Midnight.
Kenji clicked [Play].
The world vanished.
"One world."
The voice boomed across his headphones, resonant and timeless.
The screen flared with visions: mountains split by thunder, seas boiling, armies raising banners in blood.
"One history."
Temples shattered, dragons screamed into the void, cities collapsed into ash.
"No resets."
The vision cracked apart like glass.
For a heartbeat, Kenji saw only his own reflection in the black screen. Then white text burned across it:
[Revelation Online Begins Now]
Character creation.
[Name your soul.]
Kenji typed: GrayWolf.
His avatar shimmered into form: a lean figure in a rough tunic, barefoot, faceless. No customization sliders, no hairstyles, no frills. Just a shadow of a man.
Then:
[Your fate shall be revealed.]
A single card spun before him, black-backed with silver spirals swirling faintly across its surface.
It flipped.
[Starting Draw: 10♠ — Ten of Spades]
Kenji leaned closer. The number gleamed sharp and bright. The card slid into his inventory.
He opened the menu at once.
Inventory:
[10♠ — Ten of Spades]
If registered:+15 Critical Rate+10 Spell Penetration
Warning: Cards grant permanent stats when registered. Once registered, they cannot be removed.
Deck Slots: [ 0 / 5 Registered ]
[Do you wish to register this card into your Deck?][Yes] [No]
Kenji's eyes lingered on the faint outline of five empty slots in his deck tab.
Permanent. Irreversible.
He thought of every MMO he had played. Every time a hasty decision ruined a build. Every regret.
He selected [No].
The card pulsed faintly in his inventory, as if disappointed.
"…I'll wait," Kenji muttered.
Another prompt appeared.
[Select your weapon.]
Before him, spectral outlines shimmered in the void. Not stats, not numbers—just the shapes of weapons waiting for a hand.
Longsword — steady, balanced.
Great Axe — heavy, brutal.
Spear — precise, piercing.
Bow — distant, swift.
Staff — fragile, arcane.
Dual Short Swords — fast, agile, relentless.
Kenji's eyes roamed across them. The longsword was the safe option, the axe promised raw destruction, the spear control. The bow meant safety, the staff flexibility.
But his hands itched for speed. For precision.
He reached. The dual short swords solidified in his grip—plain steel, perfectly balanced, humming with restrained promise.
[Weapon Selected: Dual Short Swords]
[Skill Unlocked: Twin Slash]
Strike twice in quick succession.
Cost: 5 Stamina.
Cooldown: 5 seconds.
Kenji tightened his grip. No fanfare. No tutorial. Just the blades. And one skill. Enough.
The void dissolved into blinding light.
When the light faded, Kenji gasped.
He stood in the middle of a village square. Sunlight streamed through swaying branches, shadows dancing on the packed dirt. Wooden huts ringed the square, their planks worn and grooved. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys, blending with the tang of firewood and soil. Chickens clucked, dogs barked, a blacksmith's hammer rang steady.
It wasn't a game. It was life.
Kenji turned slowly. Every detail was seamless. The air shimmered with motes of dust. Leaves rippled under the wind, casting fluttering shadows across rooftops. The ground shifted with each step of an NPC carrying a basket.
With his old PC, this world would've been impossible. The screen would have stuttered, lagged, crashed before it even loaded. He would've been stuck at black while millions marched forward.
But now… every line was sharp. Every movement fluid. Every breath of this digital village felt real.
[Welcome to Ashwood Frontier]
[Lv 1 — Commoner]
Other players popped into existence around him—dozens, then hundreds, each in the same plain tunic, eyes wide as they looked around.
The chat erupted instantly:
PlayerOne: "Holy shit this feels real."
PixelQueen: "Is anyone else shaking??"
Veteran42: "STOP gawking. Test mechanics. MOVE."
NoobSlayer: "Bro I got a 7♦… do I register or nah??"
Kenji ignored the flood and approached the nearest guard, spear in hand.
"Excuse me," Kenji said. "What's going on here?"
The guard walked past without looking at him.
Kenji frowned. He tried again, this time with a merchant stacking crates.
No response. The man didn't even meet his eyes.
A farmer. A woman with a water jug. A stablehand.
Nothing.
Finally, a faint notification flickered:
[Reputation too low. NPCs will not engage.]
Kenji exhaled. So that was it. Without status, without recognition, he was invisible. A nobody.
He opened the global forum overlay, hoping for clarity.
[World Forum — Revelation Online Global Thread]
Posts streamed in by the second.
PlayerOne: "Cards??? I got a 4♥, no idea what it does."
NoobSlayer: "7♦ here. Worthless?? Should I register??"
PixelQueen: "Registered mine and nothing happened yet???"
Veteran42: "Don't rush. Permanent means PERMANENT."
CrimsonAlliance: "Forget the cards. We're claiming the capital day one."
BlackLotus: "The cards ARE the game. Mark my words."
Kenji's eyes narrowed. Confusion everywhere. No answers. Just chaos.
He closed the forum, looking around the square again. NPCs bustled. Players shouted. And he, like the rest of them, stood at the very bottom of a ladder nobody could see.
For a moment, the enormity of it pressed down on him.
One world. One history. No resets.
If he wanted to climb, he'd have to carve his place step by step.
Kenji adjusted the grip on his swords, the faintest smile tugging at his lips.
This time, he wasn't behind.
He was here. At the beginning.