On a cosmic scale, Earth is not just a speck of dust—a tiny rock in a sea of falling stars. But, like countless other planets, it is also enmeshed in the so-called Universal Battleground—a galaxy-wide space warfare system where individuals from various planets fight not just for power, but for recognition.
It's not just a fantasy war zone. The Battleground is real—a vast, simulated, and semi-real network controlled by an entity called ANIMA, designed by ancient, long-lost ancestors. In the Battleground, anything is possible: wealth, power, glory, even becoming the pinnacle of your own planet.
Most people on Earth didn't really understand how Battleground worked as a whole.
There are still many secrets and hidden mechanisms of Battleground or the system itself.
Rayn is no exception either.
The next morning, after a sleepless night while trying to ignore the Player Registration Notification that was stuck in his mind since last night, Rayn sat in his small kitchen while enjoying his daily meal of cup noodles.
Just like most humans, he fills his energy with packaged carbohydrates while watching the news or feed from Battleground on his bracelet's hologram.
"I don't understand this anymore…"
"No information about humans has ever been directly invited by the system"
Rayn tilted his head towards the back of the chair while staring at the ceiling of his house which had darkened.
"Is this what it feels like to be someone who is exclusive in something…?"
Then Rayn pretended to be strong while trying to show off his lean muscles even though he had worked in the factory for some time.
But then that thinking changed 180 degrees from what he considered to be a profitable thing.
"Wait a minute… isn't this about Battleground? That Battleground, the one full of comments about it being cruel, violent, and… bloody."
Slowly, while thinking about it, Rayn felt a cold pulse on his back, making him sit up straight, staring at the wooden table with patterns from the friction marks throughout the years.
"That's right, all these thoughts are just assumptions, I myself haven't seen or experienced this Battleground directly," he said with that naive thought.
Eventually, he got up, grabbed his discarded jacket, and headed straight for the Obelith Spire, a former orbital fortress that was now an Anima Nexus facility – a battleground in the making for humanity.
The Obelith Spire is a tower that hovers in orbit—a massive, floating monolith made of black crystal and obsidian. While it may look intimidating, humanity has come to consider it a form of protection for the planet.
And one stationed in the city across, hovering low over this district, casting a shadow like an eternal cloud across the city skyline.
Rayn traveled there by subway. Much like in the past, the much-developed subway was still packed with people, cramped in places.
It was a holiday, but it still felt like no other day. Rain pulled up the hood of his jacket, thinking it would calm him down a bit.
There is a theory that the less visible you are, the more sought after you are.
But Rayn never thought like that, even though deep down he hoped so.
Rayn mostly kept to himself, thinking he didn't need friends or companions. Eventually, that kind of thinking took a toll on his life.
Now he can only count on one hand the number of people he can call friends or acquaintances.
Not having a family isn't your fault in life, but losing friends or companions proves you're truly worthless. And Rayn thinks he's one of them.
He boarded one of the train cars and found a seat. He could see a variety of people. But unlike on the surface, trains weren't a form of transportation for Vaerdians.
The Vaerdians themselves have access to their own air vehicles and are free to fly anywhere. Humans, who are required to adapt, can only accept and adapt the flight system for the better. Unlike us, they can adapt to any weather conditions.
Rayn finally got a seat next to a grandfather with his small bag.
He was just an ordinary grandfather with slightly worn clothes, the fur of his coat slightly tangled and a tired face.
Rayn didn't say anything, but he didn't expect his grandfather to ask him.
"Young man, where are you going?" while expressing a typical grandfather smile.
"... I'm going to Obelith Spire," Rayn said, not showing the slightest bit of enthusiasm.
"Hum hum, it's good that you have a goal," said the grandfather while still smiling and perhaps widening it a little.
Rayn didn't say anything else but he thanked the old man for talking to him even if it was just a few words.
But the grandfather asked him again.
"Can I see your hands, young man?"
Without further ado, Rayn simply showed off his slightly rough hands from hard work.
The grandfather then held the hands covering each other and stroked them.
"You're such a hard worker, one day your dreams will come true, young man! Trust this grandpa!" the grandfather's small exclamation was intended to encourage him a little.
"Thank you, Grandpa." But that was the only reply he could express, a small form of accumulation of Rayn's personality.
And then, the station bell began to sound, signaling a brief stop, and at the same time, the grandfather also got up and left the train with a wave of his wrinkled little hand.
And once again, Rayn was alone, enjoying the sound of the wind pushing through the train, accompanied by the constant, alternating chimes of the station. Dozens of flashes of light from the train tunnel made his eyes feel empty as he stared at them.
Until he arrived at the station in the other city, he got off and climbed the stairs into a different, bustling city atmosphere.
The sunlight was truly dazzling and felt warmer than the industrial city and the piercing cold on some nights.
Armed with a bus access card, he boarded one of the station buses to a place he had never visited. It's actually not difficult to find this giant building.
You can see from the gaps in the car windows that cars defying the laws of gravity are passing by, not as many as those on land.
Without realizing it, when he got off the bus at the station, it turned out that the giant facility was already in front of him.
A floating device was preparing to transport several individuals to the facility. With calm steps, Rayn tried to enter the device before being stopped by one of the guards.
"Stop, are you going to the facility fortress? Where's your ID?" a human interrogation voice asked Rain sternly.
With a little panic Rayn showed his ID but without telling the reason up there.
"Citizen? Would you like to register as a Player?" again in the same tone.
"Something like that." Rayn answered a little nonchalantly but was actually in a state of panic with small drops of sweat dripping.
After scanning Rayn quickly and thoroughly, the officer let him through without further questioning.
In the past, there have been numerous cases of extremists attempting to infiltrate facilities, ultimately resulting in horrific punishment from the Vaerdians. Therefore, officers like this are commonplace in facilities run by otherworldly beings.
Together with several people, the device carried them above the shadowy sky. A gate was wide open, like in a typical sci-fi film, and several officers and individuals known as players were discussing.
This is the Obsidian Unit 9 Facilities Hall
The interior of the hall glowed with a soft bluish light and the patterns of the sky or the walls shifted—living walls with displayed data, the ceiling composed of holograms of constellations. Numerous individuals could be seen along the floor—humans and the whitish-blue creatures of the Vaerdians.
Rayn stepped in, awestruck for the first time.
Part of this floor is filled with streamlined terminals for different divisions, player verification, trial access, and Exoform simulations. The rest is open—a cafe, an open-air garden platform, and a waiting room where various veterans await.
He wandered around until he came to the reception desk - a wide, semi-circular dais covered in holograms.
And at that moment Rayn saw him.
A Vaerdian—nearly two meters tall, clad in flowing, bluish-black armor like a skeletonized cloth. His presence alone commanded respect from visitors and other players. He stood tall, facing the desk, speaking softly to the receptionist. The scar on his cheekbone glinted with a hint of his true strength.
Rayn stood there nervously.
Then the Vaerdian turned slightly and noticed him.
Their eyes met.
The tall alien's mouth curled into what might be called a polite smile. And then, softly—clearly and fluently—he said something in Vaerdian:
"[Farn ulth ria dasai, young flame.]"
Rayn blinked in confusion. "I- uh-"
The Vaerdian raised one of his hands to calm her down.
"It's all right. I speak your language too."
Rayn bowed slightly. Unlike his attitude toward fellow humans, he now had to act to beg for mercy from this different individual.
"I'm truly sorry! I didn't mean to be rude. I just - I wasn't expecting..."
The Vaerdian chuckled softly, the sound like a sobbing wind rattling the glass.
"Few of my kind learn your tongue. Most find it too... soft."
"But I've always believed the speech of race carries the weight of its people.
Rayn smiled stiffly, shifting restlessly from foot to foot.
"So... uh... I just got something weird on my registry. A notification. I don't really know what to do with it..."
The Vaerdian nodded in understanding.
"Then you've come to the right place. The receptionist will be able to help you."
"Don't be afraid to ask. The Battleground is vast, but it welcomes the brave."
He slowly moved himself aside.
The receptionist, a woman with short hair and augmented eyes, glanced at Rayn as she stepped forward to face him.
"Please scan your bracelet."
Rayn held it out. The receptionist then pressed a button on her terminal.
The receptionist's eyebrows raised slightly.
"...Huh. You have been marked as a Trial Candidate. "
"It's unusual… here. Especially without an Exoform. Are you sure this is your first time here?"
Rayn could only nod slowly in response to that simple question.
The receptionist looked at Rayn again carefully and intently.
"Sir, do you agree to proceed?"
Rayn was also equally confused wondering what the question meant.
"Eh? Excuse me? What does that even mean...?"
Still with a flat face from the receptionist, she revealed the surprising facts about Rayn's case.
"You will be placed in a Provisional Trial. Fight according to Anima's initial assessment. Here and now."
"Huh?"
He once again showed a dumbfounded face at the harsh reality this time.