VRMMO Reality Merge Regressor Brother - 5

"Nixie?" Min Woo-Jin heard a dignified female voice from inside. "Something smells good. What did you bring?"

Nixie disappeared into the villa while excitedly talking. "I found the baby Nymph! But it's a boy instead of a girl! He also made these guvi berries! Look! ..."

'… Should I enter?' Min Woo-Jin pondered. 'Nixie seems to act casually with the Queen, but she said she was her handmaiden… Plants seem to have revere her, but not in the way that humans act around royalty. I think.'

Since the game so far had put so much emphasis on the supernatural senses, Min Woo-Jin decided he should - no, he must play along.

After glancing around one last time, he followed the path where Nixie disappeared.

"Mmmm." The same dignified voice echoed within the sparsely decorated villa. "Mmmmm."

'… Is she eating the berries?'

"Mmm…" Somehow, she still sounded elegant! Even while moaning. "Mmmmah…"

Min Woo-Jin entered a half-open door and found himself on a huge balcony. A woman was sitting on a chair, with Nixie enthusiastically carrying berries to her mouth. With her back turned toward the door, it wasn't possible to see any of her features, other than her long black hair and normal body size.

'I see…' Min Woo-Jin nodded to himself after looking back. 'I'm certain I was on the first floor, not the second floor. They emphasized the supernatural senses and suddenly pulled the rug under me to emphasize the Queen's power!'

The feeling of suddenly finding himself somewhere else was rather unsettling. Min Woo-Jin gave extra points to the devs on the spot! He truly and utterly felt uneasy! How impressive!

"Mmmm…" Once he looked at the source of moaning, he saw the Queen inspecting him with a mildly curious gaze. When did she face him? Min Woo-Jin realized it wasn't the Queen that moved. Somehow, his location changed without even realizing!

But that wasn't important right now.

Just like how Nixie kept harping on, the Fairy Queen was indescribably beautiful. Perfect symmetrical face, black hair and black eyes, she truly had an otherworldly feeling. Her flowing, single-piece red dress accentuated her voluptuous body. Even though she could be considered scantily clad, the aura around her made everything look graceful.

By far, she was the most impressive NPC that Min Woo-Jin had ever seen.

"I've only heard of Nymph men from my great-grandmother." She spoke with a smile that wasn't a smile. "Join me."

Nixie immediately waved her arms in a haughty manner to manifest a chair. Then she winked at Min Woo-Jin and continued carrying berries.

Under the unceasing gaze of the Fairy Queen, Min Woo-Jin sat down, and waited. Hoping that she wouldn't start talking about some sort of "ancient enemy" out of nowhere.

He had been disappointed by VRMMO plot progressions so many times that a habit of expecting the worst had unknowingly developed!

"How do you feel?" The Queen asked, her expression made it seem like she genuinely cared.

"Hmm…" Min Woo-Jin unknowingly got caught up in her momentum. "A bit surprised, but otherwise fine." He smiled.

"Good." The Queen nodded then ate the last guvi berry. "Mmmm… How did you figure out you could make plants grow?"

"I poured some mana, and it happened on its own." Min Woo-Jin shrugged.

"You told Nixie that you are a Druid."

Min Woo-Jin nodded. At the time he thought the pixie's reaction was a bit odd.

The Queen looked away into the distance. The air suddenly felt different as if in response. "Interesting. Druid is a title, not a profession." She looked down. "Certainly not a… Class… as those things call it."

Before he could think about what she just said, Queen's gaze snapped back at him. "You are one of those Players, are you not?"

Min Woo-Jin felt his breath get taken away. 'Straight up calling it players? Not chosen ones, not immortals, not cursed souls, just players?'

There was no use in denying. Despite the odd atmosphere, Min Woo-Jin nodded. "Nn."

The Fairy Queen narrowed her eyes. "Can you also use that blessing?"

"Blessing?" Min Woo-Jin pondered. If she were a self-aware NPC, he would simply assume that she meant the game system. But calling him "Player" could be just a peculiarity of the setting. 'Perhaps it would be better not to assume things on my own…' He thought.

The Fairy Queen continued. "Other 'Players' said that all of you could use the blessing of the gods and cast spells, activate skills, use items, and even communicate with each other. Is that wrong?"

'… Oh…' Min Woo-Jin shook his head. "Not wrong."

"You call it, the Mysteries Online? Why?"

'… Damn, did she just name drop? Not just that, but in a meta context as well? She really was a self-aware NPC after all!'

Min Woo-Jin couldn't really find the limits of Nixie in terms of interactivity. She reacted and answered everything appropriately, even if in a tad bit eccentric manner.

But what about the Queen?

Though their conversation was short, her mimics, her speech, they were at a different level entirely than other VRMMOs. She felt authentic. Solid. Real.

Almost too real.

Suddenly, Min Woo-Jin remembered some old movies from his previous life. Deckard asking questions in a smoky atmosphere. Caleb being vary of the non-stop surveillance.

Did they feel what Min Woo-Jin was feeling right now? Was that what drove them to seek the truth?

The thought and the moment itself were fragile. Once the illusion shattered, and Min Woo-Jin realized he was inside a VRMMO; he knew he didn't want to know.

If he were to look for the seams, seek for the flaws, it was inevitable for the experience to be tainted by awareness.

Why did Min Woo-Jin play VR games in the first place?

To experience the impossible!

He was reborn, but the world was breathtakingly mundane. There were no fantastical creatures, no magic, nor were there aliens or space travel. Just a regular world, with a bit of advanced technology. Nothing more.

This VRMMO named Mysteries Online, was perhaps the first extraordinary experience he had since wetting his bed at night!

Min Woo-Jin was utterly thankful that his childhood years were behind him!

"It's just a name - only used for catching people's attention." He blurted out an answer once he realized the awkward silence.

The Fairy Queen did not say anything for a while. Finally, she muttered in a dubious tone. "Is that so…"

Behind her, Nixie was hovering with a slightly curious, slightly mischievous expression. Min Woo-Jin realized, he really didn't want to continue looking for corner cases in NPC's scripting and AI. In fact, he even felt a some regret for previously scrutinizing Nixie's limits.

This game, Min Woo-Jin decided to go all-in. Fully blind.

He would experience the mythical "living MMO" experience that he read about in his previous life!

"What is your purpose?" The Queen though, cut through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter.

Min Woo-Jin inadvertently fell in deep thought once more. Did he have a purpose to play this VRMMO? No, of course not. He was only curious at first and got excited by his family's reaction next.

But the question wasn't for Min Woo-Jin of the outside, he realized. Though the Queen had some meta elements, surely, this question was meant to make the player focus on their character! The distraction from meta speech would emphasize the roleplaying elements! Surely!!

'F*ck, I gotta stop analyzing…'

"Purpose?" Min Woo-Jin tried to think of his character's motivations on the spot. But he was never too big on role-playing, and Druids and Nymphs were too removed from his usual playstyles. "I don't have a purpose." He replied.

In his mind, he was going to remake his character anyway. It made more sense to go with the flow.

"Explore the forest, taste new food… I'm not sure if you could call that a purpose?" He unsurely asked. "I guess I could wander around with my family."

"Family? Are they of the Fairy race too?" The Queen asked casually, but Nixie's expression on the side became uncertain.

Min Woo-Jin shook his head. "My parents became angels, my little sister a Godkin, and my big brother a human."

For the first time since their conversation started, Min Woo-Jin spotted surprise on the Fairy Queen's face.

"… Angel? Godkin?" She muttered. Her surprise seemed to grow each passing second. Then her exquisite features showed disdain. "And a human?"

Min Woo-Jin shrugged. "He's probably a going through a phase."

The Queen's face became solemn. "Then, why did you choose to become a Nymph?"

"I didn't. I answered the questions from the God of Fate and woke up in the forest. My family is probably the same."

The Queen's mouth opened, yet no words came out. After a moment of hesitation, she frowned. "The God of Fate?" She spoke with a lower voice and fell silent.

Min Woo-Jin didn't care about the God of Fate at first. Wasn't that supposed to be just a fluff text, designed to draw in the newer players? However, he abandoned the thought of analyzing it at once. He wanted this experience of wonder to last as long as possible.

"Is that why you don't have that stench?" The Queen asked, her tone feeling uncertain.

Min Woo-Jin immediately understood what she meant by "That Stench." It was impossible not to! "That stench is related to the blessing. I'm not sure how to explain it, but casting a spell through the blessing… that's where the stench comes from." Just remembering it made his face distort with disgust.

"Is that how you grew those fruits?"

"No." Min Woo-Jin shook his head. "I just used mana. Using the blessing requires a verbal command, either through voice, or through thought."

The Queen raised an eyebrow. It seemed that his explanation proved rather illuminating, as she had the touch of enlightenment in her eyes.

For the Queen, the Players were a true oddity. She could feel some sort of blessing from them, but they felt… off. Wrong, even.

Her avatars were still capturing and interrogating the players. At this point, she was almost convinced. Nothing good would come out from accepting these repulsive imitations!

Were they really fairies? No! If they were, then she wasn't a Fairy Queen!

At that moment, another far away avatar of hers killed a group of captive players. Two hundred of them at the same time. That repulsive mana in their bodies dissipated into specks of light and immediately disappeared.

The Fairy Queen's true body in front of Min Woo-Jin opened her eyes. The Nymph in front of her was unlike those filthy beings. Clearly, usage of the natural mana within the body had dispersed the remnants of the blessing. This meant that he was in tune with nature; how could he use such pure mana otherwise?

Of course, the most obvious evidence was the response of the plant life. Even now, they seemed to silently celebrate his existence. It was as if they know without a single doubt. He was one of them.

Anyone that achieves this level of connection with nature, Fairies and Elves would call them Druids. The silent guardians of nature. Always contemplating balance.

Her far away avatar grabbed a "Spiritualist" player by the throat. This… thing… could actually compel and control young spirits! Communication was the hallmark ability of a Spiritualist, but these players were actually forcing their will on unsuspecting younglings!

Suffice it to say, her avatar crushed the player's neck without a single thought. It was easy as squishing a cake. Though instead of cream, her avatar was covered in blood, still spattering from the ripped arteries.

'Perhaps the difference is the God of Fate.' The Fairy Queen silently wondered. None of the players her avatars interrogated mention anything about that peculiar God.

The fact that "He" was involved, made the Fairy Queen even more wary.

She looked at the male Nymph once again. Flesh and blood with a bit of mana. As real as Nixie from her standpoint.

Suddenly, she had an idea. An astonishingly impossible idea. Was it intuition, or was it foresight? The source was impossible to know, but she knew that she was right.

"What if…" She couldn't help but gulp at the implication. "What if you could live in this world, permanently?"

The other players described called their existence in this world as waking dreams. That was how they perceived this world. A mere dream.

The male Nymph in front of her tilted his head. It was as if he never even thought of the question. He looked away; his eyes slowly scanned the forest. Finally, he nodded. "It doesn't matter as long as my family is here." A thoughtful smile appeared on his face a moment later, but he didn't elaborate.

That look, the Fairy Queen had seen it many times before. The look of contemplation, and the feeling of indifference. That was what it meant to be a Druid. To be not bound by the perception of life and death.

She nodded. Because she was convinced. She stood up and sized up the male Nymph once more.

"I, the Queen of all Fairies, accept and welcome you to the Kingdom of Fairies."

Now that all was said and done, she relaxed expression immediately. "You can stay here as long as you want." She spoke with a warm smile. "Nixie can show you around too."

Sudden change of atmosphere caught Min Woo-Jin off-guard. But seeing the Fairy Queen's warm attitude was somehow soothing. He smiled in response, somehow sensing that it was the best way to convey his feelings.

"I wonder if there will be any other players like you." The Queen leisurely commented as she sat down. Unbeknownst to Min Woo-Jin, her avatars, and her soldiers, had never stopped hunting and massacring other players.

"There must be many. I doubt they could stomach using the game system for so long." The Queen's presence was so convincingly real that he didn't hesitate to comment.

Though he was trying his best not to analyze, it was all too obvious what the developers were trying to do!

The new systems introduced by the Mysteries Online would eventually become the standard, but a transition period was given. This was a monumental shift in the industry after all!

And by the looks of it, that transition period was the first story arc.

'F*ck, they really thought of everything, didn't they?'

In Min Woo-Jin's mind, the nausea he got from casting the game system spells was clearly meant for the new players. Designed to not-so-gently funnel them into real meat of the game from the start.

And the older players that choose to manually create their characters? Clearly, they could use the game system unhampered! Just a glance at his friend list was evidence enough. His family was power leveling like true Korean gamers! Could they do still it if casting two spells made them nauseous to the point of vomiting?

Even if his parents were momentous pro-gamers in their youth, the answer was still no. Min Woo-Jin had zero doubt.

'It really seems like they spared no effort to weaving this discrepancy into the story. Thus incorporating both the new and the veteran VR players into the game world.'

Min Woo-Jin closed his eyes and savored his moment of clarity. His respect toward the developers had increased by a dozen notches!

'No wonder she used the classic isekai trap question. Living here permanently? Yeah, I bet they'll make the game so addictive that people will truly wish they could…'

The Queen chuckled at Min Woo-Jin's serene confidence and closed her eyes.

At the same time, Min Woo-Jin's thoughts were interrupted by a message from his mother.

Han Ji-Eun: It's past midnight! You have school tomorrow so find a safe place to log out. I heard our bodies stay in the game world, use an inn or some other safe spot.

'… It's past midnight?' Min Woo-Jin immediately checked the clock, but his disbelief only grew stronger when faced with facts!

Min Woo-Jin: Alright, I'll log out soon!

Han Ji-Eun: Good boy! <3

Min Woo-Jin shook his head and rechecked his family's levels.

[Han Ji-Eun]

[Level 12 Angel Cleric]

[Min Chungho]

[Level 16 Human Spearman]

[Min Jaesang]

[Level 12 Angel Paladin]

[Min Yoon-Ah]

[Level 11 Godkin Sorcerer]

'Just 12 for mom and dad?'

For a moment, he entertained the idea of his parents losing their edge. Sure, their ranker days were in the past, but Min Woo-Jin wasn't convinced.

'Did they find out about the new spellcasting stuff?' Thinking that was a plausible explanation, he didn't think much of it. Though, his brother's level really was looking impressive. Especially for the first few hours!

Looking at his own level, Min Woo-Jin couldn't help but sigh. And his sigh caught the Queen's attention.

"I need to sleep for a while…" He spoke softly with regret. Considering his mother's tendencies, he really needed to find an inn quickly.

"I'll show you a good place!" Nixie flew close around Min Woo-Jin's head for him to feel the flap of her wings.

Seeing that the Queen closed her eyes once more, Min Woo-Jin stood up without a sound and followed Nixie.

Looking at the little pixie made him glad that the Queen didn't try to name him!

Surroundings changed quickly, and in just a few steps, Min Woo-Jin found himself in the gardens, with Nixie frantically darting around the place.

"This, this, or this, yeah! I remember a few nymphs that snuck past the barrier to sleep in those spots!" She turned toward Min Woo-Jin as if to gauge his reaction.

'Uh… Is that a safe place to log out?' Min Woo-Jin wondered. But then again, he really was a Nymph. A forest spirit. Perhaps this was normal in the game setting!

He exaggeratedly yawned as if the sight was enough to make him doze off.

"Alright, alright." Nixie raised her chin and spoke with closed eyes. "I don't get why Nymphs love sleeping around here, but as Queen's handmaiden, I should not judge the habits of others!"

In the next second she flew away with great speed, with her loud voice following from behind. "Good niiiiiight!!"

Min Woo-Jin glanced at the "spots" shown by Nixie. Truly, they were just random locations, one near a tree, one in the middle of flowers, and one inside a hollow tree trunk.

'Eeeh… I guess the last one looks cozy enough…'

Once he entered the trunk, he realized it truly was rather comfortable.

The developers didn't hesitate to induce feelings even at the smallest things! Would a Nymph find this place comfortable? Min Woo-Jin didn't know, but it was obvious that he felt sleepy just by slightly leaning on the trunk.

[Logging out…]

Full-dive shutdown disorientation would usually take a few seconds at most for veteran players. Min Woo-Jin became used to it during middle school.

But now…

The world took almost a minute to stop spinning. And the moment it did, another, completely novel sensation came over Min Woo-Jin.

He felt as if he was blinded!

But strangely, he could see perfectly fine! He even did the classic full-dive reorientation trick and checked his senses. Everything was just as he expected!

Except, he realized, for mana.

'F*ck, this is… this is so f*cking weird!'

It was as if someone put him inside a box to prevent him from "seeing." His room felt constrained, dry, barren. In fact, a better description would be dead.

The senses that he got used to in Mysteries Online, he was yearning for them!

Min Woo-Jin's mouth dropped, and he exited the cabin in panic.

Was this thing truly safe?

It was the first time he truly considered that question. Even when drowning himself in full-dive porn, the thought never made a lasting impression. Because even though the experience was incredible, it never went beyond that.

But with the brilliant manipulation of senses and feelings, the word incredible simply couldn't come close to what he experienced in Mysteries Online.

Thankfully, even as he was warily staring at the cabin, the feeling started to subside. A few minutes later, everything was almost back to normal.

Almost. Because even though he was physically fine, the strange feeling that he was incomplete, wasn't so easy to shake.