*BEEP BEEP BEEP*
I open my eyes, feeling sleepy. But sleep was not important, for today was the day. I rub my eyes as I get off my bed, shutting off the alarm clock. I had barely got a wink of sleep last night, since I was too excited about today.Today, I get my test results!
It was 5:00 AM now, and I had kept an alarm, just so that I could check the results for my exams before my family. I hastily dressed myself, buttoning up my pajamas.I brushed and took a bath. Without a moment to spare, I immediately went towards my computer, wading through my mess of a room. I couldn’t care less about cleaning up, so I just hurried to the computer and switched it on. I was feeling kinda nervous, but still expectant towards my results.
I opened my school’s site and checked the marks that I got. Waiting for my report to load, I absentmindedly kept clicking on the mouse, bored.
The page loads and I check its content, nervous.
“Haaah… Thank god”
I sigh in relief. Thankfully, I had accomplished the objective my parents had set for me. To get above 80% in the overall score. And I did it.
I immediately switched tabs and opened my favorite site.
Tharos Online.
A recently released game. It was at the apex of technological innovation, being the first full immersion virtual reality game. The sense of reality was said to be surreal, and even I could gather that from the videos that were posted online. But from the player’s reviews, it was said that unless you played it, you’d never understand the beauty of it. The Brainhack, the capsule that was needed to play the game, sent some special electric signal to take over the brain’s function. Although I had no idea how.
The moment I’d heard of it, I immediately begged my parents for one. They didn’t refuse my request, rather set a goal for me. A goal which I accomplished. Just a few hours more, I thought to myself. Just a few hours more, and I’ll be in that world.
I clicked on the videos, and began watching the combat scenes of various players.
And then I saw his video. Chaos’s video. One of the top players in Tharos Online, Chaos breezed through the rankings and came to rank 14 in just a year. Currently speculated to be at almost level 312, Chaos’s fighting style was extraordinary. He had some of the best equipment, and his skills were drool-worthy. He actively used skills like
I scrolled through the videos, watching random ones of quests and legendary equipments.
“Hoh~ The Unite guild gained a new territory huh”
I muttered, scrolling through the guild news. Since Tharos Online also had typical MMO like features, guilds were not uncommon. In fact, there were more than thousands of guilds populating Tharos, and Unite was one of the major ones.
The rays of the sun peeked past my window and the night slowly turned to day. I heard my mother calling for me, so excited, I ran downstairs.
“Ah. Woojin. We saw your results”
Mother greets me with a pleasant smile as I enter the room. Her black hair was tied up in a bun behind her head, her calm black eyes fixed on mine. She sets down the cup, and gets up from the sofa. She comes close and hugs me.
“Your mother feels really happy Woojin! Like we promised, we’ll buy that game for you!”
Hehe. It feels good. I hugged mother back, feeling happy.
“Of course, if that game lets your grades drop, it’ll be a different story!”
Father talked to me from the dining room, looking at me from over his spectacles. He had a stern look on his face, but without doubt, even he was happy that I had scored this high. I’m now second in the school rankings, so even Father can’t complain.
“Come now, let’s have some breakfast. Woojin, you can just order what you need online. Father won’t say anything”
Mother winks at me and ushers me to the table, gesturing me to sit. Breakfast~!
******************************************
“Order!”
I clicked the button, my anticipation shooting through the roof. Finally! Finally, I got the game! Tharos Online. My excitement couldn’t be contained, and I just wanted to jump around.
Expected delivery in: 1 hour.
Looking at the info about the delivery, I couldn’t help but finding it amazing. The popularity of Tharos Online was skyrocketing. It was obvious that a lot of people wanted to buy it.
I spent that one hour browsing the site, reading guides and basic information. I enjoyed doing this, and I kept doing it from the moment I heard about this game about a year ago. To my amazement, the Hall of Fame had got an update. A player called SunWrath, had soared to rank 21. That was a huge jump from rank 70. I dreamed to be able to do it, and couldn’t wait for the game.
Finally, my long wait ended. I rushed to the door, hearing the knock. As I opened it, two older men stood there, wearing blue uniforms with caps.
“Is this Kim Woojin’s house?”
One of the men asked me, looking at the notepad in his hands. I nodded, and he quickly gestured to the other person with him. The man ran towards the gate, where a moving vehicle was present. Then, a couple of men, along with the man that went there, carried a box towards the house. To be honest, I could barely keep myself from just ripping apart the box and play it then and there.
“Well then, thank you for shopping with us. Enjoy the game, kid”
One of the uncles pats my head as he leaves, and I bow in respect. He waves his hand, and gets into the vehicle. The vehicle moves away, and I wave goodbye to them.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Unable to restrain myself, I dashed inside the house and headed to the now installed capsule in my room.
“Woojin, I know you have your holidays, and that you got that games, but you should come down here too!”
“Yes mother!”
I lightly reply to mother and rush up the stairs, and barge into my room. My eyes widen in wonder, gazing at the wonder before me.
A huge blue capsule, which was held inside a white structure. On it, the words Brainhack were written, in stylish italics. I could barely keep myself from drooling, and quickly shut the door.
I shut the windows, covering the room in a dim light. I headed towards the capsule, anticipation welling up in me. A world of magic and swords. And I’m going to be in it!
I touched the surface of the smooth blue capsule, and pressed the button on the side. Slowly, the capsule opened, revealing a seat inside it. I climbed inside the capsule, settling down in the comfy seat. I pressed another button on the inside, and the capsule closed. I settled back into the seat and placed my hands on the armrest. Handcuff like structures grab my arms, and something like a steel cage covers my head. I close my eyes, and immerse myself into the game.
“Welcome, new user “
The words echo through my head, and the words Zedex gaming flash before my eyes. The game company that released Tharos Online.
Then, suddenly, I was standing in a black space. It was pitch black throughout, but I could feel everything. I could move my body, as if I never were inside the capsule. It was a strange feeling. Then, a green light glowed from a distance.
“Welcome to Brainhack. This is a virtual space designed by it. Please do not be alarmed.”
After a pause, the voice continued.
“We have completed a full body scan on you. Would you like to register yourself?”
“Yes”
“Creating new entry. Please state your name.”
After some deliberation, I gave the name.
“Nexus”
“Please stand by…. You have been registered. Would you like to enter the game?”
“Yep!”
“Entering game…”
The surroundings changed, and the dark space changed to a blinding white.
“Welcome, Nexus, to Tharos Online. Please pick your race”
A list of races opened up before me.
Pure bloods
Human
Elf
Dwarf
Druid
Fairy
Qin
Undead
Half breeds
Melusine
Wendigo
Nephilim
I explored the list, trying to find one that seemed to be interesting. People could live almost however they wanted, enjoying the world of Tharos Online. Playing as a human would be best for me, but it would be terribly boring, since most people would choose it anyways. After pondering for a bit, I made my choice.
“Nephilim”
It seemed cool too. The Nephilim were half Qin and half Druid. With debuffs and close combat as their forte, a Nephilim would be kinda cool to play, I think.
“This is the character modification space. You may modify your character here. You have been selected as the base, but you may change it if desired. “
Before me, a model of me appeared. It was like looking at a mirror, but there were some differences. I was taller, and a lot more paler. My face had some black markings, covering the area around my eyes and my chest. I moved closer to it, wondering how to modify it.
Struck by inspiration, I thought of changing my hair to white, and it immediately changed. Continuing with it, I went wild with it, and changed myself a lot more. A bit taller, with a few more muscles. I changed the hair to a dark blue. But I couldn’t modify the red irises, since it seemed that it was a racial trait.
“Done”
“Pick your starting position”
A map opened up before me, highlighting several places. The world in Tharos Online was huge. And what made it huge was that there were two worlds. The world that users could play in, and a rumored secret world, that was still unexplored and undiscovered. There were X’s and O’s.
“Um, what are those?”
I asked the AI, doubtful whether it would respond.
“The crosses represent areas that are not suggested for your race, since it may be that your race might not be welcome there. The circles represent areas that are recommended for you”
I randomly selected a kingdom, the Sevia kingdom. It was a bit east in the map of Tharos, away from the central continents. The central continents would be crowded I figured. I might travel there, after I get stronger.
“Confirm choices?”
All three of my choices floated before me, and I gave my affirmation. By now, I was pretty much raring to run free in the game, adrenaline pumping through me.
“Welcome to Tharos Online, Nexus”