]
[Sponsored by: Legendary Weaponsmith Evlin Rotchist]
With trembling hands, Noah opened the envelope.
"To Noah,
If you are reading this letter, that means I will be gone. Don't try to find me; you will waste your time. So, to the point.
I am really grateful to Mira for recommending you to me. If she hadn't, I would have missed a great talent.
When the ministry messaged me that another 'impossible' talent had appeared in the world, I had zero hope, thinking that this one would be no different from the hundreds that appeared in this decade.
But I was wrong. I watched how your attributes improved without a single dungeon run. I was sure you were different.
You are smart, hardworking, and above all, compassionate.
If not, you could have just run away with that skill shard, but you tried to save us two old men."
Noah suddenly shivered. Master Evlin found out, he screamed in his mind.
"Don't worry. What you did at that time was something we all would do in your situation.
Also, you weren't really stealing. You just picked up something that fool threw out. Anyway, I like you, and I am sure your Aunt Mira and Uncle Chen have the same feelings."
The handwriting in the letter became more beautiful as he continued reading.
"Noah, it's Aunt Mira,
Sorry to leave you without saying goodbye. But fret not, one day we will surely meet again. There is a ticket to a Shooting Star in the ring.
I think you know what a Shooting Star is from your Modrich's book, right?
There is also a weapon Evlin prepared for you; he's just shy to write that, haha.
Also, advance happy birthday, Noah! I hope that on your next birthday, you will have become a Rift Walker.
I am looking forward to seeing that. Take care of yourself on the Shooting Star.
It's a comparatively safe place, so you don't need to worry about dangers.
Don't neglect your theoretical studies. I swear that's so important.
Uncle Chen has nothing to say, but he has a surprise for you on the ground floor.
I hope… no, I am sure we will meet again. That will be in Solaris. Until then, goodbye.
Aunt Mira"
The letter finished with three crooked signatures.
Tears streamed down Noah's face. Even in his wildest dreams, he hadn't expected a chance to go to a Shooting Star bound for Solaris.
Shooting Stars were planets that continuously moved towards Solaris. They were treasure troves for Runners, with unlimited free dungeons.
Those who got the chance to train there, even if they failed to ascend and returned before reaching Solaris, became at least Tier 25.
Those who survived ascension became beings capable of ruling a dimension of planets.
Their current ruler was someone who had completed his ascension but failed the last challenge to reach Solaris.
It was the dream of every Rift Walker to reach Solaris, but it was impossible even to appear in the Ascension trials without a slot on one of the Shooting Stars.
For Noah, acquiring that slot had been absolutely impossible until now.
He clenched his fists. He had no idea how Master Evlin, Aunt Mira, and Uncle Chen had obtained a slot for him, but he was sure it hadn't been easy.
This was a chance they might have secured with great difficulty. Noah swore he would use it to its fullest.
He touched the hammer given by Master Evlin. A text appeared above it.
[A hammer made by Heart of Steel]
[A growth-type weapon]
Growth-type weapons were above gold rank. Noah was sure a weapon made by a legendary weaponsmith would be above all conventional weapons.
He clenched the hammer.
The ship to the Shooting Star was scheduled to depart tomorrow.
Noah had nothing to take except some of his clothes, which he stored in his storage ring before walking out of the room to see the surprise left by Uncle Chen.
After walking downstairs, he noticed the ground floor was empty. With a sense of doubt, he glanced around.
The door displayed a "closed" sign, and the chairs and tables were arranged neatly. But no one was there.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on the reception desk. There he saw a cake with lit candles. He walked towards it and saw his name written on the small cake.
His heart welled up with warmth. He extinguished the candles, cut the cake, and ate a piece. His tongue was enveloped by a sweet taste that reached his heart.
"Thank you…"
Thanks for everything, Noah said in the air, although no one was present.
Three shadows stood in a corner, watching him with smiles on their faces.
They disappeared after he ate all the cake.
"Chen, why don't you order some people to be here to celebrate with him?" a female voice sounded as the three people sat above Runners Hall, their legs swaying in the air.
Chen Guo smiled but said nothing. His gaze moved upwards, where a ship stealthily appeared.
"It's time for us to go," said Evlin Rotchist as he flew into the sky.
If anyone had looked at the sky now, they would have been horrified to see three people walking in the air.
But no one had the ability to follow the speed of their flight. Like shooting stars, the three figures disappeared.
Noah slept in his room, excited for his journey tomorrow.
A smile involuntarily appeared on his handsome face, which was painted by the moonlight sneaking through the windows.