Chapter 1

The renowned VRMMORPG "Crest Online."

Commonly known as "Creon," it is an action game where players wield the crests chosen during character creation to battle various formidable enemies.

Of course, it boasts high-quality story and graphics, but the game also features over ten types of crests, including the "Sword Crest," "Magic Crest," and "Bow Crest," each with significantly different skills and combat styles.

This highly flexible combat system has been well-received by many players, leading Creon to become a wildly popular game.

And I was one of those who got hooked on Creon.

No, to say I got hooked would be an understatement; it was practically my life.

I devoted all my time and effort to Creon, achieving the world's number one ranking.

I even played a leading role in the raid battle against the largest boss character, the Evil God.

--- And a few days after the Evil God battle, I received a message from the developers.

"Huh? This is... from the developers?"

When I opened the email in my message box, it read as follows:

"Thank you for playing our game regularly.

We have an additional content that we would like the world's number one player, 'Zeronity,' to experience.

Would you like to play the additional content? YES / NO"

"Additional content...?"

I tilted my head at the unexpected term.

I had never heard of such a notification from the developers before.

"Could it be that they want the top-ranked players to test play content that will be implemented in the future?"

That was all I could deduce from the message.

In any case, the answer was already clear to me.

"Missing out on such an interesting opportunity would be unforgivable for a gamer."

I wanted to enjoy all the content related to Creon.

That was all that mattered to me now.

Therefore, I pressed YES without hesitation.

Immediately, my body was enveloped in a white light --

◇◆◇

(... Huh? Where am I...?)

When I came to, I found myself in a room with a sacred atmosphere.

In front of me stood a priest, and there were many adults dressed in formal attire around me.

(The atmosphere suggests a church? I think one of the city churches had a similar layout...)

As I was pondering this, the priest in front of me raised his voice.

"Then, I will now begin the Crest Bestowal for Zeros Sylphide!"

"...Crest Bestowal?"

The Crest Bestowal is an event that occurs at the start of Creon, where the crest chosen during character creation is given as a gift from the goddess.

It's a scene designed to recreate this event.

After the Crest Bestowal, the chosen crest is engraved on the back of the left hand.

Since my world-ranked number one character, 'Zeronity,' had the Sword Crest, the crest on my hand was naturally a sword design.

(But why is such an event happening all of a sudden? And who is Zeros...?)

At that moment, as I saw my face reflected in the stained glass, several scenes flashed through my mind.

They were the memories of Zeros Sylphide, who had lived in this world.

(What's going on...!?)

My memories as a Japanese person and my memories of growing up as Zeros were intertwined.

Due to this, I felt as if parts of my memory were missing.

Despite this, what was clear was that both my past life and my life as Zeros were undeniably me.

And I was undoubtedly in the world of "Crest Online."

(Could this be what they call a reincarnation into another world...?)

More accurately, it might be a reincarnation within the game.

Well, that doesn't matter. The important thing is that I have been reincarnated into the game world.

Given this situation, I had no choice but to accept the reality.

Having reached this conclusion, I focused on recalling Zeros' memories.

Zeros Sylphide, the second son of the Sylphide Marquess family.

I have an older sister who is two years older and a half-brother who is the same age as me.

Today, on my 15th birthday, I have come to the church to receive my crest from the goddess.

The people around me are my family and relatives, watching me receive my crest with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

(I should gather the information I have. But more importantly, I need to focus on the crest I will receive.)

The crest.

It is the most important element in "Crest Online," and there can be no compromise when aiming for the top.

The type of crest you receive will determine your entire future.

(I hope I get the Sword Crest, which I used for my main avatar. If not, at least the Magic Crest would be nice!)

As I prayed with all my might, the priest finally announced:

"Crest Bestowal!"

Immediately, a blue pattern appeared on the back of my left hand.

It was neither the Sword Crest nor the Magic Crest.

I opened my eyes wide and spoke the name of the crest.

"Could this be... the Void Crest!?"

The Void Crest.

In Creon, it is a broken crest that players cannot choose and is only held by specific NPCs.

Why is it considered broken?

This is related to the game's skill system.

There are three main ways to acquire skills in the game:

1. Initial skills given at the time of Crest Bestowal.

2. Growth skills acquired as you level up.

3. Inheritance skills obtained by meeting specific conditions.

Among these, the most important are the inheritance skills.

There are hundreds or thousands of Inheritance Shrines in this world, each corresponding to different types of crests like swords or magic.

By visiting an Inheritance Shrine that matches your crest, you can acquire new skills.

Inheritance Shrines are often found at the end of dungeons or in specific secret locations, making them difficult to reach.

However, the skills you can obtain from them are extremely powerful, and the number of Inheritance Shrines you can visit determines your strength in Creon.

In this regard, the Void Crest, while lacking initial and growth skills, has the unique ability to acquire all inheritance skills.

It is such a broken crest that it was not even available to players, making it understandable why.

In any case, to summarize the situation:

"This is an incredible jackpot...!"

I made a fist in excitement.

While I haven't fully grasped the current situation, the crest is definitely a jackpot.

Moreover, with this crest, there is even the possibility of surpassing my strength as a player.

I was thinking this when:

"Haha! I thought my foolish brother would receive something, but it's the incompetent Void Crest! What a laughable situation!"

Laughter echoed throughout the church.

I turned around to see a blonde boy standing there.

(I think this is...)

Tracing back Zeros' memories, I quickly realized.

Dion Sylphide, 15 years old.

The eldest son of the Sylphide family and my half-brother.

We were never close, so he must have come to belittle me during the Crest Bestowal...

(What is he talking about? The Void Crest is not incompetent; it has the potential to become the strongest...)

I was about to express my disbelief, but Dion quickly showed off his own crest.

"Unlike you, I have the All Crest! This settles the ranking!"

"...All Crest?"

It was the name of a crest that could be chosen in the game.

While it comes with a large number of initial skills, it has few growth skills and cannot acquire any inheritance skills, making it a beginner's crest.

By the time the game had been out for a month, no one was using it anymore as it was considered a dud.

Why is he so proud of such a crest?

As I wondered this, I suddenly noticed something.

"...Huh?"

My gaze was fixed on a bronze statue.

A statue of a man holding a sword. I recognized this statue.

In fact, it was --

I interrupted the conversation, confused, and asked Dion:

"Hey, Dion, who is the person in this bronze statue...?"

Dion furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Huh? What are you talking about? That's 'Zeronity,' the great hero who made the greatest contribution to the defeat of the Evil God a thousand years ago!"

"---!"

This revelation was so shocking that it overshadowed the fact that I had received the Void Crest.

The moment I heard Dion's words, all my vague memories became clear.

That's right, why did I forget?

This is a world I know, yet it is not the world I know.

The era in which I, Zeros Sylphide, live is --

(The world of "Crest Online," a thousand years later!)

This is a new series!

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