《Eternal Kingdom : A Gift From A Loving Brother in A VRMMO World》Chapter 15 - Conspiracy (1)
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"What happened!!"
"S-Sir, it's the server..."
"Finish the damn sentence!!"
"W-Well, it's overflowing with data, sir...It's-It's like...The program is writing its own code..."
"What!! Can't we do something about it? We can't have a downtime now, not with our financial status!!"
It was a busy night for the Emperor's Dynasty company, especially at the server room. Engineers, programmers, project managers, and even the night shift staff workers were there, they needed every help they can get to appease the situation.
One shout after another, panic and distress were a common sight inside there. The project managers were sweating from head to toe, if they were to lose the data in their server, they might as well declare a bankruptcy. And, that was mainly because of his fault even though he didn't know why either.
The project manager was praying as hard as he can, and this was the first time he ever prayed in the entirety of his life, 'Please, don't let me lose this job.'
The company were in a tight budget, but, that doesn't mean they didn't pay their employees, in fact, the company always paid their employees in time, maybe that's why the workers there were so loyal in the first place.
"S-Sir...The server condition is...Coming back to normal...But..."
The project manager perked his ears up, "BUT WHAT?"
"It's-It's leaking through the internet sir...It's still multiplying...Just like a virus..."
"Is it still works??"
"Y-yes...But...We can't make adjustments to it..."
"Meaning??"
"We didn't have controls over the game anymore sir..."
The project manager felt his head going to explode, the amount of stress he got was off the charts, and his blood pressure rushed towards his brains. He just wanted to faint and forget all of this, but, knowing his responsibility, he took a deep breath.
"Okay. Stabilize the conditions first, I'm going to meet the boards of director first thing in the morning and see what step we should take next."
----
The chilly night slowly walked away and replaced by the light of the first rays from the sun. The veiled white scattered away and became a drop of water, signifying the beginning of a new day.
"Shias ascas nifkva?"
"Yes, our motion has finally begun. Just look at those mortals running around, pathetic. Hahaha."
"...Casda nvsasd mincsa asdva??"
"Hmm...There's a slight problem indeed...That man just didn't know when to give up..."
"Nkas nix?"
"No, it's just a vain effort anyway. Let him bask in his fallacious glory, we can deal with him later."
"Csacd cxans nixas..."
"Haha...Yes, I'm indeed a vile god..."
----
Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
The phone inside his pockets was ringing and vibrating nonstop. Yuri slowly opened his eyes, he saw the dive helmet was still attached to his head. He took it off and tried to get off from the apparatus.
One step outside the device, he wobbled and dropped to his knees. He felt nauseated, and also his energy was nowhere to be found. His breathing is ragged, aside from the dizziness he also felt that there was something wrong with his body, and as a result, he vomited.
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The vomit looked black in color, and the odor of it was unbearable. It's like he's throwing out the impurities left inside his body, but, after he did that, he felt his body was slowly regenerating, the lethargic feelings he felt were slowly mended.
He grabbed the edge of the dive device, trying to stand up with its help. After he got up within his two feet, he grabbed his head, trying to recall the jumbled memory he got from last night.
'What...Happened...It's like...The world is spinning...'
Yuri shook his head, he wobbled along the way while stepping on his own vomit that was scattered all over the floor. His destination was the bathroom, intending to give himself some cold water to refresh himself.
The sounds of running water echoed through his ears. Somehow, it felt therapeutic to his chaotic minds. He stood there motionless, he closed his jade eyes, taking a deep breath one after another.
Splash
The cold water splattered upon his pale face. It trickled down through his long neck, the sluggish feelings he got were no more, his breath was calmed and his heart was beating normally.
Slowly he opened his eyes and saw his reflection on the mirror. He was shocked by the sight. His hair was turned into white, his eyes were shaking.
"What...Happened..."
He turned his head toward his right hand. It was shaking non-stop, while slowly turning to show his palm. His heartbeat was beating faster, contrary to its previous state, his minds were once more in chaos.
"Its...Just a game...Why..."
Disbelief, he tried to think about it logically, but there is no answer to this. It was otherworldly, magical, and supernatural at the same time. 'If this is real...Then...What is that game...' He tried to find the answer within his minds. But, the longer he thought about it, the more puzzled he became.
He rushed towards the windows and dragged the curtains. To his surprise, nothing was happening in the world, the sun still rose from the east, and the people still busy with their daily life, be it, office workers, owners of a business, celebrities or even housewives were busy with their own schedule.
"Everything looked normal...But...Why my feelings told me that something was wrong, somewhere, or something..."
His minds were back to its calmed state, he reconciled with his conflicting thoughts, knowing that nothing will change even when he formulates the answer for his situation.
"Lillie. I must see Lillie."
His body was in a mess, but he didn't care for it in a slightest, he rushed to his cars and drove towards Lillie hospital.
He ran through the hospital hallways, the nurses and the doctors saw him ran past and was puzzled by his actions. At first, they only took a glimpse but somehow, inside their minds they knew who was the one that ran past them, they took a glance again, but nothing came out.
---
VIP Room 3. Yuri arrived in front of Lillie's room, he rushed through all of that hallways, and even took the stairs when the elevators were busy. But, somehow, he didn't feel tired at all, on the contrary, he felt great, his breathing was fine, his muscle was fine, and his brain was as calm as it can get.
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He was puzzled by it for a second and shook his head trying not to get stuck in it. He took a breath and opened Lillie's room.
Creak
The white bed sheet, the fragrance of fresh flowers, and the warm rays of the morning sun. Yuri can't hold his tears, she was sitting on her bed, looking outside the windows. Yuri rushed towards her, and hug her tight.
Lillie was startled, he was shocked at first, but after she saw the person who hugged her, she smiled.
"Wh-What happened big brother??"
"N-Nothing..." He said while letting go his embrace, and smiled after.
"Y-You're a mess...OH! Your hair is white? Do you want to be an idol?"
"Ah...This...Yes...And no..."
Lillie was puzzled by her brother response, 'Is brother in some sort of trouble?' She thought.
"Are you...Dumped by a girl??"
Yuri was flustered by Lillie question, "Wh-No. Of course not." He said with his awkward smile.
The two were chatting peacefully, and the time passed quickly. Yuri lost in his conversations with his little sister, forgetting everything that happened to him last night.
Creak
Lillie's room door opened once more, Yuri turned his head. His eyes were shaken, he was shocked by what he saw from the other side of the room's door, the familiar feelings.
A child, probably twelve in age, his hair was blonde, he wears a black suit and a red tie. Standing on the other side of the door, smiling at him, with his red colored eyes.
"Hello, young man."
"Y-You..."
Yuri was shocked, his feelings were right, somehow, the child reminded him of the old man from the game. That red colored eyes, that smile, and that aura.
Lillie was puzzled, she also looked towards the door, and also saw the child, but somehow, that child looked blurry to her. She also felt that something wrong with that child, she shifted her gaze towards her brother, and saw the shock in her brother's eyes.
"Wh-What is happening, big brother..."
The child chuckled, "You indeed are a good brother..."
Yuri's face turned serious, "What do you want old man? Haven't you give me enough trouble already!"
Lillie was shocked by her brother response, she clearly saw that the person from the other side of the door was a child, but why her brother calls him an old man instead.
"W-Who is that big brother??" Panic can be heard from her sweet voice.
Yuri tensed his body, ready to charge at the child if anything bad were to happen, he also ignored what Lillie said, focusing his sight and his minds towards the child.
The child moved his little feet, going into the room slowly. Sweat rolled through Yuri's cheek, while glaring at the child every motion.
"You still haven't changed young man...Maybe that's why I was fixated with you..." The child chuckled while walking closer towards the sibling's.
Fear. Lillie's felt fear, it was gripping her heart, she was scared, unconsciously, he grabbed her brother's hands and gripped it tight.
"Don't be afraid little girl. I'm not here to hurt you. Hehe." The child chuckled.
The child stopped his step. He was standing in front of the two, smiling at the two.
Snap.
Yuri was startled by the sudden snap, he felt Lillie's grip was lessening in his hands, he panicked and turned his head towards his little sister. She was unconscious, soundly sleeping in her white-sheeted bed.
There was fury inside his eyes. Yuri turned his head towards the child, ready to lunge him at any moment.
"WHAT DID YOU DO OLD MAN!!" He growled.
The child chuckled once more and took a stroll across the room just to arrive beside the windows.
"Now, now...Let's be civilized. No need for violence. I just put her to sleep, that's all." The child smiled while gazing outside the windows, and continued "What a beautiful world...Sad...It's going to be ravaged..."
Yuri didn't put his guard down, he was aware that the child was a vicious person, basing on his previous encounter, where he was cheated and dragged into a mess that he didn't even have the knowledge of.
"Just go straight to the point old man. I'm sick of your game!"
"Getting feisty now aren't you, young man. Hehehe."
"..."
The child turned his body and gazed towards Yuri straight in his eyes with a smile plastered upon his round small face.
"Time is short, young man. But, first, your rewards."
The child walked closer towards the two, he pointed his small palm towards Lillie body.
"[Perfect Heal]"
Lillie's body was filled with divine light, slowly penetrating towards her flesh and repaired her broken cells. Getting rid of her remaining tumors, while at the same time giving her an even stronger metabolism.
Yuri had his eyes wide opened, in his minds conflicting thoughts appeared one after another, should he thank the child for healing his little sister, but somehow, there's a catch for all of this. This situation was too good to be true.
"What do you want old man?" He said with his serious face. Although there's a catch for this, he would gladly take the consequences for this, everything he did right now was always for his sister, even if he would make a pact with the devil to make his sister happy, he would take it with an opened arms.
The child stretched his body, "Ah...Just one spell and my mana almost depleted...As expected, this world is the creators greatest creations after all..." After stretching his little body, he smiled, and continued, "Hehehe. Straightforward, I like this personality of yours, young man..."
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Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts
Is he the reincarnation of the Pill Emperor? Or is he a fusion of spirits? A youth whose Spirit Root, Spirit Blood, and Spirit Bone were all stolen- Long Chen must rely on his memories of godlike methods to refine pills, as he begins training in the mysterious cultivation technique Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts. Part the misleading fog, solve the mystery, and shock the heavens. His hands hold Heaven and Earth, he steps through the cosmos, meets all kinds of beautiful women, and suppresses devils, demons, and gods. Legend has it: when Long Chen arrives, the lands roars and heaven screams, ghosts sob and gods weep.
8 313Sword System Academia
2/17 NOTICE: I'm putting this on hiatus, possibly permanently. I didn't want to spam with an "update chapter", so hopefully here and in the story blurb will get enough eyeballs. There are a couple reasons for ending SSA for now. 1) I wrote the next chapter but wasn't happy with it. I've been less and less satisfied with SSA's quality the more I thought about it. Part of the reason is... 2) I am seriously thinking about trying to publish some novels to help pay the bills, since I don't have my other source of income anymore. I have never asked for anything from SSA readers, no money, not even a review or rating. SSA is written for fun to amuse myself, primarily, and I would kind of feel bad actually charging someone money for something as unserious as that. I don't think it is good enough to ask anything in return. To use an analogy from music, SSA is more like a jam session with a bunch of friends. You're just chiling and having fun playing some music. I mean, if you are Mozart or even Eminem, your jam session is good enough to sell, but for an amateur beginner like myself, haha, no. If I want to publish something, I feel like I need to go the proper route of practice and rehearsals, which might be more similar to a classical concert performance. With SSA, I work from worldbuilding notes and a loose outline, but what you are essentially getting is the first draft with lots of so-called pantsing. Pushing out a web novel like this also means it is very difficult to go back and improve things without breaking everything else downstream. I wanted to try this "jamming" approach, as it was a good way to teach me about another aspect of writing, but to move forward, I think I need to hone my "classical" techniques, which emphasize rewriting, or at least, revising outlines. 3) While I intend to try to make $$$, my actual current goal is to "get gud". I've spent a lot of time recently trying to understand the self-publishing industry, and I'm pretty sure I can make some money by using short-term strategies with my current amateur skill level. But I've seen too many authors come and go/burnout, and really, the only way that I think I can enjoy writing and still make money on a long-term basis is to become a better writer. And the next step for me, which I haven't done much before, is to spend more time on rewriting and outlines. That is pretty much antithetical to the way SSA is developing. I've always been kind of 20/80 plotting/pantsing, but I want to spend a lot more time outlining before I even start writing. SSA jam sessions don't really fit my goal anymore. If you're curious about what's next, read on... Among other regrets, I regret not finishing SSA. It's the first story I've dropped, but then again, it's the first web novel I've attempted, so I suppose that's not a surprise. I don't think traditional web novel formats suit me that well. The whole SSA story I had loosely planned (beyond a first book or major arc) is way too large as well. Big story = good for neverending webnovel with Patreons, bad for penniless and fickle writer like me. I am currently outlining a complete trilogy to another story in great detail. I want the story to end concisely, and I also want the chance to really spend a lot of time on the full outline to spot pacing problems, character issues, lost themes, and so on. I'll still share this story on RR. What I intend to do is finish book 1, flash-publish the whole thing here for a few weeks, then publish on the big Zon. Repeat for books 2 and 3. The upcoming story will be about crafting heroes. The backdrop is an isekai-like setting, where elves will summon humans to their world as heroes, but the whole hero crafting business is still in its infancy. The elven mage researchers are figuring out how to imbue heroes with power, while the heroes are trying to figure out how to use the powers that they gain. Humans are the best hero templates because they are blank and have no intrinsic magic. Or at least that what the elves thought. The human MC has his own secrets... There will be some similarities with litrpgs, but I would call it more a progression fantasy or gamelit story. For example, the stats are very low, at least initially. Say we have a stat called Str. Going from Str = 1 to Str = 2 is a huge deal. Also, going from Dex = 0 to Dex = 1 is an even bigger deal. I guess you could call it a "low-stat litrpg", haha. Also, the heroes won't be gaining stats simply by killing things or leveling up. You can't increase stats arbitrarily, either. There will be rules to how stats can increase, and how they work with each other. The elven mages will be figuring out these rules in order to craft stronger and stronger heroes. Some inspiration will be from cultivation magic systems, but there won't be overt cultivation, at least for now. A theme I really want to explore is the idea of interactions. That includes things like hero crafter vs hero, tactics vs strategy, skill synergies, racial interactions (dwarves, elves, etc), and son. Yeah, so hero crafting. I'm super excited about this project and venturing into publishing. If you want to check out the upcoming story, you can follow my RR author profile to see when it drops here. Finally... THANK YOU TO EVERYONE! I'm very sorry that SSA is stopping, but I hope at least some of you will find the next story at least as enjoyable, if not more. Thanks to all the readers who gave SSA a shot. Big hug or solid fistbump to all of you, whichever you prefer! I hope this message is not a downer but an upper, because I am psyched!! -purlcray -------------- BLURB: Talen, youngest Master of the Koroi, makes his way to the Empire's capital to salvage his clan's fate. But the bustling city has few opportunities for the traditionalist. For the old sword clans are fading. With the rise of alchemy, gold can purchase strength that ordinarily took years of training to cultivate. Sword artists, once rare and accomplished, are quickly growing in number, especially among the wealthy noble class. Even with such alchemy, though, no one has advanced to the rank of Grandmaster in countless years. Talen's true dream is to walk the path of a sword artist to the very end while fulfilling his clan duties. And then the Swordgeists return, fabled founders of all sword arts, gods who had touched the world long ago and vanished. These myths turned into reality warn of a coming threat. Alongside this warning, they issue an invitation to the Sword System Academy, a path to power beyond the mortal realm. But first, they will hold an entrance exam... Story notes:Sword System Academia blends elements of western and asian fantasy such as xianxia and litrpg. I took parts from different genres I enjoyed and twisted them into my own creation. There will be an explicit system, both of the litrpg kind and the hard(ish) magic kind, but it is embedded within an academic structure that will develop over the course of the story. This is my attempt to design a unique type of system, the System Academia.
8 153The Bit of Human Left
Arris Graham is a regular college student, attending a high ranking college in California. It's summer break, and Arris is returning home to visit his relatives and pay homage to his deceased parents at their graves. Little does he know, the entire world is about to change. When Arris goes out to visit his parent's graves, he's caught in the middle of a thunderstorm. He continues on through the thunderstorm to pay his respects to his parents but is interrupted by some disturbing texts from his cousin. Arris tries to leave the graveyard, but before he can get to his car he is confronted by a screen which appears in mid-air before him, reading, "Initializing World Server start", with an ominous countdown just below those words. Just as the server is about to initialize though, Arris is struck by an enhanced bolt of lightning, and the very flesh melted off him. When he comes to after the System has initialized, Arris finds himself in the body of a skeleton, stuck in the dungeon, with no way out for another 6 months. How will Arris navigate this new world? Cover by David Corry
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8 245No matter what other person you are, I'll do my best to keep you all safe in paradise.
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8 136Enchanted ✓ || D.M
On Y/N's wedding day, her fiancé's stepmother sent her to a new world, atleast for her, where she meets a man, Draco.All Y/N wanted was true love, she didn't know she was in for a long ride, but she knew, after everything, she'll have a happily ever after, forever and ever.~I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER, ENCHANTED, DISNEY OR YOU. I do not deserve the credit, so credits to JK. Rowling, Walt Disney and you 💜Published: February 25, 2020Finished: May 20, 2020
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