[PLEASE LOG OUT WITHIN THE NEXT 45 MINUTES TO PREVENT ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ERRONEOUS DATA FROM BEING TRANSFERRED] A system message I was tired of seeing appeared in my view. I merely glanced at it before closing it. I trudged to a lone tree stump sitting atop a hill. I settled on the stump as I overlooked the lush green field that expanded before me. The sky was a clear blue. Cherry blossoms were in full bloom as the wind carried away their pink colored leaves. I took one last look at the scenery before it was all gone. I pulled up the system's menu and opened my personal character information. Name: GhostDKing [Lv.150] Mentor: Viciouz Title: God Hand Guild: Mask Town: Amenta Asset Rank: 7 (1,586,248,822,312[M]) No. of Battles [1225W/54L] Collection Completion: 72% The fact that my character will disappear in a few minutes made a terrible feeling well up in my chest. I looked at the low-level monsters that filled the fields surrounding me. I reluctantly stood up from my seat and unsheathed my [Frost Wyrm Sword]. I stepped into the field, plush-like yellow raccoons covered the entire area. These raccoons were Ruler Online's flagship monster. Being the weakest low-level monster they were similar to slimes in other MMOs I swung my 1.8-meter longsword in every direction as I moved in a straight line. Raccoons puffed into smoke and transformed into a green leaf as they died left and right. At first glance, even I see how childish some of this game's mechanics look. But, this game is based on politics, it has a government elected and run by the players. "Why would anyone want to play point and click politics?" Many people were skeptical before the game’s launch. To their surprise, it reached the #3 spot for most played VRMMO of all time. Unfortunately, that glory did not last forever. 2 years ago the company that created Ruler Online, 'PowerUp Corp' released a new game by the name of 'Nightmare Online'. Referred to simply as 'MARE'. With the release of the game, the company decided to pool the majority of its resources into MARE. Players became disheartened by the developers’ neglect of RO. The developers made excuses about the game's decline stating "It’s the hacker’s fault the game is dying". The RO population that was once over 500,000 active players, was now only a few hundred. [PLEASE LOG OUT WITHIN THE NEXT 40 MINUTES TO PREVENT ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ERRONEOUS DATA FROM BEING TRANSFERRED] "Fuck these raccoons!" *Poof* [Acquired 1 Onion] [Acquired 1 Raccoon doll] *Poof* [Acquired 1 Raccoon doll] [Acquired 1 Onion] *Poof* [Acquired 1 Raccoon doll] I cleaved the raccoons in half as the system's message appeared in my view. I was currently in the beginner's zone hitting the level 1 raccoons for 99,999 damage. I watched as they *poofed* into a cloud of smoke and turned into a leaf. 'Why do they even do that?' No matter how silly some of the aspects of this game were I didn't want it to end. I felt frustrated, I reached the level cap but I'm still so powerless. I first started playing this game when I was 12 years of age. I'm addicted to the point that it's hard to quit… not that I have much of a choice now. I thought about calling it quits many times before... But I couldn't stop, the game was like a drug. I treated RO as my second life. whenever I came home from school I immediately put on my VR set and laid in bed playing the game for countless hours. Only stopping to eat and use the restroom. After high school, I practically lived in RO. I know it’s not what you would call living life to the fullest, but it’s what I enjoyed. it saddened me to watch the game die... I wanted to stay until the end. Despite the game shutting down, its data was being transferred over to MARE. [PLEASE LOG OUT IN THE NEXT 35 MINUTES TO PREVENT ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ERRONEOUS DATA FROM BEING TRANSFERRED] The games inevitable shut down was an announcement a few weeks ago. Players could keep their names, character appearance and items that were equipped. Any other items players wanted to transfer had to be in a small [server transfer bag]. The bags had a total of 8 slots so the number of items I could carry was minimal. It would provide RO players with an opportunity to find a new beginning in MARE. I wasn't too interested in playing another game especially since I would start from level 1. The past 8 years of hard work would go to waste. My hundreds of rare items will disappear the moment the servers shut down. It was a hard pill to swallow. But nonetheless, I have all my best items equipped in case I have a change of heart. From what I've heard MARE is nothing like RO. It's much darker, more in-depth and it completely blurs the line between the virtual world and reality. The company amassed a tremendous budget. All the profits from RO were used to produce Nightmare Online. PowerUp Corp wanted to create a game far ahead of its time. And they succeeded, currently, it is the #1 most played game in the world. [PLEASE LOG OUT WITHIN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES TO PREVENT ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ERRONEOUS DATA FROM BEING TRANSFERRED] “…” I put my raccoon killing endeavor on a temporary hiatus as I sprawled my body on a bed of leaves. I placed my hands behind my head and crossed my legs as I closed my eyes and let my thoughts wander. 'Why did you guys leave?' I was reminiscing on the golden days of RO; my 2 older brothers also played for a time. But they quit a few years ago. They were both quite influential and powerful there was no one who didn't know their name. The oldest of the 2 was even able to become the king of the [Hephastos] server. He was very popular and charismatic and easily won the King's election. 'xMaico' was his character name on the [Hestia] server. The younger of the 2 has one sole purpose when playing an online game, which is PvP. He also left RO soon after xMaico. My brother had many aliases, but he was known as 'Viciouz'. [PLEASE LOG OUT WITHIN THE NEXT 25 MINUTES TO PREVENT ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ERRONEOUS DATA FROM BEING TRANSFERRED] *Poof* [Acquired 2 Onions] [Acquired 1 Fat Raccoon doll] *Poof* [Acquired 1 Fat Raccoon doll] The game was about to end and I had done nothing in the last 3 hours but kill raccoons. *Beep* I pulled up the game menu and started scrolling through it, I stopped at my friend list [Friends online 1/324] [TruKnight] Online TruKnight was xMaico’s closest friend in-game, I sent him a message. [Hey man, how are you?] [Hi. I'm good, how about you?] [Good, Good] I always felt a bit awkward when chatting with him. Not only because of my lack of social skills but also his very proper way of speaking. I continued the conversation. [Actually, I'm not feeling all that great now that the game is about to end in like 25 minutes] [I know what you mean, I’m not too happy myself] I looked down at the thousands of leaves that were once raccoons and a thought crossed my mind. [Hey do you want to have a duel? I don't want my last moments here to be killing a bunch of coons] It was a few seconds before he responded. [Haha, alright sounds like a fun idea. I'll be right over] Not even 5 seconds after he sent that last message he appeared next to me. With a teleportation ticket, it's a simple matter to teleport to anyone on your friends, Guild, or town list. He arrived riding a large silver wolf. His long brown hair tied in a ponytail. A silver knight's armor trimmed with gold, the kind you would only see royal knights wear. He wore a very elegant red cape that made him look quite heroic. To describe his look I could simply say he was true to his name. "Hey" I greeted him and he simply waved back before dismounting his wolf. The wolf transformed into a small silver puppy and TruKnight instructed the puppy to stay a few meters away. "Are you ready for this?" He asked I smiled and said "Always" A message then appeared in front of me. [TruKnight has challenged you to a duel, will you accept?] [Yes/No] I accepted and the countdown started. [5.] We both took a few steps away from each other and stopped at around a 30m distance. [4.] We turned to face each other in what resembled a Mexican stand-off. [3.] TruKnight took out his [Thunderbolt Bow] that was hanging from his back. [2.] I unsheathed my [Frost Wyrm Sword] [1.] TruKnight nocked an arrow and pulled back the bowstring as I simply stood in an ox guard stance. [0.] I dashed forward attempting to close the distance as fast as possible. There was a blinding flash of blue light as I heard 3 simultaneous cracks of thunder. 3 arrows imbued with the power of lighting shot towards me. I stopped then and there as the arrows flew at an alarming speed. There was no time to dodge. I barely reacted in time to block all 3 arrows with my blade. Sparks flew everywhere the moment I cut the arrows. The only weapon able to beat the lighting fast speed of the bow is the sword. The tremendous speed and power of the arrows left my hands shaking from the impact. I wasted no time and continued to push forward. As I began to move I heard the familiar claps of thunder and more arrows came flying. Continuing to stop and block his arrows gave me no opportunity to attack. I activated my magic [Sword Dance]. 3 magic swords emitting a bright blue glow floated around me. They instinctively swatted down each of the arrows. I continued to press forward as my magic swords protected me. [Sword Dance] wasn't easy to maintain as each sword drained my mana for every second they were active. The eruption of sparks that came after I cut down every arrow began to char my skin. The distance was now 10m. TruKnight stopped his barrage of attacks for a brief moment as his bow began to radiate a dark red hue. 'I need to end this now.' I knew what was about unfold. I lunged forward readying my sword to plunge it into his chest. He nocked another arrow and released it just as my blade was a few inches from reaching him. My attack wouldn't reach in time. The arrow was shot at point blank range, there was no way to dodge it. 2 of my magic blades intercepted the red arrow but they both shattered on contact. The magic swords decelerated the arrow enough for me to guard with my blade. My feet left the ground and my weightless body soared across the field. The force of the arrow sent me flying backward for several meters. I hit the ground, and as I tumbled backward I used the momentum to get back on my feet. I regained my posture and looked in TruKnight’s direction. He was standing with my 3rd magic sword protruding from his abdomen. He pulled the sword out and crushed it with his bare hand. I watched my magic sword dissipate and scatter into the wind. I was forced back 100m from the power of that single arrow. I tightened the grip on my sword and proceeded to once again run at top speed. This distance was too much of a disadvantage. I saw a glimpse of a smirk on TruKinghts face as he looked straight at me. He pointed his index finger to the sky and I could almost feel a chill run down my spine. I looked in the direction his finger pointed and my jaw dropped. There were 3 fireballs in the sky. “Fuck...” I was at a distance where he could safely use his strongest magic. I lowered my center of gravity and forced my legs to run faster. I could feel the ground crack beneath my feet with each step. I couldn’t afford to stand around staring at the sky. I felt the searing heat emanating from the approaching meteors. There was no chance of me outrunning the meteors. My [Frost Wyrm Sword] emitted a dense blue color as I activated [Blade Aura]. The reach of my blade became 3 times its normal length as I imbued mana into it. I leaped into the air and spun vertically in a perfect circle as I cut the first and second meteors in half. I was unable to cut down the last meteor and only managed to deviate its path. The meteor crashed behind me causing a large explosion engulfing me in flames. My body scorched by the blaze as the blast sent me soaring. Fortunately, pain was not something you could feel in this game. Once again I heard the sound of thunder. TruKnight gave me no time to rest as I flew in his direction. [Sword Dance] I summoned 5 swords. I know my magic won’t last more than 1 minute but the duel would end before then. I still have half my mana, but my HP is down to only 20%. Every arrow I block chips slowly chips away at my HP. I won’t last much longer. I landed in a kneeling position only 20m away from TruKnight. My magic swords continued to protect me from being hit directly by any arrows. I knew he didn’t have much mana left after summoning 3 meteors. This was my last chance. Only 5m away and down to 10% HP I continued to move forward. *Boom* The deafening sound of thunder became all too clear as I approached closer and closer. I was left with only 2 magic swords, but that was more than enough, this fight was already decided. I lunged forward and thrust my sword with all my strength. I pierced through his chest armor as my remaining magic swords dug into his shoulders. [Winner] A message appeared over my head signaling the end of the duel. TruKnight fell backward into a sitting position. “Congratulations! you fought well” He congratulated me for my victory. I sat down next to him. “Thanks, I wasn’t sure if I was going to win haha.” I said as I rubbed the back of my head with flush pink cheeks from the praise I received. “I’m surprised you survived my Tri-Meteor.” He continued to praise me but I knew he went easy on me, that entire duel he didn’t even move an inch. He could have increased the distance between us, but he didn’t. He probably thought it was cowardly to step away from your opponent in a fight. He was that kind of person after all. “Yeah, I didn’t think I would survive that either haha.” [YOU HAVE 3 MINUTE TO LOG OUT! PLEASE LOG OUT NOW TO PREVENT ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ERRONEOUS DATA FROM BEING TRANSFERRED] A system message appeared that snapped us back to the ‘virtual’ reality. “Well, it was definitely fun while it lasted, what are you going to do after this?” TruKnight asked me as he stood up and dusted himself off. “I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it. Part of me just wants to stay here, the other wants to call it quits and find a job.” I said shrugging my shoulders. “There is no rule that says you have to quit VRMMOs to find a job you know.” “...I know” I replied as I remained seated. [YOU HAVE 2 MINUTE TO LOG OUT! PLEASE LOG OUT NOW TO PREVENT ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ERRONEOUS DATA FROM BEING TRANSFERRED] “It’s almost time to log out” “Yeah...” I replied apathetically I looked up at TruKnight who was pulling up his menu to log out. “What about you? What are you going to do from here on?” I asked nonchalantly “Hmm...” He put his hand to his chin for a moment as he appeared to be deep in thought. “Well, I think it's time for me to finally join your brother. I hear MARE is ridiculously realistic and innovative. You can even feel pain! Some even say they forget it’s not real. I hear It’s no walk in the park either. I personally look forward to it.” He said with a big smile on his face. “Sounds interesting” I still replied apathetically He put his hand on my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. “If you ever decide to play MARE I’m sure your brother will be more than happy to see you.” I had not seen my brothers in almost an entire year. “Yeah… It would be nice to see him.” [YOU HAVE 1 MINUTE TO LOG OUT, PLEASE LOG OUT NOW TO PREVENT ANY COMPLICATIONS OR ERRONEOUS DATA FROM BEING TRANSFERRED] “I’ll be heading out now. Take care Ghost, see you on the other side.” He waved goodbye as he logged out. I reopened the game menu and clicked on the server information. I looked at the number of players currently online on the [Hestia] server. The number “2” was being displayed. "So there is one more person still here other than me" After I said that, the server population immediately went from a “2” to a “1”. "... So much for not being alone" I was the only one left on the server but I didn't want to log out. I wanted to stay with the game until the end. I knew it wouldn't change anything but I still wanted to stay. [THE SERVER WILL NOW SHUT DOWN IN, 5...4...3] I closed my eyes and hoped that when I opened them the game would still be here. [2...1...0........] I opened my eyes as soon as the countdown ended, but everything was black.... the game … was gone. "......." There was nothing I could say, I was in complete darkness. I no longer had my character's avatar, I was a floating consciousness in nothingness. A thought soon came to mind. 'Shouldn't I have been logged out?' *Beep* [Your player data has now been transferred] '...' It actually happened, RO was no more and my last 8 years would be nothing but a memory. I felt my heart sink. But before I could wallow in my depression another message appeared. *Beep* [Hello] ‘!?’ I thought the game had just been shut down. Who was this? Many thoughts rushed through my head but none of them made sense. First things first, I tried replying. ‘Ugh… Hello, who are you?’ The response came immediately [I am Tellus, the administrator of this world] ‘World? What world? Are you talking about RO?’ [The world you know as Nightmare Online] ‘Oh... then are you some sort of AI here to guide new players in MARE?' [Sure, If that’s what you want to call me.] I had so many questions but I could only think of one thing to ask. 'What happens now?' [You are currently being summoned into my world. But since your mind did not leave the last world before the transfer process started. You are now stuck here for the duration of it] I didn't want to be stuck here forever. If I had a body it would have shuddered at the thought. “… And how long is that?” [Your synchronization is currently 3% complete] “…..” At least it wasn't forever. [There is no need to fret you can spend the remaining time here with me.] “...” That didn’t make me feel any better. I thought I was going to waste all this time doing nothing. But what I saw next made my non-existent jaw drop. A beautiful woman appeared in my view. She had long black hair and sun-kissed skin. Draped in a beautiful and revealing golden dress showing off her voluptuous body. If I had eyes they would be wide open right now. “Are you surprised?” “...” I had nothing to say as I continued to stare at her. She snapped her fingers and everything changed from deep darkness to a blinding white. Not only that I had regained my body, not my RO avatar my REAL body. I was standing in this wide open white world with no end in sight. “I can completely control this space any way I wish. Now we can speak face to face. Let me introduce myself once again. I am the one true Goddess and supreme being of this world, Tellus.” she said as she gave a light bow “... I’m David.” I couldn't think of any good way to introduce myself. “Hello David, it is nice to meet you.” “Yeah... you too...” It was hard to look her directly in the eyes, she was too beautiful, I couldn't help but blush like a shy teenager. I could feel how this would get awkward very soon. I thought I should ask something else but she spoke before I could. “David, why is that you did not leave the last world as you were instructed by the administrators?” “Well… You see” I couldn’t think of any excuse, I didn’t want to tell her that I didn’t want to come to MARE in case it would offend her. “It was because I was fond of that world so I didn’t want to leave.” I said it in a way I thought would be least hurtful. “So you did not want to come to my world and arrived here unintentionally, is what you're saying?” Shit... she hit the nail on the head. “Ugh… more or less” “I see” “…” I looked down in shame feeling like I was being scolded by my parents. “There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay in a familiar world, I take no offense in your feelings. I actually want you to enjoy your time here, as a matter of fact, I can make it so you feel right at home.” “Really!?” I exclaimed as I had an obvious grin on my face. “Really” She replied with a sincere smile “Thank you! I really appreciate it!” I got close and shook her hand as a thank you. She seemed a little drawn back by my attitude. I had no idea what she was going to do or why I was so happy. But it seemed to me like it would be something good. “I am a merciful goddess after all” She snapped her fingers once again and a new message appeared. [you have gained the title [The Last King]]