Hiro Aoi, a 24-year-old leader of a VR game strategy team, participates in the closed beta test of a new full-dive VR title 'Abyss Eternal.' But minutes after starting, all players find themselves unable to log out. The game has become a prison where 'you can't return to reality until you clear it.' In despair, Hiro discovers his teammates are trapped too: Hayase, a brilliant strategist; Rine, a chaotic magic user who laughs at crisis; and Kai, a famous streamer trying to turn the situation into
The boundary between reality and VR was far more ambiguous than expected.
Aoi Hiro stood before the vast grassland stretching endlessly ahead, his brow furrowing at the uncanny sensation. The moment he equipped the Lucent Gear, his vision transformed completely. Blue sky, green grass, the distant cry of some unknown animal—everything was so photorealistic it was indistinguishable from reality itself.
Black short hair brushed against his cheek, swaying faintly in the breeze. Even that sensation felt identical to the real thing. Deep brown eyes scanned the surroundings methodically—a habit from his work as a 24-year-old game strategy team leader that persisted even here. Standing at 178 centimeters, his slender yet muscular frame was dressed in a white shirt and black slacks. On his left wrist, a wristwatch-type device called "Origin's Seal" glowed with a faint luminescence. And on his left wrist, there was a strange pattern etched into his skin—he couldn't remember when it had appeared.
(Is this... actually a game?)
Hiro pulled up the menu screen on Origin's Seal. A touchscreen interface materialized, responding to his finger movements. Status, Inventory, Logout, Settings—the standard VRMMO menu options lined up before him.
Scanning the surroundings, other players began materializing one after another. Two hundred and sixteen closed beta test participants. All of them had just begun playing the new full-dive VRMMO "Abyss Eternal." Most wore expressions of pure excitement, their eyes captivated by the otherworldly scenery.
"Dude, this is VR?"
A voice called out from somewhere. A young man's voice.
"I've never played a game this realistic before!"
An atmosphere somewhere between panic and exhilaration spread among the players. Hiro observed it all with perfect composure. The problem was simple: there were people in this crowd prone to losing their heads. Especially game novices—they could easily spiral into panic at the slightest logout error or system malfunction.
That's when it happened.
"Announcement"
Suddenly, a system message materialized in every player's field of vision. Gold lettering in an oddly archaic font.
『Welcome, wanderers. This is the Verdeen Continent. You 216 have been summoned to this world. Now then, let your adventure begin.』
"Huh? What is this?" A woman's voice rose.
"A game event?" A man's voice.
But the next message froze everyone's blood solid.
『The logout function is currently sealed. Return to the real world is only possible upon clearing the 10th Floor. Until then, you shall remain in this world.』
"What?"
"No way?"
"What the hell is this saying!"
The plaza instantly descended into chaos. Screams, shouts, voices tangled in confusion. Several female players began crying. A large male player was shouting and pounding his Origin's Seal.
Hiro calmly opened his menu screen.
The logout button was completely grayed out. Furthermore, the communication function couldn't reach the outside world—only other players within the game. Force shutdown was impossible. External signal transmission from the device was blocked entirely.
(...This is intentional.)
This wasn't a bug. Not an error. Someone had deliberately implemented this system. Hiro was certain of it. To tamper with the core architecture of this game developed by Nexus Industrial would require serious authority.
Amid the panicking masses, Hiro's gaze turned toward the distant horizon. Beyond it, a fortified city surrounded by stone walls came into view. An NPC settlement, no doubt. The place any serious player would head toward—Rendvaal.
After a while, he noticed one player lying apart from the chaos.
In the grassland some distance from the plaza, a young woman in a white robe was sprawled out as if napping, gazing up at the flowers around her. Something about it seemed carefree. Either she didn't understand the gravity of the situation, or something else entirely was going on—Hiro found himself drawn to approach her.
"You alright?"
The woman slowly sat up. Pale skin, blue eyes. Golden hair loosely tied back. Her expression showed absolutely no sense of crisis.
"Oh, hello," she said with an innocent smile. "These flowers are really beautiful, aren't they? Look—the colors here are more vivid than in reality, don't you think?"
"Right now, everyone's lost the ability to log out," Hiro said.
"Huh?" She tilted her head. "Log out?"
"We're trapped in this game. We can't leave until we clear the 10th Floor."
"Oh, I see," she nodded simply. Then she smiled softly. "So we get to stay here forever?"
Hiro felt the urge to hold his head in his hands. This woman didn't understand the situation at all. Or perhaps she didn't want to. Either way, he decided he couldn't leave her here alone.
"Let's go. We're heading to the city for now."
"Okay," she said, standing up easily. Then she glanced at his profile for just a moment. In that instant, she felt her heart flutter slightly, though she couldn't explain why.
Hiro and the woman—Rine—returned to the plaza.
The panic was still in full swing. People crying, people shouting, people standing motionless in a daze. Amid it all, Hiro made a calm decision. They couldn't stay here. In this chaos, they risked missing crucial information. Better to distance themselves from the panicking masses and move with those capable of thinking clearly.
(Information gathering and securing combat strength. That's the priority.)
"Come with me," Hiro told Rine. She nodded obediently and followed.
"You're really reliable, Hiro," she said casually.
For just a moment, color rose to his cheeks. But he quickly steeled his expression. This wasn't the time for such thoughts.
As dusk fell over the grassland, Hiro and Rine sat side by side. The distant city was painted in the colors of sunset.
"I'll get everyone back home from this world. That's my responsibility," Hiro said quietly, making a vow.
Rine gazed at his profile, feeling her heart flutter again. Unable to understand why, she simply tilted her head.
Tomorrow's conquest would begin from here.
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