Chapter 2
With a throbbing headache, Contresh woke up from his bed.
"Ugh."
Pressing his temples, he gulped down a liter of ice water from the fridge, quenching his burning thirst. The cold water slowly brought him back to his senses.
'First, I need to ban Explosion for continuously mentioning our group masturbation…'
Contresh quickly turned on his computer and started searching for a suitable background music for his DTube editing.

But then.
"Huh?"
A popular he followed was live streaming with the title, 'The Myouren Temple has really appeared. OMG.'
Though clickbait titles were common, a live stream with over 300,000 viewers was an exception. Something was definitely going on.
His heart pounded uncontrollably as he moved his mouse cursor on the live stream. It felt as if everything was about to change.
Click!
He entered the broadcast.
"Wow! Guys, do you see that? You are all seeight it, right?"
On the screen was a Dtuber expressing amazement, and…
A giant ship.
It was real.
A massive, floating ship had appeared in the middle of Argentina.
Familiar, yet surreal.
"The ThugShakerCentral tipped me off. It's from the game 'Gensokyoden' released 5 years ago. Can you believe it? Wait a second."
Suddenly, the Dtuber looked up, and at that moment, the screen started to turn red.
It wasn't sunset; it was 10 AM.
'No way…'
Contresh swallowed hard. He knew what this was.
The same phenomenon he had seen when he first played 'Gensokyoden'.
[Gensokyoden's reboot version 1 update has been completed.]
The boundary between reality and Gensokyo blurred.
Blue status windows flickered both in the live stream and in front of him in reality.
It had started.
[All players are advised to conquer the next stage within 90 days.]
The world everyone knew was crumbling…
[Failure to do so will result in the annihilation of humanity.]
And just like that, the game became reality.
Contresh's mind was in disarray, but he quickly collected himself.
"Whew. Whew. Whew."
He calmed his breathing.
He needed to think clearly.
If 'Gensokyoden' had truly become reality, there was no time to waste.
'I need to hurry'.
He got up from his chair, which toppled over, but there was no time to set it right.
He needed to go out.
Specifically, to a location where he could obtain 'that item.'
Bursting through the front door, Contresh sprinted down the road, crossing streets and climbing stairs, his breath catching in his throat.
But strangely, he didn't feel tired.

Instead…
The monotony of his life, enduring each day with just hope…
The prospect of breaking free from that routine filled him with exhilaration.
How long had he run?
Upon arriving at Central City, it was already crowded with people.
"What's the fastest way to Colorado?"
"Damn it. Michigan, Ohio or whatever, we need to get out of the country. Abroad. THat's where we can survive."
"Everywhere abroad has some kind of giant structure too, what are you talking about?"
"Then where should we go?"
"Anywhere but Peru. Didn't you see the movies? Staying here means death!

Most were trying to flee Seoul.
'Understandably frightened.'
It's instinctive for all creatures to fear the unknown.
But there's opportunity in a crisis.
This wasn't a time to flee, but to advance.
'This was selected as one of the [Waiting Areas] in the Peruvian server.'
About thirty nationwide, chosen for being the closest.
Looking down at the underground city, Contresh took the escalator down.
[Entering the event area.]
The underground mall was quiet.
With the sudden appearance of the Palanquin and talk of human extinction, no one would be at ease enough to shop.
Even fewer would be eating hamburgers.
Of course…
Not everyone was the same.
As expected…
Contresh narrowed his eyes.
Dozens of people were scattered around the fountain.
No need to ask; they were people who had played 'Gensokyoden' before.
In the silence, everyone watched each other, knowing what was at stake.
The upcoming item was limited in quantity.
At best, only about five would be available.
But there were over twenty people present.
Limited supply, high demand.
Someone would miss out.
Then.
"Hey, you're Contresh, right?"
A young man's voice came from behind Contresh.
'Sounds familiar…'
Turning around, Contresh saw a tall man, around 180 cm, with dyed yellow hair.
Dough M'Congly.
To meet him here…
"Haha, yes, Contresh! You're here too. Well, you were always glued to your computer all day."
Dough M'Congly approached with a smirk.
A partner BJ on PapfreakaTV, with 500,000 subscribers on Dtube and a substantial Instagram following.
'And, the CEO of the company I belonged to.'
"Aren't you usually busy with your broadcasts around this time?"
Contresh asked.
"Eh, what broadcast? At a time like this?"

Dough M'Congly shrugged.
"Anyways, what floor did you hit on this game? C'mon, let's gather the secrets together, as former coworkers."
…Coworkers?
His company tricked many streamers into a slave contract.
The more they streamed, the more money they'd lose.
Their voices were silenced under the powerful and large voices the lawyers in the company had.
Friends he was close with.
Friends he started with from the bottom.
One by one, they left the industry.
"You're good at gaming and eating. I'll offer you a better contract. How about it?"
Doug M'Congly put a hand on Contresh's shoulder.
Disgusting. Every word he uttered.
"...Dough M'Congly."
"Hey, hey. Even in private, call me the CEO. Tsk."
Ah, right. The CEO…
He had realized something in life.
Bad people continue to thrive and live well.
And to not be victimized by them, you have to become more brutal and cruel.
Those two things.
"Act like a CEO if you want to be called one."
"What?"
Doug M'Mcongly's expression changed.
But Contresh continued.
"Don't talk nonsense, bastard. I'm older than you."
Bang!
Contresh's head smashed into Doug's face.
"Aargh!"
Dough M'Congly's head snapped back, his broken teeth and blood splattering on the floor.
'Satisfying.'
Like a decade-old toothache finally was cured.
"Ugh…"
Doug M'Congly, holding his face and writhing in pain, was ignored by Contresh.
'Should be appearing any second now.'
Right at that moment.
Rumble!
Water splashed around the fountain.
The calm surface began to ripple, and then…
Boom!
A 4-meter-tall tree shot up.
'Finally.'
"Wow!'

"Mangrove!"

"I knew it!"

Those waiting exclaimed.
[The 'Freak Mangrove Tree' is growing.]
[Each person can consume only one fruit.]
One of the mandatory tutorial opportunities.
Contresh eyed the colorful fruits on the tree.
Each ripe fruit increased stats like strength, agility, health, and mana.
A valuable item.
But the problem was…
'There are only four…'
With over twenty people waiting, the odds were 5:1.
Contresh moistened his lower lip.
'This will be fierce.'
The merit of increasing stats in the early stages was too important to pass up.
"Mine, mine!"
"Don't fuck with me, I'm first!"

"Aaaaah!"
Everyone lunged for the fruits.
By any means necessary.
To grab it before others.
Soon, the Central City underground Walmart become a battleground.
"Damn it! If you had worked with me and split the fruits, we both could have gained something!"
The fruits were not what he was after.
'Not yet. The time isn't right.'
Ordinary people wouldn't even know about the tree's fruits. Those who had played a few times were focused solely on consuming the fruits.
And the veterans…
They preferred a more perverse and sadistic process. It promised greater rewards.
Finally, all the fruits on the tree were gone. That's when it happened.
Screech!
The tree howled. Having lost all its fruits, the tree's main body began to rage in fury.
"Right, this tree becomes incredibly dangerous once all its fruits are eaten."
"Damn, I'd forgotten. It's been so long since I played."
"Aaaaah! Run! I've died here at least 50 times!"
People who realized the seriousness of the situation belatedly started to back off. They had to escape. Level 1 players without weapons had no chance of defeating this tree.
"Ugh…" Even Doug M'Congly staggered to his feet.
"Going to give up?" Contresh asked.
"Of course! I refuse to die a pointless death here."
"Really? That's too bad. The real reward of this event can be obtained only after all the fruits are gone."
Doug M'Congly, who was about to head towards the escalator, hesitated.
"Are you serious?"
"Why else would I still be here?"
Doug pondered. It made sense why Contresh had shown little interest in the fruits. There was a bigger reward.
'I suppose he's telling the truth. He played that game non-stop.'
Doug was certain he smelled an opportunity.
"Assuming you're telling the truth, what do we do?"
"We dive in." Contresh pointed to the inside of the tree. "If we move one at a time, it's easy to get targeted. We need to approach from both sides."
"Divert its attention, then."
"Exactly."
Everyone else had gone up. Only Contresh and Doug remained in the underground area.
"Remember, if even one of us hesitates, it could lead to our deaths."
Contresh crouched down and slowly moved to the right.
"Don't worry. I'm now new to this game."
Dough M'Congly moved to the left. Once they were in position…
"Now!" Contresh sprang into action.
Immediately, the tree branches lunged toward him. But Doug M'Congly stood still, revealing a sinister smile.
"Idiot. Who would listen to your nonsense? Go be the bait. I'll aim for the treasure in the meantime."
Then he dashed towards the center of the tree.
Within their crossing glances, Contresh thought, '...Good. He hasn't changed. Had he suddenly turned over a new leaf, I would have felt sorry.'
With a loud crash..
Boom!
Suddenly, branches beneath the fountain burst out.