Chapter 1: Rogue Trader
Late at night, Lucan stared listlessly at his computer screen. "Is it that hard to make a good game these days? If you can't innovate, then stitch things together! As long as the Frankenstein is fun, that's fine too!"
He looked at the game icons scattered across his desktop, feeling no interest in opening any of them.
"I'm only 20, am I already suffering from electronic impotence so young?" Lucan Drex Aurelian said, feeling drained.
With a final glimmer of hope, he opened a game forum once more.
However, as he waited for the webpage to load, he noticed his screen begin to flicker. The webpage, along with the game icons on his desktop, dissolved into a mess of garbled code.
"Did I get a virus? I haven't downloaded anything sketchy!"
But before Lucan could hit the restart button, the computer screen flashed with an intense white light.
He felt his consciousness slowly fading, the only thought in his mind being:
"Did I just experience one of those photosensitive epilepsy warnings from the game disclaimers?"
Lucan felt his soul leave his body, and in an instant, he entered a bizarre vortex of swirling light and shadow.
Within this passage, he thought he saw a Corrupt Garden, a labyrinth constructed from crystal, a world of fire dominated by a colossal brass throne, and a magnificent palace from which moans and wails endlessly emanated.
Seeing these scenes, Lucan almost cried out. How could he not know what these represented?
And as he passed by, the masters of these demonic domains seemed to sense something, casting their gazes towards him.
"Nurgle, Tzeentch, Khorne, Slaanesh… I just finished Space Marine 2! People online said that the game's EULA, where you agree to go work for the God-Emperor in 40k, wasn't a joke – it's real? Don't mess with me!"
As he delved deeper, when Lucan saw a pitch-black, icy sun, that cold sun seemed to become exceptionally glaring, and he too reached the end of the spatial tunnel.
"Pain… So much pain…"
Lucan opened his eyes and found himself in a solemn, grand hall.
Unknown energy conduits and inscriptions covered the walls of the hall.
A torrent of memories flooded Lucan's mind, making his head throb as if it would split open.
"I… I am Lucan Mongorte… a captain of the Mongorte Rogue Trader Dynasty, responsible for exploration. I'm here this time to participate in the assessment for the Rogue Trader heir?"
Absorbing the memories of this body, Lucan tried to stand up, but a sharp pain from his abdomen caused him to instantly collapse back to the ground.
He looked down at his stomach; dark red blood was gushing out. Lifting his clothes, he found a massive, bloody hole in his abdomen.
Staring at the horrifying wound, Lucan was stunned. The intense pain almost made him lose consciousness, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"What happened? What kind of hellish start is this! Am I going to die right at the beginning?!"
Feeling his life force draining away, Lucan panicked. He didn't know if dying here meant true, final death. He looked around; he was the only one in the vast hall, and he couldn't find anything that could help him.
Relying on the body's memories, he picked up the vox-communicator from his pocket, but only static noise came from it. No matter how he called out, there was no response.
His severe injuries made it impossible for him to even get up.
Massive blood loss caused Lucan's consciousness to begin to blur. Just as he thought he was about to breathe his last, a voice echoed in his mind.
[Entered the Warhammer World]
[Current Psy-crystals: 1000]
[Game Program Available for Loading (0/1)]
[A second game program can be loaded once the host controls an entire planet]
A long list of selectable games appeared, all of which were games installed on Lucan's computer.
"DOOM, Star Wars, StarCraft, Stellaris, Space Marine 2, Warframe, Warhammer Fantasy, Warcraft, Titanfall," and so on.
Looking at this huge list of options, Lucan's brain couldn't process them fast enough. Right now, he only wanted to save his own life! A phrase flashed through his mind.
"The doctor is in~"
"StarCraft! Screw it! Save my life first!"
Lucan Drex Aurelian immediately selected StarCraft 2.
[StarCraft Module Loaded]
[Shop Activated]
[SCV: 50 Psy-crystals]
[Marine: 100 Psy-crystals]
[Medic: 200 Psy-crystals]
[Reaper: 200 Psy-crystals]
Looking at these options, Lucan didn't hesitate and immediately exchanged for a Medic.
As the Psy-crystals were consumed, a Medic in white CMC-405 Light Combat Suit slowly materialized from a shimmering silhouette into a solid form in a flash of white light.
"Terrans can use Protoss warp-in technology? It can work like this?"
The moment the Medic fully arrived in this world, she immediately began administering emergency aid to Lucan.
"Don't move! Your wound is very severe!"
A female voice came from the combat suit. She raised the medical device in her hand and fired a green ray at Lucan.
Along with this ray, a large number of nanites entered Lucan's body. They released an anesthetic without side effects, and Lucan instantly felt the heart-wrenching pain disappear. Then, these nanites began to repair his body at an extremely rapid pace.
Both internal injuries and external wounds were recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Watching this scene, Lucan felt it was incredible. He knew that games were ultimately games; if this were truly the StarCraft universe, a Medic's treatment wouldn't be so simple. After all, Medics were also equipped with many surgical tools. However, under the influence of some unknown rule, the Medic's healing produced the same effect as in the game.
"If it's really like this, then Terran Barracks, Factories, and Starports, those kinds of recruitment buildings, would also be similar to how they are in the game. Wouldn't that mean a single Barracks is equivalent to an STC construction template from the Adeptus Mechanicus?"
Lucan realized something. This was the true power of the loaded game template: it didn't need to consider reality but directly presented the actual in-game effects. Of course, this still required further verification by him.
Under the Medic's treatment, the fatal injury healed, and Lucan Drex Aurelian climbed up from the floor.
Only after recovering did he have the energy to properly observe the hall and sort through the new memories in his mind.
From the memories, he knew that this hall was where the Rogue Trader family's most important sacred Warrant of Trade was kept. The surrounding energy conduits and inscriptions had been built and empowered with anti-psyker and anti-Chaos technologies over generations by his Mongorte Dynasty, at great cost, by inviting priests from the Ecclesiarchy, Tech-Priests from the Adeptus Mechanicus, and even Inquisitors from the Inquisition.
The previous owner of this body had only been able to enter because he possessed the Mongorte family bloodline.
And this hall existed within the dynasty's flagship voidship, the 'Golden Ram'. He had come here to undergo an assessment; the dynasty was looking for an heir. He didn't know who had attacked him, but clearly, they didn't want him to pass the assessment.
And those who wanted him dead were still outside the hall at this moment.
Lucan curiously walked over to the Warrant of Trade.
A huge, ancient parchment was housed within a small stasis field, protecting it from any damage due to the passage of time.
[I declare again, in accordance with my will and the true content of this document, I appoint this individual as the holder of the Warrant of Trade. To be an exemplar for Mankind, to never yield in the face of adversity, and to forge a path through the darkness.]
"A real Warrant of Trade… and I'm one of the heirs."
Truth be told, apart from almost dying right at the start, he could accept this identity. At least he hadn't become an Imperial Guardsman or some unlucky hive-worlder. Moreover, if he truly became a Rogue Trader later on, with this Warrant of Trade, he would have far fewer restrictions. He could engage in certain activities that would normally be considered heretical without being hunted down by the Inquisition.
After all, according to the Warrant of Trade, a Rogue Trader could contact and even trade with xenos, as long as it didn't endanger humanity.
(End of Chapter)