Rover stared at the system prompt floating in front of him, then glanced at the weathered poster peeling off the wall—a relic from two years ago, barely holding on against the wind.
He remembered it vividly... When Abyss Online first launched, not just the government but the entire world went wild over the benefits it promised.
Every player who joined the game received a fixed allowance from the government, their pay tied directly to their in-game level.
On top of that, the government even bought in-game items with real money, turning Abyss Online into a colossal goldmine.
Rover rubbed his forehead and sighed. "It's the same as back then, huh? Even now, back in the past… I still don't have the money to buy a sync device."
That's right—sync devices for the game weren't just expensive. They were limited in supply.
The cheapest one had cost 25,000 credits, but due to high demand, prices skyrocketed—some selling at four or five times the original price.
On the black market, a single sync device could go for 150,000 credits or more—and even then, they were almost impossible to find.
And that wasn't all. Even if you managed to get one, you'd still need extra support hardware to run it.
Which meant, to simply playAbyss Online, the average person needed to shell out at least 200,000 credits.
"As expected… the rich will always have the upper hand—no matter the timeline." Rover gave a bitter laugh, mocking himself.
That was why, in his previous life, despite knowing about Abyss Online right from launch, he hadn't been able to join.
By the time he entered, Abyss Online had already merged with reality—and the other players were leagues ahead.
After that, leveling up became ten times harder.
But now… now he stood before a chance no one else had.
"This time… it's different." His voice trembled slightly, a mix of excitement and madness. "I… I can log into the game without a sync device."
Rover looked at the glowing prompt, hand trembling as he hovered over the choice.
But then he hesitated, frowning. "Can I enter Abyss Online anytime I want?"
The system didn't respond with words—but a new interface appeared in front of him.
...
Name: Abyss Key
Rank: ???
Function 1: Allows you to log into Abyss Online at any time. In-game time flows at a 10:1 ratio compared to real-world time.
Function 2: ???
Function 3: ???
Function 4: ???
…
Rover stared at the information panel, stunned.
Though he had never used a sync device in his previous life, he knew full well: the in-game time and real-world time had always been one-to-one.
"Abyss Key…" Rover muttered, eyes fixed on the notification. "This thing not only lets me access Abyss Online without a sync device… but the in-game time runs ten times faster."
"That means… ten days in Abyss Online equals just one day in the real world. I'll have enough time to catch up with players who started two years ago."
"And more than that…" He looked at the locked abilities—each one marked with a simple string of '???'. But even without details, he could sense they weren't ordinary.
"What the hell is this item? How can it have this many functions?"
Rover shook his head. He didn't know what the Abyss Key really was—but for now, just owning it meant he could finally move forward.
"Maybe the other functions unlock with conditions. But even if I only have the first one… that's more than enough." He murmured to himself.
His finger tapped the air—choosing 'No'.
Why?
Because this item gave him the freedom to enter the game anytime. That meant there was no need to rush.
Besides, he still had unfinished business to take care of.
Rover unlocked his phone and dialed a number—a sequence forever burned into his memory. He would never forget it.
Tit! Tit! Tit!
The dial tone echoed from the speaker.
At that moment, the man who had endured countless brutal battles, oceans of blood and tears in his past life… found himself nervous—an unshakable, irrational anxiety bubbling in his chest.
Rover felt a pang of hesitation… but the call had already gone through. It was too late to hang up.
"Hello?" A soft, feminine voice came through the phone.
Though the speaker was an old, scratchy device, the gentleness in her tone was unmistakable—delicate, warm, and unmistakably familiar.
Rover couldn't hold it in. Tears welled up and spilled over. This towering young man wept like a child.
"Hello?! Who is this?" Her voice called out again.
He inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down, then spoke, "Abyss Online… you… you…"
Even with all his effort, he couldn't control his voice—it trembled and stuttered.
"You have to play Abyss Online. Remember… right now, don't wait…"
"Huh?! What do you mean—"
He didn't let her finish. Rover ended the call abruptly.
He stared at the phone in silence, then exhaled slowly, whispering, "I hope you'll log in soon. With your talent and intelligence, you'll avoid the tragedy of last time."
"Thank you… for everything. I hope, in this life, you'll never need to meet me. Let us remain two parallel lines—that alone is enough."
With those words, Rover tapped the screen and blocked the number he had just dialed.
His heart ached—but at least this time, he could protect the one who had once loved him more than her own life.
...
At the same time, in a spacious bedroom, lavish and delicately feminine, filled with elegance and wealth befitting high society—
The value of a single flower vase here could sustain Rover for several months.
On a luxurious bed lay a young woman with hair like spun gold, cascading behind her in waves.
Her face was flawless—like a masterpiece carved by a god. Her figure, hidden behind a sheer pink nightgown, was seductive and breathtaking.
She looked like she had stepped out of a painting—an ethereal blend of haughty grace and gentle femininity.
She frowned slightly, staring at the unfamiliar number displayed on her phone screen, puzzled.
"Who just called you?" a playful voice asked from behind.
Another girl—just as beautiful, with flowing black hair—smiled mischievously as she approached.
But their auras… were completely different.
If the blonde girl gave off the aura of a mature older neighbor, then the black-haired girl was the playful, lovable little sister type.
"Lyria, was that your boyfriend?" The black-haired girl flung herself onto Lyria from behind, wrapping her arms around her with a mischievous grin on her face, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
Lyria sighed and shook her head. "No, Elara. Don't be ridiculous. I have no idea who it was—it seemed like they dialed the wrong number."
"Wrong number? Huh! You think I'm that easy to fool?" Elara pouted, her expression full of playful mischief, like a tiny trickster spirit. "Your phone number is super private—only a handful of people even have it. How could someone accidentally call you?"
"Come on! Who's the lucky guy that managed to capture Lady Lyria's heart?"
Lyria didn't bother arguing. She just shook her head and replied, "Believe what you want, but I'm telling the truth. It's just…"
She trailed off.
She didn't know who the caller was. She didn't recognize the voice. And yet—for some reason, when she heard it, something inside her ached.
Her heart had throbbed with a strange, piercing pain.
More than that… the voice had sounded oddly familiar. Safe. Trustworthy.
"Just… what?" Elara tilted her head, her grin mischievous as ever. "What's wrong?"
Lyria suddenly asked, "Elara, have you heard of a game called Abyss Online?"
"Huh?! Why are you asking about that? You're not even into games," Elara replied, visibly puzzled.
Lyria stroked her chin, thinking back on the boy's voice. She didn't know why… but somehow, she felt those words were meant for her.
"I… want to learn more about it."
Hearing that, Elara's face lit up like a child on their birthday. "Hehehe… That's amazing! I'm playing it too! Tomorrow, I'll take you to buy a sync device—we'll play together!"
Lyria gave her a soft nod, then reached out to pat Elara's head like a big sister, a gentle smile on her face.
But deep down, her heart remained uneasy.
'Just who… was that person?' she wondered.
...
After the call with Lyria, Rover began preparing breakfast for his grandmother.
After all, it was just the two of them in the house. Without him, there would be no one to take care of her.
He quickly finished cooking and left everything ready in the pot. Just in case she woke up before he returned from the game, he also wrote a note and placed it on her bedside table.
Once everything was in place, he stared silently at her kind, wrinkled face. His heart ached with a pain no words could describe.
"Grandma… in my previous life, I failed to protect you. This time… I swear I will." Rover whispered, a fire of determination burning fiercely within him.
He walked to his bed, lay down, and gave the command in his mind: "Log in to the game."
[Ding! Initiating login to Abyss Online.]
Instantly, he felt his body being pulled into another space, hurtling forward at impossible speed.
A crushing pressure weighed down on him, making it hard to breathe.
The world around him turned pitch black. He floated in zero gravity, surrounded by beams of light streaking past at what felt like the speed of light.
[Ding! Welcome to the Abyss World.]
[Ding! Abyss Key detected. To continue using Abyss Key for login, you must accept the class provided by the System.
Do you accept? Yes/No]
Rover stared at the message, hesitating for a moment. But then he remembered his past life—how even with a mediocre class, he had risen to become a powerhouse.
"I don't believe the Abyss Key would give me a useless class," he muttered, frowning. Then firmly, he said, "Accept!"
At that moment, a searing pain exploded through his body.
"AGH!!!" Rover screamed, unable to endure it. It felt like a thousand needles stabbing into every cell.
Then—
BAM!
His body shattered into countless specks of dust. His consciousness faded away. But in that fleeting moment, a key formed from blood-red crystals materialized at the center of the void.
It hovered like the core of a black hole—pulling in every fragment of his shattered form, drawing it inward, compressing and reshaping it.
When the dust reformed into a body, the key nestled itself inside—lodged within his heart.
"Ah!" Rover gasped, jolting awake.
His body was perfectly intact. No wounds, no pain—just his heavy breathing and a shaken mind.
"What the hell… just happened?" he muttered.
And then, the System message appeared before him once more.
[Ding! Congratulations. You have acquired the unique class: Abyss Arbiter.]