Chapter 14: Entering Valia

  "Are you ready to step into Valia?"

  A deep, genderless voice echoed—gentle yet powerful, soothing yet commanding. Transmitted through electronic signals, it converted into soundwaves that reached all first-time players, resonating deep within their skulls like a whisper from a distant world.

  "I am Lafieii, the first creation of the monadic universe—far, far away from your dualistic realms, both in space and time. I am the guardian of all, the convergence of two currents, and the keeper of the gate. I am the one who welcomes you into the world of Valia. Ah, let me see the face of the one to whom I shall grant the chance to save this land."

  A notification popped up: Valia requests access to your webcam. Accept? / Decline?

  He chose Accept.

  "Ah, I remember this face. Three solar cycles ago, you once stood before me. Back then, you chose to reject Valia, didn't you?"

  Is this some kind of AI-driven conversation? he wondered. If it were just standard programming, there was no way it could recall that he had previously opened Valia’s interface but refused to log in.

  "Ah, you weren’t ready then. But now, I see in your eyes a flame of determination that cannot be extinguished. You are ready to become an Adventurer in Valia, ready to challenge yourself with God's puzzle. Now, tell me your name."

  A text box appeared. He typed "K-a-i".

  "Welcome, Kai. Ah, God has told me about you. Interesting. I shall grant an exception. You do not need to choose an Imperial Patron. You do not need to swear allegiance to Estapha or Zephrania. For the next half hour, you will be under my protection alone. After that, if you do not obtain an Imperial Patron, I’m afraid you will be expelled from this world—permanently. It is not out of malice, but the monadic universe is too harsh for human data. An Adventurer without a Patron will be erased forever."

  Accept? / Decline?

  He chose Accept.

  "Good. Even if it’s only for a brief moment, enjoy Valia. Now, choose a Guardian Point to begin your journey."

  A list of all 54 cities across Valia appeared. Normally, players could only select a city activated by their faction’s Imperial Patron, but he was the first and only exception in history.

  He chose Estaphalia.

  "Then let’s go."

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  The screen turned black, then suddenly filled with glowing dots, which quickly streaked across the void like radiant beams. He felt as if he were hurtling through countless galaxies, then plunging into a tunnel that transcended all limits of space and time. Around him, streaks of light branched out like colossal roots, all leading to a distant source.

  "My final gift to all Adventurers—a blessing. Choose a starting weap—…"

  Lafieii’s warm voice, which had been echoing gently in his ears, suddenly faded into silence. The serene tunnel of light abruptly fractured, and he found himself staring into a complex, chaotic labyrinth of darkness.

  This… wasn’t supposed to happen. He frowned.

  He had never logged into Valia before, but he had watched others do it. Every player followed Lafieii’s path smoothly into the game.

  "Who… who are you?"

  The voice was no longer the deep, commanding presence of Lafieii but a sharp, somewhat cold, and haughty female voice—almost like a bratty young girl.

  "Hey! I’m talking to you! Who are you?!"

  There was no chatbox. On impulse, he responded via microphone.

  "Are you talking to me?"

  "Of course, I am! I thought you were mute! Ah, you don’t belong here. Your voice overlaps—it’s split into two layers. You come from the dualistic universe!"

  "Maybe. So, are you a resident of the monadic universe?"

  Did this damn game just trigger a new event? He wondered.

  After all, his very entry into this world—by God's decree—was already an exception. If he was an anomaly, strange occurrences like this weren’t impossible.

  "There’s a code attached to your data. A very familiar one… from 'that person'… It led you here. But don’t throw yourself into a deathtrap, you weak dualistic being. There is no exit from this labyrinth. No 'world' awaits you at the end of it. Valia does not exist here."

  "Well, that’s unfortunate. So, I’m lost?"

  Damn, this dialogue system is next-level. It really seems like God has developed an AI that the entire world would be envious of.

  Might as well play along.

  "I want to go to Valia. Estaphalia. Can you help me get there?"

  "Hmph!!!" The voice sounded annoyed. "I was just about to have a good nap. But you’re lucky. Since you carry 'that person’s' code—his gift—I can guide you. But you must promise me one thing."

  "And what is that?"

  "Just agree first!"

  "I need to know what it is first."

  "No! Either you agree, or you stay trapped here forever!"

  A hidden quest? he guessed.

  Many NPCs in other games had this vague dialogue style. If this was just a questline, then there was no real danger. Probably just part of an event.

  "Alright, I agree."

  "Good! The contract is sealed!"

  The tunnel suddenly shifted, and the vibrant lights from earlier reappeared. A path out was now visible.

  His character menu popped up—something that should have appeared when Lafieii offered a gift. But this time, there was no option to choose a starting weapon. Instead, his weapon slot had already been permanently bound to a case filled with steel rods that resembled spears.

  ===

  "Hey! What the hell is taking you so long?! It’s just character creation! Do you really want to be the hero and save the girl, or are you gonna let her get sliced to pieces?"

  A sharp, impatient voice snapped him back to reality.

  Sara stormed over, frustrated. The entire team was seated in an extravagant gaming lounge within God’s Palace. No one had paid much attention to his screen until now—because no one expected character creation to take this long.

  He glanced at the live stream of Estapha, immediately understanding that the situation was more critical than ever.

  "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Stop yelling in my ear."

  The exit was right in front of him. He instinctively reached for one of the spears from his hip case, took aim, and hurled it straight at the opening.