Everyone was panicking, running around without direction. The guys cursed and yelled at the game while the women hunched over in fear and sadness.
Ethan was the only one who kept a straight face, even though he was part of the players too.
His calm came from the fact that he had already died once and was lucky enough to be alive again for a second chance in his favorite game.
Now, everyone shares the same fate as him. The only difference was that they were still alive but trapped inside the VR gear on their heads, which automatically controlled their consciousness as well.
The atmosphere turned tense, paranoia rising as everyone grew cautious.
They tried convincing themselves that the developers had lied—that dying in-game wouldn't mean dying in real life.
But no one was brave enough to test it out. They were too afraid that the devs had been telling the truth.
Ethan's curiosity grew—not about players being trapped, but about something else.
Since when had Tower of Ascension been adapted into a full-dive VR game? As far as he remembered, Tower of Ascension had always been playable on mobile or PC.
A crying girl bumped into him while running. Ethan caught her and tried to calm her down.
"I-I'm… scared to die. I don't wanna die."
"Listen. As long as you're still alive, you still have a chance to survive," Ethan said firmly.
But his words didn't seem to reach her. The chaos in the starter city only made things worse, driving players deeper into despair.
Keeping her here will only make her fear grow worse. I have to get her out.
"Hey! Do you want to live?" Ethan asked, gripping her arms.
"Y-Yes…" the girl stammered.
"Then come with me!" he said, pulling her along as he ran out of the starter city.
He summoned his longsword, staying alert in case anyone tried something hostile.
The girl kept sobbing but didn't resist. Together they made it past a shallow river and up the same hill as before.
The place was relatively safe, with nothing around but slimes. Harmless and passive.
"Now, we're safe here," Ethan said, breathing heavily.
Damn! What's going on? Why do I feel tired? I never felt this before.
He pinched his arm and flinched at the pain. That's when he realized—something had changed in the system. Players could now feel real sensations and body responses.
"I don't want to die… I don't want to die," the girl whimpered.
"If you keep whining like that, you'll just end up dead anyway," Ethan muttered.
"Tell me—since when did Tower of Ascension become a full-dive VR game?" he asked.
"Today's the first day of the adaptation. The news was announced a month before release," she explained.
A month? All I ever heard was news about the main tournament.
"What's today's date?"
"What do you mean? It's October 1st, 2025."
"WHAT? 2025? Don't mess with me!"
"I-I'm not joking. It really is October 1st, 2025," the girl said nervously.
Ethan smiled faintly and took a step back. He couldn't believe it. Time had passed without him even knowing.
He had only been playing for what felt like a single day, yet in reality, he had been unconscious for two whole years.
I've been dead to the world for two years? Impossible! That system, that voice—it all felt real just yesterday.
"What's wrong?" the girl asked, confused by Ethan's reaction.
Two years… What about Ashley and the others? Damn it! At my level, I can't even reach Maverald City.
This sucks! But why did I wake up before this full-dive chaos started? Do they have plans for me?
Shit! My main account hasn't been touched in years—it must've been reset!
"Sir?" the girl asked softly.
Ethan took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He exhaled again and again until both his heart and mind steadied.
There was so much to do, especially now. He was certain many players would panic and act recklessly.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Michelle."
"I'll call you Elle."
"From the look of you, you're a priest, right?" Ethan asked.
"That's right," Elle replied. She was a twenty-year-old girl with long brown hair, fair skin, and a pretty face.
"Priests are easy targets. You've got low defense and no real attack power."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Elle asked, panic rising again.
Ethan crouched down in front of her, telling her everything would be fine. She wasn't convinced.
"People say that, but what do they actually do? They panic and lose hope," Elle said.
"It's normal to act like that in chaos. But if you want to die quickly, sure—go join them," Ethan said with his arms crossed.
"I-I don't want that."
Ethan grinned. He opened his profile panel and checked the party feature—it was still locked. Players had to hit level 15 to unlock it.
He was only level 6, needing way more EXP to reach level 10, let alone 15.
"Have your three main skills unlocked yet? Did you finish the starter event?" he asked.
"I did."
"Good. Then you're coming with me. You'll back me up with your support skills, and I'll keep you alive. Fair deal, right?"
Elle narrowed her eyes, suspicious. She feared Ethan might just use or kill her, especially since he was a warrior.
"Can I even trust you?" she asked.
"That's up to you. If not, you can always go back to the city and despair with the rest of them."
"No, I don't want that."
Elle fell quiet, then let out a slow breath, staring at Ethan's sharp features.
She had no other choice—her friends were elsewhere, and she hadn't been able to reunite with them. Ethan's offer sounded risky, but if he really kept her safe, then it was worth it.
"Fine. But if you kill me, I'll haunt you forever!" Elle threatened.
"Ha! That's scary—even though I don't believe in ghosts."
"So what do we do now?" Elle asked curiously.
Ethan stayed silent, glancing back toward the city. Plenty of players were leaving, desperate to get stronger by hunting monsters.
Not a bad idea, but without the party system, they risked getting hurt by friendly fire.
"Are we gonna join them?" Elle asked, noticing Ethan watching the others.
"Bad idea. Better we hunt for hidden treasure chests instead," Ethan explained.
"Treasure chests? Wait, how are we supposed to find them?"
"Because I remember where they are. Hopefully the devs didn't move them."
"Then let's go."
Elle nodded. Ethan's confidence was oddly reassuring—maybe following him wouldn't be so bad.
[Congratulations, you've used White-Furred Camel (7d)]
Ethan activated his mount, climbing on without hesitation. Elle blinked in confusion, then activated her own beginner chest mount item.
With both ready, they headed west toward the first treasure chest location.
Chest quality ranged from common to mythic. Around Ascardan City, though, only common, uncommon, or epic chests would appear.
Better than wasting time fighting monsters, risking player attacks, or gambling their lives.
During the ride, Ethan asked Elle to explain the features of Full-Dive VR. She mentioned something called the Neural Safety Filter Ward—or NSFW.
"NSFW? What a weird acronym," Ethan chuckled.
"It's supposed to block pain and other sensations," Elle explained.
"There's a chance they've disabled it," Ethan replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Tiredness, hunger, pain—you'll feel all of it now."
"That's terrifying."
"Yeah, but we can work around it if we manage our attribute points smartly," Ethan said.
"I haven't touched mine yet. Can you help me later?" Elle asked.
"Sure."
They rode on until they reached a waterfall near a steep cliff. Elle froze, amazed. She had never seen a place like this in the game.
The world felt bigger now, maybe making Tower of Ascension the largest open-world map ever created.
They stopped their camels. Elle asked where the chest was, and Ethan pointed ahead.
"We're supposed to jump off the cliff? Are you crazy?"
"No, let me explain," Ethan said, pointing to a stone path leading down the cliffside, toward a small cave hiding the chest.
They dismounted and carefully walked to the cave entrance. A bend in the path led them into a dim cavern.
No monsters were guarding it—though sometimes chests had guards.
"No monsters?" Elle asked.
"That's bad news for us," Ethan replied.
"Bad news? Isn't that good?"
"It means the chest is below epic rank. The good news is we don't have to risk our lives getting it."
They stepped inside, spotting two torches on the walls and a chest sitting untouched at the center. Ethan crouched down and opened it without a key. A system panel popped up.
[DING! Congratulations, you've obtained a treasure chest]
[Level: Uncommon]
[+200 gold] [+100 EXP] [1x Iron Longsword] [1x Chainmail Chestplate] [3x HP Potion Lv.2] [1x Iron Ore]
Along with EXP and gold, Ethan scored a new longsword and chestplate. Nothing groundbreaking, but good enough to boost his ATK and DEF.
"What about my share?" Elle asked.
"Hehe, the chest drops are bound to whoever opens it."
Elle pouted, glaring at him. Ethan just laughed and gave her shoulder a light pat.
"Don't worry. The next chest will be yours."
"Let's move on to the next spot."