Kaito Asamura sat hunched in his chair, lost in the blue light of his monitor. His fingers moved mechanically across the keyboard, his eyes fixated on the wave indicator in the ranking lobby of Anime Vanguards. Wave 38. Enemies—red-eyed goblins and poisonous spiders—streamed through narrow paths to destroy his crystal. Kaito's towers formed a weak but strategic defensive line: Iron Claw Grendel and Shadow Archer Lila. His mouse cursor swiped across the screen to select the next tower upgrade. Kaito's mind calculated each move with the composure of a chess master.
"Fifteen seconds," he muttered to himself. "If I can get through this wave, I'll be in the top 150 of the regional rankings." There was passion in his voice, but it couldn't mask the grayness of his life.
At 24, he was a data analyst in the concrete jungle of Tokyo. Life was a boring cycle for him: wake up at 6:30 in the morning, take the crowded subway, spend hours in the office crunching data sets, come home at 7:30 in the evening, spend the night playing Guardians Online, then go to sleep. Even on the weekends, he couldn't escape this routine. On Saturdays, he was in front of the screen again, except for a few hours of grocery shopping and the occasional anime episode. On Sundays, he slept a little more, but the result was the same: keyboard, monitor, game. Friends? He had a few close friends in college. They would chat on Voice once a week, but most of them had gotten married, had children, and were immersed in their own lives. Kaito saw their pictures on social media: family picnics, vacation selfies, happy smiles. His life, on the other hand, was as monotonous as an Excel spreadsheet. Love life? Zero. His intelligence and calculating nature made him a Guardians Online strategy genius, but he was a disaster in human relations. When he talked to women, he was either too logical or would crack a bad joke. His last attempt at "flirting" was a date set up by a coworker. She had endured Kaito talking about game strategies for ten minutes before disappearing, saying, "My phone rang, I have to go." Kaito had given up on it since then.
His apartment was a reflection of this monotony. A small, one-room place on the outskirts of Shinjuku. The walls were bare, hung with only a Guardians Online poster: the savage silhouette of Grendel, the Iron Claw, and the graceful arrow of Lila, the Shadow Archer. A cold bowl of instant noodles and an empty energy drink can sat on his desk. The bed was a messy pile of blankets in the corner. His only valuable possession was his meticulously assembled gaming PC: a tower with RGB lights, a 27-inch curved monitor, a clicky mechanical keyboard. This was Kaito's kingdom, but also his prison.
"Five seconds," he said through clenched teeth. The screen flashed a red warning: Last Wave: Goblin Shaman. Kaito activated Grendel's ultimate. The monster charged forward, clawed and scattered the goblins. Lila's shadow arrows slowed the shaman down. The shaman blasted with one last spell, but Kaito's towers remained standing. The screen froze. A text appeared: Congratulations! Regional Ranking: #142.
Kaito leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. His heart was pounding, but the taste of victory was… missing. "Is that it?" he whispered. He had made it into the top 150, but what had changed? Tomorrow, the same office, the same numbers, the same loneliness. Climbing to the top of the game wasn't filling the void in his life.
At that moment, the monitor shook. A crack appeared on the screen, as if glass had broken. Kaito frowned. "What the hell is this?" He touched the screen with his finger, but pulled his hand back — the screen was hot. Purple light was seeping from the crack. The room began to shake. The bowl of noodles fell over, the energy drink rolled off the table. A buzzing sound echoed in Kaito's ears, as if thousands of voices were whispering at once.
"Connecting... The heir has been chosen," a metallic voice said. Kaito's eyes widened. The crack in the screen grew larger, purple light engulfing the room. Kaito jumped out of his chair, but gravity seemed to have disappeared. His body rose into the air, the light engulfing him. The last thing he heard was his own scream.
Defense Verse: Tutorial Map.
When Kaito regained consciousness, the smell of damp earth hit his nose. He opened his eyes. The sky was covered in purple and orange clouds, like something out of a science fiction painting. A lush green meadow stretched out around him, but in the middle of the meadow was a strange structure: a three-meter-tall tower covered in blue crystals. The crystal glowed with a faint buzz. A floating screen appeared in front of Kaito. A holographic interface with a silver frame. Texts were flowing on it:
Welcome, Heir: Kaito Asamura
System: Crystal Guardian
Occupation: Primordial Breeding of God-Class Breeding God
Quest: Tutorial Map - 10 Waves
Goal: Protect the Crystal
Team: 4 Heirs
Reward: Beginner Gacha Draw (4 Towers)
Kaito's mouth dropped open. "Heir? Profession?" He examined the screen. He tapped the Profession section, and a description appeared:
Primordial Breeding of God-Class Breeding God
Rarity: Godly
Ability: By physically bonding with towers, you gain XP equal to 10% of the tower's level. Bonding increases the towers' loyalty and strengthens skills.
Note: The profession is engraved in the Heir' soul. It cannot be changed.
Kaito's cheeks flushed slightly. "Physical bond... serious?" His mind drifted to an ecchi anime scene for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Focus." He looked around. Three other people were with him, all of them looking confused.
The first person was a girl with pink hair and glasses. She was holding a tablet in her hand, her fingers shaking. The second person was a muscular, tattooed man, his fists clenched, glaring at the surroundings with an angry expression. The third person was a teenager wearing a hoodie, squatting on the ground with a grin.
"Wow!" the teenager said, rubbing his hands together. "This is Guardians Online! A new VR game? The graphics are crazy!"
Kaito frowned. The boy's composure was unnerving. "It's not VR," he said coolly. "It's real." He touched the ground, feeling the dampness of the grass. The wind was blowing gently on his face. Everything was the same as the real world.
The pink-haired girl spoke as she played with her tablet. "I'm Yuna Mizuki. This is… a system screen. Like a game, but physical." There was a tremor in her voice. "I think we've been transported to another world."
The muscular man grumbled. "Bullshit. I'm Daichi Tanaka. Someone kidnapped us, that's for sure." He slammed his fist on the crystal, but it didn't shake. Only a ripple effect spread.
Kaito analyzed the situation. His heart was pounding, but he didn't panic. "We need to understand the system first," he said. "The screen is talking about a tutorial. There are four of us, a team. If we cooperate, we'll survive."
The hooded teen chuckled. "Hah, you're getting serious now! I'm Riku Sato. This is a game, man, let's have fun!" Riku tapped his screen. A gacha animation started. A bright light burst out, revealing four tower cards:
• Bone Warrior Skell
• Fire Archer Ember
• Stone Golem Grund
• Wind Mage Sylph
Riku's towers took on flesh. Skell was a skeletal warrior, brandishing a rusty spear, his eyes glowing blankly. Ember, a red-haired archer, muttered, "Hit the target!" Grund, a giant made of gray stone, only grunted. Sylph, a green-robed mage, floated through the air and said, "You won't find anyone better, Varis," with a smug smile.
Kaito's screen lit up. He drew his own gacha. The cards appeared:
• Iron Claw Grendel
• Shadow Archer Lila • Sand Mage Saren
• Steel Shield Tor
Kaito's towers came to life. Grendel, a furry monster, snarled as he clawed the ground. Lila, a hooded elf, raised her bow and said in a calm voice, "What's the strategy, Heir?" Saren, a yellow-robed mage, chuckled as he played with the grains of sand: "This is going to be fun!" Tor, a warrior carrying a rusty shield, robotically positioned himself, not saying a word.
Yuna and Daichi also made their draws. Yuna's towers were support-oriented: Water Priestess Mira ) and Wind Healer Aria . Daichi's towers were tanks and melee: Stone Fist Gorr and Flame Sword Vark
The screen showed a new message:
Tutorial Beginning. Wave 1/10. Enemy: Jackal Pack. Place Your Towers.
The map featured a path like in the anime Vanguards. The crystal was at the end of the path. Enemies would come from the beginning of the path and try to reach the crystal. However, this map was no simple meadow. The gravity was light, the grass sparkling with floating dust particles. Strange, spiraling trees rose in the distance. Kaito looked around. "This world is… different," he said. The wind felt sharper than usual.
Kaito positioned his towers in strategic locations: Grendel and Tor at the entrance to the path, Lila and Saren on a high mound. Lila turned to Kaito as they were positioned. "This position makes sense. I have a wide field of view." Saren chuckled. "Let's blow up some sandstorms!" Grendel merely growled, while Tor silently raised his shield.
Yuna kept her healer towers close to the crystal. Mira said softly, "I'll protect the crystal." Daichi piled his tanks in the middle of the path. Gorr slammed his fist on the ground and shouted, "I'll crush them all!" Riku placed his towers randomly, grinning. "It's easy anyway."
The first wave began. Jackals ran down the path, howling. Kaito's towers provided a weak but effective defense. Grendel's claws wounded the jackals, Lila's arrows slowed them down. Saren's sandstorm blinded the jackals. Tor took damage silently. Yuna's healers repaired the damage to the towers. The wave passed easily.