Nexgenesis: The System's Sin and Sovereignty

The Sapphire Moon

Within the expansive grassland, I sit there in my unremarkable clothes, seamlessly melding with the natural environment, looking up at the settlement of Blockheads.

The gentle radiance of the moon outlines the figure of their straw houses, the creatures walking around the roads, and their Boss sitting in his tent in the middle… as I recline, my focus drawn toward the captivating tapestry of the starry night sky above.

Delicate blades of grass respond to the night breeze, swaying with a rhythmic dance, and a pervasive sense of quiet awe permeates my being as I become fully immersed in the celestial expanse above. 

Strands of my long hair respond to the subtle wind, adding a tactile dimension to the sensory experience of this virtual world. 

The tranquil ambiance is punctuated solely by the soft rustling of the grass beneath me, creating a harmonious symphony with the distant murmur of the night. 

The noise the Blockheads make is more bearable than the buzzing of the damned Flies.

The grassland becomes a canvas for introspection, leading my thoughts to my life before this day, where the vastness of the universe above— the endlessness that this world cannot contain— evokes contemplation within. 

The earthly elements around me contribute to a serene connection with this new nature, so different from the original world I have known all my life.

“Haaa…”

This was a new world, different from the one I was used to, with a sky filled with more stars than the sum of what I’ve seen in the original sky all my life.

“This is pretty.”

The stars contain more power than we mortals could comprehend, constellations hold divinity that is beyond our comprehension, and then… There is the moon. 

In the star-strewn sky, a fantastic crescent blue moon rests, its ethereal azure glow casting a magical spell upon the night. 

A celestial spectacle, as if Michelangelo dipped his very fingers in sapphire ink and painted the moon with enchantments beyond our mortal comprehension. 

The stars twinkle in reverent homage, making way for the cerulean ark that commands the cosmic stage. 

It’s gorgeous beyond the Moon I have been with all my life… even Titania herself might be tempted to forsake her moonlit bower for the luminous allure of this sapphire queen. It’s just that attractive.

“Second world…”

People don’t exaggerate about this place, this 'game.' It is a world unique from the one we have always been familiar with.

“Oh gods…”

Holding the marble-like honey that the Fly people gave me on our first encounter, I point it toward the moon, observing the golden inside that sparkles like ancient amber from the distant past.

“I thank you all for making my starting point the most unexplored land.”

There were three gods in this world— two gods and a goddess, actually. The three of them are considered the creators, maintainers, and destroyers of this world. 

All things happen under the [Laws] that they have created, and they overlook the things beyond the authority of the system that is in place for all the higher intelligence present in this world. 

They are supreme beings, and I know my starting point was random and not chosen by them. 

Just… the fact that I am in the Eastern Continent right now makes my start far better than most of the players who commonly start in the west. And for that, I am thankful to them eternally.

“The Eastern Continent, also called the land of opportunities and unlimited resources.”

The position of the stars in Nexgenesis is the easiest way of knowing your current geographical location, at least roughly. 

‘Just like in the real world, one can figure out their position on the land if they know the stars, at least the famous ones of this world.’

And seeing as how (Griffin constellation) is on this side while the (Brave spearman) is on more of the left side, there is no doubt I’m on the Eastern Continent, most probably somewhere in the northern area, somewhere around the [Choi province], one of the smaller nations of this continent. 

Not much is known about this entire continent, so most of the knowledge we have about the East and its nations is from what few people have found out through individual quests.

‘It’s an even less explored area than the Northern Continent, and just like how I’ve ended up in this completely new area that has hardly been explored by anyone, where a species that no one must have heard about in their lifetime resided, there are many places completely untouched by the players still present in this world.’

These places are filled with riches like this small marble of honey, an ingredient that looks pretty and is quite useful. And these plains are filled with them…

“There are many destroyed towns of the Fly people in these plains, some overtaken by the Blockheads, while some simply left barren after the wars.”

There are hundreds of these honey marbles here, and even if we consider that people will purchase it out of curiosity to see what they are, selling them for even a silver coin won't be impossible. 

‘I’ve already made hundreds of thousands with just these marbles, so all that remains now is finishing the tutorial.’

The player forums where most of the in-game and real-world transactions take place are only accessible after one clears the tutorial. And, aside from the auction houses in the cities, the forums are the only legitimate source of trading. 

It’s a pretty useful function, but to access it, one has to clear the tutorial. That is the minimum requirement to get that feature. 

‘Nothing too difficult, truthfully.’

Even the players like me with a complicated tutorial quest could, hopefully, access it one day. I’ll make some good money with this, and if I control the supply well, it could make me some good money…

“I’m only doing the tutorial quest right now and I’ve already made some money. That’s how good the Eastern Continent is.”

There were some drop materials from the Fly people and the Blockheads that I collected in the time I was wandering around these plains, and even these things look quite nice.

============

[Triade colorwing wings] 

: Material.

— Wings of the Fay species native to plains of Sōzō 

that Contains condensed Mana and energy of nature. 

Use: A material for alchemy, enchantment, or crafting.

============

*

===========

[Triade colorwing Ash] 

: Material.

— Ashes of the Fay species native to plains of Sōzō 

that Contains condensed Mana and energy of nature. 

Use: A material for alchemy, enchantment, or crafting.

============

*

===========

[Transparent Energy fragment] 

: Material.

— A rare shard of condensed energy that could be obtained after defeating the lowest ranking ghost species. 

Use: A material for alchemy, enchantment, or crafting.

============

The rainbow-like colorful ashes, wings that resemble the wings of flies, and transparent shards that resemble big super-transparent sugar crystals— a rare material according to the description provided by the system. 

“I should get all these things appraised before putting them on sale. Perhaps there might be something more to them than just the system description.”

It was common knowledge that everything written in the system description was mostly only the very basic information about items or materials, and that only after getting them appraised can one know their true values. 

‘Appraising anything reveals their true values to everyone, and with appraisal skills being one of the rare things in this game, the [Appraisers], or individuals with good appraising skills, are valued greatly all over the world.’ 

Including some villages, all the cities of the world have at least one Appraiser, so if the village I would go to after finishing this tutorial quest doesn’t have an Appraiser, I better get ready to buy the appraisal scrolls. 

‘The good Appraisers in big cities charge a few silver coins per item, so if I want to get everything appraised, I better pray there is some good old soul in that village that will take pity on a poor one like me and provide cheaper services.’

But all that was a talk for later…

“I have a big debt to pay. Just these things aren’t going to be anywhere near enough for what I have to pay back.”

The rewards for this special tutorial quest better be good, or else I will really have to sleep hungry tomorrow. 

‘The day has already passed…’

One day of real-world time was three days in the game, so we can say time flew three times faster in this world. But, the daily allocated in-game time for an adult was only 18 hours maximum. 

And when using a portable Link Gear like mine, one could only stay in the virtual realms (Otherworlds) for the same time as well.

‘I should start moving now.’

More than nine hours have passed here already— three hours in real-world time. 

Mom gets up early, so she will find me laying in the hall with only that one blanket, with the box of Link Gear on one side. 

She will be worried I was here and not at work, but she is smart so she will figure out what I was doing there with the costly Link Gear around my head.

‘My goal before I log off today is simply finishing the tutorial quest, and to finish it, I will have to start working towards it.’

Just sitting around here isn’t going to help with a thing. The Blockheads were intimidated by my presence, but without actions, they aren’t going to take me seriously.

“The Fly people will do anything to defend themselves, but going on the offensive isn’t something they will ever do.” 

They also have many leaders or colony elders that were (Level-20) and above. 

If they really wanted to, those creatures would have gathered and killed the 'eater' a long time ago. But violence isn’t the answer they would choose. 

At least, they wouldn’t do something to the enemy unless they came for them first. 

‘I don’t understand why they do it or if they are simply just dumb creatures that want to protect their community individually, but they are creatures.’

I shouldn’t expect much from them.

“So…”

What I’m going to do now would mostly only involve these dumber Blockheads that have a clear goal for territorial expansion.

“I am nowhere strong enough to even touch the older ones of their kind, but…”

The newborns are a different matter altogether.

“Let’s see what you will do when your food gets stolen, mister eater.”

The Eater was a master that the others willingly sacrificed the young ones for. It was the central authority maintaining the order among the Blockheads, and it was only passing its days on the others of its kind. 

‘The food was its main priority, so when that food is taken by some unknown giant being, I wonder what he’ll do.’

Will he chase after me? Try to kill me off immediately? Or… will he choose to do nothing at all?

“I wonder…”

And, what would other elders who happily serve the youngsters to the Eater do in response?

“Let experiment and see.”