Chapter 12: Create a Username

  In the sweltering heat of the Rub' al Khali desert, a mysterious palace shimmered like a mirage amid the vast dunes. Its white marble walls reflected the blinding sunlight, while golden domes glistened beneath the deep blue sky. A row of granite columns rose like the spires of a long-lost civilization, encircling a lush garden where palm trees swayed gently in the dry breeze.

  They walked along a shaded stone pathway leading to an infinity pool. Reclining on a lounge chair was a lazy old man, hiding in the shade. His wrinkled Hawaiian shirt was crumpled, paired with loose khaki shorts. One sandal dangled precariously from his foot, while the other lay abandoned beneath the chair. His sunken face was partially obscured by an oversized pair of sunglasses.

  At the front of the group, the Captain carried a medium-sized briefcase. Behind him followed five men and one woman, all clad in black suits and dark sunglasses. They circled the pool and approached the old man before coming to a halt.

  “Too flashy,” the old man grumbled, clicking his tongue before waving lazily at the hammocks nearby. “You lot auditioning for Men in Black? Sit down, sit down.”

  Servants from within the palace promptly emerged, setting up large umbrellas for shade. The group hesitated for a moment, but the Captain casually settled into the hammock closest to the old man. One by one, the rest followed suit.

  "Drarkarr has entered the capital, Estaphalia! Oh, Estaphalia no longer has enough forces to defend itself, no one is strong enough to stop the Emperor. The fires have risen—Estaphalia is drowning in a crimson sea of mourning. The Queen’s Aegis Imperium is on cooldown; nothing can save the Jewel of the Empire from catastrophe now!"

  A long wooden table, overflowing with lavish delicacies, stood nearby. A crackling radio emitted the dramatic broadcast.

  “Zephrania seems to be on the verge of victory,” the Captain remarked. “They’ve put on a spectacular performance—diverting attention with an assault on Asterith, sacrificing all six Mighty Summoners just to clear the path for Drarkarr. The plan itself wasn’t overly complex, but the way that young man, Ignis Flamma, executed it was nothing short of masterful.”

  The old man said nothing, merely sipping the last of his smoothie.

  “A battlefield of this scale is the perfect stage for brilliance to emerge,” the Captain continued. “Right now, hundreds of millions of people are watching the fate of all Valia unfold. Never before in history has an online game achieved such success. Truly, these breathtaking battles in that far-off land are shaking the real world. I believe the first order of business is to tip my hat in respect to you—oh great and almighty Creator… God.”

  A knowing smirk played across the old man’s sunken lips.

  “The British kid sure knows how to send someone who can flatter.”

  “You mean Johnathan? He may be a major sponsor, but he’s far from the only one. Truth be told, we’ve been entrusted with the expectations of many powerful figures. Ha! A bunch of frogs stuck in their little wells, thinking that money, status, and power make them superior. Personally, I believe true superiority doesn’t come from such trivial things, but from how we wield our talents to reshape the world—making it revolve around us. Just like you.”

  The Captain’s stream of flattery struck the old man’s ego in all the right places. Crude and obvious as it was, who didn’t enjoy hearing praise? Let alone someone so arrogant he saw himself as God.

  ===

  He silently observed the conversation, watching where the story would lead. This meeting was sanctioned by God, yet no terms had been set. It was not a negotiation, an agreement, or a contract. As the Captain had relayed from their investor, God had merely spoken: He permitted a "fateful encounter."

  A single meeting was a fateful encounter, but whether that fate would be a dying ember in the silent night or a raging fire that would consume the world—that depended entirely on the Captain’s words.

  "From the moment I started observing this game, I have always believed that your will is absolute. You will end Valia the moment one faction claims victory and activates all 54 fortresses, correct?"

  "Yes. That is the ultimate purpose of Valia."

  "Sigh… what a shame."

  "Hm?"

  "A game as grand and glorious as this—if it ends when it reaches only a hundred million players, wouldn’t that be a waste? Your masterpiece deserves to become a religion for all of humanity. Every last one of the ten billion people on this Earth should have their eyes forced open to witness the brilliance of God's ultimate creation! They should worship and revere the greatness of Valia! Ah, what a pity! What a tragedy!"

  God chuckled. He gladly took the barrage of flattery head-on.

  "It is a slight pity, but what can be done? Valia is compelling because of its brutality. The victor takes everything; the loser loses all. No one may interfere with victory or defeat—not even me."

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Of course. A sport loses its thrill the moment the audience realizes the match is rigged. Valia is compelling because of your unwavering resolve, your absolute will, your ruthless decisiveness. Your word is law; your will is doctrine. Millions of players hurl themselves into battle, all because of your decree that the victor shall claim everything. One could say you created a world that is inherently thrilling, but one could also say—Valia is thrilling because of you, because you are the embodiment of fairness and absolute wisdom!"

  Another smile.

  "Hahaha. It is decided. There is no miracle left to save ‘the little girl’ and her Kingdom. This world is not Valia—no gods exist here to bestow miracles. Miracles only happen when humans exert their full intellect and effort to seize them. The prayers of a naive soul mean nothing in a merciless world." God sighed.

  "Despair is far too mild a word to describe Estapha’s current situation." The Captain shook his head. "But who’s to say a miracle can’t still happen? As you just said, miracles in this world only occur when humans devote everything to making them happen. Only we can create miracles."

  God leaned forward slightly.

  "Go on."

  "They say God occasionally bestows gifts on a whim, don’t they? A player once received a complete Legendary set just for praising you every day. Many indie developers managed to purchase the rights to integrate third-party tools into Valia’s interface—for a surprisingly low price. And yet, Bank of America and various financial conglomerates have all failed to negotiate with you. I wonder—perhaps you are not an unapproachable business partner. Rather, you are fair and transparent. You are willing to grant others blessings—so long as they pay the proper price. And under one condition."

  "Go on. You have one chance—don’t make a blind guess."

  "The condition is that those seeking your grace must fully comprehend the value of what they are asking for. Bank of America was arrogant, sending you condescending messages, and worst of all—their tiny brains couldn’t grasp the true worth of Valia. The same goes for countless other ignorant tycoons. To them, Valia is merely a money-making tool. Hah, money—just another stack of meaningless paper."

  God suddenly sat upright.

  "Hahahaha! I’ll accept that interpretation for now. Keep going."

  "I wouldn’t dare claim to fully understand Valia’s worth, and we are not so arrogant as to think we could buy an entire world of such vastness." The Captain placed a suitcase on the table and flipped it open. "Five hundred 200-carat diamonds, valued at twenty billion dollars at current rates. Ten castles around the world, ready to be placed under your name. A lifetime of space travel, sponsored by SpaceX. A few asteroids stationed at Lagrange L4. And various other trivial luxuries that I won’t even bother listing. All in exchange for one favor."

  The Captain stood up and met God’s gaze directly.

  "We wish to establish a new Nation on the lands of Valia."

  God tilted his head in contemplation.

  "A new Nation? With just the seven of you? Zephrania currently has a population of eighty million. So, what… a war of seven versus eighty million?"

  "If we ally with Estapha, we’ll have twenty million."

  "In theory, yes. But most of those twenty million have already quit the game. This is still a hopelessly uneven battle."

  "Which is precisely what makes it interesting, doesn’t it? The seven of us standing before you will create a miracle—a miracle that will shake all of Valia, and shake even this entire world!"

  A brief silence. Then God burst into laughter.

  "Hahahahahaha!!!!! You almost had me! Hahahahaha!!!!! But… no, absolutely not! Hahahaha!!!!! Do you know why?"

  "Please enlighten me."

  "You lot don’t even understand the true value of what you’re asking for! All this talk about Valia—how fascinating, how compelling—yes, it’s pleasing to hear. But among the seven of you, has even a single one truly experienced my game? Not a single one!"

  "There are numerous simulation programs to practice mechanics…"

  God shot to his feet.

  "And they are NOT my fcking Valia! If you have never truly stepped into that world, how can you possibly understand the ancient whispers hidden in the wind, the eternal truths buried in its dungeons, the treasures veiled beneath its soil, and above all—the ultimate puzzle that Valia presents to humanity? No, I cannot entrust Valia’s future to those who will never comprehend it. Never, ever!"

  A desert wind swept through, rustling the palm trees. Silence fell upon them all. The tension stretched into infinity. Every pair of eyes was locked on the Captain, waiting for his response. And yet, even he seemed to struggle to find a convincing argument. In this fateful moment, a single misstep could turn them all into corpses.

  "Go home. Thank you for entertaining this lonely old man. I would love to wish you safe travels, but I wager the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi won’t let—"

  ===

  Sigh.

  He took a deep breath.

  He stood up, stepping forward as everyone watched in surprise. He walked past the Captain and faced the old man who called himself God.

  "Cut the crap." He grabbed the suitcase on the table and slammed it onto the stone floor with a sharp, echoing thud. Tilting his chin up, he stared straight at the man before him. "Are you satisfied with this cheap and boring excuse of a game?"

  "Hmm?" God smirked at him.

  "That pathetic game, that ridiculously predictable ending—we all saw it coming. Your whole mess of a creation called Valia is nothing more than a dull, lifeless, and utterly disgusting waste of potential!"

  "Excusez-moi?"

  "At this rate, that meathead Drarkarr will be glorified as the mighty Emperor who ended the war, and that bastard Ignis Flamma will forever be worshipped as the undefeated God of War. Pffff!!! All that with just some cheap, shallow tricks? If that's all it takes to become a legend in Valia, then this game is an absolute joke!"

  "Mind your words, boy."

  "Tell me, God, are you really satisfied with Valia as it is now?" He lifted his chin higher, looking down at the old man. "Do you truly consider this trash worthy of being your so-called masterpiece? If you have the guts, let me log into the game. Spawn me in Estaphalia, and I'll face that puppet Emperor myself. I’ll show you how this game is supposed to be played."

  Through his sunglasses, God looked at him. An old man, holding the power to shake the world, staring at a 22-year-old unemployed nobody with not a single achievement to his name. Then, the old man smirked. His lips curled into a grin.

  "Username. Create a Username."

  He smiled. That was the moment his life split into two halves.

  The first half was a life of an unknown gamer, robbed of the glory he rightfully deserved, struggling in a ruthless world where his name never once made it onto the halls of fame.

  The second half was his rebirth. A new world, a new battlefield, and a brand-new name.

  "Kai. I don’t give a damn if it’s taken or not. From this day forward, my name is Kai."