Volume 1 — Chapter 1 The Beginning of the Story

The story began with a simple invitation.

It was an ordinary school day.

The morning had passed without anything particularly interesting happening. Students had attended their classes, teachers had given them assignments, and the usual conversations had filled the classrooms and corridors.

For most students, it was just another day.

But for Airi Amamiya, that day would become the beginning of something that would eventually change the entire world.

Airi was sitting at her desk during the break between classes.

She had heard the name Masters of Astrea Online many times before.

In fact, it was almost impossible not to hear about it.

The game was everywhere.

People talked about it at school.

Advertisements for it appeared on enormous screens throughout the city.

Popular streamers played it.

Professional players competed inside it.

Entire communities had been built around it.

Even people who didn't normally play games knew what Masters of Astrea Online was.

But Airi had never actually played it.

She had only heard stories.

Stories about a world that was so enormous that even after two hundred years of exploration, nobody had discovered everything.

Stories about legendary players.

Stories about hidden classes.

Stories about magic.

Stories about monsters.

Stories about dungeons.

And, most famously, stories about the tower.

The impossible tower.

A tower with one hundred floors.

A tower that had existed since the earliest days of Astrea.

A tower that nobody had ever conquered.

Two hundred years had passed.

Players had tried everything.

Thousands had entered.

Millions had attempted to climb it.

The strongest players in history had challenged it.

Entire guilds had been created for the purpose of conquering it.

Professional teams had spent years studying it.

Theories had been created about it.

Maps had been drawn.

Strategies had been tested.

Bosses had been analyzed.

Yet the result had always been the same.

Nobody had reached the top.

Nobody knew what existed on the hundredth floor.

Nobody had seen what was waiting at the end.

And because nobody had ever conquered the tower, it had become more than a dungeon.

It had become a legend.

A symbol of the impossible.

Airi had heard about it countless times.

But she had never thought that she would become connected to that legend.

Not yet.

At that moment, she was simply sitting at her desk.

Then someone stopped beside her.

"Airi."

Airi looked up.

Her friend was standing beside her desk.

She had an excited expression on her face.

"What is it?"

Her friend leaned closer.

"Do you have anything planned after school?"

Airi shook her head.

"Not really."

"Perfect."

"Why?"

Her friend smiled.

"Because I want you to play a game with me."

Airi blinked.

"A game?"

"Yes."

"What game?"

Her friend looked at her as if she had just asked an unbelievable question.

"Masters of Astrea Online."

Airi paused.

Of course.

That game.

"You play it?"

"Of course I do."

Her friend sat down in the empty chair beside Airi.

"You've heard about it, right?"

"I've heard a lot about it."

"Then you have to try it."

Airi hesitated.

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"I've never played an MMO before."

"That's exactly why you should try it."

Her friend smiled.

"It's not like ordinary MMOs."

"I know."

"Do you?"

Airi nodded.

"Everyone talks about it."

"Exactly."

Her friend leaned back.

"Masters of Astrea Online isn't just popular because it's pretty. It's popular because the immersion technology is completely different from anything else."

Airi had heard that before.

The technology behind the game was one of the biggest reasons it had become so famous.

The virtual world wasn't simply displayed in front of the player.

The player experienced it.

The difference was enormous.

In ordinary games, players watched their characters move.

In Masters of Astrea Online, they became the character.

They could feel the ground.

They could hear the environment.

They could smell the air.

They could experience temperature.

They could move naturally.

And, most importantly, they could interact with the world as though it were real.

Her friend continued talking.

"You can choose your class, build your character however you want, learn skills, use magic, explore dungeons..."

"I know."

"There are hundreds of classes."

"Maybe thousands."

"Exactly!"

Her friend's eyes sparkled.

"And the world is enormous."

Airi smiled slightly.

"You're really excited about this."

"Because it's amazing."

Her friend suddenly lowered her voice.

"And there are still things nobody understands."

Airi became interested.

"Like what?"

"The tower."

Airi immediately knew what she meant.

"The hundred-floor tower?"

"Yes."

Her friend nodded.

"Nobody has conquered it."

"Not even after two hundred years."

"Exactly."

She leaned closer.

"Think about that. Two hundred years."

Airi remained silent.

"Two hundred years of players exploring the game, and nobody has reached the top."

Her friend continued.

"Nobody knows what is on the hundredth floor."

"Maybe the developers haven't finished it."

"That's one theory."

"What are the others?"

"Some people think the tower is impossible by design."

"That sounds more likely."

"Maybe."

Her friend smiled.

"But that's what makes it interesting."

Airi looked toward the window.

Outside, the city was bright beneath the afternoon sun.

She thought about the game.

She had always been curious about it.

She had simply never had a reason to start.

Until now.

"So..."

Her friend smiled.

"Will you play?"

Airi hesitated for another moment.

Then she nodded.

"Okay."

Her friend's expression immediately brightened.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Yes!"

She almost jumped from her chair.

"We'll play together after school!"

Airi laughed.

"All right."

Neither of them knew what that decision meant.

Neither of them knew that this simple invitation would eventually become part of one of the greatest incidents in the history of virtual reality.

Neither of them knew that Airi would become the center of worldwide news.

Neither of them knew that the name Airi Amamiya would eventually be seen by millions of people.

And neither of them knew that Airi would soon enter a world where the word "game" would lose its meaning.

After school, Airi followed her friend.

The two girls talked about Masters of Astrea Online the entire way.

Her friend explained the basic systems.

There were levels.

There were classes.

There were skills.

There was magic.

There were equipment systems.

There were quests.

There were dungeons.

There were guilds.

There were monsters.

There were bosses.

There were hidden areas.

And there was the tower.

Airi listened carefully.

"What's your class?"

Her friend smiled proudly.

"I'm a swordswoman."

"A swordswoman?"

"Yes."

"Is it strong?"

"It depends on how you build it."

She began explaining her build.

Airi didn't understand everything.

There were too many terms.

Attack stats.

Defense stats.

Skill cooldowns.

Mana.

Equipment bonuses.

Passive abilities.

Class traits.

Evolution paths.

Airi listened anyway.

Eventually, they arrived at the place where they could connect to the game.

Her friend helped Airi prepare everything.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little."

"You'll be fine."

Airi looked at the equipment.

This was her first time using it.

The technology looked much more advanced than anything she had seen before.

Her friend noticed her expression.

"Don't worry."

"I'm not worried."

"You look worried."

"I'm just curious."

"That's better."

Her friend smiled.

"Once you enter Astrea, you'll understand."

Airi took a breath.

Then she prepared herself.

She closed her eyes.

The system activated.

A familiar voice sounded.

WELCOME TO MASTERS OF ASTREA ONLINE.

Airi's heartbeat quickened.

NEURAL SYNCHRONIZATION INITIATED.

The real world began to disappear.

SENSORY SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE.

The darkness surrounded her.

Then—

Light.

Airi opened her eyes.

The sky was blue.

A gentle breeze moved through her hair.

Grass stretched beneath her feet.

The sunlight touched her skin.

She could hear birds.

She could hear people talking somewhere nearby.

She could smell flowers.

Airi stood completely still.

She had entered Astrea.

Her friend appeared nearby.

"Welcome!"

Airi turned toward her.

Her friend was smiling.

Airi looked around.

It was beautiful.

More beautiful than she had expected.

The world seemed endless.

A vast landscape extended toward the horizon.

A large city stood in the distance.

Its towers reached toward the sky.

Beyond it were mountains.

Farther away were enormous forests.

And somewhere beyond those lands was the tower.

The tower that nobody had conquered in two hundred years.

Airi stared into the distance.

"So this is Astrea..."

Her friend laughed.

"Now you understand."

Airi nodded.

"I do."

But something inside her was already reacting strangely to the world.

The system began generating her player information.

Normally, this was a simple process.

A new player would select a class.

Then their basic attributes would be established.

But when Airi opened the class selection screen, something unusual happened.

The normal list disappeared.

The interface flickered.

Airi frowned.

"What?"

Her friend looked over.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

Airi touched the screen.

The interface changed.

For a moment, there was nothing.

Then a new message appeared.

SPECIAL CLASS DETECTED.

Airi stared.

"Special class?"

Her friend looked confused.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

Another line appeared.

HIDDEN CLASS CONDITION SATISFIED.

Airi's eyes widened.

Her friend leaned closer.

"Is that a secret class?"

"Maybe."

The system remained silent for several seconds.

Then the class appeared.

SORCERESS GIRL

Airi stared at the name.

"Sorceress Girl...?"

The class had no explanation.

No normal description.

No recommended equipment.

No recommended skills.

Only one sentence.

CLASS INFORMATION: UNKNOWN.

Her friend looked surprised.

"I've never heard of that class."

"Neither have I."

"Maybe it's a new class."

"Maybe."

Airi accepted it.

The moment she did, the system responded.

CLASS ACQUIRED.

SORCERESS GIRL — RANK F

LEVEL: 1

Airi looked at her status.

Most of her statistics were ordinary.

Her physical abilities were weak.

Her defense was weak.

Her health was low.

Her speed was average.

Her strength was almost nonexistent.

But then she saw her magic-related statistics.

She blinked.

"That's strange."

"What?"

"My magic..."

Her friend looked at the screen.

For a moment, neither girl spoke.

Airi's magic potential was absurd.

It didn't simply exceed normal values.

It seemed to ignore the normal limitations of the system.

Her magical potential was beyond what a level-one player should have possessed.

Her class was ranked F.

Her level was 1.

Her ordinary statistics were weak.

But her magic was something else entirely.

It was as if the system had created a contradiction.

A weak beginner with power that shouldn't exist.

Airi didn't understand it.

Her friend didn't understand it.

Neither of them knew that this was only the beginning.

They entered a dungeon.

The first floor of the tower.

The dungeon was filled with monsters.

Dark corridors stretched through ancient stone.

Torches burned along the walls.

The air was cold.

The deeper they went, the stronger the monsters became.

Airi followed the other players.

She was still learning how the game worked.

She didn't know how to fight properly.

She didn't understand her class.

She didn't know how powerful her magic really was.

But she quickly discovered one thing.

Her magic was abnormal.

Airi raised her hand.

A spell appeared.

The power behind it was enormous.

A single spell could destroy groups of monsters.

The other players stared.

"What kind of magic is that?"

"I've never seen that skill."

"Is she a beta player?"

"She's level one!"

"How can a level-one player have that much magical power?"

Airi herself was confused.

"I don't know."

She wasn't lying.

She genuinely didn't know.

The system had given her something that even she couldn't understand.

Her class was strange.

Her magic was strange.

Her potential was strange.

And yet, there was one limitation.

Cooldown.

Her strongest magical abilities required an enormous amount of time before they could be used again.

The system prevented her from repeatedly using the most powerful spells.

That meant that despite her overwhelming magical potential, she couldn't simply destroy everything.

She had power.

But she had to use it carefully.

Then the group reached the first floor.

Near the boss room.

The atmosphere changed.

The corridor became colder.

The torches began flickering.

The monsters were stronger.

The other players became more serious.

Someone whispered:

"The boss is ahead."

Airi looked toward the enormous door.

She could feel something behind it.

Something powerful.

Something ancient.

The door opened.

A wave of cold air swept through the dungeon.

At the center of the chamber stood a figure.

A king.

Or at least, something that had once been one.

His body was covered in ancient armor.

A dark crown rested upon his skull.

Blue flames burned inside his empty eye sockets.

He held a massive weapon.

The system displayed his name.

KING OF THE UNDEAD

Airi froze.

Her friend looked nervous.

"This is the boss."

Airi stared at him.

She could feel the pressure coming from the monster.

Her magical power was enormous.

But the moment she tried to analyze the boss, the system displayed another warning.

MAGICAL RESISTANCE: EXTREME

Airi's expression changed.

The King of the Undead was resistant to magic.

Her greatest strength was magic.

That meant the battle was not going to be easy.

The players charged.

Weapons struck the undead king.

Spells exploded against his armor.

The boss barely moved.

Airi raised her hand.

She prepared her strongest spell.

The air around her began to tremble.

Magic gathered.

The dungeon itself seemed to react.

The players stopped.

"What is she doing?"

"I don't know."

"Move away!"

Airi released the spell.

The explosion shook the entire first floor.

The walls trembled.

The floor cracked.

A massive wave of magical energy struck the King of the Undead.

For several seconds, the entire boss room disappeared inside a storm of light.

Then the light vanished.

The King of the Undead was still standing.

Damaged.

But standing.

Airi stared.

"No way..."

The boss raised his weapon.

The players attacked again.

Airi tried to activate another powerful spell.

But the system stopped her.

SKILL COOLDOWN: ACTIVE.

She couldn't use it.

Her strongest magic was temporarily unavailable.

The King of the Undead attacked.

The battle became chaotic.

Airi tried to move.

She was only level one.

Her physical stats were weak.

She couldn't withstand the boss's attacks.

She attempted to cast smaller spells.

They worked.

But the boss's resistance reduced their effectiveness.

The fight continued.

The dungeon shook.

Every major attack sent vibrations through the tower.

The players began shouting.

"Keep attacking!"

"Don't let him recover!"

"Focus on the boss!"

Airi continued fighting.

Her magic shook the battlefield.

But the King of the Undead resisted.

Eventually, Airi's strength began to disappear.

Her vision blurred.

Her body felt heavy.

She had used too much power.

Her enormous magical potential had a price.

Whenever she used her greatest abilities, the system temporarily blocked her power afterward.

And when the power was blocked...

She became overwhelmingly tired.

Airi's eyelids became heavy.

"I..."

She tried to remain standing.

But she couldn't.

Her body weakened.

The King of the Undead raised his weapon.

Airi tried to move.

Too late.

The attack struck.

Her health reached zero.

The system appeared.

DEFEATED.

Airi fell.

Her first battle in Astrea ended in defeat.

The players were shocked.

"She died?"

"That powerful girl?"

"She was only level one!"

"Is that NPC dead?"

They didn't understand who Airi was.

Because her behavior didn't seem like a normal player.

Her movements.

Her strange class.

Her abnormal magical power.

Her incredible intelligence.

Her reactions.

Everything about her was unusual.

To the players watching, she looked like an extremely powerful NPC.

An artificial intelligence.

A mysterious character that had somehow entered the dungeon.

Some players believed that she had been programmed to help them.

Others thought she was part of a hidden quest.

Someone even suggested that helping her might unlock special rewards.

They gathered around her.

"Maybe the NPC is going to give us a reward."

"Don't leave her."

"She might be important."

But Airi gave them nothing.

There was no reward.

No treasure.

No secret quest.

Nothing.

She was simply exhausted.

Her power had been temporarily blocked.

And, as always after using that much magic...

She wanted to sleep.

Her body became heavy.

Her eyes closed.

The players watched.

"Is she sleeping?"

"Maybe."

"She's definitely an NPC."

"Let's wait."

They waited.

Nothing happened.

No reward appeared.

No quest appeared.

No hidden item appeared.

Eventually, the players continued their own activities.

Airi remained asleep.

Morning came.

Airi slowly opened her eyes.

She was still inside Astrea.

For a moment, she didn't remember what had happened.

Then everything returned.

The dungeon.

The boss.

The King of the Undead.

Her defeat.

She sat up.

The system appeared before her.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION

Airi looked at it.

The message was simple.

FIRST FLOOR BOSS BATTLE RESULT: DEFEAT.

Airi stared.

Then another message appeared.

CLASS: SORCERESS GIRL

CLASS RANK: F → D

Airi blinked.

"What?"

She read it again.

Her class had changed.

Despite losing the battle...

Despite being defeated by the King of the Undead...

Her class had advanced.

SORCERESS GIRL — RANK D

She didn't understand why.

There was no explanation.

No reward.

No detailed description.

Only the notification.

Then the world changed.

A global notification appeared.

Not just for Airi.

For everyone.

Every player inside Masters of Astrea Online received the same message.

WORLD NOTIFICATION

THE TITLE OF THE STRONGEST HAS BEEN CLAIMED.

Airi stared at the notification.

Her name appeared.

Not her player nickname.

Not an avatar name.

Her real name.

AIRI AMAMIYA

For several seconds, the system remained silent.

Then the notification disappeared.

Most players didn't pay attention to the name.

Some didn't even read it.

Others assumed it was a strange system error.

But the event had already been recorded.

The title of the strongest had been transferred.

To a level-one girl.

A girl who had just been defeated by the first-floor boss.

A girl whose physical statistics were weak.

A girl whose class had only just risen from F to D.

A girl who possessed magical power that seemed to break the laws of the world.

And, most importantly...

A girl who wasn't supposed to be there.

At first, the players didn't understand the significance.

Then someone posted the notification online.

Another player shared it.

Then another.

Within minutes, screenshots began spreading across the internet.

WHO IS AIRI AMAMIYA?

NEW SECRET CLASS DISCOVERED?

LEVEL ONE PLAYER RECEIVES STRONGEST TITLE

MYSTERIOUS SORCERESS GIRL CLASS

IS THIS A NEW NPC?

The story spread rapidly.

The developers noticed.

The game's administrators noticed.

Professional players noticed.

Guild leaders noticed.

The entire community began discussing the incident.

Nobody knew what had happened.

Nobody understood why a level-one player had received the title.

Nobody knew why the name displayed by the system was a real name rather than a player nickname.

Nobody knew why the mysterious class had appeared.

And nobody knew the truth.

The truth was much more frightening.

Airi Amamiya wasn't simply another player.

She was trapped.

Her consciousness was inside Astrea.

The world around her was real to her.

And death was no longer something she could treat as part of a game.

Her defeat against the King of the Undead had been her first warning.

The tower had already shown her what awaited her.

And that was only the first floor.

There were ninety-nine more.

For two hundred years, nobody had conquered the tower.

Nobody had seen the top.

Nobody knew what was waiting there.

But now, something had changed.

A fourteen-year-old girl had entered the world.

A girl with an impossible class.

A girl with magical potential beyond the limits of the system.

A girl whose very existence seemed to contradict the laws of Astrea.

And the world had just witnessed the beginning of her story.

Airi looked toward the enormous dungeon around her.

She didn't know why her class had advanced.

She didn't know why the title had appeared.

She didn't know why the system had revealed her real name.

She didn't know why she had been brought here.

But she understood one thing.

She couldn't afford another defeat.

Because somewhere beyond the walls of Astrea...

The real world was waiting for her.

And somewhere above her...

The hundredth floor of the impossible tower was waiting too.

The world had spent two hundred years trying to reach it.

No one had succeeded.

But now, the world was about to see what a player trapped inside Astrea would do.

And this time...

The game would not simply be played.

It would become her life.

End of Chapter 1.