Shhhhhhh...
The sound of static echoed through the darkness.
Faint at first.
Then louder.
And louder.
Until it completely drowned out everything else.
"...Y-Young M—"
A voice was abruptly dissolved into static.
Shhhhhhh...
"...YOUNG MAS—"
Again, it was cut off before the words could fully be heard.
The static grew even louder.
"...YOUNG MASTER—"
.
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.
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.
"...YOUNG MASTER!"
GASP!
A young man shot upright, desperately sucking in air.
"Haa...! Haa...!"
Cold sweat poured down his face, soaking his clothes as his chest rose and fell violently.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
For several long seconds, he could only breathe.
His vision gradually came into focus.
The first thing he saw was the worried face of a young woman standing directly in front of him.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, with silky black hair cascading to the middle of her back and beautiful sapphire-blue eyes filled with concern.
She was dressed in a skin-fitted black-and-white uniform with silver-lined patterns traced across the fitted fabric, while reinforced metallic plating protected her shoulders, forearms, and boots.
A luminous blue emblem was embedded over the left side of her chest, glowing softly with each passing second.
Clutched tightly in both hands was a wooden practice sword.
"...Young Master, are you alright?"
She gently reached an arm toward him.
The young man stared at her blankly.
His breathing slowly steadied.
"Young Master?" he repeated in confusion.
He instinctively looked around.
His eyes widened.
Where was this young master the woman was speaking to, and most importantly...
He wasn’t in the laboratory.
Nor was he inside the endless void.
Instead, he found himself standing within what appeared to be an indoor training hall.
The spacious room was lined with polished metallic walls, while the floor beneath his feet was covered with durable dark metallic plating.
Several metallic training dummies stood neatly arranged along one side of the room, each covered in countless strike marks.
Nearby rested a large weapon rack filled with practice equipment: wooden swords, spears, staffs, axes, shields, and several other training weapons of varying sizes.
Everything about the room suggested it was meant for one purpose.
Combat training.
Seo-jun slowly lowered his gaze to his own hands.
His pupils contracted.
"...Where..."
He swallowed hard.
"...am I?"
The young woman immediately dropped her wooden practice sword.
Clack.
It struck the metallic floor before she hurried over to him.
"Young Master!"
Without waiting for a response, she reached out and gently pressed the back of her hand against his forehead.
Then she carefully checked the back of his head, her expression growing increasingly worried.
"Does anything hurt?" she asked. "Your head? Your neck? Anywhere at all?"
Seo-jun froze.
She was...
Way too close.
He could feel the warmth radiating from her body and catch the faint scent of her perfume. Her beautiful sapphire-blue eyes searched his face anxiously, completely unaware of how flustered she was making him.
Thump.
His heart skipped a beat.
A faint blush crept onto his cheeks.
"I-I’m alright," he stammered. "R-Really."
The young woman looked unconvinced.
"Are you certain?"
She studied him for another moment before tilting her head slightly.
"Your heart rate is elevated..."
"And your face is a little red."
Seo-jun instinctively looked away.
"T-That’s..."
He couldn’t exactly tell her it was because she was standing so close.
The young woman let out a small sigh.
"...Very well."
"I believe we should call it a day."
"You did well today, Young Master."
Taking a few steps back, she straightened her posture and gave him a respectful bow.
"With your permission..."
"I’ll be taking my leave."
Without another word, she retrieved her wooden practice sword, turned gracefully, and walked toward the exit. The metallic doors slid open and closed as she passed through, leaving a thoroughly bewildered Seo-jun standing alone in the training hall.
Seo-jun remained rooted to the spot long after the young woman had left.
Only then did he lower his gaze toward himself.
His eyes slowly swept over his body.
He was dressed in a fitted black-and-white uniform nearly identical to the one the woman had been wearing moments ago.
Instinctively, he clenched his fists.
His muscles tightened beneath the fabric.
"..."
He flexed his arms again.
The response was immediate.
Firm.
Powerful.
He could feel well-defined muscles contracting beneath his skin.
He raised a hand in front of his face.
The fingers.
The skin.
Even the shape of the hand...
None of it looked familiar.
His breathing became uneven.
"This..."
He tightened his fist once more.
"This isn’t my body."
His gaze slowly wandered across the training hall.
The futuristic walls.
The advanced-looking training room.
The unfamiliar clothes.
The woman calling him "Young Master."
The incredible strength coursing through his body.
His heart skipped a beat.
"...This strength..."
"...These clothes..."
"...And this training hall..."
He swallowed hard.
"Where the hell am I?"
Just then—
DING!
A clear mechanical chime echoed through the room.
Seo-jun stiffened.
"...What was that?"
A strange emerald glow suddenly appeared at the edge of his vision.
It floated just to his left.
"What the...?"
He instinctively turned toward it.
The moment his eyes focused on the glowing light—
A translucent green window unfolded before him.
The words displayed upon it sent an icy chill racing down his spine.
〘Welcome, Beta Player NebûlaKing.〙
Seo-jun’s pupils contracted.
His in-game name.
How...?
Before he could process it, another line appeared.
〘Designation: 001〙
Then another.
〘You have successfully logged into the world of Interstellar Lords Online.〙
Seo-jun stared blankly at the translucent green window floating before him.
His lips parted slightly.
"...Successfully logged in?"
His brows furrowed.
"When did I..."
Shhhhhhh!
A violent burst of static suddenly erupted inside his head.
"Ugh...!"
Seo-jun winced in pain, instinctively clutching his forehead.
His vision blurred.
Fragments of memories flashed through his mind.
The endless void.
The sharp tingling at the back of his head.
Then—
Unbearable agony.
He remembered screaming.
Calling out desperately for Dr. Chen and Dr. Li.
The pain had been so intense it had felt as though his brain was being torn apart from the inside.
Then...
Something strange.
Even while trapped within that endless void, he had been able to hear faint voices from outside.
The frantic shouts of the researchers.
"Turn it off!"
"Access denied!"
"Override the safety protocol!"
"His heart rate is climbing!"
"He’s seizing!"
The desperate pounding of keyboards.
The blaring alarms.
Then...
"Override accepted!"
The synchronization had finally been stopped.
After that...
Everything had gone black.
Seo-jun slowly lowered his hand from his forehead.
His breathing remained uneven.
His eyes drifted back toward the glowing green window suspended before him.
"...I don’t understand..."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"...Was it... a success after all?"
He swallowed.