After that incident, Ares was puzzled as to why VAIIYA had deleted that post. It made no sense. Were they hiding some kind of secret? But what? CNS? What exactly was that? A group of individuals, an organization, or just hackers? So many mysteries arose. But before she could think any further, Semi touched a cup of bubble tea to her cheek and offered it to her.
"What are you thinking about? You look so serious. Or maybe you're thinking about someone? ><"
"Are you crazy? No way. I was just thinking random thoughts." -////-
"Come on, you can talk to me. I won't tell anyone any secrets. If you want advice on love, I'm happy to help." ><
"Not at all. Never mind." =////=" Then she sipped her bubble tea, completely ignoring Semi who was still making funny faces at her.
Two days later
Even though two days had passed, she had found almost no information about CNS. She even tried asking other contestants online, but they didn't seem to know about the existence of CNS, so she was at her wit's end trying to find the information. And today was the day The Finals game was updated to Season 2.
As the four were about to enter the finals as usual, suddenly the scene in front of them changed. Glitches filled the screen; it was like an old, static-filled TV screen. Then, the area where the four were standing disappeared, and they all plummeted into a deep hole at the bottom of a well.
After the four of them fell down and opened their eyes, they found themselves standing in the middle of a large building with a counter in the center, surrounded by bookshelves and long tables. Inside, the building seemed to be both an office and a library, with four floors and a green color scheme. Looking up, they could see a cube floating above the library. Outside, it was so brightly lit that they couldn't see what it was.
"What the hell is this place?!" Ares say and Without hesitation, she checked her status and current location, and it showed...SYS$HORIZON
"SYS$HORIZON? Where exactly is that?"
"Maybe it's an unfinished level? But why are we here?" semi ask
"Anyway, should we explore this place? We also need to find a way out of here, because when I checked our VR travel tools, the teleport and logout buttons were missing" moon offer
"Actually, Semi and G could go first because they're using an older VR model, unlike Moon and me who have to exit according to the system, otherwise something bad will happen to our brains" ares offer too
"No way, neither of us would leave you two in such a dangerous place. Besides, I've already reported the glitch to the GM of The Finals. They should send someone to investigate and help you two soon" big g argue
The four of them agreed to explore, but they were very cautious because they didn't know where they were, what they were doing, or if there were any other people around. As they walked out of the office, they were surprised by what they saw. SYS$HORIZON was a level that blended vaporwave and synthwave music, with a retro, pastel color palette. The buildings looked like they had been constantly under construction and demolition.