he economy of war was a brutal thing.
Twelve hours had passed since the shot that silenced the Valley of Cinders. The smoke had cleared. The psychological scar on the server remained. The "Anti-Cheat Alliance" had formally dissolved. Not through diplomacy. Through bankruptcy.
Baron_K had logged off. Hadn't returned. Rumors on the forums said his investors had pulled out after seeing the livestream of their expensive Siege Beast being atomized by a single shot. The Golden Lion guild was in shambles. Its members defecting in droves to avoid the "War Tax" Sebastian had levied on anyone wearing their tabard.
Sebastian stood in the newly constructed War Room of the Obsidian Fortress. The room was dark, lit only by the holographic map of the continent floating above the central table.
"Total loot value from the battle is estimated at 300,000 Gold," Valerie reported, her voice steady. Tired. She was sitting in a high-backed chair, scrolling through a ledger. "Most of it is scrap gear we can melt down. The raw materials, though... Sebastian, we have enough iron and steel to upgrade the walls to Tier 4."
"Do it," Sebastian said, staring at the map. "Prioritize the anti-air turrets. The next wave of the apocalypse won't just be ground-based. We need a dome."
"Boss," a raspy voice came from the corner. Wraith emerged from the shadows. Twirling a dagger. He looked more comfortable now, wearing a new set of [Shadow-Weave Leather] crafted by Galleon. "I tracked Baron_K's proxy. He's operating out of a secure bunker in Geneva. He's scared. Won't be a problem for a while."
"He's a businessman," Sebastian dismissed. "He cut his losses. I'm worried about the others. The Iron Covenant pulled back before the slaughter. General Iron is cautious. He's planning something."
"Let him plan," Galleon grunted, walking in with a mug of ale. The Dwarf looked exhausted. Satisfied. "The Railgun needs a cooldown, I've got the designs for the [Mana Mortars] ready. If they come again, we'll rain hell on them."
Sebastian nodded. His mind was elsewhere.
The fortress was secure. In the game, Sanctuary was impregnable. In reality?
He looked at his hand. In the real world, he was currently sitting in a cold warehouse. Eating protein paste. The "Fortress" in reality was just reinforced concrete. It had no magical properties yet. It couldn't regenerate. Couldn't fire railguns.
To make the game reality, he needed a bridge.
"This isn't enough," Sebastian murmured.
"Not enough?" Valerie looked up, incredulous. "We just defeated a coalition of the top guilds. We have the only Fortress in the game. We have a weapon that can kill raid bosses in one hit. What more do you want?"
"I want it real," Sebastian said.
Before Valerie could ask what he meant, the world trembled.
It wasn't a physical earthquake. It was a vibration in the mana streams. A deep, resonant gong that sounded in the soul of every player on the server.
[Ding!]
The system notification that appeared was gold. Bordered with intricate, shifting runes. It took up the entire field of vision.
══════════════════════════════════════
[ SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: THE AGE OF MAGIC ]
The First Threshold has been crossed. The world is evolving. To usher in the new era, the Imperial Court announces the:
GRAND MAGIC TOURNAMENT
Location: The Imperial Capital, Arcanum.
Eligibility: Top 100 Players on the Leaderboard OR Students of the Imperial Magic Academy.
Prizes:
[Legendary Spell Book]
[Title: Grand Magus]
[City Core (Divine Tier)]
The tournament begins in 3 days.
══════════════════════════════════════
Sebastian's eyes locked onto the third prize.
The City Core.
It was the item he had been waiting for. In his previous life, the City Core was the artifact used to found the first "System City" on Earth. It was a device that could overwrite the laws of physics in a localized area. Permanently merging the game reality with the physical world. If he installed a City Core in his warehouse in the real world, it wouldn't just be a bunker anymore. It would become a true extension of Sanctuary. It would have the game's durability. The game's mana density. The game's defenses.
It was the only way to survive the nukes.
"We're going," Sebastian said instantly.
"To Arcanum?" Valerie asked, reading the announcement. "Sebastian, look at the requirements. Top 100 Players... you're Rank 1 on the fame chart, sure. You're also 'Public Enemy No. 1'. The moment you step into the Capital, the Imperial Guards will arrest you for the mass slaughter in the Valley. Your 'Karma' is pitch black."
She was right. Sebastian checked his status.
[Karma: -50,000 (Villainous)]
[Status: Wanted in all Human Cities.]
If he walked into the Capital as "Zero," the NPC guards—Level 100 Elites—would attack him on sight. He couldn't fight the entire Empire. Not yet.
"Then I won't go as Zero," Sebastian said. He turned to Wraith. "I need a mask. Something that suppresses identification skills. A high-grade artifact."
Wraith grinned beneath his cowl. "I know a guy in the Thieves Guild. It'll cost you, though."
"Take whatever you need from the vault," Sebastian ordered. He turned to Valerie. "You're a Mage. A fire mage. The Blue Rose guild has ties to the aristocracy, right?"
Valerie nodded slowly. "My father... the Sterling Corporation has invested heavily in reputation with the Empire. I have a letter of recommendation for the Imperial Magic Academy. Why, though?"
"Because the second eligibility requirement is 'Students of the Imperial Magic Academy'," Sebastian pointed out. "I can't enter as a ranked player without being arrested. I'll enter as a student."
Valerie stared at him. "You? A student? You just committed a war crime with a space laser. Now you want to go to school?"
"I want the City Core," Sebastian said, his voice hard. "I will tear down the sky to get it. If that means sitting in a classroom and pretending to be a novice for a few days, so be it."
He walked to the window of the keep. Looking north towards the distant, shining spires of the Capital that were just visible through the smog.
"Get ready, Valerie. We're going to the Capital. We're going to take their prize right from under their noses."