The lights of XXXX City were almost cruel in their brilliance. It was strange though, as if everyone around the woman didn't seem to care for the bright blinding lights. Perhaps the people here are used to it. Every building wore a skin of neon and flashing ads, towering so high that the stars above were swallowed whole. Billboards blinked and changed, and massive television screens painted the streets below in restless color. A thousand voices of the city screamed at once: Buy this, want that, be more, be better.
The woman's black hair hung limp around her shoulders, all greasy and tangled. An old gray hoodie swallowed her thin frame, the cuffs stained and frayed. Her jeans sagged awkwardly, dirt smudged at the knees. She smelled… Not just a little, but enough that strangers crossing the sidewalk pulled subtle faces as they passed, wrinkling their noses, glancing away quickly. Some people veered around her entirely, as if afraid she'd ask them for change.
Oh, she knew what she looked like. She just didn't care anymore.
Or maybe she just gave up entirely. She's used to it.
Her stomach growled sharply, twisting in protest. That was why she had ventured out tonight — to the nearest convenience store. Nothing more.
Get food.
Get some essentials.
Get… Something. Whatever she could buy with the little money in the pockets of her hoodie.
Then straight home, before the world swallowed her.
One thing however caught the woman's eyes. On one of the towering televisions overhead, a commercial had begun playing, its music bright and theatrical, almost desperate.
❰ A new world awaits! ❱ said a booming voice over the flash of vivid landscapes, with mountains floating above oceans, and cities carved into crystal caverns, and skies of endless color.
❰ Join the millions who have already entered Infinity! The game where your dreams know no limits! Adventure, glory, freedom... it's all just one step away! ❱
Different characters smiled, danced, fought monsters, flew through the virtual skies.
It was all so... shiny. So easy.
But the woman just stood there and watched. Her eyes barely blinked. Her chest felt hollow. She knew the commercial by heart. She didn't need to watch it again. Because she was already one of those "millions". She played Infinity almost every waking hour. It was easier than being alive in a world that felt so sharp and loud and demanding. In Infinity, she could be someone else…
Someone better.
I should get back home…
Soap. Gotta get soap. Bread, too. And maybe those noodles... the cheap ones. Maybe milk? Or... ugh, milk expires fast. Never mind. Just whatever lasts longer.
Oh. That therapist reminder. Missed another appointment. Again. Was it yesterday? No, three days ago. Maybe I should call. Maybe I should pretend to be dead.
Phone's probably dead anyway. Loads of missed calls. Ayaka called, and Kenji... and that guy from work— wait, ex-work. Past life. Whatever. They'll stop eventually.
Do I still have toothpaste?
The buzzing heat of the city blurred around her. She didn't even feel her legs starting to ache from standing too long.
She barely heard the blare of a car horn until it was screaming at her. A car screeched to a halt just a few feet from her, tires skidding against asphalt. The driver leaned out the window, his face twisted with anger.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing? Get out of the road, idiot!"
People turned to look. Some with vague curiosity, others with open disgust. A few whispered behind their hands, side-eyeing the disheveled woman who stood blankly in the middle of the street, her hoodie sagging around her, her body a thin outline wrapped in the stench of sweat, grease, and something worse… Hopelessness.
The woman turned her head slowly, her expression blank. She stared at the man, not really seeing him, then shifted her gaze back to the massive screen, where the commercial was still selling dreams. Without a word, she stepped away from the street and kept walking, her sneakers scraping against the pavement.
The driver cursed and sped off. She didn't care. She was already somewhere else, halfway between this world and another.
The fluorescent lights of the convenience store buzzed ahead, cold and empty. She pushed the door open, the blast of air-conditioning hitting her like a slap, and disappeared inside.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
A sharp hiss filled the dark room.
The VR capsule, sleek and silver, exhaled as it unlocked itself, steam curling from the seams like breath from a sleeping dragon. Along the rim of the capsule, the name was engraved in smooth, elegant lettering:
5enses
It was a little sprinkle of wordplay. It was a promise that every sensation would be touched, tasted, seen, heard, and felt.
The man approached, steps silent against the cold floor.
The capsule's lid tilted upward, revealing the soft, padded interior shaped to cradle a human body in perfect comfort. Without hesitation, he slipped inside, the cushioning molding around his frame like a whisper.
His short hair was all messy, due to the fact he has just woken up. His clothes were a mess and he had yet to brush his teeth. But in the virtual reality, no one would really know his small forgetfulness for hygiene.
❰ Welcome, User: Kaori ❱ the mechanical voice began politely.
"Load Infinity." He commanded.
The machine obeyed instantly. There was a brief hum, the feeling of systems waking and connecting.
Infinity was no ordinary game. It was the masterpiece of Astral Reality, a company that had shattered every known boundary between reality and fantasy. At the heart of it all lived Eternal, a super AI that was so advanced, so capable of learning and growing, that it blurred the line between programming and sentience.
Eternal didn't just manage Infinity. It breathed through it, shaping it moment by moment, adapting the world itself to every player who dared to enter.
A second voice answered now, warm and oddly familiar. It was the voice of Eternal itself:
❰ Welcome back, Player Katsumi, to Infinity! ❱
Before he could react, a blinding flash engulfed his vision. The real world melted away, pixel by pixel, until there was only light — endless, crushing light.
When his senses slowly stitched themselves back together, he was no longer lying down. He stood upright in a massive room. His avatar's feet softly landed against polished stone. The room was vast, with towering ceilings and illuminated with crystal chandeliers. In the center stood a huge, round table surrounded by chairs that were elegant and carved with ornate designs.
It was as if he just landed right in the middle of a castle. Everything was decorated fit for kings and queens.
Figures were seated around it. Dozens of them, in fact. All dressed in strange, beautiful armors and robes of every color and style. The sound of voices swirled around him, at first just a muted ocean of noise, but quickly sharpening into distinct words and laughter as he fully materialized.
Chatter. Banter. Arguments.
The heartbeat of a living world.
"Oh, shit, it's Katsu!" A man's voice called out. "Good morning!" He smiled brightly at me. "I assume it's morning over there in your time zone, right? Come! Have you heard of the new event? It was just announced a few minutes ago!"
The man before Katsumi had sharp, golden, reptile-like eyes that were curved with his big smile. He was a Draconian, which explained his reptile-like features. He had blue hair and pointy blue scales that crept up to his elbows and knees, before fading back into flesh.
"Yeah, I had to rush myself in here." Katsumi chuckled. "I didn't even finish the trailer video. What's the event about?"
Tarou, in his excitement, stood up quickly from his fancy and dedicated chair. He almost knocked down the chair by doing so.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime event! Once someone completes this, it's never to be repeated again!" His grin became even larger. "Apparently, the reward is a Wish Stone, that could grant us a wish."
Katsumi's lips curled in amusement, "Does it work in real life too?"
A laugh was returned. "You wish! But if we ever get that stone, I'd like a new Mythical or Unique set. Could be another weapon or armor, I don't really mind."
There are different Item Ranks in Infinity. They go in this order: Average, Refined, Exalted, Legendary, Mythical, and lastly, Unique. Mythical items are extremely hard to come by and one of the best items any player could get.
Unique items, on the other hand, are more of a gamble. They're special because they are one of a kind, meaning there are no other copies or duplicates. They can provide horrible stat additions which would be utterly useless to equip. However, Unique items are always guaranteed at least 1 ability attached to said item. Any Mythical or below rank items don't generally have any special abilities attached to them.
"That's a good wish, but you're not thinking correctly, Tarou." Katsumi clicked his tongue. "The smartest route would be to wish for a million gold Mhyr."
Mhyr was the global currency of the game. There are 3 types: Copper, silver, and gold. There are certain ways to acquire Mhyr. First is taking up ❰ Bounties ❱ that are placed up by NPCs in exchange for a sum. Second is to kill monsters—collect their sellable parts and sell them yourself. Last is the most taboo thing a player can do: Kill other players or other intelligent species. Sometimes they would be carrying a bag of Mhyr on their body that one can steal.
A loud laugh echoed across the room, "Are you trying to cause inflation?" One of the other people in the room overheard their conversation.
Moro-Moro. Younger brother of Tarou. Despite his older brother being a rare species and races such as a Draconian, Moro-Moro was just a regular human. And he was also a business major. Of course he would talk about inflation.
Katsumi countered his statement, "It wouldn't be inflation if I hoarded the money and don't spend it all in one go."
"That's not how it works, buddy. But sure. Keep dreaming, big guy." Moro-Moro replied sarcastically.
Katsumi smirked, rolling his shoulders back with mock drama. "Alright, fine, new wish idea: I want the ability to teleport anywhere in the game. No more walking. No more overpriced fast-travel scrolls. Just snap and I'm there."
Moro-Moro snorted. "You'd break half the dungeons doing that."
"Exactly," Katsumi said, raising a finger. "That's called efficiency."
Before Moro-Moro could chime in with another finance lecture, the massive double doors at the far end of the chamber creaked open with a low, resonant groan.
Conversation dwindled into a hush. Chairs scraped as some players stood, others turned in place.
She entered without urgency, as if the room had always been hers and had simply forgotten.
She didn't walk so much as glide, the hem of her flowing white dress whispering along the polished floor. The gown was laced with thin golden vines and rich brown threads, cinched at the waist with a natural corset that looked like it had grown there rather than been stitched. A delicate crown of golden flowers hovered just above her head. It was not resting on her hair, but floating there like a radiant halo.
A goddess.
Or something close enough it didn't matter.
Her presence didn't just demand attention. It commanded it.
Even Tarou, normally so loud and chaotic, fell silent beside Katsumi. Everyone did.
Kyuu, the leader of Sansai Guild, the strongest guild in Infinity*. She* walked with calm grace to her throne-like chair at the round table's far end. Unlike the others, hers stood the tallest. The second tallest belonged to Katusmi, the third belonged to Tarou. Everyone else's chair remained the same height.
Kyuu, Katusmi, Tarou — They were walking calamities in Infinity. And it got only more intense due the fact that the Top 3 strongest players banded together under one banner.
Kyuu sat, folding one leg over the other, hands resting gently on her lap. Then, with a small smile, she spoke.
"Good morning." she said, her voice like birdsong over a gentle stream. It carried to every corner of the room with no effort, soft and slow, but impossible not to hear. "I hope you've all been enjoying your peace."
Some chuckles stirred.
"Short-lived, I assume?" Katsumi asked, smirking.
"Of course," Kyuu replied. Her smile widened faintly, eyes landing on him. "Would you expect anything less?"
A ripple of laughter moved through the room. They weren't just warriors or adventurers. They were legends. And they knew it. Which meant they could afford to laugh. They had the luxury. Who in their right mind would dare go against the strongest?
"I found it," Kyuu continued. "The location of the Wish Stone."
A hush fell again. No more jokes. No more banter. Just a sudden, sharp stillness.
Kyuu opened her inventory, a transparent blue screen popped up in front of her. She reached her hand out through the screen, her arm swallowed into some sort of abyss, before retracting her arm back and holding a scroll.
She unrolled it hastily and laid it down on the table. Everyone leaned forward to peer into it's contents. It was a map.
Kyuu placed down her finger, pointing towards the south, into a long mountain range. None of the guildmembers has been there before.
"Here," she said. "Buried or hidden somewhere in The Greystone Divide. Apparently, it's a very isolated place. No one has ventured here before."
Tarou whistled. "Then we'll be the first. Sounds like fun."
"It will be," Kyuu said gently. "But unknown and dangerous. We have no idea what's in there."
Katsumi nodded and further added, "A Wish Stone is a very OP item. We got no idea what kind of creatures crawl there and guard it. Maybe it could be stronger than us."
"But we're already the strongest?" Moro-Moro was confused.
"No, Katsumi may be somewhat right. Once we begin, the quest will not allow retreat. This is a sealed event. And remember: only one Wish Stone exists. It will not respawn. Once claimed, it's over. For everyone."
A beat passed. Then Tarou spoke, "So no pressure, right?"
Another laugh, this one quieter.
She stood again, posture still elegant as ever. "You have two hours to prepare. Sharpen your blades, reinforce your gear, do whatever. We move until then."
Her gaze swept across the table once more.
"Dismissed," she said at last, and turned, the flowers in her halo drifting as she walked back toward the hall.
Tarou let out a long, dramatic breath as the room began to hum with conversation again.
"I swear, if she wasn't already a goddess, I'd start a religion."
"She'd smite you first," Katsumi said, standing from his seat and stretching. "And you'd thank her."
"Correct." Tarou replied without missing a beat.