Hudson Yards, one of the most expensive and luxurious locations in Manhattan.

  The afternoon at the fancy ice cream parlor in the Upper East Side was filled with light laughter.

  Alexandra, 17 years old, was sharing this luxurious experience with her three friends. Her brown hair cascaded gently over her shoulders as she contemplated the ice cream options.

  "Chocolate truffle stuffed with blackberries and French strawberries? Even for you, Alex, that's a bit much." teased Elsa.

  Alex laughed, her eyes gleaming at Elsa’s familiar teasing, a friend she had known for years.

  "With such extravagant choices, it would be a crime not to give it a try, don't you think?"

  "She's right. If it's an option, why not?" said Oliver. "But I'll stick with the classic. Cookies and cream, please."

  Oliver wasn’t exactly close to Alex, but since he was very close to Elsa, they could be considered "friends." The same could be said for Isabella.

  As they discussed the increasingly exotic flavors, Alex’s phone began to ring.

  She picked it up and saw a notification.

  [Outer Wilds: Download 3%]

  "Outer Wilds?... A new game from the Marveler!" Alex thought, excited.

  Luckily, she had the brilliant idea of installing a bot programmed to automatically download any Marveler game as soon as it was released.

  There had been much speculation about how long it would take for Marveler to launch a new game after Castlevania. Most players believed that creating a game like Castlevania must have taken a long time, even for Marveler, so they were certain the next game would take much longer to be released.

  Alex had also believed that.

  "But who would’ve thought he’d release another game just three weeks later? Marveler must be a wizard, just like the rumors say." Alex concluded internally, letting out a sigh.

  "Well, guys, unfortunately, something urgent came up," she informed her friends. "I need to head home, but as an apology, I’ll cover the bill."

  Pulling out a golden credit card, Alex paid for her friends’ orders.

  "And what about your monstrous chocolate truffle ice cream?" Elsa asked.

  Alex smiled. "I’m taking it with me, of course."

  Leaving behind the lively atmosphere of the ice cream parlor, Alex, holding her ice cream container, arrived at the parking lot where Winston, her driver, was already waiting for her.

  "Home, and step on it, Winston!" Alex said as she got into the car.

  He patiently waited for her to fasten her seatbelt.

  "Seriously, Winston! We need to hurry." Alex said as she buckled up. "By the way, want some ice cream?"

  "If you save some for me, I’ll have it later." Winston replied, pulling the car out of the parking lot.

  The ice cream parlor was just five minutes away from Alex's apartment, so Winston decided there was no need to speed.

  "So, miss, why the rush?" he asked, curious.

  "Hmm… Marveler… Hmm… new game." Alex mumbled, her mouth full of blackberries and chocolate.

  "I see. Should I speed up a bit?"

  "Hmm… No need."

  After swallowing her ice cream, Alex asked, "By the way, what did you do with the luck potion you won?"

  "It's stored at home. I haven't had the chance to use it yet."

  "You should. I heard the government wants to confiscate everything related to Marveler, including the rewards," she advised. "But if you want, I can keep it safe for you."

  "I would appreciate that."

  Winston had been her personal driver since she was nine years old. It could be said that he was the closest person to her, aside from her family. She saw him more as an uncle than just a driver.

  Alex wasn’t just the person who recommended Castlevania to Winston—she was also the one who personally taught him how to complete the game as quickly as possible.

  The short five-minute drive from the parking lot to Alex's apartment passed in the blink of an eye. Winston navigated through the illuminated city while Alex enjoyed her ice cream.

  Winston pulled up in front of a luxurious 47-story building, which towered against the sky. Its glass facade reflected the last golden rays of sunlight, creating a stunning image.

  The building's entrance exuded sophistication, complemented by an elegant marquee.

  "Home, miss." Winston announced as he opened the car door for her.

  Smiling, Alex thanked him.

  "Thanks, Winston. Oh, and don’t forget the ice cream." She handed him the container.

  "Thank you, miss." Winston replied, accepting the gift.

  "You're off duty for the next two days. Also, how about playing the new game?" she suggested.

  "I’ll consider it."

  "Bye, Winston."

  "Goodbye, miss."

  Winston then drove away.

  Alex entered the elegant lobby of the building.

  Inside, she was greeted with a smile by the doorman.

  "Good afternoon, Miss West."

  "Good afternoon, Mr. Doorman."

  Alex greeted him and a few lucky neighbors who happened to cross her path.

  In the penthouse’s exclusive elevator, she pressed the button for the 36th floor, where her apartment was located. Despite living alone, her parents weren’t far—they lived just five floors above hers.

  As the elevator ascended, Alex gazed at the city skyline through the glass windows. In the distance, she could even see the famous Stark Industries tower.

  The elevator doors opened smoothly, revealing the luxurious corridor of the 36th floor. Alex stepped out.

  Beside the elevator, the panoramic city view through the hallway windows offered an enchanting sight.

  She walked up to her apartment door. The number "3602" gleamed discreetly on the wall.

  Inserting a golden key into the lock, she opened the door, revealing the warm atmosphere of her home.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The neutral walls provided the perfect backdrop for the artworks, carefully chosen gifts from her parents. However, the only art form Alex truly loved was the tenth—video games.

  The living room, bathed in natural light, struck a charming balance between luxury and simplicity. The large windows offered magnificent city views, becoming even more stunning when the night lights began to sparkle across the horizon.

  "Finally home."

  Alex then pulled two golden cards from her bag—one was a credit card, and the other was the Sword Card, her special reward for being the second person to complete Castlevania.

  Earlier, when she left her friends, she had almost confused the two and used the Sword Card to pay the bill.

  "I don’t know if they would’ve recognized it, but it’s better not to risk it." She sighed in relief.

  Inside her bedroom, Alex went straight to a hidden compartment beneath her desk—the secret hiding spot for her precious Intelligence Potion.

  As she checked the download progress, still at 78%, her attention was drawn to her inbox, overflowing with messages.

  [+999 new messages received]

  Even without looking, Alex was certain that 99% of them were people wanting to buy her Sword Card, while the remaining 1% were people claiming to be government authorities trying to "confiscate" her reward.

  "Even though they claim to be from the government, none of them have tried to contact my personal email or approached me in person. This suggests they might be fake, or the government lacks the competence to track my personal email."

  That was her thought, but whether they were fakes or just incompetent, it all ended up working to Alex's advantage either way.

  "So persistent..." She froze for a moment. "2.6 billion. That's a new record."

  The previous record was 1.9 billion, set by someone from the "government." Unfortunately, even if the price increased to 100 or 500 billion, she would never agree.

  To Alex, the card was far more valuable than money, especially since she had personally tested what the Sword Card was capable of.

  Not too long ago, while walking home from school, Alex came across a convenience store robbery. Seeing an opportunity to test the card, she threw it, and it quickly transformed into a golden sword. Then, she ordered it to cut the robber’s hand.

  Faster than any possible reaction, the sword shot forward, breaking through the store's glass and making a deep cut on the robber’s armed hand.

  At first, she felt bad for hurting someone, but after reflecting on the man’s actions, Alex simply ignored that feeling.

  "Now they want us to hand over our rewards? Keep dreaming." She scoffed.

  Struggling to track down Maravilhador, the government turned its attention to the players. The president stated that Maravilhador’s actions violated more than 15 laws and that they were no different from virtual terrorism. Finally, they even accused him of stealing ultra-secret information.

  However, since this did not have the desired impact, the government took a more drastic measure: a strict ban on all games related to Maravilhador. The president emphasized that disregarding this ban would be considered a crime punishable by at least two years in prison.

  Additionally, all rewards obtained in Castlevania were classified as evidence of Maravilhador's crimes, with instructions to hand them over to the nearest police station immediately.

  "That’s definitely not happening..."

  Notification sounds.

  The completed download lit up Alex's computer screen. She quickly sent a message to James and Liam: New game. Hurry up, or you’ll be left out of the top 3.

  Putting her phone away, Alex carefully picked up the Intelligence Potion. The blue liquid swirled smoothly inside the vial, emanating a subtle aroma of knowledge. With a decisive motion, she emptied the vial.

  The sensation was as if her mind drifted for a few seconds before regaining focus—now amplified fifty times over.

  The effect was so remarkable that her mind, which once resembled a fancy house, now felt like a grand royal palace.

  "Wow." Alex whispered, marveling at the clarity of thought the potion provided.

  Her already considerable intelligence had reached new heights. Problems that once seemed challenging were now solved almost instinctively in her head.

  Memories of difficult school subjects echoed in her mind, but now they posed no difficulty whatsoever.

  What once was a complex puzzle had become a simple task, thanks to the renewed brilliance of her enhanced mind.

  "Incredible..."

  After calming down, Alex launched Outer Wilds and, with a confident smile, selected the "New Game" option.

  [Diving into Virtual Reality...]

  "Truly magical," Alex whispered, further reinforcing her theory that Maravilhador was some kind of mage or sorcerer.

  She then officially began her journey in Outer Wilds.

  With her exceptional dexterity and intelligence, she easily completed the tutorial and obtained the launch codes.

  However, unlike Tony Stark, Alex realized that this tiny planet might hold many secrets.

  The majestic geyser mountain revealed the entrance to ancient mysteries, while the first encounter mural told a story written by the hands of the Nomai.

  The Ash Twin Project piqued her curiosity, and Mining Site 2B offered clues about the activities of this extinct civilization.

  As she continued exploring, Alex came across a strange seed, previously found by Tektite, which seemed to originate from the terrifying planet Dark Bramble.

  Each discovery, every revelation, contributed to Alex’s growing understanding of the mysteries in this small universe.

  All the important information was recorded in her spaceship’s logbook, but at the peak of her exploration—just as Alex was about to leave the planet and venture into space—the sun collapsed.

  "A supernova? Just like the one I saw at the observatory," Alex mused, surprised.

  In an instant, the entire universe was consumed.

  When she regained consciousness, she found herself once again by the campfire.

  "That didn’t feel like a game over..." she murmured, perplexed.

  "Game over? What’s that?" Slate asked, roasting marshmallows beside her.

  Going through the new dialogue options, Alex became absolutely certain that this wasn’t a game over.

  But despite trying to get answers from Slate, he didn’t seem to remember the supernova.

  Without hesitation, Alex boarded her ship and set off for her next destination.

  With impressive speed, she explored the Hourglass Rock in half a cycle, then flew to Uncertain Valley, where she took one and a half cycles to uncover all the secrets of this strange planet.

  Next were the Hourglass Twins—Ash Twin and Ember Twin—which took two full cycles. Giant’s Deep proved to be the most challenging, requiring three and a half cycles.

  As for the other planets in the solar system, Alex explored them only superficially, gathering just the necessary information. Doing all this took her four hours.

  But with the knowledge collected from each planet and Alex’s intelligence, breaking the time loop turned out to be an easy task.

  She quickly located the Quantum Moon and unraveled the mysteries of the Eye of the Universe.

  With the Advanced Warp Core she retrieved from within Ember Twin, Alex traveled to The Vessel, the Nomai mothership. Finally, she entered the Eye of the Universe, not only breaking the infinite loop but also bringing the universe to its natural end.

  And so, Alex completed the game in 4 hours and 53 minutes.

  As she exited virtual space, she returned to her room. Looking at her hands, she smiled.

  "Blue skin wasn’t so bad." She had almost gotten used to the blue skin of her character in Outer Wilds.

  "I didn’t have much time to enjoy the game. I’ll have to play again later."

  She had rushed to finish the game as quickly as possible, without caring about anything else.

  By relying only on the information in the ship’s log, she didn’t interact with the NPCs as deeply as she could have. Even after finishing the game, she realized she had missed many hidden and interesting details.

  [Congratulations! You are the first player to complete Outer Wilds!]

  [You have received the Galactic Explorer Set (spaceship included).

  Note: Only the first 10 players to complete the game will receive this reward.

  A special gift for being the first to complete the game will be sent later.]

  "!!??" Alexandra was stunned.

  Initially, she thought the reward would be one of the tools used in the game, but not even in her wildest thoughts did she imagine she would receive the entire Galactic Explorer set.

  "Am I going to become a galactic explorer?" The question echoed in her mind, tinged with surprise and excitement.

  [Due to the size of the reward, a storage bracelet will be given as an extra reward.

  The explorer set will be deposited into the storage bracelet within 30 minutes.]

  Out of nowhere, a bracelet materialized on her wrist. It appeared to be made of silver, but its bluish hue gave it a unique touch. The surface was notably smooth, with a small silver screen standing out.

  "It looks more like a watch than a bracelet," Alex commented as she lightly touched it, triggering a holographic screen to appear above the bracelet.

  [Storage (0/60)]

  "Empty?"

  It seemed Alex would have to wait about 30 minutes to receive her reward, but she considered that reasonable—after all, it was a spaceship. Looking at the empty bracelet, an idea popped into Alex’s mind.

  Grabbing the empty potion vial, she placed it against the holographic screen. Instantly, the vial disappeared, and the screen updated.

  [Storage (1/60)

  Empty Vial.]

  "So I can store anything?" Alex wondered, intrigued.

  She then remembered James and Liam, the other two who placed in the top 3 of Castlevania.

  When Alex discovered the rewards were real, she had the brilliant idea of joining forces. She wanted to form an exclusive group consisting of the top three players, meant to help each other and, of course, maintain their positions at the top.

  After much persistence and several attempts to find them, she succeeded.

  James, the first-place holder, initially contacted Alex with a warning about her safety, advising her not to share personal information online. With a bit of persuasion, he agreed to join the group.

  Liam, who took third place, was much easier to convince since he wanted to surpass both Alex and James to claim first place.

  At first, he tried to make James his rival, but due to James’s lack of competitiveness, he eventually declared Alex as his adversary. Alex, in particular, found him adorable.

  Together, they created two groups on Skype.

  The first, called "The Top Three," was just for casual conversations like any normal group.

  The second, named "Emergency," was reserved only for important or urgent matters. The three agreed that whenever a new message or call appeared in this group, they would immediately stop whatever they were doing to check. Since its creation, they had only used this group twice.

  Since Alex wanted to share important information on how to complete the game, she initiated a video call with both James and Liam through the "Emergency" group.

  The call icon flashed green, indicating their meeting was about to begin.