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
Trapped in the Virtual Abyss - A Rare Victory from Runaway Magic
The next morning, Aoi Hiro woke up.
The guest room at the Akari Pavilion was softly illuminated by the morning sun streaming through the window. Lying on a wooden bed, he stared at the ceiling. He remembered walking shoulder to shoulder with Rion and Sayase Shinichi yesterday. The wind across the grassland, the two of them smiling—or rather, had Sayase Shinichi been smiling? That awkward way of his acceptance had left a strangely vivid impression.
(I need to focus.)
Aoi Hiro let out a small breath. Getting all 216 people home from this world—that vow remained unfulfilled. There was no room to waver with emotion.
After getting ready, he descended the stairs. The entrance hall of the inn was filled with the aroma of breakfast. The savory scent of toasted bread, the steam rising from warm soup. It was so realistic it was indistinguishable from reality.
"Good morning."
From behind the counter, Melda, the innkeeper, appeared. Her chestnut bob hair gleamed in the morning light, and her olive-colored eyes smiled warmly.
"It seems our guests came down at different times this morning. I've prepared breakfast for you, so please help yourself."
On the table sat warm bread, cheese, and apples. Simple, but arranged with care. Aoi Hiro offered his thanks and took a seat.
Soon, Rion appeared. Her pale purple semi-long hair was slightly tousled from sleep. Her amber eyes sparkled in the morning light.
"Ah, Hiro-san, good morning."
Rion smiled innocently. Her face was different from yesterday's tension—she seemed to be genuinely delighted by the arrival of morning.
"Morning. You must have been tired yesterday."
"Ah, um... I'm so sorry. I caused another overload..."
Rion spoke apologetically, looking down. Seeing her like that, Aoi Hiro frowned slightly. Her talent was genuine. She was simply weak under mental pressure.
"No, your firepower is real. Without that overload, we would've been crushed by that moss crab swarm."
Rion's face lifted a little.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was talking with Sayase Shinichi yesterday. Your overloads follow a pattern. When you panic, the runes get too large, but as a result, the power skyrockets. And they tend to fly in the opposite direction from where you messed up the drawing. In other words—"
Footsteps came down the stairs. Cold footsteps. Regular, calculated in their rhythm. It was Sayase Shinichi.
His black, tousled hair was illuminated by the morning sun, and his gray eyes already held a focused light. He wore the same purple robe as yesterday, with a slender sword hanging at his waist.
"Sayase Shinichi. Perfect timing."
"What."
That single word sounded softer than yesterday.
"I want to organize Rion's overload patterns one more time. Today's the real dungeon run."
Sayase Shinichi sat down expressionlessly. Melda naturally placed breakfast before him as well. At her attentiveness, Sayase Shinichi gave a small nod.
"Rion panics and draws the runes large. As a result, the precision of the drawing drops, but the power increases. And—"
Sayase Shinichi took over from there.
"It flies in the opposite direction from where she messed up. This is a hypothesis based on data, but I judge it to be 99% accurate."
Rion's cheeks flushed slightly. Being analyzed so clearly about her weakness was a bit embarrassing.
"In other words, we can reverse-engineer a tactic from this pattern. Position Rion behind the enemy and intentionally create a situation that panics her. That way, her overload will definitely target the enemy."
Sayase Shinichi narrowed his eyes while taking a bite of breakfast. His expression seemed to harbor complex emotions.
"High risk. Only if we can guarantee 100% that Rion will overload in that exact pattern."
"100% is impossible. But—"
Aoi Hiro looked at Rion. Her amber eyes held a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.
"You caused overloads multiple times yesterday. I saw every single pattern. Patterns repeat. There's a law to it. So—you can do this."
Rion's eyes glimmered slightly. Anxiety still lingered, but hope was beginning to show.
"Understood. I'll trust you, Aoi Hiro-san."
At those words, Sayase Shinichi seemed about to say something, but ultimately stayed silent and bit into his bread.
Melda quietly observed the three of them. Her expression held a warmth as if she'd understood something.
"Please don't overexert yourselves. This is a safe place, after all."
After breakfast, the three left the inn.
The Emerald Wind Plains were the same vast grassland as yesterday. But the three's gazes were different. Aoi Hiro looked ahead, Sayase Shinichi observed details, and Rion—gazed at Aoi Hiro's back.
The entrance to the Silent Corridor was located on a hill about eight kilometers southeast of Rendvaal. The stone door stood quietly, unchanged from yesterday.
"Are you ready?"
"Sufficiently."
"Yes... I'll do my best."
And the three stepped into the dungeon.
The first layer was the same stone corridor as yesterday. In the dim light, Aoi Hiro advanced at the front. Behind him was Rion, and behind her was Sayase Shinichi.
The first enemies were a small group of horned rabbits. Five of them.
"Front line—form formation."
This wasn't merely an instruction but a signal as a team. Sayase Shinichi immediately fell back, and Rion moved left and right. Aoi Hiro readied his sword.
The first horned rabbit attacked. Its movements were swift, claws extended.
Aoi Hiro received it and swept it aside. His movements were smooth, without waste.
"'Slow Field.'"
Sayase Shinichi's support magic dulled the enemy's movements.
Taking that opening, Aoi Hiro thrust his sword. The horned rabbit fell.
The second and third were handled the same way. Even by the fourth, the flow didn't change. This team was already beginning to function as a single organism.
But when the fifth appeared—Rion readied her rune spell.
"'Fiare Lux.'"
That was when it happened.
Rion's fingers trembled slightly.
The rune—was drawn incorrectly. Completely distorted.
BOOOOOOOM!!!!
A fireball erupted in flames toward Rion's back. It was clearly aimed in the wrong direction.
Sayase Shinichi immediately jumped sideways to avoid it. The wall blackened from the heat.
"Idiot!!"
That roar seemed directed not at Rion specifically, but at the situation itself.
Rion's face went pale.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
But at that moment—the fifth horned rabbit was blown away by the explosion's impact. It showed no signs of movement.
Aoi Hiro stared at that sight.
Sayase Shinichi noticed too. His gray eyes moved slightly.
"Wait. This is—"
Eventually, they cleared the first layer and reached the second.
The wide chamber with water channels was filled with the same silence as yesterday. But there—
A swarm of moss crabs. Dozens of them.
Their shells were hard, and Aoi Hiro's sword couldn't pierce them completely. Physical attacks were ineffective too.
"This is... unexpected."
Sayase Shinichi's tactics couldn't handle the numbers. Normally, about ten was judged to be the limit.
"Retreat is recommended."
But at that moment—Rion stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
"What."
"Didn't you say so, Hiro-san? That my overloads follow a pattern. If that's true, then I'll trust it. I'll also—trust you, Aoi Hiro-san."
At those words, Aoi Hiro was taken aback.
And—her amber eyes held a certain light.
"Please."
Aoi Hiro took Rion's hand. In that moment, her palm was faintly warm.
"Let's go. I'll gather the enemies here."
And Aoi Hiro swung his sword. The sound drew the enemies toward him.
The moss crabs attacked Aoi Hiro. He desperately received them. Blocked. Dodged.
The enemies' focus turned to Aoi Hiro.
"Now!"
Rion began drawing runes in the air.
But intentionally—roughly, large, as if panicked.
"'Fiare Lux!'"
The rune distorted. Completely broken.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
An uncontrollable massive fireball erupted.
It flew in the opposite direction from Rion's intent—meaning away from Aoi Hiro.
Directly into the center of the enemy swarm.
The entire dungeon shook. Explosion. Flames. The moss crabs began to char one after another.
Silence fell.
The smoke cleared.
The swarm of moss crabs—had vanished without a trace.
Only the scorched ground and Aoi Hiro, Sayase Shinichi, and Rion remained standing.
"Huh... what?"
She stared at her own hands. Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Perfect."
Aoi Hiro's voice pierced through the darkness.
"Your pattern worked flawlessly. The runes distort when you panic. And the power born from that distortion burns everything away. Rion, you—truly have talent."
Tears began to well in Rion's eyes.
"Really...?"
Aoi Hiro gently stroked Rion's head. In that moment, her heart raced.
"Really."
Sayase Shinichi watched that scene. His gray eyes seemed to be thinking something.
"...Theoretically, the success rate is high. But it carries risks."
"I know."
"Will you still do it?"
"Yeah. This team can do it."
At those words, Sayase Shinichi let out a small breath. And a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"...Acknowledged. I'll implement that tactic from the next battle onward."
The team's bond—had definitely deepened.
As they advanced toward the remaining third layer, Aoi Hiro thought once more.
This team will definitely move forward. Getting all 216 people home. That was his vow.
And what happened next—no one had yet predicted.
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