Rai stirred awake as sunlight crept through the curtains, warming his face and pulling him from a deep sleep. Blinking groggily, he sat up and stretched his arms overhead with a quiet yawn."Morning already, huh?"
He glanced at the clock. 8:12 AM.
Slipping out of bed, Rai made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the tap and splashed cold water over his face, rubbing away the last traces of sleep. The familiar sting of chilled water helped ground his thoughts, which had already begun racing.
By the ti he sat at the breakfast table, he was fully alert and awake. The table was neatly set—his mother had made toast, boiled eggs, and his coffee, that helped him get active in the morning. His father had already left for work, and his sister had gone to school. The house felt quiet, almost too quiet.
"Eat before it gets cold," his mother called from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Thanks, Mom," Rai replied, taking a bite of toast.
As he ate, his mind drifted—not to his next quest or any in-ga enemy, but to ti itself.
"Sleeping... such a waste of precious hours," he thought, sipping the hot tea. "If only I could use that ti inside the ga too. But that update will take a month to co."
Soon, It will happen.
In one month, the Dream Dive: Neutral Sync VR Gear would updated along with the ga. It was a groundbreaking advancent in virtual reality imrsion—an update that allowed players to sync their brain waves and play while they slept.No need to get extra sleep or rest as it didn’t require any effort from the players. Just pure thought transmission.
For soone like Rai—who had knowledge from the future—this was a godsend.This was the reason he had spent so much money on that specific vr set.
"One month... then I’ll gain eight extra hours every day. After that I will be able to begin my actual plans to defeat the gods. It is also the best ti to gain power as major storylines and quests start appearing during that ti."
But what truly excited him wasn’t just progression.
It was profit.
In his past life, roughly a month after launch, the in-ga currency of Eidolon Realms had undergone a massive surge in real-world value. Due to high player traffic, market demand, and corporate-backed support systems, major banks, partnered with the mysterious developers of the ga, began allowing currency exchange for real money. Players who were smart enough—or lucky enough—to farm gold before the conversion window opened beca rich overnight.
Rai wasn’t going to rely on luck this ti. He had a plan.
"One month... If I play it right, I could make quite a lot of money. It won’t be enough to live like a king, but it’ll let my family breathe easier."
He clenched his fist unconsciously, the toast forgotten on his plate.
"I’m not doing this just for myself. Not anymore."
He then rembered the currency system, information about which had been given by his status screen in the beginning of the ga. He had ignored it cause he rembered it from his previous life.
The currency system inside Eidolon Realms was elegantly structured into three core tiers:
1 Gold Coin = 100 Silver Coins
1 Silver Coin = 100 Copper Coins
1 Gold Coin = 1000 Copper Coins
This provided a flexible frawork for micro- and macro-level trading.
When the currency exchange feature unlocked, the standard rates were:
1 Gold Coin ≈ $15 USD (initially; fluctuated based on player demand)
Max weekly exchange limit: Based on regional tax laws and player verification.
World Banks were located in every major city, in-ga, allowing secure conversion between in-ga and real-world money. These institutions were NPC-run but tied to real servers that processed microtransactions.
These banks also stored items, charged small deposit fees, and provided account-based interest for large savings.
Rai’s thoughts shifted again. He recalled sothing else about the early days of the ga—sothing most new players never knew.
When players created a character, the ga randomly assigned them to various regions of the vast world. Over 90% of players spawned in human territories, such as:
The Kingdom of Valoria (in which Rai has also spawned)
The Empire of Drekar (which collapsed early in-ga during his last life)
The Undying Reach, a dark human faction
Only a small fraction—barely 10%—were sent to non-human regions, such as:
The Elven lands of Aelyrien
The Dwarven mountains of Karagorn
The Normadic Clans of Zeir (consists of beastkin who could ta other beasts)
The Coral Spires of rfolk
These players weren’t just lucky—they were blessed. Why?
Because players who spawned in non-human areas had the option to change their race. This feature was hidden and only triggered during early quests in those regions. Most humans never even knew about it.
Each race offered exclusive traits and affinities:
Elves: Affinity to Nature Magic, Spirit Magic, and heightened Mana Regeneration
Dwarves: Boosted strength, defense, and unique access to Craftsman Classes
Beastkin: Enhanced agility, stealth, and innate Combat Instincts
These changes weren’t just costic. They affected leveling curves, skill trees, and passive bonuses. Rai had always wondered what might’ve happened if he had gotten one of those spawns.
Maybe he could go there himself soday.
As he finished his last sip of chai, Rai leaned back in the chair.
"Alright. Ti to make the most of the ti I’ve got. One month to prepare before the real economy begins. I’ll need to optimize my grind, hit up rare quests, find NPCs with hidden affiliations, and start collecting rchantable items."
His eyes glead with focus.
"If I ti this right... I could walk into college not just as a freshman—but as the one paying tuition for my entire family. And there is also that entrance exam for Zephyr, I think I will be most likely be able to ace it thanks to the gar quota."
He placed the dishes in the sink, thanked his mom, and returned to his room. It was almost ti to log back in.
Eidolon Realms wasn’t just a ga anymore.
It was a future worth building.
The mont Rai reclined into his capsule and activated the headset, the soft hum of the system filled his ears.
[Synching neural patterns...][Welco back to Eidolon Realms Online, The Fallen Shade.]
The capsule hissed shut around Rai as he lay back and activated the dive.
Rai’s cloak fluttered lightly behind him as he walked around the blacksmith shed, still smiling faintly from his thoughts about the future.
Today’s objective was simple: gather more EXP, start building so early relationships, and prepare for the inevitable economic boom. "If I want to stack gold before the Dream Dive gear arrives next month, I need allies. And lucky —I know exactly who to find."
As he walked past a line of newbie players hitting scarecrow dummies, his eyes caught sight of a chubby, blonde haired boy with a large wooden club on his back and a leather apron over his gear. The guy was trying to sort out broken equipnt and throwing so minor jabs at an NPC.
"Stupid system won’t even let fix a cracked dagger. I hit it with a rock—should’ve worked!"
Rai raised an eyebrow. That voice. That thick forehead. That confused scowl.
Eron.
Except... this Eron was still clueless.
’So this is what he was like before he beca the legendary blacksmith.’
Rai approached. "You trying to fix that weapon with a rock?"
Eron turned with a scowl, then paused. "Huh? Yeah. Don’t laugh! These NPCs rip people off."
Rai chuckled and then spoke. "Not saying you’re wrong. But did you ever think of becoming a blacksmith yourself?"
"?" Eron laughed at this. "Can players even do that?"
Rai nodded. "After you reach Level 15, you can enter the major cities. There’s a special NPC there who gives out a hidden class quest—Blacksmith is one of them."
Eron narrowed his eyes. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious."
"...And how do you know that?"
Rai simply smiled.
Eron tilted his head . "Alright. Let’s say I believe you. Why tell ?"
"Because I’m going to form a guild," Rai said, standing up and smirking at Eron. "And I’m looking for talented people."
Eron blinked. "Wait. ? Talented?"
Rai nodded once.
Eron scoffed. "First of all, I’m not talented. I’ve died three tis since starting this ga. I can’t even swing properly. Second—I understand now. You are a scamr, right. Trying to swindle and even if I sohow turn out to be decent, why would I join your guild instead of a first- or second-rate one?"
Rai’s eyes glead. He stepped forward, looking down at Eron with the quiet confidence of soone who had already seen the end of the story.
"Because while those guilds are crawling, I’ll be soaring into the sky."
Eron blinked.
Rai turned and walked off without another word.
For a mont, Eron just sat there, mouth slightly open.
"...Soaring, huh?" he muttered. "Weird guy."
But even as he returned to hamring uselessly at his broken dagger, a tiny spark of sothing stirred in Eron’s chest.
Hope?
Possibility?
He didn’t know.
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