VR Game: Another World
A VR game that took the world by storm.
In a fantasy world full of vibrant life, blending reality-like vividness with the extraordinary, people became completely immersed in the allure of VR.
Another World Corporation also introduced a groundbreaking biochip.
Implanted in the wrist, it not only replaced smartphones for calculations and searches but also handled most functionalities.
Its incredible utility quickly spread to numerous countries, replacing mobile phones.
Five years after its release, the chip is now used as a card and ID in approximately 122 countries—a feat that is beyond words.
Additionally, the biochip’s widespread adoption allowed people to play VR games like Another World on the go, accelerating its popularity.
Some even began to believe that their VR character was their true self.
And in a way, they weren’t entirely wrong—their VR character also served as their ID.
A shabby-looking VR avatar would inevitably reflect poorly on their real-world self.
I was one of those people.
“So, I poured all the money I earned over the past few years into it…”
Then, a drunken accident—a car rushing toward me on the street.
I threw myself to the side in an instant, saving my life but losing something far more precious.
“My years of effort…”
I still can’t forget that day.
My biochip, crushed under the car tire.
To top it off, my right arm was destroyed as well.
Or rather, the biochip implanted in my right arm shattered, taking the arm with it.
But no, the chip wasn’t secondary; years of accumulated data were far more valuable than the arm itself.
Thankfully, when I contacted the VR company, they responded quickly and assured me of recovery.
As a global giant, they apparently kept backups of everything.
I was so overjoyed by the news of recovery that I accidentally broke my right arm again in a minor mishap.
But that was a trivial matter.
However, the conversation with the customer support representative was a bit odd…
“Yes, you’re user 000, correct? We’ve reviewed your inquiry. You mentioned that your biochip was destroyed? Biochips are made with durability in mind and are rarely damaged, but we will do our utmost to assist you.”
Well, I never imagined the biochip could break either.
It must have shattered because the car wheel dragged my arm several meters.
When the chip fell out of my broken arm, I felt like my heart dropped as well.
“However, since your character level is maxed out, the recovery process will take some time. Additionally, due to current internal staffing issues, we will be sending you a replacement biochip for the time being. We appreciate your understanding. Thank you as always.”
The email ended there.
It felt a bit off, but I couldn’t complain—the data would be restored eventually.
“Finally, my days of living on nothing but water are over.”
In a world where all digital devices had been replaced by biochips, I couldn’t play games or access my savings in the meantime.
But now, the end of my biochip-less life was in sight.
Tomorrow, I’d finally be able to splurge on delivery food.
What should I order first when the biochip arrives?
“Of course, chicken.”
Those miserable days of being unable to use my funds despite having money were finally behind me.
Ding-dong—
“Oh, it’s here!”
I opened the package to reveal the gleaming new chip.
I immediately attached it to my right arm.
As it activated, a series of interfaces appeared before me:
[Name: Aria Eclipse]
[Gender: Female]
[Race: Transcendent]
[Class: None]
[Skills: Darkness Control (EX), Apocalypse (EX)]
“Huh? Did they deliver the wrong one?”
The name, gender—everything was different from mine.
But VR characters served as IDs, so drastic changes in appearance or gender were prohibited, right?
Then, I remembered the company’s final remark:
“Due to busy circumstances, we’ve sent you a replacement biochip…”
“What the…?”
The gender, race, skills, and even the name were all different. Even for a temporary replacement, this was too far.
And one thing stood out.
Aria Eclipse—the name of the seventh boss in the VR game, one of the “Seven Final Bosses” created by the VR company.
I knew it well from endless failed raids, even after hitting max level.
As I stared at the translucent interface in disbelief, a thought hit me.
“Wait, what about the money?!”
What mattered now wasn’t the mismatched details—it was my funds.
Chicken.
Surely, my savings hadn’t been wiped out?
I skipped through the skill and information screens, frantically navigating the interface.
“Tonight’s dinner is chicken!”
[Gold: 100,000 pieces]
With gold now the unified global currency, each piece was worth 1,000 won.
My savings had even increased—a satisfying amount.
“They won’t arrest me for this identity mismatch, right?”
I glanced at the avatar on the screen—a beautiful girl completely unlike me.
After a brief hesitation, I shrugged it off.
“Whatever. The VR company will sort it out.”
Relieved, exhaustion finally caught up with me.
I ordered chicken, lay on my bed, and closed my eyes.
When I wake up, the chicken should arrive, right?
Falling asleep with such thoughts, and a few minutes later, the world underwent a great upheaval.
***
Our World – KR Server
It was around 10 a.m. Korean time.
A post appeared online.
[What is this? Seriously, what is this?]
I suddenly turned into my VR character.
I woke up feeling something itchy, and my body had transformed into a burly warrior.
The chip in my wrist was gone, and my body feels as light as air.
What on earth is happening?
Are you guys experiencing this too?
No idea.
Yep, that’s all we know so far.
I also changed, but we don’t know what this phenomenon is.
Seems like everyone is turning into their VR characters? Look outside; everyone is changing.
Lucky me, I transformed mid-poop.
Damn it.
– Are you an elf?
– Can I have a spoonful?
– Orc here, care for a sip?
– Get lost, damn it.
People are transforming.
Some turned into orcs, some into elves, while others became martial artists, changing only their physical appearance.
This phenomenon occurred globally.
But there was one common factor:
Everyone transformed into the VR character they had raised.
[It seems like everyone has turned into their VR characters.]
I checked American, German, and Japanese broadcasts, and people from all nations had changed.
Even on Korean TV, someone was broadcasting as a troll.
It doesn’t seem to be a phenomenon limited to Korea.
Considering the switch from “Another World” to “Our World” ,
It seems VR gaming has become reality.
Really?
Is this some kind of fantasy novel?
Does this even make sense?
Korean broadcasters were always trolls, though.
– What do you mean by that?
– Nice summary, saves me from watching the news.
– Maybe you should still watch it.
A sudden transformation.
Yet, the chaos wasn’t severe.
After all, the world had grown so close to VR that distinguishing it from reality was already challenging.
Since VR characters served as real-life IDs, it was impossible to create entirely different ages or appearances.
This minimized confusion.
However, with changes in species and VR-exclusive skills becoming usable in reality, some concerns about potential harm arose.
But since little time had passed, the chaos was minimal.
Rather, people seemed to welcome it.
The VR game Another World, once a globally used community platform, had now become reality.
The game’s name changed to Our World, and words began appearing on the translucent screen before their eyes.
[This is amazing.]
Flames come out of my hands.
Is this Fireball?
Guess I won’t need a gas stove anymore.
That fire-breathing thing looks so cool.
I’m jealous.
I should’ve gone for the mage build.
Nope, frost mages are better than fire mages.
Isn’t sci-fi cooler than magic?
You can create even stronger fire with it.
– Even here, they’re still arguing over guild supremacy.
– Yep, it’s real life now.
[After 30 years, I finally have a house.]
(A photo of an SF shuttle floating in the sky)
Who would’ve thought the VR character I built with a tech focus would come back like this?
Believe it or not, this multi-functional shuttle comes with all necessities, even a room inside.
I’ll use this as my house and travel the world from now on.
– I am so jealous of your free house.
– F*ck. What about airspace rights?
– Yet, it gets shot down.
– Don’t martial arts builds get anything? Share with us!
– Same for knights. F*ck.
– Swordsmen keep losing. LOL.
A world where VR characters became reality.
Hundreds of posts were appearing every second, revealing the unfiltered excitement of the people.
Then, one post caught attention.
[Does that mean those things will appear too?]
The 7 bosses, the 7 wonders dungeons, the 7 calamities from Another World.
I vaguely remember them being part of the story progression.
Will they appear too?
It was just a passing reference in the game, but now it feels ominous.
The title itself was ridiculous:
“Does that mean,”
“This happens,”
“Then that too.”
Are you playing 20 questions with me?
– Nah, just speculating.
– If it’s ominous, don’t bring it up, damn it.
– But it really could happen.
If that happens, we’re screwed.
A small event added by Another World’s developers.
Back then, it was praised for adding fun to a VR game with high freedom but few events.
Now, people’s memories of those events were slowly coming back.
[What was the first event again?]
Probably the 7 Calamities?
Wait, let me check.
I have a screenshot of it.
A few minutes later, someone with a collector’s instinct posted it.
[Here’s the story capture. But I doubt meteors will fall.]
It’s not realistic for a meteor to fall, right?
Even in Another World, it was stated as a past event.
Here’s a screenshot:
<First Catastrophe: The Signal of Destruction>
<A long, long time ago, a falling meteor eradicated billions of lives. Then, a few years ago, a meteor traveling through space finally chose its final destination and landed on Earth. The fallen meteor wiped out more than 70% of humanity, including other species, and to this day, the site remains a land of death in the Another World. But rest assured, this is an event of the past, and it will not happen again. Rebuild the annihilated human civilization.>
Right, even in the game, it was already stated as a past event, and the quest was about restoring the destroyed land.
The story supports it, and besides, if a meteor were coming, experts would have observed it long ago.
So we can probably rest easy, right?
Flag.
– Can’t those two just shut up?
– Meteorite.
It’s probably not going to fall, right?
…Aaahhhh
Even if it does fall, it won’t matter.
Our country’s land is tiny.
If it falls, it’ll probably hit somewhere like the U.S. or China.
Snicker.
With a slight unease lingering in their heart, the person walking down the street let out a laugh at the replies, calming their pounding heart.
“Yeah, no matter how much reality feels like a VR game, there’s no way a meteor would fall.”
It seemed like a needless worry.
Resuming their walk after a brief pause, they suddenly had a question.
“But… was the sky always this dark?”
The sky was growing darker and darker.
For clouds obscuring the sun, it was far too dark.
People walking along the street all looked up to the sky, and soon, they saw it.
A massive object of tremendous weight was falling toward Earth.
A falling, enormous rock.
No, it was far too large to simply be called a rock.
The sunlight couldn’t reach the ground anymore, and the sky turned crimson from the friction.
Birds took flight, and insects burrowed deeper into the earth as if to escape the impending disaster.
The falling meteorite.
On the day the world changed, humanity was gifted the sixth mass extinction by the universe.