n

n

n

"In any case, that is about it. You should try it out now, if you have the free time.

" Joren added after a slight pause.

"The true test will naturally be when the game starts up again, right how are you doing?

"

nEldrian quickly filled them in about their rankings, even though he was certain they already knew. After that, they quickly explained to him how the immersion chair worked, Eldrian climbing onto it as soon as they left.

nAlright, this is kinda weird. He thought as he lied back onto the chair, there was no headset and so he ended up staring at the roof of his room as he tried doing what Joren had said.

n

"System... Collect data.

" He spoke first, a speaker installed in the chair soon replying.

n

"Please try not to move.

" It spoke with a cold female voice. The LED lights all started shining, then shimmering and soon seeming like fairy lights as they lit up in random order. After nearly five minutes, with Eldrian struggling to not move, the system finally spoke again.

n

"Analysis complete, would you like to dive?

"

nWith an unsure yes Eldrian found himself quickly losing feeling throughout his body. This moving up his body until even his eyes were closed and his mind drifted to sleep. Luckily the process did not last much longer than a second or two, or the disconnect would be truly frightening.

nSimilar to when he used a new headset, Eldrian found himself in a dark room, instead of his virtual home.

n

"User, please do remember that the device used to connect is still a prototype. As such a data acquisition will now be done, but first, connection test.

"

nWith that wisps similar to the ones before appeared before Eldrian.

"These wisps will guide you in the connection test, first, focus on the purple one and keep it in sight...

" From there Eldrian quickly ran through all the tests as if it was his first time connecting.

nAfter an hour he finally finished,

"Connection is stable, no malfunctions have been detected. Next, data gathering.

"

nNot understanding what it meant Eldrian was shocked as holographic figures appeared in front of him.

"Please imagine a weapon you would like to fight with.

"

nOh, so this is like the new headset's test. He thought as he envisioned a spear.

n

"Good, now please defeat the opponent.

"

nAlright, Eldrian thought, the hologram also appearing with a spear. Waiting a few seconds Eldrian realized that it was not going to take the initiative, so he did. Lunging forward he aimed for its chest, the hologram swiping his attack away and then striking at him.

nJumping back Eldrian dodged the attack, slightly shocked at the force behind its block. His spear having nearly flown out of his hand, as he regripped he also realized just how real the holographic spear in his hand felt. This is new...

nYet Eldrian couldn't linger on this as the hologram kept pressing on him, quickly finding himself hopeless as the spear in his hands was but a spear. But that in the hologram's was like a part of it, like an extension of its hands. Often even seeming alive, able to bend and attack at the weirdest angles. Finally, Eldrian failed in dodging, and a stinging pain burst through his mind as he spat out blood, but no blood came out of his mouth.

n

"Pain being adjusted, please continue.

" The cold female voice rang out, Eldrian doing his best to simply not let another hit land. He felt truly hopeless as he realized that this hologram was truly not making any mistakes.

nEach and every one of its attacks would also be a block, or lead up to a following attack which also had another function. It never overswung, never misplaced its weight. Soon he failed in bringing the shaft to block, the holographic spear slicing through his arm and Eldrian falling to the floor screaming from the pain.

nHis arm was still there, still attached and intact. Yet the pain he felt was like it had been severed.

"Pain being adjusted, please continue.

" The robotic female voice rang out and Eldrian wished only to curse at it. Instead, he rolled to the side to not end up pierced through.

n

"Stop!

" Eldrian shouted in the midst of just trying to bear with the pain. He had long since dropped his holographic spear. Luckily it seemed the system obeyed his command as the hologram he was fighting stopped with its spear centimeters from piercing his head. He dared not imagine the pain it would have caused.

n

"User, please continue the fight. Data acquisition is not yet enough.

"

n

"Fuck that! Turn of the pain first!

" Eldrian countered with little care or tact. He didn't quite get how this chair could be safe if the pain wasn't being checked. Surely this could lead to trauma.

n

"Pain is part of the acquisition, please continue.

"

n

"No!

" Eldrian was determined to not end up dead here. While he didn't think it would actually do him harm, he did not want to know what it felt like to get his head pierced by a spear. And naturally, if it could become a trauma was unknown.

n

"The fight can be reset, please continue.

" The voice rang out.

nEldrian, completely fed up by its persistence shouted,

"Log out!

"

n

"User cannot log out, data acquisition must first be finished. Fight restarted. User, please attack the target.

"

nThe **? Eldrian was stunned as he heard the cold voice say this, looking up he saw the hologram back to its starting position. Slowly standing up himself Eldrian looked at it with slight fear, his arm still burning, but the pain bearable now.

nHe was not currently in the game world, and as he had learned the past few days, he was not a master with the spear. He could do well, but this hologram seemed to be perfect.

"Change weapon,

" Eldrian said as he hoped it would not be so good with a longsword.

nYet again he found himself with little room for surviving once he attacked the hologram. Its movements flowing into each other with never a fault, at one point it had even used its hilt to disarm him. At which Eldrian had promptly shouted stop just before it could slice his head off.

n

"Are you trying to kill me!?

" Eldrian shouted as he jumped back to get the holographic sword away from his neck.

n

"Data acquisition in progress. There is no intent on killing the user, only in get data. Please continue.

"

nThis is insane! If only I had magic. Eldrian sighed as he realized he was stuck, he didn't know how. Surely Joren and Gengxin should have warned him of this, yet they had not. Is this a fault? Already?

n

"Reset!

" Eldrian was quite pissed now, though luckily the last fight had ended before he was cut through by the holographic sword.

n

"Spear,

" Eldrian said next, looking at the hologram with apprehension. While he was not a stranger to pain, pain for no reason was not something he welcomed. Alright, just be ready to shout stop. Eldrian told himself as he charged at the hologram.

nFive hours later, lying on the ground and unwilling to move, Eldrian stared at the spear with its tip piercing his chest. He had been late to shout stop, and now he dared not move as he knew not what will happen. He even tried not breathing too much air in.

n

"Re-reset,

" Eldrian mumbled, relieved as the burning pain in his chest left.

"How far is the data acquisition?

"

n

"Session has been fruitful, though it is still not enough. Next match there will be no stopping, and start.

" The system voiced, Eldrian not understand until he saw the hologram charging at him.

nCursing he jumped up and brought his spear to defend himself, yet his thoughts were a mess and the pain from the last match still not having faded completely. In a daze, he only remembered blocking in the hope of the match being stopped. It was not, and soon he felt his heart pierced.

nHis mind failing to process, the pain unbearable, Eldrian got kicked out of the black room. Jumping up in the chair he reached for his chest, glad to find no hole there, even though the pain was still vivid in his mind.

nWhat the actual hell? He thought as he felt his heart beating insanely fast, contrasting the last moments where he had clearly felt it stopped. Not wasting a moment he grabbed his Miracle-issued tablet. Sending both Gengxin and Joren a message asking for an explanation.

nJust minutes later Gengxin rushed in,

"What are you talking about, there should have just been the connection test.

"

n

"Well that was clearly wrong. I had been stuck in life and death fights, the last one I couldn't even stop it anymore. Do you know how it feels to have your heart pierced?

" Eldrian asked as those last minutes replayed in his mind and the with it the pain.

n

"What do you mean, many players have experienced that.

"

n

"Without pain reduction,

" Eldrian added, this small sentence leaving Gengxin without words and in disbelief.

n