By the next morning, a delivery drone landed outside his door carrying a sleek black capsule stamped Ascender Pod. He dragged it inside, wiped the frost off, and connected the power line. The surface pulsed with faint silver veins.
> [Neural Interface Detected. Confirm User Identity.]
"Blade Vayne Wilson."
[Alias Confirmed: Metatron.]
[Welcome to Ascender Online.]
The hatch opened with a hiss. He lay inside. The lid closed, sound fading until only his heartbeat remained.
Light swallowed everything.
"Welcome, Ascender. Select starter region."
"Frostvale."
A flash—and snow stretched forever. The spawn area bustled with shouting players. Blade looked down at his dull gray shirt and basic black pants. Cheap starter gear.
He crouched, scanning the ground. Frozen beast tracks. Bits of hide. A dead snow wolf nearby. He skinned it cleanly and collected Low-Grade Beast Leather.
> [Craft: Leather Hooded Jacket] — Success.
The jacket appeared on him, black with fur trim. Then he took leftover pieces and scraps of metal from a junk pile.
> [Craft: Head Gear – Snow Raider Goggles] — Success.
He pulled the hood up, goggles resting on his forehead. His reflection in the ice looked more like a ghost soldier than a beginner.
"Whoa, that guy looks like a boss NPC!" someone shouted.
"How'd he get custom gear already?" another asked.
Blade ignored them. He moved silently through the snow, gathering wood, herbs, and ore.
A tone chimed in his head.
> [Hidden Crafting Trait Detected: Reality Sync (0.01%)]
[Your items hold traces of real-world composition.]
He froze. "Reality Sync…?"
He crafted a dagger. For an instant he felt its weight in his real hand before it vanished. He smirked. "Now this… is interesting."
While everyone else fought for XP, one silent player in black leather was already breaking the rules.
Metatron had entered the world,
and Ascender Online would never be the same again.