VRMMO - Breach

Chapter IV

Arcade-Mode was just a compilation of many mini-games that the world knew. Capture the flag, Battle Royale, Deathmatch, and many more. Non-surprisingly, the Battle Royale was the most popular.

Alice and Simon spawned in the lobby with those mini-games, there were stands that you simply stood on so that you would be automatically teleported to the mini-games. They still had to decide which one to play.

The girl was adamant about playing the Battle Royale with Simon because she was good at it. Simon shrugged and just replied, "alright." Alice jumped up in excitement and dashed off with him to a specific stand.

‘Finally, I can show him how good I am!’

Before she could step onto the platform, Simon stopped her for a question. He had no idea how this mode worked.

“I don’t think I know how to play this mode.”

Alice’s brows shot up, “Oh, how could I forget to explain it? Basically, you have to survive with the equipment that you find.”

“I see,” Simon nodded, but he couldn’t understand how a low-level player could compete with many experienced people. “What about the statistics? If we lose, won’t you lose your arcade stage?”

“Don’t worry about those. Statistics are evenly matched in every game, and the arcade stage doesn’t matter if you are playing casual Battle Royale. You can lose and gain it by playing a competitive one.”

As Alice explained how the Arcade Mode works, they finally stepped on a platform and teleported somewhere else. When they arrived in a different environment, Simon took a close look at their surroundings. They were strapped to their seats in two rows.

Alice, in her platinum-haired avatar, was seated right next to him, “So, what’s next?” The young woman just pointed at the window. Simon looked through it and saw that they were approaching an island.

“We should jump out with the parachutes and land in a good spot to get good loot. Then we will kill everyone and win the game.”

Simon deadpanned at the platinum-haired, “That’s easier said than done.”

This plane was filled with ninety-eight other players, and winning this game on the first try…Let’s say the chances weren’t very high. But Alice was very positive about it, and since she knows how this mode works, he’ll trust her.

*Ping*

The red lights in the plane lit up, and the noise of wind whistling entered the cabin. Simon looked back to see the ramp of the plane opening slowly. They were approaching the island, so they’d have to soon jump out.

“Alice, do you know where and when to jump out?”

At his question, Alice just gave a nod and a thumbs up. Simon shrugged and waited for further instructions. They were already flying over the island; many people just unstrapped themselves and right away jumped out of the plane.

The girl placed her hand on his shoulder and just shook her head. ‘It’s not time.’ That’s what she was trying to tell him.

If they jumped out now, they could potentially get swarmed by others. So, Alice was waiting for most of the people to jump out and then picked a better place to land. The plane was already over the island and had passed half of it. It could be said that they were at the center.

“Let’s go!”

So he did by unstrapping himself from the seat and following the girl near the ramp. Before they jumped out, Alice had a few things to explain. First was how to use the parachute; yes, Simon listened even though he knew how to use it. He knew it better than Alice did at that.

“Okay, are you ready?” Alice looked at Simon, expecting some kind of answer. She received a pretty straightforward answer. He jumped out. “Well, I guess he is.” She followed right after and jumped off the plane.

She dived to catch up with Simon. He was surprisingly doing well, as if he was waiting just for her. His limbs were spread so that the resistance actually made him fall a little bit slower. It's a good thing those mechanics were added into the game. Alice floated next to his partner and, signaling him to follow, they continued their dive in quick succession.

Unfortunately, the game didn’t include the feelings a parachutist would experience during the fall, like the wind caressing their cheeks. In a multiplayer combat game, it didn’t matter, but Simon thought it would make the game a lot more enjoyable. There’s a reason why skydivers love to skydive repeatedly.

They neared the ground, but no people were visible because they were at the very end of the island. There were fewer buildings here than towards the center, but at least they wouldn’t get swarmed here.

*Flap* *Flap*

Alice opened her parachute first, and her party member soon did the same.

Simon smiled, “Phew, this feeling never gets old.” From his previous acts, it was easy to deduce that the operative once dealt with parachutes. However, it wasn’t these types that could flip over and do tricks. Still, it was the same.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

*Thud*

Simon landed on the ground after the platinum-haired girl.

“This was exciting. Now go get the loot. Anything that can help us, just grab and save it in your inventory.”

A second later, Alice dashed off to a nearby building. The idea of this game itself was to find anything that could possibly help you survive until you were the last one standing. This required speed and skill.

Simon had no intention of wasting his time and so he ran to a two-story concrete building next to him. Since this place was far away from the center, there were no other players aside from them. He could solely concentrate on looking for something useful.

A useful item was just lying around in the corridor as he entered. That was the first weapon he found. although without any customizations.

{You received the assault rifle "M4A1"}

The weapon was immediately equipped and he held it in his hands, the first mag was also loaded and there were exactly thirty bullets.

'I'd have to search for more.' Simon thought as he moved deeper into the building.

Notifications, all similar in a sense, showed up; Simon was picking up everything that could've been picked up. There was a medic kit similar to Pyro's. Also a set of armor, his "Nightstalker" kit didn't apply to the Arcade Mode.

[Simon, have you found a backpack for yourself?] Alice's voice entered his ears. He literally forgot that they had the radio to communicate here.

He relied on the message from his radio, [No, I have not. My inventory is already full with all the medications and attachments I found.] The avatar couldn't carry any more stuff, the backpack was necessary for Simon.

[Then come out, I have a backpack for you. There's also some other stuff I can give you.]

Simon ran down from the second floor and exited the building. Alice was already waiting for him in a jeep. She gestured to Simon to hop in, and afterward, she drove away with him.

"Here is the backpack."

Simon received the notification that a medium-sized backpack had been given to him. It was automatically worn by his avatar, and a few rows of slots appeared in his inventory. Exactly what he needed.

Simon looked at Alice, "I couldn't find ammo for my gun though."

"Ammo here is gold. Don't waste it. It's really hard to find ammunition, and we have to limit ourselves to what we have. If we are out of it, use any other means."

This was the Arcade Mode, where everything could have value. It's all about competition, even in the simplest of things. Also, this was a way for developers to expand simple weaponry. Players could use... pretty much anything they could carry. Bows and swords, as well as Bazookas on a few occasions.

Speaking of the attachments Simon found, while Alice was driving full speed on the road, he applied those attachments to his gun and built almost the same weapon as his HK in the real world. It just didn't have a silencer, but a dim concealing muzzle.

Meanwhile, Alice tapped on her shoulder. "Look at them!" She was yelling about the people crossing the road in front of her. "I will kill them!"

The car only increased its speed; Alice pressed the pedal. The loud noise coming from the engine was heard by the two guys in front of them. They raised their weapons and aimed at their jeep.

Alice cursed out loud, "Shit!" The operative noticed this as well. He pointed his gun at one of the enemies, with no regard for the car's front window. As the car got a little bit closer,

*Bang!*

The hole was cracked in the glass and a loud shot was heard by Alice.

{You have knocked down player, "JimCarry", from 100 meters away.}

Simon got the notification, and Alice was surprised. She wanted to congratulate him, but that wasn't the time. *Vroom* The car moved as fast as it could and, with another bang, it ran over the knocked avatar of their enemy.

{Your teammate had run over the player, "JimCarry" with a car.}

"We've got one more!"

Alice drifted her car on the asphalt floor; they were now facing the remaining guy. The enemy made a few shots *Clank*. It missed them a little and hit the car's front. Thankfully, the engine was intact.

*Bang!*

Simon made another accurate shot. This time he wasn't going to just knock down his enemy, he was going to kill him. With no helmet protecting the head, even the low-caliber bullet just passed through the skull like butter.

{You have shot the player, "TheCringe", in the head from 79 meters away.}

"Hell yeah."

Simon was happy about his perfect shot, but Alice seemed even happier than he was. She exclaimed, "This was a cool headshot!" She forgot that she was driving and let go of the steering wheel.

His partner had to remind her, "Alice, be careful on the road!" Her eyes snapped. She came close to veering off the road and colliding with a tree.

Fortunately, the car stopped before that happened, and both Simon and Alice exited the car to take the loot from the killed players. The man's shooting prowess, which was superior to her own, astounded the girl. It wasn't just a stroke of luck.

"Simon, when did you learn to play like this? Did Pyro teach you something?"

He shook his head in response, "No, I just know how to shoot from airsoft." That was a great deception. Now Simon wouldn't be bothered with questions about 'how he could handle those guns.'

"You must be a really good airsoft player then." As soon as they were done looting the corpses, Alice said.

Simon chuckled, “Oh yeah, I’m the best at that.” Surely, very good at shooting people in particular.

*Vroom*

They once again got in the car, and Alice turned the engine on. The platinum-haired stepped on the gas and sped up towards the center of the map. The car was racing on the road. ‘Alice, please don’t crash the car.’ Simon had to pray for their safety.