"The universe is vast, containing countless worlds. The one we inhabit is called Aetherion."
Kael Vire frowned, irritation bubbling up from the haze of half-sleep. Who was playing a video out loud while he was trying to rest? Didn't they know hospitals weren't supposed to have noise like that?
…Hospital?
Wasn't he supposed to be in school?
And more importantly… how did a sixteen-year-old like him suddenly have over twenty years of overtime work experience?
A flood of unfamiliar memories surged through his mind.
Kael's eyes snapped open.
At the front of the classroom stood a balding man with a shiny scalp reflecting the overhead lights. That… looked like Mr. Grayson.
Beside him, his deskmate Milo had a pencil balanced between his lips and nose, trying to keep it steady without using his hands. The pencil, however, had other ideas and promptly slipped free, clattering onto the desk.
Noticing Kael staring, Milo coughed awkwardly, straightening up.
He leaned closer and whispered, "Mr. Grayson's going on about the same old stuff again. I learned all this back in elementary school. By the way, you've been out of it these past few days. Feeling any better?"
Kael blinked.
Who… is this guy?
Seeing no response, Milo seemed to realize his attempt to change the subject had failed, but he stubbornly pressed on anyway.
"For the record, my best was holding it for a full class period. I just didn't perform well this time—"
Before he could finish, a piece of chalk flew across the room and smacked him squarely on the head.
"Ow—!"
Milo clutched his skull, tears instantly welling up. "Mr. Grayson! You almost made Earth lose its most precious genius!"
Mr. Grayson snorted. Graduation might be close, but until these students walked out for the last time, they were still under his authority.
Talking during his class? Bold.
"If our genius Milo enjoys speaking so much," Mr. Grayson said coldly, "then he can teach the rest of the lesson. And if anything he says is wrong, you can explain it to your parents."
Milo immediately folded. "Sorry, Mr. Grayson! I—uh—could we maybe skip calling my parents?"
Then, as if grasping for a lifeline, he added quickly, "I was just worried about Kael! He's been fainting a lot lately, hasn't he?"
At the mention of Kael, Mr. Grayson's tone softened noticeably.
"Kael, are you feeling dizzy again? If so, you should go rest in the infirmary."
The difference in treatment between a top student and a troublemaker couldn't have been more obvious.
Kael shook his head slowly. The chaotic flood of memories had already begun settling into place, integrating with his own thoughts. His gaze cleared.
"I'm fine, sir."
Mr. Grayson studied him for a moment, then nodded and turned back to Milo with a sharp look.
"Go on. Start talking."
Milo forced a grin. "Yes, Mr. Grayson. No problem, Mr. Grayson."
He cleared his throat and began.
"Hundreds of years ago, the sky split open, and 'the Gates' descended across the planet. That marked the beginning of the Age of Games. Anyone who turns sixteen can enter Aetherion through these Gates."
"In Aetherion, some worlds are pre-constructed environments with fixed NPCs and monsters."
"Others… are real worlds."
"But without exception, all of them are enhanced by Aetherion. By defeating monsters and completing quests, you gain EXP and equipment, becoming stronger—just like in a game."
"Becoming superhuman inside the game isn't just a dream. Though when you return, you can only bring back a small portion of that power."
Mr. Grayson nodded slightly, letting Milo continue.
"Alright," he said after a moment, "that's enough of what you already know. Let me tell you something you don't."
The classroom quieted.
"For your first entry into Aetherion, you'll be given a realism setting."
He paused, scanning the room.
"In simpler terms, it's a pain sensitivity setting. You can choose anywhere from 0% to 100%. But once you make your choice, it cannot be changed."
A ripple of unease passed through the students.
Mr. Grayson's expression turned serious.
"After today, you'll all be considered adults. So I'm going to say something a homeroom teacher probably shouldn't."
"I strongly advise you to increase your realism as much as you can."
The class erupted into noise.
"What?!"
"Why would we do that?"
"Isn't that just asking for suffering?"
But the commotion didn't last long. Over the years, they had come to trust Mr. Grayson.
At the podium, his hands unconsciously rubbed together, betraying his inner conflict.
"You've all played games. You know how important equipment and resources are. But ask yourselves this—do your families have the means to provide top-tier gear?"
"And even if they did… could you protect it?"
His voice grew heavier.
"Sometimes, the greatest threat in Aetherion isn't monsters."
"It's other players."
The room fell completely silent.
"From the moment you enter Aetherion, the gap between individuals already exists," he continued. "If you want to close that gap, there are only two paths: effort… and realism."
"A higher realism setting reduces the materials required for level breakthroughs. That alone can save your family a significant amount of money."
He paused, his voice dropping.
"Otherwise… you might end up like me."
"I used up every Revival Token I had and still couldn't gather enough materials to break through. I didn't even have the courage to step through the Gates again."
"I've been stuck at level 19 ever since."
There was no mockery in the room now—only a heavy, suffocating silence.
This was a man who had failed, laying bare his experience for them.
"Aetherion may be called a game," he said, "but once you raise the realism, it stops being one."
"It becomes a battlefield."
"Don't treat it like a game."
"Don't treat being a player as some glamorous profession."
"At its core, it's war."
"If you don't have the courage for that… then honestly, I'd recommend staying a normal person. If you never reach for it, you won't feel the loss."
He took a breath, then added one final warning.
"And one more thing—never, ever set your realism to 100%."
"Even at 99%, you're only entering with a Soul Projection."
"But at 100%… your real body enters Aetherion."
"The difficulty of your assigned tasks will increase drastically. And according to rumors, in the beginner zone, there is no Revival Token option."
"That means… if you die, you truly die."
Even after Mr. Grayson left the classroom, no one spoke.
Everything they thought they knew had just been overturned.
Many students wore conflicted expressions.
An information cocoon.
That was the only way Kael could describe it.
After absorbing his memories, he realized something strange—none of what Mr. Grayson had said existed in the information he had previously known. Not online. Not in real life.
Whether it was a lie or not… he would verify it himself.
Mr. Grayson had held back much more than he said.
The first entry into Aetherion was supposed to be the easiest beginner zone. And yet, every year, a large number of students were still eliminated—not because they lacked potential, but because they lacked the mindset and skills.
Fairness had never existed.
Not in equipment. Not in knowledge. Not in preparation.
Ordinary families often saw their children burn through their Revival Tokens in the beginner stage, only to lose the courage to ever enter the Gates again.
Those with talent? They were absorbed into guilds, chasing growth.
Year after year, it was always the same.
On his way home, Kael kept replaying Mr. Grayson's words.
A real battlefield…
And yet, he had never undergone any form of training.
One path meant entering with his soul—fail, and live as an ordinary person.
The other meant entering with his real body—risk death, or seize something beyond humanity.
Which should he choose?
Perhaps Meng Po's soup had been watered down.
Otherwise, how could a sixteen-year-old remember his past life so clearly?
He was still Kael—but his mindset had completely changed.
In his previous life, he had worked endlessly for a future he could already see, grinding himself down for a handful of money.
Day after day. Night after night.
Until he lay in a hospital bed, only to realize that after a lifetime of effort… he still couldn't afford his medical bills.
In that moment, he felt like a joke.
That day, he refused to let his parents spend their savings on him.
He tore out the needles from his body. Pain surged through every inch of him—but instead of despair, he laughed.
Because for the first time…
He felt alive.
Once, he had dreamed of greatness, believing himself destined for the top.
No one is born to work themselves to death.
If I get to choose this time…
Then I will—
…
After school, Milo's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Hey, Kael! What do you think—when I enter Aetherion tomorrow, will I awaken some once-in-a-century talent? All the guilds fighting over me, begging me to join? Who should I pick?"
He grinned foolishly.
"I can already see it—me becoming CEO, marrying a rich beauty, reaching the peak of life. Man, just thinking about it gets me excited!"
Kael stared at him, speechless.
Still, he was patient with Milo.
In this life, he had started as an orphan. If not for the occasional help from Milo's parents, he might not have made it this far.
Kael grabbed him by the shoulder, his expression serious.
"Listen to me."
"Go home tonight and talk to your parents about the realism setting."
"This could be the turning point of your life."
"You have to take it seriously."
"Seriously."
"Seriously."
Milo blinked, stunned by the intensity in Kael's eyes.
For the first time, he realized—
This wasn't just a game.