Johnjay returned to his territory.
The moment he stepped inside—
He saw them.
The beta testers.
Still working.
Still planting vegetables.
But something was wrong.
Their faces—
Pale.
Shaken.
Afraid.
"…Why are there only four?"
Johnjay's voice was calm.
But his eyes sharpened.
"Where is the fifth player?"
Ella hesitated.
Then slowly stepped forward.
"…He's gone."
Johnjay remained silent.
Waiting.
Ella took a breath.
"…While you were away…"
Flashback
The Mad Scientist stood near the portal.
Eyes filled with curiosity.
"…I wonder…"
Hunter crossed his arms.
"…Don't."
The scientist smirked.
"It's just an NPC warning."
"What can he even do?"
Hunter's gaze hardened.
"My instincts are telling me something."
"…It's dangerous."
But—
The scientist didn't listen.
He stepped through the portal.
At first—
Nothing happened.
Then—
Everything changed.
A Level 15 Mutant appeared.
So fast—
They couldn't even see it move.
"—!"
The next moment—
The scientist screamed.
"MY ARM!!"
Blood sprayed.
His arm—
Gone.
Zombies began gathering.
Drawn by the sound.
The smell.
The blood.
"HELP ME!!"
He ran.
Desperate.
Toward the portal.
But—
A Level 3 zombie bit his leg.
"AAAHHH—!!"
He fell.
Then—
More came.
Zombies.
Surrounding him.
"…No…"
They tore into him.
He screamed.
The four players—
Watched from behind the barrier.
Frozen.
Unable to move.
"…This isn't real…"
Gamer Girl whispered.
"…Right…?"
But it was.
Back to Present
Ella's voice trembled.
"…We saw everything…"
Silence.
Then—
She looked at Johnjay.
"…He's not dead in real life… right?"
Johnjay answered calmly.
"No."
Then his gaze turned cold.
"But the pain he felt…"
"…was real."
The players froze.
"And from this moment…"
Johnjay's voice carried authority.
"He is banned."
"For life."
Silence fell over the group.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
One Hour Later
[SYSTEM MESSAGE – QUEST COMPLETE]
Main Quest: The Foundation of Survival
Status: SUCCESS
Objectives Completed:
✓ Plow 20 square meters
✓ Build 5 garden plots
Rewards:
EXP +50
10 Copper Coins
System Message:
"The seeds are planted. Your garden will soon provide food for survival."
Player Reactions
Boxing King
He slapped his knee.
"There we go!! We did it!"
He grinned at the garden.
"Now we just wait for it to grow."
Chef Noob
He ran his hand along the soil.
"…Solid work."
"These will last."
"I'll check later for weeds."
Hunter
He stretched his arms.
"…Harder than I expected."
"But worth it."
Gamer Girl
She knelt down.
"They're perfect…"
Then smiled.
"…I wish we could post this online."
For a moment—
They forgot.
Forgot the screams.
Forgot the fear.
But only for a moment.
[SYSTEM ALERT – TIME LIMIT REACHED]
"You have reached the 12-hour limit."
"Mandatory logout initiated."
Countdown
10…
The garden glowed faintly
9…
Wind brushed the soil
8…
Their feet became transparent
7…
The system light brightened
6…
They looked around quietly
5…
Their hands passed through objects
4…
Light wrapped their bodies
3…
The world faded
2…
A low hum filled the air
1…
Swish—!
They vanished.
The garden remained.
Silent.
Waiting.
Meanwhile — Johnjay
Inside his workshop—
Johnjay opened the system store.
Then—
He bought a body.
A female body.
Strong.
Realistic.
Dark hair.
Amber eyes.
He laid it down carefully.
First—
He inserted a program chip.
"Assistant protocol."
Then—
He took out the pure red crystal.
From the mutant.
He placed it in her chest.
It glowed.
Pulsing like a heart.
Connected to the chip—
Like a brain.
Then—
Her eyes opened.
She slowly sat up.
"System assistant online."
"Program stable."
"My strength comes from the crystal."
Johnjay smiled.
"…Good."
"You're not just a tool."
"You're my assistant."
"I'll call you…"
"Jasmine."
She looked at him.
Then—
A soft smile appeared.
"…Thank you."
Later
Johnjay sat quietly.
Eating the fish he caught.
"…Since I came here…"
"…this is my first real meal."
Then—
He opened his PC.
Scrolling.
A post caught his attention.
POST BY: @ELLA_PLAYS
"This sounds impossible, but we started a game that feels 100% real…
You can feel everything—wind, sun, even pain.
We saw zombies. Real ones.
And… one of us got eaten.
It was horrific.
Now he's banned forever."
COMMENTS
@Boxing_king:
"The zombies are real… I can still hear him screaming."
@Chef_noob:
"We're safe for now… but this world is dangerous."
@Hunter:
"I warned him… he didn't listen."
@Randy_22:
"No proof = fake."
@Sophie_wants_in:
"I still want to try."
@Mad_Scientist67 (last comment):
"DON'T JOIN. The pain is REAL."
Johnjay stared at the screen.
Silent.
More people were applying.
Even after seeing the truth.
"…Humans."
He muttered.
"They still want to enter hell."