Despite being the most important piece on the chessboard, the King is known to be the weakest in terms of potential and strength.
Yet, if for some reason the King is in danger, even the most talented and powerful pieces would die to save it; otherwise, it would end in a loss, that is the [Rule] after all.
That's how it is supposed to be.
"Hi hi! Hello! Are you awake now?"
Still in a daze, his memory was fuzzy. How did he end up in this place? He wondered. All he could remember was the feeling of cold air that permeated his room as he looked up at the ceiling—what happened?
That's right. How could he forget? It was the only thing he had done for the past year or so. The game that took the world by storm.
[King's Cradle]
A roguelike fantasy MMORPG. To a certain extent, it could also be called a gacha. He, however, believed it's more of a psychological game.
He remembered the endless grind, the frustrating random spawns on 'Cradles' where you'd be assigned 1 to 5 stars, often a pathetic 1-star with some useless passive gift.
Being a 1-star meant that your potential is the lowest, and your stats will grow much slower compared to a 2-star character.
Each character will have a ceiling, depending on their stars, and will have their stats plateau and stop increasing.
To top it all off, if your character dies, it dies forever. You will begin in another Cradle, and will start all over again. What was the point?
In short, it was a trash game rigged with luck. Yet, everyone seems to keep on playing, including him.
This is mostly because of a feature called [Rebirth].
The ability to break your potential limits by sacrificing your power.
That's the kind of game it was.
A double-layered roguelike game.
Flash
"...?"
As if the already bright surroundings weren't enough, a searing white light hit him. He squinted.
"Ohh~! Finally out of your slumber." The figure grinned.
Just as he was able to come about, the figure in front of him said in a playful tone. It seems he had passed out.
"Who... are you?"
He stood up, getting a clear look at his surroundings, just then—
"Ahh!"
Nothing.
Stumble
He was standing on nothing and immediately lost balance.
"Haha, still working on that Land-ing," The figure sarcastically remarked, amused.
The figure extends his hand(?) to him who stumbled backward.
"Welcome to my abode, Mr. Fran Asroth."
"Huh?"
The figure in front of him was nothing more than just pure white in the shape of a person. It was glowing and radiated a gentle yet powerful light.
Fran reluctantly reached for its hand and stood up again. Surprisingly, despite his luminescent body, the figure had a firm grip.
"Haha, you're quite tense, are you disappointed I'm not a cute goddess that's about to send you off to another world?"
"What—? You mean this isn't that?" Fran, taken aback, looks at the figure in shock.
As if predicting his thoughts, the figure laughed. The figure began to conjure a book out of nowhere. Shuffling through the pages, it begins explaining to the perplexed Fran.
<<----------->>
"...I see what you're saying. In summary, you're God?"
A few moments have passed, and the figure is still flipping through the gigantic book that seems to never end.
"Hmm—well I guess you could say that...?"
"It's not like I control everything, though I guess I could..."
As if confused by his own answer, the figure trailed off, still distracted by the book.
The figure explained to Fran his situation, supposedly he will be transported in a [Cradle], just like in King's Cradle. He apparently did not die, and was just transported by the figure in this abode. Although it calls it an "Abode," it's more accurate to say it's just a blank piece of nothing out of nowhere. As to why he was chosen, the figure dismissively answered that it just happened.
"...but what does being a [King] mean?"
"So... about that..."
There was never an instance in King's Cradle where a player becomes a [King]. In fact, most players never get to see one, to the point where they believe it's just artificial intelligence. The [King] gives out tasks, and offer rewards to [Pawns] to help them boost their growth.
The figure further explained that being King meant that once you die, the Cradle collapses along with all the players. Of course, this was something Fran knew.
"Wait... will I die? Like actually die?"
"Haha, yes, that's right." As if it were a laughing matter, the figure chuckled.
"That's... quite bad." Fran deep in thought, did not show his emotions on his face.
"Is that all you have to say? You're quite accepting of the situation already, I wish it were that easy every time..." The figure sighed, as if expecting a reaction.
It trailed off, mumbling to itself. In contrast, Fran now had to swallow the reality. It took a lot from him to take in that he was going into the game he always played, and now he had to consider that he might just die.
"This is it!" In an excited tone, the figure faced Fran.
"EVO-C1191, this should be the perfect cradle for you."
"EVO-C11—what? Perfect? What does that me—"
With no hesitation, the figure ripped the page, and with a swish of his hand, it flew right onto Fran's head. Closing his eyes, he didn't expect that the page had just been absorbed. Fran felt nothing, yet it seemed something had changed, it was a weird feeling.
"Well, good luck!"
Flash
"Wait, I still have more questions!"
The figure began to disappear as he began to lose consciousness. Just as he was about to black out—
"Oh, that was careless of me, I forgot to give out my—(static)—well, just call me Evo!"
The last thing that Fran could see from all the madness was the slight nudge of its head of the one who calls themselves Evo—as if wishing him well on his journey.