[Checking connection…]
[Synchronizing player information, please wait…]
[All set]
[System linked]
[Welcome to Last Shelter Online]
[The Dark War has begun]
All the dead players had come back to life. They were very surprised when their bodies suddenly snapped back into the air and flew low for a few seconds before falling and landing on the ground. Just a moment ago, they were killed because of the digital disaster or the fall of the giant dragon who lost the battle, and now, they found themselves trapped, as if they were there, but couldn’t do anything.
They heard and watched as if they were still alive. However, their voices were not heard despite shouting very loudly. It was a desperate situation. When you were actually there, but no one could see you. And the experience in those seconds made the players who had been revived seem to tremble in fear. The situation just got worse as the time went on.
Hiro and the others were already surprised by the first notification, like they repeatedly logged into the game. However, with an additional sentence, it made people feel even worse right now. It seemed their nightmare had come.
[The Dark War has begun]
What did those words mean? They had never heard any information about updating into a new version before. And now, they were gathered on the same single server. It was impossible if such a big change was not announced in advance on social media.
“You’re probably wondering what’s really going on right now.” Yuujin was on top of the dragon’s head, still looking at all the players who still didn’t know how to fly with a calm gaze. Everything went according to the plan.
“Today, you lost all the status you had in the real world. You are not a leader, you are not a dictator, you are not a wealthy businessman, and you are not a president. All of you are just ordinary players in a world with the rules that I have created.”
Still, no one understood what WynterRain meant. He spoke quietly, but his voice sounded very clear, as if he was whispering to them one by one. And no one understood the topic of the discussion.
“One thing that connects you to your actual body right now is just a digital signal that continues to flow in the form of data. The data moves constantly, in and out, and vice versa. Those movements are what allow you to survive in two completely different worlds.”
“To make it easier to explain. You may already know about the life support system of the patients who can no longer be saved from their illness because they have lost the function of their organs. Those life support systems are usually provided by medical devices that can actually work like a clone for an organ that isn’t functioning properly.”
“You are probably already familiar with such an explanation. When the system is stopped being provided by the family, as well as the medical side because of many considerations, the life of a patient can be lost right away. Very easy, huh? And just so you all know, even though you are very healthy when you log into this game, you may be a person who is very concerned about health, regular diet, regular exercise, and regular working hours, all of them do not help to save you when you decide to enter in this game.”
“Because once you enter this game, you instantly turn into a patient with a disabled organ, and the VR gear you’re using is your only life support system right now. And I don’t need to explain what happens if the gear is turned off, right?”
“Ahh—maybe I’ll explain it in a shorter sentence. Right now, all of your original body functions are perfectly connected to the detector signal used by this game to create and move your avatar. Do you remember the school lesson about external stimulation on the receptors sending signals to the brain and the brain decoding them and relaying the results to the effector? The receptor is your real body, the brain is the nerve gear you are using, and the effector is the avatar you are currently using to hear my voice.”
“One thing that just happened before was a system hack, and the target of the hack system is that part of the brain. For you to know, you are currently prisoners in this game. You will never be able to leave this game even though you have collected a lot of LSC here and are willing to exchange them for anything. I have given you a warning beforehand not to play this corrupted game, but you guys didn’t really hear me.”
“Don’t ask me what would happen to your real bodies if you were stuck here forever with me. Because you already know the answer, and let me say it one more time. Whatever you are fearing right now is one thing that is very likely to happen to you.”
“With a few modifications, the Last Shelter Online: The Dark War has been successfully created. And the world you used to admire, it’s all over.”
Yuujin had finished his part. He once again took his chance to glance at Hiro who was looking at him with his eyebrows knit together. Even though his plan could be said to be something of a high success, he didn’t expect to see Hiro in this place at all, stuck with the others because of something terrible he had prepared so well.
“Yuujin, it is time,” said the Mecha telepathically. His voice rang in Yuujin’s ears. The voice of a male who was heavy and sounded like a normal man in Yuujin’s age. It wasn’t a sound made using an effect, as if the man didn’t have to worry about hiding his identity from Yuujin.
“I know,” Yuujin replied, then raised his hands in the air again, and the next second the giant magic circle appeared. Its position was facing down like a UFO preparing to land. It was enormous. The magic circle that appeared was black, with red magic runes engraved on it.
All eyes were on the magic circle. They took out shields and anything that could be used for protection.
“This will kill all of them in one instance,” he muttered without the slightest hesitation.
“Do it. Now. We have to give them a lesson.”
[Solar Storm]