Virtual Reality : Dystopian Tales Online

016.5 | The Treasure Trove

What is becoming a game?

"Becoming a game? Isn't it a bit early?" Alexander looked at Leon. "Didn't you say it was three days?"

"I did... It should be..." Leon frowned.

He looked at his surroundings and was surprised to detect the rapid changes of the calculations. The numbers are all over the place, superimposing each other, creating various results and schemes. The crowded information flooded his perspective like he is a needle falling to a haystack.

A tingle of pain came from the inner part of his brain than burst out in a pang. Leon jerked with a hiss as he closed his eyes by reflex. An itchy feeling of something crawling inside his head tormented his inner senses causing him to scratch his head and knock it a few times. But it seems to be unreachable that continued to intensify in each passing second.

The pain affected him very much that he started to pale.

Alexander seized hold of his arms to prevent Leon from hitting himself. The side part of his head is starting to swell, telling them the intensity of his hits. Leon struggled from his arms trying to flee. Shin let go at the table and gathered Leon in his embrace while clutching his arms on his back.

They were surprised by Leon's sudden reaction. This is the first time they witness him react intensely.

"What happened?"

Marshal Philippe watched Leon getting restrained under Shin's hug. The boy groaned in obvious pain with his neck and ears dyed in red. The aggression is comparable to people infused with a stimulant. He looked at Adrian who seems to have no reaction with the event.

"What happened to him?" He repeated after not hearing any answer.

"Leon had seen the changes and probably flooded his senses. He wasn't able to contain the knowledge in his brain," Adrian said.

"You mean he overloaded?" Is there a chance for a human to get overloaded?

"That's right."

Adrian reached out for Marlene to come in his side. The twin followed his direction to which Marcus helped Marlene to cross over. They surrounded Shin that has been scratched by Leon's forceful escape. Adrian patted Marlene's head and said, "Try to use your heal."

Marlene presented Adrian a baffled look. "But brother... I am..." an ordinary human.

"Trust me. Try using a healing spell or a calming spell."

Somehow, Marlene believed he could do whatever Adrian is saying. Getting on posture, Marlene tried to recall the usual action she does when activating her skills. She closed her eyes, seemingly feeling her surroundings, then chanted a couple of gibberish words. A bright feeling appeared in her mind and steered it with will power.

The teenager suddenly glowed before their eyes. It was indistinct at first, like a film surrounding her skin. Then, as the time went over, the glow becomes more visible and luminous that brought specks of soothing light. She could not see where her surroundings with her closed eyes but she is able to send a soothing spell towards the suffering Leon.

A small dandelion shaped glow scuttled in the air that is then brought towards Leon. The glow disintegrated as the human body absorbs the healing entity. Like Marlene, Leon was enclosed by a film that started to pulse following his heartbeat. The itchy feeling inside his head gradually lessened. It made him calm down.

Leon did not know what transpired, but it made him really exhausted. He is about to uncover his eyes when Shin obstructed it with his hands. He then heard Adrian who seems to be on his side and said, "Don't open your eyes yet. It will not do you good."

He listened and did not force it. He disliked the feeling anyways and did not want it to come again. Adrian praised Marlene with an excellent job. The other guild leaders looked at them with astonishment. What just happened?

"Did she just use something in-game?" Alexander pointed out. "Adrian? Care to tell us any explanation to what is happening?"

"Sure, very simple ah," Adrian shrugged. "the world is becoming a game."

"For the love of whatever you like, please elaborate it. There are times where you have to talk longer," Alexander is truly annoyed. "Will it cost you your life if you will just explain everything clearly?"

"I summarized everything in one phrase," Adrian did not feel offended. Nevertheless, he no longer joked around. "There is a mistake. My assumption before has been invalidated due to unreliable accounts and questionable connections."

He explained his alternative theory quickly. Nobody asked questions until he completed everything in five minutes. There are many questions but most of it they were able to understand. Only the marshal who didn't know he is just an NPC is the one who is completely lost.

"The reason of the integration of the world is to wake us up. They are trying to convert this unexpected reality to a game to increase our safety. We are stronger when we are in our game characters. They wanted to use this trend to make us moving."

Damian asked, "But how are they sure that they could save us in transforming it to a game. The integration has been happening and as what I can see, there is more probable danger than safety. Even if we are safeguarded by the rules of as game characters, it doesn't conceal the fact that we can still die."

There are many vicious creatures in the game. And as what they have witnessed, a creature coming from the first server came out. The game had become easier when half of the vicious monsters of the first server has been rebuffed or erased. They could not admit such dangerous possibility.

"A game has a start, so it will also have an end," Adrian pointed out. "Once we track the end of the sixth server, we would be able to find a way to go out. Assuredly, this world will not continue in perpetuity."

"And what if it did?" Alexander chided.

Adrian looked at him strangely. He shrugged his shoulders. There is a hint of loneliness in his eyes. "Well, at the minimum, in this world, you could live longer whenever you want."

Alexander would have rebutted but Damian nudged him. It bore him time to comprehend what his cousin wanted to say and remained silent. If ever they did get locked in this place, they could guarantee their survival since they are strong players. Even if they got hit by a bullet, a health potion is enough to clean it up.

In the real life, even though there is no longer any danger, one is still not quite sure when they will die. In Adrian's state, he did not know when he will stop waking up. He had passed the eighteen years of probation given by the doctors and reached the age of twenty-five. Maybe, he could get pass thirty or fifty.

But that is still too short. For people that could live for at least eight hundred years, he is too young to be buried six feet below the ground.

It must be difficult to choose.

To live in this world that could give him a longer life or to return to the real world to let his friends live their lives? They should thank Adrian that he wasn't born selfish. Or else, they would be spending the rest of their live in this fake world.

The roars of the dragon did not cease. It would stomp its legs and flap its wings while snorting warm breaths of air causing any plastic and the edges of the plants to curl. The building's ventilator is broken so the warm air circulated within the establishment thus cycling the breeze. It made the air more stuffy and uncomfortable.

The feeling is like preheating an oven.

"How can we escape?" Jase asked. He analyzed the situation and chose to seek the possible exit points. "We have to cross the dragon to get on the other stairs. Or we could jump out the window."

The window Jase prefers to be the glass window beside the dragon. It got wrecked when the dragon lashed its tail earlier. A narrow passage is created, enough for two people to cross. The problem is there were no safe places to jump. It is the topmost floor of a skyscraper. Jumping out from this floor is equal to committing suicide.

As might be expected, that would be different if they could awaken their in-game characters. Aside from flying, they could also call their familiars to give them a ride on their back.

"Both places are good exit points," Damian agreed. "However, that is under the assumption where the lower floors are still intact, or there are no other creatures waiting outside the window. It is feasible but contained a tremendous risk.

Adrian wanted to inquire Leon about the chances of escaping through the suggested passageways but the person is still weak from the sudden stimulation. It won't be good to force them to participate. He wanted to think of a solution but it would undoubtedly give him a backlash before he could execute the act.

He could use his brain more than others, creating a vague godliness in his ability. Leon could see numbers but most of his decisions are based on the hypothesis. He can only subject the variables to uncertainty until another values rouses to another planning. It is at present an overpowered trait since Leon could calculate up to ninety-eight percent probability.

Adrian could not see numbers, but he could tell the answer without theories. He is observing the world more slowly than usual so he could possibly be perceiving even the minutest changes of an object's trajectory. There is no such thing as fortune telling as long as one is capable of witnessing these small chain reactions.

Xavier, Frass, and Marshal Philippe remained vigilant to their surroundings. They monitored the movements of the dragon that remained wailing on its spot. Somehow, the dragon did not dare to take a step out from its nest and only used its wings and tail to attack. They wondered if something is blocking it from continuing forward.

"Is it hiding something inside the nest?" Xavier asked.

Frass nodded. That is a possibility. But what could it be hiding? Is it substantial than the towers of golds and silvers around it? They wanted to ask Adrian about his thoughts when a sudden breeze snared them offhanded. He can only subject the variables to uncertainty until another values rouses to another planning. The table did not help since it is the first thing that flipped over when the wind came.

No one escaped the fury and ended with their own injuries. The strong force brought debris of rocks and glasses giving them superficial wounds. Frass, who got a shard of glass stabbed on his leg, worriedly looked around to search for someone. His eyes scanned the entirety of his periphery discovering a pair of familiar people clutching in a corner.

Xavier managed to gather Adrian in his embrace before they got blown away. He enveloped Adrian with the coat he wore to avoid the debris grazing his skin. A slight wound could trigger Adrian's hypersensitivity that will definitely send him to the hospital in no time. If possible, they have to avoid him getting wounded.

The embrace surprised Adrian very much. He stared at the face of his savior and subconsciously wanted to knock them away. He stared at the face of his savior and subconsciously wanted to knock them away. The frantic reaction of distrust caused Xavier to feel a little heart ache.

It has been a long time since he hugged his nephew like this.

He had already forgotten the feeling of carrying that little bun in his embrace.

"Endure it for a while," Xavier hushed. "I will send you to Frass after this."

Adrian finally realized that his actions are very strange and stopped struggling. But he is obviously uncomfortable. He hugged the coat around him, avoiding Xavier's touch. Xavier did not dwell on this matter as he checked the situation around.

The dragon that seems to be staying in one place is now moving around. The wings are both extended, mercilessly crumbling that comes in its way. If the dragon could not get a pass through, it will expend its volcanic breath to melt the objects. It represented the body of a disaster - like the ones they remembered before in the first server.

They must be so stupid to speculate the dragon's actions. They had forgotten dragons are considered as strong, wise, and greedy. It will not do anything without reason. Probably, it is camping on its nest, waiting for a condition to come. When it realized the humans lowered their guards did it only moved around to attack.

But how will they defeat the dragon?

The integration process is still on going, and only a portion of their in-game skills could be used. It is not enough to trample a dragon down. Possibly, they will be killed after delivering their first blow. Now, what should they do?

"The exit is open," a low voice said.

They all looked at Jase that has wounds on his arms and cheeks. He pointed at the empty nest while the dragon is roaming around spewing lava. They could make a run for their life. As long as they can reach the stairs, they will be safe from the dragon. The creature could not fit on the small staircase anyway so there is no worry of getting followed.

"Then, hurry while the dragon is still away!"

Adrian is Frass and Xavier's priority so Adrian is brought towards the stairs without question. Other people followed, like Jase and Lexa, that are closer in their position. Adrian gained his freedom and looked up to see the status of the other people.

Leon is out of commission. He could not walk in his own and is blindfolded, so he is gaining his support from Shin who is carrying him on his back. Luckily, Shin has a sturdy athletic body, so Leon's weight is nothing to him. Next to them is the twins that both sustained minor injuries.

Xavier and Damian are in a much critical state. Damian was struck by a flying chair that scraped the side of his head. Blood bleeds out from the open flesh exposing a portion of the skull. He is being supported by Alexander who is limping on his left leg.

There are no problems with the NPCs. Blood bleeds out from the open flesh exposing a portion of the skull. However, they are considerably closer to the dragon's position, so they remained hidden while waiting for the dragon pass by. They already given a signal to the children to stay in place. They could handle themselves.

All the able-bodied people stepped up to help the wounded companions. Frass and Xavier helped Damian who passed out from the loss of blood while Jase and Lexa hurried the twins and Shin to their place. Only Adrian remained standing on position, seemingly noticing someone is missing.

Wait... where is Aries?

Aries is the one who pulled the soldier before. He should be around...

Why is the dragon camping on its nest, by the way?

Adrian stepped out from the safety of the stairs and walked upright towards the center of the treasure. Adrian stepped out from the safety of the stairs and walked upright towards the center of the treasure. He ignored the discomfort brought by the cold metal as he started searching for someone.

The dragon has keen senses, so it will know if its objects are touched. The moment Adrian used his hand to dig around the pile. The dragon sensed its territory getting trespassed. It made a abrupt turn and hurriedly headed back to its nest. Everyone become alert as they hurried over to the stairs.

Xavier just helped Frass carry Damian down when he noticed Adrian missing. His intuition notified him to look around, just in time to see Adrian digging Aries out from the pile of gold. Behind him is the crazed dragon with open mouth and extended talons completely exposing its intention of decapitating the thief.