Lord of The Red Planet

Rian gazed at a view he had once only seen on a screen, now laid out before him in stunning reality.

He took a long breath, his hands trembling slightly. He used to fantasize about being transported to another world, just like the protagonists in the isekai novels and comics he so often read.

But now that it had actually happened, he didn't feel nearly as happy as he'd imagined.

Although his life back in the real world wasn't what you'd call rich or poor, and he didn't have a girlfriend, he still had a family who cared about him. He was different from the typical isekai protagonist. He still had a family; his siblings were still young, and his parents would soon be turning fifty.

What will they think when they find out their son is gone? I… I can't imagine it.

His thoughts then drifted to his nine-year-old sister, Ersila.

Will Ersila be okay? I hope Kiki can look after her. Even though Kiki seems unreliable, I know he gets fiercely protective when it comes to family.

Dad… Mom… Ersila… Kiki… I'll never see you again.

Unconsciously, tears welled up and spilled from his eyes.

"Is this… am I crying?" Rian watched a tear fall onto the palm of his hand.

"It turns out I already had everything I ever wanted for a long time. You only realize how precious something you took for granted is after you've lost it."

Rian paused in contemplation. Then, he descended the beautiful staircase and stopped. His gaze locked onto a golden ring marked with an elegant symbol of the sun.

The Ring of Avanheim. With this ring, guild members could travel freely to any floor in Avanheim Castle without having to pass through the inter-floor gates.

This ring was exclusive to members of the Avanheim Guild. As the members retired, their rings were returned to him.

Back then, I was the one who gave these rings to each of them. I was one of the original founders of the Avanheim Guild and the one who came up with the idea of using rings for transportation.

Now, there were thirteen unused rings in his inventory, and one that had never been taken off by Hero of Justice.

That guy… Hero of Justice. He never logged back in after disappearing five years ago, right up until the game shut down. I should never have invited him to the guild! I should have listened to Emperor of Evil and not invited him. Besides only showing up for major events and dungeon raids, the guy hardly ever came to guild meetings.

But, I have to admit, he really was one of the top players in Avalon with his rare Job, Future Hero. Thanks to this Job, Hero of Justice had a 99% chance of winning against players with a darkness attribute or other negative elements, like a Supreme Magician Undead or the highest evolution of the Demon race, the Origin Demon.

It's even possible… that Hero of Justice was the only person in Avalon with that Job.

Sometimes I was jealous of his luck. His race was only Ex-Machina, but he managed to get a Job that should have been exclusive to the Human race. So weird. Could a player's name really be that influential? Who knows. Anyway, I should get going and meet the NPCs. I have to find out if they're still loyal.

"Teleport to the Fifth Floor, Elavin!"

WHOOSH! In an instant, Rian vanished from the Ninth Floor's Throne Room. The chamber fell silent and empty once more.

Unbeknownst to Rian, however, the pupils of the Creator Goddess statue moved for a split second before returning to normal, as if nothing had happened.

...

Fifth Floor, Elavin.

Rian stood on a high cliff overlooking a beach. He stared at the vast expanse of the blue ocean stretching out before his eyes.

Only one word came to mind: breathtaking.

Back when Avanheim was still a game, he often visited this place. But compared to seeing it on a monitor, witnessing it with his own eyes was a completely different experience.

If I didn't know better, I'd never believe I was inside a floating castle.

The warm sensation of the sun on his skin… and the sound of crashing waves echoing in the distance…

It was as if he were truly on a tropical island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

"It's really… real." To be honest, Rian still hadn't fully accepted that the Avanheim Guild and everything in it had become real. Part of him was still in denial, hoping this was all just a dream.

But after seeing this view, he was sure. A dream could never feel this real.

A gentle breeze rustled his clothes. He was no longer wearing his black armor but rather a modern outfit he had prepared. It consisted of a long-sleeved black shirt under a green, knee-length jacket with a black pattern around the shoulders. On its back was a short, vertical rectangular design.

He paired the outfit with black trousers made from a high-quality material in Avalon, along with a pair of high-heeled black boots and black gloves.

He had this outfit specially made for entering human cities. Ever since the dawn of the Steam and Magic Engine Era, about seven years after Avalon's release, fewer and fewer players wore medieval clothing, and he was often mocked for being disrespectful to the in-game passage of time.

Suddenly, Rian heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see a little girl with brown hair and large, cute eyes looking at him. She was about 150 cm tall.

"Lord Arthur, welcome to the floor I guard." The little girl immediately knelt respectfully after looking at him.

I know who this girl is. She's Lily Loriart, a Level 100 NPC created by Fitria Da Vinci.

If I remember correctly, her species is Demi-human and her base race was Tyrannosaurus Rex, with the highest evolution being Tyrant Rex Emperor, right?

The Tyrannosaurus Rex race, huh? This race is definitely one of the best in the Demi-human species category. Besides having incredibly high physical strength, this race also has a strong disposition for becoming a Druid.

Hmm, I almost forgot. Lily Loriart also has a Sub-Class called Druid of the Wild Fang. This Sub-Class allows her to utilize the potential of her Beast Master Job to a much higher degree than players who don't have it.

Rian looked at the little girl who was wearing a maroon jumper skirt with a white blouse underneath. Her appearance was very pretty and cute, as expected from an NPC made by an artist.

Rian gently patted Lily's hair, a habit he often did with his younger sister.

"Umm… Lord Arthur?" Lily's face blushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, right, sorry." Rian quickly pulled his hand away from Lily's head.

Lily gave a small nod. Then, her eyes caught sight of the Guild Staff in Lord Arthur's right hand. Her eyes seemed to light up as she stared at it.

Noticing her gaze, Rian held up the staff.

"Do you know what this is?" Rian asked. In truth, the question wasn't just small talk. He wanted to know if the NPCs retained memories from their time in the game.

"I know! That's our Guild Staff of Avanheim!" Lily answered, her voice cheerful and cute as she gestured with her tiny hands. "It's said to have power equal to, or even greater than, a regular World Class Item, and it was made with all the hard work of the Supreme Beings!"

Rian nodded. This confirms it. The NPCs have their memories from the past. The situation is exactly like in those Japanese light novels I've read.

If these NPCs are as loyal as the ones in those novels, then I won't have to worry about betrayal. Still, I need to be careful. I also don't want to be led around by my own subordinates—like, they misunderstand my intentions and I just have to go along with their assumptions when I wasn't even thinking that far ahead.

A situation like that… can't be allowed to happen! I have to be the one in control. At the very least, if I have a goal, I need to explain it in detail to the Floor Guardians. That way, even if they misunderstand, I can at least predict where their train of thought is going.

"Yes, this is the Guild Staff of Avanheim, which I made with my friends." But inwardly, Rian scoffed at the friends who had left him all alone in this world.

"In that case, let's test its power, Lily. I'll summon a Level 90 monster, and you'll fight it. How about it?" Rian looked at Lily, awaiting her answer.

"Huh?!" Lily was surprised by the sudden proposal. Then, her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Yes, please!!"

Seeing Lily's adorable behavior, Rian smiled and nodded.

They then teleported to the Fifth Floor's training grounds.

There, a barren dirt field, devoid of grass, was spread out before them, surrounded by a dense forest. This was the place Lily Loriart often used to train her magical beasts.

Lily didn't summon a single one of her magical beasts. In her mind, Lord Arthur only wanted to see her own raw power without any external help.

Rian pointed his staff at the ground near Lily.

"Summon Magic: Demon Lord of Flames, Ifrit!" Instantly, a magic circle with complex runes he didn't even recognize appeared on the ground.

The magic circle glowed a fiery red, and then a portal opened from within. A giant, five-meter-tall demon stepped out. A blazing red armor covered its entire body. Its face was an unstable ball of gas with a temperature of thousands of degrees, adorned with a pair of blackish-red goat horns. A pair of bat-like wings spread from its back, and a tail made of gas swayed continuously.

Rian stared at the Demon Lord Ifrit he had just summoned. So cool…

This was completely different from seeing it on a monitor. In the real world, you could feel the searing wave of heat in the surrounding air. If it weren't for the fact that the Fallen Angel race has heat resistance up to millions of degrees, I'd be toast right now.

And also… to use magic, it seems I just have to think of it and the spell activates instantly. After becoming my game character, I also received all the information about its powers. Even though I knew some spells as the owner, that doesn't mean I knew all of them. This character has hundreds of magic spells; there's no way I could've memorized them all, right?

Rian looked at the little girl, Lily. He wanted to see a magical battle firsthand.

By the way, how can summoning magic even be used? Isn't this a new world? If so, why can monsters from Avalon be summoned? It should be noted that the monsters summoned by mages in Avalon each have their own realms. For example, Ifrit is summoned from the Abyss. Why could Ifrit be summoned here? Could it be that this world is just Avalon made real? Rian held his chin, thinking hard.

Whatever, I'll think about that later. The fight should begin.

"Demon Lord Ifrit, attack that little girl with your full power," he commanded.

ROOOAARRR! Without warning, Ifrit charged straight at Lily.

Of course, Lily dodged instantly. Even though Ifrit was ten levels below her, she would never underestimate an opponent. That was a lesson from her Creator, Fitria.

A pair of white, rabbit-shaped gauntlets appeared on her hands. The gauntlets were a Mythical-Tier Item from her creator, with power one level below a Divine-Tier Item.

WHOOSH! Lily moved with a speed Ifrit couldn't follow. She began to unleash a series of blows to the Demon Lord's body and head.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Every time Ifrit was about to launch an attack, Lily nimbly used her small body to evade.

As a Tyrannosaurus, she possessed the greatest physical strength among the Floor Guardians, making her their number-one hand-to-hand combatant. Furthermore, her Creator, Fitria, had also imparted a great deal of martial arts knowledge to her, which allowed her to maximize her physical power.

Lily straightened her arm and shouted, "Ninth-Sequence Magic: Horizontal Wind Slash!" Instantly, a slash of wind with a 200-meter radius shot out at near-light speed, heading straight for Demon Lord Ifrit's head.

This was one of Lily's signature wind spells. Besides its wide range, the spell was also highly effective against large-bodied enemies.

Of course, an attack like this wouldn't kill Ifrit outright. That's why, before using the spell, she had activated one of her racial skills as a Tyrant Rex Emperor: Stats Weakening. This skill could lower an opponent's stats by 10 levels for 3 seconds, with a 30-second cooldown after each use.

Ifrit looked on in disbelief. He was about to be defeated in such a short time by a little girl.

CRACK! Ifrit's head split in two. A spray of red magical energy erupted from its gaseous head.

Slowly, Ifrit's body began to fade into particles of light.

Rian, who had witnessed the scene, nodded in satisfaction. Ninth-Sequence Magic: Horizontal Wind Slash. Besides cutting at near-light speed, this spell also has the effect of weakening the defense of opponents with the Fire attribute by up to 20%. That's why Lily's slash was able to penetrate Ifrit's magical defense instantly.

But I'm still surprised. Even though I knew Lily was a close-quarters fighter, I still couldn't have imagined a little girl fighting so ferociously. Back in the game, I never saw her fight because players couldn't attack their own created NPCs, and we rarely brought NPCs along on adventures.

Even during the great invasion of Avanheim by the Norse Guild, I didn't see their fights directly. My friends and I just waited on the Eighth Floor.

"Good work, Lily. Your strength is impressive. Keep training and never grow complacent." Rian praised Lily, making the little girl's face light up.

"Thank you, Lord Arthur! I'll continue to train my skills and my fighting style!" Lily's cheeks flushed from the compliment.

I… I was praised by Lord Arthur!

Rian took a transparent glass bottle filled with an orange-colored drink from his inventory and gave it to Lily.

"Drink this. You must be thirsty, right?" Rian said with a friendly smile.

Lily nodded enthusiastically and immediately gulped it down.

"Haaaah, that's refreshing," Lily said after finishing her drink.

She returned the bottle, and Rian stored it back in his inventory.

Suddenly, a brown door materialized out of thin air near them. The door opened, revealing the interior of a library filled with bookshelves. The room inside the door was made entirely of wood, creating a beautiful and aesthetic atmosphere.

Then, a young man stepped out. He looked to be in his twenties. He was incredibly handsome, with distinct East Asian features, fair skin, and black hair that was slightly long, reaching his neck. The young man wore Victorian-era attire: a short vest with a pink and dark red vertical plaid pattern, a white shirt, and a black coat left open. The golden buttons on his coat were patterned with suns. Around his neck was a bright red bow tie. He also wore a short, black magician's hat with two red feathers on the side, white trousers with a black checkered pattern, and leather shoes. In his hand, he carried a short black cane often used by magicians.

His facial expression was perfectly calm, a stark contrast to Lily's energetic demeanor.

He's probably the most human-looking NPC. Compared to Emma and Lily, who have horns, this young man is definitely the closest to a normal human in appearance.

"Am I the first?" his calm voice sounded after he stepped out. The door behind him vanished as he walked forward.