"No matter what, you 't run, huh?"

  From that sentence alone, I uood the impaot only did it endanger me, but it also threatened my family. Why was that? Simple. If I could avoid whatever I couldn't run from, there'd be a shortcut ting someone down by targeting their loved ohis was why most of the stories I watched or read had protagonists who didn't have families, so as not to appear weak and easy targets to be taken down. It was also why a "hero" could casually dive into trouble without familial obligations.

  But the thing was, this wasn't a made-up story like that.

  And I wasn't a main character or anything!

  "To hell with this!"

  I flung my hands, trying to get the paper out of my face, but... his was the most crucial piece of evidence. Instead, I swung my hand and pced the letter o the VR:Ser oable as I remained seated on the chair near it.

  On a serious note, paper was a rare odity. Accessing tree materials—the raw source for paper—required approval ahrough strict surveilnce. Even owning one branch required legal permission! It would be difficult for me if I did anything that involved making this letter "public" (or for people to know I kept this thing). I might deal with the Secret Polid Covert Operations myself.

  'Means this not a problem that be solved quickly!'

  Ahhh, I needed a ge of pace!

  It was almost breakfast time, and my family would start w if I didn't e downstairs soo's not make my other peaceful routines even more disanized, shall we?

  I stood up from my seat, straightened my clothes, and tidied my hair as I headed downstairs.

  When I reached the bottom of the stairs, the air felt lighter, with the usual family m sounds filling the room: cttering utensils, casual versation, and the aromatic st of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the smell of eggs and toast.

  My family had already taken their seats at the dining table.

  As I approached them, my little sister, Lin, was the first to notice me. Her brown eyes lit up, and she waved her arms high, causing her short beige hair to sway. She pulled up a chair o her and patted it. "Big brother! Big brother!"

  "Thanks." I sat down in the spot she had offered.

  But then, Mother suddenly spoke. "Luo, is everything okay? You seem a bit... off."

  Huh?

  The question prompted me to look around, notig the innoy sister's face, and my father was engrossed in his Helios bracelet while sipping his coffee. That meant my internal thoughts hadn't spilled over until my expression shifted. I began to sider how perceptive my mother was; she could sense even the slightest ge in mood. If she'd read me this easily, I'd o subtly steer this in a different dire, so I didn't raise suspi. It was time to execute my escape pn.

  'Brush it off and go with the flow.'

  I kept eating my breakfast and, with a casual tone, said, "Am I?"

  Great. From the worried look on Mother's face, it was clear my answer didn't satisfy her. Fortunately, my sister cut her off before she could ask any more questions.

  "e on, Mom, that is just how big bro looks!" Her head turoward me. "By the way, Brother, what you expined yesterday was true! I finally got a good score on the surprise test! Hehe."

  I wasn't sure if Lin realized how offensive her words were—firming that I looked distant, off, and unfriendly. But I didn't take it personally; it was how she saw me. At least she was sistent, and I appreciated that.

  With her ent, I took the opportunity to steer the versation toward something more ral. "Good. I am gd you making Big Bro's wisdom worth it."

  Lin's face lit up. She robably proud, not just of her test score, but of my aowledgment. "Thanks! Then... you help me study ter?"

  With a smile until my eyes closed, I replied, "Of course."

  Instead of a simple thank you, Lin cpped her hands repeatedly, her enthusiasm spilling over as she dug into her breakfast. Before long, she finished her meal—almost choking in her excitement—then got up, grabbed her bag from the sofa, and bolted out of the house like a thief.

  "Bye, Mom, Dad, and Big bro!"

  "Be careful on the road, Lin," Mother called after her, but it seemed pointless.

  I meant, with that energy, sure, Lin already sprinted far away from home. She might have already goh our neighbors—her sates—to leave together.

  'Whether she is still in that habit or not.'

  Without my sister, the atmosphere at home became quiet, like noard even. So, I decided to tinue my routine: finish breakfast, have a quick chat with Father before he left for work, help Mother up, and then sit back at the dining table to check my Helios.

  Why did I act like nothing happeo be ho, my reluce to open up to my parents was frustrating. Like... humans were social creatures? Not opening up to anyone, even your closest one, would be as stressful as being alone in a crowd.

  But part of me felt it was my role to shield them from any added stress, to keep things "normal." If I were to be ho with them right now, it would be like dropping a meteor into their world while they were busy w in the office.

  Annoying, right?

  Nah, I was joking. The real issue was my fear of being misuood. I'd opened up to my parents about my worries a while back, and what did I get for it?

  You know...

  Uh...

  Anyway, I had reasons for not expining the letter and my "fotten memories" to them; I should be able to solve this problem in my own way, indepely. Taking out the Helios' holographic dispy, I started scrolling to see what es I could find—ht.

  'Him!'

  Gosh, why hadn't I thought of him sooner? I hurried upstairs a straight to my room.

  Inside, I sat down at my puter desk and pced my hand on the biometric pad—a bck regur box. Uhe wall-activated ands I used for routiasks, "my puter" required a s for extra security; only I could access its full funalities.

  After a moment, the room's AI sounded, "System activated. User authentication firmed. Wele back, Luo."

  The room subtly shifted in respoo my puter's activation. The doors and windows were automatically locked, while the various eleid panels were illuminated, diming this inally dark room. All of this happened not only because of the personalized options I had set but also to present a wide holographic s floating freely in front of me. Navigating the options on the s, I selected a unication application and searched for one tact.

  eg call...It had been a while since we st spoke. When the call finally ected, the image of an all-blue young man—his hair and eyes the same shade—who was the same age as me fshed into view. I braced myself for his rea.

  " Luo! My man, my bro, my hero! I was starting to think you'd joined a secret society or something! Or are you...?"

  I, of course, immediately went on the chase rather than reply to that nonsehe sot my hands on him, the sooner I could start putting things together.

  "Help me pass the burning ship to catch a Holndrus."

  The metaphor slipped out of my mouth just like that.

  The burning ship illustrated my current situation: immediate, severe, deadly, and impossible to escape. If I jumped into the o to save myself (ign that VR:Ser), I would face a more abstract problem: What was the distao the nd? Were there predators around me? How could I keep myself afloat? How would I eat? And so on. But by staying still on a burning ship, I would die. "Die" that I was referring to could be metaphorical or literal.

  That was why I o "capture" the Holndrus, as this creature perfectly illustrated the cause of my problem.

  Giant.

  Very hard to find.

  Legendary pared to other sea beasts in this world.

  In clusion, whoever was messing with me ossibly highly iial, spreading chaos around them aing off a series of events until one of them hit me. But their whereabouts were hard to find.

  Looking back at Guo Dai, it appeared that he didn't uand what my metaphor meant. Let it be. I just told him to jump into a.

  "Activate Omni-Dispy Mode."

  "Oh, wow, immediately exeg?" He grinned. "Kay, sir!"

  Various holographic ss then appeared behind the main s where I unicated with him, turning my dimly lit room into a blurred rainbow from the different colors of eae. They hovered and surrounded me in a semi-circle.

  I liked that he obeyed right away.

  I sat down on my puter chair, which I had moved slightly to the ter of my room. Leaning back, I folded my arms and checked each s to e and a two-way tie.

  Having had enough, my right haended and poi one of them. "Move s Alpha-3 to coordinates X15, Y7."

  "Aye!"

  Following my instrus, the holographic s glided through the air to its destination: the top of my puter desk. Nodding, I poi the other s. "Now, shift Beta-2 to X10, Y12. Let's have a side view. What do you see?"

  My words puzzled him, as evidenced by his expression. His face was wrinkled, particurly his brows and lips... um, why should I describe it iail?

  Most importantly, he still obeyed my orders without protest.

  Guo Dai's expressioually became solemn; his posture was straighter and more stable, meaning he began sing. To which I gave additional dires, "Also do an internal s, please."

  His answer was just a nod. Good. I liked that he quieted down—

  "BROOOOOO!!! SERIOUSLY?!"

  —or not.

  "No way. NO way!" He started to stand up and seemed to be walking in circles with his hands on his head; overag, indeed. "Shit, you got that but me? MEEE?!!! Standby. Fuck with sleep. Using macro. But what? NONE!!! No matter, you have—"

  "Check its serial code." I couldn't let this versatio out of hand.

  "What?"

  "Check that VR:Ser serial code, Guo Dai."

  His frenzy of motion halted as abruptly as it began. And his face, too, with that trademark idiotic expression.

  "Serial code? Oh, ht, the serial code!" He stepped back, adjusting the angle of the holographic s to get a better view, and sat back down. "Hang on, hang on..."

  His gaze was intense, as the usual pyfulness was repced by tration. Serioushen faded away, being a slow mouth opening of surprise. He g me, then at the other s, then bae again, and the other way.

  'I know you are fused about this. So am I.'

  "This... how e? VR:Ser not avaible? NeoGen is very strict with their products, copied or illegal ones are burned. Hold on. If this is illegal, it shouldn't have a serial number, or the serial number isn't registered. Instead, it shows this [Not Avaible] message. Is yours a prototype? B-But then, where did you get it?"

  "There." I snapped my fingers and ended by pointing at him. "Where did I get it? Find out."

  His eyes blinked before returning to normal, as if processing what was happeniually, that expression came out: a sense of challenge, insatiable curiosity, attra, and falling down the rabbit hole until hitting bottom.

  An evil grin, if I could say.

  "Ha... HAHAHAHA!! I see, I see! Another deadly game you have caught in, Luo! Okay, sider it done!"

  The holographic s from him disappeared, along with the other ss, and my room returo its dimly lit state.

  e terminated.

  Hmm. At first, I thought it was "him," Guo Dai, who had secretly pced the VR:Ser in my room. But it turned out to be me. Moreover, he was also surprised that this was indeed an unusual occurreno matter. Now that he had iigated the mystery of this VR:Ser from the outside, it was my turn to do so from the inside.

  Enter "World: The in," the only game inside VR:Ser.