Oneiria.
The world once thought to be no more than the setting of Dream Land Online.
Despite the game's phenomenal quality and ambitious scope, its promotional materials like trailers, teasers, and the official announcement, had been released only three days before its launch on Earth. Looking back, it felt rushed. Perhaps even desperate, as if the system behind the game had been assembled at the last possible moment.
Now, the truth was undeniable. Oneiria was real, and it stood on the brink of collapse.
The sky was cloaked in darkness, yet the towns of Stellar and Selini pulsed with restless energy. Tension weighed heavily in the air, thick enough to feel in the lungs. No one slept. No one even tried.
? Monsters will invade the world in 00:10:57 ?
Ten minutes until the catastrophe began.
Preparations in both towns were complete, or at least, as complete as they could be under such uncertainty.
Following a vague oracle from the church and, more mysteriously, a claim of "instinct," Lyra Stelluna had issued an odd command the day prior:
The citizens were to rest throughout the day, and remain awake through the night.
There had been no evacuation orders. Instead, Lyra had asked the townsfolk to remain scattered throughout the towns and report any signs of anomalies immediately to nearby mercenaries.
If danger did appear, they were to flee, not toward safety, but away from whatever emerged.
It wasn’t the most reassuring plan. But Ayla and Cryssa had no idea where the dungeons would appear. They could erupt on a town street, in someone’s home, or in the very places chosen for evacuation. There was no way to predict it, and so the safest course of action… was to manage the chaos.
After a month of relentless recruitment and preparation, the numbers had grown.
Four A-Rank mercenaries. Over two thousand B-Ranks. Nearly eight thousand C-Ranks.
All were deployed across the two towns in a three-to-one ratio, just as the Administrator had advised. Selini, smaller but more vulnerable, received the greater force.
Lyra had even gone so far as to offer the mercenaries a place for their families within the towns’ protection and promised financial support in return. With their loved ones close, the mercenaries had every reason to fight with everything they had.
And then there were the slaves.
Seventy-five survivors from the future game world, wanderers hardened by catastrophe, now given another chance. With full support from the Stelluna household, their growth had been astonishing.
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In a single month, sixty Rare-ranked slaves had reached combat proficiency on par with E-Rank mercenaries. Ten Epic-ranks had become equivalent to D-Ranks, and five Legendary-ranks now stood on par with C-Rank fighters.
Most were trained as knights, though three of the Legendaries had taken up the path of magic.
Still, none of them had ever seen real combat. Their strength was promising, but untested.
Because the Rare-rank group remained relatively weak, only one step above the lowest F-Rank, they were stationed within the Stelluna estates, tasked with patrolling every corner of the property in case dungeons emerged from within.
As for the rest of the world… Lyra had done what she could.
Rumors had been carefully sown that the Stelluna family believed the oracle and were preparing for the disaster.
Whether the other noble houses chose to believe the whispers was not her concern.
She had neither the time nor the resources to convince them.
Even if they believed, most nobles acted with caution.
No one was willing to drain their entire fortune for a vague prophecy, none except the Stellunas, who went further than any would dare.
Lyra had spent an enormous sum purchasing more than 2,000 communication crystals. Every A-Rank and B-Rank mercenary had been given one. So had every Stelluna-trained slave. Information would be key.
In Stellar, Lyra stood in the front yard of the Stelluna estate, clad in polished silver armor. A sword hung at her waist, though she had not trained for over a decade. Still, she intended to stand with her people should the worst come.
At her side stood little Roxy, still in her pajamas, clutching her most beloved possession, a soft white bear plushie, close to her chest.
Before them, a large table was set with a detailed map of the town, pins marking every assigned unit and checkpoint.
Two Legendary-rank slaves stood nearby, robed in deep-toned mage garments and holding staffs that pulsed faintly with mana.
A third, armored like a knight, remained just a step behind Lyra, her presence quiet but vigilant.
They stood not merely as symbols of Stelluna’s strength, but as her final line of defense. Lyra’s safety, and that of her daughter, was paramount.
In Selini, the scene was nearly identical.
Cryssa, now in full knight's armor, stood before her own map with a firm, composed expression.
Glacia stood just behind Cryssa, wrapped in a flowing, ready-made mage robe, her hands steady on a wooden staff carved with crystalline runes. Beside her, a Legendary-rank slave in knight’s armor stood silent and watchful.
Their roles were clear, to protect Cryssa at all costs.
Surrounding both estates at strategic points were ten Epic-rank slaves, each trained as a knight, distributed evenly between Stellar and Selini to reinforce Lyra’s and Cryssa’s commands and respond swiftly to any threat.
On the opposite side of Cryssa, Ayla’s translucent form hovered silently, her eyes locked on the ever-ticking system window.
? Monsters will invade the world in 00:00:02 ?
? Monsters will invade the world in 00:00:01 ?
? Monsters invading! ?
? Defend the towns of Stellar and Selini for 23:59:59 ?
The countdown ended.
And chaos began.
“Report! D1—two White!”
“Report! C3—seven White, one Blue!”
“Report! F2—five Blue!”
Calls poured in from every sector, flooding the communication channels with the first wave of intel. Dungeon anomalies had begun to appear, different colors, unknown meanings, unknown threats.
The battle had begun.
The world was now at war for its survival.
