Arthur quietly made his way back through the mansion’s grand corridors.
The words spoken by his mother continued to echo inside his mind.
"Our family’s future..."
"Our people’s survival..."
"And perhaps the survival of this entire star system..."
"...may very well depend on the woman you choose."
He let out a slow breath.
The possibility of an entire star system facing annihilation was still difficult to process.
It wasn’t as though such disasters had never occurred back when Interstellar Lords Online was just a PC game.
They had.
But they were extraordinarily rare.
The sort of catastrophic events players could count on one hand.
Most people would never even learn they had happened unless they actively searched the official galactic news feeds.
The universe of Interstellar Lords Online was simply too vast.
A single star system disappearing among hundreds of thousands barely made a ripple.
Still...
As shocking as that revelation had been...
It wasn’t what unsettled Arthur the most.
"...Those creatures..."
The words escaped his lips in a quiet murmur.
At his side, the metallic rings surrounding GENESIS rotated softly.
A translucent crimson holographic window materialized before Arthur.
〘Retrieving visual records...〙
One after another, images of the grotesque black-and-violet lifeforms appeared.
〘Species Designation: Hollow Brood.〙
〘Classification: Cosmic Parasitic Species.〙
〘Behavior Analysis: Highly aggressive. Hive-based evolutionary organism. Consumes planetary biomass and inorganic matter to expand hive structures. Intelligence increases proportionally with hive development.〙
Arthur silently stared at the horrifying images.
"..."
His brows slowly furrowed.
"They weren’t in the game."
Not once.
Not during the countless hours he’d spent playing.
Not even hidden within obscure lore entries.
They simply...
Didn’t exist.
"...So what happened?"
Arthur rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Did the developers not mention them because I wasn’t expected to cross paths with them?"
It was the only explanation that made any sense.
But the likelihood of them not even mentioning the existence of creatures that could consume all forms of matter, or some side note about how NPCs could very well become a significant threat to players, seemed unlikely.
They could have even slipped it in as a joke.
"Hey, watch out for space zombies."
Or something equally outlandish.
But nothing.
Further reinforcing the conclusion that they couldn’t have been the ones who created them...
It must have been the new feature they mentioned.
Before entering the game, the developers had explained that every NPC now operated using GLI.
General Learning Intelligence.
Unlike conventional AI that simply followed scripted behavior...
GLI allowed NPCs to learn.
To adapt.
To create.
The developers had hoped that, through those evolving intelligences, entirely new stories, cultures, conflicts, and civilizations would emerge naturally.
Content they could later review, refine, and officially incorporate into the game.
"...Maybe this is one of those new developments."
Arthur nodded slowly.
"It would explain why I was never told about them."
If the Hollow Brood had evolved after his transfer...
Even the developers themselves might not have known they existed yet.
But there was no way the developers wouldn’t have known a universal threat was being developed right under their noses...
Unless it had somehow been given enough time after he logged in to do so.
Which made the last piece of information he had left that room with terrify him even more.
"..."
Just before leaving the Grand Central Meeting Hall...
He had casually asked a simple question.
"...General Cassandra."
"What year is it?"
She had looked at him strangely before answering.
"It is the year 3099 of the Imperial Calendar."
She tilted her head slightly.
"...Why do you ask, Young Master?"
Arthur had forced an awkward smile.
"Oh..."
"Nothing."
"I was just a little curious."
Cassandra had frowned.
"You should refrain from asking such pointless questions during an important military briefing, Young Master."
"...My apologies."
That had been the end of the conversation.
But...
Arthur’s expression slowly darkened.
"...Three thousand and ninety-nine."
His heartbeat quickened.
According to the developers...
The beta test was supposed to begin in the year...
1099.
His footsteps gradually came to a halt.
"..."
A chill slowly crept down his spine.
"...Then how..."
"...did two thousand years pass after I logged in?"
It didn’t make sense.
None of it did.
Arthur suddenly let out a long sigh, forcing himself to calm his nerves.
All of these abnormal circumstances made one thing painfully clear.
Something had gone horribly wrong with the beta test.
And he feared it wasn’t something the developers could fix.
He stopped walking.
"...Well."
"Let’s face it."
At his side, GENESIS’ crimson eye flickered once.
〘Clarification requested.〙
〘Face what?〙
Arthur took a slow, deep breath.
"...The beta test probably failed."
"And I most likely died."
"My brain was probably fried during the synchronization accident with all that pain I felt."
"My consciousness must have remained dormant inside the game somehow..."
"...and somehow awakened now."
He lowered his gaze.
"I’m most likely never going back to Earth."
"...This is my new reality now."
Silence followed.
Even Arthur thought the words sounded absurd.
Dark.
Hopeless.
But deep down...
He had already been entertaining that possibility ever since waking up under these bizarre circumstances.
As a man who had been constantly let down by life and luck...
Seo-jun wasn’t someone who clung to hope.
More often than not...
The worst possible outcome eventually became reality.
He had been fortunate enough to grow up with a loving family.
But outside of that...
Life had rarely shown him any kindness.
He had been bullied.
Dragged into fights he never wanted.
Set up by people he trusted.
Forced to drop out of college.
Reduced to living with his parents.
Betrayed.
Then, after finally being selected as one of the beta testers for his favorite game...
Everything had gone wrong because of a glitch that just happened to occur while he was the very first person connected to the system.
Nothing...
Ever seemed to go right for him.
It was because of that...
He had developed a habit of accepting harsh truths instead of desperately clinging to hope, only to be disappointed again.
Perhaps...
That was also why he had become so addicted to Interstellar Lords Online.
For the first time in his life...
He had been in control.
He controlled the numbers.
His own growth.
His own destiny.
There...
He wasn’t merely another victim of bad luck.
Arthur slowly closed his eyes.
"...So this really is my life now."
When he opened them again...
There was no hesitation left within them.
He slowly clenched both fists.
Whether this new life was a second chance...
Or a cruel curse...
He refused to become a slave to fate again.
He refused to leave everything to luck again.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke.
"I..."
"...Arthur Von Ashbourne..."
"...swear that from this day onward..."
"I will never let the people who place their faith in me down."
"To hell with luck and fate!"
"They may have been an obstacle in the real world, but this is Interstellar Lords Online."
"In this world..."
"...I set the pace."
"In this world..."
"I decide my fate... because I am a Ranker."
"Not just any ranker!"
"I am NebûlaKing."
"...The seventh strongest being in this universe."