Chapter 1: 1 – The Great Magic
Alan gulped down the rest of his instant cup noodle soup. His eyes were fixed on the computer screen showing a small child running with a white dog. The boy was laughing happily.
That boy was Alan when he was little when he had nothing to worry about.
The situation has totally changed now. It's been months since he was fired, and he has yet to find a new job. His cash had run out, and his little apartment was due.
The young man's attention turned to his ringing cell phone. It was not someone's call but an alarm. 8.00 PM. The close beta phase of a new game that Alan has been waiting for has started.
He got up from his chair and approached his VR game headset lying on the bed. This was his last day to use that thing. Someone has agreed to buy it and tomorrow.
No matter how much he likes playing games, he must do something to survive. The money he gets from selling that device will help his life before he gets a new job.
If only he could go back to his childhood. He didn't have to think about how to survive, and he didn't have to worry about being homeless. His worries are just homework or being scolded by his parents for mistakes.
Unfortunately, all of that is gone. He has become an adult and has responsibilities. His parents had died in an accident, and even his dog had died of age.
Alan is now alone. His friends also stay away from him because of his condition.
He took a deep breath, lay down, and put on his VR device, shaped like sunglasses with a bulging front. Before delivering the device, he wanted to escape this harsh reality one last time, even for only a few hours.
"Activate." He said, instantly activating that VR device. His consciousness sinks into the virtual space in the form of a small futuristic room with gray walls.
"Greetings, Alan Rhodes." A soft female voice greeted the young man's ears. "Anything I can help you with tonight?"
A user interface appeared in front of Alan. That thing displays various menu icons, features, and of course, games. Alan pressed a game icon that showed the face of a beautiful blue-haired lady.
Then, a line of text emerged. [Loading….]
"A good choice, Alan. This game garners a lot of buzz because of its unique features."
"Yeah, Stella," Alan muttered to his VR device's AI. "I'm also looking forward to this. I was thrilled when they chose me to be a beta tester."
Alan's mouth curved into a bitter smile. He was selected before being fired.
"Enjoy your adventure." Right after Stella said that the scenery around Alan changed. He was in a vast meadow now. Also, his ears can catch human screams, explosions, and thunderous roars. Those sounds didn't seem too far away, but they weren't close to Alan either.
The young man turned around and came to the cliff's edge a few feet away. He's a little confused. Usually, he is fed with various kinds of guides when he enters a game for the first time. But now he was just in such a place with nothing.
Once they reached the edge, Alan gasped as he saw what was happening below. A large group of humans and creatures from other races were fighting against fearsome monsters.
The warriors, archers, as well as magic users, were overwhelmed by those vile beasts. Giant lizards, scorpions with massive pincers, muscular dogs with glowing red eyes, and much more. They are so ferocious when they attack.
"The world of Odeatha is on the verge of destruction. Monsters arise out of nowhere and destroy civilizations." A deep masculine voice entered Alan's ears, but he couldn't see the speaker. It looks like he's in a cutscene, and that's the narrator's voice. "Humans and beings of other races have united to resolve this crisis, but day by day, they are only receiving defeat after defeat."
The war is still raging below, but the humans and their allies are pushed back. Some of them had even run away.
"In desperation, a king made a surprising suggestion. People called the idea absurd or impossible. Some even called it crazy." The narrator continued. "The king proposed lifting their lands and buildings to the sky. He thought they would be safer there."
Alan's heartbeat intervals began to creep up. His mouth also cracked a smile. He had never been this excited about starting a game.
"Surprisingly, some of the higher-ups in the wizard association say it's possible, but it takes enormous effort."
Right after the narrator stopped talking, the scenery around Alan changed again. This time he saw medieval houses on either side of him, and his feet were treading on a path paved with stones. Then, in the distance, his eyes could find a huge castle.
"After two years of struggling with sweat and tears to prepare everything, several countries in Odeatha are ready to perform the great magic ritual. They really will start a new life in the sky."
A colossal rumble echoed, followed by an earthquake. Alan slightly lost his balance when he felt the ground rising.
"This…." Alan was speechless when he realized that the clouds in the sky looked like they were coming closer.
That one city, or even one country, is moving up.
And suddenly, Alan heard something else, something rattling. He looked down and found that a giant crack was already in the road. The crack grew rapidly, and more cracks occurred in the ground and buildings.
It only takes a few seconds for everything to fall apart. Chunks of ground and ruins of buildings continued to move up. Even the magnificent castle was also destroyed.
Alan's body also floated up, and he couldn't do anything. Even though this was still a cutscene, he felt helpless.
"However, the magic failed and caused another disaster for the people of Odeatha." The narrator gives his last words.
[GRAND AZURE ONLINE]
The title appeared before Alan among the ruins.
And after that, Alan could only see darkness.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone