[Mission Accomplished!]

  [Congratulations on passing the mission. You have asserted your influence and established dominion over the village.]

  [The reward (1,000 academy points) has been issued.]

  Victor gazed at the blue screen with a grin spreading across his face. With the addition of 1,000 AP, he now possessed a total of 1,690 AP—a sum that opened up countless possibilities. Currently, he was planning to purchase more magical plant seeds in preparation for the imminent new building in the next academy level-up.

  That aside, following his meeting with the village head, Victor wasted no time in summoning the players back to the academy. The two servant girls also followed with them, which sparked curiosity and chatter among the players.

  “Yippee! We got two more female NPCs in the academy!” Mike exclaimed with glee.

  “Don’t be a creep, will you?” a female player chimed in displeasure.

  “Haha, you heard her, Mike. But why does every female NPC we get from the village always seem to have a connection to the headmaster?” Storm pondered, furrowing his brow. “Something fishy must be going on.”

  “Right. I never noticed that before.”

  “Ahem…” Unwilling to cause a misunderstanding, Victor immediately clarified that the girls would be working as academy servants, and players must refrain from disturbing them in any way. He emphasized that failure to comply would result in punishment as outlined in the guidelines. Though it was probably better to update it soon to anticipate the increasing number of NPCs.

  Even though it only took a few hours, night had already descended by the time they returned to the academy. Anne and Rosalie rode on wooden carts alongside their belongings, which in turn slowed down the progress since they required protection.

  Upon arriving at the academy grounds, Victor compensated the players for the escort mission before dismissing them. Then, he guided the two servant girls to the Headmaster’s Building to brief them on their duties as well as assign them their place of accommodation. Once it was all taken care of, he returned to his room to get some rest.

  “Master! You’ve returned! I’ve got some news for you!” Lizbeth shot herself at Victor’s head upon his entrance into the room.

  Victor raised an eyebrow as he grabbed the little fairy and placed her on his palm. “Oh, what is it?”

  “Remember the old player by the ID ThunderLord999? He’s contacting your account right now and seems to have something important to tell you.”

  “Ho, the time has finally come, huh?” Victor’s eyes narrowed as he took a seat. “This should be interesting.”

  Jacky opened a private chat with the promotional manager, Cyber Warlock. Though they had exchanged a few messages in the past, Jacky wasn’t certain if he would receive a reply. This was his only chance, however, so he had to try.

  ThunderLord999: “Cyber, are you on? I am one of the game’s players with the ID ThunderLord999. My real name is Jacky Howard.”

  The letters on the screen blurred in Jacky’s vision as he struggled to type the message. His fingers felt heavy, as if moving through molasses. Had typing always been this difficult?

  ThunderLord999: “We’ve communicated briefly in the past, when I was applying for the game. I included information about my condition then, and now I need your help.”

  As an ambitious man, Jacky had never entertained the thought of asking for favors when he was younger. It had been ages since he felt this powerless, but desperation had a way of shattering any remnants of pride he once held.

  ThunderLord999: “I’m dying… The pancreatic cancer that’s slowly consuming me has spread faster than anticipated. The doctor gave me a month at best.”

  ThunderLord999: “You once mentioned a program associated with your game, and I’ve heard rumors about it… Is it true? Can you upload minds into it?”

  At first, Jacky found the idea utterly absurd. Such a dream-like technology should have been at least decades away from becoming a reality. But when he first logged in to the game, he was thoroughly convinced that the technology was there, and all he needed to do was find a way to gain access and abandon his frail, sickly body in the real world.

  With that thought in mind, he continued to type, despite his trembling fingers. “If so, I’m willing to offer anything. My money, my resources, anything you desire. Even if your company turns me into a lab rat, I’m more than prepared to endure it! Just please, grant me relief from this torment. Restore me to a healthy body… Please!”

  His true intention spilled out, raw and unfiltered. With death looming over him like a relentless shadow, there was no point in concealing it any longer. That was why he offered up everything he had—every last vestige of his wealth and power in exchange for a chance at life. It was the desperate plea of a desperate man, but it was all he had left.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Fortunately, he had anticipated this day would come and had prepared accordingly. In fact, he’d stashed away a hundred million dollars in a hidden, secure account—all for the sake of his treatment. If that wouldn’t even be enough, he didn’t know what else to do anymore.

  Hours stretched on as Jacky anxiously awaited a response from the other party. Slowly, anxiety and hopelessness crept up in the back of his mind. What if the other party refused to upload his mind into the game? What if his suspicion was unfounded and the technology was nothing more than hearsay? What if...

  Only on the brink of death did he become so desperate… How drastically life had changed.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity of agonizing uncertainty, movement stirred on the screen before him, a message appearing at last. The rush of relief was deep, akin to the joy of receiving a cherished video game as a child.

  Cyber Warlock: “Jacky, I’m sorry to hear about your condition. Yes, it is true that we have the capability to upload minds into the game, and there’s indeed an upcoming secret program about it. But the process is not without risks, and it’s not something that I can decide by myself.”

  Reading the reply flooded Jacky with instant elation. He didn’t care about the risks; he would do whatever it took. No matter the cost, he would drain his pockets dry for the chance at a new lease on life. The path that had been clouded with darkness had finally shed some light.

  In haste, he entered his response without a second thought. “I’m willing! Any risk agreement, I’ll sign it. Since I’ve no other choice, even if it means selling my entire life’s savings, I’ll do it.”

  Cyber Warlock: “All right. We’ll need to assess your situation further before I can make any promises. Do you mind answering a few questions?”

  ThunderLord999: “Of course, of course!”

  “Interesting,” Victor murmured as he responded to Thunder’s messages.

  Obviously, he was lying when he claimed that the decision wasn’t solely his to make, but he had to maintain the decorum of a respectable gaming company—perhaps it was more accurate to say they were a company offering its customers a second chance in life. This also made the name of the company (WorldGate Soft Co.) more fitting than ever before.

  Nevertheless, Victor wasn’t running a charity. It might sound cruel, but in exchange for granting Thunder a new life, he expected something in return. As the saying went, “A drowning man will clutch at a straw.” This meant that he would agree to whatever conditions Victor imposed on him.

  “Master, I think you need to check your reflection every time you smirk at your own devious thoughts,” remarked the fairy, her tone tinged with mischief. “You look like a devil wearing human skin.”

  “Cut it with your teasing, will you?” Victor responded with a light flick to her head, causing her to tumble backward in annoyance.

  Yet, perhaps Lizbeth’s words weren’t entirely devoid of substance. The deal Victor was trying to make with Thunder—Jacky—was indeed like a deal with the devil.

  “In any case, his backstory is quite unique. To think that he chose to donate all his money to the company over giving it to his wife or anyone else…” Victor shook his head.

  While he certainly wouldn’t refuse free money, taking all of his assets was a bit too much. However, it wasn’t Victor’s decision to make. As such, he would honor it to the best of his abilities and help the desperate man.

  Having considered this, Victor composed a response after several minutes. “I understand. I’ve discussed it with my superiors, and they’ve agreed to proceed with the program, with you being the first subject.”

  It took mere seconds for Jacky’s reply to come through.

  ThunderLord999: “Glad to hear that! So, how is it done? Do I have to travel somewhere or…?”

  Cyber Warlock: “No. You already have everything you need there. You only need to lie inside the device, and we will initiate the process remotely.”

  ThunderLord999: “You mean, the gaming capsule? It is capable of uploading my mind?!”

  Cyber Warlock: “That is affirmative. However, I must first mention some drawbacks of this procedure that you need to be aware of…”

  ThunderLord999: “Please tell me. I know everything comes at a cost, and I’m prepared to face it.”

  Seeing that he was determined no matter what, Victor proceeded to explain the consequences of permanently uploading his mind into the in-game body.

  First, once this process had taken place, it would be irreversible. Returning to his body on Earth would be impossible, as there were no gaming capsules or necessary facilities available over there. Essentially, it was a one-way ticket.

  Second, the pain and mental shielding mechanisms would no longer function. With no gaming capsule to speak of, there was nothing that separated him from the real thing, and he would be exposed to any potential damage.

  Third, he would lose his ability to revive like other players, making his life no longer immortal. This was, by far, the biggest disadvantage of the procedure. After all, once he died in this world, he would really lose his life like a normal, living being—just as it was for Victor.

  There was a reason why Victor hadn’t yet disclosed this information to the public until now, and he wouldn’t do so until he had full certainty that the masses, or at least the players, would accept it. Jacky, if he accepted, would serve as the perfect guinea pig for this experiment.

  ThunderLord999: “Such a thing… I didn’t know that I wouldn’t be able to respawn if I died in the game…”

  Cyber Warlock: “To be frank, the game isn’t just a game to us as much as it is to the players. You could say it’s more of a simulated world that we observe, and there are several limitations that even we can’t do anything about. For example, we can’t put you in a different world either, as we don’t have the necessary resources to do so.”

  If Victor had been given a choice, he wouldn’t have imposed these restrictions. After all, who would be stupid enough to remove the players’ greatest advantage: the ability to resurrect endlessly?

  With that out of the way, he continued typing his response, scrutinizing it for any errors before sending it.

  Cyber Warlock: “You could still refuse if you find this unacceptable, as we completely understand your concerns. The game world is countless times more dangerous than Earth, and unknown threats could bite you from anywhere.”

  ThunderLord999: “No! Living in a game world is like living a dream life, just like those transmigration novels. You know, despite my old age, I enjoyed reading those things.”

  Cyber Warlock: “I see… Despite knowing this, you choose to continue. Alright then, once you’ve settled all your affairs in the real world, we can proceed with the process. You can reach out to me again once that’s done. All the necessary details will be sent to you shortly.”

  ThunderLord999: “Thank you. Cyber, I’ll surely donate everything to your company and put your name on it. [Prostrating.jpg]”

  Cyber Warlock: “Mhm. We’ll also make sure that you successfully upload your mind to the best of our abilities. Let’s each do our part.”

  Victor might like free things, but he was not a scammer. Although he did trick a bunch of players to play his “game,” this matter was a completely different thing altogether.