.hack//根源

From the late 20th century to 2004, the internet rapidly spread worldwide, leading to "information democratization." Affected by this negative aspect, high-tech crimes on the network increased. During this time, a computer virus known as "Deadly Flash" (※) broke out, resulting in a tragedy that claimed seven lives. The Japanese male creator of the computer virus became the first person in history to be sentenced to death for a cybercrime. The day the computer virus broke out—December 24, 2005—was called the "Pluto Kiss." The virus paralyzed various social functions, and the global network came to an instantaneous halt. Only computers using the ALTIMIT operating system remained unaffected by the virus. ALTIMIT quickly became the new global standard operating system and spread widely. From that day on, civilians were prohibited from using the internet. In the summer of 2006, ALTIMIT also became available for personal use. At the same time, the employees who developed ALTIMIT left the manufacturer and established a new company called Cyber Connect (CC Corp). Later, a German named Harold Hoerwick formed a development team called "fragment" and joined CC Corp, creating the prototype for the online game The World. In May 2007, fragment began testing the game. After the outbreak of "Pluto Kiss," entertainment networks faced usage restrictions, but they applied for and received special approval from the WNC (World Network Council). fragment publicly recruited 1,024 testers, initially planning to operate for six months, but the testing ended after just three months. In December 2007, exactly two years after the Pluto Kiss incident, a day named "Mother's Marry Kiss" arrived. The global network began to lift its restrictions. At the same time, CC Corp released fragment's online game—The World, which went on sale for simultaneous download worldwide. All of .hack begins here.