Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 001
Chapter Title: From Champion to True God
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Choi Seong-un loved the early access game Lost World.
Not only did he love it—he was damn good at it.
Lost World was a simulation game where a maximum of thirty-two players participated as gods. They developed various races like humans, elves, and orcs all the way to modern civilization before clashing in battle to seize victory.
Last year, Seong-un had sporadically claimed first place, but this year he had held the top spot for eleven straight months. If he maintained his rating score through today, it would mark twelve months—a full year without ever losing the number one rank, crowning him the undisputed champion.
And Seong-un was playing his final game of the day.
Seong-un selected 'Yes'.
The screen showed dozens of ICBMs loaded with nuclear warheads emerging from the missile silos in Seong-un's bases, all pointing skyward in unison.
After hours of play, only Seong-un and his opponent remained.
The prepared nuclear missiles launched simultaneously, streaking across the continent toward the enemy nation.
A few ABMs fired from the enemy territory downed some of Seong-un's nukes over the ocean, but it was all within his calculations. The opponent's missile defense system couldn't keep up with his.
Seong-un shifted his avatar's view toward the enemy emperor's palace.
The orc emperor, upon hearing news of the incoming nuclear missiles aimed at his homeland, was offering prayers in an underground bunker temple.
This was exactly what Seong-un had been worried about.
In the real world, a ruler from a theocratic society praying to a god in their final moments might seem comical or poignant. But not in Lost World.
'While I was building up my nuclear arsenal, they didn't invest in tech, so they must have stockpiled more faith resources.'
In Lost World, players were gods.
Players could intervene in limited ways with the races or nations they ruled, using that to spread their influence and compel the beings of the Lost World to believe in them.
That belief became a resource called faith, which players could spend to perform miracles, protecting and safeguarding their followers.
'They claimed orcs as their primary race, but that's just because they multiply quickly.'
Seong-un watched the nuclear missiles soaring through the sky via his avatars scattered across the world.
Some of the nukes that evaded the ABMs suddenly veered upward toward the heavens.
Bending missiles hurtling along at extreme heat required immense power.
Soon, the source of that power revealed itself.
It resembled the silhouette of a bipedal creature overall, but its size spanned hundreds of meters.
A massive thundercloud wrapped in raging winds crackled endlessly with lightning within.
It was the opponent's avatar of wind.
Compressed air formed whirlwinds that engulfed the missiles, dragging them upward until they vanished from sight.
The opponent's major domain was the sky.
The power of the heavens manifested as a miracle, defying the sky god's will and pulling the insolent missiles trespassing through the firmament back aloft.
The nukes rose high enough not to affect ground life before detonating, birthing orbs of light across the Lost World skies.
These premature artificial suns blotted out the night stars, revealing a blue sky.
'Holy Orc Build again.'
Seong-un knew this strategy well.
Focus solely on orcs as the primary race to rapidly increase their numbers, then leverage the growing flock of believers for quick faith gains. Acquire science and culture through conquest.
High faith and orc numbers gave it an edge in war, earning consistent praise from early to late game.
The opponent taking the sky as their major domain meant they had been wary of Seong-un's science-focused path for some time.
With the sky claimed, Seong-un couldn't employ anti-air tactics in the late-game war.
Had he developed aircraft tech without interference, he would have hammered them with nukes and won handily.
He knew it all along.
Once the nukes were blocked, the opponent would likely gather more faith for counter-miracles like lightning, tornadoes, or typhoons.
Holy Orc was currently the meta with the highest win rate.
Which made it all the easier.
Seong-un maintained his number one ranking through masterful counter-builds. He had used Holy Orc himself right after the meta emerged.
If he thought it had no weaknesses, Seong-un might have gone with it too.
Seong-un maneuvered the highest-orbiting one among them.
'It' floated over 2,000 km above the surface.
A military satellite run by AI, crafted as Seong-un's avatar from an ancient holy relic.
Not even a god with the major domain of sky could rule all the heavens.
'At best, the sky above their own head.'
Space was not the gods' domain, and neither was the orbit holding the satellite.
The sky ultimately meant within the atmosphere.
That sky god sternly overlooked only the land below, oblivious to what loomed above.
Seong-un aimed his avatar directly over the enemy emperor's head.
This military satellite carried no conventional weapons.
Just a few tungsten rods.
That was enough.
The massive 10-ton tungsten rods began free-falling, pulled by the planet's gravity.
What started as imperceptibly slow grew into a red-hot streak tearing through the sky.
The opponent probably wouldn't even notice amid handling the nukes—and even if they did, sky miracles could only nudge the trajectory slightly.
'Ever heard of rods from God?'
The tungsten rod pierced the imperial palace roof, punching straight through multiple floors.
Yet it barely slowed.
It speared through the bunker and embedded in the underground temple.
At its tip lay the flattened emperor who had been praying.
A beat later, the palace and bunker below collapsed.
'Victory.'
He hadn't used the rod from God immediately out of simple curiosity about the opponent's preparations.
The foe was 'Hegemonia', the number two ranked player who had been closing the rating gap aggressively—a famous name.
They'd clash often ahead, so scouting major builds was key.
'Better surrender before it gets ugly.'
With the imperial avatar dead—the source of the most faith—the underground temple crumbled.
Seong-un couldn't see the faith drop, but it clearly lacked to sustain avatars. The wind avatar dissolved. Blocking more nukes was impossible now.
The opponent flailed, miracles going haywire.
Wind apostles scattered as the capital, major cities, and key facilities erupted like fireworks.
Only then did the opponent surrender, looking pathetic.
Seong-un smiled at the score screen.
Not because of the point gap against the opponent, but because it was now next month by Pacific Standard Time.
Twelve consecutive months at number one.
A unique record in Lost World history, one no one would easily surpass.
But what thrilled Seong-un most was completing 100% of the achievements.
'An achievement only possible with twelve straight months at number one.'
Achievement enthusiasts had ranted at the developers for such an absurd addition, but it existed—and for Seong-un, the sheer impossibility made it worth pursuing.
He'd failed plenty, even questioning a comeback after bombing at five months straight. Yet here he was.
As Seong-un stretched and glanced back at the screen, a message arrived.
Seong-un found it odd.
'Perfect timing? Planned for my achievement unlock?'
He glanced at the clock.
He was riding high from twelve months number one and 100% achievements, but it wasn't bedtime yet. His hands were just warmed up.
Seong-un clicked 'Yes'.
Seong-un blinked.
Seong-un thought he had lost consciousness.
But he hadn't.
He was gazing at a pitch-black night sky, and as his vision sharpened, he saw it wasn't entirely dark.
Stars twinkled. A familiar blue-glowing planet caught his eye. Naturally, the sun dominated most of his view.
Seong-un shot upright from where he lay.
'Temple ruins...?'
Crude stone pillars reminiscent of Greek temples ringed the area, the floor paved in matching gray stone.
This structure sat relatively high up; similar buildings stretched beyond the pillars.
The odd part: the horizon was visible, yet the sky remained black.
'No atmosphere.'
Without air, no light scattering meant no blue sky, even with the sun up.
Of course, no air also meant no breathing, but Seong-un figured it was a vivid dream and rose to his feet.
"This is no dream."
Seong-un whipped his head toward the voice.
A strange figure stood there.
Robed like a medieval monk, hood pulled low.
Seong-un leaned in to peer under the hood, but it was pitch black inside.
Seong-un retorted.
"No dream?"
"Seong-un, I am Aldin. You have been chosen as well."
Seong-un blinked.
Before questioning how he knew his name or what 'chosen' meant, something else puzzled him more.
"'As well'?"
Aldin nodded and gestured around Seong-un.
Suddenly, shadows invisible until now appeared in Seong-un's sight.
Seong-un startled slightly, but realized they were ordinary human silhouettes.
Like him, the shadows were glancing around in surprise.
"You all hail from the same world, Earth. Some of you may even know each other. For a fair game, we shrouded you in shadow."
"Game...?"
Seong-un recalled what he'd been doing just before arriving here.
Aldin raised an arm toward the planet overhead.
What Seong-un had taken for Earth was actually another very familiar world: Lost World.
'So this ground under my feet is Lost World's moon.'
"Yes. The game you played, Lost World, was modeled after this real world. The countless games you played were practice for this one."
Aldin declared.
"You will become true gods in that Lost World."