Night had fallen on the city of Genesis when I finally got to my room. When I walked inside, I was greeted with a wide open space. A large two-person bed was laid out against the left wall. Standing next to it was a small wooden nightstand with a digital clock. To my right was a door leading into the bathroom. The wall at the far end of the room was a glass window that gave me a full view of the city.
According to Rachel, the bathrooms of this building came equipped with a special machine that could clean all of your clothes for you in the span of an hour. You didn’t even need to switch it from a washer to a dryer or separate your clothes into lights and darks. You simply tossed all the clothes you could fit inside, waited an hour, and just like that they would come out clean and dry. If nothing else, an easy way to wash my clothes would prevent me from needing too many outfits.
I walked over to the window and looked down at the city. Lights dotted the buildings, illuminating the nightlife. Players walked the streets, each one of them a potential enemy. I had finally made it to Genesis. But this was only the start of my mission. My immediate goal was to gather points so I could reach the Inner Section of the city. Once I did that, I would continue until I reached the goddess’s tower. I would overcome the goddess known as Deus, and take back the life that was stolen from me all those years ago. I would achieve my goal. No matter who I had to lie to. No matter who I had to betray. No matter who I had to kill.
Rachel was just another pawn towards that goal. If I had to kill her along the way, then so be it. It would all be undone once I turned back time anyway.
I wasn’t sure how long I stared outside the window thinking to myself, but when I was finally finished I walked over to the side where there was a switch on the wall. Pressing the lower of the two buttons caused the curtains to gradually close inwards. I walked to my bed and laid down on it. “Menu.”
At my call, my Dux opened a window for me. In addition to the points and Quest tab on the top right, the left side had a series of other tabs, going down in order of [Inventory], [Friend List], [Messages], and finally [Map].
When I tapped the Map tab, a was given a bird’s eye view of the area of the city I was in, along with a blinking red dot that showed my location. I fiddled with the window a bit, which allowed me to zoom and pan the portion of the city I could see. I went further up towards where the gate to the Inner Section was, but the map wouldn’t let me see anything past that.
When I went back to the main screen of the menu, I took notice of a [Guide] tab on the bottom right. I tapped on it and a long list of tabs opened up. Each one seemed to cover a different aspect of Genesis.
I spent the better part of an hour skimming over a good portion of the information listed in the guide. Most of it more or less matched up with what Rachel had told me. There were even a few extra things I had managed to learn as I read.
Other than not killing others within a Safe Area, Players were more or less allowed to do whatever they pleased within Genesis. Though there was another rule I noticed as well. Players were not allowed to have intercourse with each other in Genesis. Just like the act of killing a Player within a Safe Area, violating this rule would result in a Game Over, where an Admin would come and forcibly terminate the Player from Genesis. In other words, kill them.
I had gotten a very simple sexual education class in the program when I had turned thirteen, along with the others in my class, so I had a basic understanding of the human body’s reproductive system. My only guess was this rule was in place to prevent more people - more Players to be precise - than allowed to be on Genesis.
Eventually a yawn escaped me, signaling that it was probably best for me to call it a night and get some rest. It had been a long day for me, and I could always finish going over the rest another time.
“Menu.” I called out again, causing the window to close. I pulled the covers over myself and closed my eyes to let sleep take me in its embrace.
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Rachel hummed to herself as she stepped out of the shower in her room, steam escaping into the air. She grabbed a towel and dried off herself. All the while a satisfied smile was worn on her face.
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Today had been far more than she was expecting. She had been planning to see if any of the new arrivals piqued her interest, and Nate had not disappointed her. He went above and beyond, even managing to best her in a game. There were very few Players she had met that could claim that. Though the number of Players she had faced in games in recent months was only a small handful.
Rachel wasn’t like most Players. She didn’t have any aspirations about reaching the goddess. No real wish she wanted granted. If anything, being on Genesis itself fulfilled her wish. A world of games. What place could be more fun than that? Rachel longed for the thrill and rush of danger in her games. A clash where one wrong move could spell the end for either side. It brought out the best in her. That surge of adrenaline was the greatest source of pleasure she had ever known.
Of course, not everyone shared the same opinion. Many were put off by Rachel’s thrill seeking attitude. Her habit of making games filled with danger and risk had earned her an ill reputation among most of the Players in Genesis. It had eventually gotten to the point where barely anyone would play games with her, or even talk to her for that matter. That lack of friends was a pain Rachel had known most of her life. It was something she hated.
However, Nate wasn’t like the rest. Despite having just arrived in Genesis, he had kept pace with her and then some. What’s more, he had even agreed to be her friend and work with her as a partner. That made her happier than she could ever express with words.
After changing into the set of pajamas she had taken out from her Dux, Rachel walked back into her room. She stepped out onto the balcony, a special bonus feature that corner rooms like hers had in this building.
The cool night breeze felt refreshing for Rachel as she stared up at the night sky dotted with glittering stars. Their incomparable beauty was something Rachel could stare at for hours. Those stars were much like Genesis in her eyes. Up away from the rest of the world. Separating her from the life she lived back on the surface.
Rachel still remembered that fateful night. Standing on the bridge. Looking down at the deep waters below. They seemed so inviting to her back then. But then a light caught her eye. The night sky back then entranced her. She forgot all about what she had been doing on that bridge and simply stared at the stars shining brightly in the sky. Rather than fall down below, Rachel wanted to fly up and dance around those stars. Away from all the pain she felt. And that desire had reminded her of the city in the sky that people spoke of. A place separated from the rest of the world, where games were everything.
And thus, she had become a Player in Genesis.
Eight months had passed since then and Rachel hadn’t regretted her decision for one moment. She loved this city and everything it had brought her. It had even brought her Nate, perhaps the first person in her life she could call a friend. She didn’t need to have a wish granted by the goddess. All she needed was to be able to live here for the rest of her life.
After taking in the calm night breeze for a little longer, Rachel stepped back inside. She walked over to her bed and laid down on it. Curling up and laying her head against her pillow, Rachel closed her eyes and fell asleep.
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Small bits of sunlight peered through the curtains as I blinked open my eyes. With a yawn I rose up out of my bed and stretched my arms. As expected of a seemingly high class room, the bed was rather comfy. I couldn’t remember the last time I had such a peaceful night’s rest.
I looked over to the nightstand next to me. The digital clock read 7:09 am. As good a time as any to get up. As I crawled out of bed, I was reminded that I had gone to sleep in the same clothes I had bought yesterday. I wondered if there was a store for nightwear. If so, it would probably be best to stop by there sometime today.
My primary mission today however was going to be starting the Quest, which should have reset for the week overnight. As a newcomer to Genesis, I needed to start racking up points as soon as possible until I had a sizable safety margin.
“Menu.” I called out, causing the familiar blue window to pop up before me. For the most part, the home screen of the menu looked the same. However, there was one minor difference this time. Right below the Quest tab, there was now a different tab. It showed three diagonal lines that resembled claw marks with the word “Event” over them.
Curious, I tapped on it and a new window popped up, showing a message.
[Be ready for the call of the wild. New event coming soon.
Time until Event: 6 Days, 16 hours, 51 minutes]
I scratched my head curiously. An event? What was this supposed to be? Just as I was about to try messaging Rachel to ask her, I received a notification that Rachel had just sent me a new message. Tapping the notification, a window displaying the message popped up.
[Looks like I forgot to explain one other thing yesterday. I’ll tell you over breakfast. Meet you in the lobby in twenty minutes. -Rachel]
I let out a sigh as I closed my menu. It seemed I had even more to learn about this city.