Welcome to WoS Industries.
A large screen welcomed anyone who visited the building that was a dome with a perfect upper half of a sphere.
The building was a part of WoS Industries. Stood for 'World on Server'. The largest and ambitious project that worked mainly on virtual technology.
The most influential's breakthroughs from WoS were: first, the semi-virtual reality/open-world/social network site. They called them DICE.
This project made WoS worthy of its name.
World On Server. DICE actually created a virtual environment that made the world itself within the server.
The best thing was that it could receive access almost anywhere; Via your PC, your tablet phone, or full-diving via a WoS full-dive capsule.
The difference was just that you could control your avatar as smooth as yourself if you were full-diving.
On the other hand, you controlled your avatar via another external input if you accessed it via PC or tablet phone. Its movement would be heavily restricted. Of course.
The name, DICE, actually did not mean a virtual world with a cube shape.
It just that it had different sides that separated from each other. But, it still maintained the six different functions.
One side actually created a replicate of the real world with a 1:1 proportion, but with a different landscape. The world had a theme that changed accordingly to the WoS itself.
It could create a full world with a Halloween theme, a Christmas, or even Science-fiction.
The other was a simulated sandbox world.
This site had a free-limited custom simulation world. People could create a kingdom, a city, or anything, as long as they had the money to expand their land. Of course.
The other side had a world that functioned as what the people called 'Battleground.' The primary function was to organized an event listed as a competitive genre.
People that loved any strategic based games such as trading card games, board games, or even virtual reality shooter games would love spending their time here.
It was essentially because the world could create a digital visualization to make the game more interesting.
But, if we were talking about a game, we had to remember that WoS had another breakthrough apart from DICE. It was actually well suited for any fantasy/role playing game fans.
The second breakthrough of WoS was a fantasy/open-world/virtual reality/massive/multiplayer/online/role playing game, Ranker's Quest.
The genre only could be accessed via a WoS full dive capsule. WoS called them directly as 'The Capsule'. While unofficially, people called it 'The Coffin' because of its shape and the popular inside joke around.
What made the genre considered one of the greatest was mainly because of the two functions.
Ranker's Quest being a full 'open-world game'. utilized those features. First, the quality sleep feature. This feature had a limit of 8 hours every day. But, we could actually play the game while we were asleep.
So, we could spend 8 hours sleeping while playing the game at night and woke up the next morning fully refreshed.
The next feature was time dilation. The world within the game had a rate of 1:2 compared to the real world. The 2 hours spent in the game was equal to 1 real world's hour.
It made you able to access the game even for this feature alone. You could extend the duration of your study, work, or anything here.
And with the quality sleep feature, you could even work while asleep. Although it couldn't bring the work outside of the game, it was still well suited if you had to plan for a meeting in a tight schedule. Well-suited for a workaholic.
In summary, WoS actually made breakthroughs for the thing most needed by humans this age.
First, the need for land,
Second, the need for time.
The virtual world, DICE, was even able to make most of the company to expand its branch not physically in the real world, but virtually in it.
DICE provided a virtual workspace. Employees were able to have a meeting from their room accessed from the Capsule. It was all simulated within the DICE Side-2, the simulation sandbox world.
It even affected the education institute. Cross country learning was able to be achieved easily from it.
"Welcome Mr.. how should I call you? By your in-game name? Or your real name?"
A man in a blue suit, well dressed from hair to toe. Had smooth black hair that combed to one side. His gesture showed how confident he was.
"Call me comfortably. Hm, well. Call me by my real name. It's a real-world, after all."
A man looked like in his early 20. What he wore were casual white cloth and a not buttoned jacket. The jacket was gray in color with a black color sleeve. It had a hoodie, but he didn't wear it. His hair was black. Not so neat, but also not so messy.
"Okay, let me rephrase it. Welcome, Mr. Arie. My name is Martin Luther. Call me Martin. Head Manager of WoS Headquarters in Arpal City."
He reached out to shake hands, appeared friendly.
"Arie C. Frederick. So, are you the guide? The branch manager from our respective city?" Arie returned his handshake.
Martin showed a gesture to follow him inside the dome building. Arie followed beside him.
"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Ah, I see."
The two walked inside the building and took an elevator to the 6th floor.
"The first agenda today is to claiming your reward."
"Wow, you guys are direct. I didn't expect that."
The two of them stepped out of the elevator. A receptionist from a desk in front of it greeted them with a warm smile.
"Welcome to the 6th floor." She greeted with a smile. A word: 'Belia'. was on her name tag.
"He is here to claim the Ranker's Quest reward," Martin said to the receptionist and showed her his ID card.
"Ah, Mr. Martin from Arpal City. And also, Mr. Arie. Welcome to the WoS Dome."
"Hm? How did you know my name?" Arie asked.
"Apart from Mr. Martin ID card that showed Arpal City, I'm also your fan." She answered with a blushing expression.
"Hey, hey. Ahem."
"Ah, sorry. Mr. Martin." The receptionist bowed with an awkward gesture.
"I know we don't have a fully restricted work environment, but you should be more formal. I don't know you are brave enough to flirt with a VIP guest." Martin sighed.
"Wow, WoS working environment is amazing. That's why working at a WoS is the thing most people from my generation want." Arie exclaimed after hearing the conversation.
"That's one of the reasons we are proud of." Martin smiled.
"Hm... Ms. Belia? how can I proceed further?" Arie asked to shorten the pleasantries.
"Ah, hm... Mr. Martin, you can go to the left hallway, to the Hall Room. I'll accompany Mr. Arie to claimed his reward." She answered after trying her hardest to regain her composure.
"Okay, Mr. Arie. You can follow Ms. Belia here. I and the others will wait in the Hall Room." He bowed slightly to Arie and proceeded to walk into the hallway.
"Young people nowadays. They are brave enough to flirt in front of the others. 'I will accompany Mr. Arie to claimed his reward'." Martin said it loudly while walking to the Hall Room. He shrugged while making fun of the receptionist.
The receptionist blushed. She tried her hardest to walk normally and gestured for him to follow her.
"Haha, you guys give me a good impression." Arie chuckled.
Not long after, the two arrived in front of the door of an office room. A digital screen above the door read as 'White Room.' And a digital screen on the door read as 'Available.'
The door opened, and She gestured him to entered the room.
"This is the White Room. Fully customizable rooms for all designed use."
With a nod, Arie entered the room, followed by the receptionist. The door closed after the receptionist fully enter the room. The digital screen outside of the door changed from 'Available' to 'Occupied.'
This room really fitted its name. Its width and length are about 10 meters and height of 3 meters, with all white in color.
With digital screens that appeared to be a virtual monitor, and a virtual keyboard acted as a computer in the wall near the door.
"I will connect you with the person responsible for giving you rewards." She clicked the virtual keyboard on the digital screen next to the door.
"Okay, the progress is completed. I'll meet you again after you finished the procedure and guided you to the Hall Room." The receptionist bowed to Arie and gradually disappeared from the room.
Arie flinched slightly but soon regained his composure.
"So, she is not physically here?"
"Yes, I can answer that. She is working in the receptionist's center. Using a device similar to The Capsule but designed for staff. It is actually a new device we are working with."
A person appeared gradually in the middle of the room. Answered Arie's question with a slightly low pitch voice. He had casual cloth with short pants and spiky green colored hair.
"So.. you are using all the '(Earth)' top player come to the WoS main HQ for a free exposure 'huh'?"
"I have no right to answer that. Let us proceed to the main thing. Let me formally introduce myself."
A couch appeared respectively near Arie and the person. Pop-out of the floor.
'You are a stiff person, huh? compared to how you look.' Arie thought.
"Can I really sit here?"
"Don't worry. The mechanical effect that comes from the floor is a physical thing. Not a virtual image." The person reassured Arie.
After both of them rested on the couch, the person began his introduction.
"My name is H. I'm one of the representatives of the Ranker's Quest. Now, I'm in charge of giving you rewards from our first game, 'Ranker's Quest : (Earth)' as a top 10 leaderboard player in the continent. Also providing the signable contract for you."
"A contract? Oh, for the exclusive reward."
"Let me list you all the rewards you can claim as a top 10 player. The non-exclusive rewards are as follows: You got $30.000. It transferred automatically. $3.000 as a monthly reward for the next five years, and a new version of The Capsule."
Arie nodded while the person-in-charge continued with the list.
"The exclusive in-game rewards are as follows: A privilege to bring a part of your previous character to the next game. You are able to left either your weapon, your armor, or your skill or something out of the three that you want to submit, but it will be considered first, before the approval and implemented in the next game."
"Hmm.. hmm.." Arie was listening attentively. He wanted to ask something, but the spiky-haired man continued without a stop.
"Any people who find and equips it will shares you 2% of the exp and gold earned. The 2% you got won't affect the exp and drop they receive. If you are the one who equips it, you will get an extra 7% of the exp and drop rate, and it will have a 7% bonus stats."
The person summoned a digital screen that floated in thin air and continued.
"For the exclusive contract rewards, you will sign a contract as a prerequisite to claimed the rewards. The rewards are: WoS VVIP privilege, an exclusive contract regarding recorded gameplay of your character, and one request you can submit that will be considered by the company before approval."
H ended his explanation and gave Arie a popup screen with full details of the previous statements given. Arie skimmed through it and asked H for an interpretation when he stuck.
After he understood almost all the contents, he began to propose the rewards that can be requested.
"For the exclusive in-game rewards. I want to leave my class there. Is that possible?"
"Every unique legendary class from the previous game could be achieved in the next game, although with different and more difficult requirements."
Arie was thinking about it briefly before answering.
"I'll leave my weapon then. I'm pretty sure it's unique enough to be in the next game."
H silent for a few seconds before replying to Arie.
"Okay, I will accept it. You can tell me your next."
"For my personal request... I want to be able to skip the game intro."