Misty Snow

Even this glimpse of the frozen sky was sufficient to unleash a burst of diamonds throughout the expansive biome, which had been strangely distorted by its snowy journey. Normally, the snow would have ceased at this time of day; however, it appears that the game is operating in a separate time zone from the outside world. 7 a.m. Here is what 7 p.m. looks like. Two days here are equivalent to one day outside; it appears as though time has imprisoned all of the players.

The sun's direct glare sought to melt the lush, pristine surface of the strewn fresh snow as the flurries subsided with each step Tang-Ji made. It was a fictional realm from a fairy tale. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie: thickly padded tree clumps, a landscape of frightening gnomes in comical disguises, and a succession of humps and mounds on the ground that concealed outcrops of rock or slinking underbrush.

The white bar flashed while emitting an alarming tone in Kazami's mind, which is all that can be seen when he glanced up to his left side of the eyesight. Concerned by the sound, which almost seemed like a siren, Kazami quickly traced his fingers to call forth the inventory command to examine the durability of his present outfit, only to realise that they had almost been reduced down to scraps after that fight.

His virtual body could be seen shivering from the hypothermia status effect indicated above his vision, along with a white bar, which has a percentage of 77%, signifying his impending death.

"Dammit, what the hell is wrong with the developers thinking it was a good idea to add a temperature metre? Damn! I'm freezing. But then again, if Kyushu wanted to kill us that badly, he should have just killed everyone with a single command. Why make us suffer so much?" Kazami's words could be heard stuttering under the constant clicking sound of his teeth.

Tang-Ji silently paced herself besides Kazami while blowing gently into her hands to warm them up.

The two players mindlessly saunter around the snow-covered meadows in search of a secure town. However, there is no longer a protected area where players congregate to relax or repair their equipment. Even so, players are still able to utilise the game's complex crafting system to change a claimed piece of land and construct infrastructure using their resources. This was Kazami's only hope to camp through the blizzard. The snow started to accelerate, and their steps grew steadily heavier.

They continued to follow what appeared to be a blue angel in front of them. The two worn-out players were around four metres behind an NPC by the name of Ukiyo. The NPC appears to be a tour guide, showing new players around the new region. With that in mind, their encounters left Kazami baffled by her stunning visuals. Her movement and speech patterns were so normal that he felt as though he was communicating with an actual human being.

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They were both on a run for their lives before running across an NPC standing still in the middle of a dead forest field.

"Tang-Ji, quickly, we have to keep moving north; otherwise, we won't make it to the next town alive; this is the fastest route there." Kazami spoke in a hurry while tugging at Tang-Ji's arm.

As the yellow indicator in the distance caught Tang-Ji's eyes, she nodded slowly at Kazami before taking a brief pause, which caused him to halt in his tracks as well. The two players had discovered a human-like figure in the middle of withered flowers. The field was large and gloomy, and the plants were enmeshed with their dead seeds. It appeared as though the body of the plant had melted, or possibly that it had been wrung out of the water.

As the two players got closer, they noticed it was an NPC in a deep blue with a hinge of dark sapphire lining around her long dress that covered her dollish figure. Her waist curved like a decanter, and her flawless ochre skin gave off an unnatural sheen. Her beetle-leg-length black eyelashes framed eyes that seemed intense, just below her pencil-thin eyebrows. Her pixie nose and seraph ears were almost too perfect, like a lifeless sculpture.

She drew a glance at the two players, who were stunned by her beauty, as she gave them her complete attention with her dazzling smile. Her venus-red fingernails, filed to perfection, flowed through her pastel blue hair with a mechanical grace. It wrapped about her attractive face in spools, partially concealing a swan neck that seemed delicate—almost too fragile—below her eerie allure.

Tang-Ji paced herself on the dead flower path towards the strange NPC.

"Greetings travellers! My name is Ukiyo, and I am a traveller. If you like, I could act as your navigator throughout the snow region."

A popped-up menu suddenly appeared right in front of both Kazami and Tang-Ji with an indicator of a <Yes > and a <No > box shaded in the colour-coded red and blue.

Tang-Ji quickly pressed yes, along with Kazami, who hesitated for a few seconds before going along with her.

"In that case, welcome to the team, Ukiyo. We are a little under-level, so we need your help to find the safest route to a nearby town." Tang-Ji spoke for the first time ever since they escaped from near death.

Kazami was not the only one who held his tongue at that comment; Ukiyo stared at Tang-Ji in silence. NPCs in Yuyami Kyuden are technically classified as mobs; they do not respond to player comments unless they come in a clear yes or no form. Kazami coughed awkwardly, ready to give a simpler answer, but before he could get the words out of my mouth, the maiden nodded and spun around.

"You came to the right person to ask for help. I've already mapped out all the routes, including the one with the most mob for experience farming and the quickest one where travellers can move safely through the snowy terrain." Ukiyo spoke in a meek tone.

A message appeared to the upper left of Tang-Ji's vision indicating that a third-party member had joined, and a fresh new health point bar was added to the list. Ukiyo strode off coldly, and Tang-Ji sprang after her in excitement; it was as though she had found a potential new friend.

This is the first time I've seen her this excited; it's as though she completely forgot that she is stuck in a death game. She would never act this way unless she felt comfortable around that person. She seems familiar: 'Who is that girl?' That was what everyone else was wondering in their minds.

Kazami stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds before hurrying off to catch up. The maiden must have picked up an affirmative nuance from Tang-Ji's reply, but as far as he knew, the NPCs in the beta test had nowhere near that kind of conversation ability.

Perhaps it was as simple as the NPCs' response database being expanded between the end of the beta and the start of the retail game, he thought to himself.

"Something about Ukiyo's speech and expressions felt too natural. She was just like any other player," Kazami murmured.

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On the grassy lake, the sky that provided their ceiling, created by the hub floor that served as the player's registration centre, was changing to a golden hue. Presumably at 7 o'clock, according to the in-game digital clock on the left side of the player's vision. As soon as their tensions calmed down, their weariness started to subside.

"So, Emiko, where are we now?" Ji-Soon spoke with a condescending attitude.

"Well, I apologised, Mr. Kaeru; it wasn't my fault that you accidentally aggravated a horde of dark elves next to a forest now." Emiko averted her glares towards him, signalling her unpleasing mood.

"Well, I apologise, Miss DragonBaddie." Ji-Soon retaliated. "First of all, who even chooses a name like that? Second, you were running around panicking for almost the entirety of this trip; do you understand how much you are stressing me out? We need to find a communication tower to get in touch with Kazami and Tang-Ji, not get lost in some wasteland."

"Oh, just shut up, alright. Thanks for pointing out the obvious. Also, my name is cool, unlike your basic name, and you kept looking like you'd seen a ghost or something throughout that trip. Of course, I would freak out. Who's sane enough to not be in this situation?" Emiko was now visibly upset.

"Just quickly set up the camp here in front of this river. Since we're next to a long stream, it's easier for us to dive in and escape from mobs; just keep your detection level active while you sleep." Ji-Soon spoke as he materialised the tent on the ground. (Detection level is an in-game detection zone, a skill that can pick up a mob's movements when they are near a player. (The skill can be refined to increase the range of the detection zone through the duration of a player being in the wilderness away from towns and cities.)

However, before Ji-Soon and Emiko were able to set up their camps, a thunderous echo brought the two to their knees as a siren continuously vibrated their inner ears. He quickly scanned his vision to check if there was any indication of an approaching mob; however, the land around him was dead silent.

Before he could turn to Emiko, he noticed a large red exclamation mark that suddenly appeared in his field of vision, indicating a bold text message.

<Initiating Dusk Protocol>

"Looks like lady luck isn't on our side today," Ji-Soon jests.

"How can you still joke around now?" Emiko spoke with a distressed tone before hearing a loud, thunderous sound coming from above.

The sky was full of blood before it contracted itself and expanded out, revealing a shattered violet moon. The orange sky transformed into a vast expanse of jet black, and the night laid down a blanket of darkness. Emiko could hear more popping, and the popping was accompanied by brilliant flashes from the fragmented moon that cut through the night like a blade, revealing a cluster of red clouds hailing crimson seeds from the sky.

Ji-Soon slowly tilted his head skyward, only to see clearly that red stars had dotted the red sky. Hundreds of vermilion particles slowly descended from the ruby-like clouds.

Ji-Soon was able to catch Emiko with his arms as she frightenedly fell backwards. The scoring beam plumed down into the riverbed as droplets of water spread across the dreary atmosphere. The heads of the two players were suddenly surrounded by a mass of jagged claws that hovered over them.

The beast's ivory body lifts its enormous white tusks; a purple forehead patch could be seen along with a hit point bar over it. Emiko has been observed trembling beneath a vast row of thick bony spikes running down the spines of the mob. The twisted skeletal figure piercing through their skin with white protrusions on their bodies could be heard rasping as their bony features scraped against one another. A highlighted purple text reveals itself on top of the mob's head, level 50 <Shade >

"OH SHIT, RUNNN!" Ji-Soon quickly grabbed onto Emiko's arm and bolted towards a nearby forest.

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Gliding over the vastness of this green realm, I quickly scanned the area ahead. This area has a name: the Forest of Wavering Green Titans. A player mini-map is rendered useless due to the intense haze, and occasionally players can walk into a mist so thick that they can barely see a thing. I can barely see anything, despite being so far up here. With that in mind, the ironclad rule that resides within these parts is to not leave the main path or your party, as one may presume. However, watching this wild goose chase is not very good for my non-existent heart.

The relentless pursuit continued deeper into the forest as the horde of Shades were inches away from Emiko, who was falling behind Ji-Soon.

"EMIKO, DO IT NOW!" Ji-Soon quickly catapults a small pouch, using a tree branch as momentum, towards her.

A bright pink aura surrounded Emiko's body before she dashed forward, illuminating her presence wildly through the dense fog. With a decisive vault along the forest's massive roots, she grabbed onto the little bag in midair, and with a swift motion, she rotated her body around before crashing to the ground in front of the vicious hordes. As the water vapour of the surrounding landscape was launched into compression, Emiko extended out one arm, and the mist began to coil around her palm before tracing a straight horizontal route towards the crowd of <Shade >.

The flashing light became more intense, with hints of sparkles beginning to glow with a lambent light above her hand. Eventually, a small piece of paper with tiny writing appeared on her palm before gently twinkling before her eyes.

Emiko quickly reached inside the little pocket to take out a kunai that was covered with small nicks along the edges. "How is the durability already this low? What did you do to it?" Her fury echoed throughout the branches.

"What did you expect? Of course, it was damaged after we repeatedly fell on this stupid terrain. NOW HURRY UP AND USE IT NOW; STOP TALKING BEFORE WE BOTH DIE!!!" Ji-Soon yelled out in a panic.

"Stop dictating my actions, ASSHOLE!" She cursed before quickly attaching the talisman to the kunai. Shortly after, a multitude of projectiles pierced the dense mist to meet the horde of mobs.

A few seconds later, the Shades came to a complete halt before launching vicious attacks on one another. The enchanted paper, also known as Cupid's Corruption, is a Leere that takes the form of a talisman that resembles an Ofuda and is endowed with a potent charm spell that enables her to temporarily possess her desired target. (An Ofuda is a talisman made out of various materials, such as paper, wood, cloth, or metal. Ofuda are commonly found in both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.)

"Bullseyes!!" Emiko threw a smirk at Ji-Soon before focusing the rest of her mana on the mass destruction. Cupid's Corruption drains a large amount of mana, which is a type of energy system in the game, whereby it allows players to perform their unique skills and attack sequences that otherwise are impossible to generate without some sort of magic system.

A moment of shock struck me when I noticed the branch right next to me begin to shake. With my hollow body suspended just a few inches off a tree branch, I was perfectly camouflaged in the fog; however, another individual was able to clearly see them through the dense fog. This one is new; I've not seen this person before.

'Tick, tick, tick!' A faint ticking sound could be heard by Ji-Soon, which caused him to flinch a little.

Over Ji-Soon's head, rustling could be heard as he darted towards Emiko, who was busy destroying the Shades' remains.

"GET DOWN!!" He yelled before tackling Emiko down to the ground.

A thunderous "BOOM!" was let out.

The explosion tore the surrounding vapour as if it were determined to render apart every water particle in the air, leaving a tiny crater amongst the trees. For a brief while, the surroundings were plainly visible before the haze quickly contracted itself and returned to its former shape.

Upon opening his eyes, Ji-Soon witnesses a large blue barrier rustling in the centre of his vision before fleetingly blinking and dissipating. Sparks erupt from the peculiar apparatus, brushing across his eyes before leaving black stains on the dirt.

"Huh... a force field?" Emiko grasped.

"Talk about dodging a bullet, or rather, a whole ass nuke." Ji-Soon jested while lying strangely comfortably on the ground.

"UGH! Get off me," she grunted.

"Whoops! My bad," as he fell on his rear besides her.

"Sorry about that, you two, but I couldn't help but intervene with that reckless action of yours." A voice came out from the treetops before a green icon came to stumble down onto the leaves.

"Who are you? And what did you mean by reckless action?" Ji-Soon questioned the stranger.

"Here, equip this; you should be able to see with these on." The blurry figure hurled over two pieces of gear that almost resembled an eyeball onto the ground.

"Ewww!!! Grossss!!! What the hell is this?'' Emiko reacted vulgarly before gagging at the sight of it.

"It's a special item that slightly enhances your vision enough so that you can at least see something in this dense fog." Said the mysterious person, whose face was covered by the thick mist.

"Quit making a big fuss and equip it already." Ji-Soon quickly grabbed the item on the ground under the name <Heartwood's Eye.>

They both gently tap their fingers on the item before a popup menu appears to seek the user's permission to equip the item.

The moment the item was equipped, the two players were stunned by the allure of the forest. The trees, whose enormous trunks were a dark brown with sable fractures that gnarled the bark, were shrouded in the softest of clouds. They turn into shadows against a field of white as Ji-Soon's eyes follow the border of the forest, giving the impression that it was only daytime where they both stood and that twilight was around them. However, the current time shown on the top right of his field of vision is currently 10 p.m.

The mist that once clouded their vision began to dissipate or, instead, fade from view. The tall, blurry figure that assisted them started becoming easier to see. The figure shifted into a chiselled, well-built, sharply dressed young man with a dark complexion as their eyes adjusted to see through the fog. The stranger's hair was tied unusually, appearing to be braided in a rope-like fashion and tied back into a ponytail. Their jaws fell agape in awe, as neither of the two had actually seen a foreigner with such a dark skin tone nor such a bold appearance before now.

Closing her jaw, Emiko angled herself to see above the man's head, and her vision zoomed into his gamertag, somewhat straining her neck due to his tall stature.

"Ko-n- Ko-onpoto?" Emiko tried to pronounce the foreign name.

"It's pronounced Komp-to," the man added, correcting her.

"It's pronounced Konputo, Emiko; you really need to brush up on your Katakana," Ji-soon lectured.

"Shut it; this is the first time I've talked to someone who isn't Japanese; I get nervous alright," she pouted angrily.

"Hahaha, don't worry, when we get out of this game, we can go and watch some western movies to improve your English," Ji-Soon joked.

"As if I would watch it with you out of all people," Emiko said, crossing her arms as if she were offended by his statement.

"Ahem, sorry to interrupt you, lovebirds," the gentleman abruptly stopped their quarrel.

Emiko shifted her attention towards him as she raised her eyebrows furiously. "And you... You almost killed us with whatever explosive you threw at those mobs, and why did you have to steal my experience points like that? I obviously could have killed them on my own; I never asked for your help," she said, pushing Ji-Soon aside to confront the tall man.

Kompto stood still, staring down at Emiko with a stern expression, for a few moments before turning his body to face the outskirts of the forest. As he lets out a light sigh, he raises one of his arms to call for his inventory. "Here," he tossed two clear glasses of bottles that almost resembled a conical flask.

Snatching the items in the air instantly, Emiko scans the objects under the name <Condense Enchantment IV.>

"That should be the same amount of exp as those Shades. You asked me before why I intervened. Because you would have killed yourself if I had allowed you to finish them off. Upon killing the Shade, as soon as their HP reaches below 10%, they will rapidly multiply amongst themselves with a fully fresh health bar. The only way to kill them is to hit them with high damage-dealing skill, enough to completely take out their health bar in one hit."

In shock, the players froze in place after hearing what the man said. A gust of wind blew among the branches of the tree as Ji-Soon broke the silence between them.

"How do you even know that? This was the very first Dusk Protocol, and I am sure that this isn't an event; it's a permanent in-game feature that is not specific to any region on the map, so this should be everyone's first time dealing with this."

"So, you're telling me that you guys have been playing this game for over a month now without knowing about the encyclopaedia?"

"Encyclopaedia, what are you talking about?" Ji-Soon gave a puzzled look.

"Like an item?" Added Emiko.

"Yes, if you go into your inventory in the documentary section, it should be there. The book will provide you with information about all the mobs in the game, including their weaknesses, abilities, and traits. The Shade is under the Husk family and is also considered one of the strongest enemies in the game alongside all other monsters that spawn during the Dusk Protocol."

"The Clicker Husk, why are there question marks under its name?" Ji-Soon questioned.

"Huh? That's strange; this is also the first time I've seen something like this; maybe it doesn't have any info because no one has encountered it yet." Kompto suggested.

"Possibly, considering other monsters are also seen shaded grey on the back of my encyclopaedia." Ji-Soon steadily approaches Kompto and reaches his arm out for a handshake. "Thanks again for saving us; we own you big time."

"No problem, my friends; it's better for players to work together rather than competing for resources all the time; after all, it would help us get rid of this nightmare faster."

"Right, I am hoping my luck hasn't run out yet." Ji-Soon groaned slightly.

"Stop saying luck; the only reason we are both still breathing right now is thanks to me. You should be thankful to me; no amount of luck was gonna save you from those monsters. But then again, I guess you are pretty lucky to have someone like me with you." Emiko continued to indulge in her narcissism.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it; thank you for saving my life," he sarcastically replied.

"Ugh!" Emiko harrumphed before turning her head the other way.

"Anyway, Kompto, what was that powerful explosion you produced? Was that your Leere?" Ji-Soon curiously asked.

Kompto gave a little smirk as if he were anticipating this question: "That my friend would be my trusty watch, also known as Kaleido Pulse, the Leere can mask my visibility from mobs as well as players, basically invisibility. The explosion you witnessed earlier was because I came into contact with one of the Shades while you guys were busy distracting it. I can put an invisible bomb on any target and detonate it at any time."

"Fascinating." Ji-Soon places his thumb on his chin. "You can literally farm exp from mobs without taking a single hit."

"Though that would be ideal, I still need to maintain my stamina bar since being invisible does drain my mana quite a bit. I also get the added benefit of gaining the ability to extract intel from my enemies."

"Huh? How so?" Ji-Soon looked perplexed at Kompto's statement.

"Upon further mastery of my Leere, I can scan mobs as well as players at a certain distance. With the scan, I am able to see their stats, gears, abilities, and levels; however, closing the gap between fights is difficult with such a utility Leere. Of course, this can be achieved easily with my invisibility only if my enemies don't know where I'm coming from; otherwise, I'll just get picked out with an area attack." Kompto explained.

As the two players continued chatting about their Leere and potential cooperation to reach the next town, Emiko could be seen at the back, baffled at the situation.

She shrugged her shoulders before twirling her body around as she flicked her long, tawny hair.

"Huh? Somethings wrong?" Ji-Soon asked.

Emiko threw a sharp glance before uttering. "Yes, there is; have you all not been paying attention? How is it that we are able to communicate with him when we are speaking Japanese? Not only that, back then, when we were all gathered at the Castle of Beginning, everyone, despite their different-looking cultures, was speaking Japanese. This is no coincidence; there is no way that many people could all speak the same language as us."

"Ah, you see, the work of the system's translation programme is responsible for converting all spoken language into our own native language. Basically, it acts as a universal communicator, allowing everybody to communicate with one another fluently. Although not a perfect translation, it's still enough to understand one another; you do know you guys are actually speaking Portuguese to me through my end."

"WHAT!? That's kinda cool," as Emiko's mood was completely shifted.

"So, what if it's an in-game text on an infrastructure? Is the system able to translate that into a language that every player across the world could understand?" Emiko pressed closely against Kompto.

"Hey Emiko, give the guy some space, will you?" Ji-Soon nagged her, knowing full well she was leering back at him with another one of those death threats.

"Uh, haha! Don't worry about it, friends, and yes, the system does translate texts from any language to a language that the players could understand." Kompto nervously replied as he stepped back from Emiko.

"Great, you should come with us then; if we team up, we could cover for each other's blindspots," Emiko suggested.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll gladly join you in your journey." Kompto gave them a smile before reaching his left hand into his trench coat. Shortly after, a faint beeping sound could be heard only by him as his pocket blinked red a couple of times before fading away.

"We should start going soon; it will take us a few miles before reaching the town. Getting in contact with Kaz and Tang-Ji should be our top priority," Ji-Soon suggested.

As Ji-Soon and Kompto paced themselves ahead to chat about the game world, Emiko at the back was suddenly met with a digital ring from an unknown caller.

'Ring, ring, ring, ring.'

"Hello? Emiko, do you hear me? If you get this message, then I want to let you know that we have successfully linked our network into one of V.I.R.M.'s main system frames without being detected. The system coded by VIRM even allows an auto-translator; it's like they are asking to be hacked. We will be uploading the World Seed onto the USB that you should have attached to your capsule. In about a week from now, it will be sent to a terminal nearby. I want you to locate that terminal and retrieve the item. Remember the mission, survive no matter what, and bring it back to me. I'm counting on you; don't disappoint father."

"Dammit fuck! Dammit! stupid terrain, it looks like my audio input is jammed from that fall earlier." Emiko cursed quietly behind them.