The heat outside shimmered under the blinding noon sun. The air was dry and restless, whispering across the arid plains surrounding the forgotten Marcus Valley. Here, time itself moved differently—outside the protective veil of Lelena's ancient barrier, the world ticked by slowly. But within its bounds, time accelerated—1.25 times faster. That's why, by the time Julius fought Wilhelm, evening had already fallen inside Lelena, even though it was still day outside.
This world—the one inside the barrier—felt artificial, designed, layered with rules and boundaries like a game coded long ago. There were no living creatures in this wasteland. Only the loyal NPCs of the Vermillion bloodline remained, silently maintaining their assigned roles in a land where the real had long since merged with the virtual.
Julius sat beneath the high rafters of a sun-drenched chamber, struggling to digest the weight of everything he had just heard. "But how am I supposed to level it up?" he asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.
"You have to roll maidens—many maidens," Vermillion replied, seated calmly across from him. His eyes glinted with ancient knowledge. "And once it reaches V10… that is when you must fuse it with the Cosmos. That's when it will become the true form: Maiden Gacha 2. "
Julius's brows furrowed. "But how am I supposed to combine it?"
"That knowledge will come to you only when you have the Cosmos in your hands," Vermillion said cryptically.
Outside, heat waves danced across the horizon. The sky above the Marcus Valley was cloudless, glaringly bright. The only sounds were the soft creaks of the wooden beams overhead and the occasional hiss of wind slipping through the cracks.
"Say, how am I supposed to get the Cosmos?" Julius pressed.
Vermillion leaned forward, his voice lowering with significance. "To craft the Cosmos anew, you must retrieve the four ancient spells—artifacts of primordial magic. The Wind, the Earth, the Water, and the Fire. Every other magic you've seen stems from these. Each spell is the embodiment of its element. When you bring them together, a new form of power awakens: Cosmos. It is not just magic—it is divine creation. It can destroy anything… and forge anything anew."
Julius's gaze darkened. "But where can I find these four ancient spells?"
"I only know the location of one—the Ancient Wind Spell. It is currently protected by the Monk of the East. But to even approach him, you will need the Key of the Wind, which is held by the Corrupted Priest. And he resides deep within the Corrupted Church. The church's location is a secret only known by the Iceblue Tribe, a reclusive people who dwell on the Eastern Mountain Range. But it's far—very far—from here. To reach them, you will need a way to travel instantly."
Julius calmly responded, "Do not worry about the distance. But there's something I want to ask… who are the maidens of the Maiden Gacha?"
Vermillion's voice shifted, touched by reverence and mystery. "First, you must understand its origin. The Maiden Gacha was not always what it is now. Long ago, there was no magic in this world. Saint Aurora was just a young girl—fifteen—when the four monks came. The Monk of the East created Wind Magic. The West—Water. The North—Earth. And the South—Fire. These were the roots."
He paused, then added, "But traces of magic existed even before them—Gacha Magic. Only a few members of the House of Vermillion could use it. It extracted a part of someone's life force and allowed the user to roll—a gamble. Weapons, armors, artifacts. But the magic rejected the life force of the caster. So, users turned to criminals, absorbing their life instead. Maiden Gacha is a superior form of this magic. But as for the maidens themselves… we do not know. No records, no documentation. Only myths."
Julius exhaled deeply. This was all too much. The systems of this world ran far deeper than he'd imagined.
"But… don't the corrupted data packs already know about us?" he asked.
"Yes, they do," Vermillion confirmed.
"Then why aren't they attacking us?"
"Because of Cosmos," Vermillion replied. "Saint Aurora used it long ago to seal them, to bind their aggression. But the seal will break soon. In just two years, they will awaken. That's why I want you to forge the Cosmos again—before it's too late."
Julius stood, his decision made. "Then we should leave now."
But Vermillion shook his head. "It is not possible. You are still weak. You must train. You must understand this world—the data structures, the layers of reality. The original data packs, the cloud layer, the corrupted fragments. You also need to learn the Wind Turbo spell. It's a primitive version of Wind Manipulation. Incomplete, but essential."
Julius sat back down. "How much time?"
"Six months," Vermillion said. "You'll train here in the Valley for half a year. After that, your journey begins—across the world, to the Eastern Mountains."
"Don't worry," Julius said. "Solvarin will take us there."
The room went still. Zhou Rui, Marcus, and even Vermillion froze.
"You tamed a Solvarin?" Vermillion asked, astonished.
"Yeah."
Julius then asked, "Vermillion IV… was Wilhelm also a corrupted data pack?"
"Yes," Vermillion answered. "He and his team were not of this world. They came from ours. That's what made him so powerful."
"I see," Julius said, his tone distant.
"Is there a problem?" Vermillion asked.
"No," Julius replied. "I thought he was one of the originals, corrupted later. If that had been true… I don't think I could've forgiven myself for killing him. But if he was evil from the start, then it's fine."
Zhou Rui stepped in. "If you're in a war, you should never feel guilty. You don't fight for yourself—you fight for what you love. And yes, that includes you. Sometimes, being selfish is more important than being selfless."
Marcus turned to Vermillion. "Lord Vermillion IV, I believe we should begin the programmer's training immediately."
Vermillion raised his hand. "No. They've heard enough for one day. They need rest. The training will begin tomorrow at dawn."
With that, Zhou Rui, Marcus, and Vermillion quietly exited the chamber, leaving Julius alone.
He rose from his seat and collapsed onto the bed. The wooden frame creaked beneath him.
"Where the hell am I?" he whispered.
"What the hell was going on inside the company that I never knew about? This game... it was never like this." he muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, out in the corridor, Vermillion IV walked ahead, flanked by Zhou Rui and Marcus. Their footsteps echoed against the cold stone floor.
"My Lord," Marcus said, "are we doing the right thing?"
"He is our only hope," Vermillion replied solemnly. "The sole programmer ever to enter this world since him. We cannot afford to let him go—or let this chance go to waste. We only have two years. If the corrupted data packs awaken… it will be the end of this world."