“…Something’s off today. There’s a lot of commotion outside.”

“Right? What’s going on today? I haven’t heard anything about it.”

Epcot Virtual Reality Studio, World Tree.

Its official name existed, but no one bothered to call it anything other than World Tree. The towering structure stood, with people in various costumes peering out through the adjustable glass walls to look at the street below. Unlike usual days, a noticeably larger crowd was heading toward the Dark Zone area.

Normally, it wouldn’t have caught my attention, but today was different. There was an obvious surge of people moving together. Curious onlookers, perhaps intrigued, began to follow along, and the crowd continued to grow.

The fact that the outside world was bustling differently from usual caused unease among those on the upper floors of the building.

Moreover, the visitors who wanted to enter the World Tree were being held up by the rule that they had to leave after 40 minutes, which became a convenient excuse for the cosplayers inside the World Tree.

"Well, I guess we’ll have to go soon. The tickets are expensive, and coming back would require a lot of effort. Since we’re here, let’s check out the Dark Zone area.”

“Do we really have to find an excuse like that?”

“Damn it, Dylan. You might not get it, but anyone who starts with Terra finishes with Terra. We aren’t like those Glory & Honor fans who switch from swords to guns every day.”

“That’s why Terra players are called ‘Teslam,’ you crazy bastard.”

Teslam.

It was a derogatory term, but it perfectly captured a snapshot of the gaming community’s current split. The term had simple origins. It referred to the players split between Dark Zone, Glory & Honor, and Terra. Terra, the fantasy game, was considered a "concrete support base" for the gaming world, while the Glory & Honor and Dark Zone players often criticized its "closed-off" nature.

Although Glory & Honor was a fantasy game with swords, bows, and muskets, it could be considered a more tactical, straightforward affair compared to Dark Zone, which was far grimmer in its setting and gameplay.

“Those masochistic bastards. After struggling in real life, they go to Dark Zone to play in even worse conditions. Is that fun?”

“^Second place, forever^”

Of course, these were just jokes, and competitive trash talk was part of the gaming culture. The rivalry was mostly a meme, something gamers said to tease each other. However, Dark Zone and Terra had become games so fundamentally different that they were near opposite ends of the spectrum.

Terra was a fantasy game that blended every cliché you could think of: from campfires under starry skies with bards playing lutes, to elves, dwarves, and all manner of mythical creatures. It was an expansive world full of demons to slay and quests to complete.

But Dark Zone was nothing like that.

Back to the scene:

The reason some Terra players hesitated to step into Dark Zone's territory was because of this stark contrast. Of course, the United States was a land of freedom, and people rarely judged each other for their choices. Ultimately, it came down to the individual’s decision.

And at that moment, more and more people, initially cosplaying fantasy characters, began to step towards the Dark Zone area.

The Terra area at Disney World looked as beautiful and grand as any other part of the park. Its appearance was comparable to the likes of Harry Potter’s themed areas, with grand marble temples, sprawling elven realms, and underwater cities. Everything was meticulously designed to capture the beauty and mystique of fantasy.

But as I walked further through, the scene suddenly shifted as I entered a gateway shaped like a burnt tree—a stark contrast.

“Is this Times Square or something?”

“No, I think it’s just a game landmark.”

The scene indeed appeared shattered: broken asphalt, with grass poking through and rusted cars strewn about. Several decaying buildings stood, and even the famous Dark Zone landmarks—like the shattered U.S. Capitol and a crashed Air Force One in a nearby lake—were clearly visible.

Naturally, the Dark Zone area shocked many of the visitors. Their reactions were a mix of awe and confusion as they adjusted to the post-apocalyptic environment.

"I can’t even tell what I’m looking at."

"This place… the quality’s insane in its own way. It feels like a movie set."

The White House had been repurposed as an operations base, with a huge Russian-made hovercraft floating above a lake designed to resemble Tidel Basin. It wasn’t actually from Russia but a replica from the Dark Zone universe where Russian forces had invaded the U.S. mainland.

As we walked around, even the fantasy cosplayers who had never seen this kind of world before quickly grew accustomed to it. Patrol staff walked by, treating them as if they were real enemies, pretending to report sightings of elves as part of the immersive experience.

The Dark Zone was truly something else.

Eventually, the crowds began to disperse, heading toward the Dark Zone Museum. I couldn’t help but feel intrigued, but also confused by the massive attention the area was getting. It became clearer that the Dark Zone wasn’t just about playing—it was about experiencing the world’s contrast, pushing boundaries, and pulling in every bit of tension and thrill into a contained environment.

"Welcome to the Dark Zone Museum. Please be aware that some expansion work is still underway, so the interior might be a bit hectic. We ask for your understanding."

"Based on the layout, I can’t help but think the expansion work might be due to us, isn’t that just a feeling?"

"Haha."

As the docent answered awkwardly, it seemed I hit the nail on the head.

I chuckled hollowly, rolling my eyes as I surveyed the room. The museum we were in resembled the layout of Central Park HQ, with photographs and descriptions related to the HQ displayed on the walls. Though it was hard to figure out the full story, once we entered the room, it became clear that the museum followed the main storyline of Dark Zone.

The docent’s explanations were aligned with that structure.

"Central Park HQ is the first place users encounter after they log in, and it marks the beginning of the Dark Winter crisis. It was here that the first spark for the complete resolution of the pandemic apocalypse ignited."

"Well, that’s quite poetic."

"Haha. Now, let me briefly explain the structure of Central Park HQ."

Jin, Rain, and Mav were the only ones listening with wide eyes, thoroughly engrossed.

That meant that my companions and I were not quite as captivated.

Despite being a reduced scale, the map of Central Park HQ, which stretched 6 meters wide and 1 meter tall, was quite accurate—though not identical to the one I remembered. But the essential features were all there: training areas, accommodations, the Gray House, and more...

I had spent about six years of my life at that location, and it wasn’t something I could easily disregard. Every time I glanced at the buildings on the map, memories flooded back, and images of past events, some vivid and others faded, seemed to pour out before my eyes.

Logan, Lorentina, and Olivia shared expressions of quiet reflection, similar to my own.

We passed the UN Assembly Hall, West Point, the northern part of New York, and headed toward Washington D.C. The docent didn’t need to tell us where to go next—we already knew. The museum laid out everything in a linear fashion, mirroring the main Dark Zone missions.

The most intriguing part was that the museum not only showcased the story but also provided detailed explanations about the enemies faced during those missions in dedicated halls.

"Code Name: Crow, former PMC from Artemis, and the team leader of 'Corpus.' Currently, he has defected to Icarus. As you can see, most of the enemies encountered in the northern part of New York were from Artemis…"

"Hmm."

I wondered if this person had regained their memories.

They hadn’t died, so perhaps they had. But that wasn’t my concern. We continued to giggle and made our way to the next section.

After some more walking, we arrived at a new section with an entirely different atmosphere. The air was tinged with a strange, subtle scent, and it was evident that this part of the museum had been recently constructed. It marked the end of the main storyline of the game.

From here, the story transitioned to the Incursion missions.

"Look at that, our names are proudly displayed everywhere."

"From Operation Bluefield onwards, your contributions have been huge. Disney even considered creating a diorama of the first player to clear it, but since they couldn’t get approval, they just made a hologram instead."

"Haha. That wouldn’t have worked anyway."

Indeed.

Beyond our thoughts, the hologram diorama displayed a vivid and dramatic scene, with only the most significant parts of each Incursion mission being represented.

Operation Bluefield, with the suspicious activities on the Russian aircraft carrier’s bridge, and the subsequent explosion of the escort ship—this was the mission I had played months ago. It felt strange how time warped as it had already been about a year since that mission took place.

The next mission, Operation Chariot, followed, depicting the western U.S. reclamation.

Soon, Rain, crossing his arms, grumbled about how he hadn’t been there and about the things we’d been up to, but before long, the focus shifted, and the story moved to the unknown zone.

Then came the hologram showing me tying up Jin.

Neither Harmony nor Lorentina appeared in that part, so it was just me.

"Akita, that's me there."

"Wow, when was that?"

"I never thought you’d actually come to this place."

At the same time, he raised his phone and showed us something. It was a press release on the Dark Zone website, summarizing an event featuring a special appearance of Mecha Eugene in the Epcot VR Studio to promote the new Incursion. The announcement was related to an upcoming release where Jin and Rain would be introduced as well as the third Mecha for the next Incursion.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being subtly guided by my parents' influence in this.

The docent continued as if nothing had happened:

"The expansion work mentioned earlier is precisely for this reason. In about two weeks, the new Incursion story, involving the third UES, will be released, and the work should be completed in about a month."

"So, you’re getting ready to welcome a new friend."

"Exactly."

Then, all eyes shifted toward Mav, who had been following us quietly.

Lorentina chuckled and added:

"If you leave the third one at the construction site, the project’s completion date might be moved up."

"No, please! I’ll run away!"

"Just kidding, just kidding."

Everyone, including the docent and the nearby people, laughed, but Olivia and I could only manage half-hearted smiles. We knew exactly what kind of plans were brewing behind the scenes.

In the world from which we came, Mav had been rescued after the Burning Donkey operation, and now, with a goofy personality, the question was how Mav would fit into the upcoming missions.

With that thought in mind, I patted Mav on the head, and as I walked, I mused, 'In a few days, when we get to Russia, those two will probably be pretty persistent in following us around...'