I'm just an internet cafe owner

At the same time, everything here was very strange. He was clearly sleeping in his own room, and he knew exactly what was around him. He even knew exactly what was in the entire village and what wasn't.

Environment? Even less likely. There was no other chakra information on him, but he could still sense his own chakra. He could even sense the Flying Thunder God Technique he had left beside his wife, but he just couldn't use it.

But now he found himself here, and at the same time, he pulled money out of his pocket…

Based on the information provided by Liu Yuan, he guessed why he was here. Did he need to pay some money to leave this space? Or did he need to meet some requirements of the space's administrator to leave?

As a 'ninja' of Konoha, courage, insight, and decisiveness are all essential.

Since he could see a new world just by spending money, he was very curious about what he would see.

He glanced at the internet access prices and was stunned; an hour's use was enough to buy six bowls of ramen. Luckily, he had some savings, so he put the money on the counter and decided to try it out for an hour.

"Okay~"

Liu Yuan didn't explain much; he would drive for as long as the customer told him.

"Please follow me, this is how the computer works..."

The equipment in the internet cafe looks like computers, but apart from the power on/off switch and icons, many operations are quite different.

"This is the power button, this is the mouse, used to select what you want to play. This is the virtual reality headset; once you put it on, you can role-play someone and experience the charm of another world."

With Liu Yuan's introduction, Minato Namikaze learned to memorize quickly.

It's very easy to operate. Not to mention him, even the kids at the ninja academy could learn how to operate it after hearing it just once.

There are very few games available on the desktop, including Elden Ring and the entire Resident Evil series.

Minato Namikaze had just glanced at the games the other two were playing: one was rolling around with a wooden stick, hitting monsters that looked like insects, and the other was riding a horse around the map.

He was puzzled; was this thing really that fun?

Do you have any recommendations?

"What type of experience would you like, guest?"

After thinking about his wife and the child in her womb, Minato Namikaze put forward his idea: "I want to play a game that allows me to experience family affection."

"Family ties? Then Resident Evil 8 is definitely for you."

Liu Yuan pointed to the water gate and opened the Resident Evil game, then selected Resident Evil 8: Village.

Upon opening the game, there are basic setup steps, which differ from setup for specific devices. The real-world experience involves adjustments based on individual emotions, adaptability, and overall performance. It is divided into a game experience version and a real-world version.

The game also allows players to choose between fully embodying the character or taking on a different role, based on their own preferences. Fully embodying the character means following the game's predetermined protagonist. Taking on a different role means becoming the game's protagonist yourself, just like when Liu Yuan and Kisara played Resident Evil 2.

The game version is limited to a fixed scope and has a specific main storyline. The real-life experience version, on the other hand, allows you to truly experience the protagonist's experiences and emotions from his perspective. While it may appear to have no time limit, it actually has a strict time constraint.

If you don't accomplish anything within a certain timeframe, the only outcome will be a bad one. Of course, since it's called a realistic experience version, you can do some crazy things at the beginning. But if you do that, don't save your game, as saving will affect all subsequent story events.

Minato Namikaze started the game, and the opening sequence was an introduction to his past. Finding his wife, defeating monsters, rescuing his wife—the story of this man was told in just a few minutes.

Then, the story officially begins.

Minato Namikaze felt his state was very strange, as if he had become another person, but at the same time he could perceive everything in the outside world, and even multitask, exchanging information about the game with Liu Yuan while enjoying the in-game CG.

He plays the role of the husband, with a wife and daughter. The wife is holding the child and telling a story, while Minato Namikaze is marveling at the realism of the world around him.

Tables, chairs, food. Smell, hearing, touch. While sensing reality, one also experiences the realism of the game. These two realities are completely independent; this magical feeling is more powerful than any illusion.

Illusion magic uses virtuality to replace or even influence reality, but this virtuality is virtual reality, which does not affect or replace reality, and can even coexist with it. This piqued Minato Namikaze's interest.

As a newcomer, he followed Liu Yuan's advice and chose the game mode. Because of this, he was able to carefully explore his surroundings.

Just as Minato Namikaze was admiring his surroundings, he heard Mia's 'reminder'.

"The child is asleep, take her upstairs."

"Okay, okay..."

Minato Namikaze sensed something was wrong, but seeing his 'wife's' smile, he took the child.

At that moment, he fully understood the meaning of 'game': to play as someone and experience the life that person has lived. Such a game can be seen as an illusion, or as a trial, or an experience.

He's currently experiencing what it's like to have a wife and children.

He embodies the image of the head of the household. Although the role he plays and his game character wife feel somewhat incongruous, his heart melts the moment he receives the child.

He felt a sense of 'blood kinship,' which, according to the game's prompts, was an added element to enhance immersion. But it was precisely this feeling that made him imagine the blissful scene of himself and his loved one watching their child being born.

However, Minato Namikaze, who was experiencing the game summary, didn't see Liu Yuan behind him, who had a very wicked smile on his face.

Chapter Twelve: An Immersive Experience, Exploring the Borderlands

This game gave Minato Namikaze a very strange feeling. Whether it was the woman in front of him or the various things he could find around him, he felt like he was caught in a conspiracy.

But when he looked down at the child in his arms, his heart felt warm.

This is also the magic of the games provided by the system. Even in game mode, the game is not just data. You can feel the emotions that the game wants to express.

Minato Namikaze, now playing Ethan, can't help but treat Rose as his own daughter. Of course, this feeling is just a system-provided setting to enhance immersion; players can adjust it freely.

Minato Namikaze felt this way entirely because he wanted to experience what it was like to be a father in advance, so that he could better take care of his child later.

He carried the child around, having received systematic instruction on how to hold a baby, how to soothe and comfort them. While caring for the child, he also observed his surroundings.

Strange reports, calligraphy practice sheets on the refrigerator, and documents on the computer.

One thing after another made him realize that this game was not the experience of raising children that he had imagined.

Although the whole place felt eerie, he actually enjoyed it. This environment, or rather, this game, gave him a sense of ease he hadn't experienced in years.

If possible, he really wanted to experience this game with his loved one.

After taking the child to his room, Minato Namikaze turned left and right, returning to the living room. Mia had already prepared a table of food, and Minato listened to her while observing his surroundings.

She couldn't understand a word Mia was saying, such as local specialties and local delicacies.

But just when he thought the so-called game was about enjoying ordinary family life, something unexpected happened.

Minato Namikaze sensed danger, a feeling so real that he wanted to use his body to block it, but while his consciousness could keep up, his controlled body couldn't.

The continuous gunshots, the seemingly dead wife, the daughter taken away by a man named 'Chris'—in that instant, Minato Namikaze felt a surge of rage.

No man could suppress his rage at the sight of his wife being murdered and his child being taken away. He would fight back; his 'wife' was dead, but he knew his daughter was safe, and he had to take her with him.

Just as he was preparing to use his extensive experience to launch a counterattack, a sweet female voice came from inside the hall.

"Your card balance is insufficient. Please top up your card promptly."

As the sound stopped, the computer screen in front of Minato Namikaze suddenly locked, and the game progress was also locked.

The game scene disappeared, and my consciousness returned completely to reality.

At that moment, Minato Namikaze felt his heart pounding. As the game ended, his emotions gradually calmed down. But because he had been directly immersed in the game, he couldn't help but think about what would happen if Kushina were murdered when his child was born, the child was taken away, and he was powerless to resist…

Anger, tension, anxiety—all negative emotions are about to erupt in that instant.

Liu Yuan patted him on the shoulder: "How are you feeling?"

"Very realistic."

In the game, he could clearly distinguish between reality and illusion, yet even so, he still identified with the father figure named Ethan. Only when he stepped out of the game and thought of Rose's name and appearance could he clearly tell that she was the protagonist's daughter in the game, not his own.

"This sense of immersion is unmatched by any illusion."

"Should we drive for a few more hours?"

"No, I'm going back."

Minato Namikaze shook his head. As the Hokage, he felt something was wrong with him, and in order to calm himself down, he decided to go back and take a break.

He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, so he got up, left his seat, pushed open the door, and went inside.

"A hallucination? Or...?"

Inside the room, Minato Namikaze looked at his hands and clenched the backs of his hands tightly.

His lover was fast asleep in bed, but he stood fully clothed beside the bed. He remembered very clearly that he had changed his clothes and was ready to sleep before entering the internet cafe, but now he was fully clothed, and the warmth of the internet cafe game still lingered on his buttocks.

"Illusion? Reality? Or..."

Kushina Uzumaki sat up, confused as to why her husband had secretly changed his clothes so late at night. They had only just lain down. "Minato? What's going on?"

"No, it's nothing..."

Minato Namikaze composed himself and sat down. He took Kushina's hand and whispered, "I just had a dream. I dreamt that my wife was murdered, my child was taken away, I dreamt that..."

"Fool."

Kushina hugged Minato Namikaze and whispered in his ear, "It was just a dream. If it really existed..."

One day, I believe you will save the child and watch him grow up.

"Kushina..."

Minato Namikaze made a decision: if he could get back into that internet cafe… he would do everything in his power to bring 'Rose' back. Whether it was reality or a dream, whether it was real or not, he would bring his child back.

Since we can enter once, we can enter a second time. Next time, we can explore more thoroughly. Next time, we'll bring Kushina with us.

In the internet cafe, when Kisara saw Minato Namikaze leave, he asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid he won't come back?"

"Not afraid."

Liu Yuan explained, "There was a hint of reluctance in his eyes when he turned off his phone just now, especially since coming here didn't cause him any loss. As for whether he really won't come, well, there's nothing we can do about that. Customers are free to choose."

He felt very confident now. With Subaru Natsuki and Kaori Fujimaru secured, these two would definitely bring him new customers. He didn't need many; just three more becoming repeat customers would easily complete the mission. He had plenty of time now.

Minato Namikaze's departure did not disturb the two people who were exploring the border area, as they were exploring in completely different directions.

Fujimaru Kaori unwittingly opened a chest and was then teleported to Galid's mine. This mine was fraught with danger, but most of the miners were skeletons, quite weak. Several insect-like monsters could fire strange bullets, but Fujimaru Kaori skillfully used the surrounding terrain to defeat them without serious injury and continued exploring inside.

Fujimaru Kaori can be summed up in one word: reckless!

Subaru Natsuki was different; he had extensive gaming experience. In open-world games like this one, with blessings and teleportation, the most important thing was to explore the map first. Through Liu Yuan's demonstration, he knew how to find map fragments and how to find other blessing points by navigating through them. Boss? Can't beat it, can't beat it. Chest? Open it, open it, open it. Elite monster? Go around it, go around it.

It highlights the two words 'exploration'.

Chapter Thirteen: The Boss's Operation

For a week straight, Subaru Natsuki and Kaori Fujimaru arrived here on time every day.

They also discovered something strange: when they went to the internet cafe, time flowed very slowly in their world, at a ratio of approximately 60:1. When they left the internet cafe, time returned to normal; twelve hours away from the internet cafe equaled twelve hours spent inside it.

The only downside is that they haven't seen Minato Namikaze these days; they guess he's not interested in things at internet cafes.

Actually... Minato Namikaze really wanted to come, but some things happened recently that required his attention. He received notices about opening the shop every day, but there were too many things to do. He planned to come and play with his lover when he had some free time.