「 Ru-Rune of Clarity?!! 」
A sudden sense of lucidity suddenly rained over him, and the rune image in his mind actually lit up!
As the rune took on new dimensions, Nuel's perception of the world around him shifted in response.
「 The f**k...!!! 」
At the passing buildings and people, he could peer beyond their physical forms for a brief, transcendent moment.
It was as if he were glimpsing the true essence of objects, the pure and perfect forms they were materialised from.
His eyes caught the pedestrians walking by the pavement, and his thoughts quickly turned to contemplating the intricate tapestry of existence. In the faces of the pedestrians on the sidewalk and the bustling activity of the city, he sensed a deeper connection, a shared journey toward fulfillment. Nuel marveled at how each person played a unique role in the grand mosaic of life, contributing to the greater whole.
As the taxi continued its journey, Nuel's introspection led him to ponder the very concept of living itself. He contemplated the ebb and flow of existence, the impermanence of all things. It was as if he were glimpsing the cyclical nature of reality, the constant process of birth, growth, decay, and rebirth. The interconnectedness of all life filled him with a sense of profound unity.
Finally, Nuel's thoughts turned to ideas and abstract thoughts. He felt a surge of creative energy, as if his mind had become a canvas for artistic expression. Vivid images and innovative concepts flickered through his consciousness, leaving him in awe of the boundless potential of the human imagination.
All of these insights and revelations passed through Nuel's mind in a matter of seconds, yet the experience felt timeless. It was as if time itself had stretched, allowing him to explore the depths of his newfound understanding. When the taxi finally pulled up to Sim Lim Square, the driver's voice broke the spell.
"Sir, Sim Lim Square, we're here."
Nuel was abruptly awakened from his reverie, and the sense of wonder that had enveloped him began to fade. Still, he couldn't help but carry with him a profound appreciation for the mysteries of existence, eager to unravel the secrets that had been awakened within him.
At the .
「 Ah, guess this is the second time I'm at a medical station... 」
Despite surviving the chase of the Flood
Nuel removed the manually right after he was escorted for treatment rather than unequipping it directly from his [ Character Status ] screen; there was his attending physician and a medical assistant inside the treatment room after all.
The medical officer, wearing a generic over his face, was treating the bullet wound at his bare right forearm pretty meticulously, the wound was disinfected with a proper antiseptic before an anaesthetic spray was administered.
Only then he proceeded to use a forceps of some kind and carefully extracted the one bullet lodged against the bone; the other bullet had simply pierced contiguously through the flesh.
Nuel winced at the piercing pain as the physician tugged at the stubborn metal, despite the localised anaesthesia.
*Hiss*
The extracted bullet clanked inside a metal tray as the medical officer handed the forceps to the assistant beside him.
"There's a small crack to the bone but a tissue regenerant had been applied, so it should recover fully in the next three to five days. The wound itself would heal completely in the next twenty four hours. It's good that the first-aid was carried out quickly..."
Then, the wound was cleaned and disinfected again before the tissue regenerant gel was pasted inside.
It was then stitched up and bandaged.
Nuel could see a progress bar hovered silently above his arm as it reached one hundred percent.
Ding!
_____
has been successfully applied with rating.
has been completely neutralised. : (99h.59m.43s).
_____
The medical officer then removed the device from his face before he took off the surgery gloves.
*Knock, knock*
Nuel and the physician both turned their attentions towards the direction to the door, the lime-green curtain obstructed their view as it was already been drawn around the bed.
A person promptly entered inside the curtain. It was the man from earlier who ordered the sentries from shooting him.
He was still wearing the .
"Dr. Pholam."
"Dr. Kin."
"Dr. Pholam, I wish to speak to the patient privately, would that be alright?"
"Sure, absolutely. There's nothing serious with the patient except for the nineteen percent hypovolemia and a hairline fracture at the ulna. Here's his medical report. I'll be just at my table."
Nuel's attending medical officer quickly left the two of them there.
"Pathfinder, what a rare coincidence to meet one myself. An agent of the Scrapped. The seeker of the Lost. Bearer of Her Highness' will."
Dr. Kin spoke in enunciation, while his hands threw themselves around in exaggerated manner at the end of his every sentences.
「 A chuuni...??? 」
"Oh, what an honour, what a splendid honour...
Then he neared his face suddenly, his tone and aura changed.
...so, what's your mission here, 'Pathfinder', hmm?"
Nuel's pupils constricted as he stared the man back.
"..."
「 He can't possibly tell, right...? 」
He circulated his and prepared his to be activated at a moments notice. He-
"Regardless, the Warden has acceded to your request and dispatched reinforcement to the Administration force..."
Dr. Kin returned to his previous light-hearted demeanor and spoke as if nothing had happened.
"..."
"But let me share you a kind reminder, Pathfinder; I don't trust you, now nor in the future. So, try not to slip up, else I make sure you'll regret for ever coming over. Oh, that's quite rhyme there, '-er', '-er', don't you think so, 'Pathfinder'? Haha..."
"...I-"
"Oh, look at the time. The Warden would like to have a word with you soon, so just be prepared. Until then, have a pleasant rest, 'Pathfinder'."
And the man left. Just like that. With not a word more.
「 F**king psychopath chuuni...! 」
*Phew*
Nuel sank back into the bed, his tensed muscles relaxed.
The was located at the northside annex of main building.
When he was brought inside earlier, he could see there were quite a number of patients lying in bed.
Most of them were Estama's militants, but some seemed to be the [ Wanderers ], vagrants of the .
Some even appeared to have just been admitted into the ward, as they were either groaning in pain, or they were as still as a rock, anaesthetised senseless.
Nuel casually pulled up his [ Character Status ] screen and scrolled through. As he examined his conditions and contemplated any changes, his attention caught on to the [ Missions ] tab.
_____
[ MISSIONS ]
[ Crisis Mission : The Flood ] (ongoing) : Duration left : (22h:29m:41s)
Flood Information : - select to open -
Sub-Missions Progress :
(a) Help medical personnel ( / ) :
- Points : 0 -----(10 min :: Green : 1pt || Yellow : 3pts || Red : 5pts).
(b) Help logistics personnel ( / ) :
- Points : 0 -----(1 kg :: Low Priority : 1pt || Medium Priority : 2pts || High Priority : 3pts).
(c) Help military personnel ( / ) :
- Points : 11 -----(1 kill :: Level 1 : 1pt || Level 5 : 5pts || Level 10 : 10pts).
Rewards :
:
S+=2,000 || S=750 || A=250 || B=100 || C=50 || D=20 || E=10 || F=5 || G=1
_____
「 There's progress to the mission...??? But I didn't reach the objective point...wait, owh, I get it, I see...hahaha. My bad, my bad, I mistakenly thought I need to reach Estama and report to an NPC or something for the mission to begin, but it actually had started the moment we fled from the Flood...! 」
The mission given by the system was not the same with the Bastion's captain's order, which explained his confusion as his monster-kills earlier was already being tallied in towards the [ Sub-Mission Military Progress ].
「 With this much of a leeway, I think it's possible to get the f**king Adia's engineering suite sooner...!!! 」
Nuel quickly turned to his left and checked the condition of his exosuit which was placed upright by the bedside.
_____
Energy - Electricity : 1,175.60 /1,500.00
Durability : 279 /300
_____
「 Oh, the exosuit's durability dropped a bit. Did it got hit earlier...? Well, it's still wearable, so this one's fine... 」
Then, Nuel reached for the PDW placed haphazardly on the bedside table. Another pop-up appeared.
_____
Bullets : 0 /40
Durability : 42 /50
_____
「 The two mags couldn't last for more than five targets, and even then, I've to melee one myself. I need to get more ammos. I wonder when the Warden's going to call for me...might as well ask for a better gun, a sniper rifle wouldn't be too much of a stretch, right...? 」
Nuel flashed his trademark maniacal smile.
He decisively climbed out of the bed, and stood before the .
He swiped and pressed the bluish white holographic [ Character Status ] screen before the exosuit in front of him flashed into particles of light and flew towards him.
The lights then materialised back into the with him inside, wearing it.
The on the other hand, was picked up manually and hung to the holster at the right side of his waist, just below the .
Nuel then went to his attending physician who was sitting at his table at the corner end of the ward.
"Mister doctor, uhm, can you pass this message to the outpost's superior officer? 'The wine has aged well, and can't wait for the feast', they'll understand. Oh, and tell them I'll be visiting the workshop for a bit."
"Mister doctor, uhm, can you pass this message to the outpost's superior officer? 'The wine has aged well, and can't wait for the feast', they'll understand. Oh, and tell them I'll be visiting the workshop for a bit."
Nuel had just left the and was on his way to the of the outpost.
He walked past through the back entrance of the ward and made his way to the ground floor of the main building.
He casually looked up to its top floor, coronal golden lights effectuated by the barrier generator swung around sluggishly and silently, like some massive luminescent prehensile appendages of phantasm creature.
「 Seeing this animated in real life really is different, its like quad HD, plus F*nal Fantasy-level CGI works... 」
Nuel could feel quite a few mental presence within the vicinity despite not seeing anyone on the way, most of them could be felt idling at the destination he was heading to.
He pushed open a rusted metal door and set his feet into the main building.
Within the game, all outposts in the
were built to have the same basic facilities; mainly
the , the , the
, the , the and the .
On this shadily-lit ground floor, he could see there were a dozen or so people, huddling around burning flammables for heat while chatting exuberantly amongst themselves, albeit indiscernible from the distance he was at.
Some of these people were donning exosuits, while most were simply wearing padded jackets and cloaks.
And all of them without fail, were wielding at least a gun each, making their brutish and crude appearance much more threatening in that kind of ambiance.
「 Act like I'm one of them...like I'm one of them... 」
Nuel subconsciously activated his as he strode away from them, repeating the mantra to himself.
He headed towards the other end of the floor with an unnatural gait to his steps - to which no one there paid him any attention - and finally reached to where the was.
A haggard-looking man with thin, uneven scruff greeted him dryly while checking him out.
「 A Weapon Technician, huh... 」
"Encen, your guy. What'cha want, we got 9mm Parabellums, .22 LRs, 4.6×30mms..."
"Sauvignon. I think you've been informed about me...?"
The man, Encen, paused for a bit in confusion, before his face showed surprise.
"You're Mr. Wine..."
"Well, sauvignon is a kind of wine. So, we're good?"
"Yes, of course! Come, head with me inside, Mr. Sauvignon."
Nuel followed him inside into the and walked past a few other [ Subclass : Weapons Technicians ] focused cleaning and repairing firearms and small machinery, seemingly unnoticing his foreign presence.
They entered a room after passing the maintenance area.
"So, what'cha need, Mr. Sauvignon?"
"Well, I'd like to have around five mags of the 4.6×30mms for this PDW here, as well as a 1× red dot reflex sight-"
"Uhuh..."
"-and if there's by any chance I could get a sniper rifle? Any kind would do..."
"...uhh, we do have the MSR Ilnyf and the Wivernov 98B-"
"Then, I'll have the Ilnyf. And three mags for it. And a 4× NV scope as well. And..."
"..."
"...I think that's all. Don't worry, I'll return the rifle after I'm done with the Flood outside. What? You think a person under the Command's order are that shameless...???"
"..."
"Well, whatever. Just bring the things over quickly, I need them to hunt soon."
"B-Be right back!"
The haggard-looking Weapon Technician Encen left the room respectfully and could be heard hollering orders to his fellow workers.
Nuel, on the other hand, unloaded his busted combat vest and the helmet from his exosuit's back-compartment and laid them offhandedly onto the floor.
He was thinking he would give them to the technicians instead as some sort of compensation, though the items were nowhere near as valuable.
「 At least, my carry weight is lighter a kilogram... 」
.....
A few minutes later at the room in the .
_____
You have received × 5.
You have received × 1.
You have received × 1.
You have received × 3.
You have received × 1.
_____
Nuel inspected all the items one by one as he assembled the scope attachments and reloaded the magazines to their respective guns.
He kept one 4.6×30mm magazine at the holster of his exosuit's waist, occupying one [ Inventory Slot ], while the rest he stored them into the exosuit's .
_____
-----The Modular Sniper Rifle was first designed back in the 21st century and had since been used in many of the Old World's human conflicts. It's post-Shadow War configuration, the Ilnyf 7th Generation 7th Model, is designed cooperatively by the Tetsu Industries and Thacon City Administration's Sentinel Protocol. The Lune Custom was the Engineering Troupe's variant which shortens its barrel length at the cost of range so as to make it suitable for urban settings.-----
Weight : 7.9 kg || Grade : Uncommon
Damage : 35 (physical, armor-piercing)
Effective Range : 700 m
Aim Time : 6 s || Reload Speed : 2.3 s
Cartridge : 7.62×51mm || Magazine Size : 5
Effect:
- : [ Critical Damage ] +20% || User must be || CD : 12 s.
- : Removes in areas || [ Movement Speed ] -20% || CD : 3 s.
- [ Critical Chance ] +10% against and .
- -10% while Prone Aiming.
Additional
- : Allows . Allows 4× optical magnification.
- : Increases [ Critical Chance ] against and .
_____
Nuel smirked with a hint of mania in his expression, before he burst into a chortle with his hands raised to the air in that stereotypical villain-act.
"Hehehe...hahahaa..."
「 This is way too f**king easy to scam NPCs here compared to the game; I unlocked Faction Affiliation and got medical treatment as well as weapons and ammos, all for free...just because I borrowed the Pathfinder identity!!! 」
Fortunately, he was alone in the room or else one might cringe at his theatrical antics of playing evil.
He paused and looked around for a bit, before scratching his helmet-covered head.
Clearing his throat, he exited the room with a few judging eyes staring at him as he made his way out of the quickly.
_____
[ MISSIONS ]
[ Crisis Mission : The Flood ] (ongoing) : Duration left : (22h:03m:12s)
[ Special-Issued Mission : Anti-Necrobiotic ] (ongoing) : Targets : (11 /100).
_____
Nuel had just reached the northeast watchtower before he switched his back on; he had turned it off during the battle with the Necrobiote Machines earlier to avoid its PTT function alerted the monsters and exposed his ambush.
He proceeded to press the PTT down and speak into the mic.
"Thunder Alpha, Thunder Fife, over."
"Thunder Alpha, Thunder Fife, over."
>"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, PRIVATE- !!!""YOU LEFT THE FORMATION, YOU SHOULD REPO- !!!""-THIRTY MINUTES WITHOUT REPORTI- !!!""Thunder Fife, Thunder Tw-... ... ...ay again, over.""Thunder Fife, Thunder Two, do you copy, over."Thunder Fife, charlie mike, over and out.> Level 4.
(New!) : Level 1 >> Level 4.
(New!) : Level 2 >> Level 4.
(New!) : Level 1 >> Level 4.
(New!) : Level 1 >> Level 4.
_____
Then, he used to level up his character to Level 3 [ Class : Esper ] as his total [ XP ] was 62.08 points left.
And like he did just a moment ago, he converted his [ XP ] to skill points, this time using to get 2 .
_____
You have converted into × 1.
You have converted into × 1.
_____
He dumped 1 point each to both of his talents, upgrading them to Level 5. The rest remained at Level 4.
_____
(New!) : Level 4 >> Level 5.
(New!) : Level 4 >> Level 5.
_____
Finally, he immediately tested them out.
_____
Nuel uses .
Level 2 >> Level 5.
[ Range ] : 5.5m >> 7m.
[ Self : Composure ] : +4.2
[ Allies : Composure ] : +1.25
.
Nuel then uses .
Level 1 >> Level 4.
[ Mind Quiescence ] : × 5 >> 5.4.
.
Nuel uses
.
Level 2 >> Level 4.
[ Initiative Chance ] : +27% >> +33%.
[ Precognition Time ] : 1.51 >> 1.76 sec.
[ Psion Cost ] : 1.98 >> 1.90 Psions per second.
_____
「 One-point-seven-six seconds. Let's. F**king. Go!!! 」
====================
Author's Post-Script:
Nuel's latest [ Character Status ] screen
_____
[ CHARACTER PROFILE ]
Name : Nuel || Calibre
Title(s) : [ Subject-023 ], [ Necrobiolyser I ]
Class : [ Esper (Level 3 || 17.08 /30.00) ]
Subclass : - n/a -
Race : [ Human : Protopsionic - Phenotype ]
Age : 18 y/o (200 yrs cryo-sleep)
Reputation : 0
Affiliation : [ Thacon City Administration : (Neutral : 0 /100) ] || [ Engineering Troupe : (Neutral : 10 /100) ]
_____
[ STATS ]
Damage : 35 || Crit : 70
Resistance : 15 || Composure : 0.75
HP : 48.3 /51 ||+0.52 /s || Threshold : 10.1
Stamina : 1.91 /20.02 || +0.2 /s
Sanity : 37.87 /37.87 || +0.67 /s || Threshold : 6.81
Energy :
• Psions : 2.18 /22 || +1.21 /s || Rank 1 (0 /10)
• Electricity : 971.4 /1,500
Aim-Fire Rate : 5.79 s || -3.5%
Reload Rate : 2.22 s || -3.5%
Accuracy : 43.75% || Evasion : 8.75%
Initiative : 13.75% || 2.75s
CE : 0.7
XP Multiplier : × 1.11
Carry Weight : 12.4 /40.2 kg
Inventory Slot : 6 /15
Unassigned Attribute Points : 2
_____
[ EQUIPMENT ]
[ Weapons ]
• Main : .
• Side : .
[ Armors ]
• Full-Body : .
[ Ordnance ]
• .
• × 1.
[ Inventory ]
• .
• .
• .
_____
[ MAIN ATTRIBUTES ]
STR : 2
INT : 5 || INT.GP : +0.5 /Lvl
DEX : 1
VIT : 1
_____
[ SUPPORT ATTRIBUTES (locked) ]
_____
[ SKILLS, ABILITIES & TALENT TREES (limited access) ]
• Level 5 : Range : 14 meters || Mind Sense : +5.
• : Range : 7 meters || Self: Composure +3 × (1 + 0.08INT) || Allies : Composure +1 × (1 + 0.05INT) || Psions Cost : 0.1 / s / target || Stamina Cost : 0.1 / s / target.
• Level 5 : Provides 5% percentage bonus to all values.
• : Mind Quiescence, (Composure × Enemy Distance) : × 5.4 || Psions Cost : 0.5 / s / targets || Stamina Cost : 0.5 / s / targets.
• Level 4 : Initiative : +28% Chance +5% || Precognition Time : Initiative Duration × (1.4 +0.01) || Psions Cost : 2 /s -0.1 /s.
• : Range : 2 meters || Channeling Duration : 5 ~ 10s || Loot Drop - Necrobiotic Parts : +10% Chance, Rare or lesser, Random Durability || Stamina Cost : 3 /s.
• Level 4 : Initiative : +5.6% Chance for 1.3 s (stacks, max 1 stack) || Critical Chance : +5.6% || Stamina Cost : 2 || CD : 10 s.
• Level 4 : Accuracy : +23% || Critical Chance : +5.6% || Aim-Fire Rate : -2% || Stamina Cost : 3 || Duration : 3 s || CD : 15 s.
_____
[ DEVIANCE ]
[ Affinity : Psionics ] : Max Psions=Psions +1 for every 2 INT || Psion Recovery=5% +0.5% for every 5 INT || Rank 1 : 10 Psions.
• : Rank 1 : 50% (Psions & Stamina) || 10 hours || (0 /10).
_____
[ PROFICIENCY ]
• Proficiency Level 1 : 0 /8.
• Proficiency Level : 0 /8
• Proficiency Level 1 : 3 /80
• Proficiency Level 2 : 0 /40.
• Proficiency Level 1 : 2 /8.
• Proficiency Level 1 : 0 /8.
_____
[ MISSIONS ] :
[ Main Story Mission : Credit-Oriented ] (ongoing) :
After gaining a general understanding of Thacon City's commercial climate, you feel the urgent need to amass sufficient Credit ₢ to secure your future at your new home.
Gather a total Credit of 10,000 ₢.
Progress:
- : (200 /10,000) ₢
Rewards:
- × 1.
.
[ Side Mission : The Troupe's Technicians ] (New!) : You have provided help during critical times to an outpost of the Engineering Troupe faction. Not only that, you have attracted the attention of the entities behind the troupe due to the curious identity you claimed you are.
Gain enough Affiliation Point with the Engineering Troupe faction to determine the worth of the curious identity information.
Requirements :
- [ Engineering Troupe's Affiliation Point ] : 0 /100.
- × 2.
Rewards :
- × 1.
- × 1.
_____
[ ADDITIONAL ]
• [ Title : Subject-023 ] : [ Attribute : INT] +1 || First : × 1 || × 1.
• [ Special-Issued Title : Necrobiolyser I ] : Grants the || [ Critical Chance ] +10% against Necrobiote Machine targets || [ Initiative Chance ] +10% when within 10 meters of at least 1 Necrobiote Machine.
• [ Class : Esper ] : [ Sanity ] max +20 || [ Energy : Psions ] max +10 || [ Attribute : INT ] +2 || [ Attribute : Unknown ] +2.
• [ Class ] Level-up : [ Unassigned Attribute Points ] +1 /Lvl.
• [ Race : Human : Protopsionic - Phenotype ] : [ Initial INT Growth Potential ] +0.5 /Lvl.
• : [ Movement Speed ] +5% || [ Stamina Cost ] -10% || [ Energy - Electricity ] +1,500 || [ Carry Weight ] +20kg || [ Inventory Slot ] +12.
A few IRL days before.
A Serani man in his early thirties could be seen pushing his wheelchair on the roadside pavement, already crowded with other morning pedestrians.
Wearing a light blue T-shirt and a pair of dark brown slacks, he was heading towards an Italian two blocks away where he worked as a waitress.
Across the road, a digital billboard was on display.
"...an unprecedented discovery, NASA scientists have observed the Solar system is passing through an area in the Milky Way with a high density of electromagnetic activities. The strange outer space phenomenon, exhibiting the unusual behaviour of being 'clustered together', suggests that it may be artificial in nature, leading to some to quickly hypothesise it as hard evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life..."
The man however, did not pay any attention to the news aired and continued wheeling himself to his workplace.
His attention was instead drawn to the mild heat of the morning sun and the soft breeze blowing at his face, brightening his mood up.
「 ...I need to send invites to them this evening to remind them of the dungeon mission we're doing this Thursday. Need to f**king hit my credit quota for this week... 」
.....
Back to the present, after the at the .
Captain Nyala Vycter's forehead was laden with a heavy frown as he read through the report presented to him on a display tablet, the few officers beside him were standing unnerved, with their backs as straight as Old World's utility poles.
"So, you're telling me that the Necrobiote Machine Jester, a Unique with the capability of jamming all our radio comms, was downed by an untrained civilian that we retrieved from a cryostasis a bit more than twenty-for hours ago? That conscript civilian?!!"
"Yes, sir."
"And that the conscript had also rescued Second Lieutenant Haellen from a hostile tactical ambush...? THAT same conscript civilian?!!"
"...yes, sir!"
"...And you're telling me that our own ace squad led by Second Lieutenant Haellen, who had taken it upon themselves to take the jammer down when they confirmed contact, had not only failed to get any result, but they also lost two men?!!"
The tablet in the captain's hands was slapped onto the table, his face crumpled unsightly.
"..."
*Sigh*
"...Place Second Lieutenant Haellen in custody. The lieutenant shall be relieved from her duties until further notice. Her reckless action was a risk to her subordinates and the company, send a missive to the 16th Battalion Commandery."
"Yes, sir!"
"Open an encrypted comm with Estama in five minutes. I'll personally thank them for their firepower support during the Flood. And regroup all our field operation squads at the assembly point in twenty minutes."
"Sir, yes, sir!"
.....
At the .
A patient in typical laid on bed with his vitals being read by many wired prods connected to quite a number of machines.
He was the other survivor rescued together with Nuel from the yesterday.
Suddenly, the readings of his vitals on the machines' displays spiked as he began to tremble.
The bed alarm immediately rang, alerting the medical assistant who was tasked to operate the as the physician-in-charge was outside together with the field operation squads.
The youthful medical assistant, with her hair tied-up in a ponytail, ran to the man's bedside and tried to assess the patient's sudden change of condition before her.
The man in bed suddenly opened his eyes, but his pupils were rolled back, showing only the whites.
Then, the man screamed, madly, his voice guttural and inhumane.
The medical assistant who was already panicking by the condition of the patient before her, held his hands to his head as the man wailed, as if her mind was assailed with an Umbral's aura.
Her mind felt like it would tear apart, her consciousness was slipping.
Then, she fainted.
With blood flowing out of all of her orifices.
The screaming male patient had already disappeared from the vicinity.
.....
Meanwhile, in an unknown location somewhere in the .
"Pathfinder Wine, at Estama, you say?"
In the dim chamber, the silhouette of a woman with straight free-flowing hair could be seen sitting in a metal-constructed, throne placed upon a backlighted pomp, with synthetic fabrics overhanging from the ceilings, acting as both canopy and veils.
The communication device held in her hand faintly gurgled static as words barely audible passed through the speaker.
>"...""...""..."<
The communication device abruptly died down before it was placed in its holster beside the metal throne.
"Playing a dangerous game, aren't you?"
The woman smirked as her silhouette rose from the chair and held her elbows to herself before she walked down the pomp.
Then she reached for the veil to push it aside.
"Let's see how long you can play this game, 'Sauvignon'!"
-----
You have spent a total of 24 hours in the game.
To ensure our players' safety and avoid any health complications, a maximum gaming duration of 24 hours is put in place.
You will be temporarily unable to log in into your account for the next 20 real time hours.
Until then, stay rested.
Logging out in 10 seconds.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
_____
「 Oh, f**k me- 」