Eleanor pointed to the orc's lifeless body, her brows furrowed. "It's supposed to disappear after we kill it, right? Why is it still here? And what's with the black blood coming out of its head?"
Jason rolled his eyes, brushing dirt off his tunic. "Were you deaf when they explained this was the future of gaming? They said this thing is a milestone for humanity."
Eleanor crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Look around, Jason. Look at us—at everything. Does this seem like something you can just program?!" She bent down, scooping a handful of sand from the ground. Rubbing it between her fingers, she continued, "I can feel every grain in my hand. Every little detail. And when I fought that orc, I felt everything. The pain, the weight—it's too perfect. No amount of coding can make this real."
Sophia sighed, folding her arms under her chest. "Let's quit, then," she said firmly.
"Good idea," Eleanor agreed instantly. She turned to Marcus, who was leaning against the carriage, wincing as he rubbed his ribs.
"Of course, I wanna fuck off this game as much as everybody," Marcus said, lifting his tunic to reveal a nasty purple bruise. "Look at this. This is supposed to be a game. I agree with Eleanor. This is way too fucking real. Nobody's gonna play this shitty game if they don't fix this."
All eyes turned to Liam, the only one who hadn't spoken. He was standing apart from the group, staring down at the orc's corpse.
"Liam?" Sophia called out, concern creeping into her voice.
"Hey, man," Marcus said, his tone uneasy. "You good?"
Liam didn't reply. His sharp eyes were fixed on something near the orc's head. As the group watched, he bent down and reached into the river of thick black blood pooling beneath the beast.
"What are you doing?" Jason asked, stepping closer.
Liam didn't answer. His hand emerged, clutching something small and gleaming—a crystal. It shimmered faintly, catching the light even in the shadowy clearing.
"What the hell is that?" Eleanor asked, moving closer.
Liam turned the crystal in his hand, his brows knitting together as he studied it. But before he could say a word, the crystal floated up from his palm, hovering in the air.
"What the—" Sophia started, but her words caught in her throat.
The crystal pulsed with a bright light, then shot toward Liam's forehead. His body arched violently, his eyes wide with shock as he fell to the ground.
"LIAM!" Sophia screamed, rushing to his side.
Liam clutched his head, writhing on the dirt as a guttural scream tore from his throat. His entire body trembled, veins bulging at his neck as though something was trying to force its way into him.
"What's happening to him?!" Marcus shouted, panic in his voice.
Eleanor knelt beside him, shaking his shoulders. "Liam, can you hear me? What's wrong?"
He didn't reply. He couldn't. His screams echoed through the forest, piercing and raw, as the mysterious crystal's light faded into his skin.
The group gathered around Liam, his body convulsing violently on the ground. His breathing was erratic, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"We need to quit this game," Marcus muttered, his voice edged with panic. "He's getting worse by the minute."
"Agreed," Eleanor said, standing abruptly. She crossed her arms and scanned the clearing. "But don't you guys find it weird? The system notifications haven't popped up even once since we entered this game. Nothing at all."
The group froze at her words.
"She's right," Jason said, frowning. He focused, attempting to summon the interface. "System window," he muttered under his breath. Nothing happened.
Eleanor tried as well, her voice sharp and commanding. "System window!" Still, there was no response.
"Great," Marcus snapped, kicking a loose stone on the ground in frustration. The sharp pain shot up his foot, and he winced, hopping on one leg. "Ouch! Fuck! Are you kidding me?!"
The others groaned or shook their heads, the air heavy with unease.
"This is bullshit," Marcus continued, clutching his foot. "We shouldn't have joined this game. Why didn't I just stay home?!"
Eleanor rubbed her temples, sighing in exasperation. "I told you all this felt too real! We should've known better."
"Are we really doing this right now?" Sophia's voice cut through the argument like a blade. She looked up from where she was kneeling beside Liam, her eyes blazing with anger. "Liam is sick. Shouldn't we be focusing on finding a solution instead of whining and complaining?"
The group fell silent, though Marcus muttered something under his breath.
Jason, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Don't worry, Sophia." He looked up from where he was tinkering with his non-functioning system. "He'll be alright."
Sophia frowned, her hands still on Liam's shoulder. "What do you mean by that?"
Jason stood and brushed his hands together, his voice calm but firm. "I think the reason Liam is acting like this is because it's his first time absorbing a beast crystal."
The group turned to Jason, their confusion evident.
"Wait, what?" Marcus asked, blinking. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jason exhaled as if speaking to children. "In this game, when you kill a beast—or anything that's not human—it drops energy crystals. Those crystals are the core of the creature, their power source. Absorbing them makes you stronger."
"If it's meant to make you stronger then why is Liam like that?" Sophia pressed, her tone accusing.
Jason hesitated. "I… I don't know. He wasn't supposed to react this way. It's not normal."
The group exchanged uneasy glances until Eleanor broke the silence with the question on everyone's mind. "How do you know all this?"
Jason looked genuinely taken aback. "Seriously? Didn't you guys read the manual that came with the Nexus Corp letter?"
The group stared at him blankly.
Marcus scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "There was a manual?"
Jason's jaw dropped, his expression a mix of disbelief and disgust. "You're kidding me."
Marcus shrugged awkwardly, Eleanor sighed in exasperation, and Sophia shot Jason a frustrated glare. Meanwhile, Liam let out another strangled groan, snapping their attention back to the crisis at hand.