*Do read the author note.*

"That's impossible!" Gengxin shouted before suddenly remembering another notice he had actually ignored with disbelief. "So that was true?"

"What?"

"When you reached Tier 2, the system said it can no longer limit your senses. We thought it was an error, so we reset it and thought that was that. You also didn't do anything much as we feared the disconnect would worsen, so you never encountered it."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Eldrian asked, not at all remembering such a message.

"I am not too sure, we will need to get Joren to help check what is going on. The system said it was collecting data, what else did it say?"

"That I can't log out... And that pain is also part of the collection." Hearing this Gengxin started cursing as he was reminded of what the others told him when they just made the simulation. Soon confirming it when Joren arrived.

"How long will it take?" Gengxin asked after their discussion.

"It depends, to actually moderate pain we spent months calibrating it. Eldrian, can I use your PC?" Joren didn't bother to wait for a reply and directly sat down in front of his PC.

"Yeah sure." Eldrian still replied though he clearly knew it was unnecessary as Joren had already logged in even without knowing his password. Making it clear that he should try and hide anything on the PC which Miracle had set up for him.

"Also I would like you to use the immersion chair again. Don't worry, this time I will directly be monitoring it." Joren continued, only to pause as he suddenly got an error. The hell, come on you can't be serious.

Turning around he cursed as he saw Eldrian already on the chair, "Fuck! Gengxin take his reading manually! The system has gone rogue. It only sent me a report of what happened now, yet it didn't allow me to actually look into the details."

"How is that even possible?" Gengxin asked in utter confusion as he hurried to call an intern to bring the equipment he would need.

"You know the AIs at best cooperates with us. We can control them only because we can destroy them, they know that and as such follow our commands. Though on certain things, such as magic, they refuse to budge. Even willing to be destroyed to keep it a secret."

"Right, that's why we published the game," Gengxin replied knowing at least this much, though the reason behind it stayed a complete mystery to him and most everyone in Miracle.

"Well, the system has now classified Eldrian as a special case which it needs to investigate. It just told me that it deemed this above my need-to-know." Joren replied, quite pissed at the fact that he had both lost control and the system clearly didn't see him as anything but someone it had to report to in normal circumstances.

"Is that even possible."

"Fuck no, there is no way I'll let it stand," Joren replied as he started typing furiously on the PC, at the same time also contacting Micaela to get her help. "First things first, let's see what is going on."

"Why don't you just take him off the chair?" Flavia asked as she handed Gengxin his equipment, having been at the wrong place at the right time.

"If we had control and knew the safety measures were working that might work," Gengxin replied as he ripped Eldrian's clothes to place the sensors on his chest. Not daring to actually properly remove the shirt, having been careful to not move his body while at it.

"Instead we have no idea what is going on, and if the safety measures don't work his brain will never be able to connect to his body again. He will be completely paralyzed from the head down. He might not even be able to move his eyes."

Flavia's eyes flew wide open as she heard this, unable to accept that it was that dangerous.

...

Shit! Was all Eldrian could think of as he arrived in the black room again, when the voice said that it wanted to continue he grew even more nervous. Hoping to be pulled out by Gengxin and Joren soon, yet seeing the hologram appear in front of him and not wait for his action. He was forced to defend.

Jumping back Eldrian tried to just maintain a certain distance from the hologram, to waste as much time as he possibly could. Unfortunately, the hologram knew just how to get in close, no matter what he tried.

Desperately struggling to defend himself Eldrian felt a stunning pain in his stomach. Looking down he spat out imaginary blood as his body was certain that he had been pierced through. Everything telling it this, even though there was no real wound.

"Battle reset. User, please do your best." The voice rang out as Eldrian tried to recover from the pain, only to be forced back into action as another hologram charged at him.

This continued for another ten matches, finally, Eldrian could stand it no longer. Simply wishing it to end, or to be able to do something against these holograms. He searched deep into himself, hoping for strength, for something he could use.

His eyes reflected the image of a hologram charging at him with its holographic spear, yet his mind did not see this. Eldrian grasped onto a burning essence inside of him. A vengefulness that wanted to rip this hologram AND that cold voice apart.

Upon touching onto this essence he suddenly felt filled with energy, the pain from before disappearing and everything seemingly slowing down. Eldrian recognized this state, and he did not waste a second.

Swinging his shoulders to the side he dodged the thrust from the hologram. Yet it seemed to read his actions and was already starting to turn its thrust into a swing. If not for the time dilation, Eldrian would certainly have ended up with his side cut through.

Instead, now he could see it. He could see how the hologram managed to make its movements so smooth. Throwing his right arm out, Eldrian blocked the swing at the shaft of the holographic spear. Gripping onto it as he did and thrusting his own spear with his left hand.

"Excellent, please do your best." The system sounded, Eldrian just barely managing to stay in this state as two holograms appeared in front of him. One with a spear and another with a longsword.

They charged at him with little care, Eldrian focusing on the pain and anger to keep his mind calm. To not lose the benefit he had finally managed to grab onto.

He stepped forward to the side. The spear-wielding hologram trying to thrust at him. Eldrian quickly moving his arm to grab its spear. As he did the other swung its sword in an overhead swing. Eldrian using the spear he had grabbed to block the attack.

Somehow he also knew he could change weapons, so he did. His left hand grasping a dagger which he promptly pushed into the spear wielder's chest. Followed up by stealing his spear and thrusting it at the longsword wielder, while keeping its sword blocked by the holographic shaft.

"Excellent, next." This time, instead of the holograms starting together, one started behind Eldrian and the other in front of him. Sensing the danger, Eldrian moved quickly. Going to the one in front and slipping past its guard, using it as a shield when the second arrived.

This continued for a while, until finally, Eldrian had to face four holograms surrounding him. Here the time dilation no longer helped enough. Yet even if they were not four he would still not have managed to hold out, his mind extremely tired and his vision blurry.

Yet he held onto the essence he had grasped, refusing to let it go. Not until the very end where he felt every millisecond as his neck ended up pierced from the back. Focusing on this pain, he burned it into him and used his last strength to grasp the hand of the dagger.

Pulling it forward the dagger sliced through his neck, yet Eldrian did not care. He ignored the pain of having his neck severed and focused only on killing the one responsible. He twisted its hand with all his might, the hologram losing grip of the dagger. Which Eldrian promptly took and thrust into its chest.

Shouting out in pain, he turned with hatred to another hologram that had just struck at his side. Refusing to let go Eldrian felt another force inside of him, and he let it go. The hologram falling to the ground as a finger-sized ice spike flew through its head.

Seeing this Eldrian's mind reeled in shock, at the same time he felt another piercing pain. Gasping for air he knocked Gengxin off his feet. The latter groaning in pain as Eldrian felt his neck and side, failing to find any wounds.

"What... What just happened?" Eldrian asked, certain that in that space he had been himself. Upon waking he could feel something was massively different. Not caring for those in the room he quickly focused into himself and shut the rest of the world out.

Trying to grasp onto the essence he had connected with, which was now quickly retreating into god-knows-where.