---Logan's POV---

  I finally finished editing the st episode of herworld Revolution. Slumping into my chair, I sprawled out like a dead dog, my muscles ag from hours of hunched editing.

  Tilting my head back, I howled, "Finally! Finally done grinding it out! Chasing trends is no easy task!"

  The hype was already starting to wane. My test analytics showed a steady dee in viewer i. It was time for me to pocket the earnings from these three videos aurn to my roots: gamepy entary.

  But tely, the gaming world had been pletely overshadowed by herworld Revolution.

  New releases inally scheduled for pre-order were all deyed, oer another. 't do another indie review. Viewers are burned out on those.

  For now, I had no clue what game to feature in my video.

  Should I cover an unfinished beta? But whie wasn't just a cash grab...

  I was stuck.

  Suddenly, my puter chimed.

  I gnced down. It was a notification for new email.

  "What's this? Junk mail? Wait, no—it's from icles of Aeltia?!"

  I immediately sat up straight and opehe email to take a closer look.

  It turned out that only three people had signed up for the beta test. The three of us were automatically packaged as the first external testers of icles of Aeltia.

  The full-dive VR headset required to py the game was already on its way.

  The beta would officially begin in two days.

  "Holy crap!" I was momentarily dazed.

  When I signed up, it was just wishful thinking—I hadn't expected to actually py icles of Aeltia.

  But this was way too fast.

  I'd figured that if I got any news within two months, it would mean the developers were being diligent.

  This ractically instant.

  After the initial excitement, worry began to creep in. I stared at the email on my s and started sed-guessing myself.

  With such high efficy, could there be issues with the headset?

  What if putting it on fried my brain?

  But this was the first-ever full-dive VR game.

  It felt like there were two little voices arguing in my head, aher could vihe other.

  If only I could find the other two beta testers, I might feel more at ease. But the official icles of Aeltia website didn't even have a pyer forum.

  I had no idea where to start looking.

  Then I caught something in the er of my eye. In my fan group chat, someone had just mentioned icles of Aeltia.

  A lightbulb went off in my head.

  I might not know where to find people, but I had fans!

  Even though my career as a tent creator wasn't particurly successful, I had built up a loyal fanbase over time. With their help, I might be able to find the other beta testers!

  I decisively opehe fan group.

  The chat was lively, full of banter about herworld Revolution and icles of Aeltia.

  [GameLord420]: Why does it feel like the reviews for herworld Revolution are improving?

  [MemeKnight]: Duh! With icles of Aeltia as the ultimate scapegoat, even a pig could look like King Arthur by parison!

  [GameLord420]: No way, right? What if icles of Aeltia actually delivers? I heard its beta is starting soon.

  [LootGoblin]: Do you believe icles of Aeltia make a real game, or do you believe I'm Adolf Hitler?

  [GameLord420]: Fair point. I believe you!

  [LootGoblin]: Alright, then wire me 50 bucks, and when I make a eback, I'll make you Reichsmarschall!

  [Actually_Hitler]: How dare you! I am the real Hitler! Once I make a eback, I'll unify Europe, standardize everything, and make everyone speak German! Type '1' if you believe me!

  [GameLord420]: 1!

  [MemeKnight]: 111, no more English csses, Mein Führer?

  [LootGoblin]: Pfft! Liar! It's standardizing everything first, then unifying Europe! I'm the real Hitler!

  The versation was wildly off track.

  Just as I was w how to join in, a fan named ProGamer_Daddy suddenly chimed in:

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: I got into the icles of Aeltia beta! In two days, I'll do a live text stream in the group for everyone!

  The chat exploded.

  What luck! I had been wrag my brain on how to find the other beta testers, and now one just fell into my p.

  I quickly started typing.

  [NeverShowOff]: @ProGamer_Daddy, buddy, did you receive your VR headset yet?

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: Huh? Bro, don't tell me you…

  [NeverShowOff]: Ahem, I also got into the beta.

  [Actually_Hitler]: No way, Show-Off Bro. You fell for this kind of scam too?

  Oof. I felt like my heart had been stabbed. This was exactly why I'd beeating t it up. It was embarrassing. Why do I feel like I'm making excuses to my mom?

  [NeverShowOff]: Haha, well, I'm a gaming tent creator, so I o explore oddball games for material.

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: Oh, that makes sense. Holy, I only signed up because it was dirt cheap—like practically free—so I figured why not? Didn't expect to actually get in!

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: I checked my delivery tracker. The headset should arrive this afternoon. But my dad said it might be unsafe si's from an unknown source. He wants to run some tests at his pany first, so I probably won't get my hands on it until tomorrow.

  "Practically free…" I felt aab to my heart, followed by two streams of metaphorical tears.

  I was all too familiar with this fan, ProGamer_Daddy, who happeo be my third-highest tipper.

  He was a young heir from a wealthy family who casually doo my el. He once joked that being a top donor on my small el was 'easier than taking dy from a baby'—all it took was a few donations that probably meant nothing to him.

  Sigh. The gap between people really was massive.

  But the seessage lifted my spirits. This was exactly the kind of info I needed!

  I quickly pulled ProGamer_Daddy into a private chat.

  ---

  [NeverShowOff]: Hey, could you sehe test report on the headset when it's done?

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: Ohhh, so that's why you messaged me? No problem at all!

  [NeverShowOff]: Thanks a ton! By the way, do you think icles of Aeltia could actually deliver on full-dive VR?

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: Hmm… Not likely. My family doesn't work in game development, but we're pretty familiar with cutting-edge braiech.

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: To make a game pod that meets public expectations, they'd least one major teical breakthrough, maybe even two. The neural interface alone would need some serious testing.

  [NeverShowOff]: But what about those breakthrough rumors?

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: Even with quantum puting, the processing requirements would be astronomical.

  [NeverShowOff]: Could you share the detailed results when they're done?

  [ProGamer_Daddy]: Sure, but don't expect much. This kind of tech usually takes decades.

  I read this with new respect.

  ProGamer_Daddy clearly came from araordinary background. This level of insight was well beyond anything I could gather on my own.

  We chatted for a while lreeing to check out icles of Aeltia together in two days. If the game actually worked, we'd team up.

  I closed the chat window.

  If it works, I'll have exclusive first ce.

  If it fails, well, failed game reviews get views too.

  Even though ProGamer_Daddy said the ces were slim, there was still a ce. Some revolutionary teologies didn't follow the usual rules.

  Think of the Industrial Revolution—human progress in that era outpaced the previous thousand years bined!

  What if icles of Aeltia really had that kind of breakthrough? It would be a massive win.

  I would treat this as an invisible iment. Huge gains if it worked, minimal loss if it didn't.

  After chatting with ProGamer_Daddy, I felt much more at ease.

  ---Viktor's POV---

  After my expnation, Edgar now had a general uanding of the chaotieutral personality of our ining pyers. I watched as he studied the list of written notes I'd given him, attempting to it them to memory.

  Meanwhile, I atrolling Honeyvale Town, which had been given a sembnce of renewal.

  The entire pce had fewer than a hundred houses, with only two main streets, both of which could be seen in their ey from one end. It was almost adorably primitive. Perfect for newbies who o learn the hard way.

  In preparation for the fragile pyers who were about to arrive, Edgar had dealt with the few stray magical creatures in town. He'd also set up a temporary magiation within a one-kilometer radius around the town, both to bloew monsters from entering and to ceal the town itself, redug the ce of unwanted discovery.

  The location, oskirts of the Great Oak Forest, could still be sidered moderately dangerous fh-level mages, making it araining ground. But it also posed a future threat to me and my group.

  Given that the pyers would o build their own houses and fe for food during their initial adventures, Edgar had made a trip to the neighb Nary Town to borrow some tools.

  I g the sky. The pyers would be arriving soon. Calling to Edgar and the floating orb outside the chapel, I motioned for them to follow me inside.

  "Time's getting short. Walk me through the wele sequence again."

  "Greet them at the chapel, expin basic survival meics..." Edgar began.

  "And if they ask about advanced skills?"

  "Direct them to the quest board, as instructed."

  "Good. Did you memorize it all?" I asked Edgar once we were inside.

  He nodded. "More or less. There are a few phrases I don't fully uand, but memorizing them isn't too hard."

  "No problem. Just stick to responding with the specifies I've taught you. If you don't uand something, just ig. You'll figure it out over time."

  I had anticipated this. Abstrater sng was not something I could directly expin thteous knight like Edgar. It would have to e through experience.

  Time for a practical lesson. I cleared my throat and assumed my best pyer impression.

  "Yo, this game is poggers! But like, the graphics are kinda sus. No cap, fr fr."

  Edgar's brow furrowed in tration. He sulted the hen replied with careful precision, "Wele to Aeltia! We're w to improve your experience. Perhaps you'd like to try our uping quests?"

  "Based response, my guy! Where I get some epic loot?"

  "The abandoned mio the north holds many treasures," he answered smoothly, gaining fidence. "But beware—only the stro warriors return."

  Not bad. He's learning to redirect their attention to game tent. I switched tactics.

  "Bruh, this game's totally pay to win! I'm gonna rage quit!"

  Edgar's hand instinctively moved toward his sword—a warrior's reflex to perceived hostility—but he caught himself and responded as practiced. "Every warrior faces challenges differently. Have you visited our training grounds? Many find their true strength there."

  I nodded in approval. Being severely injured and weakened, I couldn't possibly guide every pyer personally as our numbers grew. Edgar was the successor I was training.

  He'll make a fine guide for the starter vilge. Ear enough to be trustworthy, adaptable enough to haheir chaos.

  ---

  Ihe chapel, the broken furniture and dlesticks had already been cleared out, leaving only a statue of a deity. Before the statue, there was a massive magiation, spanning several dozeers.

  The orb floated nervously he ceiling. "Must you duct this bsphemy here?"

  "Would you prefer I do it outside where anyone could see?"

  "But the sacred ground—"

  "Will serve a new purpose. Times ge, little one."

  This roduct of one of my failed neancy experiments—an illegal magic spell capable of transf the corpses of monsters into human bodies. However, these bodies couldn't tain plete human souls, rendering the spell useless for my initial needs.

  Ever since I had created it, it had gone unused.

  But now things were different. This spell was useless for resurre, but perfect for pyer avatars.

  The pyers ing from Earth would only be able to send over fragments of their sciousness. This happeo meet the criteria for using the bodies produced by the spell.

  I pulled out my bck staff with its long handle. Arouhe surrounding mana began to flow and verge into the formation, which suddenly lit up.

  "Flesh Rebirth!"

  The pile of monster corpses Edgar had pced at the ter of the formation began to dissolve, sinking into the magic circle.

  A crimson-bck mist rose from the formatioing away the already damaged marble floor and exposing the dirt beh.

  The floating orb let out a small, distressed shriek. "My chapel!"

  To the orb, the chapel, with its deity statue, was its most prized possession. Seeing the floor crumble and a gaping hole form, it was nearly heartbroken.

  It didn't dare voice its pints too loudly. Interrupting a neancer's ritual could mean losing the entire chapel altogether.

  Moments ter, three pale male human bodies were ly arranged on the ground.

  I nodded in satisfa. "Good. The magic worked perfectly!"

  Now, we just o deliver the game helmets taining my mana to the hands of the three beta testers.

  Over the past few days, I had discovered that my mana seemed to fun like a virus oer, infiltrating any cracks iwork.

  Sihat was the case, I had done what any good "virus" would do. I used the mohe beta testers had paid for their game access to deposit funds into a hidden at. Using this, I acquired three motorcycle helmets, modified them through a series of transas, and had a craftsman install w devices inside.

  Through these devices, I infused my mana into the helmets. When the pyers received their helmets, my mana would locate their brain coordinates and pull their sciousness projes into this world.

  Everything roceeding perfectly. All that remained was for the pyers to arrive.

  Edgar stepped forward to dress the three "corpses."

  We were currently on the run, with few resources. The clothes, borrowed from the neighb town, didn't fit well. Some shirts were so short they choked the neck, while the pants were so long they dragged on the ground.

  "Not bad," I ented. "Low-quality starter outfits like these should motivate them to buy new skins!"

  This wasn't ideal, of course. I didn't like cutting ers. But anization was in dire straits, and the first batch of pyers would have to ehese ditions.

  With some time left before the "beta unch," I decided to go over our personas again.

  "Pop quiz: What do you say when they ask about the gods?"

  "The gods' tyranny drove humanity to flee. Now we return to recim—"

  "Good, but add more mystery. Make them work for the lore."

  "Remember," I added, "these nerds are like children with the attention span of a gnat."

  "Yet you say they'll save Aeltia?"

  "They'll try to save Aeltia because it's fun. That's the beauty of it."

  "Let's rehearse our character settings one more time. When the nerds arrive, don't slip up!"

  Edgar nodded in uanding.

  Before I could say more, he begaing:

  "Leader of The Watchers, Viktor, and the... nerds, are humans who left Aeltia before the Age of the Gods. The gods' reckless abuse of power drove Aeltia to ruin. Now, you return to your homend on a mission to save the world..."

  Anything Edgar said souhree times more ving than usual. I listened with satisfay choice of Edgar as the guide erfect.

  "That's the spirit! If anyone asks about the lore, stick to these settings. Don't give away too much at once; share just enough to keep them hooked!"

  Lore-loving pyers thrived on pieg together scattered bits of information. This small amount of background would be enough to sustain them for several updates.

  Edgar nodded solemnly.

  The new "helpers"—no, pyers—were a chaotid easily distracted bunch. To keep them engaged long-term, he ick to the recruitment strategies I had taught him.

  The floating orb muttered us breath, "This ridiculous story wouldn't even fool a brainless red-scaled worm..."

  "Ahh!" it yelped, clutg its head as I sent a jolt of magic to shut it up.

  I retracted my staff, giving the orb a side gnce.

  "Stop muttering and start practig. Your role is crucial."

  "I almost fot about you while testing Edgar. Now, it's your ture your part of the setup!"