Kyle stood in the silent meadow under the rainbow aurora sky.
The scar on his hand had faded into smooth new skin.
His pain was gone, but the weight on his soul felt many times heavier.
He was alone.
He remembered the notification seared into his memory: [Giant Rabbit Race: EXTINCT.]. A failure he could not undo.
「I can't fail again,」 he whispered.
He began to explore. He ran straight in one direction for thirty minutes. No walls, no borders.
Just an endless meadow. This was his world. His blank canvas.
He had to understand the new rules of this game. He opened his status window.
Name: Kyle Sundara Level: 1 Job: Genesis Keeper (Unique) EXP: 0 / 1000
He stared at his EXP bar. Empty. He was still Level 1. The 'Summoner' job he had chosen at the start had been completely overwritten.
He didn't know how to get EXP. The 'Summoner' job might have gotten it from killing, but his new job felt different.
He switched to the Skill tab.
[Passive Skill "Universal Language" (All Races)]: Understand and speak the language of all living races.
[Unique Skill "GENESIS ARK"]: Opens a gate to your personal dimension.
Healing is accelerated while inside the Ark. Can be activated at any time (1 second cast time). [Skill: ??? (Locked)] [Skill: ??? (Locked)] [Skill: ??? (Locked)]
He touched one of the locked skills.
[Skill: ??? (Locked)] Unlock Condition: Save 1 Genesis Core.
「Genesis Core...」 he muttered. He then opened the description of his "Genesis Keeper" Job.
Task: Protect "Genesis Gates" from destruction. Absorb "Genesis Cores" to strengthen your Ark and unlock hidden potential.
Everything became clear. His new progression loop was simple. He had to save a Gate, take the "Genesis Core," and in return, he would level up and unlock new skills.
He didn't get stronger by destroying; he got stronger by protecting.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earth, Rakai's Apartment. 2125 AD.
Rakai ripped off his VR headset and slammed it on his desk.
He had just logged out of "Beastverse Online" after selling the loot from the Giant Rabbit dungeon. The money he earned felt hollow.
He kept remembering Kyle's emotional outburst. "He begged me! You annihilated them all!"「Damn」 Rakai muttered, rubbing his face. "He's really mad."
Rakai picked up his phone, wanting to send an apology text.
Kyle Sundara (Offline)
He sent the message anyway. Hey, Kyle. Sorry about what happened in the game. I know you're a bit sensitive about... 'animals'. I didn't mean to piss you off. Did you really log out?
The message was sent. But there was no "Read" receipt.
An hour passed. 21:15. Still not read.
Rakai started to pace. 「Geez, is he really so mad he won't even read my text?」
He had to fix this. He couldn't let his best friend stay mad all night. He decided to call Kyle's older sister, Livia.
The call connected after the third ring.
"Rakai?" Livia's voice sounded.
"Hey, Livia. Sorry to bother you this late. Is Kyle there?"
There was a brief silence on the other end. "Rakai? I thought he was with you. He was logged into that game in his room, but I just checked... his room is empty. The headset is on the bed, but he's not here. He didn't say he was going out."
Rakai's heart dropped. His anxiety shifted from "he's mad at me" to "something has happened."
「He... he's not in his room?」
"No. I thought he went out with you. Rakai... what happened?"
Rakai remembered Kyle's outburst. He remembered his friend trembling and shouting "You annihilated them!".
The image suddenly felt far more terrifying.
「I... I don't know,」 Rakai lied, his voice now trembling. "I have to go."
He hung up before Livia could ask any more questions. Pure panic flooded his system.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the Genesis Ark.
Kyle was sitting on the grass, contemplating his fate. And his task was now to fight other players.
Including his best friend Rakai.
He had to find a way to return to Hexa.
「If I can get in, I should be ableT to get out...」
He focused his mind on the [Genesis Ark] skill, trying to activate it from within.
A notification appeared in front of him.
[Return to last location in Hexa? YES / NO]
He let out a breath of relief. This Ark was a safe hub, not a prison.
He could return at any time.
Just as he was about to decide what to do next, a new notification overwrote the previous one.
This one was different. It was golden, regal, and felt urgent.
[Warning! "Genesis Gate" (White) is threatened!] [Race: "Meadow Fox"] [Location: Continent of Aethel, Silverwood Forest, Coordinates XXX.YYY] [Warning: A Player party has entered the Gate.] [Estimated Time Until Clearance: 72 Hours]
Kyle shot to his feet. "Clearance"... that was the word players used for... annihilation.
Seventy-two hours.
The image of the notification
EXTINCT
flashed in his mind.
He checked his status. Level 1. He looked at his inventory.
Only a 'Starter Dagger' and the standard game clothes on his back. He had nothing.
But he would not let his first failure be repeated.
He clenched his jaw. 「This time... I will not fail.」
He pressed the [Return to Hexa: YES] button.