The place Landen stood in had no walls, no ceiling, and no floor—yet somehow, he could still stand and move as if solid ground existed beneath his feet. All around him, black and blue energy swirled in slow, glowing waves, like he was suspended at the center of a living galaxy.
"It was YOU!" he shouted, his voice echoing into the endless space. "YOU brought me here!"
The swirling energy above him began to shift, spiraling faster and faster. The waves parted, opening to reveal an eye.
A single, enormous eye filled the sky, so large it seemed to stretch across the entire space. Its pupil glowed with a radiant silver light, casting illumination wherever it turned.
And now, it was fixed directly on Landen, bathing him in a brilliant spotlight,
"I had imagined," the voice resounded, deep and vast, "that mortals would carry themselves differently in the presence of a god."
The voice did not come from one direction—it came from everywhere. It pressed against Landen's ears.
Though the enormous eye loomed above him, Landen spun around, searching for a figure—something human to confront.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "If you're real, then show yourself!"
"I have already told you, I am the Son of the Creator."
"Then what's your name?"
There was a brief pause.
"I am beyond names," the voice said. "Names are for those who must be distinguished from others. I am singular. I simply… am."
Landen scoffed, folding his arms. "No name, huh? That's inconvenient. Then I'll just give you one."
The space seemed to tighten.
"You will not," the god said, more firmly this time. The light from the eye sharpened and intensified.
"I'll name you—" Landen started, unfazed.
"Do not dare—" the voice thundered, a warning now, the very air trembling with pressure.
"—Bob."
The area went silent, and for a brief, surreal moment, even the swirling cosmos seemed to stop.
Then, the light surrounding Landen began to fade, and the massive eye above vanished. In its place, a figure dropped from the darkness above, falling straight out of the abyss.
Thuud…
"Argh…" the figure groaned, landing a few meters away. He rubbed his backside. "I told you not to give me a name."
Landen's eyes lit up. "You're not a god," he said, pointing. "You're just some kid."
But the moment the words left his mouth, he froze.
The boy slowly turned to face him—and Landen felt a chill run through his body.
Bob's eyes glowed with a radiant silver light—the exact same light as the enormous eye that had filled the sky moments ago. His spiky white hair shimmered faintly, giving off that same otherworldly glow.
He looked like a boy… but there was nothing ordinary about him.
"Out of all the names you could've chosen," he said, glaring, "you went with Bob?"
"Yeah… Bob," Landen replied with a shrug. "It rhymes with God."
The boy's eyes narrowed. "Bob does not rhyme with God."
Landen smirked. "Close enough."
Bob pushed himself up from the ground, wobbling slightly as he found his balance. For a moment, his movements looked awkward, like he wasn't used to the weight of his own body.
"It's been a while since I've used a human form," he said, flexing his fingers. He rolled his shoulders, stretched his arms, then shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The white robe he wore swayed with the motion, its sleeves hanging low enough to conceal his hands and feet.
Suddenly…
Vrip!
In a blink of an eye, Bob's face was inches away from Landen's face.
"It's you! It's really you," Bob said, excitedly.
Landen couldn't believe what just happened. One second, he was a few meters away; the next second, he was in his face. It was instant teleportation.
Bob grabbed his hand. "I'm a big fan of yours."
Vrip!
He appeared high above.
"Landen Thorne—the Legendary Lone Knight!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the abyss. Spreading his arms wide as if presenting a grand headline, he continued, "The number one player in the world!"
Vrip!
Once again, he was in Landen's face, but now he was holding something in his hand.
"Can I get your autograph?" he said, handing Landen a pen and a card.
Landen looked down to see a picture of him in what looked like a trading card. On it was his name, and the letters RC, and also the words One of One.
What the hell? He thought.
Landen looked at him, confused. What happened to the mighty god from a second ago? It seems he was really just a kid.
"So," Landen said, "are you going to tell me why you brought me here?"
Bob flew around Landen, his glowing silver eyes scanning him from head to toe—like he was studying something rare.
"I have been watching you, Landen Thorne," he said, excitedly. "For a long time."
Landen raised an eyebrow, somewhat creeped out. Maybe he meant his live streams.
Bob continued. "You destroy everyone you play against—"
Yep, it was his streams.
"—It's like you're a god amongst boys. It's not even fair."
Bob's enthusiasm was unmistakable—he genuinely seemed like a real fan. But something didn't feel right for a god to act this way. He had to be softening him up before delivering the real blow.
"I summoned you here because you are… unusual."
Landen raised a brow, expecting this.
"You possess the mind of a general," Bob continued. "A tactician capable of seeing ten moves ahead. A strategist who can dismantle opponents before they even realize they've lost." His gaze sharpened. "Within you lies the potential to be a God of War—someone who could reshape battlefields, command legions, and achieve greatness beyond this world's limits."
He paused.
"But…" His tone turned colder. "You never utilized your gift."
"Instead," he went on, eyes narrowing, "you became complacent. Content with mediocrity. Wasting your talent chasing distractions, and lusting after women."
"All that potential, and yet you remain… ordinary."
There was a brief silence.
"Well then," Landen replied, clearly irritated now, "if I'm such a disappointment, why bring me here at all?"
"Landen," Bob said with quiet confidence, "I am your biggest fan. Literally." His gaze sharpened. "Your strengths far outweigh your weaknesses." He crossed his arms, a faint smirk forming. "And with me on your side, you'll overcome those weaknesses and step into true greatness."
Landen's interest piqued. "Go on…"
"I need your help, Landen."
"A god needs help from a mere mortal?"
"Yes. I've lost the ability to directly interfere with this world." His tone grew heavier. "But the time has come for the universe to face its fate. The pieces are already in place, and events are in motion. You will be the key to it all."
Landen raised an eyebrow. "Mind simplifying that for me?"
Bob sighed. "Very well… In your world, there's a game called chess. I am the king—and you will be my knight."
"You want me to be your knight? No—I refuse." His voice turned firm. "I had one goal my entire life: to compete in the biggest tournament in the world. That was my dream, and you can't take that from me."
As the words left his mouth, a rift tore open in the abyss. It was the opening that he needed to go home.
Their eyes locked in an intense stare, neither looking to fold. But after a minute of silence, Bob finally lowered his head in defeat and sighed. "You have every right to refuse."
Landen turned and began his exit towards the rift.
"However," Bob added. "I do have some bad news."
Landen didn't stop.
"Back in your world… five years have already passed."
Now he stopped. Landen slowly turned, his face shocked.
"Faa…five years?" His voice faltered as he dropped to his knees. "I've already missed the tournament?"
"Yes," Bob said. "Though what seemed instantaneous to you, it wasn't. The transition from when you won your match to when you arrived here took far longer. Additionally, the time in this new world flows much differently than that of Earth.
Landen was defeated. The one goal he had chased his entire life had ended in an instant. Five years is a long time. If he returned now, his legend would have faded, and his reign at the top would be long over.
He sighed, no longer sure what to do.
"Look, you've got the wrong person," he said, truly believing that this was all wrong. "I'm just a gamer—"
"Do not discard video games lightly," Bob interrupted. "One's cognitive ability and reasoning can be gathered from the game. As well as reaction time, patience, and the ability to control emotion and focus.
"Well," Landen quickly replied, "I don't know how to fight. I've never hit a person in my life."
"You will learn."
"No, you've picked the wrong person," he repeated.
"Landen… this is not my decision… this is your destiny."
The words made his heart race.
Destiny… does something like that really exist? Maybe the International Tournament was really never meant to be. All his time training and grinding was spent not for the simplicity of a mere tournament. Maybe its sole purpose was training him to save the universe.
"Am I ready for this?"
"You are. The moment you qualified for the International Tournament proved that you are ready."
Landen stared at his hands. "But if you've been watching me, then you know how weak I am."
"Worry not, I wouldn't send my knight into battle unarmed."
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air, and a transparent display materialized before him.
"This will be your weapon," Bob said.
At the center of the display, a single word appeared.
[ START ]
"This is the Celestial System," Bob explained. "It's designed to function like the systems you're familiar with from the video games you play."
Landen raised his hand and tapped the word, then multiple options appeared, surrounding him.
[ PICK YOUR CLASS ]
[ MAGE ]
[ ASSASSIN ]
[ FIGHTER ]
[ DEFENDER ]
[ MARKSMAN ]
[ SUPPORT ]
"Yooo… this is awesome," Landen said with a grin. His eyes beamed as he rubbed his hands together eagerly.
"We've got to go with the fighter class," he added, making his selection.
Next.
[ PRIMARY WEAPON SPECIALIZATION ]
[ SHORT BLADES ]
[ GAUNLETS ]
[ SWORDS ]
[ STAFFS ]
[ FIST ]
[ AXES ]
[ HAMMERS ]
…
The list continued, but he didn't need to see the rest because he already knew what he wanted.
"What's a knight without his sword?" he said, as he selected the sword.
[ SECONDARY WEAPON SPECIALIZATION ]
…
The same option of weapons reappeared.
"Oh… I'm not just limited to the sword. How interesting? In that case, I'll choose the fist. I can't always rely on having a weapon."
After selecting [ FIST ], it changed to the final selection.
[ ACCEPT THE CELESTIAL SYSTEM ]
Or
[ RETURN HOME ]
"Take caution on your next choice," Bob said. "If you accept, you will gain the power of the Celestial System—become my knight and fulfill your purpose in this world. But if you elect to return home, you will forget everything that happened here and resume your life as a gamer."
Landen contemplated.
The Lone Knight was a fitting title. Though he was famous for being the top player in the world, his life was very lonely. Melinda wasn't his lover. In fact, he had never had a girlfriend. Most of his days were spent alone in front of his computer, immersed in the one game he loved.
But really, it wasn't love. It was an addiction. An obsession to maintain his title. This led to seclusion from everyone, including friends and family. In fact, these past days were the longest he had gone without using his computer. And strangely, for the first time, he actually felt free. With this new world, this new system—he had an opportunity to start over.
Then his mind drifted back to what he had just witnessed in the arena. A real-life battle arena of the games he had devoted his entire life to mastering—so much so that he had become the best at it. And then it hit him.
This was why he was here.
Landen made his choice.
His mind went blank, but when he came back, he saw a menu embedded within his vision.
It read.
[ Welcome to the Celestial System ]