Inside a luxurious private ward of a private hospital.
A young man who was laying in his bed with a helmet that covered his head suddenly moved.
He slowly sat up and carefully took the helmet off, revealing a worn-out face and messy hair.
However, despite his pitiful appearance, his eyes were shining with brilliance and hope.
The young man was none other than Zen.
Looking at his familiar surroundings, he heaved a sigh.
'Did something change?'
He wondered as he was clearly still in the same room with the same medical apparatus embedded in his body.
But still… he felt like something definitely changed.
Zen turned his head and looked at the mirror in the side, his messy hair waving slightly in the process.
What he saw was the same face, worn-out because of medication and physical inactivity.
However, he noticed that what really changed was not his surroundings but himself.
As Zen looked in the mirror, he noticed another thing.
He thought back to the sigh he heaved when he took off his helmet.
He did not feel any pain or difficulties!
Originally, although Zen could move due to various medication and therapies, he still felt pain while doing them.
Even something as simple as taking a deep breath was hard!
But now…
"Haha… Hahahahaha… HAHAHAHA…"
Zen could not restrain his joy any longer and let out a loud laugh.
'It's true… it's all true!!!'
He said in his heart as he continued to laugh to the point of crying tears of joy.
After a while, he calmed down and took a few pieces of tissue to wipe his tears and snot.
Soon after, Zen looked around the room and was startled to see Sera, his little sister.
Fortunately, glancing at the helmet that was on her head, it seemed that she was also in the game.
Zen heaved another sigh, relieved that his little sister did not witness his embarrassing actions earlier.
'Oh right, I still need to check the time!'
Remembering Arthur's words from earlier, Zen took his phone from his bedside table.
Looking at the phone that had accompanied him for 10 years, Zen could not help but become emotional.
He opened the phone and saw the time and date.
11:00pm March 19, 2121
Zen was shocked.
He remembered that the time when he entered the game was 12:00am and the date was March 19, 2121.
This meant that he had been playing the game for a whole day.
'Didn't I play the game for two days…?'
'I expected for there to be some differences in time but this…'
'This is ridiculous!'
'Does this mean that, theoretically, you can live two times your lifespan if you were to play the game since childhood!?'
Feeling the ridiculousness of the game, Zen felt a little bit unsettled for some reason.
The average lifespan of a person was only around 80 years. Of course, there are also cases where a person dies at the age of 90 and above.
But considering the fact that with the help of the game, an average person would be able to live two times their lifespan which would amount to around 160 years.
No matter how you look at it, it would cause a huge uproar in the world!
'I have to say this to mom and dad!'
Zen decided on his next course of action and quickly dialed his mother's number.
'They said that they would attend a meeting earlier, I wonder if they are on their way here…'
As to why he chose to contact his mother, it was because he judged that there was a chance that his father was driving the car.
Ring~ Ring~
The sound of picking up was heard followed by Zen's voice, "Mother?"
[Yes son, why did you call? Me and your father are on our way there. We have something to tell you and your sister.]
Rina's voice sounded from the phone.
"Is the meeting over?"
[Ermmm, it's quite complicated—]
[Don't worry too much son! We'll talk in detail later. We'll arrive there in about 3 hours]
Rina's voice was cut by the sound of Ren's.
Hearing his parents' voice, Zen replied in a soft voice.
"Is that so? I'll wait for you. Please take care!"
Rina: [Thank you son! Don't fight with your sister, okay!]
Zen chuckled and felt warm in his heart.
"Yup, don't worry mom!"
Ren: [Good! You really take after your father!]
Slap!!
The sound of a slap and a whimper sounded through the phone after Ren's remark.
A whisper was also heard through the phone.
Rina: [What? So you're saying that our son's good qualities all came from you huh!?]
Overhearing the antics of his parents, Zen could not help but giggle.
"I'll end the call, mom, dad! I love you both!"
Rina: [We love you too son!]
Putting the phone down, Zen simply waited for his parents as a smile appeared on his face.
***
While Zen was waiting for his parents to arrive at the hospital, Sera was walking through a medieval-looking street.
'Woah, it really is just like the real world!'
Sera thought in amazement as she strolled through the streets.
As she had just entered the game, she was still wearing the starting clothes of a player.
Like Zen's, her clothes consisted of a dark-colored long sleeve and pants. Her snow-white hair was tied into a ponytail, she looked like an energetic and lively young lady.
It did not look ugly, but at the same time, it also did not look fashionable. It was casual to say the least.
The thing that she first did when she entered the game was to check her surroundings.
The more she stayed inside the game, the more amazed she was of the realness it had.
'I bet that brother would have cried tears of joy by now. Tsk, I wish I could see it!'
Sera thought in annoyance.
However, it could clearly be seen in her expression that she was happy for her brother because his suffering had finally ended.
Sera, who was in a happy mood, checked her status panel as she walked.
[Player Name: Horror
…