New Challenge

Ryo Suhendra felt the gust of wind piercing his face as his car sped at full speed. Half of the obstacles had been overcome, but more challenging and adrenaline-pumping challenges awaited ahead.

"Three obstacles left, huh?" mumbled Ryo with enthusiasm. His gaze was focused on the track, mapping out every turn and obstacle he would face. Racing games had been Ryo's hobby since childhood, so he was thrilled to find a racing game with difficult obstacles like this.

The majestic obstacles now loomed ahead. Ryo saw a sharp turn that required him to enter a narrow alleyway flanked by steep cliffs. He pondered for a moment, planning every move he would make. Concentration and speed control were key here.

"Now or never," thought Ryo to himself. With a pounding heart, he pressed the gas pedal with precision and skillfully steered the car. It glided into the alley with astonishing accuracy. He successfully passed the first turn, but he knew this was just the beginning of the real challenge.

Rocks began to fall into the alleyway, and the fallen rocks continued to roll and chase him, creating obstacles that required skill and quick reactions. In this situation, every move of his car had to be calculated and executed with precision, as a small mistake could be fatal.

Ryo's eyes sifted through each falling rock, searching for opportunities and threats. He spotted a rock rolling in front of him, and without hesitation, he decided to use it as a temporary shield. With impressive skill, Ryo directed his car beside the rock, using it as protection from the other rocks still falling.

However, the success of overcoming that obstacle was short-lived. Ryo was now faced with a new challenge: a sharp turn in a narrow alley flanked by steep cliffs. He knew that speed and precision were the keys to passing this turn without slipping or crashing into the wall. With quick reflexes, Ryo turned the steering wheel precisely and pressed the gas pedal. His car responded agilely, weaving like a panther through the turns.

After holding focus for so long, he had now exited the alley, meaning the first obstacle of the final three had been completed. Sweat dripped down his face, but Ryo did not let it disrupt his concentration. Two more obstacles remained, and despite the small number, he had to stay focused.

Just as he took a short break, Ryo spotted the next obstacle, and tension in his eyes grew. A path filled with deadly lasers, where every centimeter of movement had to be carefully calculated. Ryo knew that small mistakes could be fatal in facing this obstacle.

"HAHA... Damn, these lasers are plentiful, this is really tough!" he muttered, trying to stay calm. He carefully observed every gap between the rapidly flashing lasers. Calculating distance and time accurately, he searched for the right opening to navigate this obstacle.

With focused eyes, Ryo began to move his car slowly. He chose a path he considered safe, weaving and crawling between the pulsating lasers. He even used the available boards as jumps to avoid the lasers.

The lasers seemed like gate obstacles, and Ryo had to guide his car through each gap without widening it even a bit. His steering moved with impressive speed and accuracy, as if an invisible magnet guided him through this challenging obstacle.

Not long after, he successfully passed the laser obstacle, and the final obstacle lay before him. This obstacle had a floor with green and red colors, and the colors would constantly change.

Ryo stopped for a moment, recalling what he read in the system instructions: green is a safe path, and red is a tile that will collapse if passed. He carefully observed the changing floor colors. He analyzed every movement, trying to find clues on how to overcome it.

"Hmm. So that's how it is." Ryo found the clues and patterns. Basically, the floor kept changing with the same pattern every minute, and now he knew all the patterns; he just had to find a way to anticipate them and get ready.

"Okay, I've decided to start from pattern 1; it should switch to pattern 1 in another minute."

Ryo started revving his car, waiting for the floor to turn green, indicating the beginning of pattern 1 that he had calculated. When the floor changed to green, Ryo stepped on the gas and followed the path according to the memorized pattern, counting down to the pattern switch.

"Three, two, one... and now!" mumbled Ryo, preparing for the next color change. Without hesitation, he maneuvered his car to the safe lane as the floor turned green. Time was limited, and every second was precious.

However, when the floor switched to red, Ryo had to make quick decisions. He sharply observed each tile that would collapse and swiftly directed his car to a still safe lane. Every second felt like an hour in his head, and the tension was palpable.

Repeatedly, Ryo passed a series of ever-changing tiles with remarkable toughness and precision. His head and eyes kept moving, looking for patterns and anticipating the next changes. Although this track was just a simulation, the tension and pressure felt real.

Pattern 1, pattern 2, and so on. Ryo was like a nimble dancer, weaving and passing through the tiles with increasing precision. Every time he successfully passed a tile that turned red, a sense of victory surged within him.

And finally, after facing the extraordinary challenges of this track, Ryo crossed the finish line with his car. "Ahh... I finally completed this game." Ryo, who had succeeded, felt satisfied and leaned back in his chair.

However, this satisfaction was overshadowed by a sense of sadness and confusion. He didn't know what game to play next; he had finished all the racing games, and because other players were more interested in VRMMO and MOBA, racing game developers rarely released new ones.

"Well, I better log out and dive in."

Ryo, who had logged out, exited his VR tube.

"Yoo... it looks like you successfully completed that game!" a male voice came just as he opened his VR tube.

"Ah, it's you, Fajar. Of course, I succeeded; it was too easy, haha." Ryo emerged with a wide smile, proud to be the first to complete the game.

They knew that Ryo was the first to complete the game because in the VR machine, if you had played the game, you would get information about it, including information about the first player to complete it. This information was always displayed in the game opening to give recognition and challenge to the next players.

"So, what's next for you?" Fajar asked. This question was casually thrown, but Fajar's gaze hinted at something.

"What do you mean?" Ryo could only wonder, his face reflecting deep curiosity. "If you ask what I want to do? Of course, racing games! I love adrenaline-packed games."

"What if I suggest a game for you?"

"What is it? You know my preferences." Ryo thought hard, as he knew there were no new racing games released recently.

"Of course, I know your preferences." Fajar grinned, confident that Ryo would like this game. "It's not a racing game, but a MOBA game. Even so, I'm sure you'll like it."

"So, what is it? I'm not too fond of MOBA; it doesn't pump adrenaline."

"Hehe, it

 seems you're not updated." Fajar laughed heartily; of course, he knew that Ryo wouldn't know this because he was only interested in racing games. "This MOBA game is different; it's called 'Nebula WAR.' Like its name, the game setting is in outer space..."

"So, what's interesting about it?" Ryo interjected when Fajar stopped talking.

"Spacecraft, of course!"

"What do you mean?"

"Spaceships. In this game, players battle by controlling spaceships. This means you have to fight by controlling spaceships, not just focusing on strategy. The game is challenging because it requires high mechanical skills in piloting the spaceship."

Ryo, who wasn't listening at first, now stared at Fajar and listened attentively. Spaceships? This was an interesting element; all he had played so far were car and motorcycle races, but controlling a spaceship in outer space caught Ryo's attention.

Ryo widened his eyes, looking interested in the new concept brought by the Nebula WAR game. "Spaceships, huh? It sounds quite unique. What are the mechanics?"

"HAHA... Are you interested, then? If you are, come to our club. We're starting a Nebula club at school, but there are only 4 people so far. We still need one more to compete as a team in competitions."

"You're even opening a club?" Ryo was surprised because it was the first time he had heard of a game club in school.

"Of course, many schools open clubs for games, especially Nebula WAR. Due to its popularity, many schools allow their students to establish this club on their premises."

"Isn't that great?" Ryo's eyes sparkled; this seemed to be a fun game. Flying a spaceship and playing with many friends, it was fantastic in his opinion because so far, he had only played single-player racing games or just with Fajar. Knowing this made him very excited.

"It seems you're very excited. In that case, I'll wait for you after school in front of your class tomorrow."

"All right!"