Second World Online

That morning, the sunlight had just begun to peek through the thick curtains of my room, piercing the UV-protected window glass of the Hortensia family residence. I slowly opened my eyes, hoping to feel refreshed after a deep sleep, remembering how enjoyable my achievements in the Second World had been last night. I was even already imagining plans to pick up the alchemy production skill.

However, at the exact second my consciousness fully returned, the young man suffering from leukemia an excruciating torment immediately ambushed me without mercy.

"Argh... hhh..."

A suppressed groan escaped my suddenly parched lips.

The pain didn’t come from the outside, but exploded from within my own body. It felt as though the marrow inside my thigh bones, spine, and ribs was expanding, pushing hard, wanting to shatter the calcium enclosing it. This was the signature pain of the uncontrolled proliferation of malignant white blood cells, an acute attack of my leukemia exploding once again.

A wave of sharp, hot, stabbing aches spread through all my joints. My muscles spasmed, refusing the commands from my brain. Cold sweat the size of corn kernels instantly flooded my temples and neck, soaking the collar of my sleeping pajamas in just a matter of seconds. My breathing became extremely short and shallow; my lungs felt bound by an iron belt that kept tightening.

"But... ton..." my mind groaned, trying to control the panic that was beginning to gnaw at my sanity.

On the nightstand beside my medical bed, there was an emergency communication device shaped like a white box with a single large red button in the center. Its distance was no more than half a meter from my arm’s reach. For Syl the Elf, a distance of half a meter was something that could be traversed in a fraction of a millisecond. But for Rian at this moment, moving his left arm, which felt as heavy as a block of lead, was a matter of life and death.

I gritted my teeth until my jaw felt numb. With the remaining strength forced out by adrenaline and survival instincts, I dragged my left arm across the bedsheets. Every centimeter of movement triggered a surge of pain that caused my vision to begin filling with black spots.

My finger trembled violently when it finally touched the edge of the nightstand. With one final push that drained all my air, I dropped my palm onto the red button.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The sound of the internal emergency alarm, not too loud but emitting a high frequency, immediately echoed through every corner of the house, connecting directly to the staff’s devices and the control panel downstairs.

As soon as the button was pressed, my remaining strength evaporated completely. My arm went limp, hanging off the side of the bed. I could only stare at the ceiling of my room, which slowly began to spin, holding back a wave of nausea twisting my stomach.

Not even fifteen seconds after the emergency alarm sounded, the noise of very hurried running footsteps could be heard slamming against the parquet floor of the corridor outside my room.

My room door was shoved open roughly.

"Young Master!"

It was Mira. As per her morning routine, she came wearing a neat home nurse uniform. In her hands, she carried a tray containing a breakfast of oat porridge, fresh fruits, and a glass of warm water.

In the first second she entered, the remains of a bright, friendly smile still clung to her lips. She was used to greeting me cheerfully to lift my spirits in the morning.

However, that smile shattered to pieces when her eyes caught the scene on the bed.

Seeing my body curled up enduring pain like a shrimp, my face as pale as copy paper, and my lips turning blue from a lack of oxygen, Mira’s eyes instantly widened in horror.

CRASH!

The silver tray in her hands slipped right out. The porcelain bowl shattered, scattering across the expensive carpet, spilling porridge and warm water everywhere. But Mira didn’t care about the mess at all.

"Young Master Rian! Oh my God!" she screamed, stifling her voice.

Mira leaped over the broken bowl fragments, running to the side of my bed. Her professionalism as a servant blended with the panic of an older sister watching her younger brother dying. She immediately grabbed the portable oxygen tank that was always on standby in the corner of the room, placed a transparent oxygen mask over my nose and mouth, and turned the gas flow valve to maximum.

"Breathe, Young Master... take slow breaths. I’m here. Mira is here," her voice trembled violently, even though her hands moved very deftly, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead using the end of her own sleeve.

I tried to look into her eyes, tried to tell her that it felt like my bones were being sawed from the inside, but all that came out from behind the oxygen mask was a weak, muffled groan.

Seeing my condition not improving despite receiving an oxygen supply, Mira immediately pulled up the smartwatch on her wrist. Her trembling fingers pressed speed dial number one.

"Doctor Karin! Please, come to the Hortensia family residence immediately!" Mira exclaimed into her communication device with a high pitch I rarely ever heard from her. "Young Master Rian’s leukemia is in acute relapse! He’s experiencing severe bone pain, tachycardia, and his oxygen saturation is dropping drastically! Bring the mobile ICU equipment!"

After ending the call, Mira didn’t leave me for a single second. She sat on the edge of the bed, gripping my right hand which felt as cold as ice with both her warm palms. She rubbed the back of my hand continuously, trying to transfer a little warmth and strength into my fragile body.

"Hold on, Rian... please hold on. The doctor will be here soon. You are a strong boy, you can always get through this," she whispered repeatedly near my ear. Her facial expression was truly filled with profound worry. Tears began welling up in the corners of her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of me.

Mira’s handgrip was the only anchor keeping me from drifting entirely into a sea of pain that was darkening my sanity. The warm sensation from her palms was the only proof that I was still in the real world.

Whether ten minutes or half an hour had passed, time seemed to lose its meaning when you’re enduring pain in every inch of your bone marrow. The faint sound of a private ambulance siren could be heard from the direction of the front yard. This was followed by the sound of many running footsteps climbing the stairs.

Doctor Karin, my family’s oncology specialist, burst into the room alongside two assistant nurses. They carried large medical equipment bags, IV poles, and a portable monitor.

"Mira, step aside! Give us room!" Doctor Karin instructed in a firm, authoritative voice that pierced the panic.

Mira reluctantly released her grip immediately, stepping back to the corner of the room while anxiously wringing her apron.

Doctor Karin immediately shone a small flashlight toward my pupils, then placed a stethoscope on my chest. "Severe tachycardia, heart rate is 140 per minute. Blood pressure has plummeted. His body is going into shock due to acute bone pain. Establish a double intravenous (IV) line right now! Administer Morphine sulfate 5mg via slow bolus for pain management, and prepare a blood transfusion, his platelets must be destroyed!"

I felt the sensation of a syringe needle piercing a vein on the back of my right hand, followed by another needle in the crook of my left arm. Something incredibly cold began flowing into my bloodstream.

Along with the entry of that high-grade painkiller into my nervous system, the burning pain in my bone marrow slowly began turning into a heavy numbness. However, as the pain faded, my consciousness faded with it.

The sound of Doctor Karin’s instructions, the BEEP... BEEP... BEEP of the monitor tracking my heart rate, and Mira’s muffled sobs from the corner of the room slowly sounded further and further away. Like a cassette tape running out of power, everything slowed down, distorted, and finally... my world went pitch black.

Rian fainted. The Elf Goddess fell asleep.

...

Being in an unconscious state in the real world was very different from the sensation of sleeping inside a Full-Dive capsule.

When I entered Second World Online, my consciousness was transferred to a new reality filled with bright colors, the sound of wind, the scent of forests, and a body that felt invincible.

However, when fainting due to medical shock and the influence of high-dose sedatives, there was nothing there. No dreams, no quantum waiting room, no system interface menus. There was only an absolute emptiness. A black abyss that swallowed the perception of time and space. Inside that emptiness, my broken physical body was struggling to repair itself, taking who knows how long to stabilize the cellular storm within my bloodstream.

The sharp smell of chlorhexidine antiseptic fluid and the constant, rhythmic ticking sound of the Electrocardiogram machine (Beep... beep... beep...) were the first things to greet my senses as my consciousness slowly crawled up from the bottom of the dark abyss.

My eyes felt incredibly sticky and heavy, as if my eyelids had been glued shut using resin. It took almost a full minute for me to force my eyelids open.

The light from the dimmed room lamps greeted my sight. As my vision began to focus, I realized that the layout of my room had slightly changed. To the right of my bed now stood a tall iron pole hanging three different plastic medical bags: one bag of clear fluid (Saline IV), one small bag containing yellow medicine, and one large dark red bag flowing fresh blood into a thick tube connected to the crook of my arm.

On my chest, several round sensor cables were attached, connected to a monitor machine beside the nightstand. My room now truly looked like a mini ICU ward.

I tried moving my neck to the left side. My body felt extraordinarily weak, as though I had just run a hundred-kilometer marathon non-stop. Lifting even a single finger felt like an effort that drained sweat.

On the left side of my bed, on a soft sofa chair, sat a woman sleeping with her head leaning against the edge of my mattress. It was Mira.

Her hair, usually tied up neatly, now looked messy. Still wearing the same nurse uniform, her face looked very pale and exhausted, adorned by thick dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept properly for who knows how long. Her hand was still tightly gripping the edge of the thick blanket covering my body.

I tried calling her, but my throat felt like it had been scrubbed with coarse sandpaper.

"Mi... ra..." my voice came out like a hoarse mouse squeak, barely audible.

Even though my call was very quiet, Mira’s guardian instincts were incredibly sharp. She instantly jolted awake from her sleep. She blinked her reddened eyes, staring at my face. The moment she saw my eyes open and returning her gaze, she gasped violently.

"Young Master Rian!" she exclaimed in a hoarse voice, immediately jumping up from her chair.

Without wasting a single second, Mira immediately poured plain water from a pitcher into a glass, inserted a flexible straw, and brought it close to my lips. She slipped one hand behind my neck, lifting my head slightly with great care so I wouldn’t choke.

"Drink slowly, Young Master. Don’t rush, wet your throat first," she whispered softly, her tone of voice filled with immense relief.

I sucked on the water. The sensation of cool water flowing down and wetting my parched esophagus felt like drinking a holy Elixir potion from the gods. I finished half the glass of water before signaling with my eyes for Mira to take it away.

After laying my head back down on the pillow, Mira immediately turned toward the monitor machine to my right. She checked the blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and pulse rate indicators.

"Saturation is up to ninety-eight... blood pressure is starting to stabilize at the lower normal range... thank goodness, the storm has truly passed," Mira muttered to herself, rubbing her chest with profound gratitude. She then looked back at me with a warm smile, even though her eyes were teary. "How are you feeling now, Master Rian? Are there still any bones that hurt?"

I shook my head slowly. "No... just weak... very weak," I whispered softly. My eyes traced her disheveled face. "Mira... what happened? How... how long was I been unconscious?"

Hearing the question, Mira’s smile faded slightly, replaced by an expression full of empathy. She sat back down in the chair, tidying my blanket gently.

"An acute bone pain attack caused by an abnormal surge in white blood cells, Young Master. Doctor Karin said it was an extreme inflammatory response from your bone marrow," Mira explained in a professional yet very careful tone. She paused for a moment, looking directly into my eyes. "You fainted due to shock, and the Doctor had to administer sedatives so your body could focus on receiving the blood transfusion without pain. You have been asleep for three full days, Young Master."

Thump.

My heart beat slightly faster, triggering a brief spike in the beep sound on the ECG monitor.

"Three days?" I repeated, my voice trembling slightly, trying to process the information.

"Yes. It is Sunday afternoon. You have been unconscious since Thursday morning," Mira answered gently, rubbing the back of my hand that wasn’t pierced by an IV needle.

I fell silent, averting my gaze to stare at the white ceiling of my room. My mind suddenly churned. Three days. Three times twenty-four hours I had been disconnected from the outside world, both the real world and the virtual world.

The first instinct that arose in my teenage mind wasn’t the fear of death, but the signature panic of a true gamer.

"Damn it..." I cursed, groaning internally. "Three days! I slept for three full days!"

For normal people, losing three days might only mean missing a few school assignments or work schedules. However, in a dynamic ecosystem like Second World Online, three days was a timespan that could change everything radically!

Yesterday or more accurately, last Thursday the developers at Chronos Tech had just announced a server expansion and a massive addition of login pod capacity. Tens of thousands of new players must have already flooded the town of StoneBrook. Market inflation was definitely happening. Material prices might have skyrocketed or plummeted.

Worse yet, I had lost three days of my exclusive progress! Arthur, Kael, and Livia must have completed dozens of hunts in the Orc gorge, raked in gold coins, and perhaps already broken past level 16 or 17. Kitsuna the fox girl must have gotten even richer with her physical shop and monopolized the mid-tier leather armor market. Even large clans like Golden Lion, which I had previously made a fool of, must have rebuilt their foundation of power, recruited talented players, and begun conquering much stronger area bosses.

Meanwhile, what about me? The Elf Goddess who had just paved her path to glory, crafted the Whispering Ash masterpiece bow, and discovered the secret door to the ancient Elf race Dungeon in the Whispering Forest... had to be stuck at Level 14 and frozen inside an inn room for three consecutive days. The time advantage I had painstakingly built as a genius solo player was slowly eroding due to my absence from the game.

Frustration and disappointment welled up in my chest, making me want to forcefully rip out this IV needle and jump straight into the Game Capsule sitting in the corner of the room.

However, when my eyes shifted to stare at Mira’s pale face, looking so relieved and exhausted from guarding me endlessly, and seeing the tube of red blood continuously dripping life into my veins... Rian’s maturity took over Syl’s ego.

"I can’t be stupid and selfish," I whispered, scolding myself internally, taking a deep breath to ease the turmoil in my chest.

My cold logic started working again. What was the point of having a level one hundred character, infinite gold, or a Legendary-tier bow in Second World Online, if my real body in this world died because I neglected medical treatment? That game was created to give me breathing room, not to hasten my death.

If other players caught up to my level, so be it. I had already proven that with my Eagle Eye and Carpenter crafting talents, I could break past limits unachievable by normal players. The level gap could be bridged, but shattered health couldn’t be bought with Gold Coins dropped from any monster.

"Let’s focus on stabilizing this body first. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after, if Doctor Karin gives the green light, I can log in again. The secret of the ancient Elf legacy Dungeon behind that wolf cave isn’t going anywhere," I decided firmly, extinguishing my gamer ambitions for the time being and accepting reality sincerely.

I turned back toward Mira, offering a faint, genuine smile from beneath my still-pale lips.

"Thank you, Mira... for taking care of me these past three days. You must be sleep-deprived," I said softly.

Hearing that address, a teardrop finally escaped and fell down Mira’s cheek. She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand while chuckling softly. "That’s already my duty, Rian. Seeing you open your eyes again is more than enough payment."

Mira then got up from her chair and picked up her communication tablet from the table.

"Now, I have to contact the Madam and the Master immediately. They are currently abroad handling business expansion and your medical expenses, but they keep calling every two hours in a panic. I also need to report to Doctor Karin that your consciousness has fully recovered and there are no symptoms of neural disorientation," Mira explained briskly, radiating her professional aura once again.

I just nodded slowly, closed my eyes, and let my body go back to rest.