The Game Returns

It is dark.

I guess I must still be sleeping. Is this what they'd call a lucid dream–? Huh, what's that? I thought to myself as I hovered towards what seemed like a blue light.

As I neared and was able to make out its shape and form, it seemed to have been growing.

Is that a ripple of electricity–?!

B-B-Buzz!

"Kgh!?"

"Hah, hah…" I panted as I had woken up from my slumber.

"Just what was that?" I silently muttered as I took hold of my phone.

It is currently June twelfth two-thousand-thirty-two, or rather written as [06/12/2032] on most screens.

The clock is currently [10:06:12], basically ten AM.

I guess I've gotten up earlier because of the never calming excitement that has built up based on the fact I had finally managed to hack the game and am able to become one of the top players. While being careful about my ways, of course.

I won't just go around flaunting my authority over the game and flex on everyone that sees me fighting.

I am still a solo adventurer.

I think I might just duo with my old online friend who goes by the username of Mr. Smool, he's the one who helped me hack the game in the first place after I reached out to him.

"Let's see, let's see…" I opened up the website of the game on my pc and clicked on the 'Add Friends' button.

I typed in the same username he has online and thankfully his account showed up.

[Smool - Level 61]

Ah, he's level sixty-one! I am level sixty-two so we seem to be on the same skill and ability area.

I guess he must also be stuck on these levels, the exp required to pass the levels jumps at an atrocious amount once you reach level sixty.

Even I, who's on level sixty-two right now, need over seven thousand exp points.

[Level: 62] -- [Stat Points: 02] -- [Exp: 02490/10000]

"Sigh," I let out an exasperated breath as I clicked on the [Add Friend] button next to Mr. Smool's username.

Ding.

"Huh? He accepted it?"

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

Numerous notifications filled my site right after I added him.

[Smool: Yahoo]

[Nord: Hello hello!]

[Smool: u added me thru the site? (o_o)]

[Nord: yea, i woke up earlier due to excitement and i still kinda fear to login]

[Smool: should we js do it rn, cuz im also on the site lol]

[Nord: ermmmmm idk]

[Smool: lesdo it lesdo it!]

What's with this mood like he's a she?

[Nord: Let's wait until time hits twelve]

[Smool: Kay kay (っ◔◡◔)っ]

[Nord: …]

***

Just like that, time flowed by, and my opinion of Smool being a woman just grew and grew.

Didn't he use to be more manly and say dirty jokes all the time?

Now he… she seems more polite and rather cute-ish based on the way she texts. Especially the emoticons.

Well, what am I getting excited about, even if he was a girl, there's no way she'd want a fat jobless dunce like me.

Should I consider being a Wtuber as a job?

Nah, I haven't taken that seriously at all so it doesn't count.

[11:57:42]

Ding.

[Smool: u up to hop on ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ ??]

[Nord: yeah just a second– im setting up my pc and vrbed]

[Smool: take ur time]

***

I did just as I said.

I set up my pc and VrBed and prepared myself for a long playtime session by going to the toilet, eating some snacks, drinking sodas and water, and resting on the VrBed itself before plopping my arms in the plaques on the right and left side.

[Nord: I'm activating the gear now]

[Smool: me too]

***

Fwoom~

The usual sound that awaits me once I log in greeted me in the dark-blue space.

[Play]

[Settings]

[Exit]

The three options that present themselves every time I enter the game also were in front of me.

I deeply inhaled, "Hm…" and then slowly released the air accumulated in my lungs, "Hah…"

[Play]

"Let's get into it." I tightly shut my eyes and what was met with did indeed seem anticlimactic.

"Phew, so I materialized where I had first logged out from. The first step of logging in and entering the game is done."

The second one is being able to change my… stats?

{ [Username: N@rD]

[Level: ????] - [Stat Points: ?????] - [Exp: ?????????/?????????]

There are so many questions in the exp section, is that giving a hint on how much exp you can accumulate once you reach a certain level that seems to be able to reach thousands?

My username and other stats are bugged too.

[Race: Mythical]

[Job: Adventurer]

[Weapon: Mythic Killing Dagger(S-Grade)]

[Modifier(s): The Serpentine Slayer]

[HP: 1500▴▾/1500▴▾] -- [MP: 600▴▾/600▴▾]

[Strength: 102 ▴▾] -- [Agility: 102 ▴▾] -- [Sense: 85 ▴▾] -- [Vitality: 102 ▴▾] -- [Intelligence: 105 ▴▾] }

Huh? What's with these arrows?

I clicked on one.

[Strength: 102 ▴]

[Strength: 103]

Sudden hyper energy took over me after seeing the successful result, "Oh shit it worked–!?"

Sudden nausea took over me as I staggered in place, falling to the ground.

The stinging pain stretching throughout my body made me puke out the contents of my stomach as my eyes rolled to the back of my head.

What I saw in the meanwhile, though, only made questions arise in my mind rather than letting me focus on my own pain.

My flickering eyes saw the whole of the Emberhorn, from level 1 to 100.

The monsters, the events, the hidden quests, and rewards. Even my race which was supposed to be introduced on the second section of the sixty-first floor.

Otherwise making a code or number I had come across a lot recently: 612.

Overall, it was as if I was filled with information regarding the whole tower within two seconds.

Piiiiii~

An ear-deafening screech entered my ears and already overstimulated body's senses before everything turned to darkness.

"Kgha, khac, khac!"

I coughed out as I held my aching head that felt like it was imploding.

I tried wiping my overflowing tears to get a look at the system pop-up.

[The Software Has Crashed]

[Not Responding]

[Something Unexpected Ocurred]

[Glitch]

[Someone tried to intervene with the: Emberhorn.exe]

[Someone has tried to Hack: Emberhorn.]

[Someone has struck the: Emberhorn-server. 1.1]

[Someone has struck the: Emberhorn-server. 1.2]

[Someone has struck the: Emberhorn-server. 1.3]

[Someone has struck the: Emberhorn-server. 2.1]

[Someone has struck the: Emberhorn-server. 2.2]

[Someone has struck the: Emberhorn-server. 2.3]

[Someone has struck the: Emberhorn-server. …]

Hundreds of notifications regarding the errors caused within the game, the whole software, and its servers altogether overfilled my sight.

"What the fuck! I didn't even do anything to this height, I never had access to Emberhorn's damned servers!"

I yelled out with my voice and body as I sweat profusely.

[You will not have access to the Game until later notice]

[You will be forcefully ejected from the Game]

[Game has Shut Down]

My vision was suddenly filled with colors as I gasped for air.

"I didn't hack the game to such an extent, it's impossible!"

I took hold of my phone to check the time.

[16:13:42]

It's been four hours!? Was I unconscious while connected to the game?

"Hah… Screw that let me check the web!"

I opened numerous tabs on my pc's browser, three for social media accounts and three others to search for blog sites.

[Hot today:

#EmberHorn-Crash

#EmberHorn-Bug

#Ember…]

"It didn't happen to me only…" I whispered as I clicked through different links.

I scrolled past different tweets made from big Wtubers.

[GhostRider: I was going through a boss battle when I was suddenly kicked out of the game…]

[EmberHorny: I was trying to bag a chick when suddenly my screen went black and I was kicked…]

[GamerGoth: The game crashed right after someone agreed to send me money—do y'all think he hacked it?]

Sigh, so no one went through that glitchy situation as I?

Ding.

[Smool: The game strapped me of my access to the game did it happen to you too >~>?!!?"

[Nord: Yeah, but did it glitch before it kicked you?]

[Smool: yeah.. something weird happened ill tell u abt it later on ^_^ i gotta check out abt the issues first]

Hmm, so it happened to her too…

Ding.

[June: 12th: 2032: 16:56:02]

[The Company has decided to shut Emberhorn down for an indefinite time.

[Shut-Down Notice: 1 Hour(s) Left.]

"Huh?"

"Wait…"

"No, no, no! This can't be!"

"This game is my damned life!" I screamed out in despair as I held my monitor.

***

[Shut-Down Notice: 30 Minutes Left.]

"…"

I wasn't yelling anything out by now, I was simply weeping as I stared at the countdown on my pc's screen.

***

[Shut Down Notice: 16 Minutes Left.]

***

[June: 12th: 2032: 18:11:00]

[Goodbye!]

[The Game Shall Return!]

***

[June: 12th: 2032: 18:12:00] —> [6:12 PM]

Ding.

A noise entered my ears as I wiped away at my runny nose.

[Welcome, Player 1!]

[Your arrival has been awaited for a long time.]

[The Emberhorn will stretch its authority over Planet-B612, also known as Earth, gradually over time.]

"Huh?" Numerous holographic pop-ups I was intimately familiar with covered my room as I sniffled.

"What even is this…" I unconsciously slid my arm down on the empty air to pull out my stats window.

{ [Username: Nord]

[Level: ????] - [Stat Points: ?????] - [Exp: ?????????/?????????]

[Race: Mythical]

[Job: Adventurer]

[Weapon: Mythic Killing Dagger(S-Grade)]

[Modifier(s): The Serpentine Slayer]

[HP: 1500▴▾/1500▴▾] -- [MP: 600▴▾/600▴▾]

[Strength: 102 ▴▾] -- [Agility: 102 ▴▾] -- [Sense: 85 ▴▾] -- [Vitality: 102 ▴▾] -- [Intelligence: 105 ▴▾] }

There's arrows at my stats…

"Does that mean I got a Hacked System!?"