A round face. soft cheeks. belly full of fats. A body he was ashamed of. A boy who always ate alone. A boy who never fit in anywhere.
This was him, Arlan Danji.
But his peers and classmates called him Meatball Danji.
He was currently playing a VR game, lying on the bed with the visor covering his eyes. Neon lights from the screen reflected off the soft curves of the cheek.
His chubby fingers trembled slightly as he held the controller.
He spent more time on games than in the real world.
Because in the real world, people's eyes lingered on him with ridicule.
Because in the real world, laughter came from behind, not beside him.
Because in the real world, no one listened.
But in games, everything was different.
He could be anywhere. He could be free.
Today he was trying a brand new VR game called Abyss Saga. He had waited months for it, saving what little money he earned from cleaning a neighborhood cyber cafe.
His parents don't give him money anymore saying he would get more fat.
Putting that aside, the moment the game booted up, a soothing voice echoed in his ears.
[ Welcome to Abyss Saga. Please enjoy the most immersive underwater fantasy world. ]
[ Please choose your Aspect:
• Merfolk
• Crabkmen
• Water Fairies
• Sea God
"Huh!"
"What's this? Is this some kind of glitch?" Arlan muttered in bafflement.
To his knowledge, an overpowered Aspect like the Sea God shouldn't exist for a beginner player. Heck, there might not be a single player with the Sea God's Aspect yet.
While contemplating this impossibility, he clicked on the last option.
[ Aspect Confirmed. ]
[ Transferring the player to.... ]
[ Error! ]
[ Error! ]
Seeing the constant errors, Arlan thought the glitch was acting up again. However, what happened next shocked him.
No. Not just him. Every human across the planet.
A Universal Notification flashed in everyone's mind, mechanical and authoritative:
< Inhabitants Of Earth, The Ongoing Simulation Has Been Compromised. You Will be transferred to the Eternal Sky Realm Shortly. >
< 10... 9... 8... 7... 6 >
The countdown began before anyone could process anything.
Panic and chaos were the only things running through their heads.
"Fuck, are we all going to die?" A young man cried out in despair.
"No! No. I don't want to die yet," a girl cried out, trembling with fear.
"Hell, I haven't wiped my hard drive yet."
The religious believers' looks were fanatical:
"Finally! Haha, Finally! God has arrived! He has come here to bestow judgment on these evil fiends!"
"Yes, Yes. God does exist, I can't believe it."
"Die, you all Atheists. You deserve to be condemned!"
The governmental and military personnel also couldn't find any clues to this strange transmission.
They watched helplessly, clutching loved ones tight as the countdown ticked down.
[ 3... 2... 1 ]
[ Welcome To Eternal Sky Realm. Survive and Grow Stronger ]
Arlan, who was stuck at the glitched screen, felt a sudden, powerful pull out of nowhere. In the next moment, his surroundings had utterly changed.
"Where am I?"
He looked around to find himself standing before a vast underwater palace.
The palace was submerged in water, yet Arlan could breathe as easily as if he were on land. The water surrounding him was not murky or cold; it was luminescent, glowing with a soft blue light that cast shimmering, dancing reflections across the seabed.
The architecture was a breathtaking fusion of ancient Atlantean grandeur and divine fantasy.
The palace was massive and decorated intricate designs. The pillers were carved from a pearlescent white stone that seemed to absorb and radiate the ocean's light. They were decorated lavishly with Gold and White. Not the dull gold of buried treasure, but a bright, living gold that traced every column, archway, and towers like celestial light.
This gave the structure the unmistakable appearance of a Divine Palace.
Suddenly, another system notification flashed brightly in his eyes:
[ Congratulations! You have been Chosen as a Skylord. ]
[ Please Type Your Skylord Name To Proceed ]
Arlan was experienced with this type of game settings. So, he instantly understood everything. He had been chosen as someone important. A Skylord they called it.
But did he deserve this? Could he live up to the role?
That was a question for later. For now, he quickly typed in the pseudonym he had used in his entire life's gaming records.
Aegis.
[ Welcome, Sky Lord Aegis. ]
[ You Can now see your Stats, join the Regional and Global Chatbox, and trade for Items. ]
Arlan, now known as Aegis, wasted no time.
His mind immediately went to the millions of other panicked people transferred from Earth. He needed information, and the fastest way to get it was to see what everyone else was seeing
.
He focused on the notification for the Global Chatbox, and a translucent, three-dimensional panel materialized before him, filling his vision with a chaotic stream of desperate and bewildered messages.
[FallenPaladin]: IS ANYONE ELSE NEAR A GIANT FLOATING CASTLE IN THE SKY?? Where the hell even are we?!
[xX_GamerDad_Xx]: I'M IN A DAMN FLOATING DESERT . NO WATER. NO SIGNAL. WHERE IS MY FAMILY? WHAT IS THIS CRAP?!
[Prophetess_Mary]: Repent! Repent! The Lord has placed us in a purgatory of our own making!
[Admin_01]: Seriously, Someone should kill these religious nuts immediately. They are driving me insane.
[Firestarter]: Hey, My starting weapon is a stick. A literal stick. I'm going to die. HELP!
[DeepDiver]: Is anyone else receive these Talent? My Talent is "Harvester". Lets me grow crops faster. But damn where is the water for cultivation?
[FallenPaladin]: @DeepDiver LIES! It's all fire and monsters in my Floating Island! Or maybe you're lucky!
[EternalWarrior]: DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO OPEN THE STATUS SCREEN? I AM ABOUT TO DIE!
[PervertedGod]: But where are we? Did all of received these Floating Islands? And where is the damn water. I am getting thirsty."
[TheArchitect]: Judging by the spatial distortion, we have been shunted into a complex multi-layered pocket dimension. The simulation was clearly just a facade.
[Admin_01]: Someone send me a jar of water please. I will give delicious pig meat in return, I promise.
[xX_GamerDad_Xx]: The one above, please shut up. My wife just spawned 50 miles away. The system map is useless. I need help finding her!
[Little_Fairy]: Dad, I'm here. Send me help. Several wild dogs are chasing after me!"
[xX_GamerDad_Xx]: @Little_Fairy Is that you, Olivia? I am coming dear. Please hold on a little longer. I will somehow find you soon.
Arlan felt a cold dread wash over him. The reality of the situation was far worse than he had thought. People were basically running for their lives.
He felt intensely relieved that he had been spawned in a relatively safe, stable place.
He focused on summoning his status screen.
"Status!"
At the very first try, he succeeded. Another translucent 3D panel flashed on his retina.
[ Skylord Name: Aegis ]
[ Rank: Island Warden (Beginner) ]
[ Island Name: Aquabyss Domain (Divine) ]
[ Talents: Sea God's Physique (SSS+) ]
[ Wealth: 10 BC (Bronze Coins) ]
[ Followers: 1 ]
The information was simple, but the implications of those words were complex and profound.
"Sea God? Did I somehow gain the Aspect from that game?"
He found the idea too ridiculous to believe, yet what could be more mind-boggling than the whole human civilization getting kidnapped in the blink of an eye? He had no choice but to accept it.
"But what does my Talent do? Why isn't it showing any more information at all?"
He continuously tapped on the Talent option, almost with mad fervor.
[ Sea God's Physique: Ruler Of Universal Seas, The Secret to Life Lies Within. ]
Finally, it showed something, but the description was so vague that it might be utterly useless at this point.
Helpless, his gaze fell on the last, peculiar option.
Followers: 1
He didn't expect someone would actually follow him in this new life, especially given his status back on Earth.
Despite the highly rated, high and mighty Sea God's Physique, his physical body hadn't changed at all. He was still the same 'Meatball Danji' the world knew of.
Just then, a soothing voice, almost like a lullaby from an enchantress, echoed from the colossal, golden-domed Palace Entrance.
"Welcome, Your Grace. You Have Finally Arrived."