LEVEL 9

LEVEL 9

"Help us to save this virtual world..."

The last words he had remembered from the conversation we had with the desperate game developers seemed to haunt him forever. He couldn't concentrate straight because of it. Masyado nilang pinapahalagahan ang mundong ginawa nila. They were like the gods who used all of their blood, sweat and tears to create such a fantastic world from the technology they had and now, they were begging for help for an alien who wanted to invade and later on destroy their creation.

Poison.

INTO FANTASY was on his hands. And them, players, had no idea what danger they could face upon entering the world.

Can we do it? Can we retrieve IF? I hope so.

"Answer the problem on the board," Migo was brought back to reality when their General Mathematics instructor spoke. He tried to compose himself. Baka s’ya pa ang tawagin sa biglaang recitation. Wala pa naman akong naiintindihan.

He opened his text book and pretended that he was reading. Tumitingin 'din s’ya sa whiteboard para magmukhang nakikinig— yet his mind was already occupied by something.

Thyrone, his classmate, raised his hand.

"Okay, Mr. Bernardo."

Thyrone stood up and walked toward the board with the confidence that he could answer the given problem. Well, what to expect from him? He was way too genius na ang kinaayawan kong subject ay basic lang sa kanya. Sana all na lang talaga.

He answered the problem with his fast hand. Migo didn't even see his forehead wrinkled nor a sweat formed on it. It was so basic for him!

Well, maybe that was a perk of being a nerd. They could pull out everything they read in a book and use it in reality.

Thyrone Bernando was known for being a nerd here at Riverdale High School. Thick eyeglasses, his shirt tightly tucked on his pants, his messy hair and his teeth had a shining brace. A nerd.

And like the cliché moments at every school, nerds were bound to be bullied—so as Thyrone. Tampulan s'ya ng tukso. Bawat labas at pasok n'ya sa campus, nakakaranas s'ya ng diskriminasyon sa pagiging iba.

Migo and Haruto tried to help him and befriend him. Migo remembered how they gave him their most comforting smile as they offered their hands to him... yet he gave us his deadliest glare and sharpest words.

"'Wag n'yo akong lapitan, hindi ko kayo kailangan!" Sigaw n'ya noon saka hinampas ang mga nakalahad nilang kamay. Kaysa naman pilitin nilang dalawa ang sarili nila sa kanya, sila na ang unang lumayo.

By now, Thyrone was no longer experiencing bullying due to the existing new rules of our school.

🎮

Time passed fastly the way Migo prayed for it. Uwian na. He immediately put his notebook and textbook back on his small backpack.

"Una na muna ako sa inyo," paalam n’ya sa magpinsan na hinihintay lang s’ya sa labas ng classroom. Cleaner pa kasi ako.

"Ako 'rin," Sabrina spoke. May gagawin 'rin siguro s'yang importante.

"Iiwan n'yo ako—" 'Di na n’ya narinig ang pag-drama ni Haruto nang tumakbo na sila palayo.

While pedaling down the street where the sun shone so bright, his mind was wondering what would happen later. They actually had their plan to follow later. They made it smooth to ensure that it would go accordingly without causing much damage to the world. He did all his chores and homework when he got home.

And when the time came, he wore his Game Gear and laid his body on the bed.

"Dive in!"

🎮

"Madalas inaatake ng game killer ang mga player na mag-isa sa isang lugar, lalo na 'yung mga player na mag-isa..."

"So, may ipapain tayo para lumabas siya? That's what you want, Jupiter?"

"Yes. I think that is the only way to summon, Poison. Delikado man ngunit ayan na lang ang natitirang paraan."

"I understand. Then, sino kala leviathan at Astrid ang gagawing pain?"

"Ako na lang.."

"Sigurado ka? Hindi biro ang gagawin mo—"

"Siguradong-sigurado."

"Good, and this is the plan..."

Location: Foggy Forest

Time: 19:07

Astrid heaved a deep sigh as she wandered the foggy forest. Monster sometimes appeared to attack her but she managed to defeat it—thanks to some modification the game developers did to her account. Now, she's beyond powerful to any monsters and players—hoping that that power could also defeat Poison. She just wore a special item that would make her player identification look like the newbies'.

She sat in the middle of the grass field to rest for a moment, not letting her guard down. She knew that by any moment, the enemy might appear to diminish her.

That moment was now.

Astrid pulled her bow out of her inventory – that looked like a low-level weapon—and let arrows materialize by magical energies. "I think he's here," she whispered.

From the darkest part of the forest, a pair of red eyes glowed. Unti-unti itong lumitaw sa liwanag. It has razor-sharp claws and teeth that could tear raw meat; it has a thick golden fur all over its body.

[ Beast ]

«Lion»

lvl. 35

She just rolled her eyes in grimace. Hindi pala ito ang kalaban n'ya. She released an arrow that pierced through the lion's skull. After some time, the lion died, releasing some loot items. It also made Astrid's XP increase.

Malalim itong bumuntong-hininga. She was about to put her weapon on her inventory when she noticed something strange. She turned her gaze on her back and immediately pointed a sharp bow on the player standing behind her. "Sabi ko na nga ba!"

"Poison..."

It was a player with an oozing aura of danger, wearing ruggish sleeves and pants. He was hiding his face under a white mask. Sa unang tingin ay para lang itong simple at mahinang nilalang. But that was the infamous game killer trying to bring terror to this world, and he was winning. Prente itong naglalakad patungo kay Astrid. The girl didn’t let her guard down. She knew he was a danger she should be careful of.

The sharp edge of her arrow was ready to shoot, but then… the enemy was lost in her vision! “Nasaan na ‘yon?” gulat na utas ni Astrid. Nilibot n’ya ang paligid, pero hindi n’ya ito makita! Saan iyon pumunta?!

"Leviathan! I think I lost him!” she immediately reported. Magsasalita pa sana nang makaramdam ito nang presens’ya sa kan’yang harapan.

Before she knew it…

What the—!" isang malakas na sapak ang hindi inaasahan ni Astrid na tatama sa kanya. He was too fast! She couldn't see him. Sa tindi ng atakeng 'yon ay napatalsik s'ya sa malaking distans’ya, luckily she could control its impact on her virtual body. A bow materialized on her arrow then struck it in the sky.

"LIGHT SCREAM!" Blinding light spread across the area.

"Nandito na siya. Bilis!" Thanks to a special item, Astrid could communicate with Leviathan using telepathy. Now, it was their time to start the mission.

"Okay." Leviathan answered then made his way to her area. He knew that it was their moment to stop Poison and his destruction.

That was their first step, summoning the poison.

"Poison or whatever the f you are, please stop this. Nakakasakit ka na! You are causing harm to every player in this world!" Astrid tried to convince him yet she heard nothing from the player, he remained standing as if waiting for the right time to execute his dark plans. Why was he too eager to invade this world?

"Astrid!" Finally, Leviathan came equipped with his pair of black blades. His teeth gritted when he saw him for the first time— hoping it to be their last time . Lumapit ito kay Astrid upang samahan s'ya sa laban.

"Poison," he whispered, "Why the hell are you doing this?!" Winasiwas n'ya ang dalawang sandata sa ere.

Under his mask, a mischievous smirk showed. "To make myself satisfied, I guess?" He replied in a mocking manner. His voice was deep and hoarse, it was like the voice of the devil pulled out of the dark corners of hell. That was enough to boil the blood of the two players.

"Nonsense!" Leviathan screamed as he jumped high, making an attack in the midair. Tila ba hindi nito natinag ang kalaban; nananatili itong nakatayo, hinihintay ang pagtama ng sandata sa kan’yang katawan.

It was now the time to execute the second step: dwelling with the poison. Habang nilalabanan nila ito, the developers were doing their best to retrieve the system while the hacker was busy with them.

"LIGHTNING BULLET!"

Mid air, he was about to give him a powerful blow but he didn’t expect what happened next.

Mas lumapad ang ngisi ni Poison, he opened his closed fist and a strong airwave made Leviathan's body fly in the air to the nearest tree. Malakas ang pagtilapon n'ya kaya nagawa nitong masira ang tinamaang puno.

Luckily, their game accounts were altered kaya magagawa nilang tapatan ang lakas ni Poison sa loob ng game, ngpati ang mga atake nito ay halos tila wala lang sa kanila. Unless, Poison, himself, changed something on the system deactivating what were altered on their accounts.

"Leviathan!" Nagpaulan si Astrid ng mga palaso kay Poison, na nagagawa nitong ilagan. She was about to release another set of bows when she felt something wrapping her virtual body. "What the?"

Baging!

Matinik at makapal na baging ang pumupulupot sa katawan nito. She tried to free herself, but each time she moved mas humihigpit ito. She couldn't move, her body were squeezing making it hard for her to breathe.

Nang mapabagsak ang dalawa ay doon na kumilos si Poison upang tumakas. He knew that these players wouldn't let him escape.

"POISON! BUMALIK KA RITO!!" Sigaw ni Astrid habang pilit na pinapakawala ang sarili sa nakapulupot na baging sa kanya.

"Astrid," sa wakas ay nakakakilos na si Leviathan. He got paralyzed for some moment after that air wave struck him. "Pakawalan mo ako rito para makahabol tayo sa kanya." The latter just gave her a nod. He used his black blades to cut the vines wrapped on her.

At dahil altered ang kanilang account, hindi na nila kailangang uminom ng health replenishing drink just to regain their health points dahil kusa itong bumabalik.

"Saan s'ya dumaan?" Tanong ni Leviathan ng mapakawala ang kasama. "Doon," turo ni Astrid sa masukal na gubat. "For sure, hindi pa s'ya nakakaalis."

Leviathan held his black blades tighter. "Let's go and defeat that hacker!" They looked at each other and then nodded, as if they were having the same thought at that moment.

Akmang kikilos na sila nang tila nagising ang mga matatayog na puno. Isa-isa silang tumatayo mula sa pagkakadikit sa lupa. They were limbs that had grown within their trunks. And they were coming in the players' direction.

"Tuluyan niya ng nako-kontrol ang laro," bulong ni Leviathan.

"Bwisit. Ayaw niyang masundan natin siya," the markswoman added.

[ Beast ]

«Trunk»

Lvl 100

"Sa tingin mo, kaya natin sila?" Tanong ni Astrid. kay Leviathan. Ilang metro na lang ang layo nila sa mga trunk. "Lagpasan na lang natin ang mga 'yan," he replied. Walang ano-ano'y mabilis silang tumakbo at pilit na iniiwasan ang mga naglalakihang Trunk.

Location: Diamond Town (Stone Continent)

Time: 20:25

The Diamond town seemed peaceful at that moment. There were NPCs and players walking around the corner. Some were talking, some were trading, some were recruiting members to join their party and more. Yet unbeknownst to them, danger was just near them—waiting for the perfect time to attack.

"Oy gagi, look up in the sky—" She was cut off by her co-player.

"It's a bird, it's a plane!" Then the latter danced the dance break part of the famous song.

"Siraulo! Kaka-Blackpink mo 'yan!"

"Bring out your boss, bish~"

Napaismid na lamang ang babaeng player. "Tignan mo kasi! Parang uulan anytime."

"Ngayon ka lang makakita ng ulan?" Hindi na nito natiis ang inis at kinaltukan ito. But truth be told, inside INTO FANTASY, the sky was always clear and blue in the towns, nagkakaroon lang ng pag-ulan o snow sa labas ng mga town. This was the first time the sky went heavy.

Marami nang nakapansin ng biglaang pagdilim ng kalangitan.

"Bakit dumidilim ang langit? 'Di naman umuulan dito, a?"

"Pabili po ng limang health replenishing drink," turan ng babaeng player sa isang NPC. The old NPC woman smiled at her. "Sandali lamang, hija—"

Nagtakha ang mga player nang sabay-sabay nagi-glitch ang mga NPC. As if there was bugging or lagging at that moment.

"Ngayon lang nangyari ang ganitong klaseng error."

"Baka kagagawan 'to ng Game Killer?! Ayon sa nabasa ko na hacked niya ang isa sa mga iniiangatang game system!"

Mula sa gitna ng mga nagkakagulong players, Poison appeared. It was standing in front of the fountain. Nilibot n'ya ang tingin sa paligid. Everyone started to panic. What a perfect moment to start his planned destruction. This game needed to disappear—along with the players inside it.

"D'yos ko! Si Poison!"

"Takbo!"

"Nandito si Poison!"

Ang kaguluhan sa paligid ay nagbibigay ng kakaibang saya sa kanya. “That's right! Fear me.”

Isang nagmamatapang na player ang lumapit sa kanya. He was a fearless marksman with a pair of golden Desert Eagles. "Tatalunin kita!" With that, he started firing bullets, na nagagawang iwasan ni Poison. He could tell the exact direction of the bullet kaya nagagawa n'ya itong ilagan. It was like he was dancing gracefully.

"The hell?" Asik ng marksman nang mapansing walang epekto ang bawat atake n'ya. This guy was, indeed, unbeatable! "You're a monster..."

Poison suddenly appeared in front of him, with his infamous dagger stabbed on its chest. Marksman's eyes widened as his health points decreased slowly. "Paanong—?"

The hacker opened a window, tapping several icons. After that, he activated voice-command. "Sensory Control Setting." The setting window appeared. He then increased the sensory level to its maximum level, causing the marksman to cry in agony. Nararamdaman n'ya ang matalas na dagger sa loob ng kanyang birtwal na katawan na para bang nasa real world nang ilang libong beses na mas masakit. Kung hindi s'ya makaalis rito, it might affect his brain and his own real body.

Unfortunately, he died inside the game when his health points decreased to 0%.

"Shit! Hindi ako makapag-log out!" Mas nagkagulo ang lahat nang alisin ni Poison ang log out icon sa kanilang window.

"Trapped na tayo!"

"Hindi na tayo makaka-alis sa mundong 'to!"

"POISOOOON!!" Napatingala sa itaas si Poison. Up above, Leviathan and Astrid were falling from the sky. They used the crystal warp item, yet a bug happened and they were summoned above the heavy sky.

"Astrid, now!" Astrid nodded as she released her special skill. "ARROW RAIN!"

Pinaulanan n'ya ang kalaban ng mga matatalas na palaso, yet the hacker managed to dodged it all.

"Is that what you got? You can't—"

"We can't what, hmm?" Nakangising tanong ni Leviathan na ‘di inaasahang sumulpot sa kan’yang likod. Nagawa n'yang itarak ang black blade sa katawan ni Poison.

"Surrender yourself, Poison."

Poison laughed like a mad maniac. "I like your bravery. Pero hanggang saan kayo dadalhin ng katapangan ninyo?" Then he disappeared in the air.

"Nasaan na 'yon?! Tanong ni Astrid.

"SA LIKOD!" Leviathan pushed Astrid away before the flying dagger could pierce through their body. Muntikan na!

Hinihingal si Leviathan habang nililibot ng tingin ang paligid. "Nasaan ka ng lason ka na—?" Mabilis s'yang napailag nang hagisan s'ya ni Poison ng isa na naming dagger.

"Leviathan!"

"Yeah, ayos lang ako," tugon ni Leviathan sabay punas ng pawis na tumulo sa kaniyang baba. That hacker was way too fast and tricky.

Kailangan nilang makaisip ng paraan para madaling mapabagsak ang kalabaan.

Hindi n'ya napansin ang biglang pagsulpot ni Poseidon sa likod n'ya. "Poor you, Leviathan. The game developers are just using you for their own good. Tell me..." He felt cold when Poseidon whispered under his ear. "Anong mapapala n'yo kapag natalo n'yo ako? Meron ba—?"

"TORNADO STRIKE!" Faster than he was before, Leviathan spread his arms with his weapons and swirled like a devastating tornado. Halos mahablot na nito si Poison, but he seemed so fast.

"Hindi niyo ako matatalo kahit anong gawin niyo," he said mockingly. These players for him were nothing but cockroaches trying to stop him. Poison laughed at his own thought.

Astrid and Leviathan didn't stop from attacking their enemy. They'd used all of their special attacks until all of them were cooling off. Halos isang minute 'rin ang hihintayin bago ang mga 'yon muling magamit.

"Done now? Ako naman!" Pinadyak ni Poison ang isang paa sa lupa, mula doon ay umusbong ang mga patusok na bato. Tumalon ang dalawa para maiwasan ang mga ito. They landed on a roof.

Astrid pulled the string of her bow. "ONE STRIKE!"

Bumulusok ang palaso sa ere at tumama kay Poison, causing a loud explosion. Dark heavy smoke spread across the area.

"Natamaan ko ba—?" She was cut off when Poison suddenly appeared in front of her and planted a strong punch on her jaw. Halos mamuti ang mata ni Astrid sa sobrang sakit, she could feel her virtual jaw broke. And since the Sensory Control Setting was at the maximum level, sobrang tindi ng sakit na nararamdaman n'ya. Tumumba ito at nagpagulong-gulong pababa ng bubong.

Leviathan's jaw tightened. "Astrid!"

"You, little freak! Die!" Furious, Leviathan held his black blades tight and made several attacks on the enemy. He was so mad, to the point that his attacks were already reckless.

"God. Bakit ang tagal ng mga developer? Has Poison controlled the whole system?"

"LIGHTNING BULLET--!"

His eyes widened. "A-Anong nangyayari?" He couldn't move! An unknown force was restraining him from moving. "POISON!"

The latter just smirked under his mask. "You have already wasted a lot of my time," he said, "This world is already mine."

Leviathan's heart started to beat faster and harder. Nabigo sila ni Astrid na pabagsakin s'ya. Their altered accounts couldn't even reach the power this hacker's account had, it was way too godly and powerful.

"Watch me, as I destroy this world and create a new one where I am the one to be hailed as the only god."

He couldn't do anything but just close his eyes as a sign of defeat. INTO FANTASY was now at its end, along with him and thousands of players trapped in this world. "Fuck it..."

Poison activated several windows and tapped some icons. He released thousands of level 100 monsters that would kill the trapped players. He changed the sky's color into crimson, he made the houses and buildings burn with his command.

Everything was a catastrophe. INTO FANTASY turned into chaos.

Tumawa ito nang malakas habang pinagmamasdan ang kaguluhang ginawa n'ya habang si Leviathan naman ay nasa likod n'ya, still couldn't move even an inch. He was frozen there; his eyes were fixed on the chaotic scenario of this virtual world.

"We failed..."

He was already giving up when everything suddenly stopped. The chaos stopped. All of the wild level 100 monsters vanished. The flames were extinguished. The dark red sky turned into a bluish bright one. All of the trapped players were forced to log out of the game.

"ANONG NANGYAYARI?!" Poison panicked. He started doing commands on his windows yet nothing was happening. "Fuck!" He tried once again, but nothing happened.

[ Notice]

Request denied.

[ Notice ]

You are restricted to the system.

"What the fuck?!" He cursed under frustration.

"This is your end, Poison," the game developers appeared. They were all on their own avatars. "Wala ka ng kawala." Moon said, smirking.

"Hindi! I am a god in this world and soon outside this world!"

"Nope," it was Jupiter. "We have already traced you and your warrant of arrest has already been made. See you at the prison!"

"No!" Poison cried. He opened his window then logged himself out.

"Why did you let him log out?" Leviathan asked, he could now finally move.

"The policemen are already on their way to arrest him," Moon answered.

The player nodded. "Teka, nasaan na pala si Astrid?

"

"She was forced to log out along with the players trapped here," Earth replied.

After that, they told him the reason why it took them so long to retrieve the control of the world. It was because the hacker himself made a tough security to block anyone that would try to steal him away from the game console and the control for it. If it wasn't for their skills in technology, hindi nila ito makukuha ulit. They were convinced that Poison had an insane skill in the field.

After some hellish amount of time trying to break the breach, they had finally taken control of the game console without Poison noticing.

Habang kinakalaban ni Leviathan at Astrid ito, the game developers were already doing their stuff by fixing what Poison changed on the system.

And, voila!

INTO FANTASY’s near end had stopped.

In the end, they thanked Leviathan and Astrid for helping them to solve the problem and saving the virtual world.

"Thank you, we owe you a lot."

🎮

"Last Friday night, INTO FANTASY's game nightmare ended when the developers of the game had finally taken back control for the virtual world. However, the authorities are still finding the hacker, Poison. The said suspect will be charged with different cases such as..."

Migo closed the television and let himself yawn. Sa wakas ay balik na ang lahat sa IF. No more hacking, no more game killing—just fun and thrill. He could still vividly remember how they fought him. I have to admit that he was too hard to defeat. Luckily, the developers came at the right time.

Of course, they paid Leviathan and Astrid after helping them. They just sent the money to his bank account yesterday. His problem was, how am I going to tell my parents why I have such an amount of money?

Wala naman na s’yang ibang gagawin ngayong hapon kaya umakyat na s’ya sa kwarto. He grabbed his laptop and checked his gmail. My PolGov leader just messaged me na s-in-ent n'ya na raw ang written report ng presentation namin. It is already completed, all I need to do is to revise it. Madali ko lang naman 'yong magagawa.

He was about to open his leader's gmail message when he received another message coming from… Fantaxia Gaming Company. His eyes immediately widened as his mouth gasped.

Eh? Bakit sila magme-message sa akin?

He opened the message then read it.

His eyes widened more.

"What on the actual f?!" He covered his mouth. Ramdam n’ya ang biglang pagbilis ng pagtibok ng kan’yang puso. It was a personal message from the company’s CEO!

He read the letter again.

He wanted to meet Astrid and him... in his office!

Sandali akong napatulala at napalunok na lamang ng laway.

"I am going to meet the person behind Astrid."

To be continued.