* * *

After basking in the cheers within the game, I logged out in high spirits only to find a KakaoTalk message from my cousin, who happens to be the company’s vice president.

It was because I had submitted my resignation in an attempt to escape my slave-like position.

[Kim Jaehyun: Hey, Yoo Gahyun!!!]

[Kim Jaehyun: How could you do this!!]

[Kim Jaehyun: After everything I’ve done for youㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

What have you ever done for me, you crazy bastard!

I nearly lost my temper and hit the call button at the last message that popped up on my phone.

My fingers trembled slightly.

“Whew.”

This sly fox. He’s trying to provoke me into calling him.

Such a cunning move.

“You bastard. I’m not falling for it.”

I cooled off by taking a shower.

Since tomorrow was the castle siege day, I couldn’t turn off all notifications on my phone, but I muted only Kim Jaehyun’s messages.

Even though he’s a damn relative, I still have to see him occasionally.

But for now, I wanted him to disappear from my sight.

After dealing with Kim Jaehyun, I briefly checked the group chat of our prestigious guild, which had a rather childish but proud name.

[Shining_FullMinak_GuildElite]

The forum was abuzz today with topics on the ‘reality bug’, and a few links on the same topic had also been posted in the group chat.

“……”

Reading through the guild members’ conversations, I played a video that caught my attention.

[Seeing a Status Window in Reality?! The Complete Breakdown of the Serious VFA Addiction ‘Reality Bug’ (1)]

Of course, it’s from Gold Bunker. These guys make damn good videos. The thumbnails alone are enticing. The Gold Bunker guys not only excel at video editing but also have great broadcasting skills. One of them used to be in our guild, so I feel a bit of kinship.

The two hosts appeared on screen, feigning innocence with their wide-open eyes.

[What? You can see a game status window in reality?]

[Are you a VFA user?]

[Then you’ve come to the right place.]

Suddenly, the volume exploded.

[Hey, you crazy bastard!! Go straight to a mental hospital! It’s because of idiots like you that there’s a movement to ban VFA, you selfish jerk—!!]

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

They’re gently mocking and bashing it.

[If you encounter someone who claims to see game status windows in reality, please ensure they are swiftly taken to a mental hospital.]

[VFA is precious to us.]

[It’s our cash cow. Please protect our beloved VFA.]

[So, what is the reality bug, you ask? It’s roughly this horrifying phenomenon.]

The hosts clicked the mouse a few times, pulling up several posts from people claiming to suffer from the reality bug.

[People typically report seeing status windows.]

[Oh. This person said that when they touched the window, a message popped up saying the system is still preparing. It’s more systematic, which makes it scarier.]

[Other things aside, but having a bound hero skill window is too much. Is Midgard some kind of alternate world? Are NPCs actually real people?]

[You’ve read too much fantasy. Please take your meds and get well soon.]

[I’m saying this because I care about you.]

The other host nodded sympathetically with a deeply concerned expression.

Why are both of their expressions so funny?

“Pff, haha.”

I should sleep soon, but watching this broadcast made me laugh too much to sleep.

As a veteran VFA user, I already knew everything about the reality bug, but the show was too entertaining.

After laughing heartily through the three-part series on the reality bug controversy, I lay down.

“Ha.”

I wanted to watch more, but I had to sleep now.

I planned to stay glued to the game all day tomorrow after a good night’s rest.

“……”

The ceiling flickered.

Exhausted from being pestered by Kim Jaehyun all day, I drifted into a comfortable sleep.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a strange sound.

Ding! Ding!

[Invasion by Space King!]

[Wichen is under siege!]

[Guild members urgently summon the Guildmaster!]

[Emergency situation!]

[Wake up!]

My eyes snapped open.

“?!”

I sat up abruptly, and reality came rushing back, realizing it was all a dream.

“…Ha, what the heck.”

It was just a dream.

I shouldn’t have watched that reality bug video before sleeping.

Rubbing my eyes, I swept my hair back and checked the digital clock.

[02:29]

Some time had passed, indicating I had fallen asleep.

“……”

As I lay back down, I glanced at my phone.

With the alarm off, there was no way of knowing if Kim Jaehyun had continued his rant.

Just in case.

If the reality bug turned out to be real and I suddenly gained mental powers in real life, how would my life change?

‘Go straight to a mental hospital!’

The voice from the video I watched before sleeping echoed in my head.

“……”

Yeah, considering the current mood among VFA users, I’d probably end up in a mental hospital right away.

Feeling a sense of self-reproach, I closed my eyes and soon drifted back to sleep.

Ring— Ring—

“!”

The phone ringing woke me up again.

In the quiet dawn, the digital clock on the bedside table displayed the current time.

[2:57]

I had only slept for 30 minutes.

“This crazy bastard…”

Annoyed, I glared at my phone.

It must be because of the resignation.

Since Kim Jaehyun, the vice president, had bombarded me with KakaoTalk messages before bed, it had to be him calling now.

Or so I thought.

Before answering the call with irritation, without even checking the caller ID, a frantic voice pierced my ear.

[An ambush has occurred.]

“…What?”

The caller was Kali.

[Space King launched a surprise attack with NPC soldiers!]

Oh my god.

My upper body jerked upright.

“Isn’t this a security breach?!”

We had prepared our ultimate move and were just waiting for the scheduled siege tonight, but now a surprise attack?

Kali responded.

[Doesn’t seem like it. Judging by the situation, it looks like Space King’s target isn’t us but Gold Bunker. Their NPC hero training is notoriously bad. They’re taking advantage of that.]

“Still, how could they launch a surprise attack at this timing…?”

They initiated a surprise war with NPC soldiers before the official siege war started in VFA.

The surprise attacks had vanished long ago due to unspoken rules.

There were so many inconveniences for players that they just stopped doing it.

In surprise wars, players can’t fight properly because of many restrictions.

If you die, you’re logged out for 24 hours, and both NPCs and players accumulate insane ‘karma points’ from killing, which puts you at a disadvantage during the siege war.

Why engage in that madness of supporting NPCs in the rear until the siege starts?

[Space King has vast lands and immense NPC forces. They’re pulling them all together for a final commemorative siege war.]

“Those bastards.”

[Let’s endure until the war mode kicks in by letting Gold Bunker and Space King fight. We’ve prepared our hidden card well, so we’re confident about this siege war.]

“Our hidden card is useless in a surprise attack.”

[Come on, we can survive a surprise attack. The Guildmaster will handle it well.]

“…”

He talks like it’s someone else’s problem.

I am the Guildmaster.

[It’s urgent, so log in quickly. Gold Bunker is already in battle.]

I frowned as I left the bedroom.

“Why are you contacting me only now?”

[Who knew Space King would launch a surprise attack at this hour? They cast illusions, so we only just noticed.]

We were comfortably waiting for the official war with our hidden card, and now this sudden disaster.

“What’s our situation?”

[We’re a bit far, but we’ll clash soon. Hurry up. If you start logging in now, you’ll arrive just as the battle begins.]

I reflexively cursed as I opened the door to the storage room where the game console was.

As I walked towards the console.

“Ah.”

[What?]

“I almost hit my head.”

[Be careful. If you die, we’re done for.]

“Don’t exaggerate.”

[You know it’s not an exaggeration.]

Still groggy, I fumbled to turn on the console.

Click. Vroom—

I sat inside the dome-shaped machine glowing in the dark.

The most precious thing in my life.

I sold the foreign car that Jae-hyun Kim’s elder brother gave me as a gift when I joined the company and bought this top-tier virtual reality game console.

“Hah…”

Who came up with the outdated NPC surprise attack? Did the Space King bastards know something when they launched it?

My painstakingly created hidden card.

“How much time until the official siege war starts?”

[About 16 hours.]

“Too long.”

[Long but short enough to catch you off guard. Gold Bunker proposed an alliance until the official siege.]

“What kind of alliance at this distance?”

[Space King has practically taken over Wichen. They’re still being leisurely about it, though.]

Wait.

Siege war is a land-grabbing battle, and Wichen is the last remaining reward land for this siege.

“Wichen is already taken?”

[That’s why they launched the surprise attack.]

“…”

I felt drained.

Wichen already taken means there’s nothing worse that can happen.

The hidden card I painstakingly created is useless now because reality forced a balance patch.

[Hurry and log in. Space King is fully online.]

Kali urged again.

“Starting to log in.”

[Okay.]

The call ended.

“Phew.”

Still dazed, I took a moment to steady myself.

I relaxed into the chair, and the automatic login for the game I play daily began.

[Welcome to VR for Adults. Last login 4 hours, 47 minutes, and 18 seconds ago.]

[Starting scan.]

A faint light scanned me from head to toe.

[Biometric identification complete.]

My avatar formed on the screen.

The lights in the station turned off, and the device moved to the sides of my head.

Vroom—

I closed my eyes.

It felt like sinking into a pitch-black abyss, then rising through the dark water to the surface on the other side.

VR for Adults.

Initially, people wondered why the game had a name like an adult game, or they were disappointed thinking it was an adult game but wasn’t.

Call it the success of provocation.

[Welcome.]

The game quickly became famous.

Among countless virtual reality games, VFA (VFA) was uniquely high in quality.

Insane realism.

A third sense called brainpower.

A world as intricate as if it were alive, with NPCs that seemed too real to be artificial intelligence.

Players know best why this game generates a large number of over-immersed players, including real-life bugs.

A fierce siege war game set in a virtual world like another world.

In the game, players conquer Midgard’s land through siege wars and become the gods of that world.

[Guildmaster of Full Minak, Kaisha, has logged in.]

That’s VFA.

* * *