DIVINE STAR

Deep underground, even beneath the slum cities, lies a high-tech metropolis known as Black Paradise. At the peak of the tallest tower, within a sterile laboratory, a man is suspended in a glass water chamber. The ceiling and walls pulse with white and blue lights as an artificial general intelligence (AGI) voice echoes through the room.

"Commencing test 307,953, Project Universe."

Suddenly, black liquid surges through the tubes connected to the man's body, flooding his system. His body convulses violently before going still. As his chest begins to glow with dark energy, the smaller tubes attached to his head fill with swirling data particles. A black energy sphere emerges from his chest and bursts outward, instantly dyeing the entire water chamber pitch black.

"Success on the 474th attempt. Data conversion complete. Approval rate at 400%. Project Universe is on track to succeed."

The chamber opens, sending black water splashing across the floor. The man steps forward, the tubes detaching from his body as he places a hand against the glass wall. At his fingertips, glowing circles ripple across the surface, forming a digital interface filled with complex symbols and data streams. He moves his fingers, navigating through the holographic display. As data swirls around him, a black robe materializes over his previously bare form.

Stepping out of the glass cube, he walks through the laboratory as the environment dynamically shifts, forming a new room ahead. He approaches a large glass window, peering down at the vast expanse of Black Paradise.

"Welcome back, King Nox," the AGI announces. "Shall we conduct another test, or proceed to the final phase of Project Universe?"

Nox takes a deep breath. "How long has Project Universe been running? Actually, how long has everything been?"

"Arrival on planet Isha: 535 years ago. Establishment of Black Paradise: 455 years ago. Project Universe initiated: 321 years ago. Currently on the fourth host."

Nox leans back in his seat, swiping his fingers across a digital panel. The ceiling opens, revealing the artificial night sky above. Beyond the lights, a massive barrier looms, and past that—nothing but dirt and stone.

"Yeah… it's been a long time," he murmurs. "I could just pass the final phase onto the fifth host and do what the others did—live out their perfect lives here. But I believe it's time. Proceed to the final phase, Susan."

"Proceeding to the final phase of Project Universe."

The room morphs again, shifting into a sleek data office. Nox moves his fingers, summoning multiple digital screens. One screen catches his attention—a display labeled "Star Year." He scrolls through live footage of the slum cities.

"Susan, based on the footage and voice recordings, how many Stars this year are from the slum cities?"

"Rough estimate is consistent with previous years. Approximately 10,000 potential Stars."

The screens shift, displaying countless faces of slum dwellers—including images of Boa and Jen. Nox swipes again, bringing up footage of the common cities. More faces appear, among them Tomi and a masked girl labeled Kayle.

His gaze lingers on her. "Kayle Ross… Do we not have a picture of this girl's real face?"

"No. Publicly, she has never revealed her face. She is among the top 20 students at Star University and one of the highest-rated contenders from the common cities."

Nox nods and swipes the screen once more, bringing up footage of the floating city, Oasis. The number of footage is significantly smaller.

"Same as always. Roughly 100 to 200 high-ranking nobles."

"Correct. This year's final trial is still ongoing, based on our intel."

The screens shift again, displaying the ten groups of 100 nobles, each engaged in their respective asylum trial. Nox takes a seat, moving his fingers to summon a glass of juice, which appears in his hand. He takes a sip.

"We'll watch and see who has the best chance of winning the Star Games."

"A mortal from planet Isha has a 1% chance of winning, including all other planets involved. Among the 109 previous Star winners, 16 were from planet Silva—significantly higher than any other single planet."

Nox raises an eyebrow. "Planet Silva, huh? Maybe we should've landed there instead."

"The probability of accurately determining the best mortal level at that time was under 0.738532%. Given our available resources, planet Isha was the most viable option."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Nox sighs. "Susan, give me the top ten noble students."

As Susan begins listing names, Nox's eyes is fixated on the screen displaying Gaia's face.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Gaia taps her headset, creating a private channel that connects her with her nineteen fellow students. One by one, they acknowledge the invitation, tapping their headsets to join the call.

"Test, test. Can you all hear me?"

Ortis responds immediately. "Yes, Lady Gaia. Your fellow noblemen hears you loud and clear. What is your next order for us to win this?"

Gaia scans the area. The other 80 competitors have already split into 12 different groups—some are gathered around the data guide, discussing strategies, while others have already ventured inside the asylum. She tilts her head up, noting the massive eight-hour countdown displayed in the sky.

"We'll wait and observe. Eight hours is a long time—only fools rush in first."

As she speaks, a new number appears beside the timer in bold text: 97.

A few competitors come sprinting out of the asylum, their faces contorted in terror. Gaia then says "That new number must be the amount of players still in the game" suddenly many faint popping sound echoes in the air. A small purple circle materializes above Gaia and her team's heads, bursting into glowing text:

"Knowledge obtained."

Ortis nods approvingly. "Impressive, Lady Gaia. We'll wait and determine the best course of action."

Gaia settles onto the hood of a black car, crossing one leg over the other. Around her, her teammates take their places, some sitting on the pavement, others leaning against other vehicles. 

Gaia keeps her gaze fixed on the data guide as he continues speaking with other competitors. Most of the groups have already disappeared into the nearby woods, their silhouettes vanishing into the shadows of the towering trees. The distant screams from the asylum echo through the parking lot, making the atmosphere even heavier.

The number in the sky shifts again: 91.

Distracted by the sounds of terror, Gaia turns her head toward the asylum just in time to witness a noble pressed against a window, blood smeared across the glass. Before she can get a clearer look, the noble vanishes, yanked back into the darkness of the asylum.

"The guide person is gone!" one of her teammates exclaims.

Everyone turns toward the workshop, only to find it empty. The data guide has vanished, and as they step closer, they watch as one by one, the computers on the tables disintegrate into shimmering data dust.

"Looks like he moved stations," Gaia mutters.

"Maybe we should follow the others into the woods," Ortis suggests. "They might've figured something out."

Ignoring him for a moment, Gaia moves behind the workshop counter, her eyes scanning the floor. She crouches down and spots a small data circle.

"Based on the pattern, it's a closed transfer circle," she notes. "It connects to another area with a corresponding data transfer circle. But there's no visible linking line, which means…" She pauses, running her fingers over the markings. "The link line is underground."

A soft pop echoes in the air. Once again, a glowing message hovers above their heads:

"Knowledge obtained."

Gaia stands and dusts off her hands. "The groups that went into the woods probably figured this out. They must be searching for the next station. I'd bet at least one group already found it, which is what triggered the guide to transfer over."

She taps her headset, switching to the private guide channel. "Mr. Guide, where did you go?"

The guide's voice crackles through the headset. "To my official station. That location is for you to find out."

Gaia smirks and gets off the private channel and says "It's time to move."

She leads the group toward the woods. As they step into the dense forest, Ortis jogs up beside her. "Why are we heading this way? Most of the other groups went in the opposite direction."

Gaia stops, exhaling sharply. "Hmm. You're not as smart as the way you speak, Ortis. Since we're on the same team, I'll explain."

She opens a private channel with him, cutting off their conversation from the rest of the team. Her voice comes through the headset directly into Ortis' earpiece, the others hearing nothing.

"I know eight hours is a long time, but wasted time is what I hate the most. So, I'm going to spend a few minutes explaining how I operate. From now on, you need to trust me and not question my decisions on simple matters. You can speak only when you have suggestions." As she says while fixing her hair.

"Now, to answer your earlier question—this new station must be hard to find. And when a group finds it, of course they won't share it. Remember when I said that the guide disappeared only after at least one group found the station? If you put two and two together, that means the majority of the groups went the wrong way.

"If you were paying attention earlier, you would've noticed that only a couple of groups headed in this direction. That means they're the ones who found the station. That's why we're going this way. You understand now?"

Ortis immediately drops to one knee. "I understand, Lady Gaia. I should have known my place earlier. Forgive me for questioning your decisions."

Gaia doesn't respond—she simply closes the private channel and resumes walking.

Without hesitation, the group follows her deeper into the forest.

Along the path, Gaia suddenly signals everyone to stop. Without hesitation, she gives a single command: "Hide"

The team quickly takes cover behind trees and bushes, blending into the darkness. Ahead, another group walks back toward the asylum, carrying various pieces of equipment—flashlights, notebooks, and an E.M.F reader that one of them steadily aims in different directions. Their cautious movements suggest they have already uncovered something significant.

Ortis, perched on a thick tree branch, shifts slightly when something catches his eye. Embedded inside the bark is a small, nearly invisible camera lens. He leans in for a closer look, and the moment he realizes what it is, a familiar pop echoes.

"Knowledge obtained."

Ortis immediately reports the discovery through the private channel of his team, and in an instant, every teammate receives the same knowledge.

They remain still as the passing group moves further away. Once the coast is clear, Gaia assigns a few teammates to stay back and keep watch over this path. The rest of the team continues forward under her lead.

After a short trek through the trees, they arrive at a graveyard. The moonlight casts eerie shadows over the many gravestones littered across the area. At the center of the graveyard, a small stone building stands ominously.

Without hesitation, Gaia steps inside, her team following close behind.

In the middle of the dimly lit room lies a single coffin.

Gaia moves forward and pushes the lid open, revealing a black skeleton. The bones seem ancient, yet something about them radiates a strange feeling. She observes them carefully before stating, "This one is missing three bones-a radius, a fibula, a piece of its ribcage, and a piece of its spine."

Lifting her gaze, she notices an inscription on the ceiling:

"Find me, for the better."

Pop.

"Knowledge obtained."

Gaia turns to her team without hesitation. "Scatter and do a deep search of the area"

Without question, they move out, each member fanning across the graveyard to uncover what secrets it holds.

Ortis picks up a shovel, watching as small data pixels fall from its handle, dissolving into the air. One by one, more of Gaia's teammates uncover additional shovels, immediately putting them to use as they begin digging up the graves surrounding them.

Gaia, however, pauses, her sharp gaze locking onto a gravestone. She quickly assesses the situation: "There are over 50 graves here, and the estimated time to dig up just one is around three to four hours. So let's be smart about this."

Her mind races, analyzing the phrase from the ceiling:

"Find me, for the better."

She considers that "For the better" might not be just a message—but a name. Testing her theory, she methodically eliminates all repeating letters from the phrase: R, E, and T.

That leaves her with just four letters:

 F, O, H, and B

Which there is also four bones to find, her eyes shift to the gravestones, scanning the names engraved on them. Then, she sees it.

Four distinct names:

Fred. Owen. Helm. Beth.

Each starting letter matches the ones she just isolated.

Four bones, four isolated letters, and four names that has four letters. 

A knowing smirk crosses her face as she orders her team: "Dig out only the graves with these names."

Following her command, the team works fast, digging only a quarter of a foot deep in each grave. they uncover the missing bones buried beneath the dirt. All of the shovels then fades away in data pixels

Gaia carefully places each bone back in its correct position on the black skeleton.

The moment the final bone is set in place, the entire coffin bursts into radiant lights, dissolving into data pixel dust.

As the light fades, the ground trembles slightly beneath them. Then, before their eyes, a staircase emerges, leading downward.

Without moment to wait, they descend, arriving at a dead-end hallway.

Gaia's sharp eyes quickly spot something—a data circle embedded into the wall.

She places her hand on it and states firmly: "This one is an open transfer circle."

Without a moment's delay, she activates it. "Data transfer."

In an instant, her entire team erupts into streams of data, sucked into the transfer circle. Their digital forms travel through the link line, racing through a tunnel of shimmering code before emerging on the other side.

As they reassemble, they find themselves standing inside a massive new station—a futuristic workshop filled with equipment.

Standing before them, arms crossed with an amused smirk, is the data guide.

"Welcome to my official workshop," he greets, gesturing to the vast space behind him.

They notice a few other people scattered throughout the station, each engaged in their own tasks. Gaia moves toward an area filled with thirty massive screens, her teammates following closely behind.

"Wow," one of them murmurs, eyes widening. "We can only see one screen—the same one Ortis pointed out earlier. It's showing the pathway between the new station and the asylum, but all the others are blacked out."

The data guide approaches with a knowing smile. "Only if you've discovered those cameras yourself, it will then become visible here."

Gaia approaches them, scanning her team with a sharp gaze. "I'm disappointed in you all," she states. "But, then again, it's to be expected. Most of you are ranked between 1000 and 500. That being said, we can win this at a easier pace together as a team, so allow me to share what I've learned."

She taps her headset, initiating a transfer of all the camera knowledge she has gathered so far.

Suddenly, multiple popping sounds echo through the room as her teammates' heads lights up with the words

"Many Knowledge Obtained." One by one, the blank screens flicker to life, revealing seven additional camera feeds.

Now, they can see a front view of the asylum's doors, a wide shot of the parking lot, a left-side view of the asylum, two different angles from the forest, one from the graveyard, and even two inside the new station itself.

Gasps ripple through the group as they take in the extent of what Gaia has discovered as she is far ahead of everyone when it comes to being ahead of the game.