The Billionaire's Last Game

Chapter 5: The Valley of the Broken God's

The wind was heavy, weighted with unseen burdens.

In the heart of a Safe Level Zone’s marketplace, Kyle walked among the noise of merchants and players. He was no longer ordinary, an awakened player. Yet, his wand and dagger remained hidden in his inventory, his hands empty as he raised his palm, staring at it in thought.

”I’ve become like Father… an Awakened.”

His gaze shifted to a small shop tucked between two towering stalls. The sign above it was old, the paint faded, but he knew the place well. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he pushed the door open.

The bell chimed, and behind the counter stood a bald, weathered man with sharp eyes that softened when they fell on him.

“Kyle?” the man said, his voice warm with recognition. “Long time no see… How long has it been?”

“Ten years, at the least, Mr. Froiland,” Kyle replied with a smile of his own. His eyes swept across the walls of the shop, lined with weapons gleaming faintly with enchantments, each one carrying a price few could afford.

“What brought you here, Kyle?” Froiland asked, leaning forward on the counter.

“I came to show you this.”

Kyle raised both hands, pulling his wand from his inventory. The shop seemed to dim for a moment as its obsidian shaft shimmered with pulsing light.

Froiland’s jaw went slack. “This is a—”

“I know what it is,” he cut himself off, snatching the wand from Kyle’s grip, his hands trembling despite his strength. “A Time Crusade Manipulator Wand. But… this one—” his voice lowered to a whisper, “it pulses outward.”

Kyle blinked, caught between confusion and awe. “My father had one?”

Froiland nodded, eyes still fixed on the artifact. “Yes… your late father wielded one of these. But his was not ancient, not… alive, as this one seems to be.” He turned the wand carefully in his hands, the glow rippling against his skin like water. “This… this is older than the Guilds themselves.”

Kyle’s brow furrowed. “But… grandmother never once mentioned that he acquired such a thing.”

The old man looked up at him sharply, his expression suddenly grave. “Then she doesn’t know. Or she chose not to tell you.”

“But why?” Kyle asked, sadness heavy in his voice.

“Ah, I see it now… you came to sell it, didn’t you?” Froiland teased, his eyes glinting gold as a grin spread across his face. But when he caught the sorrow etched on Kyle’s expression, his smile faded. He carefully set the wand on the counter, the weight of the moment grounding him.

“You’re still a crybaby, Kyle,” Froiland said with a soft exhale, though his lips curved into a gentle smile. “Even after everything you’ve survived.”

Without another word, he moved to shutter the store. Curtains drawn, locks clicked into place, he scanned the street outside with a practiced eye. Only when he was certain no one lingered did he return, his steps deliberate, his gaze fixed on Kyle.

“There is a zone,” he said at last, lowering his voice as if the walls themselves might be listening. “A dangerous one… where your wand can be awakened, upgraded beyond measure.” He paused, letting the words sink in.

Kyle’s breath caught as Froiland leaned closer, his tone heavy with unspoken meaning.

“It’s the last place your father ever wanted you to go, Kyle.” Froiland said, his voice dropping low. “That zone. One that doesn’t appear on most maps. A place that changes the players who dare to enter it.”

Kyle leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “Where?”

Froiland’s gaze flicked to the wand, then to Kyle, then to the shadows crawling just beyond the curtain. He shook his head.

“You’ll know it when it calls you,” he whispered. “The same way it called your father.”

...

> System: You’ve arrived at a Zone that requires a level far beyond your current capability. Immediate retreat is advisable.

“Captain… Steve, are you sure about this?” Violet’s voice was tight, her eyes scanning the mist that rolled across the floating island’s edge.

Steve didn’t answer at first. His gaze locked on the glowing message suspended before him.

“You all got the same warning?” he finally asked.

“Yeah,” Violet replied, her tone uneasy. “Every single one of us.”

Steve clenched his jaw. “What kind of Zone demands a level higher than 600?” His voice carried more fury than fear, though the tremor in his hand betrayed him.

The group moved closer to the brink. Beyond the safety of the floating island’s runes stretched an abyss so deep the clouds themselves seemed to flee from it. Below, the shadow of a Valley twisted and writhed like something alive.

An archer stepped forward, his bow resting loosely at his side. “We’re not standing on land. This is a safezone, yes… but it’s floating in space. One misstep and that fall will kill any ordinary player.” He paused, eyes narrowing. “Only a captain… or a guild master… might survive the descent.”

“Violet, Fren, Frost, Veil, Leif, and Shin…” Steve’s voice cut through the roar of the wind, his tone like tempered steel. “Once we land, we enter the Valley. No hesitation. No second thoughts. Just focus.”

Without waiting for a response, he stepped onto the edge and let himself fall.

Violet was right behind him, fearless. Leif followed with a growl, Shin with quiet resolve, Frost with his cloak snapping like ice, and Fren with a nervous laugh that didn’t reach his eyes.

Veil lingered, his shadow stretched thin against the glowing runes of the safezone. His gut screamed at him, warning louder than the system itself. Instead of leaping outright, he extended his cloak, letting it unravel into spectral wings. He descended slowly, cautiously, hiding his presence even from his comrades.

The descent was chaos. Bolts of lightning split the clouds beneath them, carving streaks of silver through the abyss. The sky didn’t feel like sky anymore, it felt like gods were clashing somewhere in the depths, their war bleeding into this world.

And then, far away, in another corner of the game’s vast world, Kyle walked calmly through a busy street. His pace was steady, his smile polite, though his heart throbbed with questions. Every face he passed, every handshake, every quiet conversation, he was searching. Searching for those who once knew his father, the men and women who had fought alongside him.

He needed answers. About the Valley. The zone. The one that straight up calls you.

Kyle leaned against the bridge rail, staring at the dying sun as its colors bled into the river. His search had led nowhere, every friend of his father’s, every ally, every whisper, empty.

He was running out of paths.

The ache in his chest deepened until a memory flickered, his grandmother’s voice, gentle but heavy with the weight of old tales.

"This story is what your father used to tell, Kyle… The Valley of the Broken Gods. By all means, the Broken Gods are players, yet not like any you’ve ever known. They’ve been locked in battle for over a millennium, their war echoing through a zone no sane man dares enter. No one remembers how it began, and no one knows when it will end. The only truth? No one has won. Not yet."

Kyle’s hands clenched the railing. For years he dismissed it as a child’s tale, the kind spoken to lull him into dreams. But now, with the wand pulsing at his side and the System’s whispers in his ears, he wasn’t so sure.

The Valley wasn’t just a story. It was waiting. And it was calling him.

As he remembers the tale, the system came in buzzing, making his eyes widened.