Trapped In The Game

Cyril stepped out of the inn, his newly acquired staff resting against his shoulder.

The streets of the Starting Town were as lively as ever, filled with fresh players exploring the immersive world of Elden Online.

Market stalls lined the stone roads, merchants calling out to attract buyers while blacksmiths hammered away at new weapons.

The sheer realism of the game was breathtaking — the weight of the air, the distant scent of baking bread, the warmth of the sun overhead. It was as if he had stepped into an entirely different world.

Yet something felt off.

Among the excited chatter and the clanking of armored players moving toward their next adventure, Cyril noticed a strange undercurrent of unease.

A group of players stood nearby, muttering in hushed tones, their faces twisted in concern. Some frantically scrolled through their system menus, others looking around as if expecting an answer to drop from the sky.

Curious, he adjusted his grip on his staff and made his way toward the commotion.

That's when he heard the wailing.

A young man in leather armor, barely out of the tutorial phase, was pacing in circles with a frantic look in his eyes.

His face was twisted in pure panic as he waved his hands wildly in the air, swiping at something invisible.

"Hey," Cyril called out, stepping closer. "What's going on?"

The man stopped mid-step, turning to face Cyril with desperation in his eyes. "I-It's not working! The log-out button! It's not working!"

Cyril frowned. What?

He pulled up his own system tab with a mental command, the familiar translucent blue interface appearing before his eyes.

His fingers hovered over the [Log Out] button. Without hesitation, he pressed it.

Nothing happened.

Cyril's gaze darkened as he pressed it again.

No response.

He even tried accessing the settings menu to see if there was an issue with the interface — everything functioned as normal, except for that one crucial button.

The man groaned, clutching his head. "I knew it! Something's wrong with the game! We're stuck in here!"

More players joined in, each confirming the same issue.

"This has to be a bug, right?"

"Maybe the update broke something?"

"Damn it! I only planned to check out the new expansion for an hour!"

The tension in the air grew thicker by the second. More players started testing their own menus, confirming that nobody could log out.

Some tried force-quitting, while others yelled into the sky, hoping for some developer intervention — but it was useless.

Cyril remained calm, despite the growing sense of unease creeping up his spine. Elden Online was known for its cutting-edge technology — full-dive VR that blurred the lines between reality and the virtual world.

The Alchemy Reforged expansion had promised deeper immersion than ever before… but this?

This was something else entirely.

The wailing man grabbed Cyril's robes. "What if we're trapped?! What if we're stuck here forever?!"

Cyril smoothly pulled the man's hands off him, his crimson eyes sharp. "Relax," he said, his voice even. "Panicking won't solve anything."

The man took a shaky breath but still looked like he was about to lose his mind.

Cyril turned to the crowd. "Has anyone tried dying? Maybe respawning forces a reset."

A tall swordsman scoffed. "Oh, sure. Let me just go stab myself real quick."

Another player, an archer, nodded. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. I saw some guys testing it out near the guard training area. They threw themselves into battle with some NPC knights… but when they died, they just respawned like normal. No log-out screen. No disconnection."

That sent another ripple of anxiety through the group.

The weight of the situation sank deeper into Cyril's mind. This wasn't just a bug. Something was wrong with the game.

But why?

If this was a developer-side issue, they should have been kicked out of the server automatically.

If this was a hacker attack, the company should have addressed it by now. But hours had passed since launch, and still — no response.

Cyril exhaled through his nose. Alright. If logging out wasn't an option, then what was the next move?

"Until we know more," he said, looking at the players around him, "we should keep playing the game normally."

The wailing man shot him an incredulous look. "Are you serious?! We might be trapped, and you're telling us to just go around like nothing's wrong?!"

"Think about it," Cyril countered. "If we're stuck, then sitting around panicking won't change anything. If this is a game, then we need to act like it's a game — level up, get stronger, and figure out what's going on from a position of power."

A few players exchanged glances. Some nodded in agreement, others remained skeptical.

The swordsman crossed his arms. "So what, you think we should just grind until we find answers?"

"It's better than standing here screaming about it."

The wailing man looked like he wanted to argue, but another player — a robed spellcaster — stepped forward.

"He's right," she said. "Even if we're trapped, the game world is still functioning like normal. NPCs are interacting with us, quests are available, the world is progressing. That means we still have agency. We need to adapt."

Cyril gave her a nod. At least someone here had a brain.

A tense silence settled over the group before the swordsman finally clicked his tongue. "Fine. I'll keep moving. But if something worse happens, I'm blaming you."

Cyril smirked. "Go ahead."

The crowd slowly dispersed, some players still murmuring anxiously, but at least the hysteria had died down. Cyril turned on his heel, gripping his staff tighter.

This changed things.

He had originally planned to just explore Elden Online at his own pace — experiment with Alchemy, figure out how broken the class could be. But now?

Now, he needed to prepare for the unknown.

His Grandmaster's Codex materialized beside him, its golden runes glowing faintly. He glanced at the floating grimoire and exhaled.

"If I'm really stuck here…" he muttered to himself, "then I better become the strongest damn Alchemist this world has ever seen."