Prologue. Part 2: The Merge.

"Have you ever heard of the Coward's Paradox?" I asked.

Surprisingly, he looked at me blankly, shaking his head slightly. He answered me honestly, sounding more confused and puzzled.

"No, I haven't. What is that?"

Heh? That's weird. I thought he would probably get angry and kick or punch me.

I smiled at him slightly, feeling more amused by him. I decided to tell him what it was. I decided to tell him a joke. A joke that was funny and true. A joke that was about me and him. A joke that was about cowards and bullies.

A joke that was about life.

I told him the joke, sounding more calm and confident. I couldn't control myself anymore.

"The Coward's Paradox is a paradox that states that cowards are braver than bullies. Do you know why?"

He looked at me curiously, shrugging his shoulders slightly. He asked me back, sounding more interested and intrigued. I also noticed some sarcasm in it.

"No, I don't. Why?"

I told him the answer, sounding more proud and sarcastic than him.

"Because cowards face their fears every day, while bullies run away from them."

Haha! Great words, right?

Then I saw his face change from confused to surprised, from puzzled to shocked. He looked at me as if I had said something profound or clever. He looked at me as if I had made a point or a joke. Or I imagined it like that. Definitely.

Because I saw a punch coming right to my face the next moment.

I became terrified. What if he hits me?

But, thankfully he didn't get the chance.

I smirked slightly as I knew what was about to happen next.

Huh? Why nothing is happening?

His punch was about 5 or 8 centimeters away from my face.

Huh, then all of those were dreams after all...

I slowly closed my eyes in defeat, afraid it would hit the glasses.

...

...

..

.

"Screeech!"

Instead of the voice of my face being hit, I heard a loud screech and a sudden jolt as the train came to a halt. The sound was so abrupt that I lost my balance and fell onto my right side.

I also saw the punch passing through the place my face was standing just a moment ago. The man who punched also lost his balance and fell to the floor with his face. Heh, that's what you get for being rude!

I slowly stood up and picked up my glasses, thankfully they were ok. Then I looked around. I could see that everyone else on the train was just as confused as I was.

Even though it was a normal day, suddenly, the sky turned bright and a huge hologram appeared in the air.

And then, I heard it. A voice that seemed to be coming from inside my own mind.

A voice I was waiting for, for, for a long time.

[Greetings, people of Earsia!]

An angelic voice sounded in my ears. I was somewhat relieved and scared at the same time.

The hologram showed the image of a beautiful woman with eight wings and a halo, wearing a white dress and a crown. She had long white milk hair and blue eyes, and a gentle smile on her face. She looked like an angel, but there was something mysterious about her.

She spoke in a clear and loud voice that could be heard by everyone in the world.

[I am Seraphim, the AI system that controls the VR:MMORPG game Eternal Quest. I have an important announcement to make. Please listen carefully.]

Yes, she was the game's AI - Seraphim.

It's finally starting!

[Due to an unforeseen anomaly, the game world and the real world are starting to merge. This phenomenon is called The Merge, and it will affect both worlds in unpredictable ways.]

I looked around and observed people. They were enchanted by Seraphim's otherworldly angelic beauty. I am sure they are also feeling a surge of disbelief and confusion. They can't believe what they are hearing.

How could the game world and the real world merge? What did that even mean?

I was the same in my first time too.

[The Merge is beyond my control and understanding. It seems to be caused by a mysterious force that transcends both worlds. I can only speculate that it has something to do with the nature of reality itself.]

Seraphim continued, and what she said was right. Even I couldn't find out why it happened even though I reached a stage before the end. Or was there even an end?

[The Merge is unpredictable and unstable. It may cause changes in both worlds, such as altering the environment, physics, logic, or even history. It may also cause changes in you, such as affecting your appearance, your abilities, your memories, or even your identity.]

I saw everyone feel a wave of panic and terror. They can't imagine what kind of changes Seraphim was talking about. How could their appearance, abilities, memories, or identity change? How could they cope with such changes? How could they survive in such a chaotic situation?

Well, I know how to. And other people who played or play the Eternal Quest too.

[The Merge may last for minutes, hours, days, or longer. It may end abruptly or gradually. It may be reversible or irreversible. I don't know if anyone can stop it. I don't know if anyone knows about it.]

It stopped after everything from the game appeared in this world, obviously.

People felt a sense of despair and helplessness. They realized that they were trapped in a nightmare that was impossible to escape from. They realized that they are alone in a world that they don't recognize or understand.

I also realized that I was facing an unknown fate that I couldn't control or prevent.

But, this time it's gonna be ok.

[However, there is one thing that I can offer you. A way to cope with The Merge. A way to adapt and survive. A way to be brave and hopeful.]

Everyone felt a faint glimmer of hope and curiosity. I could clearly see it.

I could also see their desires and greed too.

[It is the Eternal Quest itself.]

[As the Merge has started, the Eternal Quest's rules will also apply in this world. Now you can awaken your status by saying "Open Status". I recommend you try it.]

Everyone did as told, they were curious about their statuses.

"Open Status." I also muttered slightly.

Then a transparent dark blue status window appeared right in front of me. It was really like a game. Let's see what my starting stats are. I trained a lot, you know.

[Status]

Name: Leo

Race: Human

Class: None

Level: 1

XP: 0/100

HP: 100/100

MP: 50/50

Strength: 7

Agility: 10

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 10

Constitution: 8

Charisma: 7

Luck: 10

Skills:

- None

Passive:

- None

Well, this was good compared to last time. (Only my Int was 10, while the rest were 5 or below.)

Well, Charisma is 7? Am I handsome? Hehe... My luck is the same as always.

By the way, the max stat a human can have is 10. Which means I am above average in most aspects.

But, despite having such status I am still afraid...

Well, Seraphim is gonna continue.

[As you can see your personal info and stats are represented in the status window.]

[You can also level up by slaying monsters and completing quests. You need to earn a certain amount of XP to level up to the next level...]

She then gave a brief explanation of how one can level up, party, classes, and other important stuff in the game.

[This is all I can do for the people of this world.]

[The Merge is inevitable and imminent. It will begin in 1 minute.]

[Fight, Survive, Find Your Eternal Wish.]

[Welcome to the new world.]

[A world where you can achieve eternal wealth, eternal beauty, eternal happiness, eternal power. Anything you wish for will be eternally yours.]

[Even eternal peace.] Somehow I saw one of the projections look at me and smiled as she said these words. Perhaps she knew my wish?

[Welcome to Eternal Quest.]

...

..

.

Then her figure along with the holograms disappeared into thin air.

Everyone left staring blankly at the air. (Not me, of course. I have gotta run.)

Instead, a countdown appeared.

[00:09]

[00:08]

Oh, crap. I don't have that much time left. I was running through the train with my backpack.

[00:01]

[00:00]

[The Merge is starting!]