Ray wanted to head directly for the level 14 safe zone, but before he took that next step, he had to check on the real world.

Instead of leaving the game, he opened up the community forum, a place where players could chat and share information. He scrolled through the recent posts, his eyes scanning for news.

…

[Thread: What's up with all the IRL rumors?]

[User: Scaredy-cat]

My friend won't shut up about these apocalypse rumors. He keeps asking me what if our world becomes like Apex Survival. It's stressing me out, man.

[User: TuskTheGreat]

Haha, told you guys. This game is getting way too real. Wake up, people.

[User: S_N_P]

This whole "Apex is sus" thing is getting old. It's just a game. Get a life, losers.

[User: TrueBeliever]

S_N_P is a paid shill! The proof is everywhere if you'd just open your eyes.

…

[Thread: Where is the Car Dealer?]

[User: InformationBroker]

Anyone have any info on that mysterious car dealer and his crew? Someone said they saw them on level 9 a week ago, but there have been no reports from them since. Anyone?

Ray grinned as he scrolled through the threads. The forum was a mess of arguments and opposing views, just as he had hoped.

…

Half of the community was calling the others insane and stupid for believing in the rumors, while the other half was completely buying into them.

The chaos was proof that the rumors had taken root and were growing, exactly as he had planned.

The car dealer post was a surprise, but it wasn't a problem since he already had the next deal in his mind once he had the situation of the Apocalypse in his grasp.

Ray looked at the bustle of people and the hustle of challenging the mini-games.

A weary sigh escaped his lips. "If things weren't as serious as they are now, maybe I would have rested for a few weeks, gone on vacation, and just enjoyed my life, instead of rushing like everyone else."

His expression hardened with resolve. "However, I don't have time. If I stop now, the world won't be the same."

With a fierce determination to save his world and counter the Apocalypse—or even stop it if possible—he contacted Red Hand.

…

Ray: I'm going to challenge the Level 14 mini-game.

He waited for an answer as Red Hand replied almost instantly.

Red Hand: Little friend, I didn't expect this so soon. You really are fast, huh?

Ray: Fast? I still feel like I'm a few days late.

He added: You'd only understand my anxiety if your world were in a dire situation.

Red Hand: Oh, seems I misspoke!

Ray: Stop all this and tell me how to reach to you.

Red Hand: Oh, so the day finally came.

Red Hand: The trial you need to challenge is a special trial, different from the others. This is called the basic level of Hellsing. As for what you have to do, you'll have to find that out yourself.

Ray: Don't waste time. You know we don't have time.

Red Hand: I'm not wasting time; it's true that you have to find it on your own. But to meet me, you have to fulfill the three conditions of that trial. Once you do that, I'll contact you. So, BYE.

…

Red Hand abruptly went offline, leaving Ray alone with a mountain of questions. Frustration swelled inside him, but he pushed it down. He had to keep up with all of this if he wanted to save the world.

He opened his map, his eyes scanning for the level 14 mini-game. He found it easily enough, but his eyes widened when he saw a second one nearby.

The first looked like all the other mini-games, but the second one was different. It was marked with a red symbol and had a pair of brown fangs on it, a mark only those with the "Key of Hellsing" could see.

"I'll only know what it is when I reach there," he muttered to himself. "So let's go, without wasting any more time."

He wore his mask, which he had kept with him all the time. Ray stored his yellow Hummer in his pocket dimension, and the massive arsenal truck appeared from a wisp of light.

He got inside the truck and floored the pedal, speeding toward the Winter Valley town.

Ray's arsenal truck sped down the empty roads. The distance to Winter Valley town was huge; even with his speed, it took him half a day just to get to the outskirts.

The landscape outside his window slowly changed from the concrete and trees of the upper levels to a more natural, desolate setting.

The air got colder with every mile, a chill he didn't felt before even in the real world.

This wasn't like a modern city. The scattered villages were like a throwback to the 1980s, with wooden houses and farms. The only sound was his truck, breaking the quiet of the place.

Though he wasn't alone. As he got closer, he saw more and more people on the road, all heading to the same place.

It was a strange mix of armored players and a surprising number of NPCs, more than he had ever seen in one place.

…

He soon reached the town. It felt more like a small, fortified safe zone than a village.

He soon reached the town. It felt more like a small, fortified safe zone than a village.

He drove past its solid stone wall until he stopped in front of a massive black iron door that stood separate from the town itself.

Unlike the portals he had seen before as the entrance to the mini-game, here was the closed iron door.

Ray's eyes went straight to the door, which was covered in brutal carvings of demons, vampires, and Lycans fighting against humans.

His arrival drew everyone's attention. Dozens of eyes turned to him, but no one moved. They just watched him as he watched them back.

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