Chapter 1: Chrono Frontier

I'm Really a Cheater! Not a Pro Player!

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Comedy, Adventure

In the golden age of online gaming, Chrono Frontier once stood as a giant. No, people even call it as A colossal being.

A cross-platform game that connected players from PC, mobile devices, consoles, and PlayStation, it created a massive global community. At its peak between 2023 and 2031, the game recorded over more than 100 million active players in a single day. Its world was vast, its systems innovative, and its content constantly evolving.

But glory, as always, was temporary.

As technology advanced, player expectations rose, and new competitors emerged, Chrono Frontier slowly began to lose its grip. Servers that were once overflowing gradually emptied, as players drifted away from a world they had once nurtured and loved. By 2031, the number of active players had plummeted to just thirty thousand. Far too few to sustain a game of such scale.

In January 2031, an announcement shook the remaining community to its core:

[Server Shutdown Notice: Chrono Frontier Will End in One Year]

The news spread like wildfire across forums and social media. Loyal players were devastated, while those who had already left could only reminisce about its former glory. As a final tribute, the servers would remain online for one last year.

And at the end of 2031, Chrono Frontier officially reached its end.

Or so everyone thought.

Immediately after the shutdown, fans were stunned by a brand-new trailer released by the Chrono Frontier development team. It introduced Chrono Frontier: The Legacy (CFTL). A full virtual reality reincarnation of the original game.

The world had changed.

Since the introduction of VR capsules in 2027, virtual reality technology had advanced at an astonishing pace. Countless VR games had emerged, each boasting their own innovations. Yet all of them remained limited. Like by world size, genre, or system depth.

CFTL promised something different.

In a five-minute trailer released in early 2032, the developers revealed that the game had been in development since 2027, immediately after the first VR capsules entered the market. Five full years of development, combined with cutting-edge technology, resulted in a game that was anything but ordinary.

The quote that appeared at the end of the video went viral almost instantly:

> "We are here not just creating a game.

We are creating a new world."

— Frontier Dev Team

The trailer showcased an enormous, breathtakingly realistic world, far beyond anyone's expectations. Majestic cities teeming with life. Dense forests that changed with the weather. Endless deserts stretching beyond the horizon. Vast oceans with waves that moved naturally, as if alive.

And that was only the surface.

The game's systems nearly mirrored real life. There were no rigid class restrictions like in traditional RPGs. Players were free to define their own playstyle. As long as they had skill points, a healer could activate Berserker skills, and a warrior could learn magic. The in-game economy operated in real time, driven primarily by player-to-player trade.

Even NPCs were no longer static entities repeating the same dialogue. They were powered by advanced artificial intelligence, an AI capable of adapting to their environment, interacting like real humans, and remembering every conversation, action, and emotional interaction they shared with each player.

The most shocking revelation was the existence of six main continents, each with its own ecosystem, social structure, and even legal system. Every continent offered a unique experience from lands designed for veteran Chrono Frontier players to mysterious regions no one had ever set foot in.

The internet exploded.

In less than twenty-four hours, the trailer surpassed one hundred million views across multiple platforms.

People asked the same questions over and over:

Was this real?

Could a game like this truly exist?

Or was it all just hype?

Those questions were finally answered a year later, when Chrono Frontier: The Legacy was officially released.

***

On launch day, the world seemed to pause.

Tens of millions of people across the globe entered their VR capsules for the first time, connecting to the servers of Chrono Frontier: The Legacy.

And within seconds of logging in, they realized something:

The trailer hadn't even come close to capturing the real version of the game.

The sky stretched endlessly overhead, clouds drifting with the wind. Grass swayed gently beneath their feet, its texture unmistakably real. The air felt cool against the skin until the heat became almost unbearable in certain condition. Every building was crafted with astonishing detail, from weathered stone bricks to glass windows reflecting light like the real world.

On its first day, Chrono Frontier: The Legacy claimed the top spot across all digital platforms. Not only as the most popular VR game, but as the dominant topic across news outlets, forums, and social media.

After that. The players were greeted not by a single world, but by a vast realm divided into six continent. Each shaped by its own rules, culture, and destiny. None of them had been fully explored. Maps were incomplete. Histories were fragmented. The world felt new, yet unsettlingly old.

Remnant was the first continent as it told in the history.

This was the continent where players who connected their old Chrono Frontier accounts would awaken. Its cities carried the weight of the past. Weathered stone, forgotten monuments, and NPCs who spoke of history as if it had never truly ended. Remnant was not just place of danger, but also a memory. Here, names mattered, and the world seemed to remember those who had once left their mark.

For most players, however, their journey began on Genesis.

Genesis was a land of balance and opportunity. Open plains, growing cities, and approachable dangers made it the natural starting point for newcomers. It was a continent designed to let them grow. Where guilds formed, conflicts emerged naturally, and legends had yet to be written.

High above the clouds drifted Aetherfall.

A land of floating islands and endless skies, Aetherfall belonged to races born for altitude. Movement defined life here. Speed and awareness meant survival, while a single mistake could send one falling into the unknown. It was a continent that promised freedom, but at a cost.

In contrast, Thryndor offered no such mercy.

Untamed forests and brutal landscapes defined this land, home to powerful beastkin clans. There were no kingdoms, only territories. Strength, instinct, and action spoke louder than words. Thryndor did not welcome players. They always challenged them.

Beneath a sky of eternal twilight lay Noctyrr.

A continent shaped by knowledge and ambition, Noctyrr was a place where magic was studied, refined, and weaponized. Towering spires and arcane ruins hinted at experiments gone wrong. Power could be found here, but it was never without consequence.

And then there was the last continent.

Eclipse Verge. Or people start to call it continent E.V

Barely mentioned in the history and poorly documented, it did not appear on standard maps, because of that no one knows how large this continent is. Its difficulty was said to be extreme, its rules unstable, and its existence uncertain. Some believed it was the origin of the world's. Others called it a mistake that should never be exist in the first place.

No one truly knew the truth.

And after all that. It makes a sign. A sign that start a new era of gaming industry. Its all just the begining.

And this was where the true story would start. In a world where reality and fantasy blurred into one.

***

One month later.

News of Chrono Frontier: The Legacy was still everywhere. On social media, gaming forums, and casual conversations in cafés and restaurants.

Amid the excitement, Arka sat behind the cashier's counter at the restaurant where he worked, staring at his phone filled with CFTL headlines. Truthfully, he had wanted to try the game for a long time. How could he not? It was the successor to Chrono Frontier, a game that had once been a major part of his life.

But there was one major problem.

"VR capsules are way too expensive."

Even if he saved his entire salary for months, buying one was still out of reach.

Arka sighed, glancing at the payslip in his hand.

"At least… I just want to try playing CFTL once."

After some deliberation, he made a decision. As soon as his shift ended and his day off began, he headed straight to the nearest VR café.

The place was packed with people eager to experience CFTL. Some were even regulars, spending hours immersed in the virtual world.

"Any capsules available?" Arka asked the receptionist.

"Lucky you, there's one left," the man replied with a smile. "But it's three hundred thousand rupiah (around 18$) per session. Maximum playtime is four hours."

Arka forced a bitter smile as he handed over the money.

He was led into a private room and guided toward a VR capsule.

"It's been a long time since I last played this game," he muttered. "Let's see what kind of changes you've brought."

He entered the capsule, put on the headset, and slowly closed his eyes.

Seconds later, the main screen of Chrono Frontier: The Legacy appeared before him.

As soon as he reached the login menu, Arka noticed something unusual. An option to use an old Chrono Frontier account.

"…Is my account still there?"

Before the old servers shut down, he had experimented with all kinds of cheats. Like using auto-dodge, damage multipliers, and many many more. It's purely for fun, especially since the game was ending in some hours anyway. Seeing the option now made him hesitate.

"If it's banned, I'll just make a new account."

With that thought, he entered his old ID.

[LOGIN SUCCESSFUL]

His body felt weightless, as if being pulled into another dimension.

The world around him transformed.

Arka found himself standing in a massive city, Remnath Capital, the heart of the Remnants Continent. People just call it The Capital since even the start of the game.

Before he could admire the scenery, a golden translucent screen appeared in front of him.

```[CONTINENT ANNOUNCEMENT: LEGACY OF HEROES UPDATE]

A veteran player has logged in!

Their Chrono Frontier profile has been added to the Legacy of Heroes!

Name: ArkZurei

Final CF Level: 179

Mythic Achievements: 172

Mythic Title: "Let Me Solo The Last Boss"```

Within minutes, the entire Veteran Continent erupted.

Players flooded the Legacy of Heroes system, staring at the sudden change in disbelief.

"Who is this?!"

"Level 179?! Even the old top leaderboard capped at 170!"

"172 Mythic Achievements?! That's insane!"

"'Let Me Solo The Last Boss'… I've never even heard of that title!"

Guilds mobilized. Forums exploded. Even NPCs powered by advanced AI began reacting, like some displaying curiosity.

And at the center of it all stood a pale-faced man.

Arka stared blankly at the notifications before rubbing his face in despair.

"…Damn it. I think I just caused a huge misunderstanding."

***

The Legacy of Heroes system was a digital monument. A tribute to veteran players of the original Chrono Frontier. It displayed public records such as character names, final levels, achievements, titles, and account history.

It offered no gameplay advantage in CFTL. All players, veterans included, still started at level one.

But when the name ArkZurei suddenly appeared at the very top while showing achievements bordering on the impossible. The community descended into chaos.

No one recognized the name.

The developers launched an investigation.

The conclusion stunned even them.

ArkZurei was a real account on the CF before. Legitimate a person.

Which only made things worse.

While the world searched for a legendary pro player…

Arka stared at the forums in disbelief.

"I'm just a cheater! I swear! I'm not a pro player!!"

Unfortunately, the harder he denied it—

—the bigger the legend grew.

>> TO BE CONTINUED <<

~KS