Wrynn found himself barred from the castle. Apparently, in order to accept the quest, he had to be at least level 80 and, not knowing what would happen at the end of the Beta Phase, which would end in three weeks' time, the man had his work cut out for him.

The Testers had been told that changes to requirements were to be expected, after the Beta ended. They would be allowed to keep their characters and everything that they possessed regardless of whether or not those things had been affected, but that was it. For Will, whose job hunt still bore no fruits, it didn't matter that much. Everything he didn't yet have, he could learn with patience. Everything except this one bloody quest.

The man had racked his brain every which way he could, but still could not move past the idea that, should this quest's requirements be changed, he would be in trouble. For all he knew, this might have be a one player class. There was only one option he could take: He'd have to accept this quest, before the Beta period was over. This would allow him to keep it, as it had been accepted, regardless of whether or not the requirements had changed: The race was on.

Suddenly, the twenty-two year old's priorities found themselves inside out. Things like going to the Gym and going to the cinema or grabbing coffee with friends seemed unimportant, at best. Even things like eating, showering and sleeping were looking rather dismal for the graduate. Anything time consuming - and by that I mean anything that took more than 10 seconds - would only be performed under critical levels.

And so, for the very first time in his life, William Wrynn had found purpose. Oddly enough, in to a strange twist of fate, it would seem that his aimlessness was the very thing that had allowed him to live a quote/unquote normal life thus far. Because, if this was a show of anything, it was that once this man got his mind to it, he would outlive God himself just to have the final laugh.

About three days before the Launch date, the man had finally pulled it off. Level 80! Massively underfed and under slept, the number of monsters that Wrynn had defeated in these two and a half weeks alone must've ranged in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. He'd practically bankrupted his own character in the repairs and improvements of weapons and armour as well as the purchases of unhealthy amounts of potions. But all of that would soon be a thing of the past. His goal had been reached, and with a few days to spare.

The young brit rushed into the castle once again and proceeded to make his way to the Acting Lord of Argos: Daedalus. His parents had named him after the deranged inventor, but the man was nothing like that. A calm and peaceful ruler, who had maintained his Country in a neutral position for ages was adored by his people.

"Ah! Our esteemed Knight makes his way into my presence at last." Daedalus said. Will had seen him before around Argos but, in being a low-levelled Knight, this was his very first time in an audience with the King.

"Greetings, Sire. Your humble Knight answers your call." Will took a knee until Daedalus motioned him to stand. The man had seen enough films to know his way around dealing with Royalty.

"Ah, the man is modest as well. I have heard many things, hopefully most of them will be true. However, I'm afraid we have little time for small talk. Our Oracles bring word of a dangerous threat lurking in our Kingdoms, and I find myself in great need of strong, quick-witted, loyal Knights that can keep a low profile. And I was advised by your superiors that you would be the man for the job. This will be more than difficult, but I have faith that you will succeed. Can I count on your aid, good Knight?"

Will was much too tired to even consider bursting in joy. And it was good that he didn't because, really, this was neither the time nor the place for it. The man dropped to one knee yet again and kept his answer succinct:

"You can count on me, Sire."

Congratulations! You've entered a quest for a God Element! These quests will only be made available when the game has been properly launched, but worry not! In compensation for your waiting, you will be receiving an added bonus as well.

Wrynn dismissed the notification with a flick of his wrist. He was much too tired to properly read it, but all he knew was that he'd succeeded. For the first time in weeks, it was finally time for a good night's sleep. After logging off from the game, the man drifted away into the best sleep he could remember. He was so tired he didn't even shut off the lights.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Still gripping the VR visor with his right hand, the young brit would accept the Sandman's embrace and doze off for 20 hours straight, in a slumber so profound it looked like he'd been K.O.ed.

Awakening in a disgruntled, but merry state, the man reminded himself of his obligations and got out of bed. Upon cleaning both himself and the house to the most presentable states they'd been in weeks, the man felt that it was time for a much needed run to work his cramped muscles and then treat himself to a proper dinner in a decent restaurant, after which he would return home to see the news report on the Game that would take the world by storm: Pangaea's official launch.

Filled with a sense of self-worth, the man proceeded to sit comfortably on his couch and flip the TV on.

The man on the other side of the screen was Kevin Scott, Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development at the Sanum Per Lusus Corporation, the Swiss company that created Pangaea.

Apparently, SPL's megalomania would be far greater than what anyone would've thought. With the unveiling of the game, the corporation also released an FDA approved VR visor prototype that would be every bit as revolutionary as the game's software. According to Mr. Scott, this machine was somehow able to send electrical impulses through the brain that would exercise the body while people had logged on. This would be - according to them - the new Messiah, as it would provide physical activity with none of its negative counterparts, such as worn out ligaments and the like.

They had long since released this technology for hospitals and military settings, but it had been much too expensive to mass produce until now.

Surprised by the announcement, but not really wanting to spend another few thousand pounds on a piece of equipment that he could do well without, the man reached for his own VR helmet and Launched the game, to try and get a couple of final hours in the Beta, before the next day's Launch, however, he was surprised to find that, even when he tried to log in, all he could see was the press conference.

Just about ready to pull the plug on the machine and go online to do things, Mr. Scott's speech took a sudden turn:

"As some of you more hardcore fans may be aware, our game will now allow people to achieve the famed God Element Classes. What you may not be aware of, however, is the fact that we had allowed our Testers to obtain the quests that supply them, and that we will be giving the first 5 people who've obtained these skills an opportunity to not only test our new VR machine, but be paid to play our game! If any of the viewers at home have gotten their hands on one of these quests, I urge you to check your e-mail addresses. Trust me, you will not regret it."

Intrigued by the Senior VP's words, Will proceeded to open his e-mail address and, just as the man had said, there was something that he could clearly recognise.

From: Pangaea International

To: William Wrynn

Dear Mr. Wrynn,

It is with great pleasure that we inform you that you have been chosen as one of the Pioneers for our new project.

Ever since this company was started, it has been our greatest goal to allow people to better themselves through gaming. With the release of our new VR visor, we now feel closer to achieving this than ever and want to show the world our mindset, and we would like you to help us make this goal a reality.

You, along with 4 other people from your server, are hereby invited to our resort/facility in Switzerland, where your sole goal for a single year will be to further your character and learn from him as much as possible. We will have a team of tutors at the ready for any subject you wish to learn, so long as you feel it may expedite your progress.

Thank you for your time. Should you be interested in taking our offer, please write to us here.

Sincerely,

Pangaea International