The hum of the engines of the airplane reverberated softly through the cabin as Nico was settled into his seat, seatbelt sliding across his lap. He gazed outside the window, having the seat furthest from the aisle, the clouds outside covering all that he could see, a blanket of snow-white for as far as the horizon stretched.
Nico's thoughts drifted back to three months ago, when that fateful night in June changed his world forever. The tutorial quest, the Shadowmaw, and more importantly, the discovery that he was a part of an entire new, worldwide occurrence that he found referred to as the player phenomenon. Over the span of summer break, Nico had done a lot in terms of adapting to this new life, and he had learned a lot as well about his new reality.
After the initial whirlwind of questions, surprise, and shock, Nico found himself slowly but surely adapting to the new circumstances, something he was sure happened specifically because he awakened as a player. After dragging himself home post-combat, Nico woke up the next day finding himself making sure that everything that happened the night before was not a dream, to which he found out that his suspicions were correct.
He discovered that all around the world, the player phenomenon had occured. People found out that they were now part of a global community of players, people who had unlocked specific MMORPG-like features, including classes and quests. The latter was the entire purpose and driving force behind players' existences–the overall system, a nebulous machination that drove player progression, issued quests in order for the individual to grow stronger, and in accordance with their current situations.
People seemed to awakened at random, but there have been some patterns detected. But overall, awakening allows individuals to accept their new reality much quicker, not questioning as deeply the nature of their new lives, or why everything was happening. Of course, still, a large number of people attempted to figure out what was happening and why, to which they were completely stumped.
New discoveries about the system were made occasionally, but there had been no groundbreaking news ever since the beginning of the player phenomenon, which Nico found out was relatively recent in the grand scheme of things, only within the past couple of decades. Furthermore, awakenings disproportionately affected young adults, and few people older than their mid-twenties ever awakened, meaning the population of players skewed heavily from the earliest age ranges of teenagers to people in their early twenties.
Nico, an eighteen-year-old, fit perfectly into the age distribution. And even though the player phenomenon was relatively recent, humans adapted quick. Organizations known as guilds popped up, being the main gathering of players who affiliated themselves with one another to further each others' gains. Furthermore, being a player meant that sometimes, quests gave you rewards that translated to real world currency, which mean that it was a viable career choice, as well.
However, only the strongest and highest tiers of players were able to conquer quests that gave them enough money to rival a physician's pay, for example. But one thing was certain that Nico realized–once you awakened, there was no going back. Therefore, it was better to immerse oneself into the world of players rather than to stay out of it, because quests will occur no matter what to you.
He also found out that he was quite the anomaly, as most players began with simpler classes, such as Warrior, Knight, or Magician, and evolved their classes over time with progression. But for Nico, who awakened directly as a unique–he had not heard of any other person with the Witchblade class–archetype, he not only did not have to go through the harsh rigor of evolving his class, but he was set from the start stronger than many other beginners.
So over the summer, Nico focused on one thing and one thing only, getting accustomed to being a player and unlocking what he had lost–that is, his strength in the game. It seemed as if his case was special, where he unlocked the same class that he had wielded in a real-world video game he played years ago. Around the Bay Area he was located in, there were an assortment of guilds and mega-guilds that controlled much of the territory, so most new players either joined them or stayed unaffiliated.
Nico, on the other hand, chose to keep his presence lowkey as to not reveal himself to the player world just yet. He wanted to make sure he was capable of protecting himself, as the player world was a dangerous one, before he started embarking on any quests with fellow players. Therefore, throughout the entire three months before he was off for college in New York City, Nico practiced by himself, completing tutorial quests.
At the end of it, he was once again familiar with using Tear, the magic scimitar in its most basic form, and had gotten used to his passive skills as well. The rules and intricacies were still something that was new to Nico, so he opted to pursue any next moves with caution, as to get used to the unfamiliar environment.
Then, the boy's mind drifted to the incredible amount of healing he had to do over the summer to mend his broken heart. He still often thought of Miyoung, as she was his first love, and those feelings did not fade away easily, if at all. But between immersing himself into his class, which took up much time, and spending time alone, Nico hadn't realized it, but he had already changed vastly from the person he was in June.
He then thought about the future, and what awaited him. New York City, a brand new metropolis with places he had never been and people he would form bonds with. The prospect of attending college was exciting yet nerve-racking, but for someone's first time away from home for this long, Nico was especially anxious about what the future would hold now that he was a player, as well.
Nico's deep train of thought went on for hours, the entire duration of the flight flying by in no time as he was consumed by rumination. And before he knew it, the flight attendant's voice over the intercom announced their imminent arrival in JFK Airport, jolting Nico from his cerebration.
Staring out the window once more, he saw the concrete jungle that was New York City, a beacon of possibilities and future endeavors awaiting him. As the plane began to descend, a rush of fear–and anticipation–flooded through his system, his mind set on what was to come.
Approximately thirty minutes later, and the black-haired youth found his way towards the baggage claim area, awaiting the large suitcase he had packed all of his closet into. Nico only brought a carry-on suitcase and a backpack, not requiring too many items as he had lived a somewhat minimalist life before.
The bustling energy of the urban sprawl greeted Nico as he stepped out of the airport after another couple minutes of waiting, his suitcase in tow. He had prepared a thought-out plan to make it to his dorm, and that simply involved grabbing a taxi and making his way to the part of Brooklyn where the Excelsior Institute was located.
The cacophany of voices, blaring horns, and city noises resonated within Nico as he took it all in, attempting to shake off the tiredness he had accumulated from the long flight. However, he realized that ever since his awakening, his vitality had significantly shot up, and while he felt mildly tired, his senses were as sharp as ever.
Before he knew it, a yellow car pulled up beside him, and Nico greeted the driver as he gathered his suitcases in the trunk of the vehicle, telling the driver where he wished to be taken. From then on, the labyrinth of the Big Apple unfolded before Nico as he stared out the window the entire time, not taking his eyes off the bustling cityscape.
It was similar to his home of San Francisco, which wasn't as big or populated as where he was now. Nico immediately thought back to Paris, his home away from home that he had gone to most summers as his mother was born there to Vietnamese immigrants but attended university in the United States, where she met his father. The metropolis of New York City can only be compared to one of the major European capitals, and a pang shot through his heart as he thought about how he told Miyoung he would take her there one day.
Shaking off the sudden melancholic notion, Nico watched the skyscrapers gave way to the campus of where he would be staying for the next three years, the Excelsior Institute. A private university, its location was exactly what Nico had hoped for when picking a school, and its international renown as a European-style educational facility drew in many students from all over the world. Furthermore, during his research of the player world, Nico had found out that amongst the East Coast of the United States, Excelsior's player community hosted one of the most prominent organizations for students, a group that was known throughout the country.
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But that was for later–right now, he was focused on getting settled into his dormitory. Students at Excelsior in their first year usually shared a dorm with a roommate, and Nico's randomly matched roommate was a person named Kadin Abaza, a name which appeared to him via an email that the school sent. Other than that, he had no clue who this person was or how they would be like.
The taxi driver pulled up at the curb, where he coincidentally saw other students–in taxis and personal cars–unloading their items as it was move-in day, after all. Nico thanked the man who drove him, paying via credit card before lifting his suitcases out of the trunk. It was normally an activity that would have required much effort and stamina from someone who was not the most physically fit, but ever since awakening, Nico's physicality had gone up much above the average human's.
He dragged around the suitcases with no issue, even though they were quite heavy. Furthermore, he did not feel any of the fatigue that accompanied carrying around such weighty containers, allowing him to shuffle into the building faster. Excelsior had a few different residence halls located on the outskirts of campus all lumped together, so most of the freshman class lived near one another. Campus was in the middle of the city, meaning a few city blocks were dedicated to Excelsior buildings, but other than that, it was in the middle of downtown Brooklyn, making the university an extremely lively and animated everyday.
Nico entered the lobby of the residence hall he had been assigned to, and he was greeted by a buzz of activity–students moved in and out, mingling with one another with the bustle of moving in for their first days of college. There was a front desk set up, presumably just for the move-in process by the RAs.
A friendly girl that looked a few years older welcomed him with a warm smile, presumably having done this a number of times today already.
"Hi! Here to check into your dorm?" She asked, noticing the luggage Nico was carrying. Nico merely nodded before she asked, "Name?"
"Nico Zhong." The boy replied, offering a polite smile in return.
Typing a few things into the computer she had in front of her, the receptionist stared at her computer screen for a few seconds, inputing activity with her mouse and keyboard before finally looking up at Nico again.
"All checked in. You're in Room 214–let me get your key." She then turned around and dug through the cabinets behind her, which held an assortment of clanging, metallic cylindrical objects. Then, the older girl pulled out a key and handed it to Nico, saying, "Here you are."
He grabbed it, uttering a "thank you" before making his way towards the elevator. It was only the second floor, so he would not have to travel much, but right now with all of the baggage he was carrying, taking the stairs would be more inconvenient. The only one in the elevator, Nico pressed the button to the second floor, scanning his student card which was mailed to him a few days before he embarked on his flight.
The elevator took him up two floors before the doors opened, allowing Nico to go forward and find his room. Down the hall, he saw that many doors were already opened, typical of a first-day college move-in floor. Making his way toward Room 214, he noticed that his door was open as well, and Nico slipped inside, making sure to not cause a ruckus with his suitcases.
His curiosity peaked when he saw a figure inside the room already, sitting on one of the unlofted beds, someone who Nico had to guess was his roommate. Seeing the boy come in, Kadin, as Nico remembered, perked up. Looking up from the phone that was preoccupying his attention, Kadin stood up.
"Hey there, let me help you with that. Nico, right?" Nico first noticed that the boy stood at an impressive few inches taller than himself, head a bed of curly black hair. Nico snapped out of his train of thought to respond.
"Hi, yeah, thanks," He said as Kadin scooted over to grab one of the suitcases for him. "You're Kadin?"
"That's me," Answered the taller boy, "I took this bed–hope you don't mind."
Nico shook his head, "Not at all," before settling his items down on the other bed in the room. The space was not at all big, only a little larger than the size of Nico's old bedroom in San Francisco. As they exchanged pleasantries, Nico began set down his suitcases under his bed for now, planning to truly unpack later.
It was afternoon now, and there was plenty of time later to unpack–after all, he would have all school year to live in that space, meaning he would eventually have to unpack anyways. Therefore, it could wait for now.
But when he looked up again, Nico realized he saw something strange. Out of nowhere, atop Kadin's head appeared white text similar to the screen-like features he saw from the system when he was assigned quests.
Nico froze for a second before he read the text as . In a second, the text changed from that to
Eyes wide open, Nico began to mutter, "Are you-" before Kadin cut him off when he realized it, too.
"You're a player!" Kadin exclaimed with a hushed tone as to not spread the vociferation too loudly. And then it all clicked for Nico. The player phenomenon was going to affect his life in truly tremendous ways–first and foremost, his very own roommate was a fellow player, which was already a gateway into the player world.
"I'm assuming that's what the text over your head means? It changed from question marks to your name." Nico stated, and Kadin gave him a taken aback look.
"Are you newly awakened?" The taller boy queried, to which Nico guessed he asked a rookie-like question. After Nico nodded, Kadin said, "That figures. That's what happens when you officially greet a fellow player–otherwise, they have question marks over their names; that's how you tell which ones are one of us, and who aren't."
Nico nodded, taking in the information; it seemed if he had a lot to learn about this world. "So how long have you been a player? You're the first player I've met since I awakened earlier in the summer." Nico inquired, as he hadn't gotten to talk to any since he awakened.
"In middle school. That's when most of the people I know awakened. I'm from the Bronx, so I know this city pretty well." He responded to Nico's surprise. A longtime player and a New York City native. He was proving to be an impressive introduction into the city and the player world, already.
"Wow, what class are you?" Nico questioned, not able to contain his curiosity.
Kadin chuckled a little before answering, "Usually, it's rude to ask another player's class. Most are unfriendly and knowing someone's class lets you know their weaknesses. But since we'll be friends, I'm a Magic Archer."
Nico's eyes widened at the accidental discourtesy and said, "Oh! Sorry about that. I'll keep that in mind. Since you shared, I'll also tell you my class." He did also note a sense of camaraderie and gratefulness, as the boy was treating a new player such as himself with kindness instead of uncouthness. He also noted Kadin's class–Magic Archer–something he hadn't heard of before, though Nico could imagine what the archetype consisted of.
"No need," Kadin said, cutting Nico off slightly, "I'll find out later, anyways. You free tonight, by the way?"
Nico didn't need to think about an answer, as he was quite new to the city and didn't know anyone, Kadin being the first person whom he even knew the name of, "No, why?"
"One of my friends from high school is throwing a little houseparty, want to come? You can meet some new people, get to know the city more on your first night. I can tell you're not from around here, so you probably don't know many people, right?" Kadin proposed, and at that moment, Nico realized that he had lucked out on his roommate. Often, he heard horror stories of people's roommates being terrible companions, but he knew that in this instance, Kadin was someone to be friends with.
"Yeah, I'm from San Francisco. I would love to come," Nico said, "Are these players, too?"
"Some of them, but most of them are regular people. But you'll see that the player community in NYC is huge." Kadin emphasized. "Glad you're in! Welcome to the East Coast, Nico."
At that, the boy flashed a thankful smile back, asking, "What's your number, by the way. You can just text me the details." With that, Nico pulled out his phone, going to the contacts page.
"Sure, but we can take you. One of my friends from high school, she's a player too, knows some people, so we're going to carpool with them. It's about ten-to-fifteen minutes away from the dorms, so there might be some other players there too from Excelsior. Plenty of parties at the start of the school year." Kadin offered after filling in his number into Nico's phone, to which Nico accepted gratefully.
"That sounds awesome, thanks." He managed, feeling a sense of gratitude for his welcoming roommate. The feeling of excitement began to creep through him, as he realized he lucked out so much by having a social roommate, which would definitely help Nico get out of his shell, as he was never the most popular or social person in high school, only starting to come out of his shell during his senior year.
Before anything else could happen, Kadin's phone buzzed, and the boy looked at it. After a brief moment, he said, "One of the girls I just met on this floor just messaged me back, so I'm going to go see her for a bit. I'll be back around 8, and we'll go around 9." He said, to which Nico chuckled at. It seemed as if his roommate was already a social butterfly, something Nico would try to be more of.
Though, the thought appeared in his head and Nico thought about how he didn't know if he could still talk another girl romantically–recovering from his breakup was a difficult ordeal, and even if he had player activities to distract him during the summer, it was an ever-present pain that clouded his brain constantly. Shaking it off, he waved goodbye to Kadin before the Magic Archer exited the room, leaving Nico and the mid-afternoon daylight to seep through the open windows.
Nico decided that there was no better time than now to unpack his things, as he would be going out and doing something social later that night anyways, and so after Kadin left, he took a deep breath and dove into his suitcase, attempting to recreate a semblance of home to the best of his ability thousands of miles away from his true home.