The Forum Awakens, Shadows Stir
"Oh, damn… I think we'll have to hurry up with all the strategies," said Evan, watching with seriousness the tide of players that had begun to enter.
The other underworld bosses surrounding him nodded in silence, sharing his concern.
Meanwhile, Loli, Sig, and Bert observed the same scene from a distance, their expressions slightly surprised.
"Looks like it's going to be pretty noisy for a while… until they get used to it," commented Loli with a light smile.
"It's not a bad thing technically. After all, our shops need buyers, right?" replied Sig, also smiling calmly.
"Hmm… something new popped up in the UI," murmured Bert, pointing to the corner where previously only the profession recipe book had been. Now a new icon glowed there, which he immediately pressed.
Before his eyes, a main page opened with the title: Drunai Online. It had several sections: Forum, Information, Photos, Register, and Guide.
Although most of them seemed empty, it was clear they were designed for players to fill in. The forum, however, was already starting to show some activity, with users posting their first comments, wondering what that page was.
"I see… now this is starting to look more like a game than before. Maybe I should keep using that cloak for now, Lua," said Sig, bringing a hand to his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "Although they'll find out anyway, I think it's for the best," he added calmly.
"Should we post something?" asked Loli curiously.
"Of course. Lots of pictures," replied Sig with a sly smile.
Loli didn't understand the meaning of that smile until minutes later, when she found herself hugging Lua, while Sig stood on the other side, posing for what looked like an improvised selfie.
Lua, frowning slightly and looking confused, had no idea what was going on.
"It's to attract more people. If your image starts circulating in real life, it'll be easier for people to turn on their computers and join in," explained Sig, still with that calculating smile.
Loli, embarrassed, tried to hide her red face while still clinging to Lua, shamelessly taking advantage of the occasion.
Immediately after, Sig began uploading the photos to the new forum… unaware that those images might cause a few problems later.
…
Meanwhile, Bert discovered that creating guides granted rewards. Without hesitation, he began writing quick instructions on how to get started, how to level up, and other basic tips.
SIA instantly took those guides and pinned them to the main page, as if refusing to let Lua deal with that work.
Veteran players also joined in, filling the network with photos, manuals, and lively conversations on the forum while finishing gathering materials from the ant mine.
That's when everyone noticed something even more important: the appearance of new missions on the panel.
Some were about helping new players acquire their first forms; others involved mining, with the possibility of keeping 50% of the resources from the new mine created after defeating the ants. There were also defense reconstruction tasks, paying generous amounts for labor.
…
"There really are a lot of them," murmured Lua, watching from the top of her house. Although she had sent a thousand invitations, she had never expected so many to be accepted. Now, around seven hundred players had joined.
"Well, they were people I more or less had in mind who might accept. I also created the official page because… I can perceive that there are only about ten thousand people left in the whole world still using computers. With the page we can reach more, and hopefully word of mouth will do the rest," explained SIA proudly.
"Well done," replied Lua calmly, though she didn't fully understand what "main page" meant. From her position, she looked down: spheres of smoke—spirits still without defined form—were circling the surroundings. Nearby, veteran players were accepting missions to help newcomers obtain their first form, trying to gather as many as possible to get better rewards.
It had undoubtedly been an excellent idea to create that mission.
Within a couple of hours, all the newcomers would have secured their first form.
Lua smiled softly. Then she climbed down from the roof and, for some reason, felt a bit drowsy. She decided it was time to rest.
…
Drunai Online Forum
Comments:
"Is anyone else seeing this? What is this game about? I've never heard of anything like it."
"Bro, this isn't a normal game, it looks like a secret MMO. Probably a closed beta."
"[IMAGE] Look at this, who's the one with the horns!? Good lord…"
"Confirmed, the one with the horns is gorgeous. If that's an NPC, they already have my money."
"Obviously fake, no game looks like that. Cheap Photoshop."
"[IMAGE] Here's the landscape when I logged in. Am I the only one who thinks this doesn't look like CGI? It's way too realistic."
"I don't care if it's real or fake, I just want a photo with the girls. Where do I sign?"
"Looks like you need an invitation… anyone got one?"
"They say the invitations come from other players. It's like some weird chain."
"How much does it cost to join? I can't find any download option."
"If this spreads any further, people are going to lose their minds. Who needs virtual reality after this?"
"What I want to know is if you can flirt with NPCs… asking for a friend."
"Confirmed, my friend also wants to know that."
"The comments above make me think nobody came here to play, everyone came here to flirt."
"Be honest, who wouldn't? Look at the girl in the picture. [IMAGE]."
"The scenery is also insane. Are there really mines, quests, and building? I need that guide now."
"Bert already uploaded some, they're in the guide section. The guy's fast, respect."
"The newbie help quest is broken. They literally pay me to carry people and I level up at the same time. Best game ever."
"Too good to be true. If I wake up tomorrow in my bed with no virtual legs, you'll know what happened."
"Imagine if this game makes you stronger in real life too… that would be the end of gyms."
…
Meanwhile, in a vast mansion guarded by patrols on every corner, a room lay cluttered with empty mana flasks stacked in every direction. In the middle of the mess, one young man slept soundly on a completely disheveled bed.
At a desk, another youth with a face covered in piercings and eyes glowing with an unsettling light scrolled through the forum. His fingers twitched restlessly over the mouse as the comments multiplied, alongside new images being posted nonstop.
Among them, one left him breathless: the woman who had haunted his darkest dreams for so long.
"I finally found her… I found her," he muttered, before bursting into deranged laughter. His gaze shifted from Lua's image to the two women standing beside her. There was something about them that felt too familiar.
"I have to go back… somehow." He growled, clicking again and again to try to register on the page. But every time, the same message flashed back: Permanently banned user.
His frustration twisted into rage. His eyes fixed on Lua with hatred, then on Sig and Loli. Until suddenly, he remembered where he had seen the two women before. He froze… and then began to laugh again.
"Yes… they must know how I can get in. They'll give me an invitation. Hehehe… Sistina and Loderana… it's been so long. Looks like we'll be meeting again."
He stood abruptly, walked over to his brother's bed, and kicked him awake.
"What, what's going on?" the boy asked, groggy and confused.
"Get ready. Tomorrow we're going to the student city," the older one said, his eyes gleaming with madness.
"Huh? You want to go back there? No thanks. Ever since Dad was expelled from that place, he goes berserk just hearing the name. I'm not in the mood to get beaten over something stupid," the younger replied calmly, trying to pull the blanket back over his head.
"That wasn't a question. It was a warning," the other snapped, his voice sharp and his stare lethal.
The younger one's eyes shot open, a faint tremor running through him. He had never seen his brother so serious… no, he corrected himself. He had seen him like this once before. Right after they had been expelled from that game.
"…Fine," he muttered at last, resigned, as he covered his head again with the blanket.
The room sank back into tense silence, broken only by the ragged breathing of the elder, who kept smiling with madness in the shadows.