"Wa. . .Shun. . . Ke. . . Wake u-. . . WAKE UP SHUN ATLAS!"
Jerking up. Shun was forced awake from whatever comma he was in as he felt his body move back in forth in the sitting position he was in. The pain that was once at the back of his head was gone, with all that was left being a light buzz that he could barely feel.
'Where. . . Where am I.'
The slight waver in his eyes cleared up as he looked around the room in confusion, but that confusion didn't last long as the memories started pouring in.
The hospital, The brain scan, 'Empire of Eden', all of it just forced its way back into his head as if it was forcing space for new information. Feeling another slight shake on his shoulder, Shun came back to realization as he turned his head and focused on the hand on his shoulder and following it to where the owner was only to find out that it was actually the doctor's hand.
The doctor who was still shaking Shun, as he seemed to still be in a bit of a daze as he looked at the doctor with hazy eyes, the doctor after seeing him cognizant again went through a small series of tests, checking his pulse, flashing a light in his eyes, looking in his ears, etc.
It wasn't until he made sure that everything was alright with Shun did he stop.
"Haaaa, you're finally awake. It's been awhile, precisely 10 minutes, but your scan is finally complete and your vitals are perfectly normal. And with your scan complete, you're now able to enter the world of Eden with no problem. Oh and if you're going to ask if everyone had the same experience as you when you got the scan, the answer is yes, so please don't ask. Now you may feel a slight dizziness at certain parts of the day but other than that you should be fine."
Taking his hand off his shoulder, the doctor went back to his desk and picked up what was essentially a normal looking ID card, Shun looked at it with confusion as he was given a full angle of what it looked like.
On the front was a picture of Shuns face, with his name right beside it, and a bar code on the bottom. It looked pretty standard until you reached the back, which was mostly blank until the strange grouping of numbers that seemed to indicate something in the top right of the card.
"This is your personal ID card. When you go into your sector's departure station this ID card will give you access into your personal capsule and allow you entry into Eden. Now I must warn you, this card is essentially your life, DON'T lose this. I'll say it again, DON'T lose this, this card can't be replaced nor can it be duplicated and just to quell your curiosity, if you were able to replace it, the cost would at the least be in the 100,000's. So keep it close to you at all times, ok?"
Being handed the card Shun couldn't help but take it with shaky hands and look at the doctor with nervousness, gulping down the spit that was in his mouth.
"O-Ok, thank you."
Being led out the room by the nurse who seemed to be telling him all sorts of things that pertained to his transfer tomorrow, Shun couldn't say that he was paying attention, as he already knew half of the stuff she was saying. But other than that, he was still in a sort of daze as he walked out the hospital, instantly being blinded by the sunlight hitting him in the face. It was only after that did he finally realize he was outside.
Looking up at the sky it was only after awhile did the realization of what just happened, finally hit him as he looked at the card in his hand once more and sighed out loud with a smile forming on his face. Pocketing the card and going his way home, the smile on his face started turning, as his mouth changed into a thin line as he continued to walk.
"It's so bare. . ."
And it was true, there was barely anyone outside.
Looking around at the once populated streets of Miami Florida, Shun couldn't help but feel a certain way at the dreariness in the air that was only amplified with the hot air.
The street was almost desolate, it was so empty.
There were barely any cars on the streets, almost nobody on the sidewalks, no activity in the shopping district, it was just empty.
'So this is what the end of the world would look like huh.'
Sure there were some people here and there walking around, but it wasn't what it was a month ago, when life was normal.
It was just weird seeing the town he grew up in become deserted, but it wasn't unbelievable.
He could imagine that everyone was just in their homes spending the last moments they could on Earth with each other; watching movies, watching tv, playing video games, eating fast food obviously delivered, spending all their money on random stuff they wouldn't spend otherwise, and anything else they could think of.
And he was just like most, holing himself in his room waiting for the transfer to begin looking at videos upon videos of Eden, going on popular gaming Forums, looking and searching for any and all information about Eden. But since he had to leave his abode to get this ID card and phyiscal exam he had to put a pause on his "research" but since he was finished, as proof with the ID card in his hand, Shun wondered if he should go back and hole himself in room again and wait until tomorrow when he goes to Eden or if he should just go around and enjoy his final day on Earth.
". . ."
Looking around at everything that was his childhood and life, he tried mentally pushing himself to think past this and to Eden which wouldn't have any kind of internet or technology.
Looking around, Shun made the choice to just go home.
'There's no point in enjoying what's going to be gone tomorrow.'
Finally making the decision Shun took out his phone, realizing that it was 5:34 p.m almost time for dinner and the last release of information of Eden coming from the Hikaru Shiba, Head of design, programming, and a once pro gamer who was going to stream the last pre-look of how the world works.
He was the main one giving the public information on the game aspects of Eden and was the single most trustable source of info.
'I wonder what kind of info Hikaru will give us this time.'
Shun wasn't one to particularly base opinions on what game informations say but Hikaru was different.
Walking down the sidewalk Shun took out some headphones and plugged them into his phone, putting them in his ears.
"Hey, have you heard about those Gold LifeCyberspace capsules that No-life and his family has. . . God if only I was rich or had celebrity parents, then I would be one of the lucky ones who had a Gold capsule and would instantly be one of the best players in Eden. You would hear my name all over!"
"Pffffft. Even if you had a diamond LifeCyberspace capsule you wouldn't be able to be beat one of the pros or Richies."
Waiting for the stream to start, Shun who was still walking down the street heard a conversation between two people as they joked about a very debatable topic in the world in general.
You see while the game promotes equal start and the promise of being fair. In the end what really happened was what everyone expected.
For the LifeCyberspace Capsule there are 4 kinds, each for the different classes.
Bronze for the low class and indigenous folks whose community wasn't very capable of technology or use of it.
Silver was the standard that was mostly used by the Middle class and was the one most people were going to use.
Gold for the High class celebrities and those who could buy their own.
And finally Diamond for the one percent, world leaders, and high class business families that were given personal capsules that you couldn’t buy with money.
It was widely known that each capsule was better than the last. It was confirmed that there was nothing that made it essentially do anything better like; better graphics, better movements, better kind of reaction speed, or anything like that. But they didn’t answer what made them better.
Shun and most of Miami was going into the Silver LifeCyberspace Capsule.
Not the best, not the worst.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
And Shun had no problems with that, sure he was jealous of those that had Gold and Diamond Capsules but since there was nothing that made them any better than what he was using he didn't care.
So ignoring the yelling match that those people were having Shun went his way.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the final showing of 'Life in Eden!' The series of streams that was made by me, Hikaru Shiba, one of the many assistants that helped create Eden give a helpful guide in your journey into the world!"
Snapping back to his phone Shun saw that the stream had finally started.
And what he saw was absolutely stunning, no matter how many times he saw it, he couldn't help but think how amazing the world Eden was.
How realistic it was, It was as if Hikaru was not even in a game and was actually on Earth it was so realistic.
And looking at him there was no way he was.
Wearing what looked to be a mix of leather and metal armor, with leather being the main aspect of the armor covering his chest and parts of his legs, with metal shoulder pads and a small metal chestplate only covering a portion of his chest. But underneath that armor looked to be a white cotton shirt and blue probably leather or some kind of material pants.
Hikaru who was a middle aged Japanese man close to the age of 40 seemed to be having the time of his life as he looked at the camera with a wide grin.
"And for all those new viewers as you can see, I'm in Eden, the Virtual World that's going to be humanity's new home. This stream will be a little short as I'm needed to help those that are in the Transfer but don't worry! I will show all that are interested, the very nature of Eden!"
Looking at Hikaru who pulled out a very standard looking sword that was very plain and dull, as he pointed it at the camera and did a couple of practice swings, as if trying to show some kind of movement.
"In Eden, as you know, takes place in a fantasy world with swords and magic being the dominant profession of the people that are capable. But just as with any game, classes and skills are very president in this world, even the Npcs that are very much human like and not like your average Npc in most modern day games for those that were wondering have classes and skills."
Looking at his sword Hikaru smiled at the camera and walked over to one of the trees that were close by.
"Unlike most games, In Eden there is no set system of classes, instead there are things such as Jobs. Jobs and Classes are 2 seperate but equal systems, Jobs can be anything from a carpenter to a swordsman. The Common game classes are now jobs; Ranger, Mage, Warrior, Rogue, Priest, normal fantasy classes do exist and are now in the form of jobs that have a variety of uses and abilities. But for Classes, there are hundreds if not thousands of classes that can be earned. That's right earned, you heard correctly earned! Once you reach level 20 the worlds God, which are the super A.I that runs the entire server, will give you a mission based on the way you play, how you play, and how you progress in the world to give you the class that suits you the most. These quests are known as 'Class Journeys'. Take mine for example, my class is 'Sword Disciple' a class mainly boosting my strength and Agility. I won't tell you its abilities or skills, but the Mission I had to take to get it was very odd and challenging if I were to say. To give you a better picture, I had to visit several military officers and masters of the sword and train under them until I reached a certain mastery of the sword to complete my 'Class Journey; obtaining the class. Now cause i'm nice i'll tell you something that is supposed to be under wraps. . . You can deny the 'Class Journey' you're given. For those who feel that the class that was given to you is not the one you want or what is complimentary to what you wish so you are given the choice to deny the class and wait for another one. Though you could deny the 'Class Journey' you won't get another chance until 5 levels later and if your really adamant on getting a better class you can keep denying the classes they give you until level 100. I wouldn't recommend it but that's me, for my class It was very hard to earn, but now that I have it I realize how well it suits me. You may think that it's weak but it's very well suited for my abilities and my needs. But from what I can tell from chat, I know what you're thinking, you feel that this kind of system of getting classes could possibly be an unfair mechanic or that there will be a bias to those who have the Gold and Diamond Capsules. So let me tell you this. . . there is ."
The bluntness in Hikaru's voice almost made Shun trip over his own foot.
'What!?'
He wasn't expecting something so blunt and honest.
"There is a bias for those that use Diamond and Gold Capsules, the A.I will automatically favor those who use those kinds of Capsules no question. . . But that doesn't mean that you have an unfair advantage. If you truly use your wits and your skill is legit there's no way you will lose to those that have an advantage no matter what class you have, even if it's a class so basic and there's nothing special about it, if you truly try there's no way that it can't be something great that can stand up to those with over bearing powers. But let me just say, wealth and status is very much a skill and I see no reason to harbor negative feelings for those who use it for their advantage. If you do then you've already lost and theres no point in trying."
Suddenly getting serious Hikaru looked at the camera with a blank face, to most it was as if saying "if you're poor that's your fault and don't get mad at someone who uses their wealth and status to their advantage."
And what could you say about it?
That's basically what it is, getting mad at someone for using money that's basically worthless in under 15 hours.
But looking at the chat it seemed that it was split 50/50 on how they feel
"But enough of that! On top of telling you about the Class system. . .OH! I completely forgot about the other thing with classes!"
Now smiling like he was before Hikaru who seemed to be told something suddenly remembered that there was apparently more to the Class system.
"There's more?"
Talking to himself Shun who was now at the front of his door, Shun who realized that he was home looked up at the house that was his Aunts and the house he's lived in for over 9 years.
The house was small, but seeing as it held 1 and a half people seeing as his Aunt was barely around it was very big.
Going into the house, Shun almost ran back into his room and continued watching the stream.
"In Eden along with getting a class at level 20, after another 20 levels you will be able to upgrade your class in a way unknown to even us. The theory around the office is that once you reach level 40 there will be yet another quest that will give you the chance to upgrade your class in a way that makes your potential unlimited, its possible that the upgrade quest will possibly be even harder than the first 'Class Journey; or could be even easier. We believe that if you were to skip your initial Class then it will posibily be the same, if you do the Class Journey when you're level 25 you won't get the upgrade until level 50, level 30 - level 60. Do you get the pattern? Again this is nothing but speculation, it could be false it could be true. But now that I explained what the class system is, let me explain skills."
Hikaru who was still next to the tree lifted the sword that was in his hands and closed his eyes, a few seconds later it started glowing a light blue and protruding a strange mist the same color as the sword.
"This is Mana or Ki, for most mages they call it Mana while weapon and physical fighters call it Ki. You can use it like this making it surround your sword or fist and attack normally."
Hikaru swung his sword at the tree making a large cut appear, it wasn’t anything fast but it wasn't normal either as a gash that large would still have the sword stuck in but the sword was back in its original position.
"That was a normal attack using KI, it will take you a while to figure out as it's very hard to fully master and use. Even for someone like me who's at least decently talented at level 21 can barely use it to it's greatest ability so i'm not gonna speak for everyone. Now when you use a skill. . ."
Lifting up the sword once more, Hikaru walked over to a different tree that was only a bit away from the cut one and went into a stance.
Taking in a large breath of hair, Hikaru's sword which was still glowing and protruding mist suddenly stopped and the mist started to condense and began to form around his blade enlarging it and making it entirely blue. Once it was finished the once plain dull blade became longer and more defined as it glowed a bright blue light, and with a strong swing of it he yells out.
"Large Swing!!!"
Swinging with what appeared to be all his might the blade flashed out in a curved line, cutting through the tree as if it was butter.
". . ."
Looking at the screen Shun was shocked, it didn't even seem he tried.
"This is a skill that you will be able to learn if you go down the path of being a swordsman. Now in Eden there are two kinds of skills systems that are the most dominant when gaining a skill or technique, the first one is the learning system. The learning system is exactly how it sounds, skills that you learn from a teacher or from a skill scroll that you can earn or recieve as you wonder the world. The other is the Creation system, now this kind of system is basically as it sounds creating your own skills, and if you think it's easy let me tell you, if you can even create 2 or 3 skills then you're instantly a top level player. Creating a skill is one of the hardest things to do in Eden, it may sound easy but doing it is extremely difficult and almost entirely impossible to do. . . But i'm not discouraging you from doing it, this stream was although short and very abrupt, was to give you more indef information about Eden on the magical side so that when you get into the World and you decide to choose the life of adventure and strength you won't be going into it blind. Now, although it pains me this concludes today's stream and for all those saying that me having this character is cheating and unfair, all those who streamed and made videos were beta characters that were only meant as a way to provide information and test the world to make sure it was complete, though it's unfortunate for me as they will be deleted in about. . . 3. . . 2. . . 1. ."
The stream cut off.
'Huh?'
Looking at the blank screen, Shun tried refreshing a few times only to realize that the stream ended.
'I guess it's done.'
It was now 7:40, it somehow lasted over 2 hours. Getting up from his bed and going to the kitchen, Shun decided to have instant noodles as his last meal on Earth, but not just 1 not 2, 3 cups.
'This is so sad. . .'
Shun wasn't what you would call. . . the most capable chef? if even that, and he was perfectly fine with eating instant noodles as a last meal.
But just as he was about to eat his finally prepared noodles, his phone started ringing.
Setting the cup down and picking up his phone, Shun looked at the screen and was surprised to find out that it was his Aunt, though he wasn't sure if it was a pleasant surprise. . .
"Hello?"
"Shun did you get your ID Card."
Sighing Shun wasn't that surprised. Answering the phone, Shun was immediately asked about his ID card by his wayward Aunt.
'Of course it's about that'
"Yes I got the card, it wasn't that hard to get, a little painful, but nothing too difficult. What about you?"
"Don't worry, I have my card. I called in to see if you had recieved yours, but i'm going to have to cut this call short, I have work. Goodbye Shun, have fun in Eden."
Shuns Aunt who seemed to be in a rush, hung up the call leaving Shun once again alone in his house.
Looking at his phone Shun sighed once more and put it down.
'I guess I will. . .'
lifting the lid to his noodle cup Shun sat in silence eating his dinner.