The doors parted with a hiss. Kaito stepped inside, greeted by a spotless gallery of glistening futuristic vehicles arranged like works of art beneath silver lighting.
After seeing Kaito's high end suit and his demeanor.
A smiling attendant in a clean-cut suit approached. "Welcome to Sky Drift Motors, sir. Are you here to browse or are you looking for something specific today?"
"Top-tier hover sedans," Kaito said calmly. "Show me your best."
The man's eyes sparkled.
"Of course, sir. Please follow me."
They were led across the glass showroom floor to a raised section with velvet-lit display panels. There, three black hover sedans rested with unmistakable presence — sleek, low-bodied designs, smooth energy fields humming faintly along their flanks.
"This is the Velvion X-Class series," the attendant said, pride in his tone. "One of the most luxurious high-performance hover sedans on the market today."
He continued enthusiastically:
"Equipped with Sky drift's proprietary Silent Drive engine, anti-collision neural systems, triple-layered kinetic shielding, and an adaptive camouflage mode. Max velocity tops 620 km/h in urban zones. Each unit includes an AI-assisted autopilot, smart terrain shift suspension, and a five-year zero-gravity maintenance guarantee."
"They come with optional privacy pods, full smart interface controls, and can integrate directly with most devices for remote driving. Interior options include alloy-skin upholstery, mood-adaptive lighting, and built-in spiritual suppression filters."
"Each vehicle is priced at 10 million credits."
Kaito glanced at the three identical black units.
"I'll take all three. Matte black exterior. Deliver them to the Ren family villa."
The attendant blinked for a moment, stunned at the casual tone of the purchase — then hurried off to finalize the transaction.
Just as Kaito was looking around the showroom, his eyes landed on the center stage — a sleek, silver-black beast elevated above the showroom floor under a rotating spotlight. It was a monstrous luxury RV, unlike anything he had seen before.
He pointed. "That one. What's the model?"
The sales rep followed his gaze, instantly beaming.
"Ah, you've got a sharp eye, sir. That's the Aetherion Titan LX, our newest limited-edition mobile base-class RV. Only ten exist worldwide."
"It features a multi-tiered interior with fifteen modular rooms, each pre-equipped with full-dive cabin hookups. Sir, you might've heard about the new immersive game launched by the Federation—this RV is fully compatible, offering seamless access to Glory even while on the move. Its systems rival those of a Bronze-grade cabin. The power core runs on dual Helio Core batteries, providing up to 72 hours of uninterrupted drive time. Additional highlights include built-in anti-surveillance shielding, adaptive smart-glass plating, and a convertible dojo chamber—specially designed for martial arts training during travel."
"With private suites, a virtual operations center, and real-time uplink to military-grade satellites, it's built for elite-class mobility and discretion."
"The price tag is 20 million credits, but I assure you, it's worth every bit."
Kaito stared at it for a moment, then nodded. With this, they wouldn't need to bring separate helmets to log into Glory while at the ancestral estate. He had originally planned to pack one for each family member so they could continue playing during their stay—but now, that wouldn't be necessary.
"Add it to my order."
Minutes later, as the transactions completed and his identity signature confirmed each high-level authorization, Kia's voice returned:
"All purchases complete. Post-transaction balance: 7.21 million credits."
Kaito raised an eyebrow. "So that's it… the 1 billion from stock trading is officially gone."
In his previous life, he had spent most of his time inside games. He barely remembered when the stock market surged next — and with the timeline altered now, he doubted that golden opportunity would even repeat. But it didn't matter.
"With the library ruins now excavated, we have a proper foundation. I don't need stock windfalls anymore."
The money was gone, but the future had just been purchased.
After finalizing the purchase, Kaito instructed the salesperson to have all three hover sedans and the luxury RV delivered directly to the Ren family villa. The staff, eager to satisfy such a high-profile client, assured him that the vehicles would be delivered within the hour, once the final documentation and delivery protocols were completed.
The salesperson who had overseen the transaction could barely contain his excitement. His eyes practically sparkled as he ran the numbers—just this single order alone had secured him a commission exceeding 100,000 credits. As Kaito left the showroom, the man's face was red with exhilaration, already dreaming of a promotion or perhaps a new apartment in the upper sector.
…..
By the time Kaito returned to the villa, the sun had shifted higher into the sky, casting soft light over the estate grounds.
Stepping into the main living hall, he immediately noticed that nearly the entire family had gathered. To his surprise, even his second and third aunts had returned.
His second aunt, a senior instructor at a University in Silvercrest, typically stayed in a modest dormitory inside the university campus. Though not luxurious, it helped her cut down on commuting expenses. She only returned home occasionally during holidays or weekends—but it seemed the recent developments had drawn her back sooner than expected.
His third aunt, on the other hand, had been managing the family hospital in their mother's absence. She was a licensed doctor, well-respected within their small medical network. With the hospital's recent funding and structural expansion, she too had finally been able to return home for a break.
Both of them had logged into the game the previous evening and, much like the rest of the family, had also chosen life skills instead of wanting to go into battles.
Kaito's second aunt, inspired by his mother's legacy, had opted for the Priest profession with Cooking as a secondary Profession. She planned to follow closely behind his mother and learn her recipes from the ground up. His third aunt had also taken the same path—choosing to become a Priest and had chosen Cooking as her secondary life skill. The two of them had always admired his mother's cooking, and now the game offered them the perfect opportunity to finally pursue it together.
With the family's expansion, the second uncle had proactively allocated a generous portion of their newfound funds to support hospital expansion—recruiting more doctors, upgrading equipment, and reducing the burden on them both his mother and his third aunt.
Thanks to this, his third aunt had been able to return to the villa without worry, joining the others.
As for his second aunt she had directly taken a leave from the university for at least a week.
As soon as Kaito stepped into the villa, his third uncle's eyes narrowed. A sharp glint passed through them as he took in Kaito's subtle change in posture, the calm steadiness in his steps, and the faint aura that seemed to ripple just beneath his skin.
"You broke through, didn't you?" his uncle exclaimed.
Kaito smiled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah… just this morning."
His words were met with a surge of joy. His grandfather let out a satisfied chuckle, his father and second uncle exchanging proud glances. Even his usually composed mother walked up to him, her expression warm and soft.
She gently patted his head. "Good job."
Kaito leaned back slightly, grinning. "Mom, I'm not a kid anymore."
Smack!
Her hand landed firmly on the back of his head.
"You'll always be my kid, no matter how strong you get," she said with a mock glare.
Aika and the others burst into laughter. After a week of being forced to train instead of play, they'd built up quite a bit of pent-up frustration. And with their fourth aunt acting as instructor, slacking off hadn't been an option. Now, finally, they got to see Kaito getting smacked by their mother—their aunt—and it was the highlight of their day.
Everyone laughed as the family gathered around the breakfast table.
Kaito could only rub the back of his head with a wry grimace.
...
They had already planned to depart for the Ancestral Estate later that afternoon. Kaito hadn't yet revealed the purchases he'd made, though he knew they would find out soon enough. He had arranged for the bronze cabins to be delivered directly to the estate where he'll receive them directly, and the hover sedans and RV would be delivered to the villa within the hour.
As they enjoyed their breakfast, Kaito smoothly shifted the conversation.
"So," he began casually, "now that all of you have spent a bit of time in Glory, you must've noticed the difference, right? Between an ordinary player… and a martial artist."
His father and second uncle glanced at each other knowingly, while his third uncle raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," his father replied, "the body feels more responsive. Sharper. It's not just a game—our instincts carry over."
"That's right," Kaito nodded. "Martial artists have naturally higher reaction speeds, better spatial awareness, and enhanced brainwave activity. In Glory, that translates into faster reflexes, smoother dodging, and even improved timing for skill executions."
His second uncle added thoughtfully, "I felt like my reaction speed in-game was significantly higher than it should've been. Like my brain was syncing more efficiently with the system."
Kaito smiled. "Exactly. That's because Glory isn't just tracking keystrokes or visual input. It taps directly into our neural responses. The higher your martial rank, the more refined your brainwave patterns. That's why martial artists feel more 'natural' in the game."
His grandfather stroked his chin. "So the stronger we are outside, the stronger we are inside the game too?"
"More or less," Kaito said. "The game gives a small stat boost to real-world martial artists—basic stats like strength, agility, and endurance see a slight increase upon entry. It's not enough to break balance, but it gives you an edge—especially in early levels."
"But since most players are still used to older games, they won't notice it right away unless someone points it out. That's why I gave you all a heads-up earlier."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"And here's something even more interesting. I tested something yesterday… I tried using the Windveil Steps technique."
"You mean, the real-world movement technique?" his third uncle asked.
"Yeah. And to my surprise, the movement synced with the in-game skill system and created an actual skill in the game. and the speed, and evasion were all amplified."
His second uncle leaned forward. "So martial techniques… might translate into the game?"
"Not all," Kaito clarified. "Only some basic forms, Advanced skills won't register so as to not destroy the game balance."
He tapped his fingers on the table.
"In fact, I'm planning to try a basic sword technique next. Just to see how far the crossover goes."
His grandfather grinned. "Looks like this game might be more useful than we thought."