Free Web NovelChapter 1: Chapter 1: Synchronization ceremony
They say, if you want to have it all, experience it all, and know it all... you need to be a God.
That opportunity is exactly what we are offering you, O Chosen Ones.
Come. Create your own Genesis. Be a God. Play a God.
— Godcraft Genesis
Inside one of humanity’s most advanced classrooms, an instructor kept his gaze steady upon the students seated before him.
"Listen carefully. This is your final Synchronization Ceremony. Those of you who fail to achieve a synchronization rate above fifty percent will spend the rest of your lives as ordinary civilians. You’ll attend a regular university, get a regular job, and live a regular life."
The instructor’s words settled heavily upon every student’s heart—including Roman, who sat by the window, far from the curious eyes of his classmates.
This particular seat had always been Roman’s favourite. While everyone else had rushed into the classroom minutes earlier to fight over the front rows, he had arrived nearly an hour in advance just to claim this quiet corner. It was a peaceful spot, tucked away where hardly anyone bothered to spare even a glance.
"We’ll begin now," the instructor continued, gesturing toward the high-tech synchronization capsule standing at the front of the classroom. "You already know the procedure. Step inside. The capsule will determine your synchronization rate. Those who fail to meet the required threshold know the consequences."
"William Benjamin."
A boy from the middle row stood, his arms visibly trembling as he made his way toward the capsule. After stepping inside, the machine emitted a soft electronic beep. Several agonizing seconds later, the capsule slid open once more, revealing William staring anxiously at the instructor, hope filling his eyes.
"Synchronization Rate—63%."
A faint smile appeared on the instructor’s face.
"Congratulations, William. You are now officially a Newbie God."
The classroom erupted into applause.
Roman joined in with everyone else.
The twenty-first century became known as Humanity’s Virtual Revolutionary Age.
In 2101, the world’s very first VRMMO had shattered every expectation, revolutionizing technology, medicine, entertainment, and society itself.
Now, a century later, the newly released SRMMO Godcraft Genesis was accomplishing everything the VRMMOs once had—but on a scale that made its predecessor seem almost primitive.
The difference between the two was astonishing.
If VRMMOs created a simulated reality layered over the human mind, then SRMMOs practically transmigrated one’s consciousness into an entirely new existence. And Godcraft Genesis took that concept even further. It was a God simulator—a game where players became true deities, nurturing newborn worlds, guiding civilizations, shaping history itself from nothing.
More names were called.
Some students stepped out of the capsule with smiles they could barely contain.
Others did not.
Every time a failure was announced, the classroom would fall into an uncomfortable silence before quickly moving on, the failed student fading from everyone’s attention like a name already half-forgotten.
Roman’s heart pounded against his ribs.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—especially for someone like him.
Someone who had earned admission into this prestigious academy through nothing but a scholarship. Someone who had grown up in an orphanage after the Orphan Authority discovered him as an abandoned infant—bruised, filthy, and left to die.
He had clawed his way here.
He refused to leave the same way he had arrived.
"Olive Miller."
The name immediately caught Roman’s attention.
He glanced toward the front of the room, watching Olive walk toward the capsule with the same calm confidence that Roman found quietly infuriating.
I wish he would fail.
The thought surfaced naturally.
Just as quickly, Roman tasted the bitterness behind it.
The capsule released a longer, more deliberate beep before falling silent.
"Synchronization Rate—75%."
For the first time that morning, the instructor paused.
"The highest synchronization rate recorded today. Congratulations, Olive. You are officially a Newbie God. Make your father proud."
The corner of Olive’s lips curled upward.
"That has never been in question."
He turned to return to his seat, but halfway there his eyes drifted toward Roman.
A short, mocking laugh escaped him.
Nothing more.
Roman simply looked away.
It was irritating.
Olive becoming a Newbie God meant they would both be assigned to the God’s District—the exclusive district reserved solely for Godcraft’s chosen—and Roman would have to share that place with him. After two years at the academy, one thing had become painfully obvious. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Olive Miller had never hidden his disdain for someone of Roman’s background.
Roman’s thoughts had barely begun to spiral before another name echoed throughout the classroom.
"Roman Orphanat."
I’ll think about Olive later...
As Roman walked toward the capsule, he became painfully aware of every pair of eyes following him. It was an attention he neither enjoyed nor had ever grown accustomed to.
Maintaining a neutral expression, he stepped inside.
Lying down, Roman allowed his entire body to relax.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He emptied his mind of unnecessary thoughts, allowing the synchronization process to encounter no resistance. His breathing steadied as the boundary between consciousness and sleep gradually blurred.
Seconds passed.
Then several more.
Outside the capsule, the instructor slowly let out a quiet sigh.
"That’s enough."
The words struck Roman like ice water.
"Sir... please! Just one more moment—"
"Roman."
The instructor’s voice remained firm.
"Come out."
He had witnessed scenes like this countless times before.
It never became easier.
Roman silently climbed out of the capsule.
"Synchronization Rate—0%."
The instructor’s voice remained emotionless.
"Synchronization failed. Next—Alice Crimson."
Roman stood frozen for only a brief moment before quietly returning to his seat.
The instructor watched his retreating figure with a complicated expression before turning away.
The whispers began almost immediately.
"Zero percent? Has that ever happened before?"
"He’s an orphan. What else were you expecting?"
Roman reached his seat by the window and quietly sat down.
The whispers lingered only briefly before another name was called, and just like that, everyone forgot he existed.
Roman gazed out through the glass.
Outside, flying vehicles carved silent paths across the sky while a magnetic train slipped effortlessly through a distant aerial tunnel.
The world continued moving forward without him.
He watched the lonely scenery for what felt like an eternity.
Then, without realizing it, Roman began quietly humming a gentle lullaby.
It was a melody that had always lingered somewhere within his memory, yet no matter how often he tried, he could never remember who had first taught it to him.
Nearly an hour later, the long-awaited Synchronization Ceremony finally came to an end.
Almost instantly, the classroom divided itself into two groups.
The Newbie Gods.
The Failures.
An invisible wall rose between them without a single word being spoken, as natural and merciless as gravity itself.
Olive was the first to make that division known.
"Miss Alice Crimson."
His voice carried clearly across the classroom, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Would you honor me by joining my Pantheon, assuming we end up in the same galaxy? Naturally, I’d be Zeus. You may choose Freya... or whichever deity you prefer."
It was less a question than a performance.
A polite reminder that there now existed a gulf between Gods and everyone else.
Alice let out a quiet sigh.
She regarded Olive for a brief moment, effortlessly seeing through the intentions hidden beneath his courteous smile. It was hardly the first time someone had approached her this way.
"I’ll think about it," she replied calmly. "Until then, don’t bother me."
Without another glance, she turned and walked away.
Alice Crimson.
The Academy’s undisputed queen.
From the day she first stepped through the academy gates, she had naturally become the center of attention. It wasn’t merely her breathtaking beauty, nor the effortless elegance with which she carried herself. It was the cold distance she maintained from everyone around her—a distance that drew people closer instead of pushing them away.
By the end of the first semester, there was hardly anyone in the academy who didn’t know her name.
Wealth.
Grace.
And an almost imperious indifference toward the opinions of others.
She wore all three as effortlessly as breathing.
A girl who had everything.
And knew it.
Olive watched her disappear without sparing him another glance.
His smile remained perfectly composed.
Fucking bitch.
The curse echoed silently through his thoughts.
Just wait until I become a True God. I’ll strip that rotten attitude of yours away piece by piece.
Still simmering with frustration, his eyes eventually settled upon Roman, who quietly packed his belongings by the window as though the events of the past hour had never happened.
The filthy orphan.
A perfect target onto whom he could redirect his irritation.
And perhaps the only person in the room who possessed the same quiet pride Alice Crimson carried.
It simply wore different clothes.
Without another word, Olive slipped through the dispersing crowd and left the classroom.
