In the year 2035, the virtual reality game Wonderland was released to the world.
With its vast continent, limitless freedom, and revolutionary full-dive system, the game quickly became a global phenomenon, attracting millions of players from every corner of the globe.
Its fame reached such heights that it became a central part of many people's lives.
Among the countless players who inhabited this world, a few names stood above the rest. One name, in particular, was whispered with both awe and fear: Leon.
On the seventh anniversary of the game's launch, the developers announced a grand world tournament that would bring all players together.
The player base was divided into seven warring factions, each led by one of the seven strongest players in the game.
But what began as a standard competition suddenly spiraled into a brutal, real-world conflict. Honor and fair play vanished, replaced by a desperate struggle where any means necessary were used to secure victory.
Eventually, the developers lost control over the game world.
The game that once united people in joy had turned into a filthy pit for their real-life animosities.
Faced with this chaos, the developers were forced to shut down the game and execute a mandatory logout for all players.
Inside the game, the destructive conflicts were reaching a peak, threatening to tear the world apart.
"My Lord! The enemy has already reached our castle, and all our defenses have been annihilated!"
Leon sighed with disdain. "Tch... stop your whining. I am well aware. This time, I will handle this myself."
He let out a cold, sharp laugh.
"Hahaha... This time, you will witness the true power of the Chaos King!"
Suddenly, the air around the ruined castle grew scorching hot, and the ground began to crack beneath the soldiers' feet.
Just then, a calm voice drifted from ahead of Leon.
"It has been a long time, Leon... Isn't it strange for us to meet as enemies again?"
"Indeed... it has been a long time. But I don't find it as strange as you might think.
In the past, you were just a luggage carrier in your team... but now, I am a King sitting on his throne."
The voice answered with a mocking tone.
"Throne? You call this a throne, Leon?
To me, you were—and still are—nothing more than a luggage carrier in my team... nothing more."
Those words sharpened Leon's mood, igniting a deep-seated rage within him.
Suddenly, the atmosphere around the ruined castle shifted. Thick clouds gathered in the sky as if preparing for a true catastrophe.
In the blink of an eye, Leon lunged at his opponent.
But his foe was no ordinary player; she was a faction leader herself.
Despite the intensity of the battle, the outcome remained uncertain, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
Leon laughed mockingly before declaring,
"Heh... is this all you have, Historia, Queen of Fire?
It seems your level has dropped significantly over the past two years."
Historia gnashed her teeth in anger.
"Tch! Cut the nonsense!
You and your 'Throne of Chaos' are nothing before my hellfire... which will consume you now!"
Historia tightened her grip on her massive sword until her knuckles turned white. In the next moment, a deep crimson aura exploded from her, sweeping through the area like a hurricane of flames—a clear declaration of the impending destruction.
On the opposite side, the Chaos King, Leon, tightened his fists with a terrifying calmness, wielding a pair of legendary daggers. A moment later, a thick black aura crept forward, swallowing the light and drowning the area in supernatural dread.
The two auras collided...
A wild, crimson force seeking annihilation, and a silent, black void hiding immeasurable chaos within.
In a flash, both disappeared from their positions and charged toward each other with lightning speed.
Their blades clashed.
At that precise moment... a massive wave of energy exploded, tearing the earth apart and swallowing everything around them before either could land a single scratch.
[Notification!]
[Emergency Notification: A critical error has occurred in the main server. All players will be forcibly logged out. I repeat: A critical error has occurred in the main server. All players will be forcibly logged out. Notification! Notification!]
System messages began flooding in frantically to all players. Suddenly, players started being forcibly logged out of the game.
It was a bizarre phenomenon, something that had never happened before. In an instant, Historia, Queen of Fire, vanished from the sight of the Chaos King. Leon stood alone, staring at the barrage of notifications, confused and unaware of the cause.
Then, an urgent message appeared specifically for him:
[Notification: Player Leon, you will be forcibly logged out after the countdown: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0. Initiating forced logout for Player Leon.]
A brilliant light erupted, completely blinding Leon.
Moments later, he regained his sight, only to find himself in a world of pure, blinding whiteness—a world made of nothing but white.
"Argh... what's happening? Where am I? What is this place? Someone answer me!"
Despite Leon's shouting, there was no response. Then, suddenly, another system message popped up.
[Notification: Player Leon, the logout process has failed.]
[Notification: Attempting logout for Player Leon again.]
[Notification: Retrying after countdown: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0. Initiating logout for Player Leon.]
"Hah? What exactly is this system doing? It says 'failed' and then 'retrying'?"
[Notification: Logout process for Player Leon has failed.]
[Notification: Attempting again. Attempt will begin after countdown: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0. Initiating logout for Player Leon (Third Attempt).]
Leon was stunned. It was clear that a glitch had occurred in the game's system, but the overwhelming number of messages was incredibly disorienting, each sharing the same failure to log him out.
After several more failed attempts, Leon shouted in frustration:
"Argh! Enough! Stop sending these annoying messages!"
The system notifications suddenly stopped updating, as if the system had given up on trying to log him out.
This sudden silence was even more suspicious than the failed attempts.
"Hah... what now? Am I going to be stuck here for the rest of my life?"
[Notification: Player Leon, re-initiating logout. Logout will occur after countdown: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0. Initiating logout for Player Leon.]
"Hmm, tch... it seems there's no hope for you. Stop sending these repetitive, annoying notifications."
[Notification: Logout process for Player Leon successful. Player will be removed after the countdown.]
A look of joy and curiosity crossed Leon's face upon seeing this message.
"Hah? You're saying it worked?"
[Countdown starting now: 3... 2... 1... 0.]
As soon as the countdown ended, Leon was pulled entirely from that white space.
But in that moment, he felt a sensation he had never experienced before:
"Aaaaaaaaagh! What is this feeling?! I've never felt this before... is this... is this what falling from a great height feels like?!"
Although the logout process was successful, something had gone terribly wrong. Leon was experiencing the sensation of falling for the first time in his life, and the feeling, as he described it, was terrifyingly real.
"Waaaaaaah! Gaaaaaah! Wait a minute! If I fall from this height, I'll definitely die! Gaaaaaah!"
[Notification: Player Leon, you are facing a fatal threat due to falling from a great height. I repeat: Player Leon, you are facing a fatal threat due to falling from a great height.]
"Gaaaaaah! Shut up, you stupid system! Do you think I don't know that?!"
[Notification: Responding to the issue urgently. Activating Full Defense to avoid certain death from the fall. I repeat: Activating Full Defense to avoid certain death from the fall.]
"Agaaaaah! Wait a minute! What are you saying—Agaaaaaah!"
BOOM!
It was a terrible fall, causing a small explosion of dust and pebbles upon impact.
As Leon lay there, semi-conscious from the force of the shock, he muttered incoherent words:
"Haaah... hee... heehee... you stupid system... answer me... why is the world spinning around me..."
[Notification: The world is not spinning. These are hallucinations resulting from the force of the impact the player just sustained.]
"Hee... hee... you say impact and falling... hee... it's really strange... but the world is still spinning..."
[Notification: Utilizing all healing potions in the storage dimension to heal the player's condition.]
Leon's health was fully restored by the system's intervention.
Finally, he regained full consciousness, and the first question that crossed his mind was:
"Where am I?"
End of Chapter 1