Jake, Lana, and Louise frowned when they saw that notification. They were expecting to see something weird happening, but not a special mission. If anything, that was just too ordinary.
Do you wish to reach your true potential? Y/N
The group reunited in the center of the room, and then they saw that question. It was the first time the game asked that kind of question… in any case, that made Jake wonder. It seemed that the system recognized them for some reason, but why they weren't punished or something for having those bugged skills? The system should have realized by now that they were using those like there was no tomorrow. Regardless, Jake and the girls looked at each other and then nodded, and then selected the yes option.
To reach your true potential, you must be willing to risk everything for it. Do you wish to change the game difficulty to Real? Y/N
The whole group frowned… MMORPGs shouldn't have the option to select difficulty, at least not of the whole game, only for a few missions or quests. Nevertheless, Jake accepted that without hesitation. He could tell that he wouldn't be able to defeat a boss of that level in normal circumstances. The pain felt inside the game probably was at least halved for safety purposes, after all. That was why he wanted to experience the real deal. In the end, the girls also accepted that. While the missions had been difficult for them, it hadn't been painful since Jake was a front liner that never failed.
To reach your true potential, you must abandon your current life. You have finished the tutorial of dungeon masters online, and now the game starts for real. By abandoning your current life, you can learn about the truth of your world and universe while following your path to recovering what has been lost. Do you wish to abandon your planet? Y/N
Now things took a weird turn… even Jake wasn't expecting that. Still, some items were starting to make sense. There was no mistake that some players disappeared after selecting yes. However, Jake didn't imagine that they had gone to another world… was that even possible with Earth's current technology. Perhaps the game wasn't a creation of the earthlings… that being said, why Aliens would create a game and make humans leave their planet.
"I don't like this… this is too creepy," Lana said.
"It looks like someone has been using the game to transport players to another world… maybe that is why we obtained the VR helmet and the game," Louise said. "Someone saw in us what is necessary to reach this far and perhaps…"
Louise didn't want to say it… while she lost a lot, she still had a life back in France, family, friends… why would she throw everything away for a game? It was hard to think that it was only a game, but… Lana was the same, she moved to another country when she was only ten, and since then, she has managed to build over a new life in the last ten years. Abandon all that seemed beyond stupid. It seemed madness. The only one who didn't have to think too much about it was Jake. He didn't have anything truly meaningful in his current life, after all. Still, the words the girls read caught their interest… the truth about the world and the universe. The question was… if they accept that, can they return?
"I think you guys shouldn't worry too much about this," Jake said.
"Are you for real?" Lana asked. "If we accept this, then…"
"Luke is probably one of the guys who vanished but still can log in to the game," Jake said. "Do you remember what he said earlier?"
"See you guys out there… if I remember correctly," Louise said.
"That is right. That guy always looked suspicious, so it makes sense that he knows about this," Jake nodded.
"Still… if players can return, why are the rumors still out there?" Lana asked.
"Maybe because it is dangerous and they fail to return, or maybe they think that it isn't worth the hassle," Jake said. "There is a chance that the players that achieved the same as us found something more interesting out there than the current reality on Earth."
Lana and Louise had a hard time imagining that. Still, according to the rumors, people of social classes, ages, and countries had disappeared. They had yet to return, so that certainly wasn't the delusion of some gamers. Regardless, the following answer was really important. They could tell that it was their only chance to confirm the rumors and find out why the game was so weird.
"Well, I can understand your hesitation," Jake said. "You guys have a lot to lose, unlike me. I am going and see what is all this about. You guys can keep enjoying the game like before. I am sure you can find a party with a few decent front liners. You have the skills to achieve what few people achieved, after all."
"You are really insane… or are you just worried that you might to go jail because of yesterday?" Lana asked.
"Who knows?" Jake laughed and then shrugged. "Well, I can't say that it was a pleasure, but the last week was a bit fun."
Jake said that, and then he selected the first option before disappearing. The girls couldn't help but open their eyes in amazement. It wasn't like the same as when players select a mission and then shine before moving to the next area, or when they die and become particles of light… it was like true teleportation.
Lana and Louise stayed quiet for a while. They didn't know what to say or think… that question seemed way too dangerous for them to answer so fast, and yet, they couldn't leave and answer that later. Despite all that, they also felt the urge to select yes. One was a medicine student, and the other was a teacher, so they were smart women and had a thirst for knowledge… they couldn't leave that mystery unsolved.
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