Global Awakening: This VR System is Tyrannical!

Zerke and Jong-Kook’s group finished their session shortly after noon.

After five intense hours of modern combat in Counter-Injustice, they leaned back in their seats near the counter, unwinding over bowls of Spirit-Infused Noodles and cold bottles of Origins Fountain Water.

"Director, this place has so many bizarre rules," Jong-Un grumbled under his breath between mouthfuls. "How can they cap our daily playtime at just five hours? And what’s with the menu limits? Why can’t we reorder most foods or drinks, except for those Spicy Meat Buns?"

"And don’t get me started on the prices," Suk-Jin complained, slurping up a spoonful of steaming broth. "Ugh! It’s ridiculously expensive!"

"You idiots are missing the big picture," Zerke scolded them in a harsh whisper. "They enforce strict rules because they offer quality you can’t find anywhere else on Blue Star. Tell me—is there a single megacorporation or five-star restaurant on this planet with this level of technology, or food this incredible?"

Neither Zerke nor Jong-Kook bothered bringing up the shop’s anti-violence field or the nightmare of being blacklisted. To newcomers, those enforcement rules sounded too absurd to believe anyway.

Unlike the true regulars—who had personally watched Donape defy human logic and flatten troublemakers with a flick of his wrist—these five were still oblivious. All Zerke and Jong-Kook could do was keep their men quiet and make sure nobody accidentally stepped out of line.

"Alright, fine. You pay for quality. We get it," Jong-Un sighed, resting his chin on his palm before remembering Donape’s face from earlier that morning. "Wait... isn’t that kid ’Alexa’? The god-tier shooter who completely wrecked everyone at One Bullet and Point Blank, right, Director?" he asked Zerke.

"Yes, that’s him," Zerke replied nonchalantly.

"Whatever you do, don’t mess with him," Jong-Kook added, his voice dropping into a serious register. "He is far more skilled than any of us, whether in-game or in reality. Trust me, I’m not joking. Keeping a friendly relationship with that kid is the only smart move."

"No wonder he blew everyone away at the shooting range," Suk-Jin muttered under his breath, taking another bite. "Turns out he’s been training with this kind of impossible technology."

As they chatted and enjoyed their food and drinks, time passed quickly. The seven range members eventually headed out, still buzzing with the thrill of experiencing modern warfare so authentic it blurred the line with reality.

Meanwhile, Mislaine stepped out of her VR capsule and walked slowly toward the counter. Sitting on a high bar stool, she rested her elbows on the polished wood and supported her chin, staring down as she took a moment to register what she had just gone through. Fine beads of cold sweat glinted near her hairline, and her breathing remained noticeably shallow.

In her role as Chairwoman of Babylon, she had overseen military-grade simulation chambers, full-immersion neural displays, and top-tier tactical telemetry. She knew what high-end military tech looked like.

Yet after playing Counter-Injustice, she realized she couldn’t tell where virtuality ended and reality began.

It wasn’t just the visual fidelity; it was the total absence of digital lag, the absolute accuracy of ballistics, air resistance, and structural destruction—and above all, the terrifyingly authentic sensation of physical impact. The lingering ghost of a high-velocity round tearing through her shoulder still buzzed in her central nervous system.

’This isn’t a game,’ Mislaine thought, her manicured fingernails tapping rhythmic beats against the counter as she reined in her racing thoughts. ’It’s a localized dimensional mirror.’

If a private corporate faction or a single state military managed to secure exclusive access to these VR capsules, their infantry forces could compress ten years of brutal, lethal combat experience into a matter of weeks. They could train elite operators through thousands of fatal mistakes without losing a single actual soldier.

She also considered unveiling this shop’s existence to the Babylon board and securing an exclusive stake in the operation; the balance of global power on Blue Star wouldn’t just tilt—it would be completely pulverized.

"Miss, would you like to order something to help calm your nerves?" Ga-Eun asked gently, wiping down the adjacent counter surface with a clean cloth.

Mislaine looked up, offering Ga-Eun a polite, elegant smile. "I’ll take an Origins Fountain Water, please. Thank you."

She took a slow, deep breath, letting the heavy burden on her mind dissolve. Habitually overanalyzing future corporate strategies was exhausting.

For now, treating this place as high-end entertainment wasn’t a bad idea—at least until she could construct a foolproof plan for how she and Babylon should handle this cutting-edge discovery.

After the blonde chairwoman departed, the heavy metallic door of Si-Yeon’s VR capsule slid open with a smooth mechanical hum.

Si-Yeon stepped out, her expression a blend of quiet fatigue and intense focus.

Hours of high-intensity sword drills and life-or-death duels in The Path of the Heavenly Martial Arts had tested her mental endurance to its limits. But her posture remained straight, unyielding, and naturally refined.

As she adjusted the cuffs of her sleeves, Butler Yoo and the two bodyguards emerged from their respective pods in a similar state of deep concentration.

Unlike Zerke and Jong-Kook’s group, who lingered over their meal, Si-Yeon’s entourage had already sampled almost every item available on the menu earlier.

Once their allotted playtime expired, they prepared to leave—especially since Donape was currently nowhere to be seen, leaving no reason for Si-Yeon to remain.

As she walked out into the cooling air, Si-Yeon cast a brief, reluctant glance back at the shop’s unassuming sign. Deep down, she knew today would be her last visit for a while.

She had initially come here to probe Donape, investigate the cafe’s impossible mechanics, and evaluate whether her branch family could orchestrate a takeover.

Having gathered sufficient intel and weighed the extreme risks against the potential rewards, she had reached a definitive conclusion. Her mission was complete, and she could no longer justify wasting time under the guise of mere entertainment.

Furthermore, while the Baek Family no longer enforced a strict lockdown on its members, her grandfather, Elder Si-Jin, had explicitly forbidden her from interacting with Ji-Hong.

Since Ji-Hong was almost certain to return to Origins VR Cafe the following day, Si-Yeon had no choice but to step back into the shadows—for now.

Late afternoon was rapidly fading into evening.

Donape stepped out of the VR capsule behind the counter, rolling his shoulders as he took in the stillness of the shop.

Night had completely fallen over the district. Outside the broad display windows, the usual daytime traffic had dissolved into an eerie, shadowy twilight.

Ga-Eun was near the counter, finishing up her end-of-day cleaning routine and stacking the remaining wooden trays.

"Everything wrapped up for the evening, boss?" Ga-Eun asked, looking back with her usual lighthearted expression. "I’m sorry... the shop always seems so quiet when I’m on duty."

"You don’t need to apologize for that. It’s completely normal," Donape replied calmly. "Right now, it might seem empty, but the true draw of this shop isn’t just hyper-realistic VR—it’s granting people real-world strength. Once that secret gets out, everyone craving power will swarm this place."

"Isn’t that a little scary, boss?" Ga-Eun asked, a hint of unease slipping into her tone.

"Hehe. No need to worry," Donape reassured her. "It might feel dangerous, but this shop is the safest place on Blue Star. Any criminal or troublemaker who tries to cause trouble here will be dealt with before they can even blink. So, if you ever feel threatened, run here."

He paused, offering her a genuine look. "Besides, give it a little time. Once I unlock the proper authority, I’ll let you use the VR capsules with unlimited time. That way, you can learn self-defense and play with those two friends of yours. This city hasn’t been feeling too safe lately."

"Really?! Thank you, boss! I’m heading home now—see you tomorrow!" Ga-Eun waved cheerfully, picking up her bag.

"Sure. Be safe on your way back," Donape replied with a faint smile.

After Origins VR Cafe officially closed at 8:00 PM, Donape stood near the entrance for another half hour, his gaze fixed on the front glass wooden door.

Underneath his calm exterior, his senses—sharpened by his continuous progress across his VR games—picked up on a sudden shift in the surrounding environment.

The ambient noise of the neighborhood had dropped to a near-dead silence. No distant chatter, no passing scooters, not even the familiar hum from the street vendors down the block.

Donape pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt, shadowing his face. As much as he hated playing neighborhood watch, he had to monitor the area—unless he wanted the System to shatter his hard-earned dantian.

The moment he stepped outside into the cool night air, he spotted a suspicious figure lingering near the corner, repeatedly glancing toward the shop.

’Oh my. Look what we have here,’ Donape thought.

The man clearly wasn’t a local; the regular neighbors had long since stopped staring at the cafe after the first time.

With a light flex of his legs, Donape launched himself upward, landing silently on the low rooftop above without making a sound.

Down on the pavement, the scout, who had been peering back and forth, blinked in confusion as his target suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Hey... where the hell did that kid go?" the man muttered under his breath, stepping forward to look around.

"Looking for someone?"

A quiet whisper sounded directly behind his ear. The man nearly jumped out of his skin.

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