25 years have passed since the release of Royal Road.
And for 25 years, nothing has topped it.
Sure there were other games that became popular, but their popularity was short-lived.
Royal Road, even though it was around for a quarter of a century, was still enjoyable.
Most continents were discovered, true, but it did not mean ALL were.
If you're not into adventuring, their are quests one can do.
These quests are inexhaustible. Although there are several that remain unchanged, like quests for a job change, most quests have details that change depending on different circumstances that affect it.
Also, the NPCs that give the quests change. Since they grow, age, and die in-game, that means the old generation of NPCs are replaced by the newer ones, meaning new quests to tackle.
But if you're not into quests or adventuring, there are other things, like fishing, farming, playing music, reading books, or maybe just stare at the scenery.
Whichever path you choose, one will not grow bored staying in Royal Road.
Truly, a game that can be considered the King of all games.
However, all good things come to an end.
"After 25 years, Unicorn has decided to stop the servers of Royal Road. The operation will start on 22:00. It is advised that players log out earlier. Any players still logged in the game after 22:00 will be forcibly logged out, with their accounts banned. Thank you very much for everyone who had been with us this past 2 and a half decades."
Song Cheol's mouth dropped when he heard the news.
***
News of Royal Road's closing has spread like wildfire.
Every news station, in Korea or elsewhere, were guessing as to why Unicorn decided to do it.
The topic even generated firestorms in the Internet!
This shows how influential Royal Road has become to the world for the past 25 years.
Of course, high school students are not exempted from it.
"Damn, how I wish I was born at least 40 years earlier," a teenage young man said to his friend.
"I agree," the friend, Song Cheol, responded. "We would be in time for the Emperor's coronation, as well as the Golden Age of Royal Road."
"Mhm," Park Hyun, the teenage young man concurred. "That would have been a fantastic time to live in."
The two teenagers sighed.
It was lunch break, the perfect time for chatting. The usual banter between the friends would be their adventures in Royal Road, or stats they increased when they leveled up, or japtem they picked up after a raid, or...well, you get it, things that they did in Royal Road.
There was the occasional RL matters, like which girl they like, or who they think is the top most beautiful girl in their class, or maybe in the whole campus, or which girl they think likes them, or...you see the picture, typical puberty shenanigans.
There was also talk about...M and H stuff, but they were once scolded by Eun-byul, Hyun's childhood friend and their classmate, so they deigned not to talk of that stuff. Publicly, of course.
But today, the topic was quite heavy and depressing.
It isn't limited to the area where Cheol and Hyun were talking, the whole classroom, nay, the whole school felt like each and everyone had a close relative who died.
Even the teachers were lethargic. Some didn't even bother teaching, telling the class that the period's free time.
No student shouted for joy though. Everyone was depressed.
"...Hey," Hyun called to Cheol.
"Hm?"
"Why don't we have one last dungeon raid?" Then Hyun's face brightened. "In fact, why don't we do that as a whole class? We'll be graduating after a few weeks anyway, so we can think of it as a final class outing or something."
"That's a great idea!" Cheol said, his eyes smiling.
"Hey, you guys heard that? Why don't we go raid some dungeon later? As a class activity or something?"
Hearing Cheol declare those words, the people in the class started regaining some light in their eyes.
"Oh, what a great idea!"
"Sounds good. Count me in."
"Royal Road's closing anyway, might as well enjoy it while we can."
"Woot woot! One last plunge before closing time!"
"And exams..."
"Ugh! Who said that! What a killjoy."
"""Ahahahaha!"""
***
Wujin has logged in.
[Grass] Hm? Quite early. What're gonna do?
[Wujin] You know, the usual
[Grass] Going hunting?
[Wujin] Nah, this time, I'll go to the Colosseum
[Grass] Hm? I thought since RR's closing, you'd choose the bigger fishes
[Wujin] Do you want your last day PK'd?
[Grass] Wahahaha!
[Grass] Well, you still have an hour before the class raid. Make it quick
[Wujin] Yeah, got it
[Grass] Ah, by the way, your blood diamond's still with you?
[Wujin] I'm not stupid. Not going to the raid with that on my head. A Church bought it already
[Grass] Wow, you're loaded. So, for how much?
[Wujin] 20 million G
[Grass] Wha!?
[Grass] ...Ah, but considering the fact that you've been searching for matches since 3 years back, and witho
[Wujin] Huh?
[Grass] Woops, reached char limit. Anyways, 3 years of PK without getting caught
[Grass] No wonder the 20 m
[Wujin] Haha, I suppose I can consider it as a trophy of sorts. Besides, RR's closing anyway
[Grass] Uh-huh. Well, I'm logging out for a while. Snacks.
[Wujin] Yeah, sure
Grass logged out.
***
"Hm? Where's Cheol?"
"Dunno, go ask his boyfriend Hyun."
"Huh? You guys wanna get PK'd on your last day?"
"Wah, wait! We're just kidding!"
"Heeeeey, Hyun, what are they talking about?"
"Not you too Eun-byul! And what's with your eyes, it's scary!"
When Cheol reached the meeting spot, he was greeted by an amusing scene, a Blood Berserker choked to submission by a Dimension Mage.
Truthfully, he wanted to watch the scene a bit longer, but he was running late and didn't want to delay the raid any longer, so he went closer to the party and revealed himself.
"Hello, Cheol here, although in-game I'm called Quartz."
Hyun, pinned to the ground, flashed him a mixture that was half anger (Damn you for being late!) and half gratitude (Thank goodness, you've arrived before my health reached zero!).
"Ach, really!? You didn't even try modifying your avatar's features! Boring." one of the guys said.
"Ahaha, well, it's a pain editing your features. Besides, I wasn't planning on choosing a class that needed good looks."
"Hmph, whatever! If plain and boring's what you like, fine."
Cheol just smiled. He then faced the others.
"So shall we get going? Or is there someone who hasn't arrive yet?"
"Woo-jin, Joon-ki and Iseul are not here." someone shouted.
"Anyone can contact them?" Hyun, freed from Eun-byul's hold, asked.
"I can call Iseul," a girl responded.
"Um, I think Woo-jin's on my friend list...yep, he's here. Lucky, he's logged in. Let me send him a message," another boy said.
"Ah, right, I forgot! Joon-ki said he'll be late for about 15 minutes." a girl uttered, her face apologetic.
Hyun smiled at the girl, his face saying, It's okay, don't mind it, whereas Cheol started doing a few calculations.
"Hm, well the time's a little past 7 pm, so if he comes by 7:15, that should give us only 2 hours and 45 minutes for the final preparations, the traveling and the raid itself." Cheol paused. He then shrugged. "It's ample time, I suppose."
A girl reacted to that. "Are you sure? The dungeon you two chose to raid is pretty close, but it's been deemed by others as having high difficulty. It might take us more than an hour reach the boss, and who knows how long it'll take us to beat it. Besides, there's the cooking, the sharpening, the repairs, and let's not forget about the pots we'll be using."
"True, if the goal was the boss." Cheol countered, a knowing smile dancing on his face.
The girl widened her eyes. Then she also smiled. "Ah, now that I think about it, there is a hidden path in that dungeon that leads to that place." She winked at Hyun. "You guys can be pretty romantic, huh."
"Well, this is the last time we'll be playing this game, so why not log out in the most beautiful place of Royal Road? And stop pinching my arm, Eun-byul!"
"Hmph!"
Ah ah, the idiot couple's at it again, everyone present was thinking.
Then a person interrupted. "Oh, Woo-jin said he's coming. He had some business to attend to, so he didn't notice the time."
"Tell him to come quickly then," Cheol said.
"Okay, will do."
Cheol then turned to the Iseul's acquaintance. "Will she be coming?"
"Although she said no, she sounded unsure. Can we wait for a few more minutes? Let me try persuading her."
Cheol nodded. "It would be nice if she were to come. This is a class activity after all, although it isn't really official."
A few minutes later, Woo-jin arrived panting. "Sorry! I was engrossed in a quest, I didn't notice the time!"
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
A lot of eyebrows were raised.
"A quest? When RR's closing?" Hyun asked the question the everyone had in their minds.
"It was only an E! Besides, the back-story was quite touching, so I just let myself go with the flow. Before I knew it, the meeting time has passed. It's a good thing Ando whispered."
"Well, as long as you're here..." Hyun looked skeptical.
"Whatever, at least you're here," Cheol said to Woo-jin. He then turned to the boy who knew Joon-ki. "So, where is he?"
The boy nodded. "He's online, somewhere in the Plains of Morata."
"Ah, must be to get the Tower's blessings. We won't be needing it though," Hyun mused.
A minute later, a Paladin arrived. "Sorry guys. Went site seeing. Had to, since I'll be missing this place a lot."
Everyone did not say anything. The mood turned somber.
Then a girl gasped.
"Iseul changed her mind! She's coming she says!"
Everyone's somber mood turned a bit lighter. Cheol then instructed the girl to hurry Iseul.
When the clock turned 7:21, Iseul arrived.
With everyone present, the whole class moved toward the dungeon.
***
9:23 PM
"...Beautiful as always."
"It's a sight you can't get tired of."
"Ah, screenshot, screenshot, there...Ugh, it's not as gorgeous as the real one."
"Aw, the Empress is really lucky. For this to be her wedding present."
"Can't believe a simple class can do something like this."
The sight was truly beautiful.
Hills filled with green trees, surrounding a vast lake that was very blue from afar, but was crystal clear when seen upfront. The lake's bed were round pebbles of all colors, and inscribed in each and everyone of the stones were inscribed the words "I cherish you." On the middle of the lake stands a statue of the Empress, her face emotionless but benevolent, her stance emanating the air of majesty, but at the same time that of kindness. It was a statue that showed fierceness, strength, and an aura of command, but at the same time, you can feel a sense of comfort and peace, a feeling of belonging.
A feeling of being home. A feeling of being loved.
Since it was night time, the place's beauty should have been diminished due to the darkness.
However, each pebble in the lake bed gave of a strong light, lighting the whole place. And the amazing part is that although each pebble gave of different light, the eyes admiring the view would not feel any eye strain due to too many colors. For some reason, the cacophony of lights actually relaxes the eyes, and if one isn't careful, you might fall asleep!
The statue also gave a soft light, but it wasn't drowned by the strong light from the lake bed. Instead, the light from the pebbles emphasized the soft light from the statue, making it look more prominent and imposing as compared when the sun is on its zenith!
And all these, done by one sculptor!
And since it was a sculpture done by a famous and well known sculptor, each player that saw it would receive additional buffs.
Ting!
If this was in the past, all of them would have excitedly opened their statuses to check the buffs they received.
But this was the day when Royal Road will close. Why bother checking for bonuses you'll never use?
And so, muting the System alerts, everyone just looked at the scenery.
"...Thanks, Pres and Vice Pres, for letting our last memories of Royal Road be this piece of art."
Hyun and Cheol smiled.
"No problem." Cheol said.
"We've already said this before, but please stop calling us by those titles. The student body has already changed," Hyun supplemented.
"Haha, sure Veep," continued the guy.
"Stubborn," grumbled Hyun. The rest smiled and shared a small laugh.
9:53 PM
"...I suppose it's time to log out." Cheol declared after looking at the time.
"Aw, won't you stay a bit longer?" asked Eun-byul.
"Can't, have a project to finish."
Hyun snorted. "Hmph, just cause you're aiming for that famous university, doesn't mean you have the right to abandon friends."
"Yeah!"
"That's right!"
"Stay with us a little longer, Pres! Ah, I mean, Cheol!"
"Uh-huh."
Cheol smiled. "Fine, but only for 3 minutes. I really need to start doing it."
Then his smile turned into a smirk. "Besides, I wouldn't want my Unicorn account banned all because I forgot to look at the time."
Hyun looked at him with raised eyebrows. Says the man who was late for one minute. Cheol ignored it.
Meanwhile, the other three who were tardy looked down uncomfortably.
Seeing their apologetic looks, Cheol decided to stop his teasing.
"Hey, why don't we have a class picture!"
"""Ooooh!"""
"Great idea!"
"As expected of Cheol!"
"Okay, our background should be the Sculpture of Endearment!"
"Duh! That's obvious, isn't it."
"Sh-shut up. I was only confirming it, okay!"
"Whatever."
After laughing, the students arranged themselves, their backs facing the statue.
When the system told them the shot has been taken, everyone had a smile on their face.
9:55 PM, 5 minutes till servers are closed. Please log out.
When they heard that message, some of the girls started sobbing. A few of the guys also had tears on their eyes, one of which is Hyun.
"D-damn! Too fast! Can't they slow down the time acceleration to 1:1? Damn it, at least give us another hour, no 30 minutes is enough!"
Cheol smiled bitterly. "Can't help it, the management had already decided."
Hyun wiped his tears with his sleeves. Eun-byul beside him also started sobbing.
"...I suggest we log out now. Before we start losing ourselves in our emotions."
Cheol's words silenced the class.
One by one, people started logging out.
9:58 PM, anyone still not logged out by 10:00 PM will be logged out forcibly and their accounts suspended indefinitely. Please log out.
3 people still remained.
"...You go first, Eun-byul, I'll follow soon," Hyun said.
"...Ok. Log out before 10, alright?" Eun-byul responded.
Hyun nodded his assent. Satisfied, Eun-byul logged out.
"...I'll never see her Fokko again, huh," muttered Hyun.
"...So, it's just you and me," he turned to Cheol.
"Uh-huh," sounded Cheol.
A few moments of silence. Hyun broke it first.
"So, Cheol, I have a question."
"Right now? Ask me by phone later."
"No, I want things in Royal Road to stay in Royal Road."
"Ho ho? Good words. Ripped it off from some slogan, didn't you."
"Shut up! A-anyways, how did you change your name from Wujin to Quartz?"
"I didn't."
"...Huh? But you just said you're Quartz..." Hyun checked his friend list.
"...F*ck, really?"
"Yup, I lied."
"I'm gonna have to rethink about our friendship."
"Do whatever you want."
"U-ugh, no hesitation whatsoever. But, really? Lying?"
"Do I have to repeat myself?"
"...Damn, but I'm surprised you weren't caught."
"Well, I didn't have to show my status to them, so of course I won't get caught. Some asked to be friends, but I replied, 'What's the point? RR's going down anyway.' Then they stopped."
"You're one evil bastard, you know."
"PKing isn't exactly what a good person does."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever mister two-faced."
9:59 PM. Last warning. If-
""Mute!""
Hyun and Cheol then looked at each other and chuckled.
"So, this is it. I'll be going first then, Wujin"
"Sure. Good night, Grass...lol."
"What's with the lol! Ugh, I'm gonna punch you tomorrow!"
Hyun then opened the Menu and pressed Log Out.
When the light faded, Cheol made one last look at his surroundings.
"It was a great 3 years, I suppose."
He then opened the Menu and logged out.
***
12:00 AM
Unicorn's Website, News page:
"A new game, a sequel to Royal Road! Introducing, Revolution's Path! New story, familiar land. BUT! More classes, more races, more continents to explore and discover, more quests to undertake!"
(Author's Note: I once wrote something about the implementation of dual classes here. Decided to remove it; it would clash with game mechanics in future chapters. I also wrote something about pvp. Removed, it's unnecessary.)
"Coming out next spring."
"You can start pre-ordering today."
"Note: International release on fall of next year."
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