Chapter 1: Screen Flash and the Strange World

Chapter 1: Screen Flash and the Strange World

In the world of modern gaming, Valaria had become the latest sensation. An innovative game that allowed players to escape reality and immerse themselves in a virtual world with an unprecedented level of realism. The game was played using advanced pods that placed the player in a full immersion state, where they could feel nearly every movement, sound, and sensation around them with 99% accuracy. This experience enthroned Valaria at the pinnacle of virtual reality gaming, marking an unparalleled breakthrough in digital entertainment.

Vera Tech developed the technology that had captured everyone's attention: a game offering players a vibrant and interactive virtual environment. The sky changed with the time of day, the land pulsed with life, and everything felt astonishingly real. Players navigated a world rife with conflict between righteous and wicked rulers. Multiple factions existed, each possessing its own unique skills and distinct powers.

The story revolved around an ongoing conflict between righteous rulers seeking to save the world from darkness and wicked rulers aiming to seize control of the world of Valaria. Each player could choose their faction based on their adventures, acquiring new skills related to it. Special quests tied players to specific rulers, making them akin to envoys and granting unique powers and skills that could change the tide of battle. This was in addition to the game's advanced class system, where players obtained a class immediately upon entry. Some lucky players might even receive multiple choices, increasing the chance of obtaining a high-rarity or even a secret, unique class belonging only to that person. The system emphasized that any class, from the weakest to the strongest, could become formidable through development.

I was sitting inside the pod around midnight, adrenaline coursing through my veins with every move I made in Valaria. As I awaited the decisive battle against the secret boss, I started noticing something strange in the game. The pod I was in began to shake unnaturally, my eyes fixed on the screen. Strange symbols started appearing at the edge of my vision, shimmering green lines dancing as if something had gone haywire. But what I didn't know then was that these moments were the beginning of something far greater than the mere in-game event I assumed it might be.

"What's happening here?"

Jack's voice came through the microphone, a familiar tone, yet it carried a hint of concern: "Ares, are you seeing what I'm seeing? This doesn't seem normal! Looks like this pod is going to explode. I think we should log out!"

Jack was different from anyone else. He was like a harsh sage, the kind of man who seems to have all the answers while not caring much about those around him. Jack only showed others his cold side; only with his friends could one see a hint of kindness. He wasn't the type to make an effort to be nice to strangers, but with his friends, he was always the one to take responsibility. He used his skills, some strange ideas, and his knowledge of the game to handle things cautiously.

"Don't worry, Ares. No time for the tea to get cold in moments like these. If we get out of this like we always do, this boss will be free loot," Jack said, laughing lightly, even in this strange situation.

That tone Jack often used felt odd at that moment, despite the ambiguous situation we found ourselves in.

"I need you guys to drop everything now!" came the voice of my friend Shadow, laced with unfamiliar fear. "What's happening here isn't part of the game. There's an abnormal energy flow through the network. If we don't disconnect now, we could suffer uncontrollable effects."

But there was no time. Before I could log out of the game, a brilliant white flash exploded everywhere around me—I could even feel the light in reality—and I was thrown back with tremendous force within the game. Jack's voice through the pod's connected headset was muffled, followed by Shadow's sharp cry.

Then... silence. It was a strange, unfamiliar silence. I no longer felt my body or the floor I had been standing on. I felt like I was floating in nothingness, utterly lost.

While falling through what seemed like an endless void, I began to see strange images and shapes. There were faint whispers, like languages I couldn't understand. Before I could gather my thoughts, I opened my eyes to find myself in another world.

I was lying on soft, damp ground. I wasn't inside the pod, nor was there a computer or screen on my desk. A dense forest of trees with silvery bark and dark blue leaves threaded with glowing gold veins surrounded me. I felt something unusual in the air; it was warm but saturated with something unfamiliar. Above, there was an emerald green sky-dome, twinkling with two small, pale orange suns.

"Where... where am I?" I muttered, trying to grasp the situation.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice from nearby. Jack was standing there, looking confused but calm as usual. His hands were in his pockets, and he seemed stunned by this strange world we found ourselves in. "Ares, it seems we're somewhere else. But don't worry. True, worrying is probably the right choice right now, but if we panic now, we might die before we even know where we are."

"Jack?! Jack!" I yelled, feeling a mix of relief and shock, ignoring the nonsense he was spouting. "How... how did you get here?"

Before Jack could answer my question, a third voice chimed in, calmer despite the situation:

"The probabilities indicate that we didn't transfer here individually. It appears the strange event affected us all simultaneously, transporting all of us. I initially thought I might be the only one transferred."

We both turned. Shadow was standing there relatively calmly, taking off his glasses and wiping them with a cloth he pulled from his pocket—a strange habit he never abandoned. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings with the precision of a scientist studying a specimen under a microscope. He was wearing semi-formal clothes; from what I knew before entering the pod, he had recently returned from some gathering. His suit added an extra layer of surrealism to the scene.

Shadow then added more words: "Something strange is happening here. We are not in the Valaria we know. This is something else. We need to review the history of this world. As I recall, the game's events begin in the year 1200 by the Eigreve Line Empire's calendar."