Phase 2 - [Too Easy, Huh? Is That So, Midnight?]

"Survival game, huh..."

Midnight thought, slowly processing the game being referred to.

As far as he remembered, he had seen a similar show from Korea that was, even though he didn't quite understand the culture there.

He only watched it because it was trending in Japan.

But in media like manga, anime, and games, this was pretty common.

One such manga had a survival game that emphasized the power of friendship, which turned out to be much harder to maintain than expected.

[Eh, you're being asked and now, you're daydreaming, duh. C'mon.]

The message suddenly popped up from his smartphone, as if someone had been watching him from afar, prying his sacred privacy.

[Spying on someone isn't a nice thing to do, and you know that.]

[Oh, is that so? We're not spying you at all, no worries.]

[Midnight, you know about the Eden Zero game mechanics, don't you?]

THUD THUD...

His heart thudded rapidly, as if he had already understood the meaning behind it.

"No... It can't be."

[Wait. So, is that what you did?]

[DING DING DING! Exactly! Just as I expected from a former game developer.]

[And well, as I suspected, that game was a huge hit, right?]

[So, you...]

[Yeah. After you quitted, that game... I created it.]

[And those mice were so engrossed, they walked right into the trap.]

The security system in that game was incredibly complicated, both online and offline, everything had to be designed to be as comfortable and easy for the user as possible.

But, especially for online games, particularly VRMMORPG-based ones, you needed more knowledge about database servers, especially back-end systems.

And of course, your network could easily be traced if the back-end was designed to breach the security systems of other VR devices.

In other words...

[So, you stole everyone's privacy who played that game?]

[Oh, you say that? How ironic... aren't you doing the exact same thing?]

What they said was absolutely true, considering the number of CCTV monitors Midnight was currently using to observe every online player.

He, too, was doing it by hacking into the security system, allowing him to access the CCTV feeds based on player locations without being detected.

[But hey, don't worry. You're the only one getting this. The other gamers aren't actually getting hacked. Those useless gamers are just data for research.]

[Why just me? And what kind of research is this?]

[There's a trial that will be held live, once every week. And, of course, the ones invited are...]

[The top 100 users of Eden Zero, HAHAHAHAHAHA.]

Midnight, who had already struggled to process the previous information, suddenly panicked. His heart pounded, and his eyes widened.

[How do you play it?]

[You curious? Wanna knooow? You're sooo desperate to find out, huh?]

[Can't stop thinking about it either? …You do realize I'm talking to you, right?]

[Play with me first, and I'll explain later. And don't worry. Like you said, no betting.]

[Okay. So, I get nothing if I win?]

[Hold on. Don't jump to conclusions just yet, dear~]

[What do you mean?]

[Well, I didn't say there's no bet, but that doesn't mean you can't ask for something.]

[So, I can ask for anything?]

[Yeah, if you seriously play this game. No automation allowed. Got it?]

He swallowed, feeling like his life was hanging by a thread.

[What if I cheat? Even though this is a smartphone game, I could hack it easily.]

Midnight gritted his teeth, intrigued by the thought process of the user @rei_x.0.

[Oh, no way. You know cheating is a violation, right? You'd be disqualified.]

Yeah, of course.

Midnight was fully aware of that, but he wasn't going to let that loss happen again.

[And if you win, I'll praise you to the heavens. How about that?]

[Okay then. Let's see.]

Midnight still wasn't mentally prepared, especially after studying his defeat against the same player, both in Eden Zero and Virtual Heroes.

Because... based on his analysis, one by one, the movements of the neural network he had been operating had been memorized.

He had even applied his RNG to 1.0, meaning his movements would constantly change, even though the style remained the same.

That was what allowed him to win in the final moments because his neural network was slow to warm up; it had to analyze the opponent first.

No wonder, a comeback in the last moments, along with the closing line, "Too easy. Victory is mine," had become routine for Midnight.

[Let's start.]

Midnight slid his screen, searching for equipment and inventory that had long been gathering dust since he switched to VR.

[So, what mode do you want to play?]

[One-on-one, of course.]

[How many rounds?]

[Hmm, how about 10 rounds?]

[So, you're planning to beat me 10 times?]

[DING DONG! DING DONG! Exactly! You're so smart.]

[Why?]

[Because winning should be fun too, right? You yourself...]

[Have you been having fun?]

[Yeah, I've been having fun.]

He said this with a cold expression. His mouth was tightly closed, not even a smile on his face.

Not to mention his tired eyes, and the worn-out black hoodie he wore.

Before long, the game began. The weapon they would use was, of course, the sniper shotgun, which was synonymous with the desire to kill.

Their chosen weapon: sniper shotgun.

Every step was calculated, every second counted.

[Ready?] A message appeared.

Midnight tapped the screen, staring at it for a moment.

[Ready.]

Once the game started, crack—footsteps were heard all around him.

Midnight crouched, searching for cover.

Thud! A shot rang out, a bullet narrowly missing him. Tsshhhhh!

The air whooshed as the enemy's weapon fired a bullet.

Midnight quickly moved, using shadows to hide.

[Midnight-san boo hoo... where are you?]

A message from @rei_x.0 popped up on his screen.

Brettttt—another bullet hit the wall near him.

Midnight responded quickly, moving behind an object, trying to avoid the increasingly close shots. With his heart pounding in his chest, thud—his footstep kicked up dust, indicating his quick movement. His viewpoint shifted, his sharp eyes peeking.

Krreeeekkk—a door creaked slightly, revealing an enemy hiding.

BANG! Midnight fired, but the enemy had already moved to the other side.

[Still haven't won, huh? Pathetic, Mid. P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.]

The first shot went wide, whooooosh, but Midnight was ready.

As soon as the enemy appeared,

CRACK!—a shot hit the target, but it wasn't a headshot.

However, that wasn't the end of everything. The enemy had already prepared their next move.

Suddenly, a message was sent.

[Too easy, huh? Is that so, Midnight?]

BANG!

The message appeared just before a headshot was aimed at Midnight, who had apparently been tricked by them.

Blood splattered everywhere from the soldier's neck, signaling a clear and utter defeat in just one round.

The same message appeared again in the next round,

And again.

And again.

And again, until the tenth round.

"What kind of humiliation is this?"

It was already the tenth round, and he had almost landed a headshot every time, but was countered every single time as well.

For someone like him, who is extremely good at shooting, this was embarrassing.

[Okay, I lost. Happy now?]

[Yayyy! So, you're ready for the consequences, right?]

[What's that?]

[The consequences are...]

[Eh, wait a minute. What are the rules again?]

[Ah, forget it dumbass! No, no. I mean, for the rules, since you lost... I'm not going to tell you.]

[And for the consequences.]

[Let's see later, Mid.]

[So, how about it? Do you still wanna play?]