Ryu was stunned by what he saw around him. He had just been within a minimalistically decorated ice cave, but now he had so suddenly been warped into a world of gentle white fog. Oddly enough, it didn’t feel frustrating that he couldn’t see more than a single meter in front of himself, but rather felt comfortable. The feeling was so out of bounds from what Ryu thought he should be experiencing that it ironically made him more on edge. It felt as though someone was manipulating him.
It was only after Ryu calmed himself that he realized that it wasn’t he body that was sent into this space, but his mind. This ring… It had an eerily similar function to the Zu Clan’s crystalline jade.
[Congratulations on achieving One Star status and welcome to the Dream World – Osiris. Your invitation will be credited to Fifth Order Steward ‘Oramus Bision’].
The gentle voice of what sounded like an amiable old man rang in Ryu’s ears. He could immediately tell that this was a message written into a complex formation matrix, there wasn’t actually another human here. Rather, the formation would simulate the consciousness of a human and the voice of one using information fed to it by its creator as a foundation.
Ryu’s frown deepened. He didn’t like this situation one bit.
[Osiris is the hidden meeting place of Star Mercenaries. Some people call this place a Dream World, others a Matrix World, and still others call it a Mind Hive. In this place, you can receive and be accredited for missions, you can be alerted when missions appear in your general area, and you can connect with fellow Star Mercenaries of your and other Realms].
To a normal individual, this sounds great. Convenient, even. But to Ryu, the more he heard, the worse his mood became.
The Zu Clan crystalline jade was a closed space. Only Ryu could enter and exit it, even the Ancestors within could only stay put. But, this place was very clearly an open world. What did this mean? It meant that Ryu’s mind, under the behest of someone else’s machinations, was being projected into this ‘Dream World’. This process necessitated a perfect understanding of Ryu’s body and more importantly… His secrets.
When this was understood, it became perfectly clear why Ryu began to feel more and more uncomfortable within this gentle atmosphere. He felt that he should turn tail and run at his fastest speed in the opposite direction.
The skill required to build such a world was beyond his imagining. When he thought of Steward Oramus’ gloating expression when he mentioned Nine Star Sky Gods, his heart sank even further. To make matters worse, the automated voice mentioned multiple Realms. Meaning this organization was bigger than even Ryu anticipated.
The truth was that Ryu was aware of there being multiple Realms long ago. Realms were so numerous that they could be considered to be near infinite.
Generally, Realms were split into numerous tiers and grading systems. A Realm like Ryu’s who had birthed many Sky Gods in its history and had three Immortal Rank Planes was already near the top, which was why Ryu didn’t particularly give much thought to other Planes, there was no need for him to do so. There wasn’t much of a difference between his world and the topmost anyway.
But, although they were ranked near the top, that didn’t mean they were the top. And, it also didn’t mean that there weren’t numerous Realms that matched them in power.
For the current Ryu, traveling across Realms was difficult. But, for characters on this level, would they be lacking in funds like Ryu would be? Forced to wait two years for an optimal time? In addition, didn’t that voice say that he would automatically receive notifications for missions near his region? So didn’t that mean this ring doubled as a tracker? Everything seemed to be going from bad to worse.
Without hesitation, Ryu projected his mind back to his body, wanting to leave. He would revisit the possibility of this path once he was more powerful, but for now, it was foolish. One only needed to remember how the Zu Ancestors knew every one of Ryu’s secrets even down to his Heavenly Pupils after he opened his mind up to their crystalline jade to know how dangerous this place was.
But, maybe Ryu should have anticipated that his attempt wouldn’t be so easily realized.
[Please do not attempt to leave. This process is highly dangerous. It is very possible for your mind to be permanently disconnected from your body].
Ryu nearly spit on the ground, grinding his teeth toward the shamelessness of this world’s creator. He or she spun this matter as though they were worrying for his own safety, when it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that even they knew no one would willingly submit themselves to such scrutiny.
[Osiris is 100% committed to protecting the privacy of our Mercenaries. It was created by a Union of Sky Gods and none of them can access the information stored within my system without the consent of an eighty percent majority].
Ryu snorted in his mind. The fact it could happen at all was enough for him to avoid the possibility in its entirety. In addition, the martial world was a place where the strong ruled and regulations were for the weak. It would be too naïve of Ryu to believe the system’s words.
[Osiris will now begin a screening…]
Ryu’s expression turned grave, immediately thinking of numerous counter measures.
[Cultivation detected, points given for battle prowess…]
[Skeletal Grade detected, points given for talent…]
[Ancestral Bloodline detected…. Ancestral Bloodline detected… Ancestral Bloodline detected… Ancestral Bloodline detected, points given for talent…]
[Ancestral Meridians detected, points given for talent…]
[False Spiritual Foundation detected, points deducted for talent…]
[Mental Realm analysis complete, points deducted for talent…]
Ryu’s eyes widened, suddenly, a faint excitement overcame him. Sky Gods weren’t able to detect his Spiritual Foundation because it was protected by the Phoenix Sky God. If this was true, and the system was automated, this meant that his talent, as seen by the sum of its parts, would be calculated as trash by the system. And, it didn’t seem to notice his Heavenly Pupils?… Was that because of Ailsa?… Or? Either way, it was fantastic!
[… Calculations complete].
[Talent Designation – Sub-Common].
[Battle Prowess Designation – Black].
[Please choose which Sky God’s Faction you would like to enter. If you are rejected, you will enter as a Factionless and have an opportunity to join one of the lesser Factions later on].
Ryu suddenly understood what the point of all of this was. Osiris was split into numerous Factions headed by Sky Gods. These were obviously busy individuals, they didn’t have the time to approve every single talent they took under their wings, so they allowed the system to do it for them. Within a certain threshold, they would accept. If you were below this threshold, you would be rejected.
With Ryu’s evaluation, there was no way any Sky God would accept him. So, he planned on not choosing at all and simply entering as a Factionless as the system called it. But, he was immediately stunned by the list of names that appeared before him. It wasn’t because of who they were, but the sheer number of them.
If he counted correctly, there were thirteen. Thirteen Sky Gods! All part of this one organization?! Ryu was absolutely stunned.
He forced himself to calm down. This was only more reason to turn tail and run. After he left, he would place the ring into his pupil’s inner world where no one could detect it.
It was then that Ryu suddenly froze. Even with his level of control, he almost irresistibly felt his eyes water. The name he saw shook him so fiercely that his hand uncontrollably had already swept forward before his mind could say no, right toward the only name with a ‘0’ by its side.
[… Faction Chosen…]
[… Evaluation Pending…]
[… Congratulations, you have been accepted into the Faction of the Saintly Weapon Sky God – Primus Tatsuya].