Bona: Our song ‘Prince’ is playing in the login screen!

Soobin: So he really was an Ujung!

You: I told you so 😉

I sent my message to the girls from my own capsule.

Uzzu: Greetings, Astronauts! My name is Uzzu and I’ll be your guide to Hyperspace Frontier for this session! First, please go over the terms and conditions relating to the data usage…

Exy: They even have our mascot up in here. Isn’t this copyright infringement?

Dayoung: Don’t mind, Exy unnie 😆

We were going to play Hyperspace Frontier (HF), a Sci-Fi VRMMO. We were allowed to try it out several months before the game releases.

It uses a whole-body capsule for the immersive experience, so every one of us were lent our own, one per person.

Meiqi: I know I’ll sink so much time into this game 🤪

Yeoreum: Chill, unnie, we’re only given three days to try it out -_-;

Meiqi: More than ten hours is good enough for me 👌

The login screen had a landscape of what seems like a city in outer space. It looked like something straight out of a retrowave MV.

Typing in the provided credentials, I couldn’t help giggling by myself.

A VRMMO in outer space! With my favourite girl group! WJSN in space!

Chengxiao: Totally worth taking time off my schedule for this.

You: That’s for sure.

---

During their fansign last week, I told the girls that I personally knew the lead developer for Hyperspace Frontier.

They pretty much forced me to promise that I’ll let them play it, as soon as they heard me.

Funny story, really: The guy himself begged me to get them on board when he heard I was going to their fansign. He was a true-blood Ujung himself.

I was invited as well, and the girls didn’t mind having me in their play group either. I’ve known them for a while after all.

Anyways, the tech behind this game is pretty impressive; lifelike graphics and tactile feedback, all set in a massive scale spanning several solar systems! I can’t wait to jump into this.

The login process finished, and I fell into a new world.

Part 1

[Day 1, Dawn]

I awoke on a barren, red landscape.

I felt my own body and found that I was in a spacesuit. Fortunately, although the sensations were realistic, I didn’t feel pain from the apparent crash I was involved in.

Over to my side was a ship that looked like a miniature version of a shuttle.

I also felt a few tools in the bag stuck on my left leg. It pulled up an inventory screen when I thought to check it out.

Pretty much everything I have is in bad shape, though. Even chat seems to be down.

Suddenly,

Uzzu: Welcome to Hyperspace Frontier, Astronaut! I’m sorry that you have a bit of a rough start but everyone goes through this as part of the tutorial phase!

Uzzu: Don’t worry about your tech or comms, Astronaut. You can either mine for materials to repair them or earn money to buy spare parts to replace them!

An indication popped up on my HUD, showing a city in the distance.

Uzzu: Once you’re up and running, you’ll be able to start the game for real!

Uzzu: In HF, Astronauts generally take one or several of these four roles!

1. The Industrion, who deals with “Needs”. They handle the general development of humanity in space, such as food, energy, and infrastructure.
2. The Communete, who deals with “People”. They interface between the factions of human and alien races, including diplomacy, security, and war.
3. The Academium, who deals with “Knowledge”. They travel to explore, research and discover!
4. The Artistice, who deals with “Emotion”! They move the population with their music, art and films, which convey various emotions and messages as they see fit.

Uzzu: These are not rigid classes, Astronaut! You can play as your heart desires.

Uzzu: Go on and get your machines up and running, Astronaut. I’ll be here if you need any help. Of course… Many things in this world you’ll have to find out by yourself ;)

He left me with a set of instructions to mine and craft spare parts to repair my tech. It doesn’t look too difficult to get it done from my experience playing several games like these.

On the other hand, the city looks interesting to explore.

Alright, let’s get moving.

A) Explore the landscape and gather resources on your own.

B) Explore the city and find ways to earn money for yourself.

---

Uzzu: Wait, Astronaut!

His sudden reappearance surprised me.

Uzzu: Here is your daily login bonus! Don’t worry, you won’t have to repair these.

A screen appeared on my HUD. On it were three items, and I was allowed to choose one.

Okay then… I’ll choose the:

A) Pulsar Beam Saber

B) Warning Module

C) Magna Trinket