Chapter 3: Blackout.
Japan.
The bustling streets of Shibuya.
In the vibrant heart of the city, the towering headquarters of HyperTech Industries stood. Over eighty floors stretched gracefully towards the heavens, a beacon of technological marvels and untold possibilities.
People went about their daily lives.
They were all unaware of the event that would take place.
In her limousine, Sakura Hoshigawa, the brilliant mind behind the revolutionary VRMMORPG game, Elden Online, was engrossed in a conversation with one of her marketers.
She had short brown hair, brown eyes, well toned cheeks and a slightly flat nose.
The car came to a halt in front of the impressive HyperTech building.
Sakura bid farewell to her conversation partner. "Alright, I'll talk to you later," she said, a smile gracing her cherry blossom lips.
With a gentle tap, she ended the call, securing her phone in her pocket.
Sakura prepared to step out of her limousine.
However, in that fateful moment, the world was caught off guard as chaos took hold, leaving no time for preparation or respite.
No country, satellite or astronauts could've seen it coming.
It just happened.
Without warning, without the faintest hint of foreboding, a celestial aberration of immense proportions tore through the fabric of space. The catalyst comet, like a wild beast unleashed from the clutches of the unknown, hurtled towards its unsuspecting target - the Neural Network. This colossal machine, a nexus of interconnected ley lines intertwining with the consciousness of every player across the world, stood as the lifeblood of the Elden Online server.
With a deafening roar, the comet's destructive fury collided with the neural core.
The catastrophic impact claimed the lives of hundreds that were in and around the building.
The ground trembled violently beneath their feet as a colossal crater materialized.
A maelstrom of destruction followed.
The shockwave propagated relentlessly, carrying shards of shattered glass and twisted metal like deadly confetti. Buildings crumbled under the relentless force, succumbing to the unstoppable power of the unleashed chaos as they were reduced to rubble.
Sakuraʼs limousine was flung across the street like a rag doll. Both her and her driver bounced off the walls of the car. The constant throbbing of their head increased.
BANG!!
It crashed.
"What's going on?!"
"It's the Apocalypse!"
"We're all gonna die!"
Everyone was scared, afraid of what would happen next.
The core handling the virtual reality game's neural network reacted with the enormous amount of energy unleashed by the comet. The energy interacted with the players' brain waves and consciousness, leading to a merging of their souls with the neural network. The fusion essentially eliminated the boundaries between their physical bodies and the virtual world, tethering their existence to the game.
Therefore, any harm inflicted on their in-game avatars would be communicated to their real bodies, resulting in death if their avatars died.
The collision and fusion of consciousness caused the creation of a new world in an newly existential dimensional space. A three-dimensional space, similar to our own physical world. In this case, the new world had three dimensions - length, width, and height.
These dimensions served as the foundation for the rules and laws governing the game and its environment.
It changed everything.
...
The players all across the world of Elden Online were waiting for the event to start.
Miyoloris Continent.
The players in the Eses starter town were all waiting in the central square as they looked at the white number in the sky that slowly counted down.
[ 00:10 ]
[ 00:09 ]
[ 00:08 ]
"Man! I can't believe it's about to start..." Helvick balled his fists.
Ciel chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'm also excited."
"..." June just nodded. She was mostly always silent, however, it was obvious that she too was excited.
Aqua looked at Shin, he didn't show any sort of interest or excitement. He may have dedicated his time to the event, but she knew he was only doing it because they were heavily invested in playing Elden Online. She dressed her blue hair bangs and then looked at Shin.
"Shin?"
"Yeah?"
"You're not really excited about the event, are you..." she frowned a bit.
Shin shrugged. "It's okay, I guess."
Ciel smiled at him. "You should really be excited, it'll be a fun ride." He was excited much like any player around but still calm.
"Sure..." Shin gave a detached response.
[ 00:03 ]
[ 00:02 ]
[ 00:01 ]
[ The Double-Tier Leveling Event has begun! ]
The event commenced.
A collective uproar echoed throughout the virtual realm, reaching the ears of every player immersed in their virtual reality.
They were unaware and unprepared for what was about to happen...
Suddenly, the heavens fractured, revealing hairline cracks in the once seamless virtual sky. A chilling sensation crawled down their spines as the pixels that constituted their fabricated reality began to flutter, as if dancing to an unsettling rhythm.
Panic seized the hearts of the adventurers, squeezing tight like an iron vice.
"What's happening?!" Helvick exclaimed.
His eyes darted from one horrified face to another, searching for answers amidst the digital disaster.
Ciel, touching his chest in distress, doubled over in agony, his face contorted in pain. "I... I can't breathe," he gasped, wheezing heavily as if his lungs were squeezed by invisible hands.
Even amidst the pandemonium, Shin's expression remained eerily detached. Placing a hand on his own chest, he winced fleetingly. "It's... it's nothing major," he said dismissively. "But it still hurts..."
June's cough grew more violent with each passing moment.
Panic etched across her face as she desperately searched for clarity.
"Something... something's wrong!" she stammered, her voice shaky with trepidation.
Aqua, her strength waning, collapsed to her knees, her grip on her staff unyielding. With each cough, her body convulsed, as if being scorched from within. Wracked with pain, she extended a trembling hand towards Shin, pleading for help. "Shin, please... help me...," she begged.
Feeling a surge of empathy, Shin reached out to grasp Aqua's hand, their fingers softly close. But before their touch could unite, the very ground beneath them shattered like fragile glass, giving way to a gaping chasm. In an instant, both Shin and Aqua plummeted into the depths, swallowed by an unfathomable darkness. The same fate befell countless others, as their existence was swallowed whole by the menacing void.
For five minutes, all 300,000+ players... ceased to exist.
A blackout.
...
...
...
"Shin!"
"Shin!!"
"Wake up! Wake up already!"
Aqua continued shaking Shin, desperately trying to wake him up, he slowly groaned and opened his eyes. His gaze fell upon Aqua, whose white garment was stained with blood, causing him concern. "Aqua, what's wrong?" he asked with a gentle yawn.
Shock.
Aqua couldn't believe his nonchalant response. With frustration evident in her voice, she exclaimed, "Are you serious right now, Shin? How can you still be asleep when everythingʼs falling apart?" She pointed behind them, revealing the chaotic scene that unfolded.
Rubbing his eyes to fully awaken, Shin noticed they were trapped in a dark room. It was a dungeon, the air thick with the stench of blood. As his ears adjusted to the disruptive echoing around them, he realized the gravity of the situation.
"We're being slaughtered here," Aqua stressed urgently.
Taking a moment to absorb the scene before him, Shin surveyed the room. It was the final floor of the foreboding Sila Dungeon, bathed in an eerie blue glow from torches on the wall. On the ground, there were headless and mangled corpses, crushed body parts and detached heads that looked either horrified or like their souls had been drained from them.
"Woah."
Shin looked back and forth.
Amidst he spotted a player, distinguishable by his blue hair and attire adorned with blue trims.
The player, belonging to the elven race, fought valiantly against a formidable black creature—the boss of the final floor. Despite losing his left hand, he gripped his crystallized blue sword tightly, determined to defeat the monstrous foe. With lightning speed, he launched a supersonic slash towards the boss, only to meet a swift and deadly end.
The monster was quick and brutal.
Aqua didn't see the attack. All she saw was the sword of the final boss cloaked in intense darkness. And right after, with a swing of the blade that defied visual comprehension, the player was torn in half.
"Serix!" she shouted his name.
Shin slowly stood up from where he was seated. "Whatʼs that?" he asked no one in particular.
It was the floor boss of the Sila Labyrinth.
A level 25 obstacle that slaughtered even level 50 players, which earned it the name: "Strongest Unaliver".
But its actual name was:
Spectral Blade Veiled Equinox Demonic General, Xalgun
Its amorphous form constantly shifted and writhe, defying any attempts to perceive its true shape. A multitude of crimson tendrils sprouted from its core, pulsating with an infernal energy, each ending in a razor-sharp, obsidian-like talon. Its eyes, if they could be called such, were swirling, ethereal vortexes of deep violet.
|| S T A T S ||
- Level: 25
- Health Points (HP): 700
- Mana Points (MP): 300
- Attack Power: 100-105
- Defense: 70
- Magic Power: 50
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone