During the initial phase, known as the Drop, Keiji had been monitoring the computer and the capsule that had analyzed his brother.

After the initial phase, Keiji watched as the capsule light up in a blinding flare. He couldn’t do anything as nothing showed up and the body of his older brother had vanished.

He managed to relax because it was the transferring phase but after a while, he began to worry. Keiji began to scribble down notes and watched as the computer modules ding in a multitude of sounds that were incomprehensible but it was a sign that things were progressing but still, Keiji worried.

Keiji’s body began to shake at the thought of explaining things to his parents that his older brother--Their first born child had been erased from existence but he worried more about his sister.

He knew that his sister, Hana Nakamura had adored Ichiro just like he was. He could not bring it to himself that he would tell the news to his sister.

Hana had a ‘issue’ of the sort and Keiji knew about it. That issue was a bit complex since it literally was a brother-complex.

During the times that his brother stayed with them, Hana would always have that bewitching gaze as she looked at her brother, Ichiro. Normally, it would’ve been disclosed as just a high brotherly love but Keiji knew it was much more.

The reason he thought it was more was of two reasons.

The first reason was that Hana would always reserve herself. Even though many potential suitors had approached her, she denied everyone. Even the many suitors were of handsome degree and many were wealthy but she refused. At often times, she would gaze at her brother’s picture during the times that he was gone. Her face became flustered everytime she gazed at her brother’s eyes and Keiji knew it all.

In fact, he didn’t mind it at all because he, too loved his brother just not in a romantic way of course.

Keiji would always compare himself to his brother because he saw his brother as the epitome of honor and respect. Ichiro would always display himself in a cool manner and with an elegant demeanor.

It was quite shocking that his brother hadn’t married yet but those reasons were unknown.

The second reason would be that Hana pulled a stunt that shouldn’t have been done. No, not the sexual kind but she had aimed for that opportunity as she snuck into the very bedroom of her dear older brother.

The reason for her actions was because her brother, Ichiro, had gotten himself a girlfriend.

During the time that their brother stayed with them, Aniue would always attend his lessons like an obedient child and go to school properly. At the time, Keiji knew that Ichiro would attract unwanted attention as his brother was very handsome.

With an elegant demeanor, cool posture and a calm personality, the girls would often swoon at him. Although, I knew about my brother was having a relationship, Hana did not.

It was quite a secret to the family but Ichiro had gotten himself a total of 4 girlfriends. Not at the same time, but he dated 4 girls during his time in high school. However, Hana did not find out until the 4th one arrived at our house.

Yes, the 4th one was a girl that was acquainted with our family. She was our older brother’s childhood friend and also one of the people that had taken care of us when we were little.

At first, Hana smiled at the fact that Aniue’s childhood friend--Kanako had came to visit, she came while interlocking arms with Aniue.

Hana’s expression went downhill. Her expression was being forced to maintain itself and luckily, Kanako did not sense the disturbance but Aniue did.

After that day, I knew that my sister held feelings for Aniue.

Even to the point where she rejoiced after hearing about the breakup between Aniue and Kanako.

So, my sister holds a lot of feelings for Aniue and it would destroy her to find out that the very same existence that she loves, actually died.

…

…

Keiji grimaced at the future since he had to explain everything that happened.

He shivered at the thought and before he knew it, 5 hours had passed.

When the time passed, the monitor began to display the scanning processes and everything had filed through. After the Matter scanning process, Keiji screamed in happiness…

‘Yes! Aniue made it! I don’t know why it took so long but Aniue made it!!’

After rejoicing, he immediately made a backup drive for the information log that appeared on the screen. He began to finalize the final process and input the data onto a separate drive that he could bring back to his lab.

Keiji took out his cellphone.

The cellphone was an entirely new device that was capable of enabling a full video transfer and with no lag in between.

He immediately dialed for his lab and one of the technologists answered and began to display the entire video onto the screen which displayed every single scientist in the room.

Keiji looked at every single person and spoke…

“It’s a success…!!” Keiji smiled and the scientists cheered in glee.

After making a few orders, Keiji hung up his phone and began to head to his room as he felt sleepy after staying up for 5 hours after worrying about his brother.

…

…

“Welcome to Infinity...haha...everything worked…”

I smiled and laughed in the surrounding white plane.

The window that displayed the words disappeared and suddenly a female voice raptured from the area.

It sounded as if she was everywhere yet she spoke as if she were in front of me.

I take a deep breath to awe at the immense technology that my brother had created and began to focus on the words…

“Hello Adventurer, Welcome to Infinity where possibilities are truly infinity. Please create your name and we can proceed to the next phase of your creation!”

The female seemed to have beamed her words at me but I took it as a customary introduction to the start of the game.

A window appeared allowed me to select my name or generate a random choice from the options…

Please create your name[>_______][Random]

Hmm, a name...I wonder if people stole my nickname..

“Black Dragon”

“The name has already been taken. Please choose another name or choose a random selection.”

Grrr...I wonder who stole it...I think I will kill that person if I see him or her. Even though I hate the nickname...no one should steal my identity without at least asking….

I wonder what name...Black Dragon...Ichiro is my actual name so no...Tetsu...Kurogane...Aha! I’ll use my nickname from when I was a kid…!!

“Kuroichi”

“The name is available. Please confirm.”

“Yes, Kuroichi is my name.”

[Kuroichi has been selected]

The window flashed my name and disappeared. The female voice began to talk again.

“Welcome again, Kuroichi. Since this is an early stage development, we will be adding your physical and mental attributes into the game. This is all due to the 2nd generation Dive technology that you came in.”

Wow...This A.I. is quite intelligent. I would’ve expected that the A.I. would’ve dismissed me as a normal adventurer but it did not. Instead, it recognized that I was a new adventurer that came through a 2nd generation pod...interesting...I will have to check up more on my little brother…

“Due to a full body/matter scan, we have implemented your real-life stats and physical attributes.”

A blinding light enveloped me and I was confused during the process.

After the light show, everything was normal and I felt normal. I began to touch my body to feel any discrepancies but it was the same. The female A.I. continued to speak from all directions…

“You will be able to view your stats once you are fully in the game.”

Ahh, I see...Can this A.I. read my mind...probably can since my entire existence was transported here...Oh well.

“Adventurer, you will now choose from the 6 playable races. More races are due to be unlocked however these 6 are currently available.”

6 figures appeared in front of me. All with my features but with their race-specific looks.

I look at the six figures and each of them had names that seem to be the names of the races. I wanted to look at them closely, but the female A.I. continued to speak…

“These six races, starting from the left are the Elves, Humans, Dwarves, Barbarians, Draconians and Beastmen. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Starting from the Elves, they have---!!”

Before she continued to speak, I interrupted the A.I. while apologizing for my rude behavior.

“I apologize for interrupting but I will choose human.”

Yes, A human. They clearly are the neutral type. They may not be strong like the Draconians and the Barbarians or the magical might of the elves but they’ve got adaptability...and also I don’t want to deal with the natural order of things...I’d rather be normal and enjoy my “new life” in the game.

So, a human was the obvious choice. Even from looking afar, you could tell that the elves had high magic aptitude, the Dwarves specializing in craftmanship, Barbarians with their berserker strength, Draconians with their high strength and speed and the beastmen that are powerful in their own right. However, a human is neutral.

Humans are the neutral factor in majority games but they have a compelling factor that many choose...It’s because they can become anything they want…

The A.I. paused for a bit after hearing my interruption and continued…

“Okay, A human. Would you like to customize your features?”

A full stark naked body of me appeared in front of me. My black hair was getting longer because I had left the scene of the military however I still have a multitude of battle scars. Scars that evident from slashes and even gun wounds were visible.

I looked at my body and it reminded me of the memories that came with the price. Those hardships I endured…

Each scar reminded me of the path I chose…

I shook my head and spoke out loud..

“I’ll keep my appearance as is”

The full naked body of me disappeared and everything went back to normal. I started to feel if anything changed but it was the same.

The A.I. spoke again…

“Now, please choose your destination, or choose a random location on the Elreim Continent.”

“Random, please”

Yeah...I don’t have any clue what city was available since my little brother told me to experience everything as something new...Oh well...I hope my luck is good because I don’t want to appear in a volcano...

“Alright, Adventurer Kuroichi, your new world is starting. A tale of infinite possibilities! May the gods be forever in your favor!”

The voice disappeared and suddenly my entire body was enraptured in a blinding light.

My body felt as if it were free falling. It reminded me of the pararescue missions that I attended overseas when I was deployed in dangerous countries. Without anything to hold onto, I continued to descend as I could not see anything but the blinding light.

Suddenly, I felt the ground. It wasn’t a hard landing but it felt rough since I was falling for quite some time.

“Ahhh, glorious ground. I will not leave you anymore.”

I spoke to myself and began to notice the area that I was in.

Normally, I would’ve been in a starting city or village but this clearly wasn’t anything of the sort. If anything, it was more of a palace that had gold written all over it. The palace shined in a golden light. The light began to reflect around the room and I noticed that I wasn’t by myself.

Quickly assessing the situation, I sensed the other individual that was in the vicinity.

Directly in front of me, there stood a figure that had a godly aura that sat on a golden throne. His stature was overbearing as the figure was emitted a omnipotent aura. His clothes were smooth and made of expensive cloth and I noticed the man had a sword next to him.

My eyes were moving around as I continued to observe my encounter and suddenly, my eyes met with his.

He had a commanding look as if it were duplicating my own..

I glare back at him and he was astonished.

The man continued to glare at me but I was obviously winning in the contest as my commanding aura was much more evident that his. It seems that everything from reality had transferred here…

As the man gave up, I had won the contest. The man returned to his calm expression and began to talk...well..he laughed…

“Hahahaha!! I have never met someone so cheeky like you! I like you! None of the adventurers could amount to you! I was lucky to have taken you into my lair before you went to the Elreim continent!”

I was astonished…THEN WHY THE HELL AM I HERE!?

As if he could read my mind, he laughed again.

“AHAHA!! You are funny! You are now my student!! I will train you to become a god amongst your feeble adventurers!”

Wait...what...Uh no...I cannot accept this.

I blurt out.

“I refuse. “

As I retorted, the man’s expression went grim and he glared at me.

“WHY! I WILL MAKE YOU INTO A GOD!! YOU WILL BE MY CHAMPION!!”

“I still will have to refuse. I refuse to learn under a new master. It would disrespect my master even in death.”

“WHAT!? BECAUSE OF THAT!? NO! YOU WILL BE MY NEW STUDENT REGARDLESS OR NOT!”

The man bellowed in a ferocious roar.

I admit, I got terrified at the roar since it shook the entire place but I will stand my ground!

“Even if you get mad, I will have to refuse!”

“GRRRR I OUGHT TO KILL YOU THEN!”

The man lifted his arm and the air around the palace room began to shift different. It was foreboding as the air around me began to chill faster and faster.

My body was feeling tense at the situation because I did not fucking expect a grandmaster shaolin magician god to get angry at me!?

Well, I don’t know if the man was a grandmaster or any type of martial artist but however, he had that godly aura and seems like he is using a magic spell…

My body froze shut in a giant ice cap and the man was still furious.

Immediately, warning signs came onto my vision..

The ice was melting fast and there was a circle beneath my feet that had hot boiling lava that was devouring the ice fast.

I quickly use my internal energy to channel a force around my body. It was a martial secret that was used by many masters in real life.

The ability was to channel your chi, the energy that lives within you, to your outside body. It allows the practitioner to increase their body limits and overcome certain obstacles.

After my body was wrapped in internal energy, I immediately began to channel it onto the ice cap that was began to melt from below. The ice was cracking and I smashed myself out of the area, away from the lava.

The man was baffled but he grinned as he was going to continue.

“I AM NOT DONE WITH YOU!!”

The man roared again but this time, I immediately jet myself towards the door that I saw during the freezing expedition.

I immediately opened the door and a blinding light wrapped me and I continued to descend further as the light blinded me.

…

…

As Ichiro left, the man laughed as he continued to sit on the throne…

“Hahaha!! Run for now, my champion! Your destiny has already been determined! You will not escape my grasp! None shall dare...for I am the almighty…[Kami-sama]”

The man laughed as the palace shined in a golden light and began to disappear into a blur…

…

…

Suddenly, my body stopped falling and I appeared in a city…

A bunch of players gawked at my sudden appearance but they continued to do their own business. They saw me as a regular noob that had finally joined the ranks of Infinity..

Well, I am a noob player...but I am not exactly gonna seek to become the strongest because...I am the strongest...in the world that is...anyways…

This world feels so real…

I began to feel upon the ground that I laid on. It was a cobblestone path that was in the center of the city. The cobblestone path connected with various routes but the major thing was that I appeared directly in front of the City’s fountain.

The fountain had a beautiful stone woman that was pouring water from her pitcher. The scene was harmonic as the birds chirped from the stone woman’s shoulder and the wind whistled along with the sweet melody…

Suddenly, a group of players bumped into me while I was enjoying the harmony..

“Watch it, noob!”

A man that was heavily equipped with iron armor spoke above me. I look at his face and he had a rich-boy flair to his appearance. On his right, he held a iron broadsword that could very kill me and behind him were two goonies.

His goons were similar to him and they seemed a bit arrogant but I’ll just play it cool...don’t want to get animosity on the first day..

“Sorry. I was just watching that fountain. Please can you be mindful of your surroundings and walk appropriately.”

I beckoned at the swordtrio.

The leader of the group twitched in anger and gripped me by my beginner collar…

“Ara! A pesky noob is telling me what to do!? Ah!?”

I look at him but I wasn’t irritated at him, just annoyed.

“Please release me or I might do something that YOU will regret.”

My eyes were entirely focused on the man and he twitched from fear.

Instead of backing off, the leader began to shout which gathered quite the crowd of adventurers and NPCs around.

A half circle was formed at the base of the fountain and everyone was whispering in the crowd…

“Hey...is that the Sword trio..they are level 14...all three of them...they are pretty strong”

“I feel sorry for that newbie...he was just watching the birds…”

“Wow...A fight!”

“Duel!”

“Duel!”

Players began to chant and the NPCs continued their gossip.

I look at the area and my expression was irritated now. I quickly regained my stature and grabbed the Sword trio’s leader by the face. My entire palm was gripping his entire face and people grimaced at the shuttering sounds that came from the leader’s face.

The man began to scream and my grip grew stronger and I looked at him and his two goons one last time..

“Now...since you irritated me this time...I don’t know if I should kill you...but I am a kind man so I will let you go...but before you go, give me your money...or else I will have to kill you..”

The two goons were shuddered in fear as their leader was being done in by a noob player.

The crowd continued to grow and my grip began to draw blood from the leader…

What the hell...these stupid people are attracting too much people...I need to leave...forget the money…

I immediately tossed the leader that continued to squeal in pain towards the two. They were shocked but I quickly used the distraction as my getaway.

Everyone was watching the strong warrior was being flung away but then, they noticed that I had disappeared.

Luckily, no one had recorded anything and I managed to get away…

This is one hell of a start up...First that female A.I. that could read my mind...that geezer that tried to bring me under his tutelage...and now those annoying three players...whatever..let’s look at those stats…

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