VRMMO - Breach

Chapter IX

The atmosphere in the Playland Club was chill. People finally flocked into the building to play the game. Mostly they were teenagers who just came out of school, it was understandable. The adults still had their jobs while the teenagers finished their lessons.

Nonetheless, those students will have to leave soon. Their homework won’t be done by themselves. Pyro was prepared even for this case. He had done his homework ahead of time.

'"Exemplary student." Desmond said with a 'tch' in the end.

Yes, Pyro was the type of guy in the class to say that he didn't know anything but passed every test with the highest grades. It was a big mystery to Desmond. He wanted to learn the secret behind his classmates' good grades. How could a gaming nerd like him do so well?

"So, you are saying that you played against DivineCrown, huh?"

Desmond deadpanned, "Pyro, you are saying this as if you haven't watched the video." He said it while glancing at his friend, a little jealous.

"Yeah, Alice and I decided to play a game or two before you finish classes."

Simon didn't retell the entire game but explained what exactly happened in a detailed manner. Pyro was curious about how the guy played. Desmond had to admit, that the guy had some skills.

He wasn't bragging. Hell, he probably didn't know what his achievements meant. The nonchalance he displayed made it clear that Simon was just a talented player playing the game for the first time.

Alice also energetically chimed into the conversation and praised her partner. Though she left out her ridiculous death moment, it was embarrassing.

"Alice, imagine getting killed by one of the Divines. Couldn't be me."

The girl's brows twitched, but she maintained her composure well in front of Simon. "I was distracted; I was giving information to my teammate, you see."

"I smell excuses."

Alice paid no mind, she knew he was playing with her. Thankfully, Desmon was to back the pink-haired girl today. Together, they formed an anti-Pyro gang and proceeded to counterattack.

"Yeah, you'd die before meeting any of the Divines."

"Wha-! I'm not that bad at PVP!" Pyro shouted in retaliation. His words held no meaning for the two. They were grinning like madmen, knowing they had won.

Pyro wasn't bad, but he wasn't good in PVP either. He didn't spend much time playing against other players, he wasn't even trying to compete with them. He had an average arcade stage, and the girl could confidently say she was better in that aspect. Not because he lacked the skills for it, but because he wasn't interested in PVP in the first place.

"Meh, talk to me after you're going to earn something from this game."

This was the great comeback from Pyro. Of everyone in this facility, he was earning the most from this game. That was quite the feat considering how many "better" players were gathered here.

"That's a nice argument, but why did you drive off the conversation?"

This carried on for minutes. Everything stupid they could find in their brains, they just took it out on display. Even Alice stared at them stupidly. She, for a moment, also glanced to see what Simon's reaction was. He was just smiling, not in a creepy way.

This reminded Simon of his own childhood, when his character was exactly like those two. extremely stubborn and persistent. He has grown and can see what he was like in his teenage years from the side.

'Beautiful times…'

The days when he didn’t have to worry about the future or his job. He had friends to go out with and lived with his parents. Isn't that the most beautiful part of a child's life?

Yes, it was, and it is quite sad that something good always comes to an end. The memories still live on though...

"Why don't we just test it out in the game?"

The pink-haired girl got tired of the argument, those suggest the most logical idea in this entire conversation. Which received a nod from Simon, thus later by the two classmates.

Desmond and Pyro finished their meals to replenish the energy they needed for the game, and the group finally dived into the game.

{Connect to Playland Lobby}

For Simon, this already become a usual procedure. He just clicked on the button and teleported to the lobby in the usual way. People were still gathering here, literally in masses. This was because of the new mission.

He could already see Alice. A friend icon was floating over her avatar, and she also noticed him pretty quickly. Their avatars remained the same from the last time, but this couldn't be said about Pyro.

Today he joined from his different account. The main one. He had different gear, and different weapons. Everything was different and a lot stronger. His level was maxed to the point where there was literally no exp to be added.

"Yo!" Pyro waved at them and quickly did some machinations on the menu. "Accept my party invites."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

*Click*

{You've accepted Gh0st_Pyro's party invitation.}

{Username: Gh0st_Pyro

Level: 100

Arcade Stage: #5

Time Played: 2121 Hours}

Now that was the real deal. This account was absolutely maxed out when it came to good gear and statistics, but it was to be expected from Pyro. He only did that and just played free world all along.

The avatar was built just for PVE missions. To make hitboxes smaller, Pyro deliberately made his avatar smaller. To give a better perspective of this avatar's size, it was two times smaller than Simon's, maybe even three. There was also dark hair and dark eyes, with tanned skin.

"What's up, Shorty."

Someone put all their body weight on poor Pyro. A newly arrived person towered over the dark-haired teen and looked down on him. Not that there was much difference in their age…

Pyro shook his head, "If only you were this tall, irl."

In reality, Pyro was even taller than this guy. Just by a bit, but the difference could be seen with the naked eye. Desmond was just an average-looking guy. In terms of looks, he was decent. His avatar did him only justice as he only changed height and added some cosmetics.

In the game, he was the same height as Simon.

"Tell me, what does this height even give you? You are just an easier target." Pyro couldn't help but comment.

"Unlike some, we are just trying to enjoy the game."

"Says who?!"

Desmond's attempt to sound cool and seem nonchalant failed. He was a nerdy one just like his classmate, and was even more frustrated about the inability to gain fame and money from the game.

"That's true, though."

Desmond and Pyro looked at the pair of tall man and short woman. They deadpanned. What did they have to worry about? In their eyes, they were already independent people. Good looks, source of income. For them, it was easier of course… or was it? They were too young to know how the world worked behind the scenes.

Pyro's eyes were raised suddenly, "Wait… I didn't expect you to enjoy this game, Alice." He clearly remembered Alice always grunted about how bad this game was and how she wasted so much time on it.

Maybe, that was because she was talking to her girl-friends about life problems... but it was still eerie and suspicious. How come?

Alice's face formed into that of surprise, as if she didn't expect these words.

"W-Well, you see, I want to enjoy the game. For what reason did I start playing this then if not that?"

Pyro nodded, "That's a valid reason." Of course, it was. Alice sighed in relief. Thankfully, her answer was accepted.

"What about Simon?" Desmond's curiosity showed itself.

"Same, I just liked the game. I enjoyed the first few games, so I thought, why not play it more."

"Damn, just like that…" Desmond received a nod from Simon.

It was unbelievable to him that the complete newbie in the game had better statistics than him in a match with the Divine. Desmond also dismissed the idea of this guy being a pro, because there were no real players with this appearance. Simon looked too good to be a stuck-in player in this game...

He struggled to accept Simon's superiority over him in part for this reason. His playtime was a thousand hours longer!

{Username: Dreadnought

Level: 94

Arcade Stage: #4

Time Played: 1121 Hours}

"You are on the same arcade stage as Alice." Simon noted.

"Yeah, but I'd have been on higher if not for Pyro wasting my time with constant grinds."

Simon raised a brow, "So are you better than Alice?" If he was, then maybe he was an opponent to worry about. He wasn't arrogant enough to consider himself better than Alice. It was just one game, where the girl got unlucky by facing a near-professional.

"Well, I should be."

Alice grinned, "Hah, you want to test it out, little boy?" Ironically, she said that when he was looking down on her like a kid.

"Sure, we can do that. I can also show Pyro how good I am." Desmond smiled smugly, at which, his classmate just clicked his tongue.

"Fewer words, more action. You just gonna brag around or what?"

"Launch the two versus two lobby."

…

The squad spawned in the arena, which resembled that of a Colosseum. There were barriers installed for shooters to take cover and use them to their advantage. The area… was pretty large as well. A few hundred meters.

"Alright, Simon listen up."

Pyro still had to explain how this particular mode worked, even though Simon already had an idea of what it was about. First of all, they didn't launch into one versus one because they wanted to spectate, second of all, this was just one versus one but with two players on the sidelines.

"The gear and guns will have absolutely the same statistics, so it doesn't matter what you choose. Only weapons with some classifications will be different."

Basically, the weapons are vastly different from each other. Assault, support, recon, and many more existed in the game. Of course, you'd expect a sniper to one shot, right? And don't just damage in the same way a sub-machine gun does. The weapon caliber had a meaning.

"Alright, play on assault rifles. It doesn't matter which one."

A menu popped in front of them, and Alice and Desmond chose their weapons quickly. The operative contemplated his choices for a long time... He wanted something familiar. Fortunately, he found one. The weapon was easy to use in close quarters and move around freely.

"Hm, a weird choice." Pyro noticed the gun appearing in Simon's hand and commented. Others were as confused. "So, who is going first?"

"Let me go first!" Alice eagerly volunteered to face Desmond.

"Alright, let it be. So the first match is Alice against Desmond. Don't lose Alice, you have already warmed up."

"That one doesn't count, it was just one match where I died quickly."

{3}

{2}

{1}

{The game has commenced.}