Barry Returns

You have satisfied the condition for summoning. Please watch this short 5 minute tutorial video. You will be transported to another world after 7 minutes.

Good luck!

The video started by showing a world much like earth. A world that is ruled by humans. Then it proceeded to show how the apocalypse started. It has not even been a minute but something caught his attention more than the monsters or the tragedy that is happening. There is a pattern.

Barry began to count after the video introduced the lizardmen.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5…..8, 9, 10." After the count the video introduced another monster, the snakemen with a body that is half human and half snake. Another ten count and Barry could clearly hear a beat at the same time that another monster is introduced in the video. He focused for a couple dozen seconds more and heard faint beats.

Now that he has picked up on the beat he discovered something else. The brightness of the video somehow changes in intensity in tune with the beat. That's when he became sure.

"Mild hypnosis huh!"

Barry immediately turned around so that his back is facing the video. Then he started to overwhelm his senses and emotions so that the hypnosis would have as little effect on him. Its just that he is not a scientist so his method is a bit unique.

Barry sang 'My Way" by Frank Sinatra at the top of his voice while thinking of the sadness of losing people that he loved. He tried to remember every painful memory and immersed himself in the pain all the while singing without restraint.

When Barry finished singing he noticed that the video is finished playing. He turned around and found a timer that has less than a minute remaining.

"Log out." There is still a chance that this is just an introduction to another part of the game. And if that is true then being able to log out is the best proof. After all with the realism level of the game it can make you believe anything.

"Action unavailable at the moment."

However Barry would not give up that easily. It's just that there are only a dozen seconds left on the timer. So he decided on the last action before he is transported to another world.

"Send message to Alice. Code 3."

.........….

"You have one new message."

Alice is the younger sister of Barry. Lately she has began to spend more time with her brother who is acting a little crazy for some time.

Barry suddenly became active with gaming. He sold his car and quit his work to concentrate on playing a popular game. He played just for the sake of playing and he is playing like a tourist or a retired person. That playing style lasted for two years until money came in.

No matter how Alice asks her brother, she cant get him to tell her how one million dollars suddenly appear in his bank account. After that Barry went into overdrive. He started harassing guilds. Declaring guild war every month and acting like a complete jerk to two guys. All Alice could do is to try to stay close to her brother and hopefully be there to help him when he asks for help.

One day Barry came home drunk. He kept on muttering that he spent hundred thousands of gold coins and real world money and still nothing. Alice tried to make sense of what little information she could piece together from her brother's drunken mumblings. By the end of the night she figured everything out.

A good friend, one her brother knew for years, suddenly disappeared. The money belonged to that friend but somehow it was sent to her brother. And all the while her brother is acting out he is also looking for his friend secretly through various means. But after years of searching and exhausting all avenues he still came up empty. That is why he drank and drank that day.

The next morning Alice confronted her brother. She told him that she wanted to play the game 26 worlds and join his guild. When Barry did not agree, she told him everything that she learned about her brothers problem.

Barry was silent for a minute. He looked at Alice and then agreed to her request. Then he looked at her and pulled up a sheet of paper.

"Alice, this is what will happen if I go missing." Barry said as he handed her the paper. Then he picked up his phone and sent a message.

"I will transfer the guild and all of my money to you. An attorney will be coming here in a few minutes to process the legalities. However don't accept any proposal of corporations that want to have a part with my guild. Give me at least six months to try something."

It felt like Barry was formulating his last will and testament. That is why Alice was silent while she listened to Barry. Just as she thought that Barry was finished, she saw him pull out another piece of paper from his pocket.

"That is a list of the companies that wants to take a bite of the monster guild. If we are lucky I will have time to send you a message soon. Code 1 means agree to the proposal of the corporation that is at the top of the list. And so on and so forth."

"Barry" she touched her brother's arm as she looked him straight to his eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"Peter, my friend, didn't commit suicide. He is not enrolled in a witness protection program. There is no evidence of him being killed. In truth it is much more likely that he is the first person that has disappeared. You know, just like the disappearances happening monthly. There is only one more thing that I have not done while looking for him."

"Brother don't tell me that you are planning on killing someone." Alice decided that she will do everything to stop her brother if that is what he plans on doing.

"No. What I mean is that I have finally figured out a connection between the missing people. There is something that every missing person has done months before they vanished into thin air. It is all connected to the game 26 worlds. I believe that when I have done what they have done then I will vanish just like them. Then I will know what happened to my friend."

"But...but… that would mean…" Alice broke down crying.

"It has to be done."

Then Barry left. Several months later Alice received a message.

.........….

Barry felt disoriented but he didn't faint. Unlike the dozen humans lying on the ground next to him. He tried to shake it off, picked a direction and started running.

Several minutes later Barry found an open plain. He is felling a little bit tired. But he kept on running to the plain to . escape the forest. The minute he escaped the forest he felt a familiar feeling. It felt like he is back in the game. It's the same feeling when he reached level 100. People called it a revolution on gaming.

26 worlds allowed people who reached level 100 the experience of absorbing mana in the air and the choice to become a cultivator. Those that decided to abandon their class (Archer, Assassin, Mage, etc.) can start cultivating. Barry remembered the first time he felt mana enter his body. It felt like small ants crawling under your skin.

Just as Barry was about to start cultivating he heard strange growls that is heading his way. When he looked back he was shocked to see a goblin running to him. He didn't panic.

"I think triangle defence would be good right now."

The goblin is still about three hundred meters away from Barry. That gives him time to set up his triangle defence. Its one of the things he talked with Peter during their drinking spree. Gather rocks and place them in three different areas about 15 meters apart in a triangle formation. Then wait for the goblin.

When the goblin is only twenty meters away Peter started running towards one pile of rocks. He stopped to pick up a few of the rocks and then started heading towards the next pile. The idea is that goblins are stupid and as long as they don't have a weapon they can throw then anyone can toy with them.

Triangle defence is just one of the many weird things they cooked up while drinking. Run in a circle making sure you always pass each of the three piles of rocks. Then try to anger the goblin and then toss rocks at its mouth whenever it growls or yells. When you manage to choke the goblin then try to toss more rocks or give the goblin a good strong kick.

Triangle defence is a stupid way to handle a goblin in real life. In fact Barry clearly remembered listing a hundred ways things will go south when one used the triangle defence. Its just that he clearly remembered being the one to name it. Of course he was drunk that time but when he was sober he saw that that idea is terrible.

After incapacitating the goblin with a flying kick he killed it with a rock.

While he regrets using the triangle defence instead of just running away, he picked up the goblins weapon. Then he used the goblins weapon, a knife, to dissect the goblin.

.......

While Barry is singing loudly, Ian connected with his brother Steeve.

"Brother we have to halt the summoning. Barry is a Dragon tamer. The only dragon tamer we have. We haven't figured out how to allow in-game skills to be merged with a summoned individual. We need to figure that out before we send Barry over to planet Barr. If we send him now then he will be just another soldier. But if he goes there as a Dragon tamer then we can take back the continent." Ian began his rapid fire. Afraid that his brother Steeve would not agree with him. "Steeve we need Barry."

"Don't you think I know that? But cancelling a summoning will not only damage our only summoning magic circle but release mana into earth through the rune patterns in the capsule. That might change the capsule into a pseudo-artifact. If that happens then the connection would be permanent. Earth will be sent into this world piece by piece. No one can survive that."

"But we must do something. We cannot lose the Dragon tamer." Ian was at a loss. He knew that Barry is their best way into conquering planet Barr. Without him they would need to keep on summoning more people to increase the Steeve's soldiers.

.......

The recruitment of otherworlders by the people of Barr was barbaric. They summon 20-50 people at a time and baptise them with death. Any survivor would be haunted with death energy that is as real as mana. This happens when people are killed just as mana enters your body for the first time. The death energy would make one fly into uncontrolled rage whenever they see monsters. That makes these otherworlders the perfect expendable soldiers. Of course, when they see a few with potential then they would recruit them into the city army.

Steeve modified one of the summoning magic circles in the mountainous area near Pilang city. With the help of his brother Ian, they were able to make a pseudo-portal. Every capsule is connected to the summoning magic circle. The capsule controls who is summoned and when. While the summoning magic circle provides the energy for the summoning as well as protection for them.

Steeve picked up an isolated mountain a hundred miles from the city to be his territory. This is where he hides and trains people summoned in this world through the gaming capsules. The other summoning magic circle of Pilang city still summons from other worlds just like earth.

......…

"Ian I cannot cancel the summoning but I can send him back. But there is a chance that the summoning magic circle will be destroyed in the process. And it will take me a year to create another summoning magic circle. Every plan we have will be delayed." Although Steeve agreed with his brother Ian on the importance of Barry, creating a new summoning magic circle would use up all of his remaining wealth.

"I promise to find more people with talent in mana control. Then I will give them the best training before sending them there. Just send Barry back. I really think that he is the key for us to control both worlds."

"Ok Ian. Im still hours away. I will first meet up with the goblins guardian and then I will send Barry back. Lets just hope that the goblins guardian would also help his fellow humans."