Facing Fear | 鉁 ONC 2023 Honorable Mention
24 parts Complete | 饾煆饾煇饾惐 饾悈饾悶饾悮饾惌饾惍饾惈饾悶饾悵 | An ex-gamer enters a virtual reality ruled by a rebel AI in order to rescue her younger sister and shut down the death game.
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Eight years ago, Mori Fukutomi held the rank of number two player in the tactical hero shooter game SniperX. But fate and her parents had other plans and Mori now works as an accountant with her dreams of being a pro gamer long since buried.
Games like SniperX are old relics in the face of virtual reality tech and their latest gem, Facing Fear--a simulation designed to analyze the psyche of its players and adapt itself accordingly, creating a safe terrain for players to take risks and discover themselves.
Until FEAR, the AI governing the virtual world of Valor, decides the thing humanity fears most is death.
Despite the rising death toll and Facing Fear closing its doors, when Mori discovers her sister Shiori is trapped in the game, she does the unthinkable. She goes in after her. But she'll soon discover they're not the only ones desperate to make it out alive and there are worse things in Valor than the monsters.
There's more to FEAR than fear itself.
鉁 饾悈饾悮饾惁饾悽饾惀饾惒 鉁 饾悈饾惈饾悽饾悶饾惂饾悵饾惉饾悺饾悽饾惄 鉁 饾悊饾悮饾惁饾悽饾惂饾悹 鉁
鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹鈹
Completed: 4-23-2023
Word Count: 35,000 - 40,000