Back to Aster.
He stared at the hologram, which now remained silent as he waited expectantly.
He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous.
His palm was sweating, and his fingers remained tense against it.
The hologram had stated that he was incompatible, leaving Aster uncertain about what would happen.
However, the Guide explained that because he came from a world where energy did not exist, his channels were closed and his body was too weak to serve as a vessel.
Therefore, he only needed to wait.
Everything would be fine.
’I’m a little nervous.’
Aster thought as he waited.
But along with the anxiety, there was also anticipation.
For an ordinary human who believed that things like magic were nothing more than stories from the web novels he used to read, he had never imagined experiencing something like this, not even in his wildest dreams.
He wanted to be prepared for whatever came next.
So these things would have to become part of his routine, something increasingly normal until he was completely adapted to this new life.
’This is going to take some time... I think.’
Aster knew that he wouldn’t be able to use mana and then, a few minutes later, start throwing spells around or blowing up mountains.
That was nothing more than an illusion he wouldn’t fall for.
After several more seconds of silence, the terminal finally responded.
[ PERMISSION GRANTED ]
Aster released a sigh he hadn’t even realized he had been holding.
As he prepared himself for whatever was about to happen, a small violet light appeared in the garden.
It passed through the glass and quickly flew toward him before stopping directly in front of his face.
Aster’s eyes widened at the sight of the light hovering so close to him.
"What is thi—"
He couldn’t finish.
The light entered directly into his chest.
Aster had no time to react.
All he could do was wait for the worst.
But no pain came.
Instead, he felt a comforting sensation in his chest, something that had not been there before.
Immediately afterward, the terminal issued another alert.
[ INITIATING BODY RECONSTRUCTION OF INDIVIDUAL ASTER AS REQUESTED AND GRANTED ]
Aster’s feet began to leave the ground as his body levitated.
Now more prepared, he tried to remain calm despite his nervousness.
"Huh?"
His eyelids began to grow heavy.
He felt his mind shutting down as his eyes slowly closed.
He tried to say something, but no voice came out.
Then everything went dark.
His mind faded away.
It wasn’t violent.
In fact, it was surprisingly gentle, like a mother putting her child to sleep.
Now completely unconscious, Aster continued floating above the altar.
A dome began forming around him.
Particles of silver and violet light connected to one another, forming a solid, oval structure that completely enveloped him like a cocoon.
Inside, Aster was curled into a fetal position.
His body began to break down.
Nauseating sounds of cracking bones and destroyed organs echoed inside the cocoon.
If Aster had been awake, the pain would have been so terrible that he would probably have wished for nothing but death.
As his body was tempered and his internal vessels reconstructed, every impurity was expelled.
A disgusting, sticky black liquid began seeping from his skin.
His muscles became denser, more refined, and more compact.
His black hair retained the same color, but it was now much brighter.
Amethyst-colored strands appeared at the tips, accompanied by tiny lights that resembled stars.
His hair now looked like a living galaxy.
Violet energy began seeping through his pores as it integrated perfectly with his body.
The Guide, who was inside Aster, wasn’t standing still either.
Throughout the entire process, it helped organize Aster’s body and energy, placing everything where it belonged and guiding the reconstruction.
[I can’t believe that woman gave him this physique.]
The Guide muttered in clear irritation while continuing to work.
At the same time, it was also preparing its own reconstruction.
It was as though another sphere were floating beside it in the void.
While the Guide’s glowing sphere was white, the one beside it was golden and pulsed intensely, as if eagerly waiting to emerge.
[When he reaches the planet, I will have to integrate myself with this system so I can optimize it and make Aster’s life easier. This vessel will not be enough. I will have to absorb some of the energy surrounding him.]
Outside, Aster’s body continued absorbing more and more of the energy generated by the dome.
His body stretched, causing him to grow several centimeters taller.
His old fingernails fell away.
His teeth followed soon after.
Then new ones began to emerge.
Healthier than ever, they now radiated the same energy coursing through the rest of his body.
His skin became lighter, smoother, and radiant.
Aster now possessed an almost divine aura, despite not being a deity.
Several hours passed since the reconstruction began.
Outside, the violet dome continued sucking in the surrounding energy like a bottomless pit.
After twelve hours of constant energy absorption, the ritual finally came to an end.
The energy around it, which had previously been pulled in violently, began to calm.
The smooth surface of the violet dome began to crack.
The cracks spread in every direction, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass.
When the entire sphere was covered in glowing cracks, it finally exploded, no longer able to maintain its form.
The sound of countless fragments falling to the floor echoed throughout the greenhouse.
A moment later, they disappeared, dissolving into remnants of energy.
Aster was completely naked, still curled in a fetal position, while the environment slowly returned to its calm silence.
[ BODY RECONSTRUCTION COMPLETE! ]
Immediately afterward, the Guide’s record appeared.
[ YOU HAVE AWAKENED A NEW PHYSIQUE! ]
[ MYTHICAL-CLASS PHYSIQUE ? AVATAR OF SPACE ? ]
With lights shining before him, Aster’s eyelids began to tremble.
His eyes finally opened.
Before, his eyes had been a deep black.
Now, they were a deep violet.
If someone came close enough and observed them carefully, they would be able to see tiny white lights appearing and disappearing inside his irises every instant, like an endless ocean of stars.
"Hgrr..."
I groaned softly.
It felt as though I had slept for days, and my vision was still blurry.
My body slowly descended toward the ground, and my bare feet touched the cold floor.
I felt light.
As light as a feather.
But my muscles were dense and compact.
I looked at my own body while trying to remember everything that had happened.
"Alright..."
"Guide... did everything go well?"
I asked while clenching my fists.
My body was overflowing with a new energy, something I had never felt before.
I was euphoric.
An easy smile appeared on my face.
[Yes, Host. Everything went well. Congratulations on your awakening. You are now qualified to continue your journey.]
"Arrgh..."
I released a sigh, much lighter this time.
I felt great.
It felt like I could run for miles without getting tired.
I took a deep breath.
That was when the terminal caught my attention.
[WITH THE RECONSTRUCTION COMPLETE, THE AUXILIARY RECORD OF THE LORDS’ GAME HAS BEEN COMPLETELY ASSIMILATED INTO THE INDIVIDUAL. YOU ARE NOW READY TO DEPART FOR THE CHOSEN WORLD.]
[PREPARATION FOR YOUR ARRIVAL IN YOUR TERRITORY HAS BEGUN. A NOTICE WILL BE TRANSMITTED TO THE SELECTED WORLD.]
[WHEN YOUR TERRITORY AND THE NOTICE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, YOU WILL BE TELEPORTED TO THE COORDINATES OF THE LOCATION.]
[THE RECORDS WISH YOU GOOD LUCK.]
[MAY THE WILL AND THE COSMOS BE WITH YOU.]
After finishing, the hologram shut down.
..........
On the planet selected by Aster, a robotic voice echoed across every corner of the land.
North.
South.
East.
West.
Every corner of that world heard the same words.
[ WARNING! ]
[ THIS WORLD HAS BEEN DESIGNATED FOR THE INCARNATION OF A NEW LORD. ]
Local tribes, intelligent monsters, and even ancient beings heard those words.
It wasn’t merely a warning.
It was inevitable.
Even unintelligent life, although unable to understand the words, could feel the intention behind them.
Beings that had slept for ages awakened just to hear them before returning to their slumber.
Some were clearly alarmed.
Others regarded the words as important.
Some even received them with disdain.
But one thing became clear to everyone.
The days of normality and calm were coming to an end.
Now, no one knew whether this would be for better or for worse.
Only time would tell.
At the very center of that world stood a relatively peaceful forest.
Its tranquility was interrupted when the ground beneath the feet of its inhabitants began to tremble.
Never-before-seen species and wild beasts fell into panic.
Then something even more absurd happened.
The forest began to detach from the ground.
It stretched for many kilometers.
It was a colossal forest, and now that enormous expanse of land was being ripped from the earth.
Gravity pulled it toward the sky.
From many places across the planet, even from a great distance, it was possible to see that colossal piece of land slowly rising.
One hundred meters.
Two hundred meters.
Five hundred meters.
One kilometer.
Two.
Five.
When it reached an altitude of ten kilometers, it finally stabilized.
At the center of the forest, a white pedestal began to form.
Runes were engraved across its surface and began pulsing faintly.
Then, from the pedestal, a barrier began to emerge.
It spread in every direction, advancing across the forest until it completely covered it.
That forest had now become a floating island, suspended high above the world.
This would be the beginning of something greater for that world...
Or the harbinger of its end.