*>10...*
*>9...*
*>8...*
...
*>3...*
*>2...*
*>1...*
*>Shutting down.*
With this system message, Synergy shut down for the night. All players were forced to log out.
Some were in their beds. Some were playing in a specialized VR sleeper. And some were just sitting in a random corner of their abode. But at this moment, in the early morning, they were all returned to reality.
The first princess Slyker was no exception.
She awoke with a start. A cold sweat was flowing down her back. Her heart was racing and she was out of breath. She sat up as quickly as possible causing her to feel lightheaded.
She could still vividly feel all three times she was backstabbed.
And the game was different this time around. A new type of monster and item were among the last things she saw before logging out. For what reason, she wasn't sure.
Jisha wrangled her Vbian-02 helmet off her head and stared at it with hatred.
In the near future, many wars would break out.
Life would take a different turn.
She would become distanced from her best friend as well as her other friends from different countries.
In the end, the Slyker family that proudly stood strong and united would disappear.
And it was all this thing's fault.
She resisted the urge to smash this helmet into smithereens.
Unfortunately, that would do nothing but harm herself.
If Synergy existed, you had to play. There was no way around it.
Jisha gritted her teeth and cursed the godforsaken developer of this "game".
"... Is it just a game to you?"
Who was behind it, and what did they stand to gain from it? What were they trying to accomplish?
Whatever the reason was, it was unacceptable.
It wasn't like the Northeast was a peaceful region in the first place, but it, as well the rest of the world, would eventually go into a frenzy.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Synergy would plunge the entire world into turmoil.
*"The Emperor is dead."*
*"Your father isn't the only one."*
*"Your mother, your sister..."*
*"... it was surprisingly easy to do this ..."*
*"I'M SORRY TO DO THIS TO YOU, SWEETHEART."*
The quotes from before her death swirled around in her head.
She didn't have time to waste. First and foremost, she had to find out who was responsible for their family's sudden downfall.
And if she could do this, there was another lofty goal she wanted to accomplish.
She gripped the VR helmet until her knuckles turned white.
Slyker wasn't the only one to fall in the next age of mankind. Countless countries were wiped off the map and new ones sprung up in their place.
She well understood the plight these families faced. And who was responsible for it?
"... I'm going to find you. And I'm going to make you pay."
---
"Hmm... are you?"
The developer of Synergy heard Princess Slyker's every word.
How? It was simple.
Synergy was a video game. In other words, it was a program that was installed on devices.
In a past age known as the Information Age, malicious software for the purpose of surveillance was invented. It was common knowledge that one should avoid clicking shady links.
Synergy was simply a variation of this. Though it was a game, the fact that it was installed on devices allowed the developer to retrieve massive amounts of data.
Chat logs, battle logs, status logs... logs upon logs were at the developer's fingertips.
And, with this surveillance power, there was no way this developer wouldn't have heard of the Uval Spawn Battle. Naturally, Fae Sol had to be watched. It was too interesting.
But the developer was doubtful of Princess Slyker's claims.
"I wonder if you can. After all, I'm hiding in plain sight."
The developer wrote it off as an arrogant remark. But this personality was what made her so exciting to watch.
"Haha... Fae Sol. Interesting indeed. I hope you will continue to show promise. Don't let me down."