The Virtual Becomes Real

After hearing Chae-rin Yu's story, my face went blank.

I couldn't help it. It was too *absurd a story*, but if it were true, it would be an extremely serious matter.

Things that were virtual was turning into reality. What I thought were merely composed of zeros and ones was transforming into masses of flesh with weight. It meant that what I had always thought were just games were turning into reality.

It was no wonder my pupils trembled at her words.

I know it sounds crazy. But it's actually happening in our *world* right now.

I haven't seen it myself, but it's already appeared several times in our country... and news of *Deceased* appearing is frequent. Honestly, does this even make sense...?

As I stood there dumbfounded, Chae-rin elaborated. She probably thought my silence meant I didn't believe her.

The chat window next to her was also buzzing with discussions on the topic. Since so many people were discussing it, it clearly wasn't a lie.

Regaining my composure, I asked her again.

It's a bit disorienting... but I'll believe you for now. What's the reason for all this? Are the *Monsters* manageable?

“No one knows the reason right now, I guess? And the *Monsters*...”

Fortunately, they are manageable to a certain extent. This ambiguous answer was Chae-rin's explanation.

She said that *Modern Weapons* was, to some extent, effective against the *Monsters*. I knew guns, grenades, and other weapons.

It seemed each *Monster* was surrounded by some strange *Force Field*, but it didn't block everything.

Even an *Owlbear* with steel-like feathers would eventually die if dozens of bullets were pumped into it.

The *Force Field* probably seemed like some magical phenomenon, but its output wasn't very high.

*'...A Force Field, though.'*

That seemed to be a characteristic not present in the *Monsters* here. I wondered if the *Demons* had taken some preventative measures when crossing over to *Reality*.

If *Earth* were truly their target, they would have had to prepare for its weapons first.

Anyway, the *Monsters* were still manageable. However, the problem was that no one knew when or where they would appear.

Moving the *Military* was a demanding task, from *Emergency Mobilization* of *Soldiers* who were *On Duty*, to taking out guns and bullets, and preparing vehicles to transport them.

By the time that entire process was complete and they arrived, several hours would have already passed.

And if that much time had passed, dozens of *Deceased* would surely have already accumulated. Moreover, when *Monsters* appeared in an *Urban Area*, using explosives recklessly would be out of the question...

“Grenade! Throw a grenade!” “Ah, but that's inside an *Apartment*. How much is an *Apartment* worth these days? And I'm almost done with my service, so suddenly getting *Dispatched* is a bit much...”

Such a conversation naturally played out in my mind. In such an unprecedented situation, people's anxiety was bound to rise. Perfect countermeasures would be impossible.

Anyway, that's why my *Access/Login* might become less frequent. *Sigh*... I want to come often, but if a *Monster* attacks while I'm in the *VR Capsule*, I feel like I'd literally *Cross the River Jordan*. ...Right. Can't be helped.

I nodded obediently at her words. It was because I could see the seriousness on Chae-rin's face. Indeed, it had become a matter of life and death. She must be very troubled.

Then I'll be going!

With that, Chae-rin finished our brief conversation and immediately left the *Forest*.

Ah.

And only then did I realize there was something I hadn't asked.

'That's right.'

I should have asked if any *People* had crossed through the *Gate*.

It was naturally a topic I couldn't help but be curious about. If that were possible... it would mean I could also cross over to that world.

Although it wasn't the *World* of my previous life, that world was a *Modern World* that looked exactly like the one from my past life. For Yor, who always felt a sense of nostalgia, this information was bound to be important.

But I had already missed my chance to ask, and Chae-rin had probably already *logged out*. And seeing as Chae-rin hadn't mentioned it first... there was a high probability that there was no information about *People* appearing yet.

Given her personality, if such a fact existed, she would have excitedly told me first. I had many questions, but there would be plenty of opportunities to ask.

Since I had nothing else to do anyway, I decided to go out for a bit and look for related information.

If such an *absurd story* was actually happening, there could only be one cause.

Rank 18, Basin is the Demon with the Ability to Connect Space and an unpleasant smile. If his abilities were even stronger than Isolde's, then literally connecting 'dimensions' wouldn't be impossible.

So, I dressed lightly and headed out to the *City*.

'It feels like this is almost the first time I’ve gone out alone like this.'

Well, now I can wander around as I please, so it doesn't matter. My destination was set.

The Adventurer Guild is a place where a certain number of adventurers always hang out. If it was a place of exchange, I would quickly hear news from various places.

So, for the first time in a while, I entered the *Guild*.

I saw numerous *Adventurers* sitting at the *Guild* tables. As soon as I entered, they glanced my way for a moment, but then naturally lowered their eyes.

Wow, fuck... Look over there. Doesn't that *man* look like he's just begging to be fucked? Shh, quiet, you bastard...! That's Yor! Do you want to end up crippled for bothering him?

Indeed, their manners had improved compared to the past. In truth, though I hadn't mentioned it, there had been several times when *Adventurers* would occasionally approach me flirtatiously.

That much was understandable. The problem was that there were many who would also pick fights, as if they were uneducated brutes. Each time, I personally gave them a knuckle sandwich to the gut, just enough not to kill them.

After that happened a few times, everyone indeed became more polite. Of course, there was still one guy who spoke to me even in this situation.

Hmm? *Mister*, long time no see. What brings you here?

It was *Befri*. You know, when I first came to the *Adventurer Guild*, he was the first one to give me a lesson in manners, wasn't he? Strangely, he kept talking to me, using that peculiar way of saying '*Mister*'.

“Ah, nothing special, just have a question.” “A question?” “Well...”

I recounted the story I heard from Chae-rin today, suitably adapted.

Ah, you mean that?

Fortunately, it seemed to be a fairly widespread story here too. *Befri* seemed to have heard something and gave me a brief explanation.

I don't know much about it myself, but...

From what I heard, the phenomenon of *Monsters* disappearing was periodically being observed in *This Place*'s *World* as well. A *Gate* hasn't been directly discovered yet.

However, if you observed a *Monster Settlement* over time, you'd notice some *Monsters* disappearing at some point, as if they had *Teleported* somewhere. At this point, it couldn't be denied. Dimensions were clearly connected somewhere.

“Were there any *Demons* nearby?”

“A *Demon*...?”

“You know, like that strange *Man* in a suit...”

“My apologies, *Mister*. I haven't seen it myself, only heard about it.”

Unfortunately, it seemed *Basin* didn't appear at the places where dimensions connected. This was unexpected information and quite curious.

Even after finishing my conversation with *Befri*, I gathered information separately, but nothing stood out. Though *Monsters* were slightly fewer, that was all.

Since I was out, I bought some snacks for *Barbatos* and returned *home* that day.

And the next day, I stopped by the *Adventurer Guild* again to look for information. Since there wasn't much to do staying in the *Cave* anyway, I decided to go out and search myself.

Another week passed. There was still no news of *Basin* appearing.

Another week passed. News came that the *Empire*'s *Investigation Team* had set out to *investigate* the situation.

Yet another week passed. The *Empire* issued its own public notice. It was a notice offering a small reward for information on *Basin*'s location. He'd probably move quickly even if sighted... but since they were offering money just for *Eyewitness Evidence*, many *Adventurers* participated.

Another week. These days, *Otherworlders*' *Access/Login* has become much less frequent...

Time flowed once more. The *Investigation Team* dispatched by the *Empire* seemed to have returned. However, they didn't seem to have obtained any information about *Basin*. They must have explored everywhere and made inquiries, yet they still couldn't find him.

At that point, it was almost as if he didn't exist at all. Either he was hiding deep underground, or... he had crossed over, just like the *Monsters* had crossed over to *Earth*.

Still, from what I heard, they hadn't come back empty-handed. It was because they had finally discovered the *Gate* the *Otherworlders* spoke of, a *Black Fissure* that suddenly appeared in the *Void*.

Beyond it, only darkness was visible. But all the *Investigation Team* members who saw it were convinced that the fissure 'led' somewhere because they felt something beyond it.

However, they reportedly didn't enter it because the unknown is a frightening *place*. And even if they wanted to enter, the *gate* disappeared while they were deliberating, so they lost the opportunity.

Whatever the case, since they discovered a *Gate*, it could be considered a success.

Time passed in that manner. The *Empire* conducted its own *Investigation*, and while it was at it, searched for *Altars* where *Demons* might be hiding.

A new *Demon* named *Basin* had appeared, but perhaps because he was *Not Even a Glimpse*, people's lives surprisingly continued peacefully. No new *Demons* had appeared during that time, and there had been no major disturbances. Recently, even the *Monsters* had decreased, so the *Gaians* were enjoying a rather *Cozy Life*.

The *Reality* of the *Otherworlders*, however... *seemed bleak*.

Thus, three months had passed. I finally managed to obtain the information I wanted. It was information directly provided by an *Otherworlder*.

Instead of *Chae-rin Yu*, *Haneul Im* came to me and delivered this news after a long time.

A *person* in strange clothing appeared.

I couldn't help but listen intently to her words.