Shin sprawled out on the couch. He forgot what it was like to relax and enjoy the days as they came and went. For the past month, he dedicated all of his time to Mythos Online. He knew he couldn't rest for long though as he wanted to become stronger.
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Things were different for Qu. He sat alone in his room, only illuminated by the computer screen in front of him. Across his three monitors were windows full of information. When Nightingale wasn't playing the game, he was researching it as Qu. He took notes in a document on the far left screen, read code on the middle screen, and had the game frozen on the right screen. He recorded all of their past experiences in the document from encounters, monsters, items, equipment, and players. In a separate section was all the information that he found through data mining. Despite all the experience he had, Mythos Online took far longer to understand than other games. The sheer scale and complexity of the game caused him to be stuck for days at a time to figure out key information.
Luckily for him, once he figured something out, he could apply similar logic to other systems to find them quickly. Qu leaned back in his chair and stretched before getting back to work. He opened a journal that he kept on the side of the desk and started writing.
Daily entry 682:
I still haven't left my room. As usual, I can't muster up the courage to put my hand on the knob. But I suppose with the world as it is right now, it's fine to never leave. It's not like I want to or have a choice anyway. Everything I need is inside Mythos Online. I'll figure it out eventually.
He stopped writing when he heard a knock on his door. Qu closed the journal and set it aside. The door opened and a hand with a plate of food reached inside.
"Qu, I'm leaving some food here. Please remember to eat, okay?"
"Thanks, mom."
She quickly closed the door once he responded. Qu opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but he froze as he heard her receding footsteps. His shoulders slouched as he sighed. Qu turned back to face the computer and began typing again.
He saw a notification appear from the bottom right of his screen that made him stop in the middle of a sentence. His eyes widened when he read the words.
"Creator, visionary, and CEO of Pentrafil John Miller announces brand new update for Mythos Online."
He closed his existing tabs and clicked on the link.
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"Today we have a very special guest from an amazing individual."
"We are very grateful to have him join us in this exclusive worldwide broadcast!"
The two ladies bowed in unison over the news desk. The glass panes behind them displayed a montage of images of the CJP city skyline. Celebratory music started playing as a tall white man wearing a brown suit walked out into frame. He sat down beside the news anchors and took out the glasses hanging out of his suit pocket. The screen flashed with impressive motion graphics and a montage of images of the man lending aid to people devastated by natural disasters and war.
"Mr. Miller, welcome to the show!"
"Well, I'm glad to be here!" He said, smiling and waving at the camera.
His charisma was more captivating than famous movie stars.
"So we just saw some of the images on screen earlier. How was it like to go to those places to help and meet those people in need?"
"Ah, of course, it was my pleasure. I couldn't see myself doing anything else to be honest. Helping people recover and overcome adversities whether it be from Mother Earth or from the horrible atrocities of war are some of the core missions of our company, Pentrafil."
The crowd behind the camera cheered wildly.
"I think the people of Colombia really needed a hand. Their civil war really left them in a position that would normally be unrecoverable from."
The news anchors nodded along to his answers as the broadcasting team put on images from the scene on the screen behind them.
"So what are your plans next, Mr. Miller?"
"I thought about this a lot actually, and I think I have just the thing to say. You'll hear it here first folks!" He said, standing up from his seat and raising both of his arms out in front of him.
The crowd showered him in cheers and applause.
"I'm happy to announce a brand new update to Mythos Online!"
The news anchors dramatically recoiled in shock that was obviously manufactured and planned.
"Since launch, the game has become a global phenomenon with billions of players. It won't be long until we reach five billion players!"
Roaring claps came from the stands.
"Now, now, settle down." Miller said, putting a finger to his lips.
The studio dimmed and a spotlight shined on John Miller.
"This update will make the game even more immersive than ever before! Using our advancements in nanotechnology, we are finally able to introduce active adaptation. Your body will adapt to the actions you take in-game and give you what you need to step up your play in Mythos Online! In other words, eating and drinking in the game will now have an effect on your real body!"
One of the anchors stood up and cheered.
"Now that is an update!"
Miller made a side glance at her which made her sit quickly sit down. Two staff members came from the side and escorted her off the set.
"Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted, I was also going to mention our state-of-the-art neural integration! If you're interested in that, please check out the terms of service and patch notes for Mythos Online."
Mr. Miller sat back down in his seat and the studio returned to its original lighting. With only one anchor remaining, Miller turned his eyes to the host and smiled. She panicked and started flipping through the notes in front of her.
"Y-Yes, so Mr. Miller, congratulations on that amazing a-announcement! We're looking forward to your other projects."
"Well, I would like to do more humanitarian work in South America and I wanted to do some in South East Asia as well."
"I think that's great news for e-everyone involved. Anywhere that you and Pentrafil have influenced has greatly improved! Is there anything e-else that you would like to mention before we conclude today's show?"
"No, I think that is about it. Thank you for having me on, it was a lovely time."
The crowd cheered and clapped as the outro music played and Miller walked off stage. The screen faded to black before abruptly changing to a commercial. The screen suddenly switched off. A hand holding a remote reflected in the blank TV screen. The hand lowered slowly and loosened its grip until the remote slipped and fell to the floor. They turned over in their sheets and hugged a pillow and clutched their phone. The screen turned on with a bright lock screen background that made them squint their eyes and lock the phone.
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Without the human resources to push forward and Hemoxythra running rampant, warfare ground to a halt, and political conflicts faded into obscurity. Pentrafil began to slowly take command of larger countries as their influence grew. If they didn't directly take the reins, the existing governments slowly fell into their hands. Prime Ministers were simply figureheads and puppets of the Pentrafil leadership. The world was becoming increasingly dependent on Pentrafil and its subsidiaries.
To Pentrafil, its employees, and its supporters, this was seen as a new era of peace. However, the world was covered in a veil of depravity and coldheartedness.