The sun rose from its slumber, its dim rays announcing dawn's arrival. Long gray streaks encompassed planet Earth, intertwining and crisscrossing like mottled tree roots, occasionally dotted with small specks. The little blips roared into the horizon, leaving behind the roads, highways and the unsettling silence.
The chirping of crickets were deafening, the only companion of the lonely stores and desolate shops. Streets were lifeless and the world was silent. This was not an ordinary dawn of bustling metropolises and rowdy urban life. This was the dawn of Transcendence.
"Tick-"
Besides a seldom few, everyone, both adults and children alike, had stayed home. People were lying down anywhere they possibly could- on the street, on the floor, in their bathtubs and on their beds. Most of them had a black helmet snug on tightly, with the rare sight of one wearing a black bodysuit. Even the homeless were sprawled on the floor, wearing the helmets, hope fluttering in their hearts like butterflies. All of these people were like still, stone corpses; the only proof that they were still alive were their racing heartbeats and their seesawing chests. They were all doing the same thing- waiting.
In a certain apartment building:
It was currently 9:55 VRS Universal Time. Five minutes before the release of Transcendence.
"Zzzzzzzz..."
Wuji snored lightly, muttering quietly to himself.
"...Gods...Transcendence...Chicken- Chicken?"
"Ahh!" Wuji woke up with a startle. He felt the raised goosebumps on his skin. He had been dreaming of a chicken donned with a golden robe chasing him around, cursing him to death.
"You trash human! You ate me?!?! F*ck, I swear I will haunt you for the rest of your life!"
Wuji shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Just a dream, he reminded himself. Rubbing his eyes, he yawned, his cloudy vision beginning to clear up. Wuji's eyes darted around the room, his gaze eventually focusing on the clock on his wall.
"7:55… That's good- Sh*t, wait!" He yelled, jumping up in panic. He had almost forgotten that VRS Universal time was two hours ahead of his.
Ignoring his messy, unkempt hair and still wearing his blue lined pajamas and shirt with little dogs and cats on it, Wuji ran frantically to the TRANSPORT. His finger gently poked at the little box's center.
"Glerph."
"What do you mean Glerph?!" he cried out. Really, of all the times it had to be like this...
"Hungry..."
"Can't you eat later?" He frowned. He had just fed it two days ago.
"Hungry."
"Fck! Fine you little…" Wuji cursed silently.
Green wisps of spirit power flowed through his eyes and fed the little monster, which began sucking it all in. Thankfully, after a week of practicing in the Spirit Zone, he was used to his spiritual energy and the limits of his body. He could do so much more things now, like lifting a large boulder. Although lifting the floor was still beyond him.
"Burp. Me full."
Wuji's eyes twitched as he stared at the cube. It had taken about 50% of the spiritual energy he could currently harness. Its appetite was far too voracious for Wuji's sanity.
"Ok, you got your food. Now hurry up!" Wuji turned around and looked at the clock- it was 7:58.
The box beeped, and pitch-black darkness overwhelmed Wuji.
. . .
Reappearing at the pocket space, Wuji looked around, taking a hold on his bearings. Noticing the towering silhouette in the distance, he ran haphazardly in the darkness, breathing hard and stumbling along the way. Upon his arrival, he pushed the doors open and wasted no time, yelling:
"Enter VRS System!" He panted as adrenaline coursed through his body.
"[Entering Virtual Reality Submersion. Immersion rate: 10..25..50..80..99%]"
"[ < Full-State Achieved > ENTERING VRS CABIN IMMERSION MODE ]"
The final words of the system rang in his mind as he lost all feeling of his body. Immediately, a plethora of colors and sensations bombarded his senses. Struggling to open his eyes, streams of flowing light blinded him. After his eyes adjusted, he looked around. He was surrounded by a river- a river of light, embracing him warmly like a mother would.
"System Interface, Open."
A beep sounded out.
"[ Interface unavailable ]"
Instead of the friendly blue screen that he was accustomed to, a big, red timer was burned into his eyes. This same timer was being simultaneously watched by billions of other people. Its ticking continued.
"Tick"
"9:59:59"
"-Tock"
An emotionless voice entered Wuji's ears.
[Transcendence beginning now]
[SERVERS ONLINE]
[Downloading… 9.2 billion participants]
[Welcome to]
[Transcendence]
[... Humanity]
A bright light blinded Wuji.
"Ahh!"
After a few seconds, he slowly opened his eyes. Darkness. He tried to use his spiritual sense, but something was interfering with it. Besides the cold blackness, a sharp ringing noise filled his ears, as if he had just survived an explosion.
The darkness soon rescinded, and then there was light. His eyes adjusted, squinting as his blurry vision cleared up.
"Hey, there!"
A teenage girl with aqua-blue hair and braided pigtails popped into his sight. She had a picturesque smile as she waved at him.
"Uh-"
"Welcome to [Transcendence]. You can call me System, or any other name you would like."
"..."
Ignoring the girl, Wuji quickly scanned his surroundings. Besides the two of them, they were in a completely white, empty room. Unlike the river of light, this room gave him an uncomfortable feeling. The glaring brightness and achromatic color scheme reminded him of an operating room.
The system's cheery voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Please design your character."
Suddenly, hundreds of holograms appeared from thin air, flickering into existence. Ranging from sexy women to muscular, well-built men, the character models filled the room with lively color. The only problem was that they were all naked. A light blush filled Wuji's cheeks.
Trying to ignore certain parts, Wuji tried to pick out a body he liked. After searching for a bit, he found a rather lean, bluish-green haired model, with just the right amount of muscle- it didn't look like someone on steroids and neither was it a stick.
"This one. System, can I have it?" he asked, pointing at the figure.
"Of course, here are the specifics. Inform me if you want to modify your character's appearance."
The blue-haired girl handed him a hologram clipboard.
[Character:
Gender: Male
Hair Color: Blue-green
Height: 6'
===========================================
[Basic Stats]:
Strength: 6
Vitality: 15
Agility: 15
Endurance: 10
Magic Power: 50
Intelligence: 40
Charisma: 20
Wisdom: 20
Stamina: 10
===========================================
Note: AVG stat points are 5 for Charisma and Wisdom, 10 for other attributes ]
Wuji's eyebrows raised up questionably as he read the last sentence. Average points of 10? Then what in the world were these outrageous stats for his Magic Power and Intelligence? And Charisma and Wisdom too! Although his heart ached at the sight of his below-average strength...
"Of course your strength is terrible. The only reason your vitality isn't trash as well is because of the food you've been eating. Otherwise, you'd probably have a five for that stat."
The voice chiding him was as clear as day, melodious like the singing of an angel. Wuji's eyes looked around, trying to find its source.
His green eyes finally met with bright, yellow jewels. They belonged to a woman with fiery red hair, busty hips and a voluptuous chest. Countless men would drool at her beautiful appearance. The blue ponytailed girl stared at this new figure, her jaw dropped.
"Your stats correspond to your real life characteristics- the stronger you are in real life, the more it affects your stats here. Of course, this has not been revealed yet, as well as the fact that it also works the other way around, just at an extremely low ratio," continued the unknown female.
"So that means if I grow stronger here, I can-"
"Yes, you'll be stronger in the real world as well."
Lightning struck Wuji, his mind blown into smithereens and logic thrown into the garbage. Game stats translating to the real world?! Although it was made by a god, just what was Transcendence?
"Wait- who are you?"
"You don't remember me?" The woman frowned, sending an aggrieved glare at Wuji, a chill running down his spine.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, when did he ever meet-
"...After all the help I gave you, you really are [Trash]."
Wuji's mouth gaped open, his eyes blinking.
"System?!"