A world of cultivators desperately struggled against a demon invasion. As their last hope, they activated an artifact capable of granting twisted wishes. They made a simple wish: they asked for reinforcements. In the VMMORPG, "Empyrean Realms", players were participating in their first ever major guild war, when they and the entire virtual world they occupied, including NPCs and territories, were scattered into a world of cultivation. The System from the game was brought into reality and incorporated the energy 'Ki" into it. Cultivators, players, and former NPCs all got a new updated system to develop in the freshly formed combination of worlds. Note: I will also be posting this story on RoyalRoad.com
The reaction Isaac received was extremely different from what he was expecting. All of the faces around him were clearly showing an annoyed 'as expected' look.
There was no shock or alarm at his revelation that the world as they knew it had changed. Instead, it seemed as if his statement just gave them confirmation of what they were already thinking.
'Am I the only one that didn't anticipate this? No, all of my peers would be freaking out more if they had this thought in mind. I guess only those at the top had to consider the possibility.'
A long, drawn-out sigh ended the silence brought by Isaac's words.
"So, this was the result after all. There was always going to be some sort of complication, otherwise, the wish would've never come true in the first place. Hopefully, this delivery method used to give us our reinforcements will be the extent of our troubles. Better that than the reinforcements themselves being the trouble."
King Numan, who had remained silent until that point, took the opportunity to try and find the bright side of the situation. The possibility that the God of Chaos would only throw in one variable instead of many certainly existed, but it was also not a guarantee that He wouldn't twist every aspect of what He gave them.
"I'd still like to hear how the boy came to the conclusion. What did these foreigners say exactly, young man?"
King Muln spoke up as well, asking what was on everyone's mind.
Isaac told them about the quest issued by the NPC, the details he provided, and some other bits of information that he came across in the Forum from the players talking about their surroundings to try and locate each other.
"Interesting. So, when this foreign NPC came here, the person he was with didn't appear next to him? When these people were transported to our world, they weren't all sent together, but were instead scattered… Tell me, Sebastian, are all of our soldiers accounted for? I see no reason why the God of Chaos would spare us from the fate of being moved around like everything else was."
After the obvious concern at Isaac's explanation regarding the state his capital was in, King Elmon had the sudden realization that they may have overlooked missing troops while hyper-focused on studying the System.
"My liege, the amount of soldiers considered missing in action is innumerable. The battle we had was not one to leave many intact bodies. Countless brave men were seen to face utter obliteration at the hands of the demons."
"I see… With so many deceased without bodies, we can't tell if everyone died in battle or if they were teleported away? Still, you'd think there'd be reports if people were seen vanishing after the announcement."
At the words of his advisor, King Elmon began mumbling aloud. He no longer seemed to be addressing the whole crowd, but instead was just voicing his thoughts as they came to him.
"It is very likely that we all were too transfixed on the Lord's sorcery, sir."
Sebastian reminded King Elmon, as well as the rest of those present with doubts, that they were all focused on the blue System Screens that appeared before them when the System Announcement was made. It'd be hard to spot others disappearing with their visions being occupied by something so mysterious.
"They're all trained warriors. They can handle themselves if separated. Besides, they all have a way back home, don't they?"
King Amor, who was very dismissive of everyone's concern, reminded them of the return artifacts they had equipped, relics of ancient times that allowed them to teleport to designated bases. Each nation had its own return location that their respective artifacts were connected to.
As he pointed out, all of the members of the coalition army that disappeared, if any, would be able to activate their devices to return home, just as the rest of them planned to do the following morning.
However, what he got in return was several disdainful glances.
"You think our return points were safe from the Lord's magic? We'll be lucky if our bases are even remotely close to our homes. Still, you're right. They can handle themselves, and they probably will choose to activate the return relics. Since we have no choice but to use ours anyway, we'll likely meet up with them when we depart tomorrow."
King Amor's expression contorted at King Elmon's condescending question and ultimately chose to remain silent. Aside from him, the rest had already thought about what would become of their bases and how they'd get home.
In the end, the plan wouldn't change. Teleportation bases were too essential to lose. Even if they ended up in remote regions, they'd need to be secured. A means of instant travel throughout the world was pivotal to any group. Of course, they were greatly hoping that they'd at least end up near their homes, or in allied nations.
Besides, there was an equal risk of encountering trouble traveling on foot to their territories as there was teleporting. Not to mention the fact that they no longer even knew which direction to head to reach them.
"Alright. It's as the two of you say. All of our people are competent, and we'll probably meet with anyone missing tomorrow. I think for now it's best if we focus more on learning what we can. Kid, you still haven't really told us what these foreigners are like. What impressions do you have of them so far?
Seeing King Amor's plummeting mood, King Numan decided it was best to advance the conversation further.
"Well…"
Isaac hesitated for a moment.
"They're quite peculiar… Especially their names."
Briefly breaking decorum in how he spoke, he reminisced on some of what he had seen throughout the day.
Player Forum
Webslinger69: Is this some kind of sick joke? The developers are really taking this too far.
DarkFire: @ Webslinger69 You think the devs would prank us into thinking we were sent to another world? What would they have to gain from that? Besides, the translocation and System Announcement are one thing, but current VR technology cannot simulate pain on this level. I got hit by a fireball in the Guild battle before coming here and my GOD it fucking hurts.
Jerseydevil8195: GUYS does this mean my NPC companion is my real wife now?!
My Dude Ian: ^^ Asking the real questions here. More importantly, that means those not included in the game's Companion List are now up for grabs… MONSTER GIRLS HERE I COME
Champagne Rabbit: Battle mechanics and XP gain are the same in this world. Just killed a monster.
ReconHunter259: ^^ We've got people freaking out and weebs writhing in joy, then this guy here just casually grinding mobs…
Champagne Rabbit: Sidenote: The corpses of Frost Wolves don't turn into materials upon death. They also have a rather interesting flavor.
ReconHunter259: …
My Dude Ian: …
Jerseydevil8195: …
ReconHunter259: You're eating a monster? We've only been here 30 minutes!
Champagne Rabbit is typing…
The chapters focused on action and battle aren't too far off, but I'm going to show more of the characters and world first.
Drops some Power Stones if you enjoy the story.