Second World Online

The next day, after a relatively peaceful family lunch, I completed my routine medication schedule in an orderly manner. The usual midday injection and oral medicine went smoothly without any issues. My body still felt a little tired after the long grinding session the previous night, but I could endure it. I washed my face with cold water, put on the loose T-shirt I usually wore when playing, and walked toward the room that had been converted into a private space for the Game Capsule.

I opened the glossy white capsule lid with familiar movements. The cold air from the cooling system greeted me as I lay down. The sensors inside the capsule immediately attached to my temples and wrists. I took a deep breath, pressed the activation button, and let my consciousness be pulled in. Exactly ten minutes before two o’clock in the real-world afternoon, my eyes opened inside Full-Dive Second World Online.

I stood inside the familiar inn room. Virtual sunlight streamed through the wooden window, illuminating the slightly dusty plank floor. I immediately opened the door and stepped outside. The moment my feet touched the cobblestone street in front of the inn, I instantly felt a very striking change.

The atmosphere of StoneBrook City had changed drastically compared to the previous days. The square and main streets looked extremely crowded. A sea of players spilled into every corner. They ran back and forth with expressions of either panic or excitement, shouting to form parties, or trading potions and magic scrolls on the roadside. The sounds of bargaining, party recruitment calls, and the stomping of boots mixed together. Some players were already wearing full sets of armor, as if ready for battle at any moment. System posters announcing the Server-Scale Secret Event still floated in the air, colored in eye-catching red, constantly reminding everyone that today was not an ordinary day.

Instead of joining the panicked crowd in the middle, I chose to walk leisurely along the stone sidewalk. I avoided the dense throng in the center of the road and took the looser path on the right side. My destination was an open-air player-run café located at a corner of the square. The place offered a direct view of the main road without having to be trampled by other players. Simple wooden tables were arranged under a beige cloth canopy, and several players were already sitting there chatting or checking their status.

I approached the café owner, a human player wearing a dirty apron. "One strong black coffee," I said briefly. He nodded and immediately prepared my order. Not long after, a cup of strong-smelling black coffee was placed on my table. Thin steam rose from the surface of the thick black liquid. I sat on the wooden bench under the canopy’s shade, leaned back, and enjoyed sip after sip. The strong bitterness immediately spread across my tongue, washing away the remaining drowsiness carried over from the real world. I occasionally glanced at the digital clock on the interface that continued ticking downward.

The time showed 13:58 WIB. Only two minutes left before the event officially began. I exhaled slowly and let my gaze wander around. The crowd in the square grew even denser. Several large parties had already started moving toward the city gates. Shouts of "Party full! Still need a healer!" or "Selling cheap potions!" continued to be heard.

Suddenly, the sky above StoneBrook City, which had been clear, abruptly turned pitch black. Thick clouds swirled into a giant vortex above the city center. Strong winds blew, making the café canopy cloth flutter wildly. From the center of that vortex, a massive golden pillar of light descended, piercing right into the middle of the city. The light was so bright that some players closed their eyes. The booming sound of a magical bell echoed throughout the entire continent. That ringing was not only heard in the ears but also felt in the chest, as if shaking the soul of every player on the server.

Not long after, a large blood-red system announcement window appeared floating in the air. That window could be seen by millions of players simultaneously, no matter where they were.

[Global System Announcement: Server-Scale Monster Invasion Event Has Begun!]

Attention all Explorers in StoneBrook City! Your city has been selected as one of the main landing points for the wild monster invasion!

All players are required to prepare in front of the city’s defensive gates.

The types of monsters attacking will be specifically adjusted according to the direction of each cardinal gate.

The defensive position of each player has been randomly assigned by the system. However, for players who are members of the same Party, the system will automatically place all party members according to the location of the Party Leader!

I carefully read every line. When I reached the part about the automatic placement rules based on the party leader, a faint smile immediately appeared on my face. Yesterday afternoon, before logging out, I had deliberately put Alya back into my Party. The purpose was simple: so that we could continue the grinding session together this afternoon without having to search for each other again. That meant, wherever the system placed the party leader in this case, Alya and her group would definitely be in the same place as me.

I opened the Party Status panel. Small text appeared in the corner of the interface: [Placement Area: Eastern Gate]. I nodded slowly. "Eastern Gate, huh... the area of dense forest and former wild animal paths," I muttered while placing the empty coffee cup on the table. I stood up, straightened my slightly wrinkled clothes, and made sure the Whispering Ash Recurve Bow was securely stored on my back. I also checked the arrows in the quiver once more. Everything was ready.

Without wasting time, I immediately jogged through the crowd of players. I followed the mini-map direction indicator that now glowed with a red arrow pointing toward the defensive fortress on the eastern side of StoneBrook City. The streets grew denser. Some players pushed each other, some shouted because they had lost party members, and others immediately used movement skills to move faster. I chose the side path to slip between the crowd.

Upon arriving at the eastern gate, the situation was already extremely chaotic. Hundreds of players from various classes and levels crowded behind the stone walls and pointed wooden fences. Warriors stood on the front line with large shields, some of them already activating defensive skills. Mages and Archers prepared on the fortress wall platforms, ready with magic and arrows. The sounds of metal clashing, shouted instructions, and nervous laughter mixed together. The smell of wet earth and faintly burning wood drifted in the air, as if the system had already prepared the atmosphere of battle.

In the middle of the crowd of low-level players who were busy shouting, my gaze immediately caught a very familiar figure. A pure white-furred fox was standing restlessly on top of a large rock. Its fur looked glossier than yesterday. However, there was a sight that immediately made my eyes widen in surprise. If yesterday it only had one tail, now two thick, fluffy tails had grown at the rear of its body, swaying gracefully at the same time. Both tails moved in harmony, as if they had a mind of their own. And even more surprising, next to the two-tailed fox stood three novice players who were none other than Alya’s party friends from yesterday.

Knowing that she was already within my reach, a mischievous idea suddenly crossed my mind. I smirked. I walked silently from behind, utilizing the basic stealth skill that was still active. Before Alya could notice my presence, I immediately bent down, lifted the two-tailed fox body into my arms, and started stroking its fur with quick movements.

"Wow, the fur is really getting softer and thicker after evolving!" I praised spontaneously while bringing my face closer to its fur. A faint sweet scent drifted out, like a mixture of forest flowers and freshly washed fur.

The little fox jumped in extreme shock inside my sudden embrace. Its front paws flailed, and the twin tails swayed vigorously.

"Kyu...?! Eeeeeh?!"

Alya spoke, and this time, her voice was very clear! There were no more animal squeaks or howls. The game system had now granted her a basic human voice thanks to the evolution of her Beast race. Her voice was still high and slightly shrill, but it was clearly the voice of a young human.

"Brother! Put me down! It’s embarrassing in front of my friends!" Alya protested with a panicky high-pitched human voice. Her face, although still in the form of a white-furred animal, appeared flushed red. She could only resign herself to nestling in my arms because my hold was too comfortable, while her front paws made small rejecting movements. Both of her tails still swayed rapidly, indicating extreme embarrassment.

In front of us, Alya’s three party friends immediately burst into light laughter. The female human Warrior who had been using a wooden shield yesterday slapped her thigh while chuckling. "Wah, wah, so that’s the Brother you always talk about, Yuuki? His movements are pretty good, suddenly appearing from behind!"

"Yeah, yeah! Yesterday she said her brother was really skilled, but it turns out he also likes to tease like this," added the Archer, a human girl still wearing cheap leather armor.

Alya flushed even redder with embarrassment in my arms. She sent a barrage of private messages through Private Chat filled with protest exclamation marks.

[Brother! Let go! So embarrassing!][I can already speak properly, but don’t do this!]

[I’ll bite you later, okay!]

I only laughed softly while continuing to stroke her head. "Calm down. I was just surprised seeing your tails become two. Congratulations, the evolution succeeded."

Before I could continue teasing her further, the air around the eastern gate suddenly vibrated heavily. BUM! BUM! BUM!

The rumbling sound of thousands of creatures’ footsteps mixed with the sound of tree branches being forcibly broken echoed from the depths of the eastern forest. The horizon line behind the trees began to tremble, and thick dust rose high into the air. The countdown timer in the sky precisely showed zero. The event officially began.

From behind the dense trees of the Eastern Forest, a massive wave of monsters began to appear. Their numbers were no longer in the tens, but hundreds, even potentially reaching thousands! Various types of forest monsters poured out simultaneously starting from gray-furred wild wolves running with gleaming fangs, red-eyed wild boars raking the ground with sharp tusks, to giant monkeys carrying large wooden clubs. They all concentrated on moving straight toward the Eastern Gate where we stood. The sounds of roars, howls, and monster cries mixed together, creating a bone-shaking symphony of war.

I carefully put Alya down. "Get ready. This is only the first wave."

Alya nodded quickly, both of her tails now standing upright, indicating alertness. Her three friends immediately took their positions. The female Warrior advanced to the front with her shield raised, while the other two prepared behind.

I drew the Whispering Ash Recurve Bow, nocked the first arrow, and aimed toward the foremost group of wolves. The forest wind blew strongly, carrying the scent of wet earth and the faint smell of blood. In the sky, the golden pillar of light still stood tall, as if silently witnessing the invasion that had just begun.

The Eastern Gate of StoneBrook had now turned into the front line of battle. And we, whether we liked it or not, were already right in the middle of it.