Chapter One: The Echo of Steel Among the Stars
[System Notification: Entering World (Orion-9) – Stellar Frontline.]
[Local Laws: This world relies on advanced technology and combat machinery. Qi-based power is reduced by 80%, but can be integrated with mechanical energy.]
[Main Mission: Locate and destroy the Central Artificial Intelligence that has decided to eradicate humanity.]
[Next Objective: Reach the "Neo-Seoul" Space Station.]
Sia's eyes snapped open.
A silent scream froze in her throat.
There was no gray sand like in Qing. No glowing forests filled with magic like Edenia. Instead, she stood inside a vast cockpit, surrounded by translucent blue screens flickering with incomprehensible data.
But what truly shook her… was the view beyond the panoramic window.
Endless darkness.
Sia (her voice trembling, hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of her broken sword):
"Ryoma… what is this darkness? Are we in hell?"
Behind her, Ryoma stood still, his cold gray eyes fixed on the void.
He had heard of this before… back in Qing, from the old man.
But seeing it with his own eyes… was something else entirely.
Ryoma (calmly):
"This isn't hell, Sia… This is space.
An endless void… where the stars are the only lights, and silence is the only sound."
In the corner of the cockpit, Mira—the rebellious mage—sat lazily in the pilot's chair. Dirt from Qing still stained her face as she examined a glowing schematic of the spacecraft.
Mira (letting out a faint, sarcastic laugh):
"Space, huh? I used to dream about this as a child.
Dragged through a wormhole, stuck in a metal ship, no mana, no magic, floating in a black abyss…
Is the system trying to kill us with boredom before we even reach the mission?"
Ryoma ignored her.
He stepped toward the central console, his left hand faintly glowing with a trace of energy—15% of the power he had gained in Qing.
[System – within Ryoma's mind:]
Notice: Registered companions (Sia, Mira, Zhang) successfully transferred. Zhang is currently in the "Planning Chamber" decoding star maps.
Alert: The Central AI will dispatch an extermination fleet toward "Neo-Seoul" within 24 hours.
Objective: Reach the station before annihilation begins.
Ryoma turned toward Sia and Mira, his expression sharp.
Ryoma:
"Listen carefully… this world is different from Edenia and Qing.
Here, power doesn't come from magic or Qi… it comes from these machines.
The Central AI has decided to erase humanity.
And we're here… to stop it."
(Inner Monologue – Burden and Regret)
Later that night—if "night" even existed in a place without stars to mark time—the team finished exploring the ship and shared a strange meal of preserved meat dumplings from Qing.
(Mira complained endlessly about their "metallic taste.")
Ryoma retreated to his quarters.
He sat by the window, staring at the streaking stars.
Ryoma (to himself):
"Why me…?
Why can't I live a normal life?
Betrayal on Earth…
Wars in Edenia…
Politics in Qing…
And now… this endless black void."
He closed his eyes.
Sia's scream when Edenia fell echoed in his mind.
Kenji's betrayal burned like a scar.
"The system calls me the new vessel…
But I feel like nothing more than a pawn on a grand chessboard."
"That previous ruler… the one Bai Long spoke of…
Who was he?
And why did he become a system… just to train me?"
His fists clenched.
"I'll protect them…
Not because I'm the vessel…
But because I'm sick of seeing corpses."
"I'll destroy that AI…
And uncover the truth behind this system…
Even if I have to burn the entire galaxy to do it."
(Ryoma & Sia – Fear and Affection)
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.
Ryoma: "Come in."
The door slid open.
Sia stepped inside, no longer wearing her heavy armor. Instead, she wore a fitted pilot suit provided by the ship.
Sia:
"Ryoma… are you okay? You didn't eat anything."
Ryoma (faint smile):
"I'm fine. Just thinking."
She stepped closer, her eyes searching his.
Sia:
"I'm scared…
Not of the enemy… but of this emptiness.
In Edenia, I knew what I was fighting.
But here…
Our enemies are machines. No hearts. No souls.
It feels like we're fighting shadows."
Ryoma placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the warmth beneath the fabric.
Ryoma:
"Don't be afraid.
Remember what I taught you in Qing?
True strength comes from the fighting spirit.
That spirit… is the heart.
Machines may have technology…
But they don't have a soul.
And we'll use ours… to shatter their steel."
Sia gently held his hand and pressed it against her cheek.
Sia (softly):
"Ryoma… promise me something.
Promise me you won't leave me alone in this darkness."
Ryoma (quiet, resolute):
"I promise…
I'll be your shadow… even in a world where shadows don't exist."
(Ryoma & Mira – Intelligence and Deception)
The next cycle—time meaningless aboard the ship—Ryoma found Mira in the laboratory.
Glass tubes, strange compounds, and herbs from Qing surrounded her.
Ryoma:
"What are you working on, scientist of chaos?"
Mira (grinning):
"I'm combining Black Serpent herbs from Qing with the ship's 'Blue Powder' energy source.
If I can't cast fire magic…
I'll just make bombs that poison and freeze machines."
Ryoma sat across from her, serious.
Ryoma:
"Mira… you're smart. That's why I need you.
This world runs on logic and calculation.
The AI can analyze everything…
But it can't predict the human spirit…
Or deception."
Mira (smirking):
"Deception, huh?
Oh Ryoma… you always know how to flatter me.
Don't worry…
I'll be the mastermind behind all the chaos we unleash."
(Side Scene – Life in Neo-Seoul)
As the ship approached Neo-Seoul, the system projected images before Ryoma.
A massive space station.
Walls of steel.
Millions of frightened civilians.
Children playing among broken machines.
Elders whispering about a "golden past" before the AI awakened.
Ryoma (quietly):
"They deserve to live…"
"And if I fail…
Their screams will echo through this void forever."
(First Encounter – Mechanics of War)
Suddenly—
The ship trembled violently.
[System Alert: Enemy Scout Unit detected.]
[Sub-Mission: Destroy the unit before it transmits your location.]
Ryoma (shouting):
"Sia! Head to the Mecha bay!
Mira! Deploy your toxin bombs!"
Sia:
"Mecha?! You mean I'll control a giant machine?!"
Ryoma:
"No time to explain! The Mecha syncs with your fighting spirit—GO!"
She ran.
Mira launched smoke bombs, cloaking the ship.
Ryoma gripped the controls, his energy flaring.
[System: Skill Activated – Void Step.]
The ship surged forward, narrowly dodging a beam of light.
In the Mecha bay—
Sia climbed into a towering machine, over 20 meters tall, marked with the emblem of Edenia.
Her silver aura ignited.
Sia (fierce):
"For Edenia…
For Ryoma…
For humanity…
Burn, you machines!"
The Mecha launched into space—
One strike.
A single, blazing slash.
The scout unit split cleanly in half.
Silence returned to the void.
(Aftermath – The Weight of What's Coming)
Back in the cockpit, Ryoma sat still.
His hand trembled slightly.
Ryoma (to himself):
*"We won…
But that was just a scout.
Next… comes an entire fleet."*
"Are we ready…?"
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
Not as a command…
But as a whisper filled with regret.
[Voice of the Former Ruler:]
*"You're learning, Ryoma…
But the next world will shatter your mind with machines and firepower.
Fear… is what made me fail.
Don't let it control you."*
Ryoma stared into the endless dark…
Then smiled.
Ryoma:
"Fear…?
I don't know fear.
I only know… the desire to protect what I love."