The holographic status screen hovering above the awakening altar did not flicker. It did not glitch. It simply stared back at Zyren with a cold, mocking emptiness, displaying two words that made his blood run cold:CLASS: DECEASED GODCOMBAT SKILLS: NONE"Are you kidding me?" Zyren muttered, his voice barely a whisper against the sudden, suffocating silence of the Grand Hall. "A dead god? Is that even a real class?"For a second, the thousands of spectators gathered in the amphitheater seemed too stunned to speak. Then, the silence shattered into a roar of laughter and jeers."Yo, is this guy serious?" a guy in the front row yelled, pointing and doubling over. "A deceased god? What, did he die of embarrassment before he even got a class?""No way," a girl beside him giggled, snapping a quick picture on her comm-device. "Is he just a fancy corpse? Look at his stats! They’re literally all at base level. My grandma has more strength than this loser.""Hey, buddy!" another voice called ou

Chapter 3: The Temple of the Lost Creator"So," Lyra said, her voice dropping into a low, teasing purr as she tightened her grip on his arm. "Are we actually going down there, or are you just trying to find a quiet place to get me alone?"Zyren cleared his throat, trying desperately to ignore the sensation of her soft chest pressing directly against his biceps. "I don't need a quiet place to do anything, Lyra. But if you're scared of a little dark cave, you can always wait up here.""Scared? Please," Lyra scoffed, though she didn't let go of his arm. If anything, she squeezed closer, her emerald eyes reflecting the deep purple glow from the chasm below. "I'm a high-tier summoner, Master. I just like having a big, strong god to protect me. It's a vibe. Don't ruin it.""Right. A vibe," Zyren muttered, his heart doing cartwheels inside his chest. He looked down at the sheer drop. "Well, unless you can fly, we need a way down.""Oh, ye of little faith," Lyra giggled. She tapped her hoveri

Zyren slowly lowered his hand, keeping his fingers tightly laced with Lyra's. He could feel the rapid, fluttery beat of her pulse against his palm, a stark contrast to the absolute stillness he was trying to project."You guys really know how to throw a welcome party," Zyren said, his voice a cool, lazy drawl that didn't betray a single ounce of the screaming panic currently liquefying his insides. "But pointing those oversized toothpicks at me is a really bad habit. You might hurt yourselves.""Shut your mouth!" one of the front-line soldiers barked, taking a step forward. His halberd hummed with a faint blue electrical charge. "You’re speaking to Commander Drake of the Iron Vanguard! State your name and class, or we'll paint this plaza with your blood!"Commander Drake stepped forward, his gold-trimmed armor clanking loudly. He was a broad-shouldered man with a jagged scar running down his left cheek and a sneer that looked like it had been permanently chiseled onto his face. His ar

"Die, you arrogant piece of trash!" Drake screamed, his face twisted into a mask of pure, unbridled fury as he plummeted from the VIP balcony.The legendary broadsword in his hands roared with golden-white flames, slicing through the air like a falling star, aimed directly at Zyren’s neck."Not on my watch, you oversized tin can!" Lyra shouted, her voice cutting through the panic of the crowd.She slammed her hand onto her hovering grimoire. The pages spun at blinding speed, glowing with a brilliant, freezing blue light."Glacial Serpent, rise! Block him!" Lyra bellowed.A massive, roaring eastern dragon made of solid, crystalline ice erupted from a magic circle on the sand, shooting upward to meet Drake’s descent.BOOM!The collision was deafening. The flaming broadsword slammed directly into the snout of the ice serpent. A massive shockwave of steam, fire, and shattered ice exploded outward, instantly obscuring the entire arena floor in a dense, blinding fog of white mist and kickin

"Can we literally get a single minute of peace?" Zyren groaned, his voice muffled against the cold stone floor. "Just one minute. Is that a crime in this game?""Zyren, get up! Get up right now!" Lyra hissed, her hands shaking as she scrambled to pull her leather harness back over her bare, sweat-glistened shoulders. She looked incredibly beautiful in the dim light, her cheeks still flushed a deep crimson from the sheer intensity of their soul-bond, but her emerald eyes were wide with pure terror. "That is not a normal monster! That's a system security unit!"THUD.The massive mechanical eye in the darkness drew closer, hovering at the center of a towering, humanoid torso made of ancient, rust-resistant bronze and black steel. Thick, pulsing cables snaked from its back like metal tentacles, rooting deep into the stone walls of the ruins."Target identified," the Sentinel’s voice rumbled, sounding like two massive grinding gears. "Escaped Prisoner Soul Zero-Nine detected in unauthorize