Is this really a Game?!



"And here I was about to believe that your good luck has finally run out." Tank sighed as he patted Beast on the back a couple of times.

"Thank god it didn't, otherwise we might have had to waste a couple of more hours to find something like this," Shadow said as he inspected the entrance that had opened thanks to Beast unintentionally leaning against the wall at the perfect angle as well as height to actually press the button that would open it.

"Guys, take a look," Shadow said as everybody suddenly glanced inside the new tunnel that had opened.

It was a normal tunnel, nothing special, the walls were made out of concrete, the lights were working, flickering slightly, and there was nothing inside but the end of the tunnel that was actually a left turn.

After a couple of minutes, they opened their eyes wide as they stared at the lights. They were normal lightbulbs that one could find on Earth, but that was the problem.

All electricity had stopped working, power plants, cars, planes…

The system didn't allow for it, and yet, here they were.

Ding!

[ Emergency quest, find out what is wrong with the underground of Pripyat immediately, the rewards will be based on what the players find! ]

The system immediately gave them a quest, which made Reign and the others fully aware that something was definitely up with the underground. They glanced at each other before going through the entrance and following the tunnel.

The second they got in the tunnel, they sensed that something was off. Upon trying to check their status, they got nothing in response as the system was not functioning. Taking a few steps back and leaving the tunnel made the system function again, however.

They knew that where they were going was bad news, the system didn't function, and it seems that electricity, and everything that came with it, was available down there, still, they were interested in finding out what was going on, and they had full belief that their strength would be enough to help them out no matter what they might find.

They moved about 500 meters, the tunnel being at a slight slope and leading them down until they managed to find their way to the end, where a large elevator was located at.

Reign and the others glanced at each other before getting on the elevator and pressing the button to go down. The elevator slowly made its descent, with each second, Reign and the others felt nervous, not knowing what to expect when they arrived at their destination.

Suddenly, the rocky walls disappeared as Reign and the others were able to finally see just what was below the city of Pripyat. Large buildings could be seen in front of them as a massive underground city appeared in front of them. A couple of drones came in front of them, merely flying at the same height that the elevator was at before leaving.

They could see a couple of trains moving through the city, as well as some cars and even bikes.

"How is this possible?" Reign asked in a low voice as the others all showed heavy expressions on their faces.

Looking down, where the elevator was supposed to stop, they could see numerous soldiers wearing army attire as well as vehicles and even two tanks aiming at the elevator.

Reign and the others glanced at each other and waited until they were about ten meters above the ground to jump out of the elevator. The steel bars that barred their way were like paper to Reign and the others who easily cut them apart and made their way out.

They landed right between the two tanks and Greenie and Tank quickly went to work, grabbing them from below and flipping them to the side while Reign and the others used their auras to the fullest.

Most of the soldiers were normal, only about 5 of them being Tier I beings, and 1 Tier II combatant.

Upon unleashing their auras, Reign and the others unintentionally made almost all the soldiers nearby faint while the one that was Tier II gulped, freezing out of fear as a voice could be heard calling out to him from the phone he was holding.

"What is going on, captain, for god's sake, speak."

Reign made his way over and grabbed the phone before opening his mouth.

"My name is Reign Ashburn, I'm from New York and have just arrived from the surface to this city, may I know who I'm talking to?"

Silence could be heard as the voice from the other side stopped talking, only to quietly speak after a couple of seconds.

"From the surface, how did you get here?"

"We took the elevator."

"No, I mean, how were you able to pass through those monstrosities and come here?" The voice asked Reign who shook his head.

"We killed them, now, I would much rather speak to you face to face, I'm sure you have much to ask us, but we also have many questions, like how electricity is still on here, the rifles as well, everything up on the surface has stopped functioning the moment the game started."

"You do know what happened to the world, right?"

"Yes, my men will escort you to me, but you have to give them your weapons." The man said as Reign glanced up, looking at a drone that was flying some 20 meters above him.

He jumped, reaching the height of the drone in a mere second before going down and stepping on the ground without any force being transmitted. Reign smiled while a gasp could be heard from the phone he had left on the roof of the vehicle.

"I don't mean to be rude, but me and my friends here are powerful enough to destroy this entire place without our weapons, so we will not be giving them to you or anyone, but we will meet you without them."

Reign's swords disappeared, becoming tattoos on the back of his hands while the rest did the same. The soldiers that fainted from the auras slowly started waking up, some of them even pointing their rifles at Reign and the others before being ordered to stand down.

Tank and Greenie went to the other side of the tanks and pushed them back to how they were, shocking the soldiers once again before they escorted Reign and the others to the city, all of them riding in cars, of course.

"I've almost forgotten the feeling of riding in a car," Shadow said as Reign nodded. The team had split into three smaller groups, with Tank and Greenie being placed with one other person, and Reign, Shadow, and Laura being in the car at the very front.

They made their way through the city, where Reign was able to see many people walking around. Compared to how it was before the game, however, he could clearly see how everybody was tense and a bit fearful. 

"How do you get food and water?" Reign suddenly asked the Tier II soldier who was driving them.

"We … we have tunnels leading to the surface, so we have been able to go up and gather information, as well as get some supplies, we have everything we need in the city, however, so food and water are not that scarce."

"There are other areas next to the city as well, so nobody is starving, at least not yet."

The convoy of cars made their way to the very center of the city where the tallest building was located at. Reign and the others arrived and took the elevator to the 35th floor.

Upon coming out of the elevator, Reign smirked as he could sense a couple of Tier III beings hiding around them, while the man he presumed was the person he spoke to before was sitting at a large table, the windows behind him showing the entire city.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mister Reign." The man, who seemed to be in his fifties, said as he got up. His hair had started turning gray while his beard was almost completely gray. He had some muscles present on his body, but there was some fat as well. His sharp jawline as well as his piercing eyes gave them the feeling of looking at a military man who had seen plenty of stuff in his life.

"It's a pleasure for us as well, can you not have those guys hiding around us, they're far too weak to do anything to us anyway, so there's no reason to keep them hidden." Reign's words made the man's eyes constrict as the five people who were Tier III came out from their hiding places, each one staring at Reign and the others with caution.

"So, mister … sorry, what's your name?"

"General Niel Johnson." The man said as he shook Reign's head, staring warily at him.

"A general, I see."

"General, do you mind telling me just what the hell is going on here?"