Drake Toddler couldn't believe his eyes. The Energy Seed-created weapon was being consumed as food and absorbed right in front of him.
Energy could be stored inside the body with the help of the Seed — the one currently embedded in Drake's chest.
But digesting it?
That idea had never existed, Energy was never something to eat.
"I must be dreaming…"
Drake muttered in shock. He knew he was awake, yet his mind refused to accept what he had just witnessed.
His wide eyes stayed fixed on that pure white being — the same creature that had just turned his sword into vapor and pulled it into its body like nourishment.
"Can a 100% Intelligence AI… digest Energy?"
He forced his mind to calm and search for logic. What difference existed between this white AI body and normal AI bodies — including his own AI assistant?
He reached no conclusion. In theory, Drake was also a 100% Intelligence AI. In fact, he might even be superior to that white
being — in experience, emotions, and free will.
Then what made this creature capable of digesting energy while he wasn't?
Had there been a new technological evolution in the world while he was cut off from it?
He had to know !.
Drake's expression slowly shifted — shock fading behind a calm, confident mask.
"H-how are you absorbing energy?"
Drake asked directly — rather than overthinking and breaking his mind, asking seemed like the better choice.
The white being, still lost in the pleasant taste of its second bite, turned its gaze toward Drake and thought,
"How would I know? I was planning to ask you the same thing."
Since the moment it arrived in this virtual space, it understood nothing about this place.
It woke up here — inside this strange white body.
It didn't know what this body was.
There were too many irregular glitches—
Pure white skin...
Eyes like endless black abysses...
Unnaturally long fingers, almost 15 cm
a calm yet eerie demeanor....
a numb, empty, dried-out sensation in its body....
— and most disturbingly… it remembered nothing about itself, except fragments of a past life.
Could this old man answer all those questions?
"Absolutely not."
From Drake's line of questioning, the white being already knew —this man had no answers about what it truly was.
If it wanted to understand itself, it would have to search for answers alone.
But first, it needed some basic
information — starting with where it was.
Was it still on the same planet?
Or another world entirely?
"You... Stop questioning me."
The white being didn't request — it commanded, like an Emperor speaking to a Servant.As if Drake were nothing but a lowly attendant who had no right to ask questions.
The moment Drake heard that heavy, commanding voice, he felt his mouth freeze shut as if sealed by force.
He couldn't speak — not a single word came out.
"W-what.... is happening to My Body?"
His hands trembled uncontrollably — like a mouse cornered before a tiger.
An absolute Predator…
That's what stood before him.
"Only answer..."
The white being noticed his sudden silence and trembling, but didn't care enough to question it.
It simply knew one thing —
It was stronger!....
Superior!....
An anomaly!...
"Where is this place?"
That was the first question on its list.
Drake tried several times to speak earlier but failed.Yet this time, suddenly, he could talk — but only to answer.
He immediately realized the rule:
If he asked a question, his mouth would seal.
If he answered, he could speak.
Fear spread within him — deep into his artificial soul — shattering his confidence like dust in the wind.
"This place…is 500 meters underground in the Tragon Himalaya range, inside my Private Virtual Network — a Virtual Space."
Drake forced the words out, revealing a secret he had hidden for 35 years.
He had lived here alone — conducting experiments without interference.
Now that he had spoken, he feared the "Master" behind this white being would eventually come.
Little did he know —this white being had no master. It was just a lonely existence not even from this world.
"Hm."
The white being processed the information.
"Tragon Himalaya…?"
It had no idea where that was — no clue about this world's geography — and didn't bother to think too deeply.
It simply asked its next question
"What is a virtual space?"
Drake's mouth forcefully fell open — stunned.
An AI… who didn't know what virtual space was?
Had its memory storage short-circuited?
The white being watched Drake's stunned expression and thought blankly,
"Yeah, I don't know… I was born only 6 or 7 hours ago."
Seeing its emotionless face, Drake finally answered:
"Virtual Space is an advanced illusionary realm, created using the most modern VR technology...
It works almost like a dream. Only a person's consciousness enters this place through a Nano-Frequency Immersive Tech Helmet, tricking the brain into believing everything here is real — every touch, every sensation, just like the real world… but within a limited space.
To expand this space or create new structures, Virtual Energy is required.
And My private network originally had enough energy to maintain a 3 km area, but it was far too much for just one person — so I reduced it to 1.1 km..."
"Hmm... this world might be far more advanced than the one I came from"
The white being guessed.This place matched the fantasies he used to dream of in childhood.
His curiosity burned brighter — now he wanted to know even more about this world.
"Okay, Enough—"
Drake was still explaining when suddenly his mouth sealed shut again.
"How do you exit this Virtual Space?"
The pressure on Drake's mouth vanished.
This obedient dog-like behavior felt humiliating — the great genius Drake Toddler forced to speak only when questioned and silenced when he wasn't.
What kind of Pathetic situation is this?
Hatred stirred in his artificial heart....
He wanted revenge....
He just needed a chance…
a single gap to break free....
But right now, all he could do was endure.
"AIs cannot leave the virtual world.
This place is their home — created for them.
You… me… and my assistant Shirley will remain here forever.....
We can only interact with reality using virtual power — like speakers, or some advanced mechanical arms."
The white being didn't respond. He only stared at Drake's face, thinking:
Did this old man really turn himself into an AI just for such a tiny space?
No… it must be something more. Something bigger…
Suddenly, a novel title flashed in his
mind—'PLAYERS'
One of his favorite stories — where humans entered capsules and logged into a virtual world to explore, fight monsters, and live new lives.
The concept aligned perfectly with what he was experiencing now.
"Could there be a world like Players here too?
Most likely yes. With VR this advanced, they must have created something similar.
And if not… then the people of this world are genius-level fools."