Akashic Studios HQ was taken by a group calling themselves the Astral Apostles, more likely servants of the project sponsor, One_Who_Devours.
Yeah, that damn thing devours my whole life of hard work!
It was announced that from now on, every piece of news regarding [Victory Online] would be released by them, and they would hold the streaming license for everything that would happen.
The announcement felt like a final judgment from a judge from hell.
And the first official broadcast came more than an hour after the apocalypse.
[VICTORY ONLINE — OFFICIAL BROADCAST]
Attention, players.
Victory Online has entered its Live Reality Service Phase.
There is no logout function.
But do not panic.
This world has always been designed to be fair.
To begin, all registered players will be placed into
STAGE ONE: THE FIRST BLOOD.
The stage will begin shortly.
Please enjoy the game.
Optional:
Stage Arena: Players are transported to the arena.
Designed arena for Stage One for Korean Server: Seoul, South Korea.
That was what they posted on the original [Victory Online] website.
Nathan tilted his head slightly as he read through it again, his eyes narrowing in thought.
So that meant every time a stage was about to overlap, players of that specific server would be transported into a specific zone.
From the previous notices, Nathan figured something else out as well.
Other than stages, the NPCs and the world locations of [Victory Online] would also be spawned directly into the real world.
If that was true, then the game wasn't just invading reality anymore.
It was replacing it.
Well, the first stage was designed in an urban area anyway. [Victory Online] was a game mixed with both modern and medieval settings, so you would find different kinds of places through different stages.
There were also many hidden places inside the game as well. Most of them had already been discovered by players, but of course, there were still some more that people didn't know about.
And First Blood wasn't that hard of a stage.
Most players usually ignored it, rushing through and just beating the boss. Only a few knew that this stage would define the future.
Because there was a hidden item in this stage.
[Yggdrasil] would make its first appearance here. Yes, it was what people knew as the World Tree.
And here, you could find the most crucial item for surviving.
[The Regressor's Stone].
It was one of the five rare-tier runes in the game. It allowed you to set a safe point, and if something happened, you would be regressed into the past without losing any of your loot. It was mostly used during special boss spawns.
And now that the world had become real…
There wouldn't be any item more valuable than [The Regressor's Stone].
But before he could think of anything else, his phone rang again. He answered it without even looking at the screen.
"Melissa-"
"Nathan?"
A male voice came from the other side. That was when Nathan finally checked the name on the screen.
"Cain?" he asked.
Why was he calling him now, after all these years? Eight years… Eight damn years after leaving him behind. After that betrayal.
"Hyung, you gotta run!" Cain screamed into the phone. "The special police are after you."
Sung Cain.
Nathan's younger brother.
The one who fought with the entire family and left home. The one who vanished without a trace. Nathan had tried to find him for so long… but he never found that damn brat.
"How do you know?" Nathan asked, his mind blanking out.
He wanted to ask if Cain was alright. He really did.
But that would be too much, wouldn't it?
He was supposed to hate him.
"You don't have time," Cain said urgently. "It doesn't matter how I know. If you get caught, you're finished. Run right now!!"
The call cut off.
Nathan stood there, phone pressed to his ear, completely dumbfounded.
But he didn't question it any further.
Something in Cain's voice told him one thing,
This was so fucking bad.
He ran to his room and grabbed a side bag. He stuffed some money and clothes into it in a rush. Just as he was about to bolt, his eyes stopped on the drawer of the desk.
He should take it… right?
Without any delay, he unlocked the digital drawer and took the black box inside into his hands. It felt heavier than it looked. Without a second thought, he shoved it into the bag.
He ran again, grabbing a vehicle key in haste, not even knowing which vehicle it belonged to.
He left the house and sprinted into the corridor.
Nathan pulled his cap lower over his head, keeping his gaze down.
The Special Police is the unit that the government has recently created to capture dangerous criminals.
Nathan had a slight idea why they were after him.
They probably thought this system apocalypse was his fault and his scheme.
Ain't that right?
Heavy footsteps echoed from ahead of him, boots striking the floor. Nathan lowered his face even more and blended in with a few civilians heading toward the elevator.
Then he saw them.
Fully armed men wearing all black with high boots tugging their legs.
Nathan adjusted his cap as they walked past him, their presence was cold. The moment they were gone, he slipped into the elevator with the others and pressed the button for the parking lot.
The doors closed.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
He had never been a criminal.
Hell, he never thought a game would become real either.
Other people got off on different floors, and finally Nathan stepped out into the parking lot. He walked toward his personal parking space and pressed the key button, waiting to see which vehicle would respond.
"A motorcycle?" He raised an eyebrow.
It would've been better if it were a car, but now it was too late. Damn it. He should've just checked when he grabbed the key. Well, now that was a con of having a lot of vehicles.
Damn, being a billionaire sucks!
He climbed onto the sleek black motorcycle and pulled the helmet over his head.
He started the bike, revving the engine, just as he was about to take off-
Someone suddenly stepped in front of him.
The person grabbed the front of the bike and leaned in close to his face.
Nathan immediately recognized his black spiky hair and those narrow light brown eyes.
That person… had grown a lot.
But Nathan could still recognize him.
"Cain?"
"No time to waste," Cain said, swinging himself onto the bike behind Nathan. He slid the other helmet over his head smoothly. "Let's go."
Before Nathan could react, Cain reached into his jacket, took out Nathan's phone, and smashed it hard against the ground.
"Hey-!" Nathan started, shocked.
But Cain urged him forward.
Nathan had no choice.
He twisted the throttle and bolted out, shooting straight onto the main road.
The city was a mess.
Nathan could see just how dangerous the situation had become. Cars were flipped over. Some were burning. People ran in every direction, panicked and restless, while the army and police swarmed the streets, desperately trying to bring things under control.
"Stop there," Cain said.
Nathan obeyed without saying anything. What the heck am I doing?
He slowed down and stopped in front of a shopping mall. Cain got off first and handed his helmet back to Nathan.
Cain was still in his night clothes, with only a coat thrown over them. It looked like he had run straight to him without even changing.
Nathan silently watched as Cain slipped a hand into his coat and pulled out something that looked like a small pouch.
"Here," Cain said, handing it to Nathan. "There's a fake ID set and some makeup inside. Use them and go into hiding. And this-" he added, passing over a phone. "Use this. I already saved my number."
Nathan finally sighed. He lifted the visor and stared at Cain.
"Who are you?" he asked in a tired tone. "What have you been doing, Cain?"
"You don't have time to waste," Cain said, pushing the pouch into Nathan's jacket anyway. "Go and hide, hyung."
"You're not even going to ask me why this is happening?" Nathan snapped as his voice rose rough. "Why is this madness happening with the game our father developed?"
Cain put his hands on his hips and raised one eyebrow.
"Even if I ask," he said calmly, "do you know the answer?"
He exhaled sharply.
"First things first, hyung. If the government catches you, it's over. And if those awakened people catch you, it's over as well. Who wouldn't want to get their hands on the main developer when this is happening?"
Cain huffed, looking back toward the street. His gaze was sharp, and he was alert to everything happening.
"Right now, survival comes first."
"Not to mention, all other members of the [Victory Online] team have gone missing, ever since Akashic HQ was taken away by some entities we still don't know," Cain kept saying. "You are the only one left from that team in this world right now, hyung."
"All others gone missing?" Nathan's breath hitched. "Then Melissa and Mother-"
"We can't find any of them," Cain said quietly. "The first thing I did was look for that woman, you know."
That woman…
So Cain was still holding onto that grudge.
Nathan wanted to ask so many things. Too many things. But he knew this wasn't the time. The stage was about to begin soon, and he didn't have a single second to waste.
"Just so you know," Cain continued, taking a step back, "all non-player civilians have received evacuation messages from Akashic Studios. They say a game stage will take place here."
He paused.
"I have to go, hyung. I…"
Cain turned and ran into the shopping mall.
"…wish you all the best."
Nathan was left alone for a moment, the noise of the city crashing back into his ears. Sirens, distant shouting, and roaring of engines.
He had no damn idea why Cain was so calm.
Or how he knew all this information.
But right now… There was only one thing that mattered.
If [The Regressor's Stone] fell into the wrong hands, it would be over.
Completely over.
Nathan restarted the bike and twisted the throttle, shooting forward.
"Man, this world sucks!"