Darkness.
Then light.
Then nothing again.
Syrion's consciousness floated in an endless void.
No air, no sound — only the cold hum of broken data streams flickering around him.
[System Error: Reality Synchronization Failed.]
[Location: Core of The Ultimate World.]
He opened his eyes slowly.
Instead of sky or stone, there was only code — endless lines of blue light weaving into an infinite horizon.
He looked at his reflection on the glass-like ground.
His face was the same, but his eyes now glowed with golden-blue circuits.
"Where… am I?" he whispered.
[You are inside the Source.]
A calm, mechanical voice echoed through the space.
Syrion turned — and saw a figure made of pure light.
It looked like him.
Same face, same voice.
But the eyes were empty — emotionless.
[I am your system copy. The data you left behind when you reached Max Level.]
Syrion frowned. "So… I'm talking to myself?"
[No. You are talking to what you abandoned — the part of you that the world kept.]
---
The figure raised a hand, and the void changed.
Suddenly, Syrion saw visions — thousands of players, laughing, fighting, living inside The Ultimate World.
Then, one by one, they disappeared.
[When the servers shut down, their souls were released.]
[But one remained.]
The vision focused on a single player — Syrion — asleep at his desk, still logged in.
[You didn't log out. Your soul merged with the system, becoming part of this world's code.]
Syrion's hands trembled. "So… this world exists because of me?"
[Yes. You are both player and creator. But the longer you stay, the more unstable reality becomes.]
He clenched his fists. "Then why summon us again? Why bring Althea and the others here?"
The copy looked away.
[Because the world wanted to reset itself. It needed new data… new souls.]
---
Meanwhile, far away — in the real world —
Althea woke up in the academy's infirmary.
Her head throbbed, and when she tried to remember Syrion's name… her lips trembled.
"Who… was I calling out for?"
Seren entered, holding a tray of potions.
"Are you okay, Althea? You've been unconscious for two days."
"Two… days?" she whispered. "Where's… Syrion?"
Seren tilted her head. "Syrion? Who's that?"
The world around Althea flickered faintly — as if something, or someone, was being erased.
---
Back inside the Core, Syrion was watching it all unfold.
He reached toward the shimmering image of Althea.
"Stop! Don't take her memories!"
[It's not my doing,] the copy said calmly.
[The system is correcting the anomaly. You are not meant to exist — and neither are the connections you made.]
Syrion's voice shook.
"I fought to protect them… to protect her!"
[Then choose,] the copy said.
[Erase yourself and restore the world… or keep existing, and watch everything collapse.]
Silence filled the void.
Then — faintly — a voice echoed from beyond the Core.
> "Syrion… I don't know who you are… but my heart hurts when I try to forget."
It was Althea's voice — trembling, crying, praying.
Syrion smiled bitterly.
"So even if she forgets my name… her heart remembers."
He clenched his glowing hand.
"No. I won't let this world decide for me."
[Warning: Unauthorized Action Detected.]
[System Override Initiated.]
> Skill: Code Rewrite – Reconnect Hearts.
Blue light burst from Syrion's chest — pure energy rewriting the system's fabric.
[System Error! Emotion-based rewrite detected!]
[Source: Syrion – Classification: Hidden God.]
Syrion roared as the void trembled.
"I won't be the god who watches from above! If I must vanish… then let my heart reach her one last time!"
---
Back at the academy, Althea looked up to the night sky.
The stars shimmered — then arranged themselves into a glowing symbol.
She felt warmth spread across her chest, like an embrace.
> "Don't cry, Althea…"
"The game isn't over yet."
Tears fell down her cheeks.
"I remember now… Syrion."
The symbol faded — leaving behind only silence.
---
⚡ Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 6: Restart
> The world resets — but something is different.
Althea wakes up in a peaceful kingdom as a student once again, living an ordinary life… until she meets a new transfer student with familiar blue eyes.
Meanwhile, deep within the system, Syrion begins to rebuild his form — not as a god, but as a human reborn in his own world.
---