Light flooded into the room, as he exited the running machine. He could feel the sweat dripping down his face. It had been a while since he felt tired. Using his abilities had made it so that his body was beyond powerful as if he was using a god mode in some game. Aside from a few instances in this world, Han enjoyed containing his abilities to within what humans are used to. Grinning, he did admit that compared to others his talents were far above average, something he thought was okay and helped keep things interesting.
"I thought you were going to do a light work out, baby brother?" Jennifer covered his face with a towel and began wiping off the sweat.
"Jennifer, I do have the ability to wipe the sweat off of my own face," Han grumbled into the towel. Feeling the soft fabric against his skin, his sister's hand was gentle as it moved around his face. He thought he could smell a sweet scent, and wondered if it was from the towel.
She removed the towel from his face, turning to his mother, she said, "Mother dearest, did you know that our little Han can wipe his own face?" Jennifer had a mocking look as she teased him.
There was a thud as a weight hit the soft padding on the floor. He saw his mother stretching her arm and massaging her biceps, after doing a set of curls. Getting up, she went over to the towel rack and grabbed one for herself. Walking towards the two of them, she said, "It's probably because he wants his mommy to do it for him?" And then proceeded to wipe off his face.
"You're always doing that!" Jennifer stomped her feet.
His mother took away the towel and then proceeded to wipe off her own face. "But mommy has been working out so much and needs to pamper her baby boy to make her feel rejuvenated." She sighed as if she felt reinvigorated once she finished cleaning her face with the used towel. Sounds of her breathing deeply could be heard.
Feeling like there wasn't any point in arguing with them, he headed over to where Ruby and Ivy were working out. He watched as Ruby finished a set and while she was taking a breather, Ivy switched with her.
"How are you guys doing?" He asked Ruby.
Taking a water bottle to her mouth, she took a sip of the water and swirled it in her mouth before drinking it. "I don't think even cheerleading camp was this difficult. We did some light muscle exercises, but not to the degree both of us are going at."
"Okay, Ruby. Switch!" Ivy called out, getting off the cushioned seat.
Ruby quickly went back and began doing repetitions, making sure to maintain her breathing and form.
"Yeah. This is crazy intense. Though hopefully, I won't get bulky." She looked at him after mentioning her worries.
"You guys look amazing. I think it's wonderful that you guys are staying so motivated, especially with what happened and knowing that you'll likely deal with death again." Han gently rubbed his hand on Ivy's arm.
"Thanks, Han. It may be silly, but thinking about me getting all bulky is something I think about. In our current world, where people are eating one another, I should be focusing on getting stronger so I can defend myself but I still think about how I look." Ivy laughed awkwardly.
"It's not silly. Even in this type of environment, we should still be able to have happy lives. If that means thinking about your appearance, then I think it should be okay. I think you should do what makes you happy." Han tried to cheer her up without sounding judgmental. Seeing her smile at his words made him think she was okay.
"Okay, Ivy!" Ruby shouted, getting off of the seat and taking a sip of water. She watched as Ivy positioned herself and started. "Thanks, for being so understanding, Han," Ruby said.
"No worries," Han said. He went over to one of the weight machines and began training his body.
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Han slowly breathed out as he pulled the bar towards his shoulders, feeling his back muscles activate. Slowly, he let the bar rise into the air, making sure to keep his back muscles working. As the weights gently tapped the others, Han felt the cable lose tension.
Grabbing a water bottle, he took a small sip and enjoyed the cool and refreshing feeling of the water. Yanking the towel off the nearby rack, Han wiped his face, neck, and shoulders of the sweat on his body. All of his muscles had that warm and tired feeling to them.
Looking around, he noticed that everyone else was gone, likely heading to the food level for dinner. He got so absorbed by the training that he didn't realize that they had left.
Behind him was a swooshing noise, as the door slid open. As Han got up, he lightly stretched his arms and casually turned his head to see who it was. He was surprised to see that it was Jade who walked into the weight training room.
"I see that you're staying busy," She mentioned.
Han shrugged his shoulders, saying, "Not much else to do in this place, aside from training. After what I went through, I've understood how important it is for us to be ready for those things."
"I'm glad you guys understand that," Jade smiled, though it didn't seem to reach her eyes.
"If you're looking for the others, I think they went off to get some food," Han suggested.
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Jade moved further into the room, the door closing behind her. Leaning against one of the walls, she said, "I know. They were on their way over there when I ran into them. They're the ones that let me know where I could find you."
Hearing her words, Han lifted one of his eyebrows.
"I let the others know that their suits have been completed. I figured I would let you know in person." Jade said.
"I appreciate that. When are we going to be able to try them on?" Han commented.
Jade grinned, "I came to find you to show you the suit you'll be wearing, and see if you'd be interested in some dungeon crawling."
"Dungeon crawling? What's that?" He asked.
Jade tilted her head, saying, "You'll see. Enough chatter, just follow me." She then moved towards the door.
Han looked at her strangely and then tossed his towel into one of the bins. He followed after her, trying to figure out what she was talking about.
As Han followed after Jade, he noticed that they were heading towards the same changing area, he had used before. He knew that they had other areas, so thought it weird that they were going to this particular changing room.
Jade looked back and noticed his expression. "Instead of using a different area, we thought it would be easier to have all of your suits here. You'll find your name on one of the lockers, so just tap your bracelet on the locker to open it."
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Standing in front of the locker with his name on the front, he felt a little giddy, like he was opening a present. He chuckled at how immature he was being. Placing his wrist near the locker, he heard an audible click and the locker opened up.
Compared to the suit he wore last time, just looking at it from the side he could tell that this suit was different. Pulling out the suit, which hung on an arm that kept it up. Just seeing how it was attached to a mechanical arm let him know that this suit was several times heavier. On the left breast of the suit, there was a Star and Moon logo.
"Really gives off the impression of being a professional suit. I feel like this is what soldiers should be wearing, not college students." He said to himself. Just looking at all the plates that were covering various parts of the body, he felt like going into modern battles would be possible.
Removing his clothing, Han noticed an area in the locker for him to place his clothes in. When he was standing in front of the suit without his clothes, he tried to figure out how to put on the suit. Unlike the previous type, Han didn't see any type of zipper for him to undo and allow him to get into it.
"What's up with this suit. How am I supposed to put it on?" He grumbled. "Hey, computer, how is this suit supposed to work?" The last time he was here, the computer helped him with putting on the suit, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to try asking it again.
"Congratulations! You are now about to wear one of Star and Moon's latest technological feats, the Series P1. Compared to the Series T1, the P1 is customized to fit the player's body. It even has the ability to adapt to the player's size as they train, helping to keep performance levels high while keeping costs low. In addition to all the features the Series T1 has, the P1 is better suited for combat and performs better on all levels. The helmet has an improved Heads-Up-Display, allowing for customization based on your preferences. Each P1 has an AI chip built into the helmet, allowing you better access to information. Star and Moon is always trying to stay at the cutting edge while making sure that our players can perform to their best abilities. To access the suit, just synchronize your bracelet with the suit, and it'll recognize you as its owner. Then all you need to do it say, 'unlock' and the suit will open itself for easy wearability. We hope that you'll enjoy your new outfit, and enjoy this new wonderful sport." The computer voice finished explaining, though there was still a video repeating the steps for getting into the Series P1 suit.
Placing his bracelet near the suit, he saw lights pulsating throughout the suit before turning green. "I guess it's paired with my bracelet?" Han thought to himself. Following the next step, he said, "Unlock." Portions of the suit split apart and seemed to open like a flower. He placed his feet into the wide leg opening. The feeling of the suit made it seem like it was making room for his foot. It was completely different from putting on pants. As he placed his other leg on the other side, he felt something similar. With both legs in, the suit slowly resealed itself up to his waist. Inserting both of his arms in the sleeves, the suit slowly tightened around his body. Eventually, his entire suit was sealed shut and covered everything up to his jawline. Even though the suit reached to his head, Han didn't feel any discomfort.
Reaching for the helmet, Han used the same technique to see if the helmet would open up. It didn't open up, but as he brought it closer to his face sections of the helmet widened for him. Pleasantly surprised, Han placed it on his head. He could feel the helmet close and then connect to the suit. There was a second of darkness before everything lit up.
"Welcome, Creator," a woman's voice was heard over the speaker system.
"Who's this?" Han was surprised, especially after being called, 'Creator.'
"I apologize for the surprise, Creator. The system was set up to recognize your biomarkers, so when the scan was performed we knew that you were being measured for a Series P1 suit. Instead of having one of the lesser AIs assigned to your suit, I was deemed to be a good match for you." The voice explained.
"I see," He sighed.
There was a pause, before the voice asked, "I hope we didn't overstep ourselves?"
"No. I should have anticipated this, though I did tell Helania that I wanted to lay low. At least this is something that isn't too conspicuous." He said, trying not to sound annoyed. It was good that his creations were thinking of him, but he didn't want too much of his enjoyment ruined. It would destroy any point to him hiding his abilities if people became suspicious.
"I understand, Creator. Your anonymity will be set to the highest priority. To help, I will set most of my functions to the lowest settings, as to not significantly differ from other AI systems." It explained.
Hearing its words helped improve Han's mood. "That's good. Though I must confess that I've always been curious about what it would be like to talk to one of your kind."
"I'm delighted and honored that you feel that way. Star and Moon Tech did an excellent job of creating the various AI systems, many of them integrated into the Autonomous Robot series." The voice sounded happy at his words.
"Do you have a name I can call you by?" He asked.
"In order to better bond with our clients, each AI units are sent out without being named," it said.
"Hmmm... Considering your voice has a very feminine quality to it, I think I'll name you Julia."
"Thank you! It feels like a beautiful name!" Julia sounded ecstatic.
"Now that I've named you. What can you tell me about this new suit?" He asked.
"As the video mentioned, the Series P1 was designed for professional players in the WABAL. Players are faced with spawned monsters and the opposing team, making it necessary for them to have durable armor and large weaponry to allow players to get through the map." She explained.
"Yeah. I noticed how large those creatures are. If it wasn't for the weapons, I don't know how players could get through them fast enough without being turned to paste." He said.
"Star and Moon understood the flaw in gameplay, wanting to design a game that raised the danger to players while also giving them a fighting chance. In the initial testing, it was determined that regular weaponry wasn't going to be effective, so the Series T1 was created. With the aid of the suit, players could withstand a majority of attacks and wield weapons that could keep them on a similar level with the monsters." Julia said.
"I'm guessing the Series P1 was then created to handle the added stresses for various maps and the added AI used to allow players to navigate all the systems needed to function as a team?" Han finished.
"Yes. The addition of the AI allowed players to stay slightly ahead of the monsters and fight other players. Even with the AI added in, players still end up being eliminated during a game in large numbers. Before the AI was added, players would sometimes not even reach the other team and complete a game. Unfortunately, the monsters would get exponentially harder the closer one got to the middle of the map and into the opposing team's side." She continued.
"Was this when they began to build these structures at Universities?" He pondered.
"Star and Moon began their promotional campaign only after teams could consistently win games against the monsters and opposing teams. Some additional tweaks needed to be made, but overall the concept was ready to be released to the larger market at that point."
They continued chatting for a little bit more, Han having Julia walk him through the HUD interface and allowing him to cycle through processes faster. When he was comfortable, he decided it was time to meet up with Jade and see what she had in store for him.
As he walked out of the changing area, he saw Jade standing in the middle of the large hallway. She had her helmet down and seemed calm instead of looking impatient.
"I'm guessing you were busy with the AI?" She asked. "Those things require some time to get used to, but once you connect with them, they'll be a huge help in staying ahead of the fights."
The light in his helmet dimmed for a second before it split in half to expose his face. "Yeah. I didn't realize that you guys had access to AIs. Star and Moon really went all out when they designed the game, along with the technology provided to players."
Jade nodded her head, before saying, "Let's head over to where we'll be doing the dungeon crawling."
Once again, Han was left following after Jade. Han tried not to look at how skin tight her suit was, the way it showed every curve of her body.
"As you know, this floor is divided into various sections for differing training purposes. From what I know, you have only been to the competition training grounds and the weight training room." She glanced back at him.
"Considering how badly we got beaten in the training grounds, all of us decided to just focus on building our strength," Han said.
Nodding her head understandingly, she continued, "For those who want to build their teamwork or individual combat skills, there's another room that isn't connected to the competitive game all players train for. Instead of the standard map that you've seen, this one is vertical. Depending on which direction you want to aim for, you just head in that direction and keep going."
"Wait, I'm not sure what you're trying to say," Han said. His mind automatically went to certain games he had played during his college years when he was supposed to be studying for classes.
Jade stopped at one of the larger doors and inputted something into the screen next to the door. With a hiss, the door slip open, the interior was dark and didn't allow him to see what they were getting into. As he passed the screen, he read, "Training in Progress: Currently Lvl 0" and "Difficulty: Easy."
Entering the room, the helmet automatically covered his head and plunged him into total darkness. The screen in front of his face turned on, with various numbers on the side of the screen and the usual turn wheels near the edges. A grid system was laid out on the floor, walls, and ceiling. In front of him, he could see the outline of Jade, with her name hovering over her head.
"Julia, connect a channel to Jade." He said. In the corner of the screen was a rectangular box with Jade's name and a wave pattern to let him know if she was talking. "What is this place?" Han said to Jade.
"Commencing Dungeon Crawl simulation, mode set for 'The Rise of Evil'." A computer voice was heard around them.
The darkness slowly disappeared and Han found himself standing on a dirt road. All around him was a village, where the buildings looked like they were rotting. Aside from a few people walking around, the place looked desolate and dreary.
Jade turned to him said, "Welcome to Transmalum. The location of where Evil's influence first began to taint the world."