The sky was a clear, vivid blue. Beneath the Yggdrasil tree, its branches swaying in the wind, a long-haired girl stood with her back to me.

  “Finally, Yoruno. You came. I’ve been waiting for you for so long,” she said softly.

  “Of course. For you, I’d cross even the edge of the world,” I replied calmly.

  “Thank you, Yoruno,” she said as she turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around me.

  I returned the embrace. “Don’t worry. I’m Yoruno the Monster Slayer. As long as I’m here, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  She smiled. Her bangs covered her eyes, yet her gentle aura was unmistakable.

  “Yoruno… there’s something I want to tell you,” she said, her cheeks flushing.

  I could already guess where this was going.

  “Just say it. I’ll always listen to you,” I replied flatly, though inside I was tense, bracing myself for her confession.

  “Actually…” Her voice began to tremble.

  “Actually… I…”

  She lowered her head. Then—

  “Actually, I’ve been Kaito all along,” her voice dropped into a deep, masculine tone. She looked up, and her face had completely changed into Kaito’s.

  “Arghhhhhh!”

  I jolted awake, my heart pounding violently.

  On the table, the pearl-white oval Oracle Pod glowed softly. From its surface, a small holographic girl appeared—wearing a maid outfit, about forty centimeters tall.

  “Good morning, Nate. You woke up one hour earlier than scheduled.”

  Iris’s voice, my AI assistant, was as gentle as ever.

  “Sensors detected a significant spike in your heart rate. Did you just experience a nightmare?”

  “I’ve already delayed the alarm. Would you like me to activate Calm Mode with Itsumo Nando Demo, or is there something else you need?”

  “No need, Iris. I’m fine,” I said, rubbing my face.

  Iris nodded lightly. “Very well. This morning’s temperature is twenty-two degrees, and the weather will be clear all day. Shall I order breakfast for you? Or…” her tone lifted slightly, “…would you like to hear the latest news about Project Omniverse?”

  I glanced at her briefly. “Looks like after replacing the battery and fully charging, your performance is back to normal,” I muttered.

  “All right, Iris. Give me the latest update,” I said as I headed to the bathroom.

  “Today’s news: Synapse Genesis will be adding a new server called Tower of Heroes next month. It is currently undergoing testing by selected testers.”

  “Damn… I haven’t even had the chance to play yet, and they’re already adding a new server,” I shouted from the bathroom.

  “Didn’t you purchase an older model of the Neo Helm Genesis? Even though it’s an older type, it should still be compatible with the game system,” Iris replied, glancing at the helmet lying beside the bed.

  I stepped out of the bathroom, drying my hair with a towel. “I think I got scammed. The thing’s broken.”

  “Please bring the helmet closer. I will scan its internal components. If we identify the damaged part, you can ask a technician to repair only that section. It is more efficient and helps prevent fraud.”

  I placed the helmet on the table in front of her. A soft blue light streamed from the Oracle Pod, slowly scanning the helmet.

  While waiting, I prepared a quarter pack of instant noodles—my usual money-saving habit.

  “Nate,” Iris suddenly said, her voice tinged with reproach. “A quarter pack of instant noodles does not meet your nutritional requirements. In the past forty-eight hours, you have only consumed one slice of white bread. I recommend—”

  “Iris, please focus on the scan,” I cut in quickly.

  “Understood. Executing,” she replied flatly.

  I programmed her to be a caring, cute assistant—not a nagging replacement for my mother, I thought irritably as I ate my noodles.

  A few seconds later, Iris turned back to me. “Scan complete. The power connector circuit is burned. You only need to replace that part. A full service is unnecessary.”

  She looked at me. “Would you like me to schedule a visit from the nearest technician?”

  I let out a long sigh. “A technician, huh…”

  Then I scratched my head. Damn it. That nightmare earlier felt like a bad omen. Which meant I’d have to see Kaito to fix this.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “No need. I’ll handle it myself. Thanks, Iris,” I said as I packed up, placing the helmet back into its box.

  “You’re welcome. If you need further assistance, I am available at any time,” Iris replied softly.

  I looked at her for a moment. “All right. Watch over the room while I’m gone.”

  Before the door closed, Iris gave a small wave.

  On the way to work, my thoughts wouldn’t stop racing. I didn’t really like asking Kaito for help. I hadn’t even repaid him for yesterday yet. But if I wanted to play Project Omniverse, I had no choice—I had to see him.

  Now I stood in front of his shop. On both sides of the entrance, piles of broken electronics were stacked like small mountains.

  “This place is more of a junk hoard than a shop,” I muttered.

  With a heavy heart, I stepped inside. The smell of old metal mixed with dust made me sneeze. The interior was even messier than I had imagined—piles of outdated electronics that were no longer in production nearly filled the space, leaving only a narrow path leading to Kaito’s workbench.

  “Well, look who decided to show up,” Kaito said, waving without turning around. “Never thought I’d see Night awake this early. Guess I should buy a lottery ticket today.”

  “My name is Nate, not Night,” I snapped.

  Kaito just grinned. “So, what do you need help with this time, Night?”

  I took a deep breath. This guy would never change. But I needed him. So I had to endure it.

  “Can you replace the power circuit on this?” I asked, pulling the Neo Helm Genesis out of the box and handing it to him.

  Kaito stared at the helmet, his eyes widening slightly. “So you really bought this thing? That’s insane. Which server are you playing on?”

  “I haven’t even played yet. I didn’t even choose a server. It broke before that,” I replied sadly, on the verge of tears.

  Kaito snorted. “I thought you played all night while charging it until it burned out.”

  “I’m serious,” I pleaded. “So… can it be fixed?”

  Kaito rotated the helmet, inspecting it from every angle. “Hmm… finding a replacement won’t be easy. This model isn’t produced anymore.”

  Those words felt like a massive boulder falling from the sky and smashing straight onto my head.

  “But,” he continued, “you came to the right person. I can handle it.”

  My eyes lit up instantly. “Seriously?! Please, Master Kaito, savior of mankind!”

  He chuckled. “Considering how rare the components are, the cost will be… pretty expensive.”

  And just like that, two more boulders crashed down on me. I felt like I was about to pass out.

  “Please, Kaito. I swear I’ll pay you back later. All my money’s gone from buying this broken thing,” I begged.

  Kaito scratched his head. “All right. As a good friend, I’ll help you first. You can pay me later when you’ve got the money.”

  Those two boulders instantly floated away.

  “Thank you, Kaito! I really owe you one. When can I pick it up?” I asked excitedly.

  “Tonight. After you get off work, just come back here.”

  “Seriously? Wow, thank you so much!” I exclaimed, waving as I left the shop with a bright smile.

  The moment I stepped outside, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I started dancing in front of Kaito’s shop like Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 3—completely ignoring the stares of passersby.

  ----

  Later that night.

  I hurried back to Kaito’s shop to pick up the helmet he said was already repaired. My steps were light, my spirits high. But the moment I stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted. The lights were dim, and my very first step caught on something lying on the floor.

  I looked down.

  An arm.

  It looked disturbingly realistic—pale synthetic skin, fingers flexible like a human’s.

  My body stiffened, cold sweat starting to bead on my skin.

  No way… this has to be a mannequin… not a real human arm… I muttered inwardly, trying to calm myself.

  Before I could examine it more closely, I felt something else—someone standing right behind me. My breath caught.

  “Ah… so you finally noticed it, Night,” Kaito’s voice came quietly from behind me. “I didn’t really intend for you to find it.”

  I jumped back instantly and screamed, “I’m sorry, Kaito! I won’t report anything! I swear I didn’t see anything!”

  Kaito stared at me with a confused expression while I trembled like a thief caught red-handed.

  “…What’s wrong with you, Night?” he asked flatly.

  “Please don’t kill me!” I yelled in panic.

  Kaito raised an eyebrow, then without saying a word, bent down, picked up the arm, and held it out to me—before bursting into laughter.

  “HAHAHA! Don’t tell me you thought this was a human arm?”

  I stared at him, dumbfounded. “…So this isn’t… human?”

  “Of course not. It’s a robot arm I’m working on,” he explained with a chuckle. “It just came off earlier. I’ve been looking for it.”

  I let out a long breath of relief, though my heart was still racing. “Then why did you say you didn’t want me to find it?”

  Kaito glanced at me, his smile turning strange. “Because there are some things,” he said as he walked back to his workbench, “that you’re better off not knowing.”

  I followed him—and stopped dead the moment I reached the table.

  On it lay a female-shaped robot with a beautiful face. Too beautiful. Its synthetic skin was smooth, its proportions perfect—almost indistinguishable from a real human.

  “This… is the robot you’re fixing?” I asked quietly. “Why does it look so human?”

  Kaito looked at me, half-mocking. “You’re still pretty innocent, huh, Night. But fine, I’ll tell you a little.”

  He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “It’s a new model. Built to… satisfy humans.”

  My mind stalled for a second.

  “…You mean, a sex robot?”

  Kaito nodded casually. “Yeah. They’re treated pretty rough, so it’s not surprising many of them break down. Black market stuff, but it sells like crazy.”

  I just stared at the robot in silence. This world really was getting more absurd by the day.

  Kaito tapped the helmet on the table. “Anyway, your Neo Helm Genesis is done. I also checked its data to make sure all the circuits are active.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You checked the data?”

  “Yeah. And it turns out you already picked a server.”

  “Huh? That’s impossible. It glitched out badly back then.”

  “Most likely, during that glitch, the system connected for a split second and saved your choice,” Kaito explained.

  I snorted. “So which server did it pick?”

  Kaito looked at me for a moment, then gave a crooked smile. “Congratulations, Night. You’re officially registered on Server Aethelgard—the beginners’ hell.”

  My eyes went wide. “What?! I picked Azure Abyss!”

  “Well, life isn’t always as smooth as a loading screen,” Kaito said lightly. “But relax. I’ll give you some tips so you can survive there.”

  I looked at him instantly, excited. “Seriously? You play too?”

  “Of course. I’m one of the veteran players in Project Omniverse. So listen carefully—this is a secret for leveling fast and making money early on.”

  I leaned in, listening to everything Kaito explained about grinding spots and tricks that sounded borderline illegal. But the way he spoke made it clear—he knew exactly what he was talking about.

  When he finished, I looked at him doubtfully. “Do these tricks… really work?”

  Kaito smiled faintly, wearing his usual arrogant confidence. “You never know till you try it. That’s my life motto.”

  I let out a long breath. “Alright. I’ll try it. Thanks for everything, Kaito.”

  “Yeah, Night. Enjoy your first nightmare in Aethelgard,” he said with a small laugh.

  I ran home full of excitement, carrying the helmet like a trophy.

  Tonight… I would enter the world of Project Omniverse.