My first-ever online game officially announced its shutdown today. For twenty years, I’d obsessed over it, poured endless cash into it—but in this era of full-immersion VR games, a 2D fighter like this was doomed to fade away.
[Quan Nian: Last announcement horn! Wishing everyone smooth sailing in life!]
[Jian Chi Wu Cheng Mo: One last dive into the Abyss. Just to remember the grind.]
[Pro Healer: Brothers, see you in other games!!! Final horn from the King’s Guild!]
The public chat overflowed with players’ nostalgia and reluctance to let go.
[Terminal Chuunibyou: F*** your whole family!!!! Not even giving me "The King’s Glory" on the last day?!]
A jarring message suddenly flashed.
[Jian Xin: +1 to above! May that old bastard rot!]
[Hidden Dragon: LMAOOOOOOOOO above!]
Well… crude, but honest. Just then, a pink guild notification popped up.
[DEVILE: Final 30 minutes! Let’s clear the last boss raid one more time. See if we can break our speed record.]
[Zang Hua: YEAH!!! All online guildies, switch to Channel 200. Rally at the raid entrance!]
The guild wanted to push their limits in these final moments. The raid required sixty players—most core members were online. Conditions were perfect. I typed fast in guild chat:
[Taboo Pupil: Hurry up, everyone. I’m heading in first.]
I instantly switched to Channel 200.
[DEVILE: Oho~~~? Pupil-san’s in the mood today! Never seen you join raids before.]
[Zang Hua: Seriously!!! What’s got you raiding all of a sudden?]
Work usually kept me from guild runs, but today was special. I’d taken leave just for this.
[Qi Ye: Wait—you’re still playing 2D games with a VR headset on?]
Qi Ye knew my habits. I typed back, fingers steady:
[Taboo Pupil: Problem??? The screen’s way comfier this way.]
[DEVILE: Wish this game had a VR patch… but guess that’s never happening now.]
[Zang Hua: Almost full roster! Move out!! Gotta beat 20 minutes this time!]
Sixty guild members, fully geared, aimed to seal the game’s legacy with a record-breaking clear.
The raid had seven sections. Ten-player squads would destroy crystals in separate zones, then converge at the crossroads to face the final boss: Starlight Sovereign. His mechanic forced rotations—only ten players could engage him at once, and no squad could last over three minutes. Exceed that, and his mana drain would wipe the entire team. Speed-clearing was brutal.
Under five minutes, we’d shattered monsters and traps, regrouping at the crossroads.
[DEVILE: Main DPS squad goes fourth. Frontlines—go all out! Third squad, shred his resistances!]
No replies. Everyone knew the drill. Typing was a luxury we couldn’t afford now.
I was honored to be in the fourth squad—the main DPS wave. My fingers drummed the desk, itching to unleash everything.
The third squad—support and DPS hybrids—spent their final thirty seconds slathering the boss in debuffs: resistance down, endurance down, defense down. Then our turn came.
[Zang Hua: NO HOLDING BACK~! Spam every skill!]
Zang Hua’s Mystic Warrior unleashed her ultimate, cleaving the boss’s head with a Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
[Fate’s Warrior: Don’t worry about HP. I’ve got heals locked down.]
Our healer’s calm words steadied us.
[DEVILE: How’re you typing mid-fight??? Are you octopuses??]
The Ranger’s arrows critted nonstop, his quip sharp as his aim.
We all hurled our signature skills at the boss.
[Wang Chuan: FINAL HIT!!! HURRY!]
The Venom Lord’s ultimate stunned the boss.
I seized the opening—Triple Slash to close in, then transformed into Blood Demon.
[Taboo Pupil: Sorry, guys. This kill’s mine!]
[DEVILE: Less talk! HIT HIM!]
I activated my ultimate: [Blood Demon: Devour Stars]. My avatar engulfed the boss, then detonated him into crimson mist.
[PERSONAL SPEED RECORD UPDATED: 19 MIN 54 SEC]
Text flashed across the screen.
[Fate’s Warrior: 66666666666]
[DEVILE: Screenshot saved. Posting to forums later.]
[Zang Hua: Great job, everyone~~ Don’t forget to chat in the group!]
[Qi Ye: One minute left. See you all later.]
Joy over the record warred with a deep, lingering ache. This game had been my companion since high school. Pretending I wasn’t heartbroken would be a lie.
I typed slowly:
[Taboo Pupil: Wish we could stay inside the game forever.]
[Zang Hua: hhhhhh Stop being a chuuni kid. Go eat dinner.]
[DEVILE: Grow up. Offline meetup after shutdown—that’s the real plan.]
[Fate’s Warrior: AGREED!! Details in the group later.]
Mid-conversation, every player vanished from the screen.
Shutdown already?? I checked the game clock: 11:59 AM. One minute early. Another disconnect? Guess "Disconnect Warrior" wasn’t just a meme. I sighed, ready to quit and head to QQ group chat—
[Why won’t EXIT work??]
I frantically clicked the quit button. Alt+Esc did nothing. Worse—I couldn’t feel my limbs. Trapped in my VR headset, I strained to sense my hands. Nothing. Like I had no body at all. Gas poisoning? But I hadn’t cooked anything…
Everything went black.
What happened next, I never knew.
