It’s not like I wanted to be involved in a master plot of destroying the world. Who knew my parents were involved in some shady government business. All I knew was that they were working in China for a new 100% fully synchronized VRMMO or Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online game.
Listen, having to take part in the fate of the world is much harder than you think. My advice? Listen to whatever lie your parents tell you. Enjoy a normal life and it will save you from a life of misery and death!
If you’re a normal university student reading this and thinking that it’s another web novel story, then I applaud you. Go ahead, enjoy and finish the story. You have no idea how envious I am of you to believe that none of this is true. But then, maybe I am the weird one? My mind has been messed up and a few things are hazy.
However, if deep inside you feel a tingling sensation or a sense of familiarity in the events and names written. Maybe, you were, after all, one of us. They probably caught you and had your brain fried. If so, please contact me and let’s work together.
To whoever is reading this, please brace yourselves. We’re not sure what they’re capable of. In the event that you are caught from knowing all this, I’m sorry I can’t help you.
So let’s start with the introductions. My name is Lu. I’m 21, a graduating student from a prestigious university in the Philippines and I live alone.
My family is well off. My parents, having to work for a leading virtual reality technology company hit it off. They were the lead researchers for the project and were indispensable assets for the company. Five years ago, they were asked to transfer to China and they decided that it was best for me to stay.
I quite enjoy living by myself, it has its pros and cons. I learned to be independent and to play by myself. But somehow, I felt like my age was regressive. I started yearning for my lost youth.
Pink-haired boy or cotton candy boy. These two are just some of the titles that I acquired. Not that I care, the guys in my class are ridiculous. Okay, I admit. I do like cute and pink things. In fact, I dyed my hair that color. That’s just our little secret though, I keep telling everyone I lost a bet and had to do it!
However, things started escalating from there. I was now their new target of bullying. I’m a manly man myself, but there’s nothing I can do when there’s too many of them.
My day consisted of endless teasing, physical assault, and verbal abuse. To cope, I buried myself in a wide array of video games. It was my safe place. I quit sports altogether, even my softball team was ganging up on me. I never miss my daily jog though, I have to take care of these muscles somehow. I just snickered to myself just now.
I was in my last year of college, so I had hopes. I know, living a mundane life is torture. Waking up in the dewy morning just to get to work sounds horrible but better than what I’m currently going through.
So did I live a miserable life? Definitely, but I’m happy. I was living my life the way I wanted to. In fact, why don’t I tell you how much more miserable my life can be? I could tell you about my whole depressing existence but it won’t even fill in a whole chapter. That is because, at the age of 21, I died.
I hope you’re ready because I did warn you.
Everything went really bad during one of our college immersions. We visited one of the leading game developing companies of The Philippines - Penomeco. Like all immersions, it was boring and we found ourselves dragging our feet here and there.
Our adviser Mr. Kim, a Korean expat, was leading the group. He always had perfectly combed hair, his face was clean and smooth and was always dressed in a white button-down shirt that smelled like expensive perfume.
You would think he’s uptight and boring but he’s actually pretty cool. He doesn’t care about grades, he doesn’t give us extra work and he even lets us play during his classes. Somehow his obnoxious laughing and dry humor keeps us awake in class. Out of all university professors, he was the only one who genuinely cared for us.
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I prayed hard for this immersion to end well. At least I hoped not to get in trouble, especially in front of a potential employer. But as usual, I was wrong. You see, bad things keep happening around me since I was born.
Last summer, my cousins came to visit me. We were just playing around but I accidentally bumped into one and they all went home wearing a cast on their arms. And the summer before that? My classmates and I took a trip to a nearby lake and camped out for the weekend. Someone went home on a stretcher, seeing someone mauled by a bear wasn’t a great ending scene. Even Olivia was left traumatized.
Olivia who was the tomboy of the school. She had a strong gaze, she was loud, had short hair, and a rebellious attitude. Now, I’m watching her at the back of the group. Just staring at the ground, silent.
I was lost in thought and suddenly bumped into the school’s hottest jock. His back felt like cement on my aching nose. ‘Fuck’ I mumbled, Sehun was the person who bullied me the most.
Fortunately, Mr. Kim was just around the corner. I received not a beating, but an ugly glare.
The professor led the whole tour. He rode with us on those tiny golf carts like cars, guiding us through the numerous office pods, the grandiose canteen, and kitchen, and a hallway full of their trophies and awards.
The sheer size of this place blew my mind. I knew they were one of the leading game developers but I wasn’t expecting it to be up to this extent.
At the end of the hallway was a simple white room. It was separated from us by a thick see-through glass. He gathered us around and started explaining what it was for. A simulation test, that’s what it was. An amazing invention for this age, it allows a person to appear somewhere else using an avatar.
He pointed us to the pod at the side which was emitting a strange light, it was alternating between green and blue, almost like an aurora. I was trying my best to capture as much information as I can because it was honestly kind of interesting, but everyone was being loud and Sehun was giving me the evil eye.
I shuddered as I remember that one time that I went home with a bruised nose. Sehun was the captain of the swimming club, he was always wearing a black leather jacket that emits a strong scent of cologne. Not everyone knows much about him, just that he came from Korea last year to continue his studies. He doesn’t talk and I haven’t even heard his voice yet. Because of that, countless rumors started coming up. All of which he didn’t deny. He just keeps quiet, swims and exists.
One time, I was left with him alone inside one of the classrooms. He failed to answer a question brought up by a professor, he simply stood up and looked straight ahead. I, on the other hand, interfered by answering. It was my favorite course! Needless to say, we both got stuck in school to submit a written summary on the subject of the correlation of brainwaves and the simulation pods.
From time to time he was giving me a nasty look. Out of nowhere, he stood up dragged me by the collar until we were seeing eye to eye and then punched the life out of me.
I was so lost in thought that I failed to notice Mr. Kim asking me a question. Everyone was looking at me dumbfounded, how embarrassing. “Lu, I asked if you know the father of modern VR.
My face was totally red from all the attention. I answered as confident as I was, it was after all the boss of my parents. “Xiao Yingbing”.
Mr. Kim looked impressed but unsatisfied. “Tell me then, why was the Philippines considered as the center of VR development instead of China?”
“Well…” I was trying to come up with a logical answer, but it was something I haven’t read about yet. “He and his team finished the project here until he and a select others went back to their home country.”
I heard a stifled laugh at my back. It was, of course, Dwight. The asshole of the class, who was only scared of Sehun. “Like it matters, not like we’ll add this to our resume.”
Mr. Kim looked surprised but was having a creepy grin on his face. “Now, Lu. With Dwight’s comment, why do you think this is important?”
I didn’t even think about the question and shrugged. “I don’t know.” Mr. Kim looked disappointed but continued with the tour. “Well, you can say it’s a fight of talents. Since the industry is new, both China and the Philippines are fighting over talented individuals. So yes, it does matter to you who will soon be graduating.”
“Now, I will ask each of you to enter the white room. I will stay here outside and operate the simulation. You should at least see something interesting, in case you don’t get accepted into this institution.” The group quickly went inside, and the guys were even pushing each other to get in first.
Sehun and I were last to enter as we heard some wheels turned and the room was completely shut. It was at this moment that I was starting to get scared and excited. My parents never allowed me to enter a simulation and this is the closest I can get.
My classmates seem relaxed as they walk around the tiny white room, waiting for something to happen.
What we didn’t expect thou, was a stream of black smoke flowing from every direction. Some girls at the front started panicking and screaming and Dwight being an asshole who loves girls tried to reassure them. “It’s just a simulation, it has started! Relax!”
But it was starting to get harder to breathe, and my body was starting to tremble. Finally, my legs gave up. I made a quick look around and saw that everyone was in the same state. Tears were starting to well in my eyes and I desperately tried scratching my neck. The pain was starting to be unbearable.
I looked through the glass and found Mr. Kim looking down at all of us with a huge grin on his face. And the last thing I remembered was that broad back of his as he was walking away. I wanted to get angry, this guy who we all trusted made us go through all this pain.
And that is, how at the age of 21, I have died.