VRMMO Reality Merge Regressor Brother - 6

The next morning Min Woo-Jin was already recovered. The last night's shock became yesterday's news. That sensation stopped being frightening and became a curiosity instead.

While washing his face, Min Woo-Jin tried to think about it logically. Full-dive VR was known to cause disorientation. Different brains would process the switch between full-dive and reality differently. Some panic wasn't out of the norm, especially when new.

It was a bit embarrassing for Min Woo-Jin to suffer full-dive panic after years of usage, but it made sense in hindsight. Mysteries Online was just that special.

He entered the kitchen, where his parents were wordlessly preparing the breakfast, while his brother was watching the TV.

Min Woo-Jin thought something was off, but the news mentioning the game caught his attention.

- No statement was released by the Mysteries Online developer, Mythical Storm Studios, about the adult features within the game.

Joining us today, the secretary of…-

"What? Adult features?" Min Woo-Jin asked as nonchalantly as possible to his brother.

"… Well…" Min Chungho glanced at their parents before answering. "Apparently all of the adult features are unlocked. Full nudity and all that…"

"… Oh. Ooh… So it wasn't just me…"

*Clang*

"What?" Exclaimed his mother, Han Ji-Eun. "What do you mean it wasn't just you?"

Meanwhile, his sister entered kitchen and sat on a chair. Still too sleepy to engage in conversation.

"Woo-Jin? Why did you just say it wasn't just you?" His mother pressed, while glancing at her daughter occasionally.

"I started naked in the forest for some reason." Min Woo-Jin didn't feel any need to hide. "I even had to make pants myself! What about you?"

Han Ji-Eun's gaze immediately locked on her daughter, Min Yoon-Ah.

"What are you looking at me for? I didn't start naked." She responded with a sleepy voice then put her head on the table. "Oppa, I thought you were a Druid, not a crafter."

For a moment, Han Ji-Eun's gaze lingered. It seemed like she hesitated, but decided that it wasn't a big deal after some consideration.

As she went back to preparing breakfast, Min Woo-Jin noticed his father was happily humming.

'Oh… So they did it in the game…'

His brother seemed to be already aware, and been tacitly ignoring the situation.

"Did you change your class? Sorcerer is really fun, you should try it..." Min Yoon-Ah voice became slower toward the end.

Min Woo-Jin stopped the drooping head of his sister and fixed her posture. "Don't sleep. No, I didn't change classes. I'm still in the Queen's villa."

"… Queen's what?" A raw voice came from Min Chungho, his expression demanding an explanation.

Min Woo-Jin spoke unsurely. "It… might be an instance. I think I'm still in the tutorial zone."

Min Chungho looked away in a daze. Doubting whether he heard it correctly.

"There are instances in this game? Was the battlefield I started an instance too?" Min Yoon-Ah asked.

Since her voice seemed to regain strength now that they were talking about something interesting, Min Woo-Jin let her head go and sat down. "Considering I met the Queen, there must be." He answered. "By the way, did you do as I say? Did you feel mana in the game?"

Min Yoon-Ah's eyes opened wide. "Yes! Just like you said! It was like… a super strange feeling! Like I was in a pool, but I was the pool at the same time?" Though her tone wasn't confident, it was enthusiastic from start to finish.

"You felt mana too? Hoho!" Their father Min Jaesang chuckled. "Didn't I tell you pumpkin?"

Min Yoon-Ah turned to her brother Min Woo-Jin and moved her lips without a sound.

"Dad…" Min Chungho's serious voice cut through the sound of plates being placed on the table. "Did you feel mana yourself?"

"Sure! Your mother too! Both of us felt that weird, hot, strangely, um… energy." Min Jaesang winked at his sons and sat down, his wife joining them at the table a moment later.

While they described the weird sensations they felt, Min Chungho silently listened. Surely, they couldn't have all felt mana, right? In the past timeline, doing so was incredibly rare. No, they must've confused something else with mana, Min Chungho determined.

But in less than half a minute, his reasoning was completely shattered. There was no mistake, they all felt mana. Real mana. The one that only high rankers felt during the tail end of the game era.

And they all felt it on the first day.

Min Chungho felt that his world view was destroyed. He didn't know that was even possible after actually regressing and coming back to the past. But apparently, it was possible!

"What kind of spells can you cast with it?"

His brother Min Woo-Jin's voice brought him back from his stupor. The question itself… felt ominous.

"Spells?" "What spells?" "MMmm mMmm?"

His father, mother, and sister (ramming pancakes into her mouth like there's no tomorrow) all stopped eating at the implication of the question.

"It's not just feeling mana; you can use it. I think that's the main thing of this game. Probably going to be the first story arc too."

Han Ji-Eun, Min Jaesang, Min Yoon-Ah, all stared at each other. From how confident Min Woo-Jin was, it didn't look like he was messing them.

"Don't look at me." Min Woo-Jin raised his hands as if he was surrendering. "I just tried some web novel stuff and it worked. You know, circulate the energy, concentrate it on one point…" He gestured with his index finger. "And then will it to release." Then tapped on the table.

Seeing everyone's confused looks, Min Woo-Jin chuckled. "I know, it sounds like nonsense, but it really works. I made pants from an ivy, and even grew fruits! Just try it when you log in. Oh, you might want to brace yourselves, because regular spellcasting might feel a bit awkward after."

"-Wha? Why?" As a sorcerer, Min Yoon-Ah was very interested in this alternate spell casting method.

Min Woo-Jin gave knowing smile. "Ok, get this. The Fairy Queen is actually aware that we are players. She straight up called us players. She even asked why I chose the Nymph race!"

First two wasn't as surprising perhaps, but an NPC questioning the player's choice of race seemed rather unique. The three listeners found it interesting, while Min Chungho had to do everything he could to remain expressionless.

"She knows we can communicate and cast spells through the game system. But the spells cast by the system has a stench. I felt it too; awful doesn't even begin to describe it."

"… You talked to the Fairy Queen about this?" Asked Min Chungho, with complete disbelief.

Min Woo-Jin nodded. "She was the one that asked."

"But we didn't feel any awkwardness." Commented Han Ji-Eun, with her husband nodding on the side.

"I think it has to do with character selection. I chose the newbie option and could barely cast two spells from the game system. The Queen was pretty interested when I said I answered the God of Fate's questions too."

"Hmm? We chose that option too." "Me too!"

Seeing that both his parents and his sister chose the Judgment option, Min Woo-Jin realized his initial theory wrong.

"Ohho… So it's not tied to the character options? That's fascinating!" As a VR aficionado, Min Woo-Jin's interest grew to another level. "But anyway, the game spells really make me nauseous. It'll probably be the same for some NPCs."

The breakfast continued as they talked about small things that everyone found interesting.

Everyone except Min Chungho.

The regressor was listening to everything, yet he couldn't find the words to convey his emotions.

He was hoping/expecting his family to stay human. But, not only they got rare and powerful races from the God of Fate, but they all felt mana at the first few hours!

If his family chose their path with full knowledge of the consequences, Min Chungho wouldn't feel even the slightest bit of regret. But the path forward was wholly unreal for anyone that had a sane state of mind!

What should he do? Encourage them to strengthen themselves and protect them? Since they had talent for whatever classes the God of Fate chose for them, supporting them seemed obvious.

But there was another way. What if they died, and their character was deleted? For his parents and sister, it would take more than one death. But his little brother was still a level 1. And he was talking with the Fairy Queen! One move, and…

Min Chungho felt dirty for even having such a thought! Wasn't that the same thing as cutting his brother's future?

Staying human and empowering his family. What he thought would be easy, turned out to be really complicated!

- Massacre by the Fairy Queen continues… -

"Massacre?" The random piece of game news on the background caught Min Woo-Jin's interest.

- Fairy race players report that both the Fairy Queen and the soldiers of the kingdom are mercilessly slaughtering Fairy race players all around the Mysteries Online. One of the most cited comments about the situation is excessive violence. Due to the lack of adult filters, all players, regardless of their age, can encounter gruesome imagery… -

To Min Chungho, this was the same as the previous timeline. Though back then, he wasn't an avid follower of the game news. He learned of Fairy Queen's history of atrocities much, much later.

He couldn't help but stare at his little brother. Min Woo-Jin had become a Druid, and not only felt mana, but even was able to cast a spell!

Was he destined to die, even though he found his calling so soon? Was that what happened in the past?

Min Chungho felt an unprecedented indignance to his very core! Why was the world so cruel to his little brother?!

Meanwhile, Min Woo-Jin was describing his encounter with the Queen. "… She accepted and welcomed me. I think it's because I was able to cast spells without the game system."

Their parents nodded at his explanation. "A similar event happened during headset to capsule switch. Back then, capsule players had a huge advantage because you could stay in the game for hours."

Han Ji-Eun chuckled and slapped her husband's shoulder. "You were so furious when your first gen capsule broke down back then!"

"Of course! I'm still furious! I used my lifesavings to buy that crap! I couldn't even progress the main quest for an entire week!"

"There, there. It's in the past now…" Han Ji-Eun patted her husband's cheek with a smile.

Min Yoon-Ah rolled her eyes at the public display of affection and got up. "I'll get dressed."

"Me too." Min Woo-Jin joined her, expecting his brother to do the same. Min Chungho though, shook his head. "I'll log-in in a minute."

Min Woo-Jin glanced at his parents with the corner of his eye and saw no reaction from them. Something was up, but since everyone seemed to be fine, Min Woo-Jin didn't want to disturb the atmosphere by asking.

Their school had an elevator system like many other in that era. Three siblings attended the same school even though they were at middle-school, high-school, and collage ages. Though even then, it was rare for Min Chungho to accompany the two younger siblings. As such, nothing changed for the duo while walking to the school.

Still, the circumstances made Min Woo-Jin rather suspicious! "Hey, do you know what's going on with brother?" He asked to Min Yoon-Ah after getting out of the house.

She shrugged. "I don't know… He said he would become a pro gamer…"

Min Woo-Jin stopped in his tracks. "Pro-gamer?" Their parents had a unique point of view compared to others. Convincing them was close to impossible, Min Woo-Jin reckoned. But considering his sister's response, and the nonchalant behavior of their parents during breakfast, it was obvious that their brother really did it. Somehow.