Kaiden and Naō trailed behind Alex’s party, Solar Vanguard, as they made their way on foot toward the Biome. The atmosphere between the group was relaxed but charged with anticipation. For Kaiden and Naō, this was their first glimpse of late-game content. Kaiden adjusted his scythe on his back, looking at the experienced players ahead. Their gear gleamed with intricate effects that hinted at high-level enhancements.
“Are biomes usually this close to starting towns?” Kaiden asked, glancing over at Alex.
Alex turned his head slightly. “So, basically, biomes are areas in the game with environmental hazards. Even if some are near a town, like this one, they stay locked until late-game. You’ll be prohibited from going any further, but you can still watch us run it and learn the mechanics early.”
Kaiden nodded, his curiosity piqued. He glanced at Naō, who seemed focused on the conversation as his satchel of vials clinked softly while walking.
“So, how does the time-based cycle work here?” Naō asked. “I read there’s a 12-hour night and day system.”
Alex nodded. “Yup. Most of the monsters spawn during the day. The sun’s brightness directly affects their activity. At night, you’ll see far fewer monsters, and those that do spawn are much weaker. Night hours are for downtime hanging with your squad in Inns called Solariums, furnishing your house, or farming mats that only show up after sunset. If you’re in the competitive spirit, teaming up with your guild in the Conservatory to take on PvP challenges or join Raids, there’s a party level requirement for that one, but I’ll explain that later.”
“That’s… actually pretty cool,” Kaiden admitted, imagining how the dynamic would affect gameplay. “You weren’t lying when you said how immersive this game could get.”
“Man, have I ever steered you wrong?”
Kaiden, his brow raised, at his friend. A grin displayed on his lips. “I dunno. Are you sure you wanna go there? Remember senior year and—”
Alex’s eyes widened. The memory of ‘what happened’ senior year flashed in his head. “Okay, that was a misunderstanding…sort of, kind of. You said you were cool with it!”
Kaiden chuckled. “Oh, I am. I just like to see you squirm from time to time.”
“Ha-ha, you got jokes.”
CrimsonCrow chuckled. “You two seem close. You been playing games together for long?”
Alex answered, “Kaiden and I have been best friends since high school. Ended up at the same university, too.”
The Eradicator of the squad, robed in frost-covered gear, joined in. “How’s the weather where you’re at?”
Kaiden laughed. “Unexpectedly hot for spring. It’s so bad no one wants to go outside. Most of us are holed up indoors, studying or playing VRMMOs.”
The Eradicator groaned. “Complete opposite for me. It’s freezing over here. Temps are at an all-time low. It’s crazy how fast the weather just changed like that.”
Alex cleared his throat, abruptly interrupting. “Anyway, we’re near the Biome. Time to focus.”
Kaiden furrowed his brows. He considered opening a private voice chat to ask what was wrong but decided against it, thinking Alex was making sure the group stayed sharp.
The group stepped into a clearing where the Biome's digital gate shimmered like a wall of translucent emeralds. Beyond it lay a massive forest of twisting vines and towering plants, the air thick with golden motes of light. It was both beautiful and ominous.
Alex gestured to Kaiden and Naō. “You two stay here. This is the spectator zone. You’ll be safe behind the gate; the game won’t let you enter if your party isn’t at the required level, which means nothing in this zone will come for you. Now watch carefully; there’s a lot you can learn.”
Kaiden and Naō nodded, taking their positions. The Solar Vanguard party stepped through the gate, and the air crackled with energy as the raid zone activated. From the area of the Biome, the Bio Threat emerged, a colossal creature resembling a mutated Venus flytrap, its maw lined with jagged teeth and glowing weak points scattered across its vines.
Alex’s voice echoed in the field chat. “Alright, team. This one has 50 cells to break before we can hit its stem. Highest I’ve seen so far. Let’s do this.”
Kaiden’s eyes widened. “50? That sounds insane.”
“It is,” Naō said, his voice filled with awe. “The Dandi-lions and Rootlings in the starting field only had 2 cells.”
The battle began, and Kaiden was transfixed. The Exterminator unleashed Inferno Cascade with his shear, sending torrents of fire to burn through the Bio Threat’s outer cells (-25 Root Damage (RD)). Each wave of fire scorched several vines at once, leaving glowing embers where cells had broken. The Eradicator followed with Frost Nova, creating a burst of freezing energy that slowed the Bio Threat’s movements (-15 RD). The frost coated its vines, making targeting weak points more manageable for the Reapers. Alex used Vineguard Shield, skillfully redirecting the Bio Threat’s attacks to maintain aggro without taking damage.
In the rear, the Verdant Scholar cast Bloom Analysis, highlighting weak points on the Bio Threat’s cells to increase team accuracy. At the same time, the Alchemist tossed Regeneration Draughts to bolster the squad’s survivability. Together, they maintained the team’s efficiency, ensuring no one faltered.
Each broken cell was marked by a burst of particles, signaling progress. The Bio Threat’s Life Points (LP), initially at 10,000, decreased steadily as the squad chipped away at the 50 cells. Kaiden noted how the team’s coordination was critical: the Reapers focused on breaking cells, Guardeners maintained aggro with positioning, and the Supporters ensured no one was overwhelmed.
After a grueling series of attacks, the final cell shattered (LP Remaining: 1,000), exposing the Bio Threat’s stem. The squad unleashed their ultimate abilities: Inferno Cataclysm, Cryo Torrent, and Alex’s Thornbreaker Strike. The combined onslaught brought the Bio Threat down in a dazzling light display, its remaining LP hitting zero. Kaiden and Naō exchanged glances of astonishment as the victorious party collected their loot and took a break.
Night fell over the field. The sky shifted to a deep indigo, stars shimmering faintly above. Alex walked toward the gate where Alex and Naō stood.
Alex grinned. His hands rested on his hips. “Judging by your stunned expressions. You two have questions?”
“Oh! I have one,” Naō asked, with a raised hand. “What was that damage output earlier, when you broke the cells?”
Alex chuckled at his eagerness. “Oh, that was Root Damage, or RD, for short. It’s specifically for breaking a creature’s cells. Think of it as a separate pool tied to their defenses, like a barrier. Each cell has an RD value. Break the cells, and you expose their stem. It’s essentially getting to the ‘root of the problem,’ but some bosses regenerate cells if you’re too slow.”
Naō nodded, taking mental notes. “And what happens if you don’t break the cells?”
“If you can’t break the weak point of their stem, it will make it difficult to cut down their Life Points. That’s why your designated party should works as a team.”
“Now if you both can wait a little longer here, I’m going to see if the group is ready to head back.”
Just as Alex was heading back to the group, a low rumble shook the ground. The squad stopped abruptly, their chatter silenced. In the middle of the field, a massive flower emerged from the earth and began to bloom, its iridescent petals unfurling with an eerie glow. As the plant finished blooming, it revealed a grotesque, towering creature with twisting, thorny vines and spiked fronds that radiated a sinister red aura.
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Alex froze. “What… the…That didn’t appear the last time we were out here.”
The Verdant Scholar quickly scanned the creature, his hands trembling as he reviewed his interface. “No data found... It’s not in the Botanical Bestiary.”
The Eradicator frowned. “What kind of monster doesn’t even show up in the Bestiary? Is this some kind of rare spawn no one else has triggered?”
The Bio Threat appeared briefly in their shared HUD: Bloomrazor Colossus. Its thorned vines writhed violently, lashing the ground and sending dirt and debris flying with every movement. The air around it shimmered with a toxic green mist, [Environmental Hazard detected - Toxic Gas Clouds: A poisonous gas dealing AoE damage over time]
Party Status: Poisoned
[10 LP damage per second every 5 seconds]
“Form up!” Alex barked, his tone sharper than usual. “Rare or not, we stick to our usual plan. Focus on the cells. Supports keep us alive.”
Before the squad could react further, the Bloomrazor Colossus lashed out with terrifying accuracy, its thorned vines snapping like whips and aiming solely at Alex. One vine struck the ground near his feet, sending debris flying, while another lashed across his shield with a resounding crack. The shockwave reverberated through the field, but Alex absorbed the brunt of the force, his shield glowing faintly with the energy of Vineguard Shield. The relentless assault left no doubt the Colossus had singled him out, its relentless aggression focused entirely on him.
[-10 LP poison damage]
(AchilliesHeal LP: 1,190/1,200)
The Verdant Scholar frantically cast Bloom Analysis, his voice trembling to deliver absolute horror. “Achillies…this thing has 1,000 cells. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Alex raised his shield and activated Vineguard Shield, absorbing the brunt of the beast’s relentless attacks. His tone was strained yet commanding. “Focus fire on the weakest cells! Don’t scatter your damage!”
-10 LP Poison damage
The squad scrambled to follow orders, the Exterminator launching an inferno blast to scorch the beast’s exterior (-30 RD). At the same time, the Eradicator unleashed an icy blast, slowing the vines just enough for Alex to reposition (-20 RD). Despite their efforts, the Bloomrazor Colossus showed no interest in retaliating against anyone else, its relentless focus remaining solely on Alex. Only a handful of cells were broken, and the beast’s regeneration filled the gaps instantly, as though mocking their efforts.
[-10 LP poison damage]
“It’s not enough,” the Alchemist cried, throwing healing items in a desperate attempt to keep Alex’s LP up, but the sheer ferocity of the Colossus overwhelmed even their best efforts. “I can’t keep up with the damage.”
“I’m out of AP,” the Exterminator called out in desperation.
Alex’s shield arm trembled as he absorbed yet another direct hit. “Damn it. Aggro’s stuck on me,” he grounded out in frustration, his LP bar plummeting despite his defensive gear (AchilliesHeal LP: 800/1,200). His cries of pain echoed through the field chat, causing the squad’s coordination to falter.
Kaiden watched in horror from behind the gate. “Alex!” he shouted, opening a private voice chat. “Something is wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Naō questioned. “He’s the tank, isn’t he? He’s pulling the most aggro.”
Kaiden shook his head. “Aggro or not, the others are attacking it, too. That creature would have taken a turn to attack them before redirecting its attention back to Alex. I have to contact him via private chat.”
But the chat went unanswered, and Kaiden’s panic grew.
Naō’s voice cracked beside him. “Why isn’t he responding?”
Alex realized the Bloomrazor Colossus wasn’t letting up. Its relentless attacks focused solely on him, leaving no time for the squad to intervene. Desperation took hold as he made a break for the gate, sprinting toward Kaiden and Naō with an unsteady beat. Yet, Alex clung to the hope that crossing the gate would sever the creature’s focus, sparing him from its relentless wrath.
Unfortunately, the Bloomrazor’s thorned tendrils lashed out with terrifying accuracy. One jagged vine drove directly through Alex’s heel, pinning him to the ground just as he got close to Kaiden. Alex managed to open the trading menu, the screen flickering erratically as though the system itself resisted his actions. The barbed tip ripped through his avatar’s limb and anchored him to the ground. The sharp, snapping sound echoed in Kaiden’s ears, followed by a sickening shudder as Alex’s body jerked violently.
Kaiden could only watch in horror as the trading menu succeeded.
“Kaiden. . .” Alex gasped, his tone heavy with regret. A single item, Photosphere, appeared in Kaiden’s inventory.
“Don’t let–”
Before Alex could speak his next words, a second tendril struck with brutal force, spearing through his chest and hoisting his avatar into the air like a broken marionette. The force of the blow sent ripples across his avatar.
Kaiden’s breath hitched as, for a fleeting moment, Alex’s real face appeared superimposed over his avatar. His angular bone structure, wavy brown hair matted with sweat, and frightened, desperate blue eyes stared directly at him, piercing through the game's illusion. Kaiden blinked in confusion; Alex’s avatar hadn’t actually changed, but the vividness of the image burned into Kaiden’s mind.
When Alex’s LP hit zero, his body crumpled lifelessly to the ground. Yet something was wrong; the way his avatar pixelated away wasn’t like the standard game mechanics. Instead, it disintegrated agonizingly slowly, fragment by fragment, as though the system itself struggled to process what was happening. It was as if the game treated him as a foreign virus to be purged. Kaiden’s stomach twisted as he watched the final fragments of Alex’s avatar vanish completely, leaving nothing behind.
No respawn, no marker, not even a trace in the party list. It was as if Alex’s character had been erased from existence.
Kaiden stared at the empty space in frozen horror, unable to reconcile the eerie finality of what he’d seen. Nearby, Naō’s voice shook as he whispered hoarsely, “That… that’s not normal. It’s like he’s… gone. Kaiden, what just happened?”
Kaiden didn’t have the words as he just stared. His mind kept replaying the scene over and over, each time seeing the life from Alex’s eyes fade away.
Naō called him again, “Kaiden?”
This time Kaiden heard him, but his mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. “A-Alex...” his voice breaking.
The field fell silent. The Bloomrazor and the environmental hazard faded away, leaving the health of Alex’s squad with only -50 poison damage.
Kaiden staggered backward and fell to the ground, his chest heaving as panic clawed at him. He grabbed his clothing. Each breath felt shallow and ragged, his vision swimming with tears. His heart pounded against his ribcage as though trying to escape. “This... this is just a game,” he gasped, clutching his chest, his fingers digging into his shirt as though that could anchor him. His thoughts were a tangled mess, with flashes of Alex’s real face and the terrifying monster filling his mind.
“It’s…it’s just a game…”
Naō stumbled beside him, his face pale and his hands trembling. He glanced at Kaiden, whose panic was evident, but his own confusion and terror were equally consuming. “Kaiden,” he whispered, his voice cracking, “what the hell just happened? That… that wasn’t supposed to happen, was it? And Alex, he’s not even on the party list anymore. He’s not even in the game’s data sever. He’s just… gone.”
Kaiden shook his head wildly, his breathing still erratic. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s happening. . .” He clutched his head. The enormity of the situation pressed down on him like a weight. Why did he give me that item? What was all that? Kaiden replayed Alex’s last words in his head.
Don’t let….but don’t let what?
Naō fell silent for a moment, his hands fidgeting with his satchel as he tried to suppress his own rising panic. “Kaiden, what do we do now?” His voice was barely above a whisper.
Kaiden’s breath slowed slightly, though his hands still shook. “I…need to go,” he said before logging out from the game without another word.
???°?°???
Solstice Heights University - Kaiden’s Dorm
Kaiden ripped off his headset, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. His chest felt constricting, and his vision blurred as panic consumed him. He staggered to his feet, clutching at the walls to steady himself. The clock on his wall blinked at 4:32 PM, but Kaiden barely registered the time.
Even in his panicked state, his instincts took over.
Without a second thought, Kaiden bolted out of his dorm room. His dormitory hallway stretched endlessly before him, lined with posters and overhead fluorescent lights above him.
The adrenaline surging through his veins pushed him forward despite his dizziness. The tight corridor felt claustrophobic as he shoved past startled students, their confused voices drowned out by the deafening thud of his own heartbeat.
“Please, no,” he whispered, his words fractured by his gasping breaths. His mind raced with fragmented thoughts, but one clear goal drove him: reaching Alex’s room in Oak Hall, two floors above. His hands fumbled against the stairwell railings as he ascended, unthinking and desperate.
“Please, be there,” he whispered, his chest tight with fear.
He finally reached Alex’s door and burst inside. Alex sat slumped in his gaming chair, the VR headset still on his head. The room–dimly lit by the glow of Alex’s monitors felt suffocating. Kaiden’s hands shook with trepidation as he swiveled the chair to face him and gently removed the headset, revealing Alex’s wavy brown hair and . . .the pale, lifeless face of his best friend staring back at him.
Kaiden dropped the headset with a clatter and fell to his knees, his heart pounding in his ears. The Photosphere item flashed in his mind, the last thing Alex had risked transferring to him, its purpose unknown. All he could do was stare at the empty vessel of his best friend, tears streaming down his face as the horrifying reality set in.
