In another luxurious high-rise building a young dy utting on a fine red coat, her long blond hair bound above her head.

  A voice came from behind her back:

  “thia, are you going out today?”

  “Yes, mom. I’m meeting a few friends for dinner.”

  “Please take some security with you. It’s quite dangerous today.”

  “Sure, sure.

  I’m off then, bye.”

  “Bye!”

  thia left through the escator, reag a lower floor. A reception took the ter of this floor, handling all kinds of miseous matters for the inhabitants of the building.

  After a short talk she anized her favorite bodyguard, who waited with a luxurious limousine before her home.

  thia got in, greeting the tall man responsible for her security. The limousiarted, rushing along the highway, soon reag a smaller building in a middle-css district.

  thia left the car with her bodyguard, entering the building. She bought it as soon as she tureen, serving as an escape for herself.

  Her parents didn’t know about it. And to make sure this wouldn’t ge thia casually handed her bodyguard a thousand credits, which he received without ent.

  A short while ter the young woma her house, now dressed in a white shirt, and ripped jeans.

  The car tinued, soon reag a famous nightclub. This was still in the middle-css area. The nightclub wasn’t shabby and had a good reputation, but for a high-css dy like thia it had a wicked fir.

  ing here might be sidered an act of rebellion.

  thai smiled eagerly as she entered, her appearance immediately drawing eyes.

  Her bodyguard followed inspicuously from behind, making sure nothing happeo the young dy.

  Finally, thia entered a private booth.

  “Look! Cy is here!”

  “Cy! Damn girl, you look great today!”

  thia was warmly weled by a few young women. Judging from their getup and the drinks oable, those women were well off but couldn’t be ted among the high-css citizens.

  “Cy, have you pyed already?”

  “Of course. Mel, you won’t believe it!”

  “What? Tell us!”

  “I made it into the first server annou!”

  “Haha, stop joking!”

  “Yeah, don’t boast! We have been pying games together for years. Shouldn’t we know it if you’re a hidden bigshot?”

  “Hey! I’m not bad, alright! But we wouldn’t have been able to do it without meeting an expert.”

  “An expert? Is he cute?”

  Thinking of Liam’s fa the game, thia couldn’t help but sch her face.

  Joyful ughter rang in the booth.

  “Hey, Cy, if you make it big one day, don’t fet about us.”

  “Of course, of course! Didn’t we always dream about our future guild? Maybe this is it! Let’s rise to the top in aboul!”

  “Hah! That’s the spirit! Cheers, girls!”

  “Cheers!”

  The mood was great as the girls ked their gsses.

  Liam would’ve been surprised if he overheard the versation. Cye in the game indeed behaved like a newbie most of the time.

  But who could expect that thia even hid her secret hobby from her best friend Silva.

  ***

  Meanwhile the mood pressive in anhtclub.

  Boom!

  “Bullsh*t!”

  Sericher shouted angrily as he threw his VR sole through the room.

  “Too old?! TOO OLD?! Who put an age limit on this sh*tty sole?! What are those b*stards pnning?”

  “F*CK!”

  A few of Serin’s subordinates shivered at the side, not daring to let out a single heir boss had rarely been this burning with rage.

  But this week was indeed going poorely. The target they had been looking out for hasn’t returned. On top of that the people on lookout missed the start of the virtual world, as well as the subsequent looting.

  A few angs even mocked them after a rge harvest.

  And as if one misfortune wasn’t enough, they were still hit by the subsequent sweeping done by the army, costing them a lot of money.

  But Serin was actually the most enraged by the age limit pced on the virtual world, preventing him from pying Fate of aboul.

  Many reliable sources stressed the importance of the game multiple times. Even their VIPs pced a lot of focus on it.

  Serin’s chest heaved. He took a rge sip of some unreizable liquid, his eyes cloudy.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t see the growing ambition in the eyes of some of his subordihose who got their hands on a sole could already feel the newfound strength of their bodies, looking forward to a bright future.

  ***

  A tumultuous night passed, sending a ripple through the entire human federation or eveire world. Many pns were set into motion.

  The real extent of ge only be judged iure.

  But Liam didn’t think so much as he woke up the m. He was only gd as he felt much better already.

  Standing up early he threw his old clothes to the ground. He stopped for a moment, w where the pile folded ly atop a chair came from.

  However, he had a lot of his mind, ign the issue.

  Liam grabbed a quick breakfast, reading some news.

  “Everyone is going crazy for a sole.

  The gover firmed that strength ingame be reflected iy.

  Every p is their own server.

  They even gratuted those aplishing server annous. The attention put on the game is obvious.”

  Liam was deep in thought as he finished eating. Without waking the two women he left the apartment and headed for the martial dojo.

  Yesterday Merida fronted him about the VR sole. Liam apologized multiple times for keeping it secret.

  Merida didn’t know what to feel about the virtual world, but she was gd that Liam at least didn’t accept some dangerous job.

  After the versation Liam could’ve stayed at home to py, but he didn’t fet Master Baker’s words, still trying not to his martial arts training.

  Thus, Liam arrived at the dojo early.

  He was surprised as a luxurious car stopped in front of the building. Silva and Felix got off, both seemingly lost in thought.

  “M guys!”

  The siblings snapped back to reality from Liam’s greeting. Felix immediately showed a bright smile.

  “Liam! Hey! Damn, you still came. Haha, the master will be gd!”

  “M Liam.”

  “Of course I came. Strength from the sole is oernal after all.”

  “Right. I took it off once yesterday. The feeling was terrible!”

  “I didn’t feel that much difference.”

  Felix rolled his eyes as he felt as if his sister was boasting.

  “You are pying as well, Silva?”

  “Of course. There’s no way around it right now.”

  The trio versed happily as they reached the rge training gym.

  Master Baker was already waiting, not showing aion on his face.

  “Good. You are here.

  Silva, Felix you train by yourself for a while. I will teach you ter.”

  “Yes, master!”

  “As for Liam, you e over here.”

  Liam was surprised by the treatment but plied. Subsequently Master Baker ordered him to take off the sole before beginning to teach him a new posture.

  It looked easy but all of Liam’s muscles burned after just a few minutes.

  However, when Master Baker expihat this was necessary to reach the first stage in martial training, flesh strengthening, Liam swallowed his pints.

  From Silva and Felix, he already khe stages of martial artists. One’s body must be strengthened first, beginning with flesh, bone, marrow, and blood strengthening.

  Afterwards one was ready to draw starlight into the body and awaken the steltion io every being, officially being a starlight master.

  Every steltion sisted of ten stars. Filling them up with starlight, one would ehe corresponding 1-star to 10-star ranks, eventually reag the top.

  But after knowing all of this, Liam couldn’t help but doubt it in his heart.

  Because after reag level 100 in the game, one would also awaken a steltion.

  Unfortunately, C refused to answer his questions and he couldn’t ask anyone else.

  But now it seemed as if Master Baker had accepted Liam, teag him the genuine Winding Dragon Art.

  Maybe this would allow Liam to solve his doubts on his own one day.

  For now, he could only train diligently, ign all the pain.

  After an hour Master Baker sent Liam away to train on his own, fog on Silva and Felix.

  Liam returo his training room. With some time left until the game opened, he pondered how to kill time.

  Eventually he settled on replig a training from his old life.

  Liam liked to perform the skill from the game in the real world. It would allow him to perfect his movements, making his skills difficult to block or evade.

  Thus, Liam focused his mind and performed [Double Ssh] and [Sidestep] tinuously until his arms and legs grew tired.

  Finally, 9:00 approached. Liam sat on the floor, sweat stig to his body. But he didn’t care as he put on his VR sole, eager to return to aboul.

  Suddenly Liam’s vision grew dark as the sole sent him to the virtual world.