Infinite Realm

"Sato…" Everyone in the hospital ward were stunned at Sato\'s actions especially

"Are you done?" Sato stared at Yato.

"..."

"If you are really tired of your life then why don\'t you end it. Go ahead! End it! Just know you would leave a lot of us disappointed. Because she cheated on you then you think your life is over?"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! What do you know?" Yato began to shed tears after his outcry.

"What do I know? Yeah sure let\'s go with that. You had your mom leave you with your dad dead. A lot of debts was placed on your head cause of that and you had to struggle in life. Your aunt left you and all your family members abandoned you."

"Sato enough!" Katsuo yelled however Sato just gave him a look and turned back to Yato. Even so, that look was enough to shut him up as it made Katsuo feel like he was in the presence of a huge demonic beast in a blood-covered battlefield. All he could feel in that environment was sorrow, suffering and fear.

"You suffered a lot and so what? Who was there when your family abandoned you? Who helped you pay up your father\'s debt? Who supported you in all your endeavour? Who the hell even helped you get the girl that just broke your heart? It was us; EACH and EVERYone of us. And you just decide to end your life over a girl."

As their voices were overarching the entire room, a nurse tried to step through the door and find out what was going on but she was encountered by Fudo who behind the door.

"Isn\'t the weather great nurse?" Fudo said through the glass window on the door with his iconic smile.

"What\'s happening in there?"

"Oh nothing; just my dog having some fun."

"Oh really?" The nurse said skeptically. "First of all animals aren\'t allowed in the hospital. Secondly, a dog doesn\'t sound like a human."

"Oh…I\'m really sorry but can you give us a minute? We\'re having a serious bro-talk so…"

"I\'m sorry but I have to find out what\'s happening in there." The nurse said as she tried to open the door. However when she tapped on the button to open the slide door, it refused to open implying that it was locked from the inside.

"Apologies miss. I will treat you to a date later but now you can\'t come in."

Blushing a little bit the nurse replied "Who said I want to go on a date with you? Open up or I will call security." However, Fudo completely ignored her but \'completely\' wouldn\'t be the right word as he still checked to see if she reallly did call security.

"How do you think we\'d all feel? How do you think the friends who have cared for you would feel? It\'s a good thing. If a woman betrays you that doesn\'t mean you should end your life, no matter how much you loved her. If she isn\'t worth your love then there are other things worth it. Life is a journey you shouldn\'t end because of one mistake. Don\'t ever let us get worried again or I swear I will kill you myself." (AN : That phrase, \'Life is a journey…\' was made by yours truly. Shamelessly advertising my brilliance.) With that said, Sato exited the room, leaving behind 4 awkward guys and a slightly depressed patient.

"Guys, I think security is coming. So let\'s bounce." Fudo broke the awkwardness with a silly look on his face.

After the had left the room, Seiichi nudged his glasses and said "Well Sato was a little harsh."

"True but Yato may have really needed it. All we could do is to comfort him slowly and carefully but he might not get back up again. A mix of insults and comfort might be better." Katsuo said while still recalling that feeling he felt from before. "Sato might have had a similar experience so he should have known what he was doing."

Gritting his teeth, Yoshi vented "That bitch Mia. If I get my hands on her, not even the heavens can save her."

Fudo then guffawed "Unless you want Yato on your tail, you better not make any moves yet. We have to wait for Yato to settle his emotions down before taking any form of revenge."

"Indeed." Everyone else nodded.

"By the way, where\'s Sato?"

At the Waiting hall on the second floor(AN : Remember, American standard for buildings.) Sato was watching a show on the Display unit(An : which is obviously a futuristic TV). The show was a famous one and the episode being broadcasted was one that had had began earlier on. It was an interview on the spokesperson for the company behind Infinite Realm, Dreamland Studios.

"So can you tell us more about Infinite Realm?" The interview asked.

"No problem, Kelly. Well you see, we were looking to produce a virtual world that not only defined reality as it is but also incorporated other imaginary facts that we all desired in our childhoods. A world where you could be anything you\'ve ever wanted; a blacksmith, a chef, a scientist, a doctor, you name it. We now put all those features into a game with quality graphics surpassing all those currently available. The result is the current leading VR game, or as we like to call it, VR world, Infinite Realm."

"Really? That\'s amazing!"

"I know right."

"So tell me more, is there like any side effect to it? Cause I heard that the 2x time speed has potential after-effects on people."

The spokesperson smiled and said "Infinite Realm is our prized creation. The NPCs are flexible and are all defined by the various characters and personalities. Unlike those of previous games, ours are quite approachable and realistic. Even so, Infinite Realm isn\'t perfect. I mean that\'s why there was an update just this morning.

"I admit that the 2xtime speed isn\'t so safe. This doesn\'t mean it has extreme adverse effects, no. It simply means that because of the increased time span, players would experience slight mental headaches after long gaming periods. This is because your body and consciousness is used to a 24 hour system. So when your consciousness experiences a 48 hour long period while your body experiences a 24 hour period, your brain feels slightly worn out and confused but do not worry as the effect isn\'t so serious. You can easily solve this with a nutrient drink for the brain or organize your playing time to be at least less than 14 hours in real time, with a 1-2 hour break.

"You might feel that it\'s wrong to use the increased time speed but this enables the players to be able to achieve more in the game, giving you a somewhat longer life span than those who don\'t."

"Ok. So is there anything else we need to pay attention to?" The interview asked.

"Apart from that, I would advice everyone else to please play the game. There are a lot of opportunities available in Infinite Realm and a lot of dreams can be achieved. With enough hardwork, you can earn as much as an average worker. Who knows, you might get more lucky and earn more. So do try to get yourself a helmet."

"Haha. Alright. Next question from a user; what is the point of an upgrade this early into the game?"

"Well, most of the features of the game and controls are handled by the Heaven system but in order to achieve that, it needs more data. We took the first 6 hours as a Beta testing of sorts, gathering the info from the various players and using it to improve the system and make the game better for all players. That\'s why there was an update."

"Hmm. That\'s an impressive idea. What about-"

"Hey Sato." Fudo called out from the lobby, cutting off Sato\'s attention from the show. "Some of the guys are feeling like you were too harsh on him."

"Same here. But I rather be harsh on him than let him end up like I did." Sato sighed.

"You still haven\'t forgotten about her have you?"

"Enough about that. I plan on heading home. The update will soon be over." Sato pointed at the display unit that showed the digits 9 : 35 am in a small sized font below the program.

"Alright. Let\'s go."

. . . . .

In a particular room in skyscraper located within the Yanai district, a young man was venting out his anger on the furniture and properties in the room. Most of the glass-wares and ceramic wares were broken into pieces, with the shards all laying around on the floor.

"FUCK THIS! Is it because of that little encounter that Azure dares to treat me like this? It\'s all that bastard\'s fault!" Kotaro yelled out in vexation.

"I swear I will pay that shit back for the disgrace."

Kotaro had just received a message from Azure Dragon, stating that he would be transferred to a branch at Black Mountain Town. Even though there was no difference in Town level, the branch in Black Mountain never actually existed rather, Kotaro was tasked to follow a group to set up one. This means that he now has to begin struggling with the local powers there for resource spots and levelling maps.

"Relax young master. All will be okay." A middle aged man, who was dressed in a butler\'s clothing and stood some distance away from the volatile Kotaro, comforted him

"How will all be ok?!" Kotaro shouted at him.

"Remember young master, the lord paid a lot to get you into the 1st tier guild Glory. This is the closest he can get you to a super guild; the rest is up to you. If you can succeed young master, then you will have enough opportunities to harvest benefits from Infinite Realm." The butler said as he dusted a table filled with broken shards of glass.

"What benefit is there in a stupid game? Just making me waste my time for no reason." Kotaro retorted.

"Not really. Young master, let me let you in on a secret. I don\'t know a lot but recently, the lord has been focusing on this game, even your grandfather too." The butler said in a low tone.

"Even the old man?" Kotaro sounded skeptical. One has to know that even though his father is a millionaire, his sphere of influence is nothing compared to his maternal grandfather.

"Yes, young master. I don\'t know the secrets this game hides but they seem to put a huge importance in it. If you, young master could get in to a super guild, not only will you know the secret, you can even make your father and grandfather proud by helping them achieve their goals."

"Really?!" Kotaro sounded skeptical. "But wouldn\'t that make me a pig for them to use?"

"Not really young master. If you are able to perform well and please your grandfather, surpassing your father in the family wouldn\'t be much of a problem much less killing." The butler smiled cunningly.

"I see…Hahaha, you bastard, Fudo, just you wait."