“Daddy, can we go to the stream?”
“In the afternoon.”
“Yey! Let’s do it, Daddy. Mommy should come, too.”
“Alright, I will.”
“Yey!”
“Tihihihi… Yey!”
“Meow.”
…
‘He is finally here!’
Dane felt like he was about to pass out from exhaustion.
‘Three days. Freaking three entire days. How did you even disappear?’
They knew Jason wasn’t in the apartment, and they had reasons to believe Jason wasn’t in the house in the Endless.
They checked his apartment the entire time, and he never came out of the cabin. Also, Hanna’s gloomy mood was enough for him to guess Jason wasn’t inside the house. Nothing could make this little girl gloomy other than missing her dad.
‘And Amelia never allowed us to go in. So he was somewhere else, and she didn’t want us to know.’
Without Amelia’s permission, it was impossible to go in and look for Jason.
Even if they wanted to, no one could even stand in front of Amelia if she didn’t want them to stand.
Dane thought about what Jason said about Amelia before; the strongest of them all. He wondered how accurate this was but wasn’t keen on finding out. No one in Light Shone could measure Jason or Amelia’s strength. If they showed their all-out power, it would mean there was serious trouble in Light Shone.
‘Like that war… Damn, why did you go missing?’
Alexandria sent an emergency message two days ago that the enemy armies were moving towards their border. The moment Alexandria fell, the Brodice Kingdoms would soon target Light Shone as their next conquest.
However, this was the least of the worries Dane had at the moment. The war was a big thing, but the issue with the players who got stuck in Alexandria, followed by the clash between various factions over the Death Knight rune became a priority.
Also, there was an issue with their government.
Everyone wanted something, and that included the rune-crafting technology.
‘Sigh. So much happened within three days.’
The Light Shone was almost as busy as the days of celebration for the past three days, and the players showed signs of frustration after being stuck in this small kingdom. The resources became thin because of the great appetite the players had.
‘Or was it that?’
Dane felt his thought process was ridiculous.
It wasn’t that the resources became thin. The resources the players could harness even after a full year in The Endless were too little, everyone wanted a piece of the scraps they could chew.
Alexandria was more than big enough for the current number of players here, but many wanted to stick around the Forest Edge, the beginner village. The players were stuck at their levels, but not many weren’t willing to give up.
‘This is the next thing. This wasn’t how we planned this to go.’
The Endless wasn’t a simple game, and there were no level-ups and stats. The only reason they had to play this was to establish their future. Still, they expected the regular players who joined The Endless to give up the game.
Actually, it almost came to that, but there was an abnormality that appeared out of nowhere. Something no major force in the world expected to manifest.
‘Well… We are responsible for creating it.’
Dane had no doubt Jason was the most exceptional player of all.
Rather, Jason was the only human who adapted to a world of magic and power at an alarming rate. Sure, even without them, he would still be a mighty player who would eventually be a force to be reckoned with. However, he wouldn’t have shone so brightly without their interference.
‘Even if he shines, he would have been in a lot of trouble without us.’
Back on Earth, they were Jason’s best supporters and protectors. Without them, there would be many who would do their best to take advantage of Jason and his power.
‘But he is the reason for everything. No independent player wants to give up on The Endless.’
Jason was the one who held the bar for the normal players.
Everyone who had no backing from established gaming studios or powerful factions that knew the truth followed Jason as their example. A solo player with no prior gaming experience took dominance in the most difficult and most MMORPG game in history. To those people, Jason was the prime example of success.
In fact, some considered Jason to have a story from the novels.
A guy who made it big in a game and made it all the way to real life. He had money and power in the game, and he had the same privileges in real life. Because of Jason’s existence, many who found The Endless to be almost impossible refused to give up.
Some joined various factions to provide them with information on the Crystal Pulse and Jason Hope. The others found themselves establishing themselves in small kingdoms where immortal warriors had a place. Another group relied on the Crystal Pulse even if they didn’t receive the exclusive contracts.
For those who joined the Crystal Pulse, the Endless became a part-time job, and the exclusive players had the best of both. They could play the game while resting and have the rest of their time free on Earth.
‘We are paying them more than enough, and it is another topic he had to bring up with Jason.’
Almost all exclusive players of the Crystal Pulse earned a considerable wage by simply doing their missions. This was more than enough for them to have a comfortable life on Earth without another job. However, this brought the question if they would make the Crystal Pulse an official gaming guild.
‘If we can survive the war, we can make it official.’
Dane knew they didn’t have the financial capabilities to sustain these players, but Jason, the Sky News, and the Aegis had the means to sustain their exclusive players.
‘I can’t believe Jason is making that much money here. But we are really rich.’
The business Jason did outside the Light Shone was far from reaching the level of Sky News, but it was way bigger than anyone would imagine. The resources they made were enough for them to live in this village without worry for the rest of their lives.
‘Why aren’t you coming out? We have to discuss all these today?’
Dane became impatient as he heard the voices from inside the house.
He saw Samson and others prepare to escort Jason as usual.
‘Well… They are lively.’
He saw all of Jason’s guards become spirited as they heard the voices from inside.
He knew all the natives in this group were former bandits who followed Jason to Light Shone. They considered Jason as their salvation and all of them became nervous after Jason went missing for three days.
As for the players who acted as Jason’s guards, only a few of them knew why Jason was so important to them. Among them, Samson was the most loyal to Jason, and Dane knew this mature agent had reasons to be this loyal to Jason.
‘If Jason didn’t find that method, Samson would have never advanced.’
All of them knew Samson couldn’t use Mana or Natural energy like others, and Jason was the one who introduced the Mechanical force to Samson. As a man who looked for ways to secure a future for his son, Samson was eternally grateful to Jason for the opportunity he got.
The guards assembled in front of the house, and Dane saw several players run out as they saw the change. No one knew Jason had disappeared for three days, but it was obvious he wasn’t in the game for the past three days; at least he didn’t come out of the house.
The behaviour of Jason’s personal guards was enough to send the message to everyone else that the man was back in the game.
‘Damn… He is the true king.’
Dane could hear the increasing sounds from the village, and he could imagine the news being circulated about Jason’s return.
‘I can’t blame them. It was stressful for all of us.’
The last three days were stressful for the entire village, and they needed their king to return.
‘It is as if they know.’
Dane admitted he also felt the same.
‘Everything is going to be okay.’
The moment he returned, everything would be okay.
“Mmm… Jason…?’Dane realised he couldn't keep his eye contact with Jason.‘What is that thing?’His eyes followed the fairy that was flying around Hanna. Apparently, Hanna felt like coming with her Daddy instead of staying home. ‘She must be upset about her absence.’Since Jason wasn't there for three days, Hanna looked extra clingy, and no one could blame the little girl. She had the trauma of being abandoned by everyone, and she desperately clung to the hope that she had someone who loved her. There were no complaints about Hanna’s appearance at their important meeting, but Dane realised he wasn’t the only one distracted by the appearance of the creepy thing. ‘It looks like a Fairy…? But what the hell is with those teeth?’“Tihihihi….”Every time it laughed flying around Hanna, Dane could only focus on the razor-sharp teeth inside its little mouth. He wasn’t sure if it was a fairy or some creature from horror movies. However, Hanna seemed to love it a lot, and she called it Fai
“Look, that is Ethan, he is an NPC.”“We know who that is. It is Jason’s student from the Wizard Tower.”“Is he here to answer us?”“Why are they sending an NPC? Is this a quest?”“I don’t think we can trigger quests like this….”Various voices and whispers came from the group of players as they saw Ethan appearing from the village gate. “He is not coming here. He must be here to announce something.”…The players grew impatient as Ethan stood there in silence without making any sound. The village guards stood between the players and Ethan to prevent them from bothering Ethan.“So… They still fear the guards. I guess they have some use.”Xanders raised his brow in amusement.“They aren’t very useful at the moment, not unless they reach the Master-level within the next year.”Jason was too busy playing with Hanna to look at the situation outside the gate. “Master-level? Do you want all the guards to reach the master level? Kid, we are talking about Aura users.”Xanders looked at Jason
“Jason… Are you going to participate in the interview?”“Just get it ready. I will be there.”Jason shrugged as he walked away from Bruce. He wondered why they needed another interview about the influence of gaming from him. After all, he knew his status as a popular gamer in The Endless. Sky News basically worked for him regarding The Endless, and this interview looked quite the opposite of supporting his cause. However, Jason found it to be intriguing, and he wondered what he should speak about.‘Maybe about the recent events? Or maybe a hint about the truth? Whatever, I will just answer accordingly.’He had yet to return to Earth since he came back from the simulation, but Jason felt more at home in Light Shone. ‘Was it because I lived a long time in Yuriel in my past life, or is it because of what I have here?’He entered the house in thought.“Daddy!”“Hey!”A smile naturally came to his face when he heard Hanna’s cheerful call.“Wash up. I am almost done with Dinner.”“Alrigh
“Good Afternoon, everyone. We are back with another episode of the most famous VR game of the century, The Endless. And today we have someone infamous. A man known for his charisma and leadership in The Endless with his daring and epic adventures. Please welcome Jason Hope; exclusively on Sky News.”Chris started with his charm and smile as the stage lit up, focusing on Jason Hope.“Jason, it is a pleasure to meet you again. So we are here for a round of question and answer with you about The Endless. As for our live audience, you can present your questions through our social media channels and SMS or even through a direct call. As for social media, we will go for the questions with the highest ratings first. So grab your phones to connect live with your favourite celebrity.”His enthusiastic words met with a simple nod from Jason, and Chris felt it was appropriate. To their viewers and those who played The Endless, Jason Hope was a man who was as tall as a mountain.“So… Jason. Than
- Hahaha, he did it again! I wonder how many people Jason traumatised this time. I am sure those conspiracy theorists are fuming right now. - The complete guide to Mana Breathing is online. This guide is even better than what most NPCs could teach you. Go and learn. - The Mana Breathing technique that cost a thousand player lives. Is it worth it? Definitely! A moment of silence for their brave sacrifice. - Mana Breathing is open to everyone! What do the developers have to say? Are they going to ignore Jason Hope simply changing the dynamics of The Endless as he pleased?- Huge advantage for newcomers to The Endless. The number of VR cabin sales tripled within the last 24 hours. - Will the old players fall into a competitive disadvantage? Yes or No? Detailed analysis.- More Mega Guilds entering The Endless - New recruitments and mass purchases of VR cabins. - Is there a way to hack the VR cabins to switch accounts? Several black market deals on VR cabins are scams. DO NOT SELL YOU
“They are testing the waters.”Xanders looked at the hurried message with complicated feelings. “Shouldn’t we take some action, Master Xanders?”Dane had a headache thinking about the situation they had at their hands. Jason just stirred up a storm on Earth, and he felt as if he was looking at an endless stream of dark clouds charging in their direction on Yuriel. ‘We all knew a war was coming, but what exactly is this?’There were cases like putting bounties on criminals in real life, but this was an entirely different situation.They would put a bounty on criminals or enemies in hiding, not on a person who was in plain sight. He felt this was similar to someone putting a bounty on the leader of a country. The others were still busy with other matters, and he hurried here the moment he heard the news. A player had recorded the video of the news coming to another faction, and Xanders confirmed the moment he logged into the game. “Do you think this is even an effective plan?”“Huh
“All these targets, they are going after those who are away from the Brodice Kingdom. He is out for blood. Your Majesty, I wonder if he is not afraid of them.”The king’s council of Alexandria looked tenser than ever. They already had the problem with the army of the Brodice Kingdom pressuring them on the borders, and there were heavy military operations from the Crystal Pulse. Although they hadn’t started the attacks on the bandits and outlaws, it was obvious it was a matter of time before they started the massacre. Although the Crystal Pulse wasn’t their direct enemy, Alexandria was under constant pressure to have another powerful party with whom to share their borders. This was especially stressful for them when there were no clear borders between Light Shone and Forestedge. The Crystal Pulse currently operated surrounding the Forestedge, and it was overstepping the boundaries of Alexandria. The strategy of securing a safe trade route was good, but the nobles across Alexandria s
“Is it online?”“Yes, Chief.”“How is the reaction?”“I think it looks very violent, Chief. There is an outburst of responses.”“Good.”Despite his words, Magnus’s face showed no hint of comfort. “And Jason?”“He will stay on Yuriel for the time being, Chief. Amelia said she is keeping him there indefinitely. As long as this problem isn’t solved.”“Do you think she knows something?”Magnus rubbed his temple. Technically, there was no way for Jason to know the gaming cabin could transport him to another world. Even if an NPC told him so, it would be impossible to believe. ‘It isn’t like he could handle that kind of secret with such grace.’He believed it would be too much for even a man like Jason Hope. However, Amelia’s behaviour made him suspicious of her knowledge about their world. She knew how to arrange security and cover blindspots against modern weapons. This shouldn’t have happened if Amelia was from a magical world. Besides, her plan looked almost flawless, and even Magn