Kingdom of battles ✓

Chapter 3

It didn't take a lot before the people in Nakisaka started to panic. I was between the crowds of people that were on the town square, hoping that they'll get some answers. After I couldn't log out of the game I came back to the village to see if the other players were experiencing similar problems too. The truth was that it wouldn't surprise me if it would turn out that only my NOA Gear had problems... But apparently no one was able to get out of the game.

Everyone was starting to panic because of that and it looked like no one really knew what to do. I couldn't understand the people that were scared, I was too. I mean, who wouldn't be? For all we knew, we could be stuck in this video game forever. And as much as I liked living my life in front of the computer, this wasn't where I belonged. My home was in the real world, in Tokio and next to my family, not here.

Suddenly a screen appeared on top of the stage that was on one side of the town square. The people around me instantly stopped yelling and panicking, suddenly everyone was paying attention to what was on the screen. I was too, I, just like everyone else, hoped that it was going to be something that would help to clear what was going on, why weren't we able to leave.

My eyes slightly widened with surprise when I recognised the face of one of the most popular TV reporters in Japan. I didn't really watch TV, but I remembered him from the morning news that my mum always watched before she left the house.

At first I wasn't sure why someone showed us this guy, then the reporter started talking: '' We have important news. The VMMORPG Kingdom of battles that was supposed to be a sensation turned out in to a nightmare. At first countless numbers of players found it unable to log out of the game, then we received more information about what is going on. We don't have a lot of information, the only thing we know is that someone inserted a virus in the Kingdom of battle system, making it unable for players to log out of the game. The police is investigating the NOA Company. They don't know much yet and the only thing that they shared with the media is that one of the scientists that created the video game said that the most possible way to leave the game is to complete all the 100 levels. He also warned everyone not to touch the NOA Gears of the players, because it's possible that removing them with force could cause damage to the person. For now it looks like they players are going to be stuck there for a while. ''

The next second the image already disappeared.

A shocked expression began appearing on my face. At first I almost couldn't believe what they were saying. What exactly did the reporter mean?! How could it be, they couldn't just leave us inside this game, right?! And a virus?! Seriously?! Playing video games on the computers a lot made me get quite a big knowledge of how those things were able to destroy it. I switched between a lot of different laptops because I always got too many viruses on them. And just knowing that someone inserted a virus in the Kingdom of battles made me afraid...

We didn't know what this virus could do, what was even it's purpose. It was possible that it could just destroy the whole video game and us together with it.

And a 100 levels? They were actually serious? How did they expect us to complete a 100 levels? I could probably do it on my computer, but not right now and right here. First, I was still only getting used to the whole 'relying on your actual abilities' thing, I mean, earlier I almost got beaten by a squirrel in the forest. I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if I would have to fight an actual boss of a level. And second, I didn't know half of the stuff about the video game I was playing. Specially not one very important thing.

What would happen if a player's HP would drop to zero?

I wasn't sure if I even wanted to find out.

I slowly narrowed my eyes and looked around the crowds of people around me. They were all carrying weapons just like me and dressed in the same clothes of soldiers, but most of them looked scared and confused. I knew that they were going to start to panic soon if no one would do anything.