11 Winterland.

The continent of Winterland was a majestic place.

It was a beautiful realm where snow reigned supreme! It snowed every day of the year! Spring, Summer, Fall... It didn't matter!

Only winter existed on this continent.

There were many countries spread throughout the land.

Isaac lived in the city of Snowstar, which was located in the country of Starshow. It was an incredible city, filled with beauty and wonder.

However, Snowstar was nothing but a small place on the continent of Winterland.

Many, many kilometers away was the country of Iceshow.

Many considered this the capital of the continent due to its importance.

The most beautiful city on the continent was located within this country. This city was named White Paradise, and it was deserving of the name.

White Paradise was an oasis in the center of a massive, frozen lake.

Around the outskirts of the frozen lake was a snow-covered forest. Grandiose mountains jutted out across the land, and one would mistake them for a painting if it weren't for the snow falling around them.

The buildings were constructed from blue and white marble that reflected the glorious mountains that towered in the distance. Snow covered the ground and tops of the buildings, creating a mesmerizing scene.

One of these beautiful buildings happened to be the headquarters of the Legacy Company. The very same company that had created White Online!

The company's headquarters was the tallest building in White Paradise. It stood well over five hundred meters and boasted an astounding 100 floors.

On the top floor of the Legacy Company headquarters, images flashed by on thousands of screens.

The clacking of hundreds of keyboards echoed nonstop in the massive room.

Standing in the center of the room, a middle-aged man with short, black hair stood monitoring the surroundings. Bags hung under his eyes, and he yawned lazily as he watched the proceedings.

His clothes were wrinkled, and ink was smudged across his hands and face. It was evident that the man hadn't showered or changed in some time.

This man was the president of the Legacy Company and the chief creator of White Online, Arthur Welhenheim.

This man was blessed with an IQ of 230 and the incredible ability to focus on tens of things at a time. He was currently scanning the many screens in the room almost simultaneously.

The door to the room slid open, and a middle-aged woman stepped in. Dozens of individuals wearing business attire trailed behind her.

"Arthur," The woman flashed him a gorgeous smile. The men in the room who were watching suddenly felt their hearts flutter.

As she walked, her long, blonde hair swayed back and forth behind her. Her stunning blue eyes reflected the monitors that hung throughout the room.

She wore a tight pencil skirt that barely contained her thighs and a purple dress shirt, whose buttons looked like they were struggling to hold together.

This woman was Arthur's secretary, Emilia.

"What do you want?" Arthur snapped, not even looking away from the screens.

Emilia gave a wry smile, "The Board is here to meet with you..."

The secretary rubbed her temples. She could already feel a headache coming on.

Arthur glanced at the overdressed men who looked like penguins behind the beautiful woman.

"Fuck off."

One of the board members stepped forward, "How dare you speak to us li—"

"I have not slept in three days. Today is the day of release, the most crucial day of White Online, and someone has to make sure that the servers are taken care of!" Arthur retorted.

He turned his head to look at the group, "I am not in the mood to entertain you, nor do I have the time. I have to be ready in case something goes wrong."

"So I apologize, but can you people kindly fuck off?" He placed extra emphasis on the word 'kindly' and turned back to the screens.

Emilia pressed her hand to her face, peeking through her fingers at the group of men behind her. She turned to them and gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen. Arthur has been under a lot of stress lately. I think it would be better if we hold our meeting next week after we've ensured that there are no hiccups with our initial launch," She held the door open for the men as they stomped from the room.

The men gritted their teeth. Their knuckles were white as they clenched their fists and cast infuriated glares toward Arthur's back.

After closing the door behind them, Emilia sauntered over to Arthur with heavy eyes.

"Couldn't you have spoken to them a bit more gently?" She groaned.

Arthur shrugged without changing his expression, "I apologized, didn't I?"

Emilia sighed, "Is everything running smoothly?"

Arthur nodded, completely forgetting the earlier interruption.

"There have been a few unexpected situations. Just a few hours ago, a player refused a Legacy Quest," Arthur's usually emotionless face broke into a grin.

Emilia's eyes widened in shock, "How could someone be that stupid?!"

Arthur chuckled, "I'm not sure that he was stupid... That Legacy happened to be Vaulon's."

"The Untrustworthy Swordsman?" Emilia asked. "I see..."

"It was only an Ordinary Legacy... and one of the weakest ones at that," Arthur muttered.

Emilia looked at the screens curiously, "Has anything else caught your interest?"

"Mmm... The 10 Kings and Queens are doing as expected," Arthur said after pondering for a moment. "They have already left the Newbie Village and entered the Starting City."

"Has anyone else been offered a Legacy?"

Arthur nodded, "A few are working on their Quests right now, but it will be a long time before we see any of them completed. Their stats are poor."

"What about the Gods..?" Emilia ventured, "How are they reacting?"

Arthur shrugged, "Excited, as always. Khione, on the other hand, has been irate all afternoon."

Emilia paled, "Did someone make her angry?! Who would be stupid enough to do that?"

"No idea," Arthur shrugged. "The Gods wouldn't allow us to watch their meetings with the fated players."

"And how many players were chosen as potential candidates for the Godly Legacies?" Emilia asked.

"125.''

Emilia smiled, "That's more than anticipated!"

"That's why the Gods are excited," Arthur nodded.

Emilia glanced at Arthur's eyes. It was apparent that he was struggling to keep them open.

"Arthur..." Emilia started. "Shouldn't you get some rest?"

Arthur shook his head, "This is the first day. I need to see it through."

Emilia sighed and turned. She placed her hand gently on Arthur's shoulder before walking away.

"Make sure you get some rest later," She spoke quietly before stepping from the platform. Emilia left the room, taking one last look toward the still standing Arthur.

Arthur glanced at her departing figure but didn't respond. He turned his full attention to the thousands of screens once again.

His eyes grew heavy, and he thought about the woman's words as he heard the elevator doors slide shut. Just as he was thinking of heeding her advice, a loud shout roused him from his weary state.

"President!"

Arthur's eyes snapped open fully, "Yes? Did you find something wrong?!"

The man who'd spoken was one of many sitting in front of the ever-clacking keyboards.

"Khione wants to speak with you, sir!" The man shouted over the noise.

Arthur sighed, "Put it on the big screen."

The thousands of smaller screens faded out, and the single, massive monitor showed the face of the beautiful but cold Goddess. Regardless of her beauty, there was no missing the anger that flashed in her eyes.

The clacking coming from the hundreds of keyboards stopped at once.

"ARTHUR!" Khione screamed.

Arthur and the surrounding workers bowed deeply, showing respect to the Goddess.

"Goddess Khione, how may I serve you?" Arthur asked.

The anger he'd shown to the Board of Directors was nowhere to be seen.

"Who was the player that was sent to me?!" Khione gritted her teeth.

"I need a name! NOW!"

Sweat rolled down the back of Arthur's neck, "I'm sorry, Goddess Khione. It was per the Gods' request that we were not allowed to monitor or interfere with any of your meetings."

Khione crossed her arms across her chest, "Are you telling me... that I can't have my revenge because you can't do something as simple as getting me a NAME?!"

"What did this person do to upset you, Goddess Khione?" He quickly wiped the sweat that was building on his brow.

"HE TOYED WITH ME IN MY OWN GARDEN!" Khione screamed.

Arthur almost dropped to the ground, but luckily, he was saved before it went that far.

"Khione! GET BACK HERE!" A loud shout was heard from somewhere beyond the screen.

Khione's face instantly paled, "B-But... Dad!"

"No buts!" Boreas appeared briefly and dragged her away from the screen.

He reappeared briefly and flashed an apologetic smile, ''I am sorry for this inconvenience, Arthur. I know that you must be busy.''

After that, the screen went blank.

Arthur's eyebrow twitched, ''Who the hell was stupid enough to anger Goddess of Snow to such a degree?''

He let out a sigh and ordered his subordinates to get back to work. The screens were once again filled with life.