Kai's player-run stall was modest—just a wooden crate and a flickering hologram over his head that read:
> Lucky Finds: Cheap Deals, No Questions Asked
The items for sale looked like beginner trash to the casual observer, but under the disguise of low-tier models were weapons and artifacts worthy of world bosses. Kai had carefully hidden their true stats with his Codewalker skill, replacing their visual metadata with "Wooden Sword (+2)" and "Stale Apple."
In truth, the "wooden sword" was a Stormrazor Fangblade—a blade capable of cleaving through entire raid parties.
Kai leaned back against the crate, chewing on real-world toast in his VR chair. "Okay. Nobody suspects a thing. Time to turn one of these into grocery money."
Just then, a message pinged.
> [Private Message: Unknown] "You're either very clever… or very dangerous. We'd like to talk. – Black Sun Syndicate"
Kai frowned. "Black Sun? Aren't they the PvP maniacs?"
He tapped to ignore. Two seconds later, a shadow fell across his stall.
A towering figure in black, demonic-themed armor stepped forward. His nameplate pulsed with red flame:
> [Lv. 97] ReaperZion – Guildmaster, Black Sun Syndicate
"Oh crap," Kai muttered.
ReaperZion spoke in a voice that sounded like metal scraping stone. "You're new. And yet, someone is selling cloaked mythics under the devs' noses. That interests me."
Kai blinked innocently. "I'm just selling old stuff I found. A lot of slimes drop junk. I guess I got lucky?"
ReaperZion tilted his head. "Join us. Black Sun owns the PvP leaderboard. With your... luck, we could burn the whole game from the top down."
Kai forced a smile. "Tempting offer. But I'm not really into evil overlord stuff. I'm more of a… independent seller."
There was silence. The marketplace went quiet.
Then ReaperZion leaned forward. "You just made the dumbest decision of your digital life."
He turned and vanished into a black mist. A system ping followed:
> [System Notice: Black Sun Syndicate has marked you as "Kill-on-Sight" in PvP Zones.]
Kai groaned. "Great. I just made a guild war happen... and I haven't even hit level 10."
---
Later That Day – The Wildlands PvP Zone
Kai had ventured out of Aurelia, walking into the open-world zone called the Wildlands, hoping to hunt rare herbs to sell. Unfortunately, it was a PvP-enabled region—and Black Sun's minions were already hunting him.
> [Alert: You are being tracked.]
"Of course I am," Kai muttered.
Two assassins leapt from the treeline—high-level, glowing weapons, and custom guild capes. Kai, still officially a "Novice," looked helpless.
They grinned.
"You must be the guy who turned down our boss."
Kai reached into the air, activating the invisible Codewalker menu.
> Activate: Plot Armor (Low Intensity Mode)
→ Result: All enemy attacks in the next 30 seconds will 'miss' due to 'accidental terrain advantage'.
He didn't move.
As the assassins struck, one tripped on a tree root, falling into a pit. The other's blade ricocheted off a random rock, bounced up, and hit himself in the forehead. They both collapsed.
> [You have defeated: Black Sun Enforcer x2]
Loot Gained: Darksteel Daggers (Lv. 80), 2,000G
Kai whispered, "Cheating without looking like I'm cheating... is harder than I thought."
---
Elsewhere: The Arrival of a Star
In the city of Moonveil, far across the map, a player in brilliant silver-and-teal armor walked out of a teleport gate.
Her name was whispered across forums, livestreams, and the top 10 PvP lists:
> [Lv. 98] Aria_Mira – Guild: Valkyrion
Nicknamed "The Seraph Blade," Aria was known for her code-precision fighting style, unmatched speed, and refusal to ever join corrupt guilds.
She was also the only player known to have defeated ReaperZion in a 1v1—and she hated the Black Sun Syndicate.
She looked over a report from her sub-leader. A rising novice named "Kai" was being targeted by Black Sun. Items traced to him had unknown origin and unmatched stats.
Her eyes narrowed.
"A hidden source of god-tier gear? Either a hacker… or something new."
She opened her map and marked Aurelia.
"Time to see what this novice really is."
---
Back in Aurelia – Kai Meets a Star
Kai returned to town with his bag full of loot, hoping to lay low. But the moment he entered the square, a rush of whispers spread like wildfire.
Then he saw her.
Tall, graceful, and shining like the sun itself—Aria_Mira, the Seraph Blade, stepped through the crowd. She walked straight to him.
Kai blinked. "Um. Hello?"
Aria smiled gently. "Are you the one they call Lucky Guy?"
Kai scratched his neck. "I mean... I didn't pick the name, it just kinda stuck—"
"I've seen reports. You're selling cloaked mythics, survived multiple ambushes from Black Sun, and you're level one."
Kai looked around nervously. "I can explain?"
Aria tilted her head. "Don't worry. I don't work for them. I just wanted to meet the guy who's breaking every rule without technically breaking anything."
She held out her hand. "Aria. Guild: Valkyrion. We oppose the Syndicate. If you ever need a shield, I can be that."
Kai slowly shook her hand. "Kai. Class: …Just Novice."
Aria winked. "Sure you are."