Rider-On

GA-ES had promoted Rider-On as the new game labyrinth that would lead this new era.

Seven, who had newly taken up the mantle of CEO of GA-ES as a "game labyrinth developer," appeared before the assembled press.

"Hello there~! Everyone!"

Even at an occasion like this, his flippant manner remained unchanged.

"As you all know, with Yggdrasil's update to 2.0, the creation of ⟨Human Realm⟩ game labyrinths—labyrinths based on reality itself—has become possible. Here at GA-ES, we recognized that these ⟨Human Realm⟩ game labyrinths are precisely the new future that Yggdrasil has presented to us."

Seven placed heavy emphasis on the words "new future."

"A ⟨Human Realm⟩ game labyrinth is, in a word, the realization of the surreal. With the power of Yggdrasil, we bring the countless things once possible only in imagination into reality itself."

When Seven raised his hand, a massive hologram rose up behind him.

The title Rider-On appeared, followed by footage of bikes of every conceivable design tearing brilliantly through a city.

The backdrop was a street familiar to everyone. Bikes ran wild without the slightest care for whatever around them shattered or crumbled.

The riders wielded the strange powers of their bikes to clash against one another as they raced toward the finish line.

The reporters held their breath at the dazzling rampage cutting across the city.

"Unlike Jucheongwang, which prattles on about 'new game labyrinths' while still recycling the old format, we of GA-ES are the true future! We are the frontrunners who will forge the new generation of game labyrinths!"

Seven had named Jucheongwang directly.

In this era, no one was pushing further ahead than Jucheongwang. And Seven deliberately provoked them by name.

"Even hearing '⟨Human Realm⟩ game labyrinth,' it's hard to picture. What exactly is the mechanism? Haven't game labyrinths set in reality existed before?"

The female reporter in the green suit raised her hand and asked.

She was right—if all it took was a game labyrinth with reality as its backdrop, plenty had existed before.

"An excellent question. Seeing is believing, so allow me to show you directly. Follow me."

Seven ushered them out of the press conference hall.

The moment they stepped outside, the reporters froze in shock.

For the instant they emerged where Seven had led them, their SEEDs sent out a warning notification.

"This area is already game labyrinth territory. Now, please select 'Spectate' first."

Half in doubt, the reporters followed Seven's instruction and chose 'Spectate'.

In that instant, every single one of them sucked in a breath.

The ordinary scenery of moments ago transformed in the blink of an eye.

A new landscape rendered in sleek, stylish colors was overlaid across the city itself, and countless objects materialized everywhere.

Holographic roads slicing through empty air turned the entire city into a 'stage', and across them, a fleet of bikes roared at full throttle.

Dazzled by the spectacular sight, the reporters panicked—when did we enter a game labyrinth?

A bike hurtling at extreme speed shot past beside the reporters.

Yet despite passing at such blistering velocity, not even a whisper of wind stirred.

Only then did the reporters realize that this fantastical scene before their eyes was not 'real'.

"Rest assured. 'Spectate Mode' allows you to observe, and nothing more. You can take in this magnificent world overlaid atop reality without any restrictions whatsoever."

The reporters couldn't close their gaping mouths as the endless race unfolded before them.

The riders weren't merely racing—they used their bikes' abilities to obstruct and attack one another.

Explosions erupted and objects blew apart, but none of it had any effect on the reporters.

"A ⟨Human Realm⟩ game labyrinth is, simply put, like the augmented reality technology that was trendy ages ago, evolved far beyond it. The sensation of overlaying a 'game labyrinth' onto reality itself. You there, reporter."

Seven pointed at the green-suited reporter who had asked the earlier question.

"Would you care to switch your game mode to 'Play'?"

The reporter hesitated a moment, then changed her game mode to 'Play'.

In that instant, the reporter's entire body disintegrated into particles before regenerating.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Startled by the sudden event, the reporter and the other journalists around her jumped back.

"That reporter has just been Converted into our Rider-On. She and we, in 'Spectate Mode', can perceive one another, but interference is impossible. Let's run a little experiment, shall we?"

The reporter flinched and reached her hand out toward a fellow journalist.

But her hand never touched him—it merely churned through empty air.

Stunned by the succession of shocking experiences, the reporters couldn't string a sentence together. Seven savored every one of their reactions.

"You are now a gamer of Rider-On, which means you can take advantage of the various options we've prepared. Check your bike menu. You should find a default bike that hasn't been customized yet."

"L-like this?"

Though she stood right beside him, the reporter's voice echoed as if connected through a call.

When she manipulated the menu with her fingers, a pristine white bike materialized right beside her.

"Go on, ride it and let loose. Even if you've never ridden a bike before, it's no problem. Rider-On's support functions will assist you."

A short while later, the reporter was tearing down a road in midair, shrieking with exhilaration.

"There, you see? This is the next-generation game labyrinth that will lead the new era. What other game companies, still shackled to the old formats, haven't even attempted—GA-ES has achieved."

Seven spread his arms wide, showing off.

"The time multiplier is one-to-one with reality, and simply by being present where the labyrinth unfolds, you can watch the game with a vividness that live broadcasts on Yggtube can't even compare to. And if you wish, you can dive straight in!"

He raised his voice like an orator delivering a manifesto rather than someone introducing a game.

"This is not a 'virtual world' created by Yggdrasil—it is a game labyrinth system overlaid upon our own reality, so its sense of vivid realism will far surpass anything in Yggdrasil's virtual worlds! And here, I declare with confidence—"

The reporters captured his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voice, his every gesture, on their cameras.

"It is we, GA-ES, who will lead this new era!"

The moment GA-ES's Rider-On launched its service, it swept up enormous numbers of gamers with overwhelming momentum.

A game labyrinth unlike anything anyone had experienced before.

Rider-On, billed as a next-generation ⟨Human Realm⟩ game labyrinth, was unquestionably a proper showcase of ⟨Human Realm⟩, the new feature of version 2.0.

People everywhere across the city were enjoying Rider-On.

At a glance, the cityscape looked no different from any ordinary day—but set your SEED to ⟨Spectate: Rider-On⟩, and countless objects, roads slicing across the sky, and gamers racing along on their bikes sprang into view.

A scene utterly ill-suited to District 13, which styled itself as a bright and sunny spring city.

Noir watched the scenery for a moment, then selected to exit game mode.

Everything she'd been seeing vanished, and the usual District 13 returned.

"They're picking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a fight with Jucheongwang, plain as day."

GA-ES had ignored Super Gemini entirely, flaunting their ⟨Human Realm⟩ game labyrinth for all it was worth.

A game labyrinth set in the ⟨Human Realm⟩ was certainly a style that hadn't existed until now. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a game labyrinth representing the new era.

But Noir found playing Super Gemini fun.

Lately, the community boards had been full of clashes between those backing Jucheongwang and those backing GA-ES.

Noir entered the Jucheongwang building. No one else was around—only Ragna, buried in office work.

"Where is everyone? And our dear CEO?"

"The CEO? He's probably playing Rider-On right now."

answered Ragna, handling miscellaneous tasks nearby.

"Excuse me? Why on earth is that man playing the enemy's game labyrinth? Ms. Wolya—no, sorry, Ms. 5555, and Bisque are both holed up in the dev room working on countermeasures."

"I don't know the details either, but apparently the CEO doesn't want a monopoly like Latia Soft's. He said the more new game labyrinths come out, the better it is for us..."

"I don't get it."

"It's not just GA-ES either—other developers are charging up the ranks terrifyingly fast, you know? Recently a place called '763' put out a new title too."

Jucheongwang was still in the lead for now, but the momentum of the others was frightening.

And among them, GA-ES's blade was already pressed against Jucheongwang's throat.

And at a time like this, the CEO was off gallivanting in another developer's game labyrinth!

Lately Noir, too, had felt a sense of responsibility as a member of 'Jucheongwang' and was avoiding other game labyrinths as much as possible.

But with the CEO acting like this, it all felt pointless.

"Well, I'm sure he has his reasons. When have you ever seen our CEO do anything 'sensible'?"

That was certainly true.

A man who calmly did things no one else could even imagine.

That was Ryu Hwi.

"The long-awaited Random Box hour is here!!"

"YggON, what's my current arsenal?"

This was the result of nearly a month of grinding away at Super Gemini.

The ticket shortage was his own fault—he'd burned through them in a reckless scramble to hit Super Gemini's pity ceiling.

And in the end, he'd safely filled the ceiling and pulled Super Gemini's SSR.

Ryu Hwi was left speechless staring at the duplicate SSR.

He'd at least harbored the hope that Item Combination would yield an upgraded Shuffle Gun...

Life doesn't go your way, and neither do pulls.

Come to think of it—maybe life itself is just one big pull?

Ryu Hwi felt a wave of self-loathing coming on.

"What?"

YggON was right.

He'd sunk a considerable amount of time into Rider-On since its release.

This labyrinth, like Super Gemini, had no concept of 'skills'.

No—strictly speaking, things called skills did exist, but they were a special category known as Rider Skills.

They weren't equipped by the gamer, but by the bike during tuning, granting it special powers.

Ryu Hwi silently pointed a finger at something propped up in the corner.

A Rider-On bike came into view.

For reference, since Ryu Hwi received no system benefits, he couldn't prepare a dedicated bike before pulling.

Rider-On had trial bikes stationed all over its map, apparently meant for players to test-ride before committing to a new purchase.

Ryu Hwi had been playing Rider-On on those trial bikes all this time.

"Shut it. It worked well enough! What's your problem?!"

"Nope, not at all."

His eyes darted away guiltily.

It was true he had a hankering to ride one in other game labyrinths too, but even setting that aside, Rider-On's bikes were plenty attractive on their own merits.

Not just as a means of transport—thanks to the existence of 'Rider Skills', they could even support him in combat.

"Yeah, yeah..."

It was a mocking remark, but he'd fully internalized just how garbage his pull luck was, so he could hardly think of a comeback.

First, Ryu Hwi absentmindedly ran a 10-pull with basic tickets.

Thirty-seven tickets—a Random Box guaranteed to be stuffed with nothing but duds.

...

"?"

Something gold shimmered.

"An SR on the very first ticket?!"

A head full of question marks floated above YggON. It seemed unable to accept reality, as if it had triggered an error.

"?"

Ryu Hwi, the one who'd actually pulled it, wore an equally blank expression.

"Ah, well... is this a dream? It's gotta be a dream. There's no way I'd get exactly what I wanted on the first try."

It was a dream either way, so best to wake up fast. He pondered how one wakes from a dream, then pinched his cheek.

...

"No, hold on... this isn't a dream? This is reality? I got what I wanted in one shot?"

"Y-yeah, do that!"

Unbelievable. A miracle like this, in this world!

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."

"Wait, just in case... one more time..."

Before leaving the game labyrinth, Ryu Hwi decided to run one more 10-pull.

Rainbow light shimmered.