by fazwick

“What is intelligence?”

“How do you measure intelligence?”

“You see ladies and gentleman, intelligence is not how much you know, it is your capacity to learn, to understand, to adapt! It is what separate us humans and animals, making us the superior species.”

“As such, we decided to test out the ability of Peril to adapt in the virtual reality environment. Can the world’s most intelligent penguin adapt to the alien environment presented before it?”

The media was starving for the news of Peril. Peril, a penguin who became an international celebrity with the title of most intelligent penguin had recently entered Royal Road. The constant pressure from the media forced Unicorn Corporation, who had sponsored the research, to hold a press conference.

“Will we be able to see Peril’s adventure?” A reporter shouted.

“I’m afraid we will not. All information regarding Peril will be classified information.”

The reason for this was obvious. If Peril’s in game avatar were exposed, players all over would swarm toward it.

“Classified.”

That was the answer given for 90% of the questions asked during the press conference. The press ended leaving many unsatisfied, doubts unclarified.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

****

Faz just got home from the press conference. Working as a reporter left him little time to play his favourite game, Royal Road. He was actually satisfied that Unicorn was being tight lipped on Peril, otherwise his superiors would send him running around for more news.

He hung his coat and undid his tie before slipping comfortably onto his chair. He planned to check his mail before he retired to his bed. To his surprise, his mailbox was flooded with notifications.

“What the hell?” Faz exclaimed as he read the absurdly long title of the forum post. “Lydia, that girl sure knows how to make a title. Let’s see what it says..”

[Guys, I just met the smartest bird in the world on Royal Road. It’s unbelievable. We have to recruit it! We have to recruit that penguin, Peril!]

His eyes widened, Peril was found in game! He knew that he could not let this opportunity slip by. He sent a message to his boss and quickly logged on into Royal Road.

As the flash of light enveloped his sight, replacing the view with a medieval city, he laughed his heart out.

“Finally, I can get paid to play Royal Road!”

*****