On a fateful winter evening, the highest and lowest digital billboards simultaneously broadcast an advertisement for the latest VR game.

Events like this were common. There was some type of flashy show on those screens almost every day.

So common that the passerby didn't pay much attention to it for the first few minutes, brushing it off as the usual promotional tactics from large corporations. 

But as minutes passed, most people were drawn to the screen, not by some invisible force, but by awe. There were many VR games on the market, some of which used the same marketing tactic. But none of them had looked so mesmerizing. It was as if they were peeking into another world. 

The scene played first on those screens was unusual, too. An empty room with a single seat at the end of it. The individual in the seat looked forward solemnly. For those who looked at the billboards from the streets, it felt like someone was looking at them from a higher point. 

For Ryuu, who was on the roof of his apartment building, it felt like the individual was looking directly at him. The man's pearly eyes had the feeling of arrogance. He had silvery-blue locks that cascaded down his shoulders like a shimmering waterfall, framing a face that was both ethereal and strong. His skin was a stark alabaster that seemed to glow in the dim light. It was as if the moonlight had coalesced into a living, breathing form and appeared before him as a tangible, if ethereal, being. 

"Kings and Gods have bowed to me," the voice, however, had an unyielding force. It was a voice that couldn't be denied or suppressed. "What makes you think you can refuse?" 

Who knew who the majestic being was talking to? It felt like he was talking to every individual looking at the screens. The person who looked like a celestial being but talked like a demon lord, who was he? The god or the villain? 

Ryuu didn't think of all that. There was only one thought on his mind. "I want to meet him," He muttered. I want to stand in front of him. Just one time, even if I die the next moment.

And he happened to have money to throw away that month.

The commercial went on for ten minutes, bringing out many scenes afterward, forests, cities, everything in between. Only after the timer hit the 10-minute mark did the screen go back to its usual broadcast. 

The crowd formed in different parts of the town scattered away. The teams responsible for the broadcasts drowned in work, trying to figure out where it was broadcast from and how. How could it have been shown on each public screen with no prior notice?

Just like that, A game called 'Kyros' Sanctuary' was carved into history. 

[SCANNING]

[User data collection: Complete.]

[User 50U1 1LT6 7LT4758 has been registered. Please wait.]

Ryuu didn't expect there to be so much data collection.

[User data collection complete.]

[Allocating role.]

The game didn't ask for personal information. The VR headset that the company provided for each player was supposedly capable of identity verification.

[Allocation complete.]

[Character name: Theron.

Profession: Hunter

Age: As per User.

Please note: Your original appearance will be applied in the game. You cannot change your appearance other than your hair and eye color.]

That was going too far. It could create major privacy issues. But Ryuu didn't care at that moment. He didn't have a striking appearance anyway. People would forget what he looked like as soon as he was out of sight.

[Entering.]

The white space he was standing in finally disappeared, replaced with the endless sky and green forest ahead.

[Welcome.] 

“It looks pretty real for a game.”

Ryuu didn't know back then, no one did, that the land they walked on was very real; the only half-real thing was themselves.