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-- Reality --
"Okay, so how do I do this?" Asked Changbin as he held the VR headset in his hands, looking at Felix confused.
"I'll start the game and then you put it on. The game will guide you through a quick tutorial and the character creation." Felix explained excitedly.
The two were currently in their shared apartment, in the center of Seoul, with Changbin sitting on the bed. He had often seen Felix lying on the bed with the headset on, being within the virtual reality of the newest game, Genshin. It was the first of it's kind where players could transfer their consciousness into the virtual avatar of a self created character and more and more gamers enjoyed the fun to level up and slay monsters within the game to escape from reality and embrace the world of fantasy.
There were several complications in early test runs, but now the game was fully functioning and Changbin got curious when his boyfriend had excitedly told him about the fantasy world.
Now both Changbin and Felix got some vacations, so Changbin had decided to try it out and see what all the fuss was about.
"Alright. But how will I find you in the game?" He asked in concern.
"Don't worry, the starting point is one specific area in the game, so I will go there with my own character and we can meet up." Felix explained and pointed at his own VR headset that sat on the desk in the corner of their bedroom.
"Okay. See you on the other side then."
"Don't take too long creating your character!" Felix grinned as Changbin gave him a thumbs up and then he put on the headset and Felix started the game for him, before he started his own and he dived into the world of Genshin...
-- Genshin World --
Felix took a deep breath as he stood on top of a hill with the city of Mondstadt in the distance and white clouds hovering in the bright blue sky. The technology of this game was incredible. The game sends small signlas to the brain and so the player was actually able to get the feeling of real sunlight, rain and even wind. Meanwhile the real body simply laid at home in a cozy bed, but the players felt like they were fully within a world of fantasy.
Felix's character was tall with long white hair and a few blue strands. He wore a blue suit that had golden and indigo details, giving him a formal look. He had teleported to the place where new palyers started the game and he waited... waited... and waited.
He saw two other people coming into the game, but it took forever before Changbin's name finally appeared, though he hadn't used his full name and only the short version 'Bin' and Felix glared at him.
"Seriously?" He snickered while the other materialized within the game.
"What? I look awesome!" Changbin grinned. His character was female with a curvy body and dark blue hair with asymmetrical and lighter tips and green eyes. He wore a black and blue top with a white coat that hang over his shoudlers.
"Hahaha I agree, but why a girl?" Felix chuckled.
"Isn't this to escape from reality?" Changbin grinned and Felix laughed some more.
"Haha true, I'm not complaining."
"Of course your bisexual ass wouldn't mind." Changbin sighed and Felix gave him a look.
"You're one to talk! Now, come on. I'll show you everything!" Felix grabbed Changbin's hand and the older's eyes widened with surprise.
"Woah... this feels so real..."
"I know right!" Felix beamed at him even more. "I told you it's actually exhausting for your brain to fight against bosses. Your brain believes it's real."
"That's... kinda scary." Changbin admitted.
"Don't worry, you have to level up first anyways before you just fight against higher bosses. We will start slow."
"Alright, show me what this game has to offer." Changbin smiled and so the two traveled around the world of Genshin. They saw several other players, some fighting against weaker monsters, some were collecting flowers and artifacts and others played even card games within the game. It was a huge map with many different locations and places to visit.
At first they traveled to Mondstadt and once more Changbin was amazed by how real everything felt. It was truly as if this world was a real place. There were many other players, but also some NPCs running around and soon Felix showed Changbin how to use the inventory and how to eat and cook, in order to regain health.
After being in the game for almost an hour, the two left Mondstadt again and headed out into the wild.
The game was an open world and so technically any player could already start with boss fights. But there was a level system in the game. The closer your level was to that of the monster one was fighting, the more damage your attacks made. The higher the level of the opponent, the better the loot and the more experience one would get from the fight.
If a player lost against a monster and 'died' in the game, then the avatar would reappear by the closest safe point, the statues of the seven.
So for now, Felix showed Changbin to the Hilichurls. Those monsters were all over the map with different levels, though the ones near Monstadt were level 1-5, perfect for new players.
"Woah! This is fun!" Changbin grinned as he had killed his first monster after Felix had explained to him how to summon his bow and shoot the infinite arrows that materialzed automatically in his hand.
"Why did you choose a bow as a weapon?" Asked Felix curiously. "I thought you would be more of a great sword guy."
"I pressed the wrong button hahahahah!"
"Hahahaa oh Binnie... we can switch it later-"
"Hey, look at that cutie." Came suddenly a new voice and both Felix and Changbin looked at four other players heading their way and Felix let out a groan. He had met them before, some guys who thought they were the coolest. They were level 45, two levels above Felix, mocking him constantly.
"Did you team up with a poor soul to help you out?" Laughed the player at Felix.
"I-"
"She is kinda hot.“ Grinned another guy as he turned to 'Bin'. "You wanna join us instead of tagging along to this loser?" And Felix couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"What’s so funny?" Another guy asked confused and Changbin took a step forward with a smirk.
"You wanna hang out with me, huh?" He asked in his voice and the four palyers looked at him with disgust.
"You’re a dude?!"
"It’s one of those guys who are playing the opposite gender... tsk, he thinks he is funny." Grumbled one of them.
"Fucking freaks..."
"Just get lost." Changbin growled at them, but then he smirked at them again. "Unless you wanna ask me out for dinner?" He asked and the four player left and Felix couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's words.
"Hahahah nice Binnie!"
"Why are people assholes even online? Isn’t this place to have fun and not stress about real world? How miserable are their lives?"
"Some people just love to be mean to others." Felix sighed.
"Have they bullied you before?" Asked Changbin with concern now and he looked over to his boyfriend, but Felix waved him off.
"Nah, nothing I couldn't handle. In most online games you have some bullies. I'm fine as long as I don't become one of them."
"Alright. Otherwise I would have beaten their asses."
"You're still level 1, Binnie." Felix reminded him with a laugh.
"I meant in real life!" Changbin clarified with a grin.
"Hahahah that makes sense. What do you say? Wanna try to fight more monsters?"
"Hell yeah! Let’s do it!"
And so the two looked for more monsters to slay. Felix only helped a little bit, letting Changbin take the lead, but then Changbin couldn’t dodge a heavy attack and so he 'died' and materialized by the nearest statue of the seven and Felix had teleported there, abandoning the fight, to meet up with him again.
"This feels weird..." Changbin muttered as his avatar rebuild itself at the safe point and Felix nodded.
"Yeah, it’s a crazy feeling. Wanna go again?"
"Yes!" And so Changbin tried again and again and after the third time, he finally managed to beat the monster and in front of his vision the 'Level 2' appeared.
"You did it!" Felix cheered and Changbin immediately wanted to try harder monsters and soon he had made it all the way to level 8 and Felix clapped him on the shoulder as they sat on the grass out in nature, looking over a forest, with the wind gently blowing around and through them.
"We should log out now." Felix told him and Changbin turned to him confused.
"Already?" Changbin asked but Felix showed him how to see the time in the menu.
"The time in-game is different, but it’s like 10 p.m in the real world."
"Really? Damn..."
"Now you understand why I was playing for so long, hahahah!" Felix grinned and Changbin let out a chukle as well.
"Yeah I guess it makes sense. This game is addictive."
"Yeah, but it's fun. I know it's not real nature, but this place... it calms me down... we don't have all this in the city." Felix smiled and the two of them sat there for a bit, looking up at the sky, with birds flying around. And after a few more moments of peace, Felix showed him how to log out and their minds left the world of Genshin.
-- Reality --
"That was actually fun." Changbin grinned and he looked down at his body after he took off the headset. "This is so different and weird now..."
"Yeah, I feel so small every time after I was in my avatar." Felix grinned and right then Changbin realized.
"OMG! I could have made myself bigger! I wasn't even thinking of that! Oh man..." He groaned and Felix laughed at him.
"Ahahaha, you could create a new character, but then you would have to start at level 1 again-"
"No! I just made it to level 8!"
"Hehe okay. I like your female character anyways." Felix winked and Changbin playfully rolled his eyes.
"Again, typical for a bisexual."
"Hehe, come on. Let’s cook something!" Felix told him and headed to their small kitchen in their apartment. "Our real bodies also need food after all."
"Oh yes! I'm hungry!" And so the two enjoyed a peaceful night.
-- Genshin World --
The next few days, the two found themselves once more in the world of Genshin, leveling up and enjoying their time there and soon Changbin had reached level 20, enough to try out one of the bigger bosses with Felix.
They were in a cave, fighting against the big Primo Geovishap, a level 40 monster and both Felix and Changbin were low on health, panting heavily as the monster still wasn't finished.
"Damn it... I underestimated this one." Felix grumbled.
"How did you even make it to level 43?!" Asked Changbin as he barely dodged another attack of the monster.
"I don't know!" Felix whined.
"I- AH! Uff..." Changbin took a big hit and he was on the ground, trying to get up again, but his stamina was low and so was his health.
"You have to heal!" Felix exclaimed in panic as he tried to get the monsters attention instead.
"I know that! Agh...." Changbin opened his menu, trying to find food to eat, but then... "Oops..." He mumbled and Felix turned to him confused.
"What did you do?"
"I uh... I think I pressed the wrong button..."
"Which one?"
"The yellow one." Changbin shrugged and then finally he had managed to get some food for himself and his avatar healed a bit as the two kept on dodging the monster's attacks.
"The yellow one? You asked for help?"
"What?" Asked Changbin confused and Felix sighed.
"The yellow bell in the corner is to call another player. There can be up to four in one boss fight. Players close by can be notified now to help us out."
"I mean that's good, right?" Changbin asked, but Felix hesitated.
"Depends who will help us... also the monster's level will increase depending on how many players there are and it's health bar will fill up again a bit."
"Oh man..." Changbin whined, before he jumped away from another attack, but what he didn't expect was for the monster to spin and make a second attack and Changin's eyes widened in panic.
"Binnie!" Felix yelled and ran up to him, trying to shield Changbin from the attack, but he knew that they would both "die" in the next attack.
They were close to getting smashed, but then suddenly a figure was between them, blocking the monsters attack with a great sword and Felix' and Changbin's eyes widened in shock.
A tall guy with dark rough hair stood in front of them, wearing a dark grey coat with a crimson lining, silver buttons, and dark fur trim around the collar. His arms and neck were bound in black bandages and he placed his sword in front of him and Felix’s eyes widened.
"You are... the wolf!" He said in disbelieve, as the new player changed his stance and then he attacked the monster, whose level had suddenly increased to level 60.
"Huh?" Asked Changin confused, looking between Felix and the new player. "Who is he?"
"The wolf. The one player who made it to level 99," Felix explained with wide eyes. "He is apparently playing this game since the release date and the media talked about him a lot. A player with the highest level."
"Woah, level 99..."
"Yeah, crazy, right? Especially because after level 80 it is apparently really difficult to level up more. Many say he rarely logs out in order to be the best player."
"I'm a nerd, but not that much of a nerd..." Changbin mumbled and Felix let out a tiny chuckled, before they both paid their attention back to the other. The Wolf was fighting nonstop, smashing and slicing the monster with his sword, easily dodging the Primo Geovishap's attacks and then with one final blow, the monster fell dead to the ground and Changbin and Felix looked at the player, who simply put his sword away, as the loot appeared in a chest next to him.
"You did it! Hahahah thanks man!" Changbin grinned as he and Felix walked over to him.
"Yeah, thanks uhm... Chan." Felix said, looking at the name above the player. Most others simply called him wolf, just for the fact that he was known to play on his own, not teaming up with other players, giving him the nickname of a lone wolf.
"I was just nearby." Chan simply shrugged, though he looked slightly confsued as he looked at them. He clearly didn't expect 'Bin' to actually be a guy and Felix's deep voice also seemed to have caught him offguard.
"You guys can take all the loot." He told them and Changbin's eyes lit up.
"Woah! Thank you!" He bowed his head and then Chan simply walked away, but Felix ran after him.
"Hey wait! Please let us invite you to a restaurant!" Felix told him before the other could leave.
"You don't have to. Like I said, I was just nearby and thought I could help." Chan mumbled.
"But we owe you! Pleaseeeee!" Said Changbin and Chan looked down at the female avatar, before he let out a sigh.
"Fine..." He finally muttered and so Felix and Changbin quickly collected the loot and soon the three of them found themselves back in Mondstadt, where they headed to a restuarant and several other players looked at them from afar. Many started to whisper, clearly recognizing Chan's avatar and confused as to why he was with two other players.
But the three of them didn't mind and soon they were eating the virtual food in the corner of a restaurant.
The cooks and maids there were NPCs, but the other guests were all real people who gathereed around the tables, simply to chat, play games or eat the virtual food. Of course it wasn't real, but the smell and taste made it seem as if it was and it was a nice way to make everything feel more realistic.
"I’ll never get used to this..." Muttered Changbin as he chewed on some virtual bacon and Chan let out a soft chuckle.
"Spend enough time in here and you will."
"Is it true that you almost never log out?" Asked Felix curiously. "I heard a lot about you, that you were even playing the beta test of this game."
"I- it's..." Chan became quiet and looked down at the fake food.
"Ah sorry, never mind. How is it to be level 99?" Felix asked instead, changing the subject and Chan let out a dry laugh.
"Honestly, boring..."
"Really?!" Asked Changbin confused. "But you can kill all these monsters so easily!"
"That's the thing. There is no real challenge now. I know all the mosnters' moves. Well, except for the last one." Chan mumbled.
"Huh? Last one?" Asked Felix confused.
"The final boss of the game. He is inside the great volcano of Tollan, in an area only accessible to players above level 90. If one beats that monster then the player will reach level 100, but so far I wasn't able to beat him." Chan grumbled, bitting his lower lip.
"Why not play with other players?" Felix offered.
"I- many think I'm a cheater or just-... unpleasant to be around. And I don't blame them. I am level 99, so I can be a bit cocky and overly confident. It is unfair to other players who are working just as hard to get to a higher level."
"Well, we could help you!" Changbin grinned and Chan looked at him with surprise and a frown.
"Uhm... no offence, but you are both not even level 50." He mumbled.
"Hihihi then help us to level up!" Changbin laughed and Felix nodded.
"Yeah, Binnie here only started a few days ago and already made it to level 20. We are both dedicated to become higher levels. I needed help with a bigger boss anyways, so we could help each other."
"You- you sure?" Chan asked with a frown and the other two nodded immediately.
"Hell yeah!"
"It'll be fun."
"Hm... well, I know some level 50 bosses you could fight." Chan said, thinking about it. "I could tell you about their moves and give you some tips.
"Really?!" Felix grinned and lit up and Chan nodded with a small smile.
"Sure. Come on." And so Chan showed them some more monsters to fight.
He told them about their movesets and how the attacks worked and what strategy to use in order to defeat them and then he watched from afar as the two fought and from time to time he jumped in to help. The level of the monsters then immediately increased, but that way both Felix and Changbin were able to observe Chan's fighting style and the two watched with amazement how the wolf slayed one beast after another with ease.
"Woah! You are really incredible, Chan!" Praised Felix and Chan slightly grinned at them.
"You two are not bad either. You’re fast learners." He said and looked at their levels. Felix was now level 52 and Changbin had already made it to level 35 in only one day.
"Hahah, thanks to you, Channie!" Changbin grinned and that took Chan by surprise as he looked at the female avatar.
"Channie...?" He mumbled and Felix hit his boyfriend in the side.
"Yah! Be respectful!"
"Ah, sorry hehehe!" Changbin laughed and Chan also let out a soft chuckle.
"Haha, all good."
"We uh- we should log out now." Felix said. "It’s already close to midnight in the real world after all." He reminded them.
"Ah, true." Changbin sighed.
"Should we meet here again tomorrow?" Felix asked and Chan frowned slightly.
"Don't you have to work?." He asked, but Changbin shook his head.
"Tomorrow is sunday and besides, we have off for two weeks.. or well, almost." Changbin explained. "The last few days I was leveling up and Felix showed me everything."
"Ah, okay... sure, we could uhm... meet here again tomorrow." Chan told them and the other two smiled at him.
"Nice, see you tomorrow, Chan!" Felix grinned and turned to Changbin. "You remember how to log out now, right?"
"Yah! I'm not that stupid!" And with that Changbin's female avatar disappeared. Felix grinned and waved once more at Chan, before he too opened his menu and disappeared and Chan stood there, smiling to himself, looking up at the night sky above.
"Maybe there is a chance to get out of here." He umbled to himself, before he simply laid down onto the grass, taking a nap under the stars.
-- Reality --
An hour later, both Felix and Changbin were wearing comfortable clothes and lying in bed, going through their phones and messages from their friends.
"He had an Australian accent." Said Felix out of the blue.
"Yeah, I heard... you think he is in Australia?" Changbin asked.
"Could be! His Korean was more hesitant than mine." Felix grinned.
"Yeah, but why is he on the asian server then?"
"I think the beta was only available on this server. If that's his first character from the beta test, then it would makes sense..."
"True. Or maybe he lives here, like you."
"Ah, I wonder what he looks like..."
"Yeah, he probably doesn't expect you to look like this with that voice of yours." Changbin chuckled and Felix let out a laugh.
"Ahahah true! Either way I hope we can play with him again!" Felix said with excitement. "He is really cool!"
"Ah... you used to call me cool..." Changbin whined and Felix hugged him from the side, snuggling into him.
"You're still cool, hyung!" Felix grinned and placed a kiss on his boyfriend's neck, before he moved his hand down between Changbin's legs and the other let out a soft groan.
"Ugh... Lixie..."
"Wanna have some fun?"
"Yes!" And the two melted into each other with pleasure and lust.
-- Genshin World --
The next few days, Changbin and Felix trained some more with Chan's help to guide them through the fighting styles and the boys quickly leveled up in the Genshin World.
They were fighting smaller and slightly bigger enemies all over the map, while doing side quests and exploring the lands. They had a lot of fun and slowly Chan also started to warm up to the other two. He seemed more relaxed and happy whenever the other two were logged in as well and right now the three avatars were chilling on top of a hill, enjoying the view of Fontaine that was visible in the distance as the day in Genshin came slowly to an end.
"Here." The dark haired avatar said and he summoned an axe, handing it to Changbin, who looked at it with awe.
"Woah!" He grinned as he tested it out, swinging the weapon from side to side. "This is sooo cool!" He laughed and Felix also chuckled.
"That looks funny..." He mumbled, looking at Changbin's female avatar holding the giant axe in his hands. "You sure it's fine that he uses it?" Felix asked Chan, who nodded with a shrugg of his shoulders and a small smile.
"I don't use it anyways and I think it might fit his fighting style more."
"AHAHAHA I will be unbeatable!" Changbin laughed and Felix had a good idea.
"Oh! How about we make a sparring session?" He offered with excitement. "Binnie and I against you, Chan."
"Oh yeah, that's the best way for us to level up and train!" Changbin grinned but Chan hesitated for a second.
"Uhm... sure. Why not." He gave in and started to smirk, summoning his own sword and then the three of them got ready for a fight.
Felix and Changbin attacked immediately, but Chan easily dodged and made a counter attack. With immense speed he got behind Felix and Changbin, kicking at them and they both stumbled backwards.
"Argh!"
"Sorry... you good?" Chan asked, slightly concerned, but the other two grinned at him.
"Oh you're on now!" Changbin grinned swung his axe, but Chan only smirked easily dodged the attacks.
Meanwhile Felix tried to get behind Chan, to make a sneak attack, but Chan had an eye on him and as Felix tried to hit him, Chan easily parried and blocked the attack.
"Do you have eyes in the back?" Felix asked with a laugh and Chan shrugged.
"My senses in here are higher than for most other people."
"Argh!" Changbin used the fact that Chan was talking to Felix and tried to land a hit on Chan, but again, the other simply stepped out of the way.
"Maybe try and be more quiet next time." Chan grinned.
"Yeah yeah, I- woh-ah-" Changbin tripped and started to fall backwards and Chan quickly reacted, reaching forward to catch him. But since they were still on top of the hill, he too lost his footing.
"Oi!" Felix got a hold of Chan, trying to prevent them both from falling, but Changbin and Chan already got pulled down by gravity, dragging Felix down with them and so all three of them tubled down the hill.
It wasn't steep, but they still scratched themselves as they rolled down the grass, though Changbin and Felix were simply laughing, as they came to a halt at the foot of the hill.
"Ahahah!" Changbin laughed and Felix playfully hit him in the arm.
"Yah! You idiot!"
"That was fun!" Changbin grinned and Felix let out a chuckle.
"For you maybe. You okay, Chan?" Felix asked, but the other didn't react. Both Changbin and Felix turned towards him.
"Chan, you good?" Changbin asked, but Chan looked at his arm, which was bleeding slightly from a scratch he got while falling down.
He knew it wasn't real blood, but still, he hadn't bled in a while and he could feel the pain slowly creeping up within his body...
"Chan?" Felix asked and touched his arm and then finally the other looked up.
"Huh?"
"All good?" Changbin asked.
"Y- yeah. All good." Chan offered them a small smile.
"Do you need to heal?" Felix asked wiht worry.
"Ah no, all good." Chan smiled more widely now and got up, while Changbin pulled Felix to his feet.
"Well, it's late... we should probably log out soon." Felix mumbled and Changbin nodded, who then turned to Chan.
"Hey Chan?"
"Yeah?" The other blinked at them confused.
"Where are you from?" Changbin asked with a grin.
"Wh-... what?"
"You have an Australian accent." Felix grinned as he said it in English and Chan's eyes widened slightly.
"You're... Australian?"
"Yep. I moved to Seoul a few years back. What about you?" Felix asked, switching back to Korean so Changbin could understand them.
"Oh uhm.. I lived in Seoul for a bit but then I moved back to Sydney."
"Wait for real?" Felix asked amazed. "Sydney?"
"Haha yes." Chan grinned now as well.
"Wait, so we can't meet in real life? Oh man..." Changbin grumbled and Felix started to clarify as Chan had raised an eyebrow.
"We thought of hanging out with you. You're a cool guy, but uh- only if you want to..." He offered, though Chan hesitated.
"I uh... Sydney is too far away."
"I guess." Felix mumbled, slightly disappointed.
"Also, I-..." Chan started, but then he stopped himself.
"Huh?" Changbin asked, tilting his head to the side, but Chan shook his head and smiled slightly at them.
"Never mind. See you two tomorrow?"
"Yeah sure. See you tomorrow, Chan." Felix and Changbin grinned and then they logged out, leaving Chan alone in the virtual world.
-- Reality --
"Don't you think something is off?" Felix asked as the two were finishing cleaning up the kitchen. They had taken a shower (together of course to save water) and then they had cooked some food and ate. Now they cleaned up and got ready to head to bed.
Outside it was dark, but the weather was nice and so the two thought of going out the next morning, to not spend all of their vacation inside the virtual reality.
"What do you mean?" Changbin asked as he laid down on the bed, getting comfortable.
"I don't know, Chan seemed... sad." Felix mumbled as he put on a loose shirt and got into bed next to his boyfriend.
"Ah yeah... I saw it too. But he didn't seem comfortable enough to tell us and I didn't want to press."
"Same."
"Are there infos on him?" Changbin asked curiously.
"Huh? How do you mean?"
"If he is the best player in Genshin, then surely he is famous even in the real world, right? Like Faker."
"Oh true! I haven't even thought of that." Felix grabbed his phone and the two leaned against each other, while Felix scrolled through the phone.
"I- I think I found him." He said with a frown.
"And?"
"He-" Felix hesitated nervously. "His full name is Christopher Chan Bang, he is from Sydney, Australia and ever since he started playing he-... he is in a coma...?"
"What?" Changbin asked, taking a closer look at Felix's phone as well.
"Apparently his parents had been reaching out to the game company, but they said they have nothing to do with this."
"Damn it... you think he is trapped in the game?" Changbin asked with furrowed brows.
"Would explain why he is level 99..." Felix answered and bit his lower lip. It was quiet between them for a moment, as they were both worried about Chan. But then Changbin gave his boyfriend a quick kiss on his cheek.
"We should get some rest. Let's talk to him tomorrow. Maybe we can help him." Changbin said softly and Felix nodded with a smile, stealing a kiss from Changbin as well.
"Yeah... you're right. Good night, Binnie."
"Good night, Lixie."
-- Genshin World --
"Chan?"
"Where is he?"
Both Felix and Changbin looked around. They were at the same spot where they were supposed to meet up with Chan, but there was no one around.
"Maybe he can log out."
"I guess-"
"AH!"
Both boys whipped around, just to see some players runnning out of the forest in panic, as they were chased by giant rifthounds.
They were the same guys who had bullied Felix, but right now they were only running away in fear.
Both Changbin and Felix were about to run as well, but then they spotted Chan's familiar form jumping between the rifthounds and the players.
Chan swung his sword, killing the rifthounds, but then suddenly another bigger one appeared, surprising Chan and he enemy managed to hit Chan, sending him flying.
"CHAN!" Felix and Changbin ran towards him and they immediately fought the rifthounds. But as they got too close, the level of the rifthound was raised up to level 80. But both boys tried to hold their ground, protecting Chan who was on the ground, grunting in pain.
"Guys..." He grumbled and slowly got up, while Felix and Changbin dodged the incoming attacks.
The two managed to hold their ground though, parrying and even attacking themselves.
But Chan was quickly back on his feet, raising his sword and so the three of them had a much better chance.
They knew each other's attacks and fighting styles in and out at this point and while Felix and Changbin managed to kill the smaller rifthounds, Chan was fighting the bigger one. He dodged an attack, rolled to the side. Felix and Changbin reacted quickly and started to distract the big rifthound and so Chan had the chance to get behind the enemy, where he jumped up, swung his sword and rammed it into the rifthound's head and the creature disappeared into pixels, dissolving into nothing.
"Hahaha you did it!" Changbin grinned and both he and Felix leveled up.
They grinned at each other and then turned to Chan, though Felix frowned when he saw how tired Chan looked.
"Chan? Are you okay?"
"I- ngh, I'm good." He grunted and got up, breathing heavily and leaning on his sword for support.
"You're not." Changbin said with concern.
"It's just a game." Chan gritted through his teeth.
"Is it?" Felix asked and Chan turned to him in shock and so Felix continued. "Chan is- is the game actually hurting you?"
Chan hesitated, his eyes moving down towards the ground.
"You haven't logged out in months, right? Because you're trapped here." Changbin continued.
"How- how do you know?" Chan asked in shock as he looked at the two.
"We were worried about you." Felix explained. "We-... we looked online and found an article about you, though the game company denied everything."
Chan looked like he was about to pass out, taking deep breaths.
"I-... I-"
"Sit down, Chan." Changbin guided him down to sit on the grass, while Felix opened his menu to take out a water from his inventory.
"Here. Take it easy." Felix handed him the water and Chan drank some of it. They all knew it wouldn't actually do something, but sometimes tricking the brain was enough.
"Thanks." Chan rasped out as he slowly calmed down.
"Wanna tell us what happened?" Felix asked and the boys sat down a bit more comfortable, as Chan started to explain.
"I- I was one of the beta testers for Genshin and everything was good in the beginning. I- I was defeating all possible enemies that were available during the beta run, but- but then... with the launch, something changed." Chan said and he opened his menu for the other two to see.
"There is no log out button." Changbin muttered with a frown and Chan nodded.
"Since the launch I was in here. I- I don't know what happened to my real body... my sister knew about me playing the game, but..."
"Welll, you're still alive, so maybe your family found you."
"Yeah, maybe."
"And you actually feel pain from the game?" Felix asked. "I know it tingles slightly, but in your case it seems worse."
"Probably because it's all my brain knows now. It's... more difficult for me to remember that everything is just a game." Chan sighed tiredly. "I've been trying to beat the final boss in hope that afterwards I can get out, but... I'm not strong enough."
"What about other beta players?" Asked Changbin next.
"I knew a few, but they aren't playing anymore as far as I know. I think it's only me who is trapped in here. I- I had asked several players in the beginning to help me, but they thought I was just a glitch or annoying them... Hard to get taken seriously in a game where everything is fantasy. At some point I helped people out but... I was quickly written off as a guy who was arrogant and only wants to fight and win and... yeah..."
Changbin and Felix had listened closely and they shared a look with each other, before Felix softly smiled at him.
"Can you give us your parents' address?"
"Huh?"
"We will check in with your parents and try to find you." Felix explained and Chan's eyes widened.
"You... but my real body is in Sydney-"
"We still have vacation anyways." Chanbgin shrugged with a grin.
"Yeah, don't worry, Chan. We'll help you to get out of here." Felix also smiled and Chan let out a silent sob.
"Th- thank you... thank you both." He whispered and both Felix and Changbin gave him a hug.
"Leave it to us."
-- Reality --
"Woah... Sydney is huge." Changbin grinned as they drove in the taxi around the city.
"Cool, huh?" Felix smiled with pride. They had spontaniously gotten plane tickets and flew to Felix's parents in Sydney. They brought their own headsets and gaming equipment with them so that they could still get into the Genshin world, though right now they were on the way to the hospital.
Chan had given them the address and Felix's parents had checked for a phone number, while the two boys were traveling to Sydney.
As soon as they had brought their stuff to the house of Felix's parents, they had talked on the phone to Chan's mother, who told them where Chan's body currently was and so a nurse showed Felix and Changbin the hospital room, where Chan's parents were waiting.
The room was bright with the sun shining directly inside. There was one hospital bed with monitors next to them and an IV, as well as several other tubes were attached to the boy who laid there unmoving, a blanket draped across his thin frame.
Chan had his eyes closed, his long raven dark hair covering partly his eyes. He looked peaceful though as he slowly breathed in and out.
Next to the bed were two chairs where a man and a woman were sitting, smiling tiredly at the two boys.
"You must be Felix and Changbin, right?" The woman asked and the two boys nodded, bowing their heads.
"Yes, this is.... this is Chan- I mean Chris?" Felix asked and looked at Chan's body. Unlike Felix's and Changbin's avatars, Chan's avatar actually looked a lot like him. Except maybe the height...
"Yes. You know him through the game?" Chan's father asked.
"Yes." Changbin nodded. "We are friends online."
"I'm glad." Chan's mother let out a sob. "Thank you so much..."
"We will try to get him out of there."
"Do you have an idea what could have happened?" Felix asked. "Like why he was trapped there?"
"Sadly no." Sighed Mr. Bang. "We have reached out to the gaming company, but they refused to listen. When we tried to bring it to the public, they all kept quiet."
"The company probably paid them to keep quiet to not have their image ruined..." Changbin growled in anger and Chan's mother nodded with dread on her face.
"That's what we were thinking."
"Do you have any idea how to get him out of there?" Mr. Bang asked with hope.
"Maybe beating the game is the only option." Felix muttered.
"You would help?" Asked Mrs. Bang and the two boys smiled at them.
"Of course. He is our friend now." Changbin smiled.
"Thank you so much."
"How uhm... how is he in real life?" Asked Felix curiously as he and Changbin made themselves a bit more comfortable around Chan's bed.
"Oh he is a good son. He studied music and works as a producer."
"Ah producer? Really?!" Changbin immediately lit up. "I also work with music."
"It's so nice to know that he found new friends."
"We will help as much as we can." Felix promised and they continued to chat some more about Chan.
-- Genshin World --
"We found you!" Felix grinned happily as he and Changbin entered the virtual reality again.
"For real?" Chan asked amazed. He had been sitting under the tree, enjoying the warm weather.
"Yeah... your parents are worried. You are in a hospital in a coma."
"I... thank you two." Chan smiled with glassy eyes.
"Don't worry. We will help you." Changbin grinned and Chan looked at him in shock.
"How?"
"We will help you to beat that final boss and then you will be free." Felix smiled bright, while Chan looked at them in disbelief.
"You-... why?"
"Huh?"
"Why help me? Why waste your time?" Chan asked and looked down at his feet, but then Changbin placed his hand on Chan's shoulder and his eyes traveled up at the other two again, who both smiled down at him.
"We know you're worth the risk and you're not a waste of time, Chan." Felix told him softly.
"Yeah, and we're just really nice, hehe." Changbin grinned and Chan let out a chuckle, knowing there was still hope.
And so the three boys were doing missions non stop, fighting and leveling up as quick as they could, even beating the boss Felix had trouble with earlier, which was the reason why Changbin even started in the first place.
They improved their weapons, they had the best potions and items and they knew each other's moves in and out and after a few days had passed, Felix was level 88 and Changbin level 80.
"You think we're ready?" Asked Changbin and Felix shrugged with a grin.
"We should try." Felix then turned to Chan. "Any tipps? Something about his moveset that we should know about?"
Chan frowned, shaking his head. "That's the problem. There nothing really to memorize. The boss is a knight in white armor. He is not too big, but still, for his size he is fast. He just smashes down on you and you will have barely any time to dodge. He has three phases-"
"Three?!" Changbin exclaimed and Chan nodded.
"The second phase he grows wings and becomes even faster and the third... I only made it to that phase once, though I died shortly after, so I don't know what he can do there."
"Great..." Mumbled Felix.
"We'll just try." Changbin shrugged and Chan nodded.
"But if any of you feels like you will die, teleport out of there."
"But shouldn't we try until the end?" Asked Changbin, but Chan shook his head.
"No. If that boss kills you, you lose all your potions."
"Ugh for real?" Changbin groaned.
"That's just mean." Felix added and Chan agreed.
"It's so that no one immediately tries again. The player has to gather more potions again before they try to fight once more." Chan said, biting his lip, becoming more and more unsure, but Felix and Changbin flashed him wide grins.
"Well, we will beat this boss."
"Hell yeah!"
Chan grinned back at them. "Well, first we have to even get there."
"Ah... right..." Changbin mumbled. "Where is this volcano thing?" Chan turned and pointed at the horizon, where on the other side of the ocean some mountains with dark clouds above them were visible.
"How do we get there?" Asked Felix.
"By boat." Chan smiled. "There is a side quest that can get you a scroll that will summon a boat, but I already got one ages ago." He grinned and so the boys headed over to a small port at the side and Chan opened the scroll and a small wooden boat appeared on the ocean and they fast traveled over to Natlan.
"Woah..." Changbin and Felix's eyes widened as they looked at he huge and colorful mountains that reached all over the lands in front of them.
"Oh look over there! A town!" Felix grinned and pointed ahead, where several other players were exploring the town.
"And there! Look at that bird!" Changbin's eyes widened as he looked at the creature, where it flew across the sky. Chan smiled warmly at them, though inside he felt nervous. He wanted to go to the boss. Now. But he couldn't bring it over himself to push the two boys. They were already doing so much for him. The least he could do was not pressure them, but then Felix turned towards Chan with a smile.
"We can explore this some other time. We have a boss to beat first." He grinned and Changbin agreed with a grin.
"Right!"
Chan looked at them in awe and with a few tears in his eyes, never believing that someone would care this much about him. "Guys..."
"Let's go and fight that guy." Changbin said with determination and so Chan nodded and led them to the volcano. The whole area was rumbling, with boulders coming down the mountain as the volcano was in a constant state of errupting.
"This is crazy..." Changbin mumbled as they walked to the entrance of the mountain. There was lava all around them and a huge gate out of stone that was glowing in a firey orange and Chan stepped inside with confidence. They saw a few other players near the entrance, looking at them with wide eyes, not believing that these three would try to take on the final boss.
But Chan walked in with confidence and Felix and Changbin followed, equally ready to get Chan out of this game and so they walked up to a wide open arena. Suddenly the music picked up and a white armored knight got up form the ground. He was huge, carrying a big lance as he walked up to the three.
Chan gritted his teeth and then he summoned his sword and charged. Felix and Changbin immediately attacked the knight as well, trying to understand his moveset. They mostly dodged, not confident enough yet to attack. Chan though hit the knight with one strong blow after another, but it barely did any damage.
So Felix and Changbin jumped into offense as well, attacking the knight with everything they got. But the final boss had unpredictable movements, slashing left and right, quick and forceful.
They were forced to stay on their toes the whole time, barely any time to take a breath, as the knight kept on attacking them adn they all got hit multiple times, unable to dodge the many attacks, while their own barely did any damage to the knight's health bar and then Chan grunted out in pain as his health was almost completely gone and just as the knight charged at him again, ready to smash him, Chan teleported out of there at the last second.
He was at the closest teleportation point a bit further away and shortly after Felix and Changbin appeared right next to him.
"Agh... damn it." Felix cursed and Changbin let out a groan.
"How is that thing so strong?" He said in shock and out of breath.
"We barely did any damage..." Felix mumbled with furrowed brows and Chan took a deep breath, before he got a hold of his sword again.
"We have to try again." Chan said, after the three quickly healed, they headed back inside and they tried again and again and again... They teleported out every time they had low health and the white knight kept hacking down on them, smashing them into walls, though after several tries, they did manage to get him into the second phase.
The knight grew wings and became faster, making it almost impossible for the boys to even hit him.
"Damn it..." Chan cursed as they had once again teleported out.
"We made it pretty far." Changbin said and Felix nodded.
"Yeah, it's possible-"
"It's not." Chan interrutped Felix and the two boys looked over to Chan. "We are wasting our time... I'm wasting your time." He grumbled out, not looking at them.
"No, we-" Felix tried again, but Chan shook his head.
"That boss was programmed to not get beaten. It's not possible."
"Chan..." Changbin said quietly, but Chan walked away, his head hanging low.
Felix and Changbin shared a look and then they healed up and headed back inside the volcano without Chan.
They were determined to get Chan out of this game, but the final boss had barely any openings. They had managed to memorize some of the knight's movements and they held their ground in the second phase now, but both their health bars were low now again.
"Damn it!" Changbin yelled in anger. They were so close... so close to get the boss into it's third phase, but one hit and that would be it and right then the knight attacked again and Felix and Changbin widened their eyes, knowing they failed again. They prepared to teleport out of there, but then suddenly Chan stood in front of them, blocking the attack with his sword.
"Chan!" The two grinned as Chan managed a hit the knight, who got pushed back a bit.
Some of the knight's health was rebuild as the third player had entered the arena again and Felix and Changbin used a potion and the two got ready to fight again as well.
"I-... sorry..." Chan mumbled, his eyes still fixated on the knight, but the other two grinned and stepped up to him.
"All good. Let's get him." Felix said and the three attacked. They switched around with offense and defense, knowing their potions were slowly getting less and less, but then the three did a combo attack and they actually managed to force the boss into the thrid phase and suddenly the knight was even faster and bigger, turning into some form of half human, half dragon, with scales and a tail and suddenly gravity pulled on the three players.
"What the-"
"Gravity..." Chan mumbled and they quickly ran back, before the knight attacked everything that was now close to him.
Around them the whole volcano was rumbling, with fire and lava crashing down around them. After that though the knight became more still again and the three took the chance.
"Run in a circle!" Felix yelled and the boys did, running around with a bit of distance to each other. They kept their distances, only attacking when it was really safe. They got the knight's health down more and more, though they also became more and more tired and then the knight turned to Chan and started to focus it's attacks completely on him and the knight managed to smash him against the wall with his gravit yattack and Chan let out a loud cry of pain.
"Chan!" Felix screamed and he and Changbin got in front of Chan, getting hit instead by the knight's lance attack that pushed them to the side. Now all three of them had low heath and Felix and Changbin had to heal quickly, but the knight was in front of them, ready to stirke down.
"No!" Chan's eyes widened and he ran towards them, as the knight hit both of them and Felix and Changbin died and were teleported out of there and Chan got a hold of his sword and he rammed it into the knight's back and the health bar of the final boss went down to zero.
Chan's eyes widened, as the knight slowly dissolved into nothingness and it was only Chan there and then it became quiet, as even the eruption of the volcano stopped.
He was breathing heavily, looking around and then suddenly the whole location changed into a white void and Chan stood there, surrounded by nothing, until a text appeared in front of him and a robotic voice echoed around him.
"Level 100. Congratulations, player. You won."
And suddenly everything around him turned dark.
-- Reality --
"Chan!" Felix yelled as he woke up. He was on his bed, with Changbin next to him, also awake now and taking his headset off.
"What just happened?" Changbin asked confused.
"We-... we got logged out..." Felix realized. "Chan..."
"Let's go!" They quickly got up and put on shoes and they drove with the taxi to the hospital, while Changbin was checking his phone. Genshin was trending world wide as all players reported the same thing.
"Every player was logged out." He said as he scrolled through social media. "No one is able to log back in apparently."
"I hope Chan is okay..." Felix mumbled and Changbin grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.
"We will help him."
They reached the hospital a few minutes later and they carefully opened the door, only to see both Chan's parents hugging their son tight. Chan was still sitting in bed, but he was awake, his eyes barely open, looking tired. The headset was off and his long dark hair was a mess.
"Chan..." Felix whispered and then Chan's parents made some space and Felix and Changbin ran up to him and hugged Chan tight. "You're awake!" Felix girnned.
"How are you feeling?" Changbin asked him carefully.
"I-..." Chan rasped out and he immediately started to cough and his mother handed him a glass of water.
"Take it easy." She said softly and ran a hand through her son's long, dark hair.
"Th- thank you." Chan whispered and smiled at Felix and Chanbgin who both grinned widely.
"You-... Felix and... Bin?" Chan grinned and the other two laughed.
"I hope this is not too disappointing..." Changbin laughed and scratched the back of his head.
"N- no." Chan snickered, though he started to cough again and Felix rubbed a hand up and down Chan's back.
"How are you feeling?" he asked and Chan started to frown.
"I- everything feels... wrong. Partly numb..." He said and tested out his legs, not fully able to move them yet. "Like this isn't my body."
"You will get used to it again, don't worry." His father told him softly. "You were in a coma, so patience, son."
"Yes." Chan grinned up at his father and then his two parents headed out, to ask the doctor if Chan could have some real food.
"What happened to you in there?" Asked Felix once the three of them were alone and both Felix and Changbin sat down on each of Chan's side, giving him water from time to time.
"I managed to land one final blow and then..." Chan coughed some more, before he continued, "then everything was white and I reached level 100." He explained. "After that I woke up here."
"You did it man." Changbin grinned. "You actually defeated the final boss!"
"Though the whole game was shut down." Felix reminded him and now Chan raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Lixie and I were kicked out of the game." Changbin explained and then showed Chan the news on his phone. "Apparently everyone got logged out of Genshin."
"For real?" Chan asked with shock.
"Yeah, I don't know when players will be able to log in again..." Felix mumbled, though Changbin grinned at Chan again.
"At least you're out now. That's all that matters."
"Hehe, thanks to you guys." Chan smiled back, showing his dimples and both Felix and Changbin blushed slightly as they actually looked more closely at Chan now.
"Woah, you really look like the avatar you created in the game." Felix told him.
"Me? Nah, I- I should probably get a haircut. And I'm not that tall hahah!" Chan laughed as he brushed a hand through his long raven hair, before he looked at Felix. "You though... you really look like in-game. And you Changbin... eh... you're kinda cute."
"Cute?!" Changbin asked with a bright smile, before he turned towards Felix. "He called me cute!"
"You're uhm... gay?" Felix asked Chan carefully and the other shrugged his shoulder.
"I don't really care honestly. I love who I love, though I eh-..." Chan's ears became bright pink now as he looked down at his hands that were resting in his lap. "I never really had anyone..."
"Yah, why are the hottest guys all gaming nerds?" Changbin asked and looked between Felix and Chan, before his eyes stayed longer on Chan again. "You are way too handsome to just sit in your room and play video games all day."
"Ahahahah, I don't just play games all day..." Chan pouted, before he frowned slightly. "Though I guess I kinda did for the past couple of months..."
"We'll help you to get back on your feet." Felix offered with a smile and Chan beamed up at them.
Later Chan's parents came back into the room and Chan finally got to eat some food, though he realized quickly that his body was not used to it yet again. The doctor told him to stay in the hospital for a few more days and Felix and Changbin promised him to visit every day, to help him regain his strength. On the third day of Chan being awake though, when Changbin and Felix sat next to Chan's bed again, chatting together, they heard a knock on the door and a man came inside, followed by a woman with a microphone and a phone, recording. Felix and Changbin got up from the bed, looking confused at the two people.
The man in front of them wore an expensive suit, had a pair of glasses, had neatly pushed back black hair and a sly grin on his face. The woman took pictures of Chan who blinked against the harsh camera light.
"Hello, Christopher Chan Bang, correct?" Asked the man as he pushed up his glasses.
"Y- yeah." Chan nodded.
"My name is Kang Park. I am the CEO of the company that created Genshin." He said and the boys' eyes widened.
"You..." Changbin growled, though Felix took his boyfriends hand to calm him down.
"We had looked into your case and made a new update in order to fix the bug. It is good to see that it worked and that you are awake now." The CEO smirked, while the woman took some more pictures of him and Chan, who only glared at the older man.
"We are working to bring the game back online soon, but wanted to make sure that everyone would be safe, so then, I hope you will recover quickly." And with that the man and woman left again and Changbin let out a low growl.
"They will pretend it was them? Seriously?"
"Why didn't you say anything?" Felix asked and looked at Chan.
"And cause trouble for us all? I-... I'm tired." Chan sighed and leaned back against the pillows and the other two smiled at him.
"Makes sense. Get some rest Channie."
"Yeah, everything will be alright now."
Chan fell asleep relatively quickly and Felix and Changbin stayed there with him, watching him sleep.
"That guy will probably tell the media how he saved Chan..." Felix mumbled and Changbin let out a sigh.
"Yeah... fucking asshole."
"You think he kept Chan there on purpose?"
"I mean why would he? It makes no sense."
"True..." Felix mumbled and held onto Chan's hand, watching the other sleep.
"You know, I really like Chan."
"Hehe me too." Changbin grinned. "We should ask him out on a date."
"A date?" Felix asked amused.
"Yeah as soon as he is out of here. Just us three."
"I would like that. And I'm sure that Chan would like it as well."
And so times passed by, with Chan slowly getting used to his normal life again and his body started to get more fit as well.
The CEO of Genshin did indeed sell the story to the media that they had done a new update, which resulted in Chan to get out of the coma, putting the CEO in a good light. But Felix, who had gained more popularity as a streamer recently had told his community that Chan only got out thanks to hard work and by the fact that he beat the final boss. The game had been down for a whole month, before it made a major update, ensuring the safety of every player as it released a newer version of the game.
But Changbin and Felix had to return back to Seoul, as their vacation was over, but Chan soon followed.
After he had spend time with his family and caught up in life, he moved in with his now officially two boyfriends.
With Felix's help, he got a good start in the gaming community, playing some more chill games and streaming them together with Felix, while he also worked with Changbin on music.
But the hottest game right now, was of course once more Genshin, as now streaming was possible from within the game. Chan was a bit more hesitant, not ready at first to get into the game again. But he had to admitt that he missed the virtual reality and so on a Friday evening, Felix decided to make a special stream.
"So guys," Felix said to his viewers and he looked at the chat messages in the right corner of his eyes. "You all knkow that we have a special guest today." After Genshin had crashed, everyone had to create a new character and so Felix had created a woman with long platinum silver hair, a matching long dress and eyes as pale as ice.
"Yah, I wonder what he will look like..." Changbin mumbled in his new avatar, an incredibly tall, muscular man with messy blonde hair, with bright blue eyes, wearing a long coat and wielding a big sword on his shoulders.
They both waited at the spawn area for new characters and then a woman with biolet hair, glowing antlers and a flowing, light blue and translucent robe adorned with golden, turquoise, and pearl jewelry.
"You-..." Both Felix and Changbin stared at Chan's new avatar in shock and amazement. His name above his avatar read Channie and the avatar grinned at the other two.
"You like it?"
"WOAH! So pretty! I'm surrounded by pretty women!" Changbin exclaimed with a bright smile.
"Hehe, I'm just level 1 now though, so... you guys have to help me out." Chan grinned and the other two nodded with bright smiles.
"Of coure!"
"Let's go!" And so the three headed out into the open world, to experience new adventures.
