Chapter 1 - A New Adventure Begins

After installing the game and spending hours looking at it without the power to initiate the game, it was finally time. The game servers opened.

During the launch, the game servers would open from 6 pm to 10 pm, but after the first day, the game servers would stay open for 8 hours, from 10 pm to 6 am.

The game had a system that allowed the players to play while sleeping, making it possible for everyone to play it fairly.

Not only that but there were a few bonuses if one missed a few days of logging in to allow it to catch up. But according to what Lucas said - the beta tester - it was way better to log in every day.

The bonuses were just there to make sure the players who didn't play every day still had some decent progress, but the grinders would always be ahead, no matter what.

Kael was on vacation, so he was not going to the university and his part-time job in a coffee shop. But that would change in one month.

'Can I find a way to get money with the game in one month? That way I can stop going to the coffee shop, at least...'

It was hard to keep up with the job and the university, even for someone like Kael.

Anyway, he lay on his bed, wore the game helmet - which was connected to his PC - and started the game at exactly 6 pm.

Kael didn't know what to expect. It was the first time he was playing a VR game, and according to the news Aetheris Online was just as real as reality itself.

He closed his eyes and connected to the game. When he opened them again, he was already inside the game. It was just like everyone said: everything looked way too real.

Kael was excited. He found himself inside a white room, and a cute fairy came to speak with him, explaining that it was the character creation, etc.

"You can change some aspects of your appearance, but not entirely. We want to keep it realistic so you can imagine yourself inside this magic world."

The game developers had a long discussion about it, and in the end, decided to allow some changes to the appearance, but only minor stuff. They wanted to keep it as immersive as possible.

But they also said that 'there are items and spells in the game that can alter your appearance.'

Kael decided to keep his appearance as it was. No one knew him in the real world, so it was not like he was a famous person who wished to play without anyone knowing him.

The color of his skin was white but not overly white, far from being pale, and his hair was as black as the night, and it had a medium size.

After finishing his appearance, came the class selection part. That was what he was most excited about.

The fairy, unique to each player, said, "It seems you have a special class for some reason."

Kael frowned. "A special class? Can you explain to me why?"

"Of course," the fairy said with a smile, "there are many hidden classes inside the game for the players to find, but there are also some special classes players get at the start based on their skills outside the game. Not everyone gets these, though. It requires the player to have tremendous mastery in a certain area."

Curiosity piqued, and Kael wanted to know what class the game gave him.

A menu appeared in front of him, displaying all the starting classes: Rogue, Archer, Berserker, Warrior, Wizard, Bard, Priest, and more.

But at the end of the list, one new class stood out: Cult Leader.

Not only that, but next to the class was a rank: SSS.

Kael wasn't naive; he had done his research. He knew there were very few SSS classes available in the entire game, and no player could obtain one at the starting point. No one.

"What can you tell me about this class?" he asked.

The fairy floated to his side, examining the details. She looked just as shocked as he felt.

"Based on the information in my database, this class grows stronger as you gain followers. Your powers will depend on the deity your cult worships. You can choose from existing deities within the game."

After a moment's pause, the fairy added, "I'm noticing something unusual. It appears that your character already has a deity associated with it. The deity is named Eryndor, the God of Flesh. I don't recall this deity being part of the game, so it seems you must have created it somehow."

Eryndor was Kael's 'real name,' the name he had as a deity on another planet. How had it already been established there?

"This is a good thing," he thought, clenching his fists. "Not only did I receive a special class, but it also has an SSS rank associated with it."

Kael believed it would take time to gather followers. He was even afraid that his plan might not work and that achieving something like this could be impossible. However, it seemed that not only did his plan make sense, but the game was also providing him with support.

Choosing his class was an easy decision. Naturally, he selected the Cult Leader.

"Now, where will you be starting? There are a few kingdoms for you to choose from," the fairy asked.

"The Black Dragon Kingdom," he replied.

That was the kingdom he and Lucas had decided to begin in. The selection process was straightforward: it had the coolest name. Additionally, Lucas, who was a beta tester, had played in that kingdom during the testing phase, so he was more familiar with that location than with the others.

"Now, choose your starting town. You have a few options available to select from."

Kael wasn't aware that choosing a starting town was an option, and neither was Lucas. During the beta phase, due to the limited number of players, there had been only one town to begin in.

Since Kael couldn't log out of the game, he had to make a decision—either way, he had to pick one at random. If he chose a town different from the one Lucas selected, they would eventually meet later in the game.

"I want to go with Moonwhisper Dell," Kael finally decided.

As he had done with choosing the kingdom, Kael opted for the village name that he thought sounded the coolest. Since his tastes differed from Lucas's, there was a good chance they would end up selecting different villages.

With everything set, it was finally time to enter the game. Kael's vision blurred, and the only sound he could hear was the faint voice of the fairy wishing him good luck.

He was teleported to the village he had chosen to start in. All around him were many players, each wearing the initial starting clothes.

Kael felt a rush of excitement. The outfits reminded him of his old world, and the buildings did too.

"It feels like home," he thought.