Joining the circle of so-said responsible adults has always been a hard task for teenagers throughout the ages. In ancient times, it was a test of strength and adaptability. Can you survive alone in the wilderness? Do you have what it takes to protect your wife? And for women, do you have what it takes to take care of your man? To raise his children and to make sure they also became responsible adults? What about today? Is it the same? No– not at all. So, what's today's modern test? Well, it's very simple. There is none. As you graduate school, or drop out by your own choice, you will automatically be regarded as an adult and act like one. If you don't, well, you'll be cursed and back-talked about for being irresponsible, a trash, a degenerate of society and a lot more. To be a responsible adult, the first thing needed to have is an employment. An employment is the key to success. Without an employment, you'll be without money, and without status in society. However, this was also where some were stuck. Like Tommy.

“Eleventh job interview this week, right down the fucking drain.” Tommy muttered as he pushed the pedals of his bike as fast as he could to avoid most of the splattering downpour that was scheduled to come in ten minutes according to the city speaker's announcement which covered the bustling metropolis in the inner area of the city.

As the blonde young man thought about the landlord who he would probably meet when he got home, he sighed. Ever since his parents handed in the towel, and threw him out, he had lived at an apartment which wasn’t too shabby, but not too great either. The only reason he got it for so cheap was because of the landlord, who the other residents couldn't handle.

“You little bastard, you stole from me! Stop stealing my newspaper! No one steals my newspaper! One more time and I’ll kick you out!”

The senile landlord was in his sixties and had a full-grown beard and an antique monocle on his right eye– not even god himself knows where the man found it– and spoke with an intermixing of coughs and British accent as the young man arrived to the apartment, parked his bike and removed the saddle to make sure it wasn't stolen during the night.

“I'm sorry I took your newspaper, Mr Green. I didn't know it was yours.”

“Hump!”

Tommy apologized and received the normal punishment, a rap across his face with a rolled up newspaper, where after old man scurried up the stairs in anger. The thing was, that the rolled up newspaper, which the old man had rapped his face with, wasn't his own, but tommy’s. To further clarify the young man's problem was that the landlord was senile. Now you might ask, why is this a problem? Well, being senile often isn't a big problem. But Mr. Green's senility was more severe than others. He would forget everything the day after something happened — a special case of senility he acquired in the last months. So, every day would be a fresh start for Mr. Green. Some would love to have this ability, having a fresh start. Among these people, Tommy was one. However, the fresh starts of Mr. Green weren't really fresh starts. They were hellish ones. Especially for the old man surroundings, which were, unfortunately, tommy and the other residents.

“I should have studied more, really... and bought a house instead...” Tommy sighed and locked his bike. He then went up the stairs of the apartment, unlocked his door and charged into the room, throwing himself onto his bed. He rolled onto his back and shouted loudly, venting out all the feelings of disappointment, anger, and annoyance that were pent-up during the day.

The young man felt sorry for himself a couple of minutes more before figuring out that even though his current life wasn't like he had expected, it wasn't as bad as some people had. After all, the roof over his head and food to eat. At this moment, his eyes lit up. Food!

Tommy hurriedly jumped out of the bed and ran to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, leaned his head to the right side, then to the left, and then to the right again. He then nodded and picked a few things from the cold box with a special gleam in his eyes...

Throwing together a bunch of ingredients and calling it cooking was something everyone could do. But doing it like Tommy, who had been a master of mashed up meals in order to save time so that could play more games, was hard.

Overcooked spaghetti with sprinkles of crushed cookies, found somewhere in the back of the fridge, along with the remainder of last night's grilled chicken which he bought at the store. After eating, with tears pouring out from his eyes– if it tasted good or bad being totally unclear– the young man got to his laptop and switched it on.

It was a mac, an early model, and was the cheapest he could afford. Ever since virtual reality games came out on the market, the computer development market had begun to decline. The vocal focus of all programming and engineering was on virtual reality. That was where the future lied, or so they said.

Tommy entered Facebook and scrolled a bit. Suddenly, he received a message. He frowned as he saw who it was from. Johnny. A friend of his way back. They had been school buddies along with three others, a tight-knit gang of five. However, when they graduated, they fell apart. Two moved away, one got a job, and two stayed passive. Tommy was one of the passive and Johnny was the other one.

[It's been awhile, Tom. How are you holding up?]

Tommy thought for a moment then replied to Johnny’s message.

[Good. All good. What about you?”]

It was an obvious lie. But what did it matter. The reply came a minute after.

[Great. Look, I've been thinking about something. You know Ogre's bone, the game we played in high school?]

Tommy smiled and typed. [How could I forget?]

[Haha, look, I’ve been in contact with the others. They’ve all agreed to enter it one last time. You’re the only one left. So...?]

Johnny’s message made Tommy laugh. [Have you forgotten who I am?]

[O' Great Spear of Chu, please forgive this lowly shield of Yan for his utterly heinous offense. This lowly shield of Yan did not have eyes and could not recognize the Mount Tai. He should be dragged apart by four horses, his limbs spread in the four directions, his eyeballs gouged out by crows, and his heart eaten by hungry orphans.]

[Hur Hur, as humorous as always. When are we logging in?]

[Tonight. 8 am. At the usual place. Still got a helmet?]

[Got it.]

Tommy disconnected from Facebook and closed the lid. He looked at the clock. 4 am. Still four hours until the designated time. The young man opened the lid again and searched for the latest games, to see if there were anything fun although he had sworn not to play another VR game anymore since his time in Orge's bone.

There was all from Emperor’s Ascension to WorldSpace. Quite a few games with over 95% immersion had entered the market. Ogre’s bone was merely 80%, a figure which was too low with the current standards. The developers lacked budget and eventually left for the better paying jobs like maintenance for Emperor’s Ascension or Worldspace.

Ogre’s Bone. Fond memories. It was the game they had played for the three years of high school. While they weren't the best in the game, they were all five in the top 50. However, they decided to stop playing when they were at their top. Why? Because they graduated. Their parents kicked them out and they didn’t have the time nor lust to play. After all, Orge’s bone wasn’t like the current world leading game. Players weren’t able to cash out in-game items or gold for real life money. Nor did the game come out with new events and maps, it was the same as it had ever been. All about skill and PVP. There were only five basic items to choose from. Sword, Shield, Hammer, Axe and Spear. The five had chosen one of each and were famous in the game for their extreme teamwork.

Time ticked onward. Soon, it was ten minutes to eight. Tommy closed the lid of his mac book and went to his bed. He sat down and put on the VR Helmet. Laying down in the bed, he closed his eyes and connected to the VR net. He quickly chose the only game he had, Orge's bone, and entered.

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A vast expanse of black spread out in front of him. The sky was dark, coiling with thunder, and lone trees without foliage were unevenly placed across the barren ground. Orge's Bone, just as he knew it. Bones lay scattered across the wilderness as Tommy walked toward the designated place where they always met in the game. His character, Tommy456, was not too much different from his real life appearance. Blond hair, a sturdy frame and blue eyes. His face was a bit pale, as every other character in the game.

When a player logs into the game his or her first time, they will start in the coliseum. Only until they have defeated the arena master, an axe-wielding, two meter tall lunatic, will they spawn in the wilderness and start the endless PVPing called Orge’s Bone. That’s why every character has a pale face. They all start out as a weak gladiator before becoming stronger and faster. However, the pale face will never change, making it a trademark for Orge’s Bone.

Tommy walked across the wilderness until he came to the edge of the map. During the walk, a few still online players attacked him. He easily killed them but smiled wryly at getting no blood essence at all.

Blood essence was like XP. Every time a player killed another player he would gain blood essence, making him stronger, faster and sturdier. And to the contrary, every time he lost, he would lose a fixed amount of blood essence depending on how much he had.

The edge of the map was signified with a dark abyss. Purple flames swirled over the edge and made sure you wouldn’t want to explore there. Some had tried but were immediately re spawned in the center of the map which was a safe zone for everyone. Where people could change weapons or hand in quests for blood essence.

Tommy eventually came to the meeting spot. It was a castle, more ruins than a complete building. There were holes in the walls and even walls that were partially destroyed by some unknown force. Maybe it was time’s ebb. No one knew. The young man entered through a certain hole in the castle wall that would lead to a special underground passage.

The dim lit corridor and underground passage was just barely able to be used. If not for the fact that Tommy had done what he was doing hundreds of times before, he might have gotten lost. As he came to the end of the corridor, he took a big, readying breath and took the last step. A dazzling light overwhelmed his senses. The familiar scent of a cramped area and aged, rotten wood made him feel like he was back to the old days.

“It’s been a while, Great Spear of Chu.” a deep voice said.

“It sure has, Great Shield of Yan.” tommy returned with a smile.

Johnny sat at the table, a steel shield on his back and a smile on his face. His black hair and deep brown eyes made one feel safe.

“Stop acting like children. Those nicknames are in the past.” another voice interrupted. Tommy glanced further along the table. A white-haired young man with blue eyes sat there, his voice scorning. He humped. “So why are we here? Unlike you, I actually have work to do.”

Tommy and Johnny looked at each other and then murmured in unison. “O’ great sword of Qin, please forg–”

The white haired man, whose name was Thomas, cut them off with a laugh. His initially slightly indifferent face became gentler. He knew he couldn't fool two of his best friends from high school. They knew him inside out. His stone face was like cotton in front of them. “I haven’t seen you for a long time, Tommy. Have you come to terms with your parents yet?”

Tommy’s face darkened. He then smiled wryly in response. Thomas nodded and didn't ask again. They small talked for a while to pass time about how life had been after high school, and all the challenges they had endured.

After about ten minutes, the fourth member of their old gang came. He an axe-wielding, quite short youth with brown hair and a sharp face. His eyes were dark-blue and his clothes were tidy and clean although they should be the same as everyone else wore — the gladiator clothes. But this didn't surprise Tommy and the other two. After all, it was Lark.

“Hey,” Lark said, and sat down by the table.

“Sup, lark? Haven't heard from you for ages? Did you go underground or what?” Johnny asked with a hint of annoyance.

Lark revealed a surprised expression. “No? Why didn't you call?”

The other three people shook their heads.

“What? Why do you look at me like that?”

“You never answer the phone, Lark. Like never.” Johnny continued.

“You could just have sent me a text?” Lark suggested.

The shield bearer sighed. “You know the message I sent you about this meeting?”

Lark nodded with a gulp.

“It took you three days to answer. Three fucking days!” Johnny raised his voice as he slapped the table. Under his blood-essensed strength, it broke apart. “I didn't even send a message to the others until I got your reply!" he shouted.

“Calm down. It was just three days late. Why are you even mad?” Lark said lazily.

Johnny looked like he was about to explode. Tommy quickly restrained him. “Sure, Lark. Just three days. No biggie.” he said, shaking his head, also a bit angry with Lark for being so damn unable to answer the phone.

“Hump.” Johnny forcefully calmed down. In that moment, another figure stepped into the hall. It was a large figure, and everyone knew who it was. Perry was over two meters tall in real life, and was the same here in the game. His long black dreads coupled with the pale skin was a weird sight to see, but there were no race other than the extremely pale one in the game, so he wasn't able to look like he did in real life, his origins being Brazil.

“'Ey, what do we got here.” Perry said and entered the room. He carried large, steel war hammer over his shoulder and was bare-chested, revealing defined chest muscles of a Babarian.

“Perry.” the four people greeted him.

“So, now that we're all here.” Thomas said and glanced at Johnny. “You might as well tell us why we're here?”

Everyone looked at Johnny at waited for him to speak. Tommy silently gave Thomas a thumbs up. Always so direct about things, a good trait only he in the group possessed. Maybe that was why he was the only one who got a job. Well, no one knew if Perry or Lark had one. Especially lark. He truly was a man of few words. Or few replies, that is.

“Well,” Thomas began, glancing at everyone with a grin. “I don't know about you, but I've always felt that– hmm, how should I say this... we've never truly determined who of us is the strongest?”

“The strongest?” Perry said confidently. “That's me, of course. You all know this, don't you?”

Thomas couldn't help but break out in laughter. “You're kidding me aren't you. You? The strongest? My ass.”

“What?” Perry gripped his war hammer and mocked. “Think you can beat me with that scrawny ass sword?”

“Yeah, you have any objection to that, unemployed bastard?” Thomas taunted.

“Fuck, that's enough.” the Brazilian young man rose from his chair.

“Yes, that's enough, let's not get out of place here guys,” Johnny intervened between the two.

Tommy who had stayed silent for the whole time shook his head and said. “You were the one who brought it up though?”

“Hey, aren't you on my side?” Johnny returned as if he had been abandoned.

“Guys,” Lark chimed in. “can you please keep your voice down?”

“Shut up!” the other four shouted. Lark immediately toned down, feeling a bit out of place.

“Alright, let’s calm down.” Johnny made a second attempt to control the situation. “You see, I have a method to see who really is the strongest here. Wanna hear?”

Perry chuckled. “Out with it then, big mouth.”

“A battle royal.” the shield bearer proposed, tilting his head and smiling at the same time. “Tonight.”