Ch 78 - Authentication Anomaly

“Zetia! What’s wrong?!”

Toma repeatedly pressed the Force Open button on the Game Capsule as the warning alarm continued to ring, its red indicator light flashing without pause.

The capsule lid finally unlocked with a soft hiss. He immediately checked inside and found the young woman lying completely still, as if she were asleep.

"Zetia!"

He grabbed her arm and tried to wake her, but she didn't respond.

She should have already been disconnected from the game. The capsule had completed its emergency release procedure, which meant she should have logged out by now.

So why wasn't she answering?

Without wasting another second, Toma slammed the Emergency Support button located on the control panel inside the capsule.

A brief tone played before a calm voice came through the built-in speaker.

"Thank you for contacting Eternal Legacy Online Customer Support. This is the Emergency Assistance Line. My name is Aira. How may I assist you today?"

Toma said. "Can you check the condition of the user who last logged into this Game Capsule? The status light turned red, and she's unconscious after the emergency release."

A few seconds of silence followed while the operator accessed the system.

"Thank you for waiting," the operator replied. "We've checked the latest activity associated with that Game Capsule. According to our records, an unexpected authentication anomaly occurred during the login process."

"What does that mean?"

"The system was unable to identify the user's profile. As a result, the login procedure failed before the player could successfully enter the game world."

Toma frowned.

"So why is she unconscious?"

"In rare cases, a failed synchronization between the capsule's neural interface and the user's brain may result in a temporary loss of consciousness. Neural synchronization begins before identity verification is fully completed, and if that process is interrupted unexpectedly, the user's brain may require some time to stabilize naturally."

"..."

"At this time, our monitoring system has detected no signs of critical neural stress or other life-threatening abnormalities. Please continue monitoring the user closely. If the user's condition changes or any abnormal symptoms appear, contact emergency medical services immediately. If the user remains unconscious for sixty minutes following the synchronization failure, our emergency medical response team will automatically be dispatched to your registered location."

Toma answered immediately.

"Are you certain this isn't an emergency?"

"Based on all telemetry currently received from the capsule, we have detected no critical abnormalities. The user's vital signs remain stable, and the capsule reports normal biological activity. At this moment, there is no indication of an emergency condition."

"...Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome. If you require further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us Support again. Thank you, and have a pleasant day."

The call ended. Silence filled the room once more.

Still kneeling beside the Game Capsule, Toma stared at Zetia, whose face remained hidden beneath the neural interface helmet.

Slowly, he reached over and pressed the manual release button beside the headset. With a soft click, the helmet unlocked and lifted open.

Her face was finally revealed. She looked as though she were simply sleeping. Her expression was calm and serene, without the slightest hint of pain.

"Failed to identify..." Toma murmured quietly.

"The game couldn't identify her profile... so she never even logged into the game?"

"And they called it an authentication anomaly."

He swallowed hard. There was nothing he could do now except wait and hope she woke up on her own.

At the very least, he would stay by her side for the next several minutes, just as customer support had instructed.

If she still didn't wake up within the expected time...

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Should he wait for the medical team?

Or… Would it be better to call an ambulance right now?

Meanwhile, inside the game.

A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield as one explosion after another erupted without pause. Smoke and dust billowed high into the sky, swallowing the horizon, while violent shockwaves tore through the surroundings.

Several people were thrown into the air again and again before crashing hard against the ruined ground.

Siki struggled to get back to his feet, using his greatsword as support while kneeling amid the shattered earth.

Windious was hurled backward as well, his boots carving deep trenches across the ground while he desperately planted his massive axe to stop himself from being blown away.

They both faced forward.

The massive monster still stood there, its tentacles thrashing more wildly than ever. Every swing unleashed another devastating explosion that ripped apart everything in its path.

"I'm running out of ammunition!" a desperate voice shouted from another direction.

It was Serissa.

"Siki, you idiot, think of something! I can't keep blowing those pollen clouds apart! Every time I stop one before it spreads, I burn through way too much ammunition! If it does that three more times, I'm finished!"

"If even one of those clouds spreads unchecked, it'll swallow half the city! I have to destroy the pollen before it blankets the ground, or the explosions it triggers could wipe out entire districts! So hurry up and come up with a plan already!"

"Siki, you idiot! Think of something!!!"

Moments later, another figure slammed into the ground nearby. Clover pushed herself back up while gripping the handle of her spear.

The massive monster had already lost more than half of its tentacles.

Even so…

It barely seemed affected. Its enormous body continued moving without slowing down, as though the damage they had inflicted meant nothing at all.

"Siki... what do we do?" Clover asked without taking her eyes off the monster.

"We don't have enough firepower. This isn't enough. We're barely damaging it, and if this keeps going..." She clenched her teeth. "We're going to lose. I can't keep this up much longer... and my stamina is dropping fast."

Siki slowly rose to his feet. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword as another chain of explosions thundered behind them.

He didn't need to look back. Everyone already knew what was happening.

"Damn it!" Windious shouted. It was rare to hear the boy curse. That alone showed just how desperate their situation had become.

"The city wall has collapsed!" he yelled. "Should I fall back and reinforce the rear? If this keeps up, the entire city will be wiped out!"

Siki gritted his teeth.

"...No. We hold the front. Trust the others to protect the city. Whoever's back there... I believe they'll handle it."

He raised his greatsword and pointed it toward the towering monster.

"Our job is to keep this thing here."

"We keep dealing as much damage as we can..."

"...until reinforcements arrive."

Another impact thundered across the battlefield. Serissa had landed right in front of them. She pointed her umbrella straight at Siki, her eyes blazing with frustration.

"Reinforcements, my ass! We're the only Level 200 players anywhere near this place! This is a dead city, practically deserted! There aren't any elite players coming to save us!"

"The rest are nothing but cannon fodder! More than half of them are already dead, and they won't be coming back anytime soon!"

"And the city itself is being defended by low-level knights! Do you really think they can hold that monster back while we sit around waiting for help?!"

"Serissa!" Clover warned sharply.

Before either of them could say anything more, another wave of glowing pollen burst from the Behemoth's blooming buds. The thick clouds spread rapidly through the air, already drifting toward the city.

Without another word, the two girls turned back toward the Behemoth and launched another barrage. Dozens of rockets streaked into the sky alongside countless wind blades.

One explosion after another erupted high above, tearing apart the spreading pollen clouds before they could blanket the city.

Siki, Windious, and Kingston charged forward once again. But the number of players holding back the smaller monsters had dwindled. More and more creatures broke through the defensive line, forcing the three of them to cut their way forward.

Their advance slowed with every passing second.

They didn't have enough time.

The Behemoth would keep launching its attacks, and they only had two chances left before Serissa ran out of ammunition and could no longer stop the next wave of pollen.

One of the Behemoth's massive tentacles suddenly lashed toward them at terrifying speed.

Siki burst forward. Windious dodged to the side. Kingston, however, planted his massive paws firmly against the ground and lowered his armored body, preparing to take the attack head-on.

The enormous tentacle slammed into him with crushing force, driving him deep into the earth.

"I can hold it!" Kingston roared through gritted teeth.

"Destroy this tentacle, now!"

Siki dashed forward, his greatsword blazing with golden energy as he prepared to strike. But, before he could reach the Behemoth, another massive tentacle came crashing toward him.

His eyes widened. He twisted sharply in midair to avoid a direct hit, but the impact still caught him. His body was hurled across the battlefield, bouncing violently over the shattered ground before finally skidding to a stop.

His greatsword slipped from his grasp and landed several meters away.

The white helmet covering his face broke open from the impact, revealing his exhausted expression. Strands of blond hair, damp with sweat, clung to his forehead.

"Oh, damn it. This is so frustrating," he muttered.

Before he could say anything else, a shadow fell over him. Siki raised his head as someone stepped up beside him.

"The greatest guild in the game... and this is how its members fight?" The voice belonged to a man. "Pathetic. You've accomplished nothing except getting yourselves beaten senseless. If this is the best you can do, then get out of the way. You're only making things worse."

Siki stared at him for a moment. Then he smiled.

"Took you long enough. What was it? Hero syndrome?"

"Choose your words carefully," the man replied. "You're addressing the future king... and the greatest man this kingdom has ever produced."

"Alright, Your Highness." Siki gave him a faint smirk. "Let's see if you can actually live up to all that confidence. Go on, show everyone who the real boss is. Because if this grand entrance ends in another disappointment, you might as well crawl back to the Royal Palace, you crybaby prince."

The man walked past him without another word, with two young women following close behind.

One wore fitted silver armor, her long blonde hair tied neatly into a high bun. The other was an elven maid, her long dark green hair flowing freely down her back.

Siki let out a tired sigh as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"We're heading into round two," Siki said over the guild channel.

"No more holding back."

"Burn every skill. Empty every last bit of mana."

"We kill that thing before it destroys the city."