When the final bell rang, I bolted out of school like someone lit my backpack on fire.
I'd been itching all day to hit that shiny [Activate] button.
EX-rank. My own world. My own rules. I couldn't stop grinning.
Behind the gym, away from prying eyes, I whispered,
"Alright, System, show me some magic."
[Portal Realm – Initialize? Y/N]
"Yes!"
Reality folded like a page being torn out of a book.
A ring of light spun in front of me—quiet, weightless—and when I stepped through, the noise of the city vanished.
At first, I thought I'd gone blind.
Then the world faded in: a flat plain stretching forever, a gray floor as smooth as steel, circular horizon glowing faint blue.
No wind, no smell, no sound. Just silence so thick it pressed on my chest.
"…Holy crap." I turned a slow circle. "It's literally empty. Not even grass. Just… me and this cosmic parking lot."
My voice echoed like I was inside a dome.
Then the panel popped up again:
[Welcome, Owner: Cassian T. Vale.]
[Realm Type: EX-Dimensional Field (Private)]
[Functions Unlocked: Shop / Summon / Management]
"Shop?" I muttered. "Okay, that's new."
I tapped it. Instantly, a window spread before me—tabs, icons, and prices like some godly mobile game.
SHOP
— Construction Tab —
Forest Pack Lv.1 – Creates 10 hectares of temperate forest.
Cost: 100 Aether Shards
River Module Lv.1 – Generates freshwater stream.
Cost: 150 Aether Shards
— Summon Tab —
Gacha Orb (Common) – Random F–C rank creature. Cost 10 Aether Shards.
Gacha Orb (Premium) – Random B–SS rank creature. Cost 100 Aether Shards.
Gacha Orb (EX) – ??? Cost ??? (LOCKED)
— Trap / Defense Tab —
Auto Turret Lv.1 – Detects hostile intruders.
Cost: 50 Aether Shards
A second panel blinked into existence:
[Currency: Aether Shards]
[Acquisition Methods:]
• Raiding other Realms.
• Clearing Portals on Earth (summoned rifts spawned after the Gift).
• Trading between Realms (LOCKED).
I whistled low. "So that's the grind. You want power? You risk your ass."
At least it sounded fair—equal parts suicide and glory.
I scrolled through the descriptions, heart hammering.
A forest pack? I could literally build an ecosystem.
Monsters I could summon, train, maybe even farm for resources.
Hell, I could create my own civilization if I had the shards.
"Cassian Vale, ruler of the Empty Field," I said, raising an imaginary sword.
Then I snorted. "Still broke though."
My balance glared back at me: [Aether Shards = 0].
Figures. God gives me a world but forgets the startup capital.
I sat down cross-legged on the cool surface, the adrenaline finally wearing off.
Excitement mixed with fear until my stomach twisted.
"What if I'm not the only one?" I asked the air. "If there's a shop, there's probably… competition."
The System, as if reading my mind, answered.
[External View Unlocked.]
The ground under me rippled, and the whole world zoomed outward like someone dragged a cosmic camera back.
I froze.
Outside my translucent dome were hundreds—no, thousands—of other glowing spheres floating in the void.
Some tiny, like mine. Others the size of continents, even larger than Earth.
Each shimmered with colors—blue for ocean worlds, green for forests, crimson for volcanic hells.
Every one of them had a faint bubble shell: a barrier.
Some barriers flickered with runes, others pulsed like hearts.
"Holy… shit." My mouth went dry. "I'm not special. I'm a damn goldfish in an aquarium full of sharks."
One massive realm drifted past—its barrier etched with golden symbols, the words [Empire of Sol Rank: S] glowing across it.
Inside, I saw cities, flying beasts, even towers piercing clouds.
And mine?
Just a blank disk.
The comparison hit like a slap.
I clenched my fists. "So this is what they meant by 'Gift from the Above.' It's a goddamn multiverse sandbox."
My laugh came out shaky.
"Lucky bastard, huh, Cassian? EX rank, yet broke and tiny. Figures."
I dropped back into my realm, lying flat on the empty ground.
My pulse finally slowed.
Excitement bubbled up again, stronger this time.
"Alright," I muttered, staring at the gray sky. "Step one: get shards. Step two: buy a forest. Step three: roll gacha until I get something busted."
Then the fear crept in—the kind that sits quietly behind your thoughts.
If others could raid realms… they could raid mine.
One wrong move and some S-rank maniac could erase me.
My smile turned crooked. "Guess I better learn the rules fast."
The System chimed softly:
[Tutorial Missions Unlocked]
[Objective 1: Acquire 10 Aether Shards from an Earth Portal.]
[Failure Penalty: Realm Lock for 7 Days.]
"Seven days?!" I groaned. "Goddamn freemium nonsense already?"
Still, I couldn't help laughing.
Fear or not, this was what I'd always wanted—something different, something that made my pulse race.
I stood, brushing imaginary dust off my uniform.
"All right, Cassian. Let's go earn your first shards."
The portal shimmered open behind me, leading back to the rooftop.
I looked over my shoulder one last time at the endless blank plain—my world, my gamble.
"Empty for now," I said softly. "But not for long."
I stepped through the light, already plotting which portal on Earth to raid first.
[End of Chapter 2 – A Frog in a Multiverse Well]