The year is 2050.
Around the globe, cities gleamed with new tech, but everyone's real focus was on something else: SpellxEdge Online.
It wasn't just a game, it was the game, the biggest thing that had ever happened in entertainment.
Forget those old VR headsets or clunky AR glasses.
SpellxEdge Online used a revolutionary piece of headgear called the Reality Headgear.
*Illustration
You just put it on, and it doesn't just show you a game, it pulls your entire mind into it.
Your body would just be lying there, but you were inside the game.
Every swing of a sword, every zap of magic, the smell of a forest, the chill of a dungeon, the soft feel of touching grass, it all felt completely real, sometimes even more real than actual life.
Of course, such profound immersion came with necessary limits.
The human mind simply couldn't handle a one-to-one translation of pain.
If every blow and spell impact were fully transmitted, the sheer agony would break a player's sanity.
So, the Reality Headgear was programmed with an inherent pain dampener, carefully calibrated to deliver a realistic sensation of impact and discomfort without ever crossing the threshold into incapacitating torment.
It was enough to feel the danger, but not enough to cause permanent psychological damage.
SpellxEdge Online wasn't just popular, it was everywhere.
It was where heroes were made, where fortunes were made, and for a lot of players, it was where their true life happened.
And right at the very top of that massive game, before it all became too real, there was one name everyone knew and respected: [ ].
---
[Global Chat - Server 1124]
Xx_DaRK_SlasHeR_xX: Yo, anyone else just get absolutely wiped by [ ] in the new dungeon? Felt like I was fighting a boss on crack.
FluffyUnicorn99: LOL, you and everyone else, DaRK. That dude is busted. My squad ran into him in the PvP arena. He solo'd our whole frontline and healers in like 10 seconds. It was embarrassing.
NoobMaster69: Seriously, what's his rotation? No matter what I spec into, he just owns me. It's like he has ESP or something.
Xx_Sweet_Dreams_xX: I'm starting to think he's running some kind of hack client. Gotta be. No one's that good without aimbot.
iPwnU4Free: Nah, it's just lag. Or maybe he's one of the GMs messing around? That kind of perfect timing, knowing every cheesy spot... smells like admin privileges.
EpicGamerDude: Nah, it's just raw skill. Or maybe he just doesn't sleep, lol. I heard he's literally always online. His playtime alone is absurd.
Xx_DaRK_SlasHeR_xX: Skill only goes so far, dude. This is beyond skill. This is... sus. I'm telling you, either he's hacking or he's got a direct line to the game's servers.
FluffyUnicorn99: And he never types in chat, never joins a guild, never even hangs out in town. Just pure, terrifying destruction. It's almost like he's... playing a different game than the rest of us.
NoobMaster69: Well, whatever he is, he makes the game both incredibly rage-inducing and totally addicting. Everyone talks about him. Everyone tries to kill him. And no one ever does.
---
FluffyUnicorn99: OMG, did anyone see [ ] during the world boss fight? He was shredding its health bar like paper!
Xx_DaRK_SlasHeR_xX: Yeah! With those twin blades, right? They look insane. I've never seen anything like them in the game.
NoobMaster69: Those swords... they're identical, glowing with this weird energy. I've checked all the weapon lists, crafting recipes, even the rare drop tables. Nothing even comes close.
MysticMaiden: Exactly! My blacksmith buddy has spent hours looking through the game's data trying to figure out those swords. He's got no clue. They seem to have just... appeared with [ ].
iPwnU4Free: Maybe they're admin weapons? Like, only devs can use them? That would explain the crazy damage output and why no one else has ever seen them.
Xx_Sweet_Dreams_xX: Or maybe he found some super secret, unreleased questline? But usually, even with those, the weapons end up in the databases eventually. These are a complete mystery.
EpicGamerDude: I saw someone in the forums say they look almost... too perfect. Like they weren't even designed with the game's usual aesthetic.
Xx_DaRK_SlasHeR_xX: Right? They don't fit any of the crafting styles or faction rewards. It's like they're from a different game entirely.
FluffyUnicorn99: And the way he uses them! It's so fluid, so precise. It's like those swords are an extension of his own body.
NoobMaster69: I'm still leaning towards hacks, but even then, where would he get weapon skins that don't exist in the game files? It's baffling.
MysticMaiden: The mystery just adds to the legend, doesn't it? Everyone's obsessed with figuring out who he is and where those swords came from. It's the biggest unanswered question in SpellxEdge Online.
---
Xx_Sweet_Dreams_xX: Speaking of new beginnings, did you guys see the dev announcement? New Server is going live next month!
EpicGamerDude: NO WAY! You serious?! I missed that!
Xx_DaRK_SlasHeR_xX: A new server?! That means full wipe, right? Everything back to zero?
FluffyUnicorn99: YEAH! They confirmed it! Reset items, reset levels, reset storylines, all bosses respawned! It's a total fresh start!
NoobMaster69: Holy moly, that's huge! This is our chance! Reset rankings! Finally, we can actually compete for top spots without [ ] having a ten-year head start.
MysticMaiden: Exactly! This is the fresh start everyone's been begging for. A chance to re-experience the game, try new builds from scratch, and maybe, just maybe, see if [ ] can do it all again from the bottom.
iPwnU4Free: Or if he even bothers. Maybe he gets bored without his un-killable swords. This is the ultimate test.
EpicGamerDude: I'm so hyped! Time to theorycraft my new main. Who needs [ ] when we get a clean slate?!
---
Miles away from the furious chatter of SpellxEdge Online's global servers, in a sterile room bathed in the soft glow of medical monitors, a man lay in bed.
Tubes connected to an IV stand beside him hummed quietly, a stark contrast to the vibrant digital world he had just left.
This was Kaito, a 27-year-old man, his body weakened by an incurable disease that had confined him to this bed for years.
A faint, raspy laugh escaped his lips, quickly turning into a cough that rattled his frail frame.
He clutched the tablet displaying the exuberant forum posts, his eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and a familiar, fiery determination.
"Hahaha," he chuckled, a dry sound that barely escaped his throat, followed by another soft cough.
"Look at all these people."
"They think just because there's a new server, I'll be dethroned? Me? The Rank 1 of this game for over seven years now?"
"Never! While I am still alive, I will make sure I will keep this spot if it's the last thing I have to do."
A fierce glint entered Kaito's eyes, momentarily eclipsing the fatigue that clung to him.
The game, his rank, his dominance. It was all he had left, his final battleground.
Just then, the door to his private room opened softly, revealing a nurse making her rounds.
She approached Kaito's bedside with a gentle smile.
"It's late now, Mr. Kaito."
"You have another operation tomorrow, don't you? You really should rest."
Kaito sighed, a hint of his old mischievous self in his eyes.
"Alright, alright. I don't want my gadgets confiscated again because of getting caught using them in the middle of the night."
The nurse chuckled softly.
"Good night, Mr. Kaito."
---
The Reality Headgear was more than just entertainment, it was a beacon of hope.
Its immense popularity and sales had enabled its developers to sponsor numerous hospitals, transforming it into a lifeline for patients battling severe or life-threatening diseases.
For those whose bodies were failing, whose lives were confined to sterile rooms, the Reality Headgear offered an escape.
It allowed their minds to soar, to live full, vibrant lives within SpellxEdge Online, even when their physical body were on the brink.
For patients like Kaito, it was the last hope of freedom, a world where the limitations of their dying bodies simply ceased to exist.
---
Only a few minutes after the nurse exited, Kaito's eyes, still bright with defiance, fluttered open again.
He glanced around the quiet room, a fleeting, light chuckle escaping him.
"Sorry, kind nurse," he murmured, a sly smile playing on his lips as he immediately lay back down.
"I did say I don't want my headgear confiscated again... but I didn't say I won't be doing it again."
With practiced ease, he reached for the sleek Reality Headgear beside his pillow.
He pulled the device over his head, the cool plastic settling into place.
Then, with a quiet, determined voice, he spoke the activation phrase.
"Link Start."
His mind began to slowly enter the familiar digital world, but Kaito was oblivious to the chaos erupting around his physical form.
His body suddenly began to shake uncontrollably, tremors wracking his frail frame.
The steady beeping of his medical monitor quickened into an alarmed, frantic tone.
On his head, the Reality Headgear sparked, a cascade of bright, blinding light erupting from the headgear, enveloping his entire body in an unnatural glow.
Then, just as suddenly, everything stopped.
An eerie silence descended upon the room.
Kaito's body went utterly still, the shaking stopped.
The Reality Headgear powered down, its light slowly died.
For a moment, there was nothing but complete silence.
Then, his monitor began to beep again, but this time, it was a long, unbroken tone of dread, a flat red line.
Alarms blared as doctors and nurses rushed into the room, their faces etched with urgency and grim understanding.
They worked hard, a desperate rush of compressions and frantic calls, but it was too late.
Kaito's fight in the real world had ended.