Sadam_Khatri

Synopsis:

If a game starts controlling you, can you survive?

Aryan Verma, a pro eSports gamer, is the undisputed champion of the world's best VR MMORPG game, "Overlord’s Arena." But one day, he receives a mysterious VR headset from an unknown company. Out of curiosity, he wears it, and the game begins… literally!

But there's a twist:

 Game Over = Real Death!

 Quests must be completed, or the System will eliminate him!

 NPCs aren’t just codes; they think like real humans!

Real-world Impact – Every action in the game affects reality!

Player One: Last Chance

Chapter 12: Infiltrating the Fortress

With the System Warden defeated, we barely had time to breathe. The countdown timer above us kept ticking down—ten minutes before System reinforcements arrived.

⏳ [TIME REMAINING: 9:45] ⏳

Kaine gestured towards a pile of rubble. "This way! The hidden passage Nyx found!"

We sprinted across the battlefield, avoiding burning debris and collapsed structures. The sound of mechanical footsteps echoed from a distance. The System's elite enforcers were on their way.

💀 [WARNING: SYSTEM ELITE ENFORCERS INCOMING] 💀

Nyx pulled up her holo-map, leading us to a shattered bunker entrance. "There's a network of tunnels underneath. If we move fast, we'll reach the fortress before they detect us."

We slipped inside just as a squad of System Troopers marched past above us, their robotic voices issuing search commands. The tunnels were damp, with old pipes leaking strange blue liquid. Glowing data streams lined the walls, a sign that the System was monitoring these pathways.

"Stay quiet," Specter whispered. "We don't know what kind of security they've got down here."

Suddenly, a laser tripwire flickered ahead.

⚠ [WARNING: SECURITY SYSTEM DETECTED] ⚠

I activated my Cyber Gauntlet, hacking into the nearby data stream. Lines of code unraveled before me.

🔹 [HACKING IN PROGRESS…] 🔹

"Come on, come on…" I muttered, bypassing the firewall. The tripwire flickered and deactivated.

Nyx grinned. "Nice work. Now let's keep moving."

We advanced deeper into the tunnel, reaching an intersection. Kaine scowled. "Which way?"

Specter kneeled down, scanning the ground. "Footprints—someone's been through here recently."

Before we could react, a sharp whistle cut through the silence.

From the shadows, a hooded figure emerged. Her long silver hair flowed behind her, and her piercing golden eyes locked onto us.

"You're late," she said, arms crossed.

⚡ [NEW CHARACTER UNLOCKED: SHIRA – THE ROGUE AI] ⚡

Kaine raised an eyebrow. "And who the hell are you?"

She smirked. "Your only hope of surviving what's ahead. The System knows you're coming, and they've set a trap."

Nyx tightened her grip on her dagger. "How do we know we can trust you?"

Shira shrugged. "You don't. But if you keep walking that way, you'll step right into a kill zone."

⚠ [ALERT: SYSTEM TRAP DETECTED] ⚠

I exhaled. "Fine. What do you suggest?"

Shira grinned. "Follow me if you want to live."

With no better option, we followed her deeper into the tunnels.

As we moved, she explained, "The System Fortress is guarded by Titan-Class Sentinels. Your weapons won't scratch them. But I know a backdoor—an underground data stream that leads directly to the core."

Nyx narrowed her eyes. "And why are you helping us?"

Shira's expression darkened. "Because I was created by the System. And I intend to destroy it."

⚡ [NEW OBJECTIVE: INFILTRATE THE SYSTEM FORTRESS] ⚡

We finally reached a massive underground chamber. A glowing digital vortex swirled in the center.

Shira gestured to it. "This is it. Step in, and you'll be inside the fortress' lower levels. But be warned—once you're in, there's no turning back."

I glanced at my team. "We've come this far. We're not stopping now."

One by one, we stepped into the vortex.

As soon as my body disintegrated into pure data, a chilling system voice echoed in my mind:

💀 [WARNING: SYSTEM BREACH DETECTED] 💀

The real battle was about to begin.

🔜 [Next Chapter: The Heart of the System] 🔜