First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess

Xavier had forgotten to ask Oliver how he looked in the game, but he figured it wouldn’t be hard to spot him. Since VR rules only allowed minor cosmetic changes, and Oliver was still Oliver—round and recognizable—it shouldn’t have taken more than a glance.

He scanned the area around the fountain, walking a full circle. But there was no sign of him.

Until a voice called out behind him.

”Xavier? Is that you?”

Xavier turned around.

Oliver stood there, a bit different. Still had the same round frame, but no glasses. His hair was dyed deep crimson, eyes matching, and the long, pointy ears screamed elf wannabe.

Xavier raised a brow. ”Of course it’s me. I literally look the same as real life. How the hell did you not recognize me?”

Oliver squinted at him, confused. ”Dude... you don’t look anything like this in real life.”

Xavier frowned, opened his system screen, and checked his character info. His eyes narrowed. Something was definitely off.

He had selected auto—his real-world appearance—but the game had made some choices on its own.

His reflection showed a taller version of him, white hair that shimmered slightly, and golden eyes that felt... ancient. His skin had a faint glow beneath it, like something divine ran through his blood.

And then the details popped up:

[PRIVATE STATUS - VISIBLE TO PLAYER ONLY]

Name: Xavier

Race: God

Class: UNASSIGNED

Level: 1

HP: 100

MP: 100

STR: 10

AGI: 10

INT: 10

DEX: 10

VIT: 10

LUK: 10

CHAR: 10

Titles:

— Bearer of the Fragment

— Chosen of Astrea

— The Unseen Flame

Affiliation:

— Astrea’s Shadow

Combat Type: Adaptive

System Sync: Enabled

Xavier showed the screen to Oliver.

Oliver stared, blinking. ”What the hell even is that? God? Bearer of the Fragment? Chosen of... wait—Astrea?”

Xavier nodded. ”It did this on its own. I didn’t pick any of it.”

Oliver looked around nervously. ”No one else can see this, right?”

”Nah. It’s set to private. Only I can see it unless I show someone.”

”Good,” Oliver said, nodding. ”Because if people found out you’re literally marked as a god in this game, it’d blow up.”

Xavier leaned back slightly. ”Looks like this game’s more than just a side quest.”

Oliver chuckled. ”Dude. With a status like that? This is the main quest.”

Xavier let out a soft sigh and glanced around, still couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing was not a real word, but a world of codes.

The wind rustled faintly through the towering trees surrounding the fountain plaza, their silver-blue leaves shimmering under the artificial sun of Celestia Rift. Sounds of distant battles echoed from the far-off training zones. Other players ran around—some with their guild crests shining over their shoulders, some mounted on floating creatures, and others casually trading gear beside the waterline.

Xavier stood beside Oliver, still a little awestruck at the depth and realism of the world. The slight weight of the beginner’s armor felt oddly satisfying, and even though the sword strapped on his back was basic and unpolished, it still gave him that first taste of a game he had no plans of getting addicted to.

”So,” Xavier asked, hands behind his head, ”how does this world work exactly?”

Oliver grinned and leaned against the rim of the fountain. ”Alright, noob. Listen up. Celestia Rift is a hybrid sandbox-RPG game. You can do whatever the hell you want. Want to be a farmer? Sure. Want to be an assassin? Go for it. You progress based on your actions, not just what class you pick.”

”Leveling?”

”Slow, if you’re casual. Fast, if you play smart. You get experience through quests, dungeon runs, bounties, crafting, PVP—basically anything that takes effort.”

Xavier nodded along. ”And equipment?”

Oliver opened his inventory, a swirling hologram spinning in front of him. He swiped across and materialized a dull silver sword and a basic leather chestpiece.

”These are spares,” he said, handing them over. ”Way better than that beginner junk.”

Xavier accepted them. ”Where’d you get these?”

”Same ways. Quests, dungeon clears, sometimes trading or crafting. Or... buying.” He shot a grin.

That last part made Xavier raise a brow. ”Buying? With what? In-game currency?”

”Yup. Rift Coins. You earn them from grinding or finishing big quests. But if you’re lazy or rich, you can top them up using real money too.”

Xavier’s grin stretched wider. ”So I can just dump cash and get better gear?”

Oliver chuckled. ”Technically, yeah. But the top-tier gear still needs you to unlock achievements or reach certain stats. Can’t buy your way into everything.”

Still, Xavier’s fingers were already twitching. ”I’ve got spending room left today. Might as well burn it in here.”

’I still have to use my daily transaction.’ Xavier smirked. ’This will be the last one! And then my unlimited system will be upgraded to level 5!’

Oliver stared at him. ”Wait—you’re seriously thinking of topping up right now? Bro, you just logged in for the first time.”

Xavier shrugged. ”You said it yourself—better gear helps progress faster.”

”True. But you don’t even know if you’ll enjoy the game. What if you quit after an hour? That’s money down the drain.”

Xavier smiled. ”Thanks for being worried. Really. But trust me—money’s not a problem.”

Oliver sighed, defeated. ”You’re an adult. Do your thing. Just... don’t go full pay-to-win and ruin the fun.”

”I won’t. I’ll just go pay-to-vibe.”

Oliver let out a laugh and waved his hand. ”Come on. The recharge terminals aren’t in the system menu. We need to hit a merchant shop to access them. I’ll show you the way.”

Xavier followed, footsteps echoing against the marbled ground as the two walked off toward the bustling market district glowing just past the archway. Xavier couldn’t help but feel something stir inside him. Maybe this game was just part of his task... or maybe, it was about to be a lot more.

While walking, Oliver asked, ”So, what made you wanna play a VR game all of a sudden?”

”To be honest, Lucas and Ethan are suspended, and I can’t control myself for three more weeks. And of course, I can’t do anything to them in the real life, yet. But since they play this VR game, what could be a better chance to fuck them up?”

”You are planning to top up to get a head start before you clash with them?”

”Hell yeah!”