"... You have a nice naming sense," Wuji remarked.
The child's cheeks blushed a chalk red as it shrewdly retorted back.
"Excuse me, Mr._EveryClass. You have no right to criticize me on my naming sense."
"Besides… some stupid players took all the names before me… ALL THE NAMES!" the child pouted, its fists raised in anger. Wuji stared at the rampaging child, at a loss for words.
"Just because I was a little busy with some other matters, they took all the good names from my game…"
"Your game?!" Wuji scoffed, his eyebrows raised skeptically.
"Yes- my game. I'm the creator of Freedom!" the child proudly announced, wiping away its tears as it lifted its head up haughtily.
"..." Wuji was speechless.
"You-you dare doubt me? Fine, I-I'll show you!"
"|=== Rule Bend: Space ===|"
The child opened his small palm, chanting as it made a fist. A flash bang blinded Wuji's vision. The space around them began to distort, light and space compressing into a singular point. The tenth floor's surroundings disappeared completely. This did not only happen on the computer screen- Wuji was physically sucked into this empty void. In the real world, his chair was accompanied only by empty air and a warm imprint on the red seat.
Wuji found this whole process difficult to describe- he had never experienced such a sensation before, but he assumed that this was something similar to the new VRS. After the blinding light disappeared, he was met with a hollow and colorless nihility- an endless void.
Normally, one would panic after suddenly appearing at such a disturbing place, but Wuji remained rather calm. He felt like he was at home- not physically of course, but it was if this was where he... "belonged." This outlandish experience made his heart race with unperturbed excitement and a greedy fascination about this new place. Recognizing Wuji's unusual serenity in this new environment, the child raised its eyebrows in surprise.
"Interesting..." it muttered.
"Perhaps, he really might be-" It paused as Wuji's eyes stared at it, finally recognizing its existence- the only other existence within this void.
Clearing its throat with a cough, the child smiled.
"So, do you believe me now?"
"Yes, I believe you." Wuji decided to comply with the child's egotistical demands. If this child was the key to this new world, then it'd probably be a foolish idea to get it angry.
"Heh, good. And by the way, I'm not a 'little' child-"
"Alright then, you're not. But, then who are you?" Witnessing the child's powers for himself, Wuji felt rather intrigued- clearly there was much more to this child than on the surface. Maybe being Freedom!'s creator wasn't so far from the truth after all.
"-I'm a god," continued the child, looking away as he nonchalantly picked his fingers.
Wuji stared at the so proclaimed "god", speechless. His previous approval and impression of it had blown out like a candle.
"And I'm an alien." Wuji replied in a deep, solemn voice and a face of stone.
"I really am!" The god threw a fit at Wuji's derisive comment.
"...Then if you're a god, then you must be the God of Death(1) right?"
"No! I told you, I was forced to use this name."
"... Couldn't you have used some other name? Like IAmAGod(Literally)2018114193514451435?" Wuji was rather perplexed- there were an infinite amount of possible names, he just had to change the numbers. Even a human, much less a "god", knew that.
"... Ok, I lied earlier. I- I lost a bet..." The god's eyes looked away, its arms kit across its chest and its cheeks blowing up like a pufferfish. The bet was a very shameful memory.
"...to another God. And now I have to use this name for the next eon…So, hmph."
Wuji remained speechless. This "god" seemed not only immature, but also rather reckless.
"Anyway, let's stop talking about me. You're much more interesting- the last descendant of the Wuji's." Not wanting to be further harassed, the god shifted the focus onto Wuji, his body becoming tense and rigid.
The god smirked. Finally, it could one-up this man who dared to make fun of it and bring back those humiliating memories. F*ck, it was all because of that god that it was embarrassed in front of a mortal.
"Ha, I know all about you- Wang Wuji and your 'guild members'- or should I say, your other accounts?" The god casually exposed one of his deepest secrets. Wuji froze, stunned.
"You're well acquainted with the myriad of uses of your abnormal spirit power. Although, judging by your superb control over your other characters, it seems that your spirit is even more extraordinary than the Wuji's typical [Creation Spirit]. It might even be the aberrant [Limitless Soul], something that can even rival a god's." Wuji began to feel his mind numb.
This, this child did not seem that it was lying about being a god. Otherwise, there was no way for it to know about his most covert secrets. Not even his personal stalkers- and Wuji had many- knew about this information.
"I've got your attention now, haven't I?" the god chuckled, its smirk widening in pleasure.
"What- what do you want?" Wuji glared at him warily, backing away. He would've logged out, but his menu screen- no wait, he had forgotten that this wasn't a game anymore. This was real- his body was actually here. He shivered as he realized that his prospects for escape were highly unlikely.
"Now, after playing my game for so long, can't we at least be considered to be acquaintances?"
The god frowned, making big, droopy eyes. But Wuji wasn't falling for it.
"And besides, why are you looking at me like I'm the monster?" scowled the God, realizing that its ploy was unsuccessful.
"I'm not the one who was mean to those players," it continued in a condescending tone.
"… They broke down my gate."
"..." It was the god's turn to be speechless.
"Besides, maybe if someone didn't decide to close the servers and make this the last day..." Wuji defended himself.
"Hey! That's not my faul- ok wait actually, it is, but don't blame me for it."
"..." Wuji was amazed at the god's thick skin.
"Besides, it's not like I stopped the servers for no reason at all."
Wuji's ears perked up.
"There is something that will be much better than Freedom!- not just Freedom!, but every other game known to mankind will become inconsequential compared to-" The God stopped itself before it almost revealed too much.
"… Anyway, you will find out later. Go to your television station, every channel will have the same broadcast. You will find the announcement rather ... interesting."
"Oh?" Wuji was puzzled; just what exactly would be announced?
"Moving on, I advise you to move on to VRS. Your full potential can't be completely utilized through the limited technology of computers. After all, mice and keyboards have a limited APM- they'd break often if you used your powers fully."
Wuji gulped. He was often irritated by the monthly expenses for the countless keyboards and mice he'd destroyed. Trying to reach 5000 APM was not only difficult but also made him broke.
"Continuing to use computers is like forcing your potential- an entire sea -to fit into a single glass. Naturally, it'd burst. The huge container you need can only be provided by the VRS."
"But, I don't even have the equipment to play VRS..." Wuji countered. The god may have been right, but Wuji was an obstinate computer devotee.
"Well, don't forget about the class C body suits that we're giving for free," winked the god.
Wuji's eye twitched as his mouth formed silent curses.
"But don't worry. As the number one player of my game, as well as the number one 'guild', you deserve much more than those trash suits."
Within the god's palm shone a bright light, a miniature cabin suddenly materializing.
"This is for you- if you promise me that you'll take my venture seriously. The VRS holds much more at stake than you humans think it does."
"… I can't really go against you either way, can I?"
"What are you talking about? We gods always give you mortals free will," the god smiled, making Wuji shiver as he looked into its kaleidoscopic eyes.
"Anyway, I can't wait to see what you'll do once you play Transcendence-"
"Transcendence?"
"Oops… I wasn't supposed to say that… Goodbye, Wuji!" yelled the god, rapidly becoming transparent.
"We'll meet each other again," the god ominously predicted, smiling as its eyes twinkled mischievously.
Disappearing into a burst of light, the world returned to its original colorful state. Wuji was sitting on his computer chair, sweating profusely as he tried to recover from the other-wordly experience.
Breathing hard, he didn't dilly-dally and turned to the television he had bought a couple years back. It was mottled with dust, a sign of its lack of use throughout the years. Blowing the dust away and coughing at the resulting smoke cloud, Wuji pressed firmly on the power button. Its flickering light made him sigh in relief that it still worked.
Turning to channel Starlight, the announcement for VRS had just began.
"Starlight bringing you the announcement from Echelon, the acclaimed corporation behind the groundbreaking VRS!" the host introduced.
Wuji stared at the screen, seeing an unfamiliar middle-aged man enter the stage on the TV screen. However, for the rest of the world, this face was unforgettable; he was known as Iam Agad, the genius behind VRS and founder of Echelon. Wuji's face contorted as he noticed the familiar twinkle that resembled starlight in his eyes, not to mention the name…
"Good afternoon, everyone, viewers and VRS users at home. I've come here today, along with a special guest, to announce a new and groundbreaking development regarding the VRS. Please meet-"
A beautiful Caucasian woman walked into the room, one that Wuji would never forget in his life. She was the only known cofounder of GodCorps, the company behind Freedom!'s creation.
"-Jane Victoria."
"Thank you for having me," the woman acknowledged, her dazzling smile blinding many male viewers at home.
Even the host for Starlight was surprised at her appearance, not to say for the rest of the world watching. Freedom! had gone underground for a while, what were they doing here now? Was this finally GodCorps's comeback? Many large corporations and VR companies shuddered in their seats.
"Ms.Victoria and I have come to reveal to the world our joint partnership regarding VRS, and will also announce the huge project we have been working on in the last couple of years, Transcendence!" Iam dropped a bombshell upon the entire world.
"Transcendence will be like nothing you've ever seen before. Nothing before it can compare. Imagine a world exactly like that of the real world- but with the human limits removed. Magic, physical prowess, intelligence, etc." Jane continued the onslaught of surprises, not allowing the world to rest from their shock.
"This will revolutionize the world of VRS," the two said together, staring at each other's eyes as the world stared at their screens, unblinking. Afterwards, a series of announcements mentioned that Transcendence would be released to the public in the next week, along with the revelation that free VRS headsets would be distributed to the entire world. This was through the joint efforts of the two corporations, now merged into a partnership known as Divine Echelon.
Immediately, Transcendence and VRS completely dominated all news sources- the headlines, online, everything. Articles and front pages about the jaw-breaking sensation was here. Just how different was Transcendence? GodCorps has returned with a blast! How long has Transcendence been in the making? Why did Echelon partner with GodCorps? A huge blow to all other VR corporations! What is Divine Echelon's true motive? Questions were everywhere; a world-wide sensation had occurred.
Wuji, stared at his TV screen slack-jawed, realizing that the god had not been lying to him. He had a feeling that this game, Transcendence, was not just a game- but rather, something more. Something that involved gods and deities, and the realm of the supernatural.
But he wasn't scared. Indeed, Wuji's body was shaking- but not in fear, rather excitement.
An ravenous flame lit within his eyes.
"Transcendence?"
"It's been a while since I've had such a challenge before..."
The world was going through a massive change- and Wuji wouldn't mind riding along the wave. He had a feeling that this would be the most fun he'd have in a long time.
(1) - Chinese word for the number 4 sounds the same as the word for death. (Different tones of the same pronunciation) So, Wuji jokes about the 4 in his name.