A few seconds passed before Victor spoke again.
"My readout shows no critical danger. Her ch has already initiated ergency dical protocols. It’s linked to my ch’s network and has entered escort follow mode."
The lead weight crushing Ethan’s chest finally loosened. He did not waste another breath. "Stay where you are. I’m coming now," he said, then cut the connection.
Only after the call ended did he truly register his surroundings again. He lifted his head and was imdiately t by a wall of stunned faces. Everyone was staring at him, frozen in place, Lyla included, her eyes wide as if she had just watched sothing unbelievable happen right in front of her.
"What?" Ethan asked, genuinely confused. Victor’s news had consud him so completely that he had shut out everything else in Ethereal without realizing it.
"Bro... just now...?" Lyla finally managed, her voice hovering between disbelief and shock.
"That was Victor," Ethan said, the tension still carved deep into his expression. "Sothing’s wrong on his side."
"What kind of wrong?" Lyla asked. She could tell from his eyes that this was serious, far more serious than whatever chaos had just erupted around them.
"Rainie’s been taken. Blackie and Amber are injured. I need to get there imdiately," Ethan said, the words coming out fast and tight. Then he frowned. "What happened here?"
Lyla let out a slow breath, half awe and half resignation. "... just check the system alerts."
While Ethan had been frozen by Victor’s ssage, Amber badly hurt, Blackie’s throat cut, Ethereal had quietly detonated.
High above Harmony City, a colossal glowing character had appeared in the sky, blazing with light, the ancient symbol for "Unseal." It stretched across the entire region, impossible to ignore, casting a strange radiance over the city below.
Then the announcents began.
[Ding... Global Announcent: The Dragonspire Northern Frontier, Harmony City Region, has t the Energy Seal Unlock Condition by having all four Advanced Fortresses under the control of a single guild: Renegade Alliance!]
[Ding... Global Announcent: The Harmony City Region is now unified. All Harmony City players will receive a free hardware upgrade. VR Headset users will receive a free entry level VR Capsule. Existing VR Capsule users will receive an upgrade to the next model tier. Please submit your claim on the official site. Delivery and replacent will occur within 72 hours.]
[Ding... Global Announcent: Renegade Alliance guild mbers will receive double the base Energy Pool while using a VR Capsule. Gold purchases for additional Energy Pool capacity will receive a 50 percent discount.]
[Ding... Global Announcent: The Energy Pool System is now active. Currently available only to players whose initial registration region is the Dragonspire Northern Frontier, Harmony City.]
Ethan pulled up the alerts in his system log, his eyes moving rapidly as he read them one by one. His jaw slowly went slack.
’Energy Seal unlock? Energy Pool System?’
This... this had never existed in his past life. Not even rumors of it. Unless—
His gaze snapped back to the first announcent.
Because all four Advanced Fortresses were controlled by a single guild.
That was it.
In his previous life, no one had ever managed that. Not even Zachary at the height of his power. The mont soone ca close, every other guild and independent powerhouse would imdiately unite to crush them. The political pressure alone made it impossible.
And yet Ethan had done it this ti almost casually, without stopping to consider what it might trigger.
Now the entire world was in an uproar.
What was the Energy Pool? What did double capacity even an? You could buy more with gold?
The WCC stream, which had been winding down monts earlier, was instantly flooded with a new surge of viewers. The chat exploded as people demanded answers, desperately trying to figure out what this mysterious system was. Since it was restricted to Harmony City registrants, most players outside the region could not see anything at all.
Harmony City Player A: "We don’t know either, there’s no new system showing up!"
Harmony City Player B: "Sa here, I don’t see anything new, what’s going on?"
Harmony City Player C: "Where’s the button? What does it even do?"
Harmony City Player D: "It’s right under your character portrait!"
Harmony City Player E: "No it’s not, are you trolling us?"
Harmony City Player D: "I’m serious... oh, wait. Are you using a VR Headset? I think it only shows up if you’re in a Capsule."
Player D’s comnt quickly set off a chain reaction. After a frantic burst of discussion, confirmation finally ca through, only players using VR Capsules could see and access the new system. Almost imdiately, the official site was overwheld as Harmony City players rushed to submit upgrade requests, afraid they might miss sothing world changing.
Ethan glanced at the new "Energy Pool" icon sitting quietly beneath his character portrait. Just looking at it made his fingers itch with curiosity. Instinct told him this system mattered, maybe more than anything he had unlocked so far. But the weight of reality pressed down on him even harder. Victor’s team was in danger. Rainie was missing. Whatever secrets the Energy Pool held would have to wait.
"Lyla, I need to log out," Ethan said, turning to her. His voice was tight, controlled with effort. "Victor’s team is in serious trouble. Rainie’s been taken. I don’t know who’s behind it yet, but I have to deal with it right now."
Lyla did not hesitate. She nodded imdiately, eting his eyes. "Go. I’ll keep things stable here," she said. There was no resentnt in her voice, only understanding. The unspoken aning was clear, he did not need to worry about this side of things.
"Thanks," Ethan said softly.
Before he could overthink it, he reached out, cupped her cheek, stepped closer, and kissed her.
"Mmph!" Lyla let out a startled sound, her eyes widening in shock. They had been intimate inside Ethereal before, but never like this, not in front of thousands of players watching the stream. Heat rushed to her face in an instant. Her hands flew up to his chest, not to push him away, that would only draw more attention, but out of pure flustered reflex. ’Everyone can see,’ her thoughts scrambled wildly as her body trembled, caught between excitent and overwhelming embarrassnt.
Just as she gathered herself to shove him away anyway, Ethan’s figure shimred. The warmth of his presence vanished as his avatar dissolved into light, disappearing right against her lips.
He had logged out.
In the middle of the kiss.
---
Back in the real world, Ethan surfaced from the deep sync. The VR capsule lid hissed open above him. He sat up halfway, glanced down, and let out a short, helpless laugh at the unmistakable reaction his body was having.
"Tch," he clicked his tongue, shaking his head. In one smooth motion, he swung himself off the capsule, grabbed the clothes he had left nearby, and pulled them on as he pushed the door open. The mont he stepped into the hallway, tallic whirs and sharp clicks echoed around him. His personal combat ch deployed from its storage nodes on his belt and wrists, locking into place piece by piece until his body was fully encased.
WHUMM.
The thrusters ignited at full output, and Ethan shot down the corridor like a launched missile, heading straight for the exterior bay.
That violent burst of energy imdiately set off alarms among the compound’s top fighters. Uncle Jed, Regis, and Dragon Child reacted almost instantly.
Swish, swish, swish.
Three figures blurred into existence ahead of him, blocking his path.
"Ethan! What’s the ergency?" Uncle Jed demanded, planting himself squarely in the exit lane.
Ethan fired his reverse thrusters, skidding to a halt in midair as heat washed over the corridor. "Blackie’s team has been compromised," he said quickly. "I’m heading out now. I need you all to stay here. Yaya’s still extracting that... thing. She may need backup."
He delivered the explanation in a rapid burst and did not wait for a response. Before Uncle Jed could argue, Ethan punched the thrusters again, slipping past him in a sharp arc and blasting through the compound’s periter Illusionary Array.
Just outside, already waiting, was Shatterstar.
The colossal ch hovered silently in the air, its chest armor sliding apart to reveal the pilot chamber. Ethan flew straight in without slowing, the hatch sealing shut behind him with a heavy clang.
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