November 9th 2025

Gun Gale Online

SBC Glocken

"These Players who think it's all about their Agility? Hah! Man they're a joke. Sure, firing speed and evasion are both crucial but at this point both of those are secondary to having the best equipment. And everyone knows the latest patch added some top tier weapons, provided you've got the Strength to use 'em" The voice rang throughout the in-game bar. A hologram showing the speaker, a top player known by the name XeXeed.

"Quite the statement, especially from one of the top players of Gun Gale Online!" A woman's voice chirped in, the host of the show XeXeed was appearing on.

The holographic monitor was playing the televised appearance of XeXeed to a group of players drinking at a bar Gun Gale itself. Not an irregular occurrence provided the guest of the show was relevant to Gun Gale, however XeXeed's comments had begun to provoke jeers and cursing from most of the patrons.

"Well honestly how could anyone expect exclusively boosting Agility expect to keep up with loot drops? If I were any of those players I'd quit now, or head over to the RMT Store and buy a Respec Kit!" XeXeed continued.

The other player on the show, Yamikaze, piped up. "So you expect players to put real money into changing their build just because you believe the newer weapons outclass the players individual skill? Naive, to say the least."

"Ooh, are we going to have a live confrontation between GGO's top two players right here on MMO Stream?" The hostess called, seamingly attempting to instigate the two into escalating into a more aggressive argument.

Neither player obliged with XeXeed continuing to boast about how Strength builds were the new 'top play' and how Agility was 'suboptimal at best'.

"Damn, that guy totally got us, saying how AGI was the best stat a few months back." One of the patrons muttered to another sitting beside him at the bar.

"How much are Respec Kits now? 10,000 yen was it?" Another asked.

"If you get 'em during a sale yeah."

As the bar erupted into conversations drowning out XeXeeds' speech a single cloaked player stood up, raising their pistol to the holographic image. "XeXeed! You fraud!" They yelled, the mask they wore distorted their voice, and the cloak covered their entire body masking any indication of gender.

A few of the patrons snickered and mocked the player, finding the outburst to be an amusing performance at least. Whilst a player, sitting at a booth on his own, far behind the other patrons opened his menu and selected his notepad window, he began to write down what the player was doing and saying finding the entire thing odd to say the least.

"You should be condemned for the lies you have broadcast! Prepare yourself to be judged by true power!" The cloaked player used their left hand to make the sign of the crucifix, and fired their gun, the round passing through the hologram and hitting a wall just behind it. The round exploded into red shards and a purple hexagon appeared next to the wall displaying the message IMMORTAL OBJECT.

Patrons all laughed as the player lowered his weapon. Whilst the player writing down everything about the event watched intently as if he was entranced, as if he was expecting something more. A few seconds went by and he gestured as if to close his notepad window until…

XeXeed started gasping and grasping at the left side of his chest as if he was having some sort of cardiac arrest. His avatar disappeared leaving only a sign which read DISCONNECTED in its place. The patrons of the bar looked at each other, confused. As the Hostess mentioned 'connection issues'.

"Ensure you imprint this moment into your minds, and remember the name I share with this weapon Death Gun! I shall be the judge of power, of strength!" The cloaked player began to wave his weapon around the bar pointing it indiscriminately at the players inside. Each time a player found the weapon pointing at themselves they couldn't help but let out a slight gasp or whimper out of fear.

'Fear?' The player typing up the event thought to himself 'Impossible, this is all a game right? Plus if he did fire, it's a safe zone, nothing would happen.' He shook his head and closed his notes, saving them to his PC's memory. He moved to leave before looking back at Death Gun. 'Although...it is awfully convenient' His mind wondered as he logged out of the game.

Yuuto removed the Amusphere from his head and sat up on his bed, he stretched his arms up above his head and walked across his apartment to sit in his computer chair. He nudged the mouse turning the monitor for his computer on revealing the GGO homepage.

He clicked the NEWS tab and skimmed through it, finding the patch notes for the latest GGO update. He studied them before opening up the notepad document he had typed up whilst in the bar. He considered posting it in the forums, for a moment. However he decided against it.

'Probably nothing...but maybe…' He thought for a second, before sighing and opening an email tab. He clicked on the first (and only address he had saved) and began to compose an email:

Sis,

Thought you should know about this, after the whole SAO thing, I've been keeping tabs on anything weird I find on the net. I've been playing Gun Gale Online and I encountered...something. You told me to send anything weird to you so I noted it down, it's probably nothing.

Attached File:

Let me know if you need me to find anything else about this.

-Yu

He sent the email and recalled the events he had witnessed in the bar moments before. He shuddered as thoughts of another event like SAO entered his mind. He shook them out and walked back to the bed making note of the time: 23:42. He shrugged and lay down, silently thankful he had no commitments on a Sunday. Before long he was asleep with the events in the bar now irrelevant to him.

Yuuto awoke with a start as his phone fell from the table behind his bed and hit the floor with a dull whump. He groaned and reached down with his arm trying to reach the object without getting out of bed. The tips of his fingers grazed the object and he was able to pull it towards him just enough to grab it. As he lifted the object he checked the screen to see what had caused it to fall.

"Well, I assume she got my mail…" Yuuto murmured as he looked at the mail symbol on the screen. Assuming the vibration when it had been received had nudged the device off his table. With two taps of the screen the email opened:

It doesn't sound like anything important, you better not be cutting school to play games though!

I'll call in when I get home.

-Rina

Yuuto sighed and lay back on his bed. She was right, wasn't anything she needed to worry about, let alone something he should bother her when she was away with work over. Yuuto rolled back into bed grabbing his Amusphere as he lay back. "Well then, I suppose I have nothing to worry about." He smiled before diving back into the world of GGO.