The Legendary Player

I sprinted toward my apartment, just a few blocks away from the chaos.

By the time I got there, the whole place was in a frenzy. People were packing their cars, running out with bags, kids in tow—total panic.

I flagged down a man who was getting into his car.

“Hey! What’s going on?!”

He looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“You haven’t seen the news?! The government just declared this a Level 3 disaster. We’re being told to evacuate the city!”

I quickly pulled out my phone.
Sure enough—breaking news all over the screen.

“Unidentified catastrophe strikes Tokyo—mass evacuations underway.”

“Widespread panic as city reels from unprecedented supernatural event.”

The headlines were relentless.
They weren’t calling it a natural disaster. They weren’t even blaming it on terrorism anymore.
The news anchors danced around the truth, but I already knew what was really going on.

This wasn’t a man-made crisis.

This was something… beyond human.

This was the work of God 404.

I ignored the evacuation orders and pushed past the fleeing crowds, heading back into my building.

“You’re insane! You’ll die in there if you stay!” the man yelled before speeding off like the rest of them.

Let them run.

I took the stairs up to my unit, against the tide of terrified tenants pouring down. When I finally reached my floor, I rushed inside and locked the door behind me.

I didn’t waste time. I made a beeline for the Soul-Link Capsule.

But before I climbed in, something on my monitor caught my eye.

It was still on.

Another breaking news broadcast.

This time, it was about Meta World Company, the developer of Abyss Code Online.
Authorities now suspected the company itself was behind this unprecedented event. Why?

Because of two disturbing facts.

First, at exactly 00:00 this morning, every single player who was logged into Abyss Code Online… disappeared.
Vanished.

Friends and family reported finding only their clothing or equipment inside the Soul-Link Capsules.
Their physical bodies? Gone.

No trace.

And it happened all over Japan.

Second, not long after the disappearances, an enormous floating screen appeared over central Tokyo—projected into the sky by an unknown force.

And on that screen… the missing players were visible.

Their avatars. Alive. Moving.

For those watching, it was undeniable: The players were still alive—inside the game.

The news had already given it a name:
Mass Supernatural Transmigration.

Ayane…

She was really trapped in that world.

This confirmed it.

I stared at the screen, numb.

The government had since ordered a lockdown of Meta World Company’s headquarters. Police and military surrounded the building.

But when they entered, they found no one.

No staff. No executives. Not even any bodies.

Just… emptiness.

As if the entire building had been wiped clean in an instant. Just like the players.

They tried to shut down the servers.

To force the game offline.

But it didn’t work.

Abyss Code Online was still live.

Still running. Still holding thousands of people inside.

The government had no answers. So instead, they banned everything connected to Meta World Company—especially the Soul-Link Capsule.

But I didn’t care.

I didn’t shut off the news. I didn’t hesitate.

I sat down, took a deep breath, and opened the capsule.

Was it dangerous? Probably.

Would I get trapped too? Most likely.

But Ayane was in there.

And unlike me… she still had people waiting for her return.

"I don’t know what will happen," I muttered. "But I won’t find out by sitting here doing nothing."

I climbed into the capsule.

It sealed shut around me.

I closed my eyes.

“I’m not afraid of failure. I’ve got nothing left here anyway...But Ayane? Ayane deserves to come home.”

I whispered the command.

“Virtual Login.”

I was back inside Abyss Code Online.

At first, everything looked normal—familiar black-and-blue UI, standard loading sequence.

[Loading…]

[Installation Complete]

[High Neuron Scan: Complete]

[Body Scan: Complete]

[Soul-Scan: Complete]

Then, suddenly—

[Error 2112!!!]

The screen flashed red. The interface warped into a twisted, ominous shade of crimson.

[WARNING: You are the last remaining player who hasn’t logged in. Do you wish to proceed?]
[YES] or [NO]

I blinked in surprise.

The last player?
Was I really the only one who hadn’t entered last night?

Still… it didn’t change anything.

I pressed [YES].

[WARNING: You will undergo full transmigration into the world of Abyss Code Online. Are you sure?]

[YES] or [NO]

I didn’t hesitate.

“Hah… transmigrate into another world? I’ve already made my choice.”

[YES]

More text appeared.

[CONGRATULATIONS! You are Player No. 9999—the final player!]

[BONUS UNLOCKED: You have been selected as an Exclusive Player. This reward is granted directly by GOD 404.]

“Wait—what? Exclusive player? Why would he give me anything?”

Was he watching me?

Did he know what I was doing?

The system continued:

[As an Exclusive Player, you are granted one special request—limited to your account, items, or weapons. Please state your wish.]

I stared at the message.

One wish?

One chance?

I thought for a few minutes. I had to make this count. I needed something that could truly boost my chances of finishing the game.

And then it came to me.

I grinned.

“I want to restore my old account—the one deleted because of a system error. Can you do that?”

[Please enter your Abyss Code Online ID.]

I typed it in: ID: ZX-0147-KZ

[Searching…]

[ID Found.]

[Restoring Player Account…]

[Recovery Successful. Would you like to use this account?]

[YES] or [NO]

I couldn’t believe it had worked.

This was my original account—my main.

I’d spent over two and a half years building it up.
It was the most powerful account in the entire game before it was mysteriously deleted three months ago.

Now… it was mine again.

I wasn’t just some weak, low-level player anymore.

I was back.

I was him again.

I pressed [YES].

[Account Loaded Successfully.]

[Welcome Back, Player IGN: Kyouze | Level: 8 | Title: Legendary Player “Azure Reaper”]

…

..

.