Leo sat still in a brown leather covered office chair. His hands were constantly changing position from a fist to interlocked fingers to simply laying flat on the table. He listened carefully to the words being said, anger showing on his face.

How long had he worked here? 15 years? Does that mean nothing? Does loyalty for 15 years not mean anything? Does practically ensuring the company’s success in the game mean nothing?

Leo could not understand why they were firing him. He read through the piece of paper in front of him over and over again.

Termination notice

Leo Claude is hereby terminated from employment at Elecur on the basis of section §3-1a under his contract, signed 28th of February, 2025.

The character Zero in the popular game Garius Online will be reset back to 0 and all gear will be forcefully returned back to Elecur’s official Guild; as described in the original contract under section §4-2.

Regret. Anger. Injustice. Stupidity. Leo felt a plethora of emotions making it difficult to discern which one was more important. He had never been driven by his emotions before. His personality was so emotionless that his best friend Alex had described him as a robot in human clothing. He had always operated on strict logic.

Leo was hired for his analytical capabilities. His brain captures everything he sees, hears and feels. He can easily learn complicated formulas in a heartbeat, solve complicated pattern problems in seconds and see what others cannot. This has led to his emotions becoming locked. He struggles to ascertain when his emotions are genuine. Even now, sitting here, reading his termination notice, he still couldn’t determine if his emotions were real.

He only felt confusion in his heart. Their actions lacked logic. The Saint Trials were just about to begin and he had already secured his spot in Elecur’s name. Why would they throw him out now?

Leo reluctantly signed the termination notice. It did not matter how much he argued, he was already done for. This entire meeting was simply a formality. His signature only served as a way to document that he had received the termination notice. Nothing he said would change the situation. Despite this, he was still unwilling to be fired under section §3-1a. Fired because his position was no longer needed? What kind of bullshit was that? Who would believe that an expert like him was not needed anymore?

Leo begrudgingly stood up from his chair and walked out of the room. He entered the parking lot and got in his car. The city quickly faded away and Leo arrived at his mansion located slightly outside of the city. The security gate opened as he approached and a green light atop the gate shone brightly, indicating that the security system had recognized him. The bright light stood out in the otherwise pitch black night. The moon was obstructed by clouds and rain could be seen slowly falling down to meet the earth.

Leo threw his keys on the kitchen counter and entered his office. His mansion was massive with more rooms than he would ever need. In fact, Leo was unsure of what several of the rooms even contained. He had never felt the need to know. The rooms get cleaned on a regular basis so he didn’t fear them pilling up dust.

His office was filled with computer screens constantly showing data that most people would describe as random numbers and letters. In the middle of the room stood his gaming capsule. The capsule was roughly 1.5m wide and 2.5m tall. It looked almost like an oversized egg with its white color and rounded appearance. This was his only way of accessing the revolutionary VRMMORPG Garius Online. A game entirely created by humanity’s most advanced A.I.

The game was marketed as a collaboration between the world’s superpowers but Leo had a feeling that they did not create it. The game was simply too advanced. The game system’s combat, realism, and balance were far beyond the capabilities of even the most powerful of nations. It even had the ability to slow down time to ¼ of the real world. This was, of course, only relative and not a physical difference. It’s like when you read a good book or play a great game. When you’re having fun, time seems to speed up. When you’re bored, time seems to slow down.

Leo turned on the TV and watched as an image of a woman and a man in formal attire appeared.

[Linda] “Good evening players! Are you excited for the opening of the Saint’s Gate? We here at Pioneer Record are excited to bring you the hottest news straight from the freshest sources! Isn’t that right Adam?”

[Adam] “That’s right Linda, we have just received information that the gates will open in 24 hours. As you all know, there are currently 100 players qualified to participate. These men and women have conquered the most difficult quests and earned themselves the right to participate in the highly anticipated Saint Trials!”

[Linda] ”They sure have, Adam. We cannot wait to see how … What? … Is that confirmed? … Alright, players! We have just received news that the number 43 ranked player Zero has withdrawn from the challenge! His name no longer stands proudly on the global leaderboard.”

[Adam] ”A shock for sure. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past 8 years, let me bring you up to speed. Zero quickly came to fame after performing spectacularly in the World Championship 8 years ago. He came out of seemingly nowhere and quickly fought his way to the grand finals in his first year participating! He could unfortunately not beat the top tier experts of Garius Online, but his actions have been ingrained in the minds of every player, young and old.”

[Linda] ”That’s right, Adam. Zero is the only Spearman in the entire top rankings. Using a normal class to fight against the top-rated Legendary Classes such as ‘Blood Witch’, ‘Demon Knight’ and ‘Shadowblade’ is simply remarkable.”

[Adam] ”It is indeed. Zero’s unmatched movement and precision have greatly helped him in completing this feat. I can’t even imagine how much more powerful he would be with a Legendary Class!”

[Linda] ”I would also like to see that. Oh, it seems like we have the number 1 ranked player in the Assassin’s category with us. Carla, take it away!”

[Carla] ”Thank you, Linda. I’m currently standing here with the infamous Shadowblade ‘Bringer of Death’ Farox. So Farox, you have fought Zero multiple times, what do you think about this sudden announcement?”

[Farox] “I think it came out of the blue. There’s no hiding that I don’t care much for Zero, but I still respect him as a player. I honestly thought that he would be a top contender for the Trials.”

[Carla] “What do you think about the analysis desk’s hypothesis that Zero would be able to rank #1 with a Legendary Class?”

[Farox] “Don’t make me laugh. Zero is like a robot, his actions are so predictable that there’s hardly any chance of him winning against the top players in a 1v1. I admit that I could never do what he does, but that’s also the reason he’ll never be a top tier expert. Unless he figures out how to be less reliant on perfection, he’ll continue to be read like an open book in duels.”

[Carla] “That’s some strong words coming from someone who lost to him in the recent duel qualifiers.”

[Farox] “That was a fluke. I admit that when he gets inside your defense there’s absolutely no way to win. It was my mistake to allow that to happen, not him being strong.”

[Carla] “You heard it here first folks! I’m looking forward to ... “

Leo turned off the TV and sat down in a chair with his hands pressed against his temple. He was still thinking about why he was fired just hours before the Saint’s Gate opens. He had a good chance at winning the Trials and his victory would also be Elecur’s victory. Why did they cut him off now?

While Leo was thinking about his current predicament, four masked men appeared outside his mansion. They wore black garments, perfectly blending in with the pitch black night. They wore masks of the highest quality with the most advanced technology for night-based operations.

The men slowly made their way through the estate's outer security like they were taking a stroll in the park. The shortest man amongst them quickly began typing something on a tablet.

[Unknown #1] “What’s taking so long? We can’t stay here forever you know.”

[Unknown #2] “I’d like to see you try to hack into one of the most advanced security systems in the world without sending out a warning signal to every law enforcement agency in the country.”

[Unknown #3] “Will the both of you shut up? Do you not see how many guards patrol the area?”

[Unknown #4] “Relax. Since when has third tier security guards stopped us from a mission?”

[Unknown #1] “When will you stop underestimating people? Even an idiot can destroy a highly coordinate mission when encountered at an inopportune time.”

[Unknown #2] “I feel bad for this fellow for being killed by morons like you. He sure pissed off the wrong people”

[Unknown #2] “Alright we’re in. The time limit is 45 seconds, be quick.”

[Unknown #4] “Finally! I call dibs on the kill.”

[Unknown #1] “You never change. Whoever finds him gets the kill. Do not sabotage this mission.”

[Unknown #4] “Alright, alright. I get it. But I’m taking the office. Like there’s a doubt where he’s at.”

[Unknown #2] “40 seconds.”

The two men quickly searched the mansion and found Leo sitting in his office. Cobra stealthily approached Leo, a curved jet-black dagger appearing in his right hand. Leo was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he failed to notice the assassin closing in on him. He was, after all, in his mansion. He had 20 people guarding the premise at any given time. There was simply no way anyone would be able to get in here without him knowing.

[Unknown #2] “Somethings wrong. Finish quickly!”

An alarm rang out and alerted the security guards. Leo quickly stood up in a panic and began to turn around but it was already too late. The jet-black dagger pierced his neck. Leo died instantly without ever knowing why.

[Unknown #4] “Have you finished … For God’s sake why the dagger? What would you have done if the alarm came earlier?! That man was a highly trained fighter.”

[Cobra] “Relax, Viper. I know what I’m doing. It got the job done, didn’t it?”

[Unknown #2] “I don’t mean to interrupt your little tea party, but we have guests. Get out, now!”

[Viper] “Whatever, let’s just get out while we still can.”

On an unknown planet deep within the center of the universe were four lifeforms more advanced than any on Earth. They gathered together to discuss Leo’s death.

[Lifeform #1] “Ekalius you can’t be serious? Why now? Have we not seen situations like this occur countless times before? What’s different this time?“

[Lifeform #2] “I agree, why this boy? You know the consequences of meddling with the universe. Let’s see how it plays out and leave this universe if it fails, like always.“

[Lifeform #3] “We can’t try again without you. If you leave us now, we’ll be at the mercy of a mere human.“

[Ekalius] “The decision has been made. I am tired of fighting over and over again. How many times have we lost? A thousand? A million? A billion? It’s been so long that I can’t even tell the difference between days anymore. I’m tired of the endless fighting. I want it to end. For all of us. For our people. They have done nothing to deserve this cruel fate. We have put our trust in others over and over yet the outcome is always the same. Is it so wrong of me to give it my all, one last time?”

[Lifeform #2] ”I understand, but I just don’t see what’s so special about that boy. Unless … No that can’t be … Or can it?”

[Lifeform #1] ”Garius if you have something to say, speak.”

[Garius] “Is he … Is he a Nin?”

[Lifeform #1] “What are saying? If he was a Nin, that would mean Ekalius would die when changing the universe. Don’t tell me…”

Ekalius let out a heavy breath. His eyes turned serious, showing that he was prepared to make a grand sacrifice.

[Ekalius] “That’s right. He is a Nin.”

[Garius] “No! I won’t allow it. Enkail died for a Nin yet nothing changed. I will not allow you to make the same mistake.”

[Ekalius] “It is not for you to decide. I also questioned Enkail when he gave up his life for a Nin. I was wrong. That Nin almost defeated Ezaeh. I have learned from Enkail’s mistakes. This time will be different.”

[Garius] “What can you do? We can’t directly interfere with the False World. We can’t even help our own people here, in our world.”

[Ekalius] “There is a way. A loophole in the laws.”

[Garius] “If you’ve found a way, why now? The boy can’t possibly be the only Nin to appear since you took over the duty of Guardian from Enkail?”

[Ekalius] “You’re right. He’s not the only one to appear. But he’s different. Please Garius. Can you honestly tell me that you believe your chosen fighters can win?”

[Garius] “I … I cannot.”

[Ekalius] “It’s decided. Garius. I trust you will take my place if this fails. You are strong enough. Save our people if I can’t.”

Garius nodded, a single tear appearing in his left eye.

[Garius] “I will pray to Enkail for your success. Bring our people peace.”

Leo awoke with a jolt. His hands automatically moved towards his neck in response to the feeling of a knife piercing through his neck. He could not find any blood on his neck. It was like he had just woken up from a bad dream. A voice reached his ear before he could comprehend the situation.

“Is there something wrong?”

Leo looked at the woman in confusion. She had short black hair, dark brown eyes and wore formal business attire. Her outfit was grayish with a tight fitting skirt. She wore jet black heels on her feet and black-framed glasses on her face.

“Ah, n-no.”

The woman began to talk once more.

“In that case, I will continue to explain the contract. Your character in Ekalius Online will belong to Elecur and be bound for the duration of your contract. Should you, for whatever reason, leave Elecur, you’ll have to give up any items and gear on your character. Your character will also be forcefully reset to level 0. This is standard practice amongst administrative contracted players. We wouldn’t want to use our precious resources just to have the player jump ship mid-game with all of our secrets.”

Leo nodded his head slightly in agreement. It made sense to make sure that the contracted player can’t just change company mid-game. Being set back to level 0 was quite harsh, but fair, depending on the contract.

Leo remembered this exact moment. He sat in this very chair almost 15 years ago. Now that he looked at the woman again, he could tell for certain that she was Catherine, a member of the administrative personnel for Elecur.

What happened? Why was he back 15 years in time? No. That’s not right. Leo thought about her words and quickly found an anomaly. Ekalius Online. That was not the game he knew. Mind manipulation? But why would anyone go through the trouble of something like that and then change the details this much? Or was that the goal all along? Make him think it couldn’t be something wrong with his mind?

A parallel universe? It would explain why he’s seemingly 15 years in the past, while also explaining the anomaly. Leo had several questions but no answers. Was this just a dream? Or was his past life just a long dream? The possibilities were endless and Leo decided to live in the moment. He continued on with the assumption that this is a parallel universe. When more anomalies start to show themselves, he’ll have a better chance of figuring it out. He feared he would go crazy if he proceeded like this was all an illusion.

“Ekalius Online? Did you mean to say Garius Online?”

Catherine knitted her eyebrows and wrinkled her forehead just enough to be noticeable. She had spent the last hour explaining Leo’s role in Ekalius Online and how he could help Elecur reach the top. Why was he pretending that this was the first time he had heard about it? Was he trying to make it sound like the job was so uninteresting that he doesn’t feel the need to listen? Was the salary too low? Catherine’s head filled with questions but she quickly continued explaining the details once more. Her boss would not be happy if she ended up driving Leo away due to her anger.

Leo listened to Catherine’s explanation and became convinced that this was exactly like last time 15 years ago. The game was different, but it had the same setting. Leo fully expected the game to be the same as Garius Online. There might be changes to the continents in the game and quests, classes, monsters, etc. But the core should still stay the same. Leo let out a smile. He spent most of the starting phase stuck with administrative work. He only leveled when he needed to and never found true joy in the game.

This changed when his best friend Alex showed him the true joy of games. The community, epic adventures, finding gear, fighting monsters, etc. To see yourself improve day by day. This realization led Leo to become the number 43 ranked player in the world. He still couldn’t overcome his limits, but this time would be different. Maybe this world has just the thing he’s looking for in order to overcome his limit.

Leo politely declined the job offer and left the meeting room. He hurriedly made his way to his old apartment, sat down in front of the computer and ordered the gaming capsule. Although extremely expensive at a whopping $4,000, Leo knew that it was worth it. The virtual headset could not offer enough immersion for him to perform to the best of his abilities.

Leo turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until he found a very familiar well-dressed individual.

[Linda] “Good morning gamers! We here at Pioneer Record welcome you to join us for an exclusive in-depth interview with Alexis Lishar, the spokeswoman for Ekalius Online! So Alexis, what can you tell us about this upcoming VRMMORPG?”

[Alexis] “Well Linda, I think most of what can be said has already found its ways to the ears of every potential player in the world.”

[Linda] “It has indeed. Can you tell us more about the A.I used in the game? Is it true that the game is fully made by the A.I without any input from a human?”

[Alexis] “That is mostly correct. The A.I system, codenamed Ekalius, is fully responsible for creating the actual game. We have very little control over it and mostly deal with keeping the servers working and exchange platform open. Ekalius requires tremendous amounts of power to work properly.”

[Linda] “What was the inspiration for creating the game? It’s simply mind-boggling to me that so many nations have come together in anticipation of the game and all it brings. It’s truly something light years ahead of its time.”

[Alexis] “Haha, yes, it’s truly not of this world. The game is more than just a game. It’s a way to explore a new world with unparalleled realism. We expect people to use the game as a way to earn money, relax, learn, fight and connect together as a community.”

[Linda] “It’s interesting that you mention money. What was the reason for allowing a real-world transaction system? Many games have had this indirectly through the use of subscription tokens or similar that can be exchanged for the game’s gold, but you actually want players to be able to sell the gold directly to potential buyers.”

[Alexis] “We believe that players will quickly find that the game is so much more than a simple game. Third party sites will pop up without fail and we wish to counteract this. The gold still has to be earned by a player and if they choose to sell it, then that’s their choice. We believe that the market will regulate itself according to supply and demand. It was also requested by Ekalius. We do not know if it has the same reason as us, but we welcome it nonetheless.”

[Alexis] “The game is on such a large scale that there’s simply no way for it to stay fair for every player. The strong will climb to the top and the weak will stay at the bottom. This is not to say that there’s nothing for casual players to do. The game has Guild Wars for the competitive players, duels for everyone and even a fully non-combat copy of the entire game’s world for parents to enjoy with their kids. The currency used in that version will be the same as the main game. Parents can, therefore, use real money to buy in-game currency to spend on their kids. Assuming there are players selling it, of course. They can even use the game to earn a living while sleeping.”

[Linda] “That’s right! The gaming cabinet and virtual headset will allow players to play even while asleep! Such revolutionary technology! Tell us, how did you manage to create something like that?”

[Alexis] “I’m afraid I can’t disclose any information.”

[Linda] “I see. Well, thank you for coming down to our studio for this interview! We’re all excited to see Ekalius Online launch in less than 24 hours! I personally can’t wait to jump in and kick some ass!”

Leo turned off the TV and accessed the game’s official website. He quickly found that many details were different, but the general rules of the game seemed to still apply. While scrolling through the site, he suddenly discovered something interesting.

[Headline: Hidden Classes]

The game will give players the chance at gaining a unique hidden class at character creation. This can be attempted by completing a series of trials to test your skill. This is not without risk! If you gain a hidden class you don’t like, the only choice will be to delete your character. However, if you do this, you’ll no longer be allowed to try again and will have to use one of the starting classes.

But don’t worry! Even if you fail the test, you still have a chance to encounter class change tokens throughout the game!

Leo opened his eyes in shock. He could actually gain a hidden class before even entering the game? Leo could not hide his excitement, if luck allows it, he might be able to gain a well-suited class. He had played using the ordinary class advanced Spearman. He never found it to be any weaker than the higher quality special classes, but it still didn’t fit him perfectly.

He had the opportunity to view many class change tokens, but none of them stood out to him. Leo didn’t want to have a special class just for the sake of it. It had to be customizable and fit his playstyle. If he could get a class with full freedom in the choice of skills and gear, he would definitely be able to overcome his limit.

Leo continued to spend his time researching the changes and listening to the gaming news. Although he found the hosts to be very annoying, the information they provided was extremely useful. He would absolutely avoid them if he could. He hated doing interviews and now that he’s not a part of a corporate Guild he can finally get some rest.

Once the game finally starts, he’ll stick to figuring out things himself. Leo let out a smile at the thought of experiencing the game from scratch again. He had missed this golden part of the game in his past and wanted to rectify that mistake.

Leo entered deep though but was rudely awoken by a loud banging noise on his door. He got up from his chair and opened the door only to see a familiar face practically jump through the doorway.

“Close the door quickly!”

Leo closed the door and locked it just to be sure. He had no idea why Alex was suddenly jumping into his apartment.

“Stay completely silent. If you don’t breath, she’ll eventually think we disappeared.”

“What are you…”

“Shhh, not a single word.”

There was a loud banging noise on his door yet again, but this time he heard the voice of a woman.

“Alex I know you’re in there! Don’t you dare treat me like this!”

Leo gazed at Alex.

“What? It’s not my fault.”

“Is it ever your fault?”

“And here I thought we were brothers. Don’t look at me like that. If you throw me out I’ll die.”

“I think you’re being a bit dramatic.”

“Dramatic? That woman is a complete psycho.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll deal with it.”

“You, dealing with social interaction? Do you want us both to die today?”

Leo let out a sigh. Alex certainly wasn’t wrong. Leo was not very good at reading social cues and often ended up being misunderstood. He had learned a lot from his 15 years in Garius Online but he still lacked in the social department.

The woman left around 10 minutes later. Leo could not help but feel relieved. If he hadn’t known she was a woman, he’d think his door was attacked by a group of wild dogs. Leo feared the door would collapse any second.

He once more gazed at Alex with a questioning look.

“So~ how’s your day going? Anything new in Leo’s wonderful world?”

“Do you really want to avoid the obvious question?”

“Whatever do you mean? I came to see you after so long and this is how you treat me? You would kick your own brother when he’s down?”

Leo let out a laugh. Although Alex wasn’t his real brother, they still considered each other to be brothers. They had known each other for 10 years and even after all that time, Alex had not changed at all.

“Okay, I give up. So besides bringing crazy women to my apartment, why did you come?”

“Can I not come over just to see my best friend? Do I need a reason to see you? That hurts. It really hurts.”

Leo burst out in laughter. Alex jumped back for a moment in surprise. Since when had Leo been able to laugh like that?

“Who are you and what have you done to my robotic genius of a friend?”

“Am I not allowed to laugh in front of you? I do apologize your majesty. How improper of a lowly peasant to laugh at the wealthy king of the world.”

“You have changed. I like it. Maybe you’ll actually find a girlfriend and marry after all. But for real though, I came to talk about Ekalius Online. I … My father wants to invite you to his corporate Guild. He thinks highly of you and wants to have you by his side while the Guild develops. I told him you don’t like games, but he insisted.”

“You can tell him that I won’t join his Guild. I don’t mind working together with them, but I’m planning on staying independent for now.”

“I honestly do not know if I’m more surprised by the fact that you want to play the game or that you’ve actually planned something out. Spill the details. What are you gonna do in the game? There’s no way ‘no fun Leo’ would play a game just for fun, right?”

“Can I not play just for fun? What’s wrong with that?”

“You know what, fine. I met her at a bar and kind of accidentally flirted with her. She took it way to seriously and became pissed when I tried to leave. I told you. Complete psycho.”

“Now that’s something I can believe. Don’t you get tired of constantly flirting with pretty girls? You always end up making them upset.”

“I do not. Is what I want to say, but I can’t. What can I do? Look at this beautiful face. Women just fall for me and I’m too weak to resist.”

“Okay. I plan to reach the number #1 spot on the rankings.”

“Wow, big goal. I believe in you. If you put your mind to it, anything's possible. If you need any help, come find me. I’m sure I can even get the old man to give you a helping hand. You don’t need to join our Guild but don’t be a stranger.”

“Also, where do you plan to start? We’re starting in Characs Kingdom and will begin in Leomar Town, then move to Ferima City.”

“I don’t see why I can’t follow. It’s as good as any of the starting spots, I suppose.”

“Great! Two brothers adventuring into the unknown. One a handsome, rich, smart man with a heart of gold. The other a robot trying to find love. The handsome man continues to dazzle every beauty in the world. Women falling left and right as he walks with his Legendary Bow in hand...”

Alex continued on his fantasy adventure for a solid 10 minutes before finally concluding. Apparently, he ended up marrying a hundred women or something. Truly a man with a heart of gold.