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Translator: uly
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Midnight Ambush
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I logged out feeling great, high on the cheers from inside the game, only to find texts from my cousin, the vice president.
I'd submitted my resignation to escape the slave class treatment.
[Kim Je-hyun: Hey, Ga-hyun!!!]
[Kim Je-hyun: How could you do this!!]
[Kim Je-hyun: After all I've done for youㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
What the hell have you ever done for me, you psycho!
I nearly lost it at the last message and hit the call button.
But my fingertips trembled.
"Hoo."
That sly fox.
He was trying to bait me into calling him with that infuriating stunt.
"You dog. I'm not falling for it."
I took a shower to cool off my anger.
Tomorrow was the siege war, so I couldn't turn off all notifications, but I muted them just for Kim Je-hyun.
Damn cousin—I had to see him eventually.
But get out of my sight for now.
After blocking Kim Je-hyun, I checked the group chat for my elite guild, complete with its childish yet prideful name.
[Shining_Fullminak_Elite]
The chat was buzzing today about real-life bugs, same as the forums—several links posted on the topic.
"..."
I scrolled through the guildmates' conversation and played one video that caught my eye.
[Real-Life Status Windows?! Comprehensive Breakdown of Late-Stage VFA Addiction Symptom 'Reality Bug' (1)]
Goldbunker production, as expected.
These guys really know how to make killer videos.
The thumbnail alone hooks you.
Goldbunker folks are pros at editing and have great broadcast sense. Plus, one of them used to be in our guild, so it feels familiar.
The two hosts appeared on screen, feigning innocence with wide eyes.
["Huh? You see game status windows in real life?"]
["Are you a VFA player by any chance?"]
["Then you've come to the right place."]
The volume suddenly exploded.
["Hey, you crazy bastard!! Get to a psych ward right now! It's assholes like you making people push to ban VFA, you public menace—!!"]
"Pfft."
I burst out laughing without meaning to.
They build it up nice and slow, then smack you hard.
["If you spot someone claiming to see game status windows, please drag them straight to a mental hospital."]
["VFA is precious, after all."]
["It's our lifeline. Protect our dear VFA, please."]
["So, this 'reality bug' is basically this horrific phenomenon."]
The hosts clicked their mouse a few times and pulled up screenshots of posts from people claiming they had reality bugs.
["Typically, seeing status windows with your eyes."]
["Oh, this one touched the window and got a 'system not ready yet' message. Kinda systematic, which makes it scarier."]
["Okay, fine, whatever. But bound hero skill windows? Is Midgard some isekai? What, turns out NPCs are real people?"]
["You've watched too much fantasy. Snap out of it and get your meds ASAP."]
["I'm saying this out of pity, bro."]
The other host nodded along, looking like he was about to die of sympathy.
Why do their faces have to be so damn funny.
"Puhuhu, kuhuhu."
I was supposed to sleep soon, but laughing at this was chasing sleep away.
As a VFA veteran, I already knew all about reality bugs, but the show itself was hilarious.
I binged the reality bug controversy breakdown up to part 3, laughing my ass off, then lay down.
"Ha."
Wanted more, but time to sleep.
Gonna sleep solid and grind in-game all day starting tomorrow morning.
"..."
The ceiling flickered.
Exhausted from dealing with Kim Je-hyun all day, I slipped into comfortable drowsiness.
Just as sleep was about to take me, a weird noise hit my ears.
Ding! Ding!
[SpaceKing's raid!]
[Weichen is surrounded!]
[Guildmates urgently calling for the guild master!]
[Emergency!]
[Wake up!]
My eyes snapped open.
"?!"
I bolted upright.
The moment I did, reality rushed back, and I realized it was all a dream.
"...Ha, what."
It was a dream.
Shouldn't have watched reality bug videos before bed.
I pressed my eyes shut, then swept my hair back and checked the digital clock.
[02:29]
I'd slept some—time had passed.
"..."
I lay back down and glanced at my phone.
Notifications off, so no clue if Kim Je-hyun kept raging.
But just suppose.
A reality bug hits, turns out it's real, and suddenly I can use neural commands in real life.
What happens to my life then?
['Get to a psych ward right now!']
The voice from the video echoed in my head.
"..."
Yeah, right.
VFA players these days would straight-up commit you.
Me, overimmersed to the point of—
I closed my eyes, felt a pang of self-loathing, and passed out quick.
Drring— drring—
"!"
The phone rang, eyes open again.
Quiet dawn.
The digital clock on the bedside table read:
[2:57]
Only 30 minutes of sleep, up again.
"You crazy fuck..."
Irritated, I scowled at my phone.
Gotta be the resignation.
Vice President Kim Je-hyun bombarded KakaoTalk till bedtime, so this call's definitely him.
Or so I thought.
Before checking caller ID and unleashing my rage, an urgent voice drilled into my ear.
["Ambush hit."]
"...What?"
It was Kali on the line.
["SpaceKing brought NPC troops and launched a surprise attack!"]
Holy shit.
My upper body shot up.
"Intel leak?!"
We had our trump card ready for tonight's scheduled siege, and now a surprise attack?
Kali replied.
["Doesn't seem like it. From the situation, SpaceKing's targeting Goldbunker, not us. Their NPC hero training sucks. That's the weak point."]
"Ha. Still, a surprise attack right at this timing..."
NPC surprise wars before official VFA sieges.
Those had died out ages ago unspoken.
Too many player inconveniences—no one did them.
Tons of restrictions in surprise attacks; players can't fight properly.
24-hour logout on death, plus insane 'karma' buildup from kills on NPCs or players, screwing you for the siege.
Why the hell do that insane rear support grind till siege starts!
["SpaceKing has vast territory, so massive NPC forces. They're throwing everything at us for the final siege commemoration."]
"Bastards."
["We'll let Goldbunker and SpaceKing slug it out, hold war mode steady. Got our hidden card ready too—honestly, confident for this siege."]
"Hidden card's useless in a surprise attack."
["Come on, no way we can't hold. Guild master will handle it."]
"..."
Talking like it's someone else's problem.
That guild master is me.
["Hurry and log in. Goldbunker's already in the thick of it."]
I furrowed my brow, heading out of the bedroom.
"Why contact me now?"
["Who'd guess SpaceKing would ambush at this hour. They had illusions up—only visible now."]
Had our hidden card, relaxed waiting for official war, and lightning strikes.
"What's our situation?"
["A bit distant, but collision soon. Hurry. Even logging in now, you'll enter mid-fight."]
I cursed reflexively and flung open the door to the room with my gaming rig.
Shuffled to the machine.
"Ah."
["What?"]
"Almost brained myself."
["Careful. You die, we're done."]
"Don't overdo it."
["You know it's not."]
Still groggy, fumbling hands rushed to power it on.
Click. Whirr—
Sat inside the glowing dome machine in the dark.
Treasure of my life #1.
Sold the luxury foreign car—gift from Kim Je-hyun's older brother at hiring—for this top-tier full-dive VR rig.
"Ha..."
NPC surprise attacks, barely done anymore—who dreamed this up? SpaceKing couldn't know something, right?
It's my hidden card.
"How long till official siege?"
["Roughly 16 hours."]
"Too long."
["Long enough to let guards down, short enough to sting. Goldbunker proposed alliance till official siege."]
"Alliance? We're distant."
["SpaceKing basically took Weichen. Toying with it, but yeah."]
Wait.
Sieges are territory land-grab wars; Weichen's the last prize territory this siege.
"Weichen's already taken?"
["That's why the ambush."]
"..."
Strength drained from me instantly.
Weichen taken already. Can't get worse.
Poured my soul into a cheat-level hidden card, and reality force-balances it.
["Dude, log in for real. SpaceKing's full commit."]
Kali urged again.
"Logging in."
["OK."]
Call ended.
"Hoo."
Mind reeling, caught my breath.
Leaned back in the chair comfortably, and daily routine auto-logged me into the game.
["Welcome to VR for Adults. Last login: 4 hours, 47 minutes, 18 seconds ago."]
["Scanning."]
Faint light scanned me fully.
["Biometrics complete."]
My account avatar formed on screen.
Station lights all out, devices whirred on either side of my head.
Whiiiir—
Closed my eyes.
Sank fast under inky black water, pierced through dark depths, surfaced opposite side.
VR for Adults.
Initially, uproar over the decent game name sounding like porn, or disappointment it wasn't smut.
That clickbait success.
["Welcome."]
Game blew up quick.
Tons of VR games out there, but VFA stood unrivaled in quality.
Insane realism.
Neural sense, the third sense.
Hyper-detailed world that breathed, NPCs beyond believable AI.
Players know best.
Why VFA mass-produces reality bugs and extreme immersion addicts.
Isekai-like VR sieges.
Players conquer Midgard's lands via sieges, become gods of that world.
["Fullminak Guild Master, Kaisha, has logged in."]
That's VFA.