Four years ago,
suddenly, a strange game started spreading on the internet.
To play the game, you have to enter it. After completing a certain level, you can enter and exit the game at your own free will.
The same goes for abilities....people can use their game abilities in the real world after reaching a certain level.
Slowly, the number of people using their abilities in the real world increased, shifting the balance of power.
Players started going rogue, killing people and police, abducting women and girls.
Normal people were powerless, and slowly, the government fell before their might.
To gain control over the world, underground corporations began training people to develop powers.
Different underground factions fought to the death for control of the world, with battles taking place in different dimensions.
The factions that win rule the world until they are defeated by another.
Normal people live in fear, with no choice but to endure.
People play the game for different reasons, though some avoid it altogether.
But for Livio, things were about to take a turn one year ago.
In Livio's village, Wengen, there was a beautiful coffee shop.
"Here you go, sir!" The man, in his late fifties, served the order with a happy face.
"The manager was working hard, even at his age. Amazing!" The waiter thought while taking orders.
The door of the coffee shop opened, and a cheerful girl entered.
"Father, look, I scored a gold!"
The girl hugged the manager.
"I am proud of you, daughter!"
The manager hugged her even tighter.
The room echoed with applause.
Sitting quietly at his usual corner, Livio watched the father and daughter, unaware that the peaceful moment would soon be destroyed.
The girl pulled out a chair and sat. The room was filled with the smell of coffee, and her father placed a plate of snacks and a hot cup of coffee on her table.
"Here you go, enjoy!" The manager patted her head with a smile.
She lifted the cup and took a sip. Her eyes widened, and her heart felt content.
"So, this is the taste of the result!" She started eating the cookies.
The doorbell rang as it opened again for another customer.
This customer looked different from the others; he had a grin on his face.
Instead of ordering coffee, he constantly stared at Lina, the manager's daughter.
Thud. Thud. The steps got heavier and closer. They stopped right behind Lina.
Lina felt a presence behind her and slowly turned her head.
"Nico!" She dropped the cookie from her hand.
The cheerful atmosphere of the coffee shop froze in an instant. All eyes turned towards Nico, as an unsettling tension filled the room.
"Let's go! You got a gold in your thesis writing. Let's get married." Nico grabbed Lina's hand and began pulling her from the seat.
"Leave me alone. Dad, save me, please!" She struggled to free herself.
Nico collided with someone; he turned to see who it was.
"How dare you touch my daughter? She doesn't like you, so get lost!" He punched Nico hard, and Nico fell onto a table.
"Hahaha! Old man, you sure have strength left!" He stood up.
Livio was really scared; he was outside the coffee shop, watching from the door.
Suddenly, Nico vanished; nobody even noticed him. He appeared in front of Lina's father, his hands glowing red. He shoved that hand right through Lina's father's gut.
"This is the mark I am giving you. Just die, old man!" Nico laughed while the manager bled on the floor.
"Dad, dad! Please, someone. Save him." Everyone was scared. All the customers had already left, watching from outside like scared little cats.
"No one is going to save you. This wouldn't have happened if you had simply agreed to marry me!" Nico grabbed Lina's hair and started dragging her away from her father's corpse.
"Father! Father! Don't leave me. Please!" She tried to free her hair from Nico's grasp while desperately reaching for her father.
People outside the store started running away as far as possible. Suddenly, a cold hand touched Nico's hand and threw him toward the wall.
Lina then looked at the person who saved her. The person was wearing a half-sleeve shirt, black pants, and a cap. It was a female cop who had saved Lina.
But saving her was just the beginning. Nico was not going to let anyone stand in his way.
"Thank you!"
Lina moved toward her father's corpse.
"Sigh! I hate getting thrown."
Nico threw the wall clock that had fallen on him when he collided with the wall.
"There, there! Don't be in a hurry!"
The cop then took off her hat.
"Now that I look closely, you are really beautiful!"
Nico smiled after seeing the cop's beautiful face.
The cop noticed Nico's glowing hand. The clock he had thrown was completely fine, but Lina's father's gut was pierced like butter. The red glow in Nico's arm turned orange as he pushed a chair away to clear the ground. The cop noticed again that the chair Nico touched was completely fine.
"Don't worry. When my fist or palm touches you, it will warm you up!"
Nico then showed his palm to the cop. The color of the glow was orange now.
"Oh, I forgot. You are also a player, right? The way you threw me...your level is quite high, I guess!" Nico smiled again, looking at the cop.
"You look quite amused. It's not like I am entertaining you!"
The cop's eyes suddenly changed. Her pupils were surrounded by the Shen ring, which was red while her eyes were blue.
"Interesting! I have to be careful. I don't know her ability!"
Nico then vanished.
Lina was looking at them, tears flowing from her eyes like a fountain. Her hands were above her father's chest. When the players made contact, it generated an impact. Lina covered her father's body with her own.
Livio was unable to keep up with them....it was like two gods fighting right before his eyes.
The wooden floor was quiet, but the tension was thick. The cop was focused, her eyes locked on one point.
The man started his attack: a left hook aimed at her face. The cop shifted her head back, dodging just in time. The punch missed her by an inch. He threw a right hook, but again, she leaned away. The punch passed harmlessly through the air.
Frustrated, he drove his body forward with an uppercut aimed at her chin. The cop moved her entire body back. He then threw a sidekick aimed at her ribs, but she ducked low, slipping just out of reach.
They circled each other, both looking for an opening. The man glared and shot a left punch straight at her face. The cop ducked beneath it smoothly and countered with a quick uppercut that pushed his head back. The hit landed, and he felt angry, being hit by a girl.
He moved forward with a wild right punch aimed at her face, but she was faster. She turned her back to him, ducked low, and swung her right leg in an arc from the ground. Her leg landed on his neck with a heavy sound.
The man stumbled, coughing blood on the floor. The cop didn't give him time to recover. She landed a left hook into his side, followed by a right hook to his temple. As his body weakened, she finished with a strong uppercut that sent him crashing down.
Running on pure adrenaline, the man tried to get up, but the cop delivered a sharp kick to his thigh, forcing him to kneel.
Without hesitation, she finished the fight with a brutal roundhouse kick to his face. He then passed out.
As Nico lay unconscious, Livio couldn't shake the feeling of dread that lingered in the air. The world had changed, and there was no turning back.
"It's a shame! You can't see the future. Unlike me!"
The cop approached Lina, who was crying above her father's blood-covered chest.
"So, this is what the world has become. No sense of security, no code of conduct. The strong rule, and the weak have no choice but to obey, like loyal dogs."
Livio was shaking after witnessing the fight and the damage it caused.
Now, one year later, Livio still struggles to process the events that unfolded that day. The world has descended into chaos, but the memory of the coffee shop haunts him, a reminder of how fragile life has become.
Things changed after the country was ruled by the top player. Some cops are players now, but that doesn't make them good. They are also corrupted, but like every coin has two sides, there are some good players. Though their numbers are few, it's thanks to them that humanity is still alive.