Virtual Reality. Nearly everyone had a device to log into the most played virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game 'Dream Life'. You would either use one of the helmet devices or the gaming pods. Now the difference between the both is probably unclear so let me explain it a bit. The helmets were the evolved VR glasses, they were pretty uncomfortable if worn for long and had only limited computing power. That meant of course that high-speed actions were unable to be processed in time and it would sometimes seem as if your enemy teleported instead of ran, really unpleasant. Still, the worst thing with the helmets was the security, firstly the helmet only monitored the heart and brain function so it was possible to starve to death if one didn't disconnect in a timely manner, secondly, they were easily stolen and hacked as the internal security of these things was anything but good, and lastly the helmet didn't protect the user from being taken advantage off, as the user was completely exposed in the real world. The gaming pod, on the other hand, was monitoring all body-functions and if you filled up the nutrient solution you would be able to stay inside for a whole month while the pod would exercise your muscles, it would also warn you when your nutrient solution was used up and would forcibly disconnect you 12 hours later. It also was way harder to steal, as these pods are huge and heavy, the internal security is also vastly better and one would need 5 biological traits of the user to start it up completely. As for the security of the user, well these pods are closed so there is nearly no way to get to the user while he is still connected, of course, you could blow up the whole gaming pod as they aren't safe against explosions but that's way harder than it would be with the helmet. The gaming pods are also equipped with more processing power so you wouldn't experience lags or unrendered areas like it happens with the helmets sometimes.

As the gaming pods automatically kept track of all vital signs they were used in most hospitals, but as this helped the hospital staff it was rather unfavorable for most patients as the costs for the treatment rose.

I had luck, as I'm working inside 'Dream Life' I was able to work overtime while being treated for a rare genetic disorder. Well, probably not that lucky, most people work inside 'Dream Life' in this day and age, as the economy of reality and Dream Life got linked up a couple years ago. Many business deals were even made in 'Dream Life' as it was easier to meet in one of the central cities of Dreamscape Earth. It was made up of five continents, Drifting Moon in the north, Faded Acres in the east, Hollow Rift in the south, Mirror Forest in the west and Exalted Havens in the center. I was living and working in Blackmire, a rank 2 city, on Faded Acres. All Cities, towns, and villages were ranked in 'Dream Life' from the lowest rank 5 to the highest rank 1, but the only rank 1 cities were the capital cities of the five continents.

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Now I really go ahead of myself. Where was I again... oh yeah I was talking about the different devices one can use to log into 'Dream Life'. As I already explained, there were only helmets and gaming pods available. But development didn't stop there. While I was in the hospital to get my treatment scientists worked on an implanted device. Now isn't that crazy? One day, I was just reading an article about the newest test of these implants, when my doctor came in and told me that my disease would be terminal. I would have only a year if I stay in the hospital full-time. But I already used up most of my savings for the few weeks of treatment that I got till then, and I couldn't go and ask my parents for help as they had to count every penny already. So I had to decline further treatment to stall my illness and asked to be discharged the next day. But it was the next day that changed my life forever.

Right now I'm standing in a small town in the Kingdom of Esharia situated in the continent Tolis on the planet Hell Rift in the Cassiopeia Star System. You might be confused now so let me be a bit simpler, I'm inside the new game, 'Knights of Hope', that was developed exclusively for the VR-Implant. What I didn't know was that tests with humans weren't legal yet nor that 'Knights of Hope' would never reach any other human soul as the developing studio was shut down less than a week after I started the game.

However, let me tell you from the beginning how everything changed...