The Forgotten Supreme

[Unknown Location - ??]

The room was silent. The only sound was the distant crackling of embers, the last remnants of the fireplace's warmth fading into the air.

Ethan was still sitting on the edge of the rough bed, his mind racing.

The woman was gone.

The one who had called herself a remnant, like him.

His fists clenched. The memory of her gold-silver eyes flickered in his mind. Who was she? An NPC? A rogue AI? Something that had been lost in the system like him?

One thing was certain—she knew something.

And she had warned him:

"The world is already starting to remember you."

Ethan exhaled sharply and opened his status window.

[Status Window - Updated]

Name: Ethan Cross

Class: The Forgotten Supreme (ERROR - Unstable)

Level: N/A

HP: 150/150

MP: 100/100

Authority: 1 (Lowest Tier - Stabilized)

New Ability: [Concept Authority: The Right to Exist (Partial)]

His Authority had increased. He could feel it—a subtle yet undeniable connection to the world. Like an invisible thread tying him to something greater than the game itself.

But it was weak.

He was still nothing compared to the forces that had tried to erase him.

The Reality Stabilizer had been the first. But would it be the last?

[Stepping Outside - A Town That Shouldn't Exist]

Ethan stood up, gripping the sword at his waist. The old, rusted blade felt heavier now, almost as if it carried the weight of its previous owner's memories.

He pushed open the wooden door and stepped outside.

The moment he did, his breath caught.

He was in a town—but not one he recognized.

The cobblestone streets were eerily empty. Old-fashioned buildings, similar to those in medieval RPGs, lined the streets. Lanterns hung from metal poles, their dim glow flickering.

But there was no one here.

No NPCs. No players. No ambient noise beyond the distant wind whispering through the alleys.

A ghost town.

Ethan's UI flickered again.

[System Error: Town Not Recognized]

[Warning: Location Not Found in Official Astralis Map]

His eyes narrowed. An unregistered location?

That wasn't possible. Astralis: Genesis was one of the most advanced games ever created. Every town, every village, every piece of terrain was mapped and programmed.

So what the hell was this place?

Then—he heard it.

A distant chime.

A deep, hollow sound, like a temple bell tolling in slow motion.

The air trembled.

Ethan's muscles tensed as a wave of invisible pressure rippled through the streets.

[The Game is Changing]

The town around him began to shift.

The buildings flickered, as if they were caught between existence and erasure. The cobblestone under his feet wavered like ripples on water.

And then—

A name appeared above his UI.

[Forgotten Town of Elestra]

[System Status: Reintegrating into World Data]

Ethan's blood ran cold.

The game was rebuilding this place.

It had been erased, just like he almost had. And now—because he had arrived—it was being remembered.

Then, a second notification appeared.

[Players Detected in Proximity]

[Warning: You Are Now Visible on the Map]

His heart slammed against his ribs.

Players.

Real players.

And if they could see him—

The system could, too.

Ethan spun toward the end of the street, his grip tightening on his sword. If the game had flagged his location, that meant he was no longer an invisible anomaly.

He needed to move.

Fast.

[A New Presence - First Contact]

Just as he turned, voices echoed from the alleyway.

"Did you see that system update? A whole damn town just popped up on the map."

"No way, that wasn't there before."

Ethan narrowed his eyes and stepped into the shadows.

Two figures emerged from the foggy street, both clad in light adventurer gear. Their armor was sleek and well-maintained—nothing like his rusted beginner sword.

They were real players.

One of them, a blonde-haired man with a confident smirk, tapped his UI. "This place was wiped from the world. I read about this happening before. Some of the beta testers mentioned entire locations disappearing after certain world events."

The second player, a red-haired woman, nodded. "Yeah. And now it's back? That doesn't make sense."

Ethan remained silent, listening.

"Whatever it is," the blonde guy continued, "I bet there's some serious loot here." His eyes gleamed. "An unregistered town? That means hidden quests. And hidden quests mean rare rewards."

The woman glanced around. "You think anyone else is here?"

The blonde guy scoffed. "Doubt it. We're the first ones to—"

He stopped.

Because his UI flickered.

[Player Detected - Unregistered Entity]

The woman's eyes widened. "What the hell?"

She turned, locking eyes with Ethan.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then—