Chapter 15: New Game Era

Chapter 15: New Game Era

Exactly at 12 noon, the gates to the world of Enigma Online PH reopened to all players. It was March 23, 2346. Today was a massive event—marking the rollout of one of the biggest game patches to date.

---

Among the newest additions were gunner-type players—characters who primarily used guns and rifles. Weapons with dual functions were also now available, such as bowguns, swordbows, shieldbows, and swordguns. The entire weapon system had become more diverse, and players could now craft unique weapons with special attributes.

But the most explosive part of the update?

The arrival of converted accounts—characters transferred from other VRMMORPGs.

---

As expected, a massive number of players had their accounts converted to join EOPH. Most of these were already veterans from other games. Some were here for the thrill, others for fun… but a sizable portion? They were here for money. After all, EOPH allowed in-game currency to be converted into real cash.

---

"Kobi23"

"Whoa, the number of players today is insane. It's like a festival!" I muttered, taking in the crowd in Frontier. "And this is just the starting town."

I greeted some of my guildmates. "Yo guys! How's everyone doing?"

We exchanged info, and I learned about a recent incident that involved my idol—Zaphro. Apparently, they added more Sanctified Zones or safe areas across all map locations after that chaos. It was likely a precautionary measure to prevent similar events in the future.

After catching up, I resumed wandering—no, scouting. I was keeping an eye out for anything strange or any suspicious-looking players. Eventually, I found myself near the Frontier's starting point and sat on a large rock.

Just a few minutes passed before someone materialized in the area.

It was a player—clearly high-level from appearance alone. But the way he looked around nervously and pinched his cheeks told me he wasn't used to this place.

"That'll hurt, y'know. You should probably stop testing the 60% real-pain setting," I said.

He turned to me immediately.

"Sorry, man. I'm a convert. Still getting used to things here." He scratched his head sheepishly. "Feels almost like the real world."

"This place is real, dude. It's not just virtual reality anymore—this is as real as it gets."

He frowned at my statement, so I took a bit of time to explain the game's systems to him. From our conversation, I found out his character was already level 200. He was a hybrid player with both Archer and Swordsman skills.

His weapon was also unique: a swordbow, capable of switching between sword mode and bow mode. Pretty impressive. That's the perk of converted players—their upgraded items carried over. All of his gear was already at +8, including his armor set, weapon, and back accessory.

Still, I noticed he lacked accessories like rings, pendants, and armbands. All those slots were empty. He only had 10 million gold as his starting currency.

"Why didn't you max out your upgrades?" I asked.

"Too expensive, man. I didn't save enough for it, so I settled with +8. I plan to upgrade to +10 in-game," he said with a smile.

"Got it. I'm Kobi23, by the way." I extended my hand.

"Astarte_toki here. Nice to meet you!" We shook hands.

"Well, I gotta go. Gotta grind. You look like the solo-player type, so I won't bother asking you to tag along." I started walking away and gave him a casual wave.

---

I returned to the heart of Frontier, heading toward the taverns. I immediately noticed new NPCs—there was now a Ballistic Trader for guns and ammo, and a new blacksmith for crafting unique items.

I checked out the new gunner-type weapons first. Right as I walked in, I was greeted with displays of powerful weapons I had never seen before.

XB2000 Rifle – dual wield.

XK6900 Sniper Rifle – a massive two-handed rifle.

XG54N Grenade Launcher – heavy weapon with a high damage rate.

Weapon models available included:

XB2000 to XB6000: dual rifles.

XK6900 to XK9900: sniper rifles.

XG54N to XG94N: launchers.

The price? Between 50 million and 500 million gold.

---

After window shopping, I headed toward the training area. It was packed. Most of the players here were newbies, trying to get used to their weapons. Using weapons in EOPH wasn't easy. Casting skills required correct posture and angle. There were no assist systems—saying the skill name wasn't enough. You had to follow the voice or written instructions from your skill book, over and over, until you mastered it.

Even avatar bodies got tired inside the game, so players needed to carry SP potions for faster stamina recovery.

---

4:00 PM...

[Zeke's POV]

Class just ended, and I walked out of the room with Dan. We were on our way to the locker room to drop off our stuff.

"You walk too slow, man. Hurry up so we can log in already!" Dan grumbled, clearly hyped.

"You're ruining the mood. Can't you see I'm deep in thought?" I said, adjusting the strap on my shoulder.

"Of course I'm excited! Aren't you?"

I picked up my pace to match Dan.

"Well, who's excited now?"

---

» Logging in... «

I spawned solo at my racetown—the Village of Light. I sent a PM to Slicer, telling him to meet me in Frontier in an hour. I just needed some time alone. It had been a while since I got to solo play like this.

As I walked through the streets, I realized I was still wearing the New Set of armor provided by the GM's, so I decided to switch back to my old set and wings. Along the way, I passed by many newbies buzzing around, doing NPC quests or asking help from others. The angel village is no longer a ghost town.

I paused in front of a tall lamp post and opened my VS. Navigating to the Character section, I activated my anima.

I hit "OK"—and in a flash, my dark fairy animus, Gwydox, appeared before me.

"Papa!" he greeted in his deep voice, circling around me.

"You feeling better, Gwydox?" I asked.

"I'm fine, Papa. Just... adjusting." His tone was as moody as ever. What else did I expect from him?

"Something changed, Papa."

"New game patch," I replied, mimicking his tone.

---

"OH MY GOSH, SO CUTE!"

I flinched at the sudden voice beside me. It was a female player—pink-haired with a ponytail, blue eyes, fair skin. She was tall, maybe around 5'7 or 5'8.

"Is that your pet, kuya?" she asked.

I frowned and pouted at the same time. Gwydox mirrored me.

"Hey! Lady—I'm not a pet," Gwydox snapped.

"Oh my gosh, it talks! He's soooo cute! Can I touch him?!" she blurted out.

I didn't respond. I was still annoyed at Gwydox.

"You're asking for it, lady! Didn't I just say I'm not a pet?!"

He looked like he was about to explode and cast a skill on her.

"He's not a pet, miss. He's my animus. An artificial intelligence," I explained, still slightly irritated.

"Oh, I see. But honestly, you guys are so alike. Soooo cute!" she giggled wide-eyed.

What the heck was cute about that?

"I'm xx_Leanne_xx, by the way." She held out her hand.

Her smile was disarming, and just like that—my annoyance faded.

Zaphro's POV

I knelt down and gently took her hand—out of impulse more than anything. Just felt like doing something sweet… maybe even charming.

"Papa," Gwydox muttered in my head, sarcasm thick in his voice. "You just triggered a freakin' wedding proposal sequence."

…

A wedding proposal?

…

Wedding. Proposal.

I blinked. That phrase looped in my mind like a glitchy voice mod stuck on repeat.

What the hell was I thinking?

Is this game cursed? Why the hell does it even have this kind of function?!

"Say that again, Gwydox?" I asked, my voice barely hiding my rising panic.

"You seriously don't read the minor patch notes, do you, Papa?" he deadpanned. "You just activated one of the hidden romance gestures, dumbass. Gotta love surprise features."

He leaned in and whispered as if he enjoyed watching me slowly crumble into virtual anxiety.

"You proposed, you genius. That sweet lil' kneel-while-holding-hands gesture? That's the trigger."

I whispered back, gritting my teeth. "Can I cancel it? Log out? Respawn as a potato?"

"You can quit... but are you seriously gonna humiliate that poor girl in front of all these people? 'Cause if it were me? I'd hit 'log out' faster than your brain lags. But you? You got a conscience, Papa."

Damn this demonic pet with a personality.

"A-Ah, excuse me, Zaphro..." Leanne's voice quivered a little as she looked down at the interface glowing in front of her. "W-What is this pop-up?"

It read:

"Do you accept Zaphro's proposal?"

[YES] [NO]

I swallowed hard.

"It's, uh... It's a marriage proposal interface," I muttered. I still hadn't let go of her hand.

Batman, Superman, someone—just save me from this awkward mess!

Please... let her press No.

I scratched the back of my head nervously while whispering prayers to any deity that might be listening.

Then she looked around—eyes scanning the crowd of players watching us like it was the main event in a VR soap opera.

And then... she pressed YES.

My soul disintegrated on the spot.

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations! Player Zaphro (Lvl. 125 – Fallen Angel) and Player xx_Leanne_xx (Lvl. 40 – Songstress) are now ENGAGED!]

What kind of public-shaming announcement is this?! Is there no privacy in this damn game?!

I froze. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually—I turned into a statue.

And then—

WHACK!

"OW! What the hell was that for?!" I yelped.

Gwydox hovered smugly beside me. "You were standing there like a moron. I just jumpstarted your brain, jackass."

I got up slowly and faced Leanne again, still holding her hand like an idiot. "Let's get out of here."

I summoned Freyla, my upgraded mount. She emerged from the system space, wings stretching with elegance as her body expanded to full travel size.

"Hop on." I gently tugged her hand as Freyla knelt down for us.

"S-Sure. But where are we going?" Leanne asked as she climbed behind me.

"Anywhere but here," I muttered, embarrassed. The stares were getting unbearable.

We flew off into the sky.

---

While flying...

"Wait just a damn second!" she snapped behind me.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what?! You proposed! Why?!"

"Accidental proposal," I replied, voice low. "I was just messing around. Didn't realize the game had that kind of function."

"You think this is funny?! This isn't some joke, Mr. Fallen Angel!" she glared. "You embarrassed me in front of everyone!"

"Then why the hell did you accept it, huh? Could've pressed NO!"

"I didn't want to humiliate you, okay?!"

Her response hit harder than Freyla's wings.

Even Gwydox, now floating beside us, decided to chime in. "Hate to break it to you lovebirds, but you're screwed. Once engaged in this patch, the only way out is a wedding ceremony. No take-backs."

"WHAT?!" we both yelled.

"Tone it down, Romeo and Juliet," Gwydox grumbled. "I swear, my ears are bleeding."

Minutes passed in silence after that.

Eventually, Gwydox guided Freyla to a gentle landing in a quiet grassland just outside the village. I dismounted first and reached up to help Leanne down.

"Look... it was a dumb accident, but we're stuck with it. So... can we start over, Leanne?"

She sighed, then smiled softly. "Fine. Let's start over."

We shook hands—an awkward peace treaty under the setting sun.

After some discussion, we agreed to treat this engagement as a sort of business arrangement. Once married, we'd gain a shared inventory system, joint access to gold, storage, and even skills—like a party buff. Honestly, she was hitting jackpot with me: I had over 600 million gold and god-tier loot. But she was a catch too. Beautiful, kind, and I had a hunch she was just as stunning IRL.

---

Later, under a tree...

We sat beneath the shade of a massive tree, far from mobs or players. It was strangely peaceful here—almost suspiciously quiet.

"Are you new here?" I asked.

"Just started a week ago. You?"

"Almost five months in. Hey, want me to help you level up? It's the least I can do."

She smiled, shy. "I'd really appreciate that."

"Then it's settled." I grinned. "After the wedding, we're buying you proper armor." I scrolled through my inventory and pulled out two rings. "Here, take these for now—Ring of the Fallen and Ring of Fate."

She blinked. "Aren't these rare?"

"Yep. But I insist."

"You really don't have to spend so much. You could convert that gold to real cash..."

I was about to respond when—of course—my team had to show up.

Slicer arrived with the rest of the crew, catching us mid-cozy moment.

"Dude! You legend!" Jin blurted out.

"Introduce us to your fiancée!" Verillion added with a grin.

Leanne clung to my arm instinctively.

I sighed. "Guys, this is Leanne. She's new. And if you scare her, I'm gonna slap you with a cursed fish."

Thank God Ayana was with them—helped balance out the testosterone.

Eventually, we told the team the truth. No reason to lie. They all laughed at how absurdly fast everything happened, and surprisingly, Leanne blended in quick. She had a bubbly charm, and her laugh—damn, her laugh—was that cute kind that made her cheeks flush and eyes water.

Yep. I'm screwed.

---

6:00 PM – Sunset

We were still lounging under the tree, sun dipping into the horizon.

"You guys do know this area's a hidden boss zone, right?" Accel suddenly chimed in.

Leanne blinked. "Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, Ate. Name's Forest King Ghoul. Level 80 undead boss. Shows up only at night."

Of course, Leanne latched onto my arm again.

Nice one, Accel.

"Wanna kill it?" I asked her softly.

"Uhmm... maybe?"

"Maybe? Don't worry, I'm here. I can solo that thing easy."

"...It's just that—" she hesitated.

"What?"

"...I'm terrified of horror stuff. Isn't that thing like... a zombie?!"

So... my fiancée is afraid of creepy ghouls?

Well, this will be fun.