Virtual reality was arguably the greatest achievement in human technology. It was a glorious moment for its creators, who in a single moment had transcended from being ordinary humans, into gods that created their own world. There were eight scientists in total who were responsible for heading up the project. They may have had many subordinates working on certain parts of it, but they were the brains behind the operation.

Thanks to extensive patenting and proprietary technology, they managed to corner the market on virtual reality technology. Of course at that time, what they created was a very simple world devoid of color, detail, or really anything that made it seem real. Forty years later, and that had all changed.

Virtual reality was now almost indistinguishable from the real world, thanks to numerous advances in brain mapping and a thorough understanding of the sensory organs. A little over twenty years ago, capsules for the general public were created, and the first genuine game was created. Legends was a critically acclaimed game that took the world by storm.

Soldiers, corporate workers, parents and children all had this in common. It was something so unifying and so extraordinary, that everyone wanted to obtain a capsule of their own. Regardless of its high price, almost ten thousand dollars, and the monthly fee, most families in the developed countries had at least one capsule in their house.

Even now, twenty years later, it is the number one game out there, since there was no competition whatsoever. Legendary Games Inc. had made this game their flagship and used it to rake in the cash. It was undeniably the most successful and lucrative company in human history.

Regardless of its success, Legendary Games hadn’t spent the past two decades twiddling their thumbs. In those twenty years, technology had improved, and people were looking for something more, something newer and better. Legacy was what they had come up with.

Like its predecessor, it was an open-ended game without a final goal or event put in place. Instead, it was a constantly evolving world, affected by the decisions of players and NPCs alike. Some of the improvements that were made were obviously the sensory aspects to make it even more realistic, as well as the connection between the mind and the virtual avatar.

Where it differed was in the growth system. Unlike Legends or any other MMORPG that preceded it, it didn’t have a stat-allocation system for level-ups. Instead, a player’s growth was almost wholly dependent on skill levels, equipment, and acquired stats from training and titles.

It was a revolutionary concept designed to promote a feeling of realism in terms of growth and combat. There were still no limits on how high a stat can be, but it was no longer an inflated system that allowed a player to hit like an elephant after a mere month of game-play. It was simply deemed to be too unrealistic and too easy to exploit. A player should be defined by what he does and what he trains. However the creators of the game were no fools either. They knew that the public wouldn’t accept this so easily, so they came to a compromise instead. That was the idea of earning stats through actions as well as the title-system.

Titles were generally just decorative add-ons that at most had a small bonus during gameplay. In Legacy, it was greatly expanded and served a similar function as classes would. For instance, a Warrior title might raise the efficiency of combat skills, while a Blacksmith title would improve weapon-forging. There were literally tens of thousands of titles out there, and by way of merit and completing certain achievements, higher-level titles would be made available, who had greater effects. This was similar to the class-advancement system, but unlike classes, titles could be obtained by anyone, and they could be changed freely.

The world was waiting anxiously for the game’s release. Broadcasting networks had programs and airtime reserved for it. Companies were created to provide services in and out of the game. Martial arts dojos and fighting schools were advertising their services. Basically, people all over the world had placed their order for the game and were waiting for it to arrive.

Jeremy Stewarts was one such individual. He was eager for the game to arrive, but it was for a different reason. Of course he certainly wanted to play it, but what he was really waiting for was to test out his invention. This was because Jeremy was an engineer and computer programmer. He was a veritable genius in the field, having gotten his Masters when most people were getting their high school diploma.

After graduating, he didn’t join a renowned company like Legendary Games, but went into the military. Unlike the military of half a century ago, there was little to no physical expertise required. In fact the vast majority of recruits were programmers and engineers. This had to do with the fact that nearly the entire military was either controlled remotely or by an A.I.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Soldiers were a thing of the past, and computers were the present and the future. For four years, Jeremy worked to maintain and develop programs and to repair the robots as well. He did receive combat training, but he didn’t see much of combat.

During his spare time he worked on his own pet project, and when he was Honorably Discharged, he took his project, got it patented, and then sent a report on his work to Legendary Games. The company received thousands of applications and letters every day, which meant that the vast majority of senders were only given a short rejection letter. However in Jeremy’s case, they frantically dug up information and put a proposal towards him.

The reason for this lay in what Jeremy had invented. He called it the IMCS, or the Independent Mental Computing System. It was in effect a small secondary brain that would link up to the user’s mind while they were in VR, and subconsciously assist with combat and crafting techniques.

It was an extremely delicate process that was also limited in what it could do. For instance, it couldn’t implant information into someone’s brain, but a little of it would get transmitted back to the user, and they would absorb a small part of it. It was an invaluable tool for the players, since the vast majority of them didn’t have any real combat training or knowledge in the medieval crafting methods.

There was of course a certain sort of revival for fighting schools in the past few decades thanks to the first game, but many people still didn’t have that kind of knowledge. Additionally, even when they did get some rudimentary training, some people just weren’t able to fully utilize it. They were either naturally clumsy, or didn’t have a good sense of body to act out the moves.

Jeremy’s invention solved that problem, and it was even quite easy to install into the capsules. With the help of a lawyer, he and Legendary Games worked out a licensing agreement, whereby he would get a small percentage of the sales from each unit. With the immense customer base, it didn’t take long for Jeremy to become an overnight multimillionaire, and the money was still flowing in.

He had more money than he knew what to do with, and he was still making more, thanks to smart investments and the ongoing licencing deal. At the tender age of twenty-two, Jeremy was not only self-sufficient, he was retired.

Since he had so much time on his hands, there was only one thing to do to pass the time, play the game. Thanks to his part in the new game, he received the capsule three days earlier than most people. Since the electronic component of the capsule sped up the mental processes, the game flowed about three times faster than real-life, so he had well over a week to get acquainted with the game.

He wouldn’t be the only one. Many other employees of Legendary Games as well as the people that had pre-ordered this game also enjoyed this benefit. They all couldn’t wait to dive in and get started, to be the first explorers in a strange and fantastical land.

As Jeremy stood beside the white, egg-shaped capsule he thought about the game itself. The developers said that there was no end-game or overall goal, but that wasn’t strictly true. After all, why else would they name the game as they did? It was a challenge to all the players out there, to anyone with even a shred of ambition or pride, to reach the pinnacle of fame or infamy and leave behind a legacy of their deeds.

That wasn’t the reason why Jeremy was playing. His goal for playing the game was to enjoy the fascinating adventures in a new world; it wasn’t anything as grandiose as conquering the world or becoming a king. Besides, no one really chooses their path, it chooses them. That was part of the excitement, the not knowing what that world would bring.

After setting the built-in timer on the capsule, he lifted the clear lid and lay back in the firm purple gel. He ran over his checklist one last time. He had set the timer; he ate, went to the washroom, told his housekeeper, and had read the small guide. Yes, he was ready. Jeremy put up a hand and grasped the handle on the underside of the lid. He slowly pulled it down until he heard a small beep, and the capsule was sealed by a weak magnetic force.

Letters formed on the clear glass above his face.

Biometric scan complete.

Unregistered user identified.

Would you like to create a new account?

YES/NO

“Yes,” he said firmly. He was no stranger to VR technology, having played Legends himself, but this game filled him with a trepidation he had never felt before. He didn’t have a chance to think more on that, when the world went dark and silent.

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