The monitor screen flickered, reflecting blue light onto Nael's tired yet enthusiastic face. In his dimly lit room, surrounded by piles of instant noodle cups and limited edition game posters, Nael was a king.
The king of "Asphodel Online", a fantasy MMORPG he had conquered over the past five years. The top guild, legendary items, world bosses slain by his hand—he had achieved it all. But like a king whose kingdom no longer challenged him, Nael felt empty.
That's why tonight was different. Tonight, he left his throne to become a commoner in a completely new world.
"World of Destiny," he whispered, the name feeling like a spell on his lips. This game is a global phenomenon.
Not because of its surreal graphics or revolutionary combat mechanics, but because of its crazy and mysterious premise.
A world built on the foundation of 22 Major Arcana Cards. Players don't choose classes or abilities.
They simply design their avatars, press the "Start" button, and let fate—or an extremely advanced random algorithm—determine everything for them.
Background, initial abilities, even the city where they appear, are all mysteries. Every beginning is a gamble.
Nael smiled crookedly. He liked gambles.
His fingers danced across the keyboard. The character creation screen appeared. He spent nearly an hour perfecting his avatar.
Jet-black hair with blue highlights, slightly tousled, sharp sapphire eyes, and a firm jaw that radiated confidence. He created the ideal version of a fantasy hero. Handsome, mysterious, and ready to conquer the world.
Satisfied with his masterpiece, he moved the cursor to the most exciting part: Background and Abilities. Both were locked, displaying the text: [To be determined by Fate upon entering the world].
"Alright, Fate," Nael muttered, adrenaline pumping. "Don't let me down."
With one firm click on the [Start Adventure] button, his world turned white.
Not just white on his monitor screen. His entire room, his entire field of vision, was swallowed by a light so bright it felt like it was burning. It felt like being forcibly pulled through the eye of a needle at the speed of light. There was no sound, no sensation, only... a dazzling nothingness.
Then, everything went dark.
---
The scent of wet earth and moss was the first thing to greet his consciousness. Followed by the rustling of leaves blown by a gentle breeze and the rough feel of bark pressing against his back.
Nael slowly opened his eyes. The familiar ceiling of his room was gone, replaced by a dense canopy of towering giant trees, filtering the sunlight into golden beams that danced on the forest floor.
"Crazy 'full-dive' effect," he muttered, trying to sit up. He felt every blade of grass beneath his palms, every muscle in his body. It was too real.
He tried to find the log-out interface in his peripheral vision, a standard procedure for advanced VR games. There was none.
"Log out," he said hoarsely. Nothing happened.
"Main menu! Options! Status! Help!"
Silence. Only the sounds of the forest answered him.
A chill unrelated to the air temperature began to creep up his spine. Panic began to bubble up inside his chest. This wasn't a game. At least, not a game as he knew it.
Shaking, he stood up. His clothes were no longer the loose pajamas he had been wearing, but a simple set of clothes—a linen tunic, sturdy cloth pants, and worn leather boots. He glanced at the puddle of water near the roots of a large tree and gasped.
The face staring back at him from the rippling surface of the water was not his. It was the face he had created just an hour ago. Black hair, sapphire eyes, a firm jaw. His avatar.
"Impossible..."
That was when a light blue transparent panel appeared in front of him, humming softly. The writing was simple, without excessive embellishment.
[ World System Has Recognized New Entity ]
> Name : Ars
> Age : 17
> Race : Human
> Class : Wanderer
> Unique Ability : Arcana [The Fool (0)]
> Active Ability : [Arcana Shift]
> Passive Ability : [Unlimited Potential]
Nael—or now Ars—read each line with bated breath. Ars. A name he didn't even choose, simply given to him by the system.
Wanderer, a basic class that implied he was nothing, a beginner.
But what caught his attention most was the line "Unique Ability."
Arcana [The Fool (0)].
He knew about it. From the myriad of articles and lore videos he devoured before deciding to play "World of Destiny", he knew that the 22 Major Arcana were the pillars of this world.
They weren't just names for servers or regions. Rumor had it that the Arcana were the true source of power, legendary strength possessed by only 22 individuals worldwide at any given time.
They were the hidden players on the world's chessboard, forces capable of shaking kingdoms.
And he had obtained one of them.
The Fool. Number Zero. The card that symbolized the beginning, ignorance, potential, and... foolishness.
In the game's lore, The Fool was the most unpredictable card. It had no clear power, no definite combat skills. It was a blank canvas. A joke to some, a mystery to others.
"Unlimited potential..." Ars read its passive ability. It sounded great, but in game terms, "potential" was another way of saying "weak at the start." He had no fire spells, no super sword slashes, not even the ability to sneak.
There was only one active ability: [Arcana Shift]. Its description was just as confusing.
> [Arcana Shift] : Activates one of The Fool's various random effects. Cooldown: 6 Hours.
"Random effects? Six hours?!" Ars ran his fingers through his silver hair in frustration. This was a nightmare for a min-maxer like him.
An ability that was completely dependent on luck with such a long cooldown was a disaster. How could he survive with this?
Grrrrrrrrr....
A low, deep growl, so low it felt like it was shaking the ground beneath his feet, shattered all his analysis.
Ars froze. Slowly, very slowly, he turned toward the source of the sound. From behind thick bushes about twenty meters away, a pair of glowing red eyes stared at him with pure hatred and infinite hunger.
The figure stepped out of the shadows, and Ars's heart seemed to stop beating.
It was a wolf. But not like any wolf he had ever seen in a zoo or a documentary. This creature was the size of a calf, with jet-black fur that seemed to absorb light.
Its muscles bulged beneath its taut skin, and from its massive jaws, yellow fangs the size of daggers dripped thick saliva. This was a monster. A top predator.
His gamer instincts screamed, analyzing. "Gloomfang Wolf. Aggressive Type. High speed, bite attacks that cause bleeding."
He knew the monster. He had watched videos of other players fighting it. But watching it on a screen and facing it directly were two very different things.
On the screen, it was a pile of pixels that could be defeated with the right combination of buttons. Here, in this world, it was the embodiment of real, foul-smelling death.
The wolf growled again, baring its terrifying teeth. It crouched low, ready to pounce.
And Ars ran.
No heroic thoughts. No genius plan. There was only one command echoing in his brain: RUN!