"Defeat the OVERLORD?" Ethan murmured, his gaze fixed on the enormous billboard across the street.

He remembered that this game was announced a few days ago and generated so much buzz that the launch was covered by every news, internet, and other publications.

It was a new gen VR game, developed by Arcanum Solutions.

Talking about Arcanum Solutions, they were an unknown entity, but in the last few years, they launched a series of successful VR games that catapulted them to the top of the gaming industry.

And just a few days ago, they stunned the world with the announcement of a new game that is expected to set the precedent not only in the gaming industry but also to open up a new world for everyone.

However, the game could only be played in a pod created by the company, and surprisingly, all the world's governments approved of the safety checks.

But Ethan's thoughts were interrupted when his phone vibrated in his pocket. His brow furrowed as he took out the phone, the name Jennifer flashing on it.

He paused for a moment before answering the phone.

"Ethan, where are you?"

"Tell me," Ethan replied flatly.

"Where are you? I want to talk," the woman said after a brief pause.

"Fine. I'll see you at Luigi's." Ethan replied and then hung up the phone.

He took one last look at the billboard before walking away.

...

Ethan sat beside the glass pane in a sparsely populated, dimly lit restaurant, his hands resting on the table, gazing out at the children playing in a garden.

"Your Order Sir?"

His thoughts were interrupted, and he turned his head to see a young boy dressed in black pants and a white shirt with a necktie and a polite small on his face.

Ethan smiled slightly. "Just a coffee, please."

The server nodded and left. But Ethan's attention was drawn to a woman walking towards him wearing black-colored jeans and a white t-shirt and holding a handbag.

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She had shoulder-length brown hair, fair skin, and black eyes, with a round face and a black mole on the chin.

She placed her handbag on the table and sat across from Ethan, her gaze fixed on him and her lips pursed.

Ethan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the woman across from him.

Unable to bear his stare any longer, she slowly removed a ring from her left hand and pushed it towards Ethan.

Ethan's eyes shifted to a platinum ring studded with a beautifully cut diamond.

"You should know that our engagement was nothing more than a business transaction between our parents,"

"At first, I accepted my fate and imagined a happy life with you. But after your parents died in that plane crash, you lost yourself, and I don't want to spend my life with someone who has no control over himself."

Ethan's gaze shifted to the woman, who was gazing at him intently.

She again pulled out a card from her handbag and pushed it toward Ethan.

"There is one hundred million in this card. I heard that your company is going through difficult times."

She paused for a moment before saying, "Don't worry, my parents have agreed to my decision."

Ethan's gaze shifted to the card, and he nodded slightly, "Fine," before placing the card and the ring in his pants pocket.

The woman's eyes were filled with shock for a moment before turning to disappointment as she picked up her bag and left the restaurant.

Ethan's gaze shifted to the window, where he noticed the woman walking hurriedly and eventually opening the passenger side door of a BMW, which drove away after she sat inside.

"Your Coffee, Sir,"

A voice interrupted his thoughts. When he turned around, he noticed the server keeping the cup of coffee on the table.

"Thank you," He said with a smile.

After the server left, he picked up the cup and sipped the coffee, while his mind recalled the words the woman said.

As the woman said, he got engaged at the age of twenty-one to Jennifer, daughter of a friend of his father. He was one of the wealthiest men in the city.

Even his father, Brad Harrison, was one of the city's wealthiest men. However, following the deaths of his parents a year ago, the company's financial situation deteriorated, and a competitor attempted a hostile takeover of the company.

He shook his head, pushing the irrelevant thoughts to the back of his mind, and finished the coffee, tipping the waiter before leaving the restaurant.

..........

The University Campus

It was almost evening. Ethan walked slowly with his hands in his pockets, his gaze darting around to see the students walking around in groups with a bag hanging at their backs.

Some of them looked at him and whispered to each other. But Ethan didn't mind, since his thoughts were elsewhere. After leaving the restaurant, he went to one of the largest electronics stores and ordered the high-end pod for playing Defeat the Overlord.

There is still a week until the game is released, and he has a feeling that everything will be changed after the game is launched.

But when it came to the game, his mind kept replaying the scene from when he was in the middle of the war. How he died and how he awoke in this body Despite his efforts to accept the fact that he was also Ethan Harrison, he was experiencing strange feelings. He had the impression that two people shared the same body.

However, a strange thought took root in his mind. While he was in the class, he saw the Projected image of the ruins. What is the relationship between this world and Ebeisia?

But his body trembled slightly, and a woman's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Ethan?"