The city lights flickered against the night sky, a dazzling contrast to the quietude of Ren's dimly lit apartment. The muffled sounds of traffic and distant chatter barely reached him as he lay in bed, completely immersed in his dreams.
[Alarm Buzz]
A loud ringing cut through the silence.
[Ping! Ping! Ping!]
With a groggy groan, Ren fumbled around and lazily tapped his phone.
[Tap]
"Nggh… Hahh…" He stretched, cracking his stiff joints, his eyes still half-lidded with exhaustion.
Rubbing his face, he dragged himself to the bathroom. The cool water against his skin jolted him awake as he brushed his teeth. After a quick rinse, he wiped the foggy mirror and smirked.
"Damn, I look handsome."
A few minutes later, Ren settled into his desk chair, booting up his computer. His cursor hovered over a tab before clicking into a discussion forum for Sky of Elysium, a massively popular MMORPG that had recently gone viral for its immersive story.
[Discussion Forum]
VercaJoke: When's the new update dropping? My ass is itching for new content.
★ 8.3k Likes | 78 Dislikes | 688 Replies
Mumemepepe: Bruh, just chill and wait.
★ 655 Likes | 0 Dislikes | 94 Replies
Bubu44: This game is trash, the devs are trash, the community is trash—F** this game.
★ 20 Likes | 7.9k Dislikes | 5k Comments
Ren raised an eyebrow, amused by the sheer stupidity of some users. "Who the hell is this no-life idiot calling himself Bubu44? Just quit if you hate it so much."
As he scrolled, a new notification popped up.
[Developer has joined the Forum.]
Nulo22: HOLY SHIT, IT'S THE DEV!
MkMKML: UPDATE FINALLY??? ._. OwO
HireRight: Hire me.
Ren chuckled before typing a message himself.
[Developer]: Hello, players. We're excited to announce that the new update will launch in two hours. We hope you all enjoy the new content.
The forum exploded into chaos.
Satisfied, Ren closed the tab and opened Sky of Elysium.
[An Admin has joined the game.]
ToBeLant: YO, AN ADMIN IS HERE!
SheeshImGuga: IS THE UPDATE FINALLY HAPPENING?!
A system message flashed across the screen:
[Server will restart in 2 hours. All players will be kicked for maintenance.]
ToBeLant has been kicked.
SheeshImGuga has been kicked.
GigaMonke has been kicked.
As names disappeared one by one, Ren leaned back in his chair. His stomach growled.
Grabbing his wallet, he headed out to the nearest convenience store. The cold air nipped at his skin as he scrolled through his phone.
[Balance: $23,659]
"Enough to last the year," he muttered, relieved.
As he approached the crosswalk, the pedestrian light flashed green. He stepped forward—
VRROOOOM!!!
A blaring horn. A flash of headlights.
His body froze.
BOOM!
The impact sent his body flying. Blood splattered onto the pavement. The surrounding crowd screamed in horror.
Darkness.
When Ren opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by an eerie void. His mind reeled.
"Did I… just die?"
The next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a grand city—one straight out of a fantasy RPG. Towering medieval structures, streets bustling with people in cloaks and armor, and a massive castle looming in the distance.
An old man, dressed in all black, walked past him.
"Excuse me," Ren called out. "Where am I?"
The elderly man gave him a puzzled look. "This is the Kingdom of Taturnia."
Ren's breath hitched. That name… it was from Sky of Elysium!
'No way… This can't be real…'
Desperate for confirmation, he pressed on. "How many kingdoms exist in this world?"
The old man stroked his beard. "There are eight. The Kingdom of Taturnia is the largest, home to the awakened heroes who keep watch over the Demon Territory."
As the old man spoke, Ren's gaze drifted—until he spotted her.
A stunning woman, easily in her early twenties. If models from his world stood next to her, they wouldn't even compare. Golden eyes, an hourglass figure, and an aura of pure elegance.
"Grandpa! I got the magic potion you asked for!" The woman smiled before glancing at Ren. "Oh? Is this your friend?"
The old man chuckled. "He's a well-mannered young man. Ah, I forgot to ask—what's your name?"
Ren hesitated before answering.
"…Ren Kisaragi. Nice to meet you."
The girl's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "I'm Chloe! The granddaughter of Leonis Atsandra."
Ren's heart stopped.
Leonis Atsandra… the legendary potion crafter from Sky of Elysium?!
His mind raced. Was he really in his own game?
'Shit… Did I seriously get transported into Sky of Elysium?'
Then, another thought struck him.
'Wait… if this world is my game, then that means—'
[Opening User Profile...]
Name: Ren Kisaragi
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Level: 1
Occupation: None
Skill: Admin
Ren's eyes widened.
[Skill Information]
Skill Name: Admin
Ability: Grants the user full access to all system commands within the game.
Description: Allows the user to modify stats, spawn items, acquire skills, and alter reality at will.
Ren stared at the screen, then grinned.
"This… this is OP as hell."
The realization sank in.
In his past life, he had dealt with toxic players and mind-numbing game development.
But now?
Now, he was God in this world.
His grin widened.
"This… is going to be fun."
[Welcome to Sky of Elysium.]
"Hah... Now that I'm in my own game, I want to try this skill." Ren smirked, his heart pounding with excitement.
"Activate Admin Skill!"
BEEP! BEEP!
A translucent menu popped up in front of him, resembling a developer console.
"Wow... If I remember correctly, the currency here is gold. Give me 1,000 Gold!"
FWOOOSH!—CLANG CLANG!
Just as he finished speaking, a pile of gold coins rained from the sky, scattering across the ground with a loud metallic clatter.
"Hahaha! Now... set all my levels to max!"
BEEP!
[Warning: Admin level is too low. Need to reach Level 5 of Admin Skill to have full control.]
"Shit! I forgot about this system! FUCK!" Ren gritted his teeth in frustration.
With a sigh, he composed himself. "Alright, let's see what I can do for now. Skill Level Info."
BEEP! Processing... completed.
A detailed system window appeared.
> [Skill Name: Admin]
[Level: 1]
[Level 1 Admin Power:]
Set level and stats to max 10
Give & remove skills freely
Generate common items (gold, materials, etc.)
Ren skimmed through the information, his eyes narrowing. "I see… so how do I level up?"
BEEP!
[To level up Admin Skill, you must complete Main Events. Each completed event grants XP towards your Admin Level.]
His interest was piqued. "Alright, what's the first event?"
BEEP!
[Main Event Unlocked: Befriend the Granddaughter of Leonis Atsandra.]
"Oh, that's the girl from earlier, right?"
[Correct. Since you were polite, you've already gained Leonis Atsandra's positive impression.]
Ren grinned. "So, I just need to befriend Chloe? Sounds easy."
[Upon completion, you will be rewarded with 1,000 XP.]
His grin froze. "Wait… how much XP do I need to reach Level 2?"
[5,000 XP.]
"5,000?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" His scream echoed through the empty streets.
[There are no shortcuts in this world, Host.]
"Ugh… fine. So where is she?"
[Main Event is currently locked. You must complete a Side Mission first.]
Ren felt a headache coming. "Of course… I forgot you need to unlock Main Events through side missions. What's my first task?"
BEEP!
[Side Mission: Retrieve the Ruby of Ascendancy.]
"What's so special about it?"
[Ruby of Ascendancy grants:
+30% Damage Buff
+20% Defense Buff
+15% Speed Buff]
Ren eyes widened. "That's insane!"
[However, the item is located inside the Cave of Unity, which requires a Guild License for entry. Trespassing will result in severe consequences.]
"Oh, right… I programmed it that way so the player can explore around the game. Dammit." He ran a hand through his hair. "Where's the nearest guild?"
[The closest guild is in Phoenix Kingdom—a two-day journey from here.]
"TWO DAYS?! OH HELL NAH!" He threw his hands up. "There's really no guild in this entire kingdom?!"
[Negative. The Kingdom of Tartunia has no guilds. Only Phoenix Kingdom has multiple.]
Ren slumped in defeat. "I made the game like this so players could explore… and now I regret it."
[BEEP! System is here to support you! :>]
Ren let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, thanks..."
[What is your next move, Host?]
Ren crossed his arms. "To avoid unnecessary fights, I need a horse… but if I summon too much gold, I'll mess up the economy. I guess we have no choice but to fight our way there."
[Recommended: Purchase armor, weapons, and supplies for the journey.]
"Good call. Where's the closest blacksmith?"
[Around the corner.]
"Alright, let's go."
[CLANG!—DING!]
The door to the blacksmith shop swung open, a small bell jingling above. Inside, the scent of burning metal filled the air. Behind the counter stood a towering man with rippling muscles, a full beard, and a hammer slung over his shoulder.
"Welcome, adventurer! What can I get you?"
Ren stepped forward. "What can I buy for 600 gold?"
The blacksmith stroked his beard. "Hmmm… You can get either a longsword or a katana. As for armor, I recommend this knight's suit—durable and high quality!"
Ren eyes gleamed. "I'll take the katana and armor."
"That'll be 400 gold!" The blacksmith laughed.
CLINK!
Ren tossed a heavy pouch onto the counter before grabbing his gear and heading out.
"Come again, adventurer! May the gods bless your journey!"
Ren adjusted the katana at his waist and smirked. "Now… let's see what this baby can do."
After purchasing food and water from a street vendor—a cheerful little girl selling apples and bo'el of wa'er.
"Hello there sweetie! Can I get 7 apple and 2 water please?" I asked the little girl sweetly.
"Sure thing mister! Here you go!" The little girl handed the stuff to me.
"Thank you!" Ren replied to the cute girl.
[New item stored.]
> 7 Apple
> 2 Water
Ren then made his way towards the city gates.
Just before leaving, a thought struck him. "This two-day journey is gonna be rough. Maybe I should—"
RUSTLE!
Ren ears perked up. Something was moving in the distance.
GRRRRRRRRHH!
His smirk widened. "Oh? Looks like we've got company."
[Host, are you sure you want to engage?]
"Heh… I've been waiting for a fight."
SHING!
Ren unsheathed his katana, its blade gleaming under the sunlight.
"Let's have some fun."
BEEP!
[Host, if you die I'll kill you myself. Final warning.]
"I get it I get it. Wait how are you supposed to even kill me if I die?" Ren said rubbing his head.
[Shut up.]
"Huh—" Before he could reply...
[SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!] — Damn the system be acting like your girlfrien-
"HERE I COME!" Ren ignored the system outburst and ready his stance to fight against his enemy.
______________
Yes, I know the Katana flaws and how it serves almost no (zero) purpose on real war okay! But hey C'mon it's for the "cliche" and "viral" you guys get it right....? RIGHT?!