Micheal walked slowly down the familiar streets of his neighborhood, his backpack hanging loosely over one shoulder. He looked tired. His clothes were worn and dusty, and anyone who saw him would know he’d had a rough day.In front of him was a restaurant and people were gathered around the restaurant, this was a place he always passed by.But now in front of this restaurant there was an unusual crowd of people.Well he'd never seen this crowd before. But he didn't care.As he passed by the restaurant, he caught a glimpse of the TV screen through the window.The TV flashed a government announcement: "...and in other news, the government has officially released Elyria, a revolutionary virtual reality game, free for everyone above fifteen years old. After two weeks of intense testing, Elyria has been deemed beneficial for cognitive development..."Micheal didn't linger to watch the rest of the announcement. He continued walking as his stomach was growling with hunger.The constant feeli

“Where the fuck is the teleportation portal?” Michael yelled on top of his lungs, but all he received was silence. The only response was the thundering roar of the monster, getting closer and closer.Michael cursed under his breath as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but his legs felt like lead, heavy and slow.The monster's roar grew louder, and Michael was sure that the monster was right next to him. Just when he looked back he saw the monster swiping at him. In desperation, Michael darted into a narrow alleyway, hoping to lose the creature, and luckily he did with its claws swiping just a few meters away from his face, but even then, its force threw him off balance.Luckily, the werewolf-like creature continued into the distance. Every bit felt so real—his heartbeat and everything. He couldn't tell the difference between the so-called “Virtual” and “Real.”“You should hurry up and go to the Ground of Awakening, you won't survive a day without powers.”Still reeling from

The principal's words caused the students to murmur among themselves.As the murmurs grew louder, the principal slammed his hand on the podium, making everyone jump. “Quiet!” he thundered.The principal’s eyes were fierce.Seeing that everyone was silent, he continued.“For those who don’t know, Elyria is a revolutionary virtual game that aids in cognitive development. It’s another world entirely.”Everyone was quiet, all eyes fixed on the principal.Michael thought silently to himself.What did the principal mean by “another world entirely”?The principal continued, his voice serious.“The government and the developers have revealed that there are no NPCs in the game, including the monsters.”The crowd erupted into shocked murmurs and gasps. Students looked at each other in disbelief, their eyes wide with wonder.Michael’s mind was racing.“So that monster wasn’t an NPC?” he thought.“Then what was it? A player?” Michael became confused.Were NPCs humans too?“What kind of game is thi

Michael walked up to the twins.They turned to face him."Hey, what's up?" Michael asked, trying to sound casual."Hi," they said in unison as they sized Michael up from head to toe.His short hair was disheveled, and his black eyes, which normally carried an uncaring glint, were now scanning the two girls with open interest."I'm Michael. I heard you guys talking about the Ground of Awakening. I just got here, so I was wondering if I could tag along?" he asked, going straight to the point."You're heading there too? Of course, you can tag along," the twin with the black hair said, sounding surprisingly welcoming.Michael had thought it would be difficult trying to tag along with these two beauties."Aina!" Kaida chimed in, her voice cold but melodious.The contrast between the warmth of the first twin's words and the chill in Kaida's tone was striking.The girl with the black hair was Aina, and the one with the white hair was Kaida.Two names that shared similar vowel sounds.Well, Mi

This sensation came from Aina and Kaida. The both of them sat down with their eyes closed. The gentle spirit Qi now surged towards them. It was stunning as it formed visible waves around their bodies, and the spirit qi, that was invisible was now visible to the naked eye.Aina's body was surrounded by flames. Waves of fire rolled across her skin like a living thing. The heat emanating from her was intense, causing Micheal to long for water. Micheal, who was standing mere feet away, felt his skin begin to crack from the heat. But then he felt a sudden chill.Kaida, who was by her side was hard to see because her body was surrounded by mist. The air around her seemed to freeze, and even the moisture in the atmosphere condensed into glittering shards suspended in the air. The cold was biting. Micheal was shocked beyond words. He opened his mouth wide as he stared at them.These two!!As the girls continued absorbing the spirit qi, their powers grew. Kaida's icy aura expanded, and ice spre