Mike received the new VR V4 for his birthday.
It was a groundbreaking invention and promised to change the gaming experience forever. Now you could literally step into the game and live it yourself. Your brain data was downloaded, your body analyzed, and in no time you had a character.
But there was only one game you could play: Godslayer.
It was the most advanced and greatest game of its time.
You had to create a character, level up, and explore a massive world filled with cities and biomes. However, once you reached level 20, you should never step into a level 100 area—or else it was most likely:
+Game Over+
When you died, you lost 5 levels, and those levels were transferred to the player who killed you. Because of that, players often hunted each other.
But Mike was different. He wasn't hunted—nor did he hunt others. Since he was at a very high level, few dared to fight him. Instead, Mike focused on NPCs, quests, and events, which were the true key to fast leveling.
Mike was already Level 367/500—a very high level. Yet he didn't realize that by logging in, he was risking his real life…
December 24th, 2055
The Game Begins
Mike sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the glowing red numbers of his alarm clock on the nightstand. It was 23:44. Christmas was almost here.
Dark circles shadowed his eyes—he often struggled to fall asleep, and tonight was no different. With a sigh, Mike stood up in his nearly empty room. The only furniture was a bed with a white blanket, a small table with the clock, and in the corner, a strange black machine glowing blue from the inside.
On top, it read: Godslayer, with a sword emblem.
Cables ran from the machine to a VR headset. Mike crouched down, picked it up, and smirked.
"Well then… let the games begin."
He chuckled softly and put on the headset. Before pressing start, he lay down on the floor and thought:
"Good… when I wake up, it'll be Christmas. I wonder what Santa will bring me, haha. Alright then… START!"
Status
Login: Yes
Online: Yes
Life: 500
Strength: 70
Sword: 150
Magic: 400
Abilities:
Blade Storm (Unlocked)
Armor Break (Unlocked)
Sword Dance (Unlocked)
Locked – reach Level 400
Locked – reach Level 500
Location: Sria
Quest: Capture all the cows and defeat the monster on the farm.
Suddenly, blue lights flashed before Mike's eyes, turning white as the world took shape—trees, a dirt path, and houses. His character stood in front of a farm.
He was equipped with two completely black swords, his armor also pitch-black. Above his name floated Mike, and below it his earned title: Black Raven—a nickname he got from other players since he wore nothing but black.
Mike stood in the field and frowned.
"What am I doing in a level 25 region? Wait…"
He tilted his head, trying to recall the last few days. But before he could finish the thought, a strange rumbling interrupted him.
The ground cracked open, and suddenly a massive worm burst out, dirt flying everywhere. It dove straight at him—
—but in less than a second, the worm was sliced clean in two, exploding into blue pixels.
-23 EXP
Item: Worm Flesh
"Ah, now I remember. I wanted to help a friend here."
Mike brushed his brown hair back and smiled. Just a few days ago, he had played with a friend who had finally gotten the game, and this was where they left off.
He sheathed his swords and walked toward the useless items floating in the air.
"What good can come from a worm, anyway?"
He bent down to collect them—
—but before he could, his vision flickered.
A message appeared:
Teleporting in 3… 2… 1…
And then—Mike was gone.
Normally, teleportation was only possible to cities or out of dungeons. But Mike was in neither. He had no idea where he was being taken…
Suddenly, Mike found himself standing on a cloud.
He didn't fall through—it was solid. The cloud was massive, and every single player was there.
Above them floated a number:
4,000,000 / 5,000,000 Teleported
"What was that? What's going on?"
Everyone was confused, asking why they were suddenly standing on this enormous cloud.
Then, the number above changed color—from white to glowing red.
5,000,000 reached. Explanation incoming.
A gigantic tear split open in the sky. From it emerged a hand—white and transparent. Then a head, the same strange translucent white, followed by the rest of the figure. A towering, ghostlike creature.
Next to Mike stood a small boy, trembling and screaming:
"That's it! I've had enough! I don't want to be part of a horror event—I'm logging out!"
The boy opened his menu, trying to log out—
But suddenly, the menu shattered into glowing fragments.
At the same time, every player's inventory opened and broke apart.
Screams, questions, confusion, silence—chaos.
"What? Why? What's happening?"
"Hey, my inventory!"
"I want to log out, now!"
Then—
A white shockwave spread through the cloud, silencing everyone.
The massive creature hovered in the sky. It had no face, no features—barely even a form. But its voice could be heard: calm, strange, and eerily friendly.
"Good day. I am pleased to invite you all to the three-year test of this simulation. Consider your answer carefully… I will not provide you with any further information. At least, not yet."
The creature went silent.
Above every player's head, a small box appeared with two options: Yes / No, along with a timer.
4:34 minutes remaining.
Mike turned to the person closest to him. It was a dragon-man, with wings, a trident, and the head of a dragon—yet only two arms and two legs.
"Hey, dragon-man, what about you? What will you choose?"
The dragon-man thought for a moment, then made a dismissive hand gesture.
"I will refuse. I don't want this."
Mike watched as the dragon-man raised his claw and marked the No option. For a moment, nothing happened—
—but then the dragon-man suddenly screamed, collapsing to the ground.
"The pain… ARGH! Please, make it stop—!"
His voice cut off.
The dragon's body went still.
Lifeless.
Mike was terrified and fell to the ground from shock.
"W-why… hasn't his body despawned?"
(Not vanished or respawned)
Mike's eyes widened in disbelief.
All the players around stared at the dragon and at Mike.
"H-he's dead!"
"But his b-b-body isn't despawning!"