The portal's light faded, and the group found themselves standing at the edge of a lush, emerald forest. The air smelled of damp earth and pine, a far cry from the dead obsidian of the Selection Grounds. Just a few hundred yards ahead, smoke drifted from the small cottage.
"Welcome to the Allesta Village, Haruto," Ivory said, her voice steady.
[STAR-CHILD WORLD ENTRY BONUS]
Description: For successfully crossing the threshold, you have granted a one-time "Divine Override."
Reward: One free cast of any single God-Tier spell from your companions' locked inventory.
Current Status: [RESERVED]
Haruto's eyes narrowed as he read the prompt.
'A free pass?' he thought, his thumb rubbing his chin. 'So I can force one of them to use their peak power for a single move? That's a massive trump card. If I use it now on something stupid, I'm an idiot. This is a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for a Level 0 player. I'll store this for later.'
He dismissed the screen and looked toward the village.
"Alright," Haruto said, his voice dropping the 'King' act for a moment. "I'm not doing anything else until I find a place to sit down. My legs actually feel heavy."
He gestured toward the village of Allesta.
"We find an inn, we find a bed, and then you three are going to give me a full breakdown of every detail you know. No more riddles. I need to know how to hack this 'Level as Currency' system before we go broke."
Curious about their status, the three girls placed their hands over their chests. Instantly, three translucent screens popped up. [LEVEL: 99] flashed at the top of their HUDs in shimmering gold. However, right below, almost all their skills and magic slots were greyed out with a lock icon: [LOCKED: LACK OF RESONANCE]
.
Ivory:
[TITLE:Goddess of Logic]
[LEVEL:99]
[ACTIVE SKILL: REALITY MENUPILATION](locked)
[PASSSIVE SKILL: MIND READING](locked)
[CREDITS: 100]
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lustra:
[TITLE: Goddess of Lust]
[LEVEL: 99]
[ACTIVE SKILL: LOVE CHARM](locked)
[PASSIVE SKILL: MIND MANUPILATION](locked)
[CREDITS: 100]
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bellona:
[TITLE: Goddess of War]
[LEVEL: 99]
[ACTIVE SKILL: SPRIT SOMMON](locked)
[PASSIVE SKILL: WEAPON MASTERY](locked)
[CREDITS: 100]
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haruto raised an eyebrow, then mimicked the gesture, pressing his palm against his own chest. His screen erupted with a blinding golden radiance that made the girls flinch.
[USER: HARUTO]
[TITLE: STAR-CHILD ]
[LEVEL: 0]
[HP: 100%]
[SKILL: EMOTIONAL RESONANCE](LOCKED)
PASSIVE SKILL: [FLASH](LOCKED)
EQUIPPED WEAPON: [VOID-REAPER](LOCKED)
[G-CREDITS: 1000]
"Wait a minute," Haruto muttered, looking from his screen to theirs.
"You three are Level 99. Why is everything from your magic to your basic skills locked? You're still titled as Goddesses, aren't you?"
Bellona sighed, crossing her arms.
"It's the System's failsafe, Haruto. Even though we are Goddesses, we are now bound to you. We are the servants of a Master who is Level 0. Our power is capped by yours. As you level up and your soul stabilizes, our 'Admin' privileges will slowly unlock."
Haruto groaned.
"So I'm basically a living battery for you three? Great. Another grind."
He then squinted at them.
"What kind of scam is this? I can see your Levels, but your HP and Mana bars are totally invisible. How am I supposed to manage a party if I can't even see if you're dying?"
Ivory stepped forward, her silver hair shimmering as she adjusted a mental setting.
"It is not a scam, Haruto. It is a Privacy Filter," she explained calmly.
"In this world, your HUD is customizable. You can choose which details of your status are public and which are hidden. By default, most players hide their vitals to avoid showing weakness. You can bring any detail you want into your active HUD just by thinking about it—it's a mental command."
She paused, her expression becoming grave.
"However, there is a catch. Those with high-tier Stealth skills can bypass these filters. In the human world, such skills are rare—almost impossible to master. But if someone possesses them, they can see whatever they want on your screen. Your HP, your Mana... even your inventory."
Haruto went silent, his mind instantly racing through the tactical implications.
(Haruto's Inner Thoughts:)'I get it. It's like a firewall. I can hide my data, but a good enough hacker can still crack the code. If a high-level player with a Stealth skill looks at me, they won't just see a Level 0 beggar—they'll see the "Star-Child" title and the 1000 Credits.
"Understood," Haruto said, his eyes darkening as he looked toward the village.
"But why did you all suddenly pop your screens anyway? Flexing your stats?"
Lustra giggled, a slight blush on her face as she pointed at him.
"Actually, we were checking our Credits. We noticed you might need a 'Visual Update' before we enter the village."
Haruto looked down. In the heat of the battle and the divine explosions, his clothes had been shredded to ribbons. He was practically half-naked, covered in soot and charred fabric. He looked less like a 'Star-Child' and more like a beggar who had survived a lightning strike.
The three girls couldn't hold it back anymore; they burst into laughter.
"Stop laughing! It was a high-sakes boss fight!"
Haruto snapped, his face turning a shade of red.
(Haruto's Inner Thoughts:)'Wait... wait, wait, wait. We just came from a void of bones and obsidian.. And me? I'm still in my shredded retail uniform from the Mart. If we walk into a village where status is everything, looking like homeless refugee is the fastest way to get flagged as "trash mobs" or worse. I have 1000 credits, but I don't even know if I can buy a pair of socks here.'
His nerves started to jangle. The thought of the legendary Star-Child being kicked out of a village for public indecency or looking like a beggar was too boring—and too embarrassing—to handle.
"Change of plans," Haruto muttered, his voice slightly strained.
"I don't care how much trouble we're in... I am not walking into that village looking like a beggar. I refuse to enter Aetheria 'naked'. "
He looked at Ivory. He remembered the [Divine Override] he had just received—the one-time chance to use a God-tier spell.
'It's a waste of a tactical nuke,' he thought, 'but if I can't even maintain my "Pro-Player" image, the game is over before it begins.'
"Ivory," Haruto said, his obsidian eyes glowing with a sudden, desperate focus.
"I'm granting you the One-Time Spell Override. I'm using my World Manipulation authority to bridge your resonance."
Ivory's eyes widened. "Haruto? You want to use a God-Tier override... for fashion?"
"It's not fashion, it's Data Management!" Haruto snapped, his face flushing slightly.
"I need to look like I belong here. Use your 'Architect of Logic' powers to manipulate the local matter. Create clothes that fit the world's 'High-Tier' aesthetic. Now!"
Ivory sighed, a small, amused smile touching her lips. "As you wish."
[SYSTEM ALERT: DIVINE OVERRIDE ACTIVATED]
[RESONANCE ESTABLISHED: IVORY]
At Haruto's request, Ivory closed her eyes, her silver hair shimmering in the gentle breeze. She raised her hands, and silver pixels began to dance around Haruto's body, weaving through the air like digital silk.
Slowly, the tattered remains of his old clothes vanished, replaced by a new, high-definition gear.
Ivory had designed a Sleek Black Long-Coat for him, featuring dark-red glowing strips along the seams that perfectly matched the hue of his 'Void Aura.' Underneath, he wore a dark grey tactical vest and reinforced combat trousers that gave him the silhouette of a high-ranking assassin.
Haruto adjusted the collar of the coat, feeling the premium texture. For the first time, a genuine, relaxed smile touched his lips.
"Not bad, Ivory,"
Haruto said, his voice surprisingly soft.
"I guess being the Goddess of Logic means you have an eye for top-tier aesthetics too. I actually like this. Good job."
A faint blush crept onto Ivory's pale cheeks as she looked away.
"It was the most... logical design to stabilize your current energy signature."
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy, but not from enemies.
Lustra pouted, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. She had hoped to be the one to impress him first, but Ivory had snatched the spotlight.
"Hmph... I could have made something much more 'appealing' if my creative powers weren't locked,"
she muttered, her eyes narrowing with a clear spark of jealousy.
Meanwhile, Bellona stood with her fists clenched at her sides, looking annoyed. Since her broadsword was currently locked away in the system's void, she had nothing to polish or brandish. She just kicked a pebble into the forest.
"It's just fabric,"
she huffed, clearly irritated that she hadn't earned a compliment yet.
"Armor is what matters. You can't parry a strike with a fashion statement."
Haruto glanced at the two of them and let out a weary sigh.
"Give it a rest. We have a village to enter, and I need to find out what a Level 0 is supposed to do in a place like this."
Ivory stood for a moment, admiring her own work. The black-threaded leather and reinforced silk she had manifested for Haruto shimmered perfectly under the sunlight. She felt a rare spark of pride; as the Architect of Logic, her "construction" was flawless—both functional and aesthetically superior to anything a local tailor could produce.
She turned, expecting more praise or at least a nod of approval from their 'Master.'
"See, Haruto? The structural integrity of these garments is—"
But Haruto was already twenty paces ahead. He didn't look back. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his new dark trousers, his eyes scanning the cobblestone streets with the bored intensity of a player looking for a quest marker.
"Yeah, yeah. Great job, Ivory. Ten out of ten. Now move it," Haruto called out over his shoulder, his voice flat.
"I'm not here to win a beauty pageant but really I'm curious to find out why the guards are looking at me like I'm a ghost."
Ivory's proud expression instantly deflated. Her silver eyebrows twitched with a hint of annoyance.
"He is... remarkably dismissive," she muttered to herself.
Lustra and Bellona, however, weren't as calm. They were glaring at Ivory's back.
"He used the only Divine Override for clothes?" Bellona hissed, clutching her new reinforced gauntlets.
"I could have used that to manifest a dragon-slaying blade! We're in a world of monsters, and he... a wardrobe update?"
Lustra pouted, crossing her arms over her soft pink tunic.
"And you made it too 'simple'! You were so focused on 'Logic' that you forgot 'Style'!"
Ivory didn't bother to argue. She just straightened her tunic and began walking.
The three girls, despite their bickering and irritation with Ivory's "Waste of a Nuke," quickly fell into line. They hurried after Haruto, their three distinct human forms—silver, pink, and red—weaving through the crowd like loyal shadows behind their mysterious, Level 0 leader.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The heavy iron-bound gates of Allesta creaked open, revealing a city that felt alive with the weight of centuries. There were no neon lights here—only the warm, flickering glow of oil lamps and magical lanterns hanging from timber-framed houses. The air was thick with the smell of freshly baked bread, scorched iron from the smithies, and the earthy scent of the nearby river.
Haruto walked down the uneven cobblestone path, the heels of his boots clicking rhythmically. This place felt solid and real.
The city was a hive of activity. Street performers juggled daggers for copper coins, merchants shouted their prices over the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages, and travelers in worn leather armor sat outside taverns, drinking ale and sharing stories of the monsters in the woods.
For the three Goddesses, it was a sensory explosion. Ivory's silver hair caught the natural sunlight, her eyes tracing the ancient runes carved into the city's stone arches. Lustra lingered by a flower stall, mesmerized by the vibrant colors of real roses, while Bellona's eyes scanned the town guards' spears, her warrior spirit appreciating the raw, physical grit of the place.
However, as they moved deeper into the market square, the bustling noise began to die down.
The clanking of the blacksmith's hammer stopped. The merchants went silent. The city seemed to hold its breath. It wasn't because of Haruto's dark coat or his intense gaze—it was because of the three women walking behind him.
In a world where life was hard and faces were weathered by sun and battle, the three Goddesses stood out like diamonds in a coal mine. Their beauty wasn't just physical; it was an aura of perfection that felt legendary. The crowd parted instinctively, men and women alike staring in stunned silence at the silver-haired elegance of Ivory, the fierce grace of Bellona, and the breathtaking charm of Lustra.
The whispers started small, then grew into a low roar.
"Who is that man? A prince from the Golden Capital?"
"Look at those women... they don't look like they belong in a place like Allesta."
"Whoa, look at him... he's actually really handsome. His skin is so clear,"a girl whispered, blushing as he passed.
a merchant muttered, squinting. "He looks completely off-guard. No weapon, no stance... is he just a tourist?"
Haruto felt the stares like a physical weight on his shoulders. He pulled his collar up slightly, his eyes half-lidded with a mix of exhaustion and annoyance. He had come here to escape the boredom of the Void, not to become the main attraction of a traveling circus.
"Great,"
Haruto muttered under his breath, his voice flat.
"We haven't even found an inn yet, and we're already the biggest distraction this town has seen in a hundred years. Can't people just mind their own business?"
"Forget his face, look at his presence. He looks like a total clumsy fool," a man sneered, seeing Haruto's bored, indifferent expression.
"Probably some pampered brat who got lucky with those girls. He doesn't have the aura of a warrior, just a lucky loser."
Haruto's gaze was darkening. The "Deadly Empty" look that had terrorized the Goddesses was bleeding back into his eyes. Beneath the hem of his black coat, wisps of Black Shadow Aura began to leak out, coiling around his boots like hungry snakes. The constant whispering of the crowd and their greasy stares were finally overdrawing his patience.
"The nerve of these people..."
Haruto whispered, a faint violet spark igniting in his left eye.
The three Goddesses felt the temperature drop instantly. They knew that if Haruto unleashed even a fraction of his 'Void-Reaper' aura here, Allesta Village wouldn't just be damaged—it would be deleted from the world's map.
"Haruto! Stop!" Lustra yelped, grabbing his arm with trembling hands.
"Not here! Please!" Ivory added, her voice cracking with rare panic.
Before Haruto could process their reaction, the three girls physically shoved him. They practically dragged and pushed him away from the main square, forcing him through a narrow alleyway until they reached a secluded, quiet Stone Garden at the edge of the district.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Haruto snapped, wrenching his arm free and adjusting his coat.
"Why did you push me?"
Bellona hissed, wiping sweat from her forehead, her heart still racing.
"Let's just leave! You're making us nervous, Haruto! If you had released that power, the entire city would have crashed!"
Ivory stepped forward, her silver eyes shimmering with a mix of fear and logic. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling the residual hum of his darkening mana.
"Haruto, listen to me," Ivory said, her voice unusually grave. "We felt it. Your power... it spiked the moment you got angry. I told you before, your abilities are tethered to your emotions. If you let them trigger this easily, your 'File' will become too heavy for this world to handle."
She looked back toward the main square where the whispers still lingered. "If you unleash that darkness every time someone insults you, people won't just see a tourist—they'll see a Calamity. They'll treat you as a threat to the world's balance before you're even ready to fight them. We'll all be in danger."
Haruto went quiet. The violet spark in his eye faded, replaced by his usual dull, obsidian gaze. He looked at his hands, realizing that his rage was a "bug" that could reveal his true "Admin" status too soon.
"Fine. I get it," Haruto muttered, his tone flat.
He leaned against a stone pillar, looking up at the sky.
She's right, he thought to himself. If I want to win this glitched game, I have to play as a nobody for now. I need to be a 'Low-Resolution' ghost in their system... until I'm powerful enough that not even the gods themselves can touch me..
He closed his eyes, deciding to bury his power deep within.
"Fine. But next time, don't touch the coat. It's custom-made."
All three of them started staring at him
The air in the garden didn't just turn quiet; it turned awkward.
Ivory, who had just delivered a speech about the fate of the world, stood frozen with her hand still half-raised. Lustra's mouth hung open, her "puppy-dog" eyes blinking in disbelief. Bellona, who had been ready to fight a war to protect him, felt a vein in her forehead throb.
They all stared at him with the same expression—the look you give someone who cracks a stupid joke at a funeral.
"The... the coat?" Ivory whispered, her voice trembling not with fear, but with pure, unadulterated annoyance. "We're talking about you potentially deleting a city, and your biggest concern is the stitching of your blazer?!"
Lustra let out a long, exhausted groan, burying her face in her hands.
"I can't believe this is the man we're following. He's a tactical genius one second and a total dumb the next."
Bellona just cracked her knuckles, looking like she was two seconds away from throwing Haruto into the nearby stone fountain.
"... sometimes, I really wish the system would delete your vocal cords."
Once the tension settled, Ivory regained her composure.
"We need a base of operations. We cannot stay in the streets while your resonance is this unstable. Haruto, check your current balance."
Haruto placed his hand over his chest, and his HUD flickered into existence. His 'Star-Child' title pulsed with a soft light, and beneath it, the credit count was displayed: 1,000 Credits.
"I have a thousand," Haruto stated flatly.
The three girls checked their own screens, their faces falling slightly.
"We only have 300 combined,"
Lustra said, looking disappointed.
"Even though we are Goddesses, the system has frozen our personal divine funds because of our 'Servant' status."
"Thirteen hundred total, then," Ivory calculated, dismissing the screen.
"Fine. Find the hotel in this city. I need to sleep... this 'human' body gets exhausted way too fast."
Lustra wiped a bead of moisture from her forehead, her expression one of pure disgust.
"And the sweating! Why is this skin so... leaky? It's inefficient. My divine form never leaked saline fluid just from walking a few blocks."
Bellona nodded, looking equally annoyed as she adjusted her heavy gear. "Agreed. I feel heavy, sticky, and my muscles are screaming. How do humans spend ninety years trapped in these stupid, fragile shells? It's a miracle they don't kill themselves out of sheer frustration."
Haruto, who was walking slightly ahead with his hands in his pockets, let out a long, weary sigh. He didn't even turn around, but his voice was flat and commanding.
"New rule," Haruto muttered.
"From now on, stating facts about how annoying human bodies are is strictly prohibited."
"Why?" Lustra asked, pouting.
"Because I've lived in one for eighteen years," Haruto replied, his eyes half-closing with boredom. "And hearing you three complain about 'sweat' is more exhausting than the walking itself. If I have to deal with it, you do too. Now move."
As Haruto stood in the secluded garden, his golden HUD still flickering, five female figures emerged from the stone arches. They moved like a single, deadly organism.
The leader was a tall, imposing woman with a presence that demanded silence. On her back, she didn't just carry one weapon, but a terrifying array: two massive greatswords crossed behind her shoulders and two long spears strapped vertically. Countless daggers and smaller blades were tucked into her belt and thigh-straps. She looked like a walking armory, her armor scarred from hundreds of battles. Despite her heavy load, she moved with a terrifying, predatory ease.
A single Elf stood beside her, but she looked nothing like the typical fragile archers. She wore a white and green textured hood that masked half her face. Her body was incredibly lean and flexible, moving with a fluid, liquid-like grace. She didn't stay still; she constantly shifted her weight, looking like she could snap into a lethal strike from any angle.
The Assassin was the most unsettling. She was eerily silent, her breath not even making a sound. Her gear was dark and streamlined for absolute stealth. While the others looked at Haruto's HUD, she was looking at Haruto himself. Haruto noticed it immediately—her eyes were unnaturally sharp, "noticing" every small detail about him, from the way he breathed to the slight flicker of his shadow. She was analyzing his soul, not just his level.
: Rounding out the group were three other women—two twin mages who handled the heavy-shield specialist who guarded their flank. They all wore matching reinforced leather, their eyes locked onto the "Star-Child" title with a mixture of greed and disbelief.
They stopped a few paces away, their gazes locked onto Haruto's glowing screen. Even in the presence of the Goddesses, their beauty was undeniable. While Ivory, Lustra, and Bellona possessed a divine, otherworldly perfection, these women had a raw, fierce attractiveness born from battle and the harsh sun of the upper layers. They were stunning, but in a way that warned you they could kill you before you finished blinking.
"Star-Child..." one of the human mages whispered, her eyes trembling.
"I've traveled the upper layers for years, and I've only heard that title in forbidden scrolls."
The Leader stepped forward, her armor clanking softly. She looked at the gold light, then at the flashing 'LEVEL: 0', and let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
"Don't let the gold light blind you, girls," the leader sneered, pointing a gauntleted finger at Haruto.
"I think,'Star-Child' isn't a blessing. It's a Curse. It means the System gave you the strength of an ant. He's just a hollow vessel. A walking zero."
Haruto didn't flinch. He looked at them with his usual bored, half-lidded eyes. "And you? What are your numbers ?"
The leader puffed out her chest, resting her hands on the pommels of her twin greatswords.
"We are elite members of a Level 10 Guild. As for me? I'm Level 15. In this district, that makes me a Queen."
Lustra, feeling the darkness in Haruto starting to stir, stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve.
"Haruto, let's just go. This is a waste of time."
The hooded Elven striker leaned forward, her movements fluid and liquid-like.
"Why the rush, honey? What is this boy to you anyway? Your little brother?"
"He is our Leader," Lustra replied coldly.
The Leader burst into a fit of hysterical laughter.
"A Leader?! A Zero leading three high-tier beauties like you? It's a joke!"
But suddenly, the Silent Assassin leaned into the Leader's ear. Her eyes hadn't left the Goddesses. "Boss... stop laughing," she whispered, her voice like ice.
"The boy is a zero, but these three... I can't measure their aura. It's too heavy. Their presence... it feels like they're Level 20, maybe even higher. They don't belong here."
The Leader's eyes narrowed, shifting from mockery to predatory greed. She looked at Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra.
"High-level, huh?" she mused, her gaze turning dark. "Then it's an even bigger waste of resources. Listen, ladies—a man with no levels should be your slave, not your master. Why serve a Zero when you can join a real party? Leave this hollow shell behind. Join us, and we'll show you what you're truly worth."
The air in the garden turned ice-cold. Haruto's momentary unease vanished, replaced by a dark, clinical curiosity. He looked at the leader, his obsidian eyes going flat and empty.
"Slave, huh?"
Haruto muttered. He turned to the three Goddesses, a bored, jagged smirk tugging at his lips.
"You heard them. His logic actually isn't that boring. It's a classic power-struggle trope."
Haruto stepped back, waving a hand toward the girls with a chilling nonchalance.
"I'm giving you three a 'Free Pass' right now,"
Haruto said, his voice vibrating with a manic edge.
"If you want to make me your slave—if you think a Level 0 is beneath you—go ahead. Try it. I won't even resist the contract."
The five adventurers smirked, thinking Haruto had finally snapped under the pressure. But the reaction from the girls was the exact opposite.
Pure, unadulterated Terror washed over Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra. They didn't see a "weak" man; they saw a Master who was testing their loyalty with a smile that could unmake reality. They knew that if they even thought about betrayal, the "Slave" would become the "Executioner" before they could draw their next breath.
"Shut it down! Close the screen!"
Lustra screamed, her face turning deathly pale.
Without waiting for Haruto's permission, the three girls lunged forward. They didn't attack the adventurers—they grabbed Haruto, Ivory frantically swiping her hand through the air to force-close his HUD and hide the 'Star-Child' title.
"We're leaving! Right now!"
Bellona barked, her voice trembling as she pushed Haruto toward the exit.
They practically dragged him away, moving with a desperate speed as if the ground beneath them was about to cave in. The adventurers stood there, completely stunned, watching as three "High-Tier" women fled in a panic, terrified of what their "Level 0" master might say next.