Author Note: Seeing the view count, I can't help but think readers are coming to this chapter without reading Prologue. I kindly request readers to read prologue. Yes, increase in view count is one reason, but also my story has many grammatical mistakes, so I believe reading Prologue will give better idea of the story. I will try to write coming chapters while minimizing the mistakes.
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Standing before his clean capsule, Sam was fidgeting whether to enter it or not. Today morning his mother found him waking up from some nightmare and asked him explain, felt guilty for not looking after her son better when he told about the nightmare that had been repeating for some years. Though her guilt was misplaced, as he never went through any kind of childhood-trauma, she felt she was responsible for not finding about it sooner. Those reason less repeating dreams of some not-yet-occurred situation was making her son helpless every night. She understood the reason for him to try harder at every thing he does, was because he wanted to feel little better as he was being helpless in his own dreams. She also concluded of the reasons he didn't enter [ToH] was because virtual reality was a little similar to dream like state, he didn't want to enter it and lose the little confidence he had. She tried to make him understand that may be if he thought VRMMO [ToH] was a little different, and going through his adventures in [ToH] might make him able to overcome the same nightmares? Having eavesdropped the whole conversation, his brother John too joined his mother encouraging Sam to get into [ToH] and told him he will get better.
'I just went through most embarrassing situation in my life. After this, my mother and John both will think I am living with sadness in my heart. It was my fault to break down, having seen her first thing in the morning. I always was the first one to wake up due to these nightmares. My mistake for studying late.' talking to himself Sam was still indecisive to whether get into the capsule or not.
John - "Hey, you do know that in the 'Training Hall' present before 'Gateway', skills will be generated faster than in the whole game itself. All you need to do is the correct movement few times, skill is generated. Though only tier 1 skills and if we are lucky tier 2 sometimes. Get them as many as you can. In the game, it is really tiresome to generate new skills and no one teaches us any."
Sam - "Ah, I know that. Since there is no limit to amount of skills that can be registered in this game, that place is like a cheat place. Pity that we can only stay there for 1 hour. After that we will have to enter the game through gateway."
John - "Hmm, I think you don't know but there is a way to stay in the 'Training Room' for an extra hour. It seems player has to pay a price for second usage of the training room."
Sam - "Price?"
John- "Usually when the players has some kind of damage to their body and they don't have any kind of conditions statuses, their body gets repaired in 1 hour. Many players had faced some serious body damages while clearing dungeons and have survived because of this body repair feature. And due to this all the players or heroes have perfect body in the game. But when player requests the gatekeeper for extra usage of training room, the price gatekeeper asks is whether the 'hero has the guts to lose a limb of his?'. It seems for extra usage of training room, player needs to pay with his body and that body part doesn't get re-paired unlike the usual game feature. And from the forum someone did accept the price and gatekeeper with his clean and sharp sword hacked the player's hand in one go. Then the said player died in in front of Gatekeeper due to blood loss. He didn't even use the training room for another hour and found himself in the [ToH] later with no service points having not killed any of those monsters in Gateway. Gatekeeper was mumbling, "If he didn't have any [healing skill], why did he let himself get hacked.""
Sam -"That's harsh. He didn't gain anything."
John - "Forums said he deleted his character because of the penalties gained from 'The Handicapped Hero' title. At least now we all know what happens and there was a talk on how a beginner can get tier 2 [healing skill]."
Sam - "Thanks for letting me know."
John -" And in the gateway kick the dragon's ass."
San - "Wasn't your ass kicked by him?"
John - "Yeah, It is given it will be same for you. The dragon was impossible. I jumped onto him and tried to cut him, with beginners sword no damage was done to those scales. Dragon had his stomach scales of different color from rest of the body, I thought they would be little delicate, no they were not. You might think his eyes would pierceable,but no. I tried them too. And tired from running around me, the dragon burned everything there with his 'dragon's breath' and I found myself in chosen beginner city."
Sam - "I wouldn't try to kill dragon, for that matter I won't kill any monster. I have my reasons."
John - "What? Well, that's just like you. Ah, and don't forget to do your usual meditation you do in the training hall."
Sam looking warily at his brother - "That's strange of you to say. You always used to tease me when I used to meditate after ours usual brawls. I used to do it to overcome the exhaustion and control the muscle pains you gave me during the fights."
John - "Well.. "
Sam - "??"
John - "In that training hall, I was practising with swords and was exhausted after mere 20 minutes and sat down on the floor. I instinctively was reminded that I somehow was looking like my pathetic losing brother, so I just did what you usually do. Sit in that some eastern country's yoga cross legged pose and breathing as if relieving the exhaustion through breathing and wola I got ''tier 2' skill [Ki-Meditation], how cool is that."
Sam -"You didn't even give me your thanks. And now that I think about it, you stopped disturbing me during meditation after we bought [ToH]. You used to go away telling you will go play [ToH] and you went and did what? 'Ki- Meditation' ah? I don't even know how should I react, whether to get angry at you or happy that what I was doing was some kind of skill there in game."
John- "You have level 158 brother playing the game, if you come and beg for money, I am sure to give it to you. Now enough talking. Get inside the capsule."
Sam - "....let's discuss more about [ToH], okay. I will play it after some time."
John - "..."
John - "You are still afraid to get inside? hmm. How about this I will do one thing whatever you ask of me without any questions asked. Think for yourself, your brother never gives any wishes like these."
Sam - "That's tempting.. but ... Okay. You promise, right. You would do any one thing I said without questioning and also will not taking any kind of revenge."
John- "You plan to make me do some embarrassing thing, aren't you.? Okay, I will do anything you say."
Sam - "I thought you would reject."
John - "Would have, but I never saw you cry for many years. Well, I am sure you would find [ToH] so interesting and frightening that your nightmare won't remain nightmares. "
Sam -"Okay, I will get into capsule, but as for what I want you to do, is never mention that damn crying thing I did today morning ever again."
John - "tck, you are no fun. Good Luck. ah, and you remember right the unlimited number of skills may be generated by yourself through repeated actions, but you can only have 3 skills 'spoon-fed' by NPC. And don't bother yourself with that 'Black Cube' or 'Class' until you level up your skills."
Sam - "I know". Sam reluctantly gets into the capsule.
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Do you want to connect to Trials of Heroes ?
"Yes"
In a white space of unknown dimension appears a young man curiously looking around despite having heard of it lot of times.
"Feels little like waking up in dream. That's why I didn't want to come here."
What do you want your hero's name be?
"Aa....ra.. su" looking little excited at the pop up that appeared before him.
Your hero's name will be : Arasu
'I don't even know what that name is. I just made it up. I can live with it.'
Please state which gender your hero want to be
"I thought hero is masculine?"
It is 'Grammatically'. But in 'Trials of Heroes', 'Hero' word will be considered for both sexes. Please state which gender you want your Hero to be.
"Male"
Your gender has been set to 'male'.
There are 47 races present of which 14 races have been unlocked. Please choose one.
In the white space, 14 different races consisting of Human, Elf, Dwarf, were people of different families, ogre, orc and mixed races were present, each one resembling the same face of Sam.
"I don't know anything more about races than what I have read. I need to check all these avatar here, can I touch them? "
You have your all your senses intact with pain absorption of 80%.
"Thank you, but I have another request, I don't go for usual outer appearances, can I have the skeleton structure with tendons."
All the muscles and skins of all the character's disappeared.
"No pop up came. Translucent pop ups were kind of interesting to look at."
Going towards the skeletons, Sam unknowing to himself started whistling a tune. Had those skeleton had any lives, they would have seen curious and yet dangerous eyes of a zoologist.
After what took an eternity, "I did learn lot of skeletons than what I did in biology lab. Classes should be started in [ToH]."
Bill is yet pending in many countries, but using Virtual Reality as means of education would soon be possible.
Shocked at sudden reply of A.I for his own unintentional opinion made him take a step back.
"Thanks for the information, I would now want them to have muscles."
All the skeletons, now had muscles.
"Tck, no pop again?" Going again into study of different unlocked races of [ToH], Sam was lost in his own world.
"Can you give me the characteristic feature of each organ in all the races while showing the organs. "
All the skinless avatar had some organs in them, each having a popup connecting to each organ.
"I am sorry, A.I, I will be taking time, why don't you take care of others things," said Sam realising how much time he has spent and will spend.
I have enough power to multitask, please take your time in choosing your race, wisely. You can not change them, unless you complete a Race-quest.
"It seems I had been misleading. I have already chosen my race. I just wanted to study all other races, that's all. Sorry for that."
Studying different races for personal races is accepted. But these information can be found in the libraries any city.
"But they would fail to show a visual, and sense of touch, smell and taste. "
Yes, not everyone would check every other races with all their senses from inside out. But everyone has their reasons.
"..."
"You were looking at me all the time. Whatever, I am busy with all these races, and the feeling is pretty realistic. Even better than a dream. In dream, even if we want to do something, things don't go our way. This VR is interesting. I like it. "
Thanks for appreciating Virtual Reality.
"Ha ha, your messages are so much like human. But have to say a polite one. Okay, will talk with you later."
All the avatars if have had life, would have committed suicide for all the test or check the teenager did on all the races.
"I have decided, I will want to be a human."
All the races expect human disappeared.
You can change your appearances to your liking.
"Thank you, but again, as I have said before, can I change the appearances from the bones."
And change can be made, with end result of 'Hero' being a Human and having at least 25% of your appearance.
"Okay, stop me when I go overboard."
The avatar with same replica of Sam, but with only bone could be seen. He has spent all the time till now to study how each part was emphasised by each race. Elves known for agility, Dwarf known for craftsmanship and many more, each had their plus points. Changing his body structure as much as he can, he wanted to bring out the best a human being can produce.
After a many grueling hours, he made all the necessary changes to all the internal body parts he could accomplish, he went for the outer appearance.
He hadn't made any changes his height. He had a strong sense of distance or measurement. He wouldn't be able to live to changes in height in VR and real life. He made his eyes into black in color, skin without any kind of spots, and made his hairstyle which also black in color such that, it won't fall over his eyes. He hated when hair blocked his vision.
With the same height almost same face and color, a replica of Sam with different color eyes and hair was standing before him.
"So this is how I look, with all those changes. Not much different on outside. We will see how different I will be when I am playing. " Happy with his work, "umm, I didn't catch you name? What is your good name, A.I?"
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I am a character creation process of main A.I. I don't have name. I have number. Number is not disclosed.
"Well, that number is your name, I suppose. It's fine, if you can't disclose. My name is Sam and when I am Hero, I will be Arasu. Nice to meet you."
Nice to meet you. Sam a.k.a Arasu. Though after character creation, you would never be able to meet me.
Little disappointed at not being able to meet this A.I process again, "I have created my avatar."
You can choose your beginning city.
"I will, but I am kind of hungry. Can you save my data till now, I will come again."
It is possible. Your avatar has been saved. After choosing the beginning city, Hero - Arasu will be activated.
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Coming out of capsule, he found his mom reading a book while sitting on a chair.
Mom - "Did you face any difficulties? How was the gateway monsters? Were you okay with them?"
Sam - "I felt little nauseous looking at white space, but the pop ups and race selections healed it. I didn't go to through the gate, yet."
Mom - "You were present in the capsule for pretty long time. You wasted all the time to change your appearance. Why change your face, it is beautiful."
Sam little irritated - "I am no girl to be beautiful, and I don't have any interest in appearances. i was studying all the races available. Got their skin and muscles removed, checked each and every part."
Mom - "Just like THOSE mobile phones?"
Sam - "...."
Sam - "yeah, just like those mobile phones."
Mom - "I would have hate to be the specimen being displayed to you. Why do you have to check every thing inside out.?"
Sam - "I am hungry, let's eat something." ignoring her question, he made to kitchen followed by his mom.
Mom giving Sam few hot sandwiches and chocolate milk - "Don't get frightened when you see those bunnies or wolves. Make friends before you go inside the gate, so that they can help you..."
Sam - "Mom, monsters don't frighten me. Helplessness does. I want to help myself."
Mom remembering his reason to playing scolded herself internally for not making good words - "But having friends is not a bad thing. You help yourself and them too. Inturn they reciprocate. That shouldn't be a problem."
Sam - "We have a problem here. No one will want to be a friend of mine. And there is a reason too."
Mom - "Why wouldn't they? You are a great kid to be friends with."
Sam - "I have no intentions of killing monsters as of now."
Mom - "....." after a little pause , "Then what will you do? You won't get any service point without kill monsters and also no level up. "
Sam - "I don't know, will see after I go there. I don't think I want to go kill any animals. But I will survive. Don't fear. If I find same minded people, I will make friends."
Happy that her son is a kind person and little guilty sending her son to go against monsters, she sees him getting inside the capsule.
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After connecting to [ToH], Sam was again at the same place he had left before. Standing against his Hero Avatar.
"I want to choose the city with largest library covering all kinds of novels of that World."
Largest library is present in Brinda City with varied range of literature. Can I fix 'Brinda' as beginning city?
"Yes."
Hero Arasu will be activated now.
Conscience from Sam slowly loosing and for a moment he could see and sense both his body and avatar Arasu, then he found his 'Sam' body disappearing. All his senses were that of 'Arasu'.
"So, now I am a hero. It was nice meeting you, A.I process. Had wished to talk with you again."
You can talk with me everytime you die.
".... "
"But didn't you say, I can't meet you again.?"
I am connected to main A.I, I am a single entity. Any kind of interaction with A.I is an interaction to me.
"But what was that number which can't be disclosed and all that?"
The process number for Character creation process is not disclosed.
"...um. I don't get it, but just answer this question - I can talk with you?"
No restriction on interaction between user Sam a.k.a Hero - Arasu and main A.I is present.
"Great. Let's go to next process."
Two doors light brown in color, with shades of green like creepers grown on the door appear in front of Arasu. The doors with height of 8 feet and width of 4 feet each with no hinges or supports were looking beautiful or may colorful in the totally white surroundings. Arasu ran in circles around the door looking for handles for he was confused whether they were 'Push' or 'Pull' doors.
Entering from either direction of the door will make you reach the same destination. You will appear in the waiting room of Gate. Further details will be explained by incharge present there.
Pushing the doors open and entering, Arasu found himself in a room with no windows, size big enough for 100 people with many doors leading to different areas. This room contained two types of people with same type people wearing similar clothes. The first type or people who were looking elegant wearing same colored uniform unlike the other group, looked as if they were explaining certain things to people of other category, of which Arasu was a part of.
Arasu and many other beginners were wearing similar clothes made up of leather and cotton. Of the beginners many looked excited and many looked confused.
The uniform clad person approached Arasu, "Sir Hero, you happened to appear now. Let me explain things in here to you. This place is a waiting room of the Gateway. You need to go through the GATE present inside that room to be able to appear in the world you are being summoned to." pointing to a room whose door is opened. "Do you have any questions?"
Arasu - "Yes, what happens after we enter the gate and is it important to enter?", despite having idea about the gate due to his family who also plays this VRMMO game, Arasu couldn't but help ask it.
"Inside the gate, you would show our world how you can be our hero, and in turn you can know how ferocious our world is. You need not go through this process again. Once you have entered the gate, the gate will remember you and you can freely enter or leave the world as per your wishes from next time. You can collect any weapon you would like to use from the weaponry room which even contains magic wands present- there, and train yourself in that training room." pointing to both the rooms he continued, "That training room is special, you can generate skill faster than any place in our world. But it can only be accessed for 1 hour after which you will find your self before the gate." Having completed all the things he needed to say that middle aged man looked as if is there anything Arasu wanted to clarify.
Arasu - "How was the training room made special? And who are summoning me?"
Quite shocked at unexpected question, the man answered, "You don't know who are summoning you? Okay. You are being summoned by the goddess of our world. She is the same person blessed the training room. As to which goddess summoning you hero is unknown to us people."
Arasu - "You have explained me all the things I would need to do from now on. Thank you for you time. I never introduced my myself, I am Arasu. What is your name? How do you even go back your own world or stay here near the gate?
Giving a little chuckle at the questions given by Arasu, the man continued, "I am Glard Telon, I was requested by goddess herself to take care of newly appearing Hero just as all others." refering to all other people wearing same uniform, Glard continued," We work in shifts, for you all are summoned at different time. We go back to home and sleep with our family. "
Arasu satisfied with clearing all doubts he harbored when others talked about ToH asked, "Apart from weapons, do you have other things? "
Glard confused with the question, "Weaponry also contains magic wands, what other things are you referring too?"
"Bandages"
Little anxious at the unexpect request from newly appeared Hero, Glard check through few windows which only uniformed people can access.
"Lucky, Yeah. Bandages are present. I didn't know because no one asked before. As an apology for not being perfectly informed, let me get that for you. How much do you want?" accessing few windows Glard happily ask.
Concluding that glard can access this place storage from anywhere, Arasu answered, "Maximum amount I can get."
"ah, you see, since I can access whole storage, and you have 'Inventory' that can store any amount of items...." pointing out the absurd amount Arasu asked for Glard visibly pale explained.
"You decide how much bandages a hero summoned to your world might need, give that much amount. I don't want to see in my inventory that I lack bandages. Being left to death because of blood loss is way too pathetic."
"Is it okay? they are not high grade bandages"
"That is fine. As I said, those bandages will be for emergency purposes. And everytime, I use them I would be wholeheartedly thanking kind hearted Glard who I first met in this world."
Glard understanding that he would be the very reason for saving the life a Hero in future, happily transferred a huge amount of bandages to hero Arasu who never in his game life will ever need to buy them.
"Thank You, Glard. I am very grateful to you. Where do you live?"
Glard- "I live in Konark, of Susenin Kingdom."
"I will be beginning my journey from Brinda, do u have any idea where it is?"
"Ah, Let me give you things which I was told to give you Heroes when they appear." Glard took out a canteen filled with water, 20 pieces of bread, and a map. "Takes these things into your inventory. You will need them."
As soon as Arasu kept all the items inside it,
You have acquired 'World Map'. 'World Map' had been included as user game feature.
'World Map' allows the user to look at his present location in the world. All the discovered and published places or areas will appear on the Map. All the areas traversed by the user be shown. User can make marks on the map for reminders which can be removed.
Arasu satisfied with what all he could acquire, "I seem to have been equipped with everything I needed. When I come to Konark, I will sure to meet you."
"It would be a pleasure to meet you again, Hero Arasu"
Leaving Glard, Arasu went into weaponry to get himself a pair of daggers. He never used knives before in his life. Magic was little tempting, but with the plans to learning 'Ki-Meditation' his brother acquired, he planned to go with pure physical type. As soon as he entered the training room, he received a pop up.
Hero Arasu have entered 'Training Room of Heroes'. You have been given permission to use this room for 1 hr.
Time Remaining 0:59:45
Time was ticking. Arasu casually went towards a remote training dummy away from other people.
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Hero Lee was from a family of martial art practitioners in the real world. His family taught him martial arts since his childhood. They ingrained into him all the basic forms of their family arts. Having become a teenager, with abundant energy and experience he wanted to try his hand in ToH. He loved martial arts, and he wanted to use ToH as a place for his training. Having enter ToH and naming himself Lee, he was told to go to training room to get some skills after which he will fight continuous waves of monsters. He knew from his friends, he would die there, but if many monsters are killed, more service points along with experience would be acquired. He was told service points were kind of important for the Heroes in this world of ToH. But what really interested him about these monsters is at last a Dragon would come to kill them all. He wanted to fight it. Not many survived till the dragons appearance. Some said it might be hoax, but there were picture of it all over the net. For to survive till dragon emergence he needed more talented people entering the gate with him. He was looking around the training room for anyone strong, when he suddenly felt air slowly hitting him on his face as if someone passed him, he looked back to see a newcomer going toward a training dummy.
"Why didn't I notice him even though he just passed me. It was as if I just overlooked him."
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Author's Note:
I have few ideas over skills that Arasu can acquire. But I don't think with such a setting a few would do a justice. So, can anyone suggest me what skills they would like our hero to have. But please see to it that, they are not big big skills like 'Mana Manipulation' or something like that. I mean skill you think that can be acquired starting from scratch.
Ch1. Gateway is divided into three parts.
part1 : Character Creation
part2 : training room
part3 : Faceoff with Dragon
I am sure, this chapter was kinda boring as no story went forward, but I i will try to make it better from coming chapters. Thank you for reading.