It took exactly five hours, just as Kaelira had claid.
But what stunned —genuinely left staring with a slack jaw—was the estate itself.
Astreel wasn’t a manor.
It was a goddamn tropolis.
The kind you’d only expect to find on so distant futuristic continent in a high-budget RPG.
The mont we passed the final hill and the entire structure of the estate ca into view, I felt like I’d stepped into another world altogether.
Compared to Tirie Town? This place was the difference between stone knives and laser cannons.
Skyscrapers rose into the sky, forged not of brick and timber but sleek blackened tal.
Glowing veins of circuitry ran across the surfaces like so urban neural network pulsing with life.
Transparent elevator pods zipped up and down their rails. Holographic projections floated mid-air, their vivid displays shalessly advertising the most absurd shit.
No, seriously.
Actual holographic ads.
"Get the Oga-Sense ArenaDeck XZ-9000—the ultimate gaming rig for just 599 RHB! Only today!"
"Feeling lonely? AImour brings you our newest Ai companions—girlfriend, boyfriend, customizable personalities. Try them FREE this week only!"
"Mommy, I want that doll—sweetie, we have dolls at ho... THE DOLL AT HO: BOSS MUSIC STARTS PLAYING."
I blinked several tis, not sure if this was real or if I’d just walked into the fever dream of an ani convention fused with an augnted reality showcase.
Everything here scread Otaku Heaven. The kind of place Mia would’ve dropped dead from excitent just looking at.
She would’ve loved this place. Completely lost her mind.
A sour note hit my chest. Mia...
But we weren’t exactly on good terms at the mont. Our standoff still lingered. I refused to cave first this ti. Even if I wanted to share this insanity with her—I wouldn’t be the one to say sorry. Not this ti.
Kaelira, ever composed, let Atter loose to wander the outskirts like before. A quick whistle and he’d return; she trusted him.
The mont her boots touched the pavent of the outer ring of Astreel, she turned to with a cocky grin.
"Co on, let’s go," she said casually, like we hadn’t just stepped into cyberpunk Disneyland.
There were no guards at the gates. Just a lone standing crystal-like pillar. At first, I thought it was decorative—until it moved. No, shimred.
A holographic AI projection blinked into existence in front of us. Sleek, genderless, with softly glowing eyes.
It scanned us from head to toe with a sweeping blue light, made a pleasant dinging sound like a microwave finishing a al, then disappeared with a thumbs-up.
Green access granted.
Just like that, we were inside.
And the interior... .
The place was electric. Neon signs flickered along steel-paneled buildings, illuminating the streets in soft blues and purples.
Massive digital billboards cycled ads, deals, news, and ga updates in real ti. The roads were paved in shimring synthglass, reflecting the sky like a mirror.
There were no open-air markets here. No stalls. No bartering over fruits or bread or horseshoes.
Instead, sleek, glass-walled shops lined every street. Minimalist interiors. Bold displays. Specialized tech.
And the gas.
If there was one thing this place was obsessed with, it was gaming.
Everywhere I looked—everywhere—soone was playing sothing. Be it in AR, VR, on wrist-consoles, visors, floating displays, ntal link implants, or gods knows what else.
People sat on street corners with full dive gear, so battled each other in semi-transparent arenas projected from their rings. A pair of teens nearby were dueling mid-air using pixelated cards that turned into real creatures.
I kid you not.
One out of every five people I passed was in the middle of a ga. It wasn’t just a pasti here—it was culture. Life.
My eyes couldn’t stop darting around. It was overwhelming. Not in a bad way—no. It was like I’d walked into a high-concept gaming expo that just... never ended.
I felt like a kid in a candy store. I wanted to explore every inch of this place. Sample every ga. Try every booth. Hell, I was already halfway tempted to toss everything aside and start arcading my heart out.
But no.
I was here for a mission. Focus. No distractions.
Kaelira must’ve noticed my twitching hands and wide-eyed amazent, because she chuckled beside .
"You look like you just saw God," she teased, arms folded under her chest as she walked confidently through the glowing streets.
I didn’t even try to deny it.
"This place is insane," I muttered. "I thought Tirie was just the standard. But this? This is like a whole other realm."
She smirked. "It kind of is. You’re not wrong."
I blinked, still dazed. "Wait. What’s with all the tech?"
Kaelira shrugged. "Astreel Estate is modeled after the empires of the Western Continent. They are obsessed with technology and digital enhancents. The ruling family imported whatever blueprints they could find and built this whole place around it."
I muttered under my breath. "Otaku kings, huh?"
She laughed. "That’s one way to put it."
We paused near a glowing kiosk, shaped like an oversized console controller fused with a crystal orb. Kaelira placed her hand on it. A flicker of light ran through her fingertips and the screen displayed a nu.
She turned to , that familiar cocky grin playing on her lips.
"First things first," she said. "You need an ID card. No one gets to play gas here without one. And trust —you’re going to want to."
I tilted my head, frowning slightly in confusion. "Why? Do I have to play gas? What is this, a date or sothing?"
Kaelira laughed under her breath, that amused glint never leaving her eyes. "I guess you could say that we’re on a date... though not the romantic kind."
She flicked a finger toward a nearby holographic ad before returning her gaze to . "But if you want to survive in Astreel, then yes. You have to play gas. Everything here runs on RHB, and you only earn those by winning matches."
Her words struck like a spark in dry grass.
’Ah. That’s why.’ That was why I’d seen so many people out in the streets, gaming like their lives depended on it—because they literally did.
This entire place operated on gas. Not just entertainnt or pasti. No. Currency. Status. Power. All of it—tied to performance in gas.
It was both ridiculous and... genius.
A sly grin began crawling across my face. Sure, I may be ruthless, morally gray, and emotionally detached, but if there was one other defining trait about ?
’I was a fucking god in video gas.’
The average player might grind for a win or sweat through tutorials, but ? I was the guy who beat the Elden Bracelet 5678—the hardest soul-crushing soulslike ga ever made—without dying even once.
First run. No guides. No cheese. Just raw, unfiltered skill.
It wasn’t just reflexes. It was instinct. Intuition. A natural-born predator in the gaming ecosystem.
Honestly, if Astreel was a place where gaming ruled, then I was already halfway to being king.
I let out a dry chuckle. "Alright, fine. Let’s go get this magic ID."
Kaelira nodded, pleased. She turned and began walking toward one of the inner roads, and I followed, hands in my pockets, eyes still scanning the glowing skyscrapers around us. My mind wandered briefly.
Was that brat Vaylin beaten in a ga? By Kaelira’s sister, no less?
Because if he was—if he got obliterated in a match and that’s what caused his psychotic break—then I swear, the kid had to be the most toxic sore loser on the continent.
Still, I couldn’t help but smile. Imagining the future... stomping him into the dirt in front of an audience? Oh, I wanted to see what kind of ltdown he’d have.
Tears optional. No definitely needed.
We eventually arrived at a modest two-story building, sandwiched between a glowing cyber café and what looked like a cha-thed bubble tea shop. Above the doorway, a bold neon sign flickered in vibrant white-blue light:
"ID CENTER – REGISTER & CONQUER."
’Subtle.’
The interior was minimalist, almost too much so. Walls a dull gray, the lighting dim, with only a single counter toward the back.
Behind it sat an employee who looked about one match away from falling into a nap. They were leaned back in their chair, fiddling with sothing on their holo-phone—probably watching catgirl strears or sothing equally mind-numbing.
I chuckled to myself. First thing I’m buying after raking in RHB? A phone. A proper, high-functioning, dopamine-loaded device with unlimited access.
After everything I’d endured recently—training, trials, monsters, and fights—I deserved a little self-induced procrastination. Sothing mindless. Blissful.
’Maybe they even had porn.’
...I promptly shook that thought from my head. Focus, Cassius. There will be ti for that later.
Kaelira stepped forward, business-like. "Hello. We’re here to create an ID."
The employee barely looked up. "Both of you, or just one?"
"Just the boy," she replied smoothly, jerking a thumb toward .
The employee finally looked my way, gave a lazy once-over, then nodded. "Two hundred RHB."
Without hesitation, Kaelira pulled out a sleek black card from inside her coat. She handed it over.
The employee slid it through a hovering hologram reader, which made a soft beep before flashing a green check mark. The card was returned.
They tilted their head toward . "Hey. Co over here."
I stepped forward to the counter.
"Place your hand on the screen."
A glowing blue palm-print hovered mid-air, rotating slowly with a digital hum. I hesitated a mont, then pressed my hand against the projection.
Warmth surged through my palm. The air shimred. Then, words began to appear in neat rows, like soone typing up my life story from scratch.
Na: Cassius Lancaster
Age: 22 | Gender: Male
Rank: ★★★★
Level: 0 | Grade: 7
Wins: N/A | Losses: N/A
Reviews
All reviews (0)