HeroLick and BuuBuu had been friends since they were young. Thirty years ago, they began the ambitious project of creating the virtual world and the super AI that would eventually become the foundation of the Yunatea virtual world. After extensive research and a significant investment of both energy and money, they were able to bring their dream to fruition.
Immortal Legacy was an immersive game with a virtual world called Yunatea, a place with a seemingly real and time-honored history spanning tens of thousands of years. Its lifelike, accelerated progression was made possible by a remarkably advanced Artificial Intelligence. When players started entering the virtual world marked by the game’s release, Yunatea had already become an independent world with complex and expansive plots and characters.
Upon its grand opening to the public, Yunatea transformed into a remarkably realistic alternative world, developing organically with minimal involvement from the game developers. The game’s evolution was driven entirely by the actions and decisions of the natives and players within the game.
When BuuBuu became the most influential person in the Golden Age Company, taking on the role of CEO in charge of Immortal Legacy, HeroLick had been missing for over a decade. He had vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by the earth, and his disappearance was largely concealed, especially since he had hidden his real identity from the public, including information about his family.
HeroLick left behind a huge ambition that he never saw come to fruition, at least as BuuBuu understood. HeroLick’s vision had been realized, however, as Immortal Legacy grew into an international phenomenon with tremendous investment value, revolutionizing the lives and lifestyles of people around the world.
In a tall building in the heart of downtown West Lake, a 49-year-old man with salt-and-pepper hair sat in an office. His frame was draped in a long white coat, and a pair of glasses framed his eyes. Marco Flare, better known by his gamer name ‘BuuBuu’, was renowned for his contribution to the success of the popular game ‘Immortal Legacy’.
Marco, as was his usual practice, was sitting in front of his computer, monitoring and preparing the best way to develop Immortal Legacy in the future. The task had been weighing heavily on him recently, particularly since one of the deities of sin had yet to choose their champion.
Suddenly, the pocket of his white coat vibrated. Marco, without hesitation, answered his ringing phone.
“Yes?” he said.
“Mr. Marco, it’s good news!” came the hurried voice of a woman on the phone. “Akidia, Goddess Akidia!”
“Yes, what about the Goddess?” Marco asked casually.
“She has chosen her Divine Champion!” the woman responded firmly.
“Wait for me,” he commanded. “I’ll be right there; make sure you have all the information I need.”
By evening, while the company required employees to work regular hours, a few were assigned the night shift. In a spacious control room with a big screen on one wall and several smaller ones on the other, a group had gathered to monitor the significant events that had just transpired in Immortal Legacy.
Hurrying over, Marco adjusted his glasses as he gazed at the screen. Upon seeing Akidia conversing with a player none of them were familiar with, he murmured, “Akidia? What made her decide to go with this player? Could you show me the status of that player?”
Marco’s eyes widened in surprise. “What?!” he shouted. “A level 25 player? How is that possible?”
“Broken…” Marco murmured under his breath, referring to the player’s online gamer name.
The woman beside him responded, “Mr. Marco, I am not sure what Goddess Akidia thought when she chose that player, but according to the data we found, it seems he has only been online for an hour every day over the past year. Despite this, he accomplished a remarkable feat. He completed almost all of the side quests at his level, as well as hidden quests and a few other tasks that only a few players manage to complete. Even though he wasn’t focused on leveling up, he still reached level 25 within a year of playing Immortal Legacy.”
She added, “This occurred when the player named Broken was completing a hidden quest to find a spirit companion, and Akidia suddenly appeared before him.”
“What kind of reward did the system give him for this encounter?” Marco asked.
Marco then read the details of the reward, specifically the two titles the player had received.
“The boost in stats is quite significant, but the real game changer here is the Ethereal Form. This skill will be very troublesome for many players, and if used by the right person, he could become untouchable,” he said.
Marco remained silent and thoughtful. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around how Goddess Akidia made this decision,” he said. “She has always gone her own way, and this time seems no exception. But she must have chosen wisely… this person is certainly hardworking.”
“Yes, Mr. Marco,” replied the woman, “even though he doesn’t log into the game very often. I wonder if this will make him play more frequently now that he’s been given this honor?”
Marco paused for a moment, considering the possible outcomes of the situation with the last champion selected. It was clear that a new age was about to dawn on Immortal Legacy.
“Good, then,” he said with a nod and a smile. “We will work even harder after this. All the deities of sin have chosen their champions, and there are sure to be numerous exciting adventures ahead.”
“But, Mr. Marco,” his assistant added.
“Yes?” Marco asked.
“There is one pressing matter that needs to be addressed,” she said hesitantly. “If I may, I would like to show you…”
The big screen in front of them again displayed the data about the blessings and all the bonus rewards Akidia had given to her Divine Champion.
“She gave the Transcendence Blessing to him? And five passive skills?!” Marco exclaimed, disbelief and a slight tremor evident in his voice. “Not only that, but she also gave him spirit contract tickets. Oh my goodness!” He added, his breaths quickening. “This… this is far too much, too unfair for the other players or even the other Divine Champions.”
“Does she know the risks of her actions, Mr. Marco?” asked one of the assistants, her voice tinged with concern.
Marco responded with a hint of pressure, his breaths quickening. “By choosing only one champion, she risks everything. Without any backups, if her champion encounters trouble due to all the blessings she has bestowed upon him, she will be the first deity to lose the chance to have a champion. She could become an outcast deity or even lose her deity status entirely.”
The room fell silent. One of his assistants shook her head in response to Marco’s words. “Does this mean bad news, Mr. Marco?” she asked anxiously.
“This is bad because she’s placing too much responsibility on a single player. Are you sure she really understands how to play this champion system?” Marco turned to his assistant, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. Then he took a deep breath and exhaled, a hint of despair in his voice. “It looks like we can’t expect too much from the Goddess of Sloth.”
Marco massaged his forehead, feeling dizzy with the current situation. “Please keep an eye on the upcoming developments,” he said. “And since this is going to be a very big phenomenon, make sure Leon also gets enough security because of this incident.”
With that, Marco walked away from the large room, leaving his assistants frowning in confusion.
“Leon?” one of them asked. “Who is Leon?”
“Leon is the one behind the gamer name of Broken,” another replied.
“But, how did the director know that name? Haven’t we mentioned that to him yet?” another asked.
“I don’t know,” the other responded, “maybe he is also monitoring the same thing in his room?”
They conversed, trying to solve the puzzle they had been presented with.
Marco returned to his office, and his gaze immediately fell on the most advanced capsule he had, which he often used to enter the virtual world of Yunatea.
He walked over to his desk, and his eyes landed on a small frame containing a picture of two men in long white coats, both with cheerful faces.
“Arthur…,” he muttered softly. “Please tell me this is just a coincidence.”