Lord of Solva: Players as My Pawns

Shaoran leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against his armrest as his mind raced.

Why the hell was he fighting those monsters himself?

He had been thinking about it all wrong. The system gave him a world, but it never said he had to do everything alone. If he brought people in, they could fight, explore, build. And he could do it without them even knowing the truth.

A wicked grin formed.

A game. A massive, hyper-realistic VR game.

People would flock to it. They'd willingly dive into the world, not realizing they were actually stepping into a real, evolving universe.

He just needed a way to get them in.

Shaoran was still lost in thought when he realized something—Tanisha was quiet.

Too quiet.

His eyes darted around. When did she get behind him?

Before he could react, she moved.

A sharp hit landed on his side. Shaoran jerked in surprise, nearly toppling out of his chair.

"The hell, Tanisha?" he gasped.

She smirked. "You were ignoring me."

"I was thinking."

She stepped closer, arms crossed, eyes scanning him.

"Uh-huh." She tilted her head. "You're cooking up something dangerous, aren't you?"

Shaoran gave her a half-smirk. "You'll love it."

Before she could ask, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap.

A small gasp left her lips as she fell against him, her hands landing on his chest.

"Shaoran—"

He cut her off, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I missed you," he murmured.

She rolled her eyes, but her breath hitched slightly. "You saw me three days ago."

"Three days too long."

Tanisha leaned in.

Their lips met—soft, slow, but hungry. She grabbed his shirt, fingers twisting in the fabric as she deepened the kiss. Heat built between them.

She shifted, straddling his lap, her body pressing against him as his hands traced down her back.

It had been too long.

Their breaths mixed, the room fading around them. 

Just them.

Shaoran woke up to the soft weight of Tanisha's arm draped over his chest. Her slow, steady breathing told him she was still asleep.

For a moment, he just stared at the ceiling.

The night before had been unexpected. But welcome.

Still, there was work to do.

Carefully, he slipped out of bed, pulling on some pants as he moved to his desk. The monitors were still running. The system interface flickered with updates on Solva. His computer system already connected to system.

The monsters… were increasing.

[Hostile Entities Detected: 91… 105… 121…]

His lips thinned. Time was running out.

He reached for his phone and checked his bank balance. He had enough to buy one of the latest full-dive VR pods. If he could modify it, it'd be the perfect cover.

As he was about to make the purchase, the system interrupted.

[Administrator Advice: Unnecessary Purchase.]

Shaoran frowned. "What do you mean?"

[A Full-Dive Pod is inefficient.]

[All that is required is a simple wooden box.]

His brow furrowed. "A… box?"

[Correction: A wooden box inscribed with runes. Or A Magic Circle]

[Required Material: Energy Stone.]

Shaoran's mind clicked.

If he used a specific stone from Solva and carved the right runes, the system could convert the box into an advanced gaming pod.

Cheaper. Faster. Better.

He grinned.

This was going to work.