[RAIDS ONLINE: LUCENT @ RAIDS - Channel]
...I guess that wasn't too bad for my first Raid. Right, Selene?...
KCID@EID: Look at this guy, acting all sentimental like Selene is actually watching over him.
MOONSHINE@SELENE: Of course she is. Selene watches over everyone and wishes the best for all of us.
UR@DUDE: Looks like we've got another delusional guy here.
MOONSHINE@SELENE: Selene is a true Goddess. FAQ U, Selene haters.
UR@DUDE: FAQ YOU!!!
RING@FORCE: FAQ players like this dude who starts with a 47% Link Force.
SILVER@SHOELACE: My faqing Link Force was 5% when I first logged into RAIDS ONLINE...
RING@FORCE: Sucks to be you... HAHAHA!!!
RAIDS@CURSE: Either way, this "Lucent" guy is gonna suffer from the high Link Force curse.
RING@FORCE: Can't wait to see another noob get trampled over and over again.
---
Luel logs out after completing his first Raid against the Rank D Ragnarok Beast, Red Hound, and goes back to sleep in the middle of the night.
The next morning, Luel notices that the video of his first Raid livestream has gained some attention from the official RAIDS ONLINE channel—over 1,000 views, along with plenty of harsh comments mocking him for talking like Selene was real.
"JEEZ…"
With a heavy sigh of embarrassment, Luel wants nothing more than to crawl into a hole after reading the comments.
"I feel like a total idiot... Why did I even think livestreaming was a good idea?"
Burying his face under the pillow, he lies on his bed while the echoes of laughter creep into his thoughts—reminding him of the times he believed his coworkers were laughing behind his back because of his failures.
"ARGHHH!..."
He screams, suddenly bolting upright.
"Enough of those depressing flashbacks!... I need to do something to change my mood!"
---
Buns, hotdogs, and eggs—that's what Luel chooses for breakfast, paired with a cup of brewed coffee. It should've been a peaceful morning, but the sting of those harsh comments still lingers as he eats alone on the balcony, gazing at the grassy garden of his home.
He wants to jump back into RAIDS ONLINE immediately to redeem himself in a second Raid, maybe pull off something cool—but that's not an option. The servers are only open at night.
That's one of the unique features that sets RAIDS ONLINE apart from other VRMMORPGs: its server window runs only from 6 PM to 6 AM, or more precisely, from sunset to sunrise.
The game's premise allows players to live their normal lives during the day and become Devourers in the virtual world while sleeping. Scientific research shows that the human brain stays active during sleep, so why not make use of that time to dive into a fully immersive game world?
Or so Luel muses, staring blankly at the ceiling of the balcony—bored out of his mind.
To fight that boredom, he wanders around the house until he finds himself in the garage. Suddenly, he remembers his younger brother Nedd once mentioning that the car's inside.
Opening the garage door, Luel spots the small but still classy black-and-white convertible that his parents left in their care while traveling abroad.
As he gazes at the Mini Cooper, his eyes drift to the interior—and a memory floods his mind. A memory from the day his life was turned upside down—literally and figuratively.
Luel gives a solemn smile, remembering. But in his heart, that day remains a traumatic nightmare.
---
"Huff!... Huff!... Dammit, why the heck do I feel so tired!? Isn't this just a game?! Why does it feel like I'm actually running for real?!"
A new night begins, and the RAIDS ONLINE server reopens to the flood of players eager to log back in. Naturally, one of them is Luel, determined to redeem himself—and livestreaming again.
At a random location within Area CC+63, Luel encounters his second challenge—not just a single monster, but a whole swarm of them.
[Rank E Ragnarok Beast – Code Name: Mutated Rabies]
At first, it's just a single beast: a one-meter-tall dog-like creature with six extra limbs sprouting from its back and a grotesque four-sectioned mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth large enough to devour a human head.
The body is merely a lifeless host. The real monster is a parasite inside, controlling the limbs and the monstrous mouth.
Despite its grotesque form, the beast is weak. Luel defeats it with a single use of his Charge Skill, then stomaches the revulsion and devours it using Orion Fangs.
As he explores Area CC+63, he runs into more Mutated Rabies—infected cats, rats, and other small creatures. Without hesitation, he defeats and devours them all, unaware that his actions might trigger another wave of critical comments online.
Still, he fights. He devours. He pushes forward.
Until he unknowingly wanders into their territory—and now a swarm of Mutated Rabies is chasing him.
"What the heck is this?... Is this the high Link Force curse they were talking about?!"
The higher a player's Link Force, the stronger they become—but in turn, stronger Ragnarok Beasts are drawn to hunt them.
That's the so-called high Link Force curse.
But what's about to happen isn't just bad luck—it's something far worse.
---
—BOOOOMMM!—
A deafening explosion rocks the area. A massive shockwave blasts from behind, flattening Luel and knocking him several meters away.
His ears ring from the pressure. Pain pulses in his head. It felt like something massive just crashed down from the sky.
Turning to look, Luel's blood runs cold.
The sight before him is one that echoes his recurring nightmares—a terrifying, inescapable presence that spells only death.
[Rank A Ragnarok Beast – Code Name: Cerberus]