For several long seconds, Arin forgot to breathe.
The words remained suspended before his eyes, glowing softly against the darkness of the cabin.
«WOULD YOU LIKE TO UNLOCK YOUR FIRST VEHICLE?
[YES]
[NO]»
He read the message three times.
Then a fourth.
Vehicle.
Not mount.
Not beast.
Vehicle.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the smoking crater outside the cabin.
Less than a minute ago, a B-Rank Shadow Bear had attempted to turn him into dinner. Now, apparently, the System wanted to reward him with transportation.
"What kind of game gives people vehicles for surviving monster attacks?"
The System, as always, declined to answer.
Arin sat down heavily on one of the chairs and rubbed his temples.
There were too many questions.
Who created Project Elysium?
Why did it recognize him?
What was a "Player?"
And perhaps most importantly—
Why did all of this feel strangely familiar?
Every time he saw the interface, it was as if something hidden deep within his memories stirred awake.
Fragments.
A title screen.
An endless city of lights.
The sound of engines.
He could almost remember it.
Almost.
A loud yawn interrupted his thoughts.
Arin froze.
"Lyra."
His face immediately lost color.
He had completely forgotten about his little sister.
Without another word, he sprinted out of the cabin and toward the frontier.
Please still be asleep.
Please.
Twenty minutes later, he burst through the door of the inn.
The innkeeper nearly dropped the mug she was cleaning.
"Boy, have you lost your—"
"Room!"
"Second floor!"
He didn’t wait for the rest.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Arin practically threw open the door.
Lyra remained exactly where he had left her.
Curled beneath a blanket while hugging Mr. Buttons with enough determination to concern future historians.
He stared at her in silence for several moments.
Then slowly sat down beside the bed.
"I almost forgot my little sister."
Somewhere in another dimension, every older sibling in existence silently judged him.
Lyra stirred slightly.
"Big Brother?"
"Sorry. Did I wake you?"
She rubbed her eyes.
"No."
"You were definitely asleep."
"I was strategically resting."
"Of course."
She blinked a few times before suddenly frowning.
"Why are you wet?"
"Long story."
"Did you fight a monster?"
Arin paused.
"Maybe."
Her eyes widened instantly.
"You left me behind?!"
"It wasn’t intentional."
"You fought a monster without me?"
"You’re eight."
"That’s not an answer."
He sighed.
"I’ll take you next time."
"You promise?"
"No."
"Close enough."
She yawned again before promptly falling back asleep.
Arin stared at her in disbelief.
How she could fall asleep that quickly remained one of the world’s greatest mysteries.
After ensuring she was comfortable, he quietly sat beside the window.
Sleep was no longer an option.
His thoughts inevitably returned to the cabin.
The moment he focused on it, a map appeared before his eyes.
At its center was a blinking icon.
«PORTABLE SHELTER MODEL-01
STATUS: OPERATIONAL»
He nearly jumped out of his chair.
"It has a map function too?"
The icon even displayed the surrounding terrain.
Rivers.
Hills.
Ruins.
Monster territories.
The amount of information was staggering.
And then he noticed something strange.
Approximately ten kilometers north of the cabin was another marker.
Unlike the others, this one was gold.
«UNDISCOVERED LOCATION»
"What’s that?"
No answer.
Naturally.
Arin was beginning to suspect the System simply enjoyed withholding information.
As dawn approached, another notification appeared.
«DAILY LOGIN REWARD AVAILABLE.»
"There’s a daily login bonus?"
«REWARD:
- 10 UNIVERSAL CREDITS
- BREAD x1»
Arin stared blankly at the loaf of bread that had suddenly appeared in his inventory.
"...I waited my entire life to receive magical powers."
The bread remained indifferent.
By the time Lyra woke up, the sun had begun rising over the frontier.
She stretched dramatically before noticing the expression on his face.
"You look tired."
"I’ve had a strange night."
"Were there more monsters?"
"Possibly."
She nodded sagely.
"That explains it."
"It does?"
"No."
Breakfast consisted of bread, eggs, and a conversation that repeatedly circled back to whether or not Mr. Buttons deserved his own bedroom.
According to Lyra, he absolutely did.
The innkeeper, whose name turned out to be Martha, watched the exchange with an amused expression.
"You two are odd."
"That’s what I’ve been saying," Arin replied.
"Rude."
Martha snorted.
"So, what’s your plan?"
Arin hesitated.
That was a good question.
Technically, he now owned a cabin in the middle of the forest.
Admittedly, it was probably the safest cabin in the kingdom.
Still.
"I think we’re going to find a place to settle."
"You?"
"Yes."
"The classless noble and his little sister?"
"That’s us."
She studied him for a moment.
Then, unexpectedly, smiled.
"The frontier is full of people starting over."
Arin blinked.
"Really?"
"Most of us are running from something."
For a brief moment, the older woman’s expression became distant.
Then it was gone.
"Just make sure you don’t die."
"I’ll do my best."
"No promises," Lyra added.
"Please don’t encourage that."
An hour later, the siblings once again found themselves standing before the frontier gates.
This time, however, Arin wasn’t looking at the forest.
He was looking at the notification still hovering in the corner of his vision.
«FIRST VEHICLE AVAILABLE FOR UNLOCK.»
He had deliberately ignored it throughout breakfast.
Mostly because he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to learn what counted as a "vehicle" in Project Elysium.
Eventually, curiosity won.
"...Fine."
«CONFIRM UNLOCK?
[YES]»
The moment he accepted, another series of windows appeared.
«PLAYER’S GARAGE INITIALIZING.
AVAILABLE VEHICLES: 1
ACCESSING DATA...
PHANTOM-01 TACTICAL MOTORCYCLE.»
A detailed image appeared before him.
Black metal.
Blue highlights.
A sleek frame that looked as though it belonged in another century.
No.
Another millennium.
«PHANTOM-01
CLASSIFICATION: BEGINNER VEHICLE
FEATURES:
- ENHANCED DURABILITY
- LIMITED AUTO-PILOT
- MANA-LESS OPERATION
- SELF-REPAIR
- FAMILY RECOGNITION»
Arin’s mouth slowly fell open.
"It’s a motorcycle."
"What’s a motorcycle?" Lyra asked.
He immediately closed the screen.
"Nothing."
"That sounds suspicious."
"It probably is."
A new message appeared.
«VEHICLE MAY BE SUMMONED ONCE PER DAY WITHOUT ENERGY COST.»
Arin looked around.
The road outside the frontier gates was mostly empty.
Several Hunters were preparing for expeditions, but nobody was paying attention to them.
Probably.
Hopefully.
"Stand back."
Lyra immediately took three exaggerated steps backward.
"Further."
She took another.
"Further."
"I’m running out of road!"
Taking a deep breath, Arin selected the summon option.
Blue particles erupted around him.
The air vibrated.
Several nearby Hunters paused mid-conversation.
"What is that?"
A circular symbol appeared beneath Arin’s feet.
Then came the sound.
A low mechanical hum unlike anything the world had ever heard.
And finally—
The Phantom-01 materialized.
Silence.
It was beautiful.
Black and silver metal reflected the morning sunlight while thin lines of blue energy ran across its surface. Its design was sleek and aggressive, resembling a machine built for speed rather than comfort.
The Hunters stopped moving.
A merchant dropped his crate.
One unfortunate guard walked directly into a wall.
Lyra’s eyes became stars.
"BIG BROTHER!"
Arin couldn’t blame her.
He was having a difficult time remaining calm himself.
One of the Hunters cautiously approached.
"What... is that?"
Good question.
"I have absolutely no idea."
The man stared at him.
"You summoned it."
"That doesn’t mean I understand it."
Another Hunter circled the vehicle.
"Is it an Artifact?"
"No."
"A magical beast?"
"No."
"A golem?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
Arin considered the question seriously.
"...Fast?"
The Hunter looked offended.
Before the conversation could continue, the motorcycle suddenly came to life.
Blue lights illuminated across its frame.
Then the engine roared.
Every horse within fifty meters immediately panicked.
Several Hunters drew their weapons.
One man screamed.
Lyra pointed excitedly.
"It growls!"
"It does."
"It likes us!"
"I hope so."
A final notification appeared.
«PHANTOM-01 SUCCESSFULLY REGISTERED.
NEW OBJECTIVE:
BUILD A HOME WORTH RETURNING TO.»
Arin stared at the words.
Build a home worth returning to.
For some reason, that objective felt heavier than the others.
House Valerius was no longer his home.
Perhaps it never had been.
Lyra suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
"Can I ride it?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you’re eight."
"You’re using that excuse a lot."
"It’s a very useful excuse."
He climbed onto the motorcycle experimentally.
The moment he sat down, information flooded his vision.
Speed.
Fuel.
Navigation.
Threat detection.
"Of course it has threat detection."
Naturally, the System would give him a motorcycle smarter than most nobles.
Lyra climbed onto the back before he could stop her.
"There."
"I said no."
"And I ignored you."
"I noticed."
She wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Where are we going?"
Arin looked toward the northern horizon.
Beyond the frontier.
Beyond the kingdom.
Somewhere out there waited an undiscovered location marked in gold.
He didn’t know what it was.
Only that Project Elysium wanted him to find it.
Slowly, he smiled.
"I’m not sure."
The Phantom-01’s engine growled beneath them.
"But I think we’re finally going home."
And somewhere far to the north, hidden deep within an ancient valley untouched by time, dormant lights quietly flickered to life for the first time in thousands of years.
«FOUNDER IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED.
PREPARING WELCOME CEREMONY.
HOUSE ELYSIUM AWAITS YOUR RETURN.»