He weighed his decision carefully before finally letting out a long breath.
[Oh right... my goodness! I almost forgor!]
[What is it?]
[Well, you've got no choice. Check your Tweeter to see why.]
He immediately grabbed his phone. His heart began to race.
A DM came in from an unfamiliar account—unknown.
Oh no...
Midnight's ID card was displayed on monitor.
[You know the consequences, right? There's no other way, Mid. If you refuse, your identity will be exposed, hahahahaha.]
From the start, Midnight had intended to join.
But after learning that his identity was at stake...
That was exactly what fueled his determination.
[Sure, who's scared?]
[Good. There's a package for you tomorrow morning. Details? Nope, just wait for it.]
No reply. Only silence.
[rei_x.0 has left the game lobby.]
The next morning, on Sunday, the doorbell of his apartment rang.
He hurried out. In front of the door was a large, nameless package.
"Hm... there's no address either," He muttered flatly.
"So, this is... the VR game, huh?" He lifted the package and shook it lightly.
Without putting much thoughts, he slammed the door shut with his left foot and walked leisurely to his bed.
There, he opened the package.
When he saw the contents, his eyes widened slightly, though his face remained expressionless.
A sleek, metallic device with the label: F-NEURO SYSTEM VIRTUAL REALITY.
His hands instinctively inspected the luxurious item.
"Wait a minute. This... this is the latest VR release, isn't it? This is ridiculously expensive... is this really free just for me?"
His mind raced, dwelling into the insanity of such a huge giveaway.
"Why do I need a separate device? A regular VR should be enough, right?"
He hadn't touched luxury items in forever since leaving the game company.
A strange feeling—a mix of nostalgia and unease—crept over him.
In the box, he found additional equipment: haptic gloves, rubber shoes, tight-fitting clothes, and a large headgear with a head cover.
"What are all these for?" he murmured suspiciously.
He found a small instruction sheet:
BEFORE USING, PLEASE REMOVE ALL CLOTHING.
"Ah... damn." he hissed.
There was no way his mind—or any neuron in his body—would agree to being completely naked just for a damn VR. But... curiosity outweighed everything.
With a blank expression and a sense of reluctance, Midnight stripped off his hoodie, shorts, and even his underwear.
Carefully, he donned the full gear, one piece at a time, then read the next instruction:
1. Press the center button of the headgear. Aim it at a mirror or full-body photo.
He pressed the button and stood in front of the mirror, posing casually.
Once everything was in place, he glanced at himself in the mirror.
It was magical.
The VR equipment pulsed, adjusting with precision to the shape of his body, adhering perfectly like a second skin.
Midnight's expression remained flat.
But in his mind:
"Damn, damn, damn, this is so cool!"
He barely smiled...
Barely.
But he ended up just sighing quietly, as if this were nothing special.
"Wow, interesting. Neural adaptive network, huh?" he muttered under his breath, deadpan.
In his head, he mocked: If I were to die like this, people would think it's a suicide.
But the curiosity was too strong. He couldn't stop marveling at the advanced technology.
After everything was on, he idly bounced a little to test the flexibility of the device.
With relaxed movements, he read the next step:
2. After body-fitting, lie flat. Do not tilt or lie face down.
3. Are you ready? Enjoy and have fun!
"Seriously? That's it?" he muttered, confused.
Whatever. Midnight casually lay back on the bed.
He stretched out on the bed, the soft mattress cradling his body perfectly.
The advanced technology of the device immediately calibrated, ensuring his body was symmetrically aligned.
"Oh... so there's gravity calibration," he murmured again, impressed.
The system adjusted his gravitational center, automatically positioning him in an ideal balanced resting posture.
Then...
[SENSOR ACTIVATED. SCANNING BODY ORGANS.]
Suddenly, a large text appeared in her view.
"...Wait, organs?" Midnight furrowed her brows. "Isn't this just VR?"
But he couldn't move. A subtle sensation like an electric current flowed through her body, making her mind drift.
[Scan complete. Player will enter the F-NEURO SYSTEM network. Enjoy.]
Instantly, his body seemed to vibrate softly, as though it shattered into tiny particles.
Then, a strange pull—as if his particles were accelerating, spinning in nothingness.
The sensation was odd—like a mix of REM sleep and full awareness.
Midnight smiled slightly, enjoying the strange euphoria.
Soon, he saw an endless tunnel ahead of her.
His body shot forward, turning into a blur of light.
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
The sharp whistle of acceleration pierced his ears, the speed so fast it felt as though his body was being deconstructed and reborn in an instant.
The speed was unimaginable.
His body seemed to melt and explode into fragments of light.
SSSIIIIINGGGGGGG...SYUUUUUUUTTTTTT....PYUUUUUUHHHH
Then—silence.
He found himself in an empty white space, vast and boundless.
When the sound faded, he realized he was floating in this empty white room.
No walls. No floor. No sky.
In front of him, a digital menu floated: [F-NEURO SYSTEM AVATAR].
Name, gender, clothing—all could be customized.
But when he glanced at his reflection...
Nothing.
There was nothing.
No body. No shadow.
Just a pair of eyes, shapeless, floating in the void.
Only consciousness.
Consciousness that floated aimlessly within the network.
He was no longer human, physically-speaking.
Rather, he was merely a fragment of consciousness.
His perspective was like a camera moved without any entity resembling a body.
Midnight's thoughts drifted, trying to understand.
Why can't I see my body?
Is this part of the game too?
He looked around—if it could even be called that—only to find absolute nothingness.
There was no weight.
No gravity.
Everything felt light.
There was no sense of "up" or "down."
A notification slowly appeared, floating in the void:
[PERSONALITY SYNCHRONIZATION BEGINS.]
[MAPPING MIND STRUCTURE.]
[VALIDATING ID AND EGO INTENSITY.]
Midnight held his breath—or rather, tried to.
But he no longer had lungs to hold a breath.
Panic began to gnaw at the edges of his consciousness.
Okay. Calm down. Relax. This is probably just part of the system.
But then, glitch-like sounds began buzzing in her ears.
Like whispers. Fragments of foreign voices. Small ripples could be heard too.
Midnight tried to ignore it, focusing on the menu before his eyes.
[YOUR ID AND EGO HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY IDENTIFIED.]
[WELCOME, USER MIDNIGHT!]
"Good thing it's not just 'Mid'," he thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
However, there was one thing that disturbed his mind.
Wait...
"ID"? "EGO"? he thought quickly.
Why is Freudian psychology coming up in a VR game?
Isn't this theory outdated?
Okay, wait... this is just a regular VR, right?