I looked at my computer screen with dead eyes.
I'm getting tired of this crap. Day in and out, always trying something different. Always trying to chase that high…
My name is Matthew. And ever since my parents died, the only time I actually felt something was when I was close to death.
I skydived, went bungee jumping, went mountain climbing, and even joined the army once. The army one was the most fun in terms of action, but I had to quit. I'm not really good with taking orders.
Okay I'm not being very honest with myself when I say that. I HATE taking orders.
That's when I got the email…
[MY FANTASY ONLINE! THE FIRST EVER VRMMO WITH 100% AUTHENTIC IMMERSION!]
"100% authentic immersion, huh? Well if that's the case, can you die in the game?" I questioned the ad as I clicked on it.
As I began scrolling through the game's website, it advertised its various systems and features. But there was one line caught my immediate attention.
[IN THIS GAME, YOU'LL GET PAID TO PLAY! BUT THE CATCH IS...IF YOU DIE IN THE GAME, YOU DIE IN REAL LIFE!]
"WHAAAT?!" I rose from my chair in disbelief.
"Young Master! Are you alright!?" Walter came rushing to the room.
Walter is my butler. When my parents died, he was the one that took take of me. He watched me grow from a sad young boy to the man I am today. He gets worried when I get up to any shenanigans, but he lets me do as I please. He's not my father, after all.
"I'm fine, Walter! Just get me a VR headset and a subscription to the game "My Fantasy Online."
"Yes, Young Master!" Walter rushed out of the room as fast as he came in.
"My Fantasy Online…"
A game where if you die in the game, you die in real life. You get paid to play, but I couldn't care less about that in the slightest-I'm a billionaire! Maybe this is it...maybe this is what I've been looking for to feel alive again! Sure, I've never played a game before, but this one can't be that hard, right? It's supposed to be just like real life!
"Young Master, I was able to buy a subscription to the game for you, but the headset won't be delivered here for a week at least-"
"Then pay top dollar to have it here quicker, Walter. Make phone calls. Talk to the CEO of the company if you have to. I want this item on my desk by tomorrow."
"Yes, young master."
I'm already getting excited! I'll be having all sorts of fun and I won't even have to leave my room! Gaming's the best!
===
I looked at the VR headset that sat on my desk. The madman Walter actually pulled it off. If he wasn't able to get it, I wasn't gonna be mad at him or anything. I would've just threw a 10 minute temper tantrum and went on with my life. Because honestly now that I had time to mull it over, this was just an impulse buy on my part.
But here it is...the catalyst that'll change everything. I hope...
I grabbed the headset and put it on my head. Apparently, you should be in a safe space where nothing could mess with you or your headset. There are cases where premature headset ejection could cause brain damage or even death. That would be a boring way to go out, so I specifically told Walter not to let anyone in my room no matter what until I finished and logged out myself.
I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes. The game's manual said there was an activation phrase I had to say. What was it again? Yip Yip? Link Start? No, that's not it.
"Take me to the place I could escape for all of time."
"Take me to My Fantasy Online."
I cringed a bit at the phrase. What am I, a wizard casting a spell?
Regardless, my eyes quickly dropped and I was falling asleep. Once my eyes were fully closed, I was met with a sudden rush of various colors around me. As I looked around, I began to notice that I was floating in space. The only recognizable celestial body was the planet Earth right in front of me. I also noticed that I had no body! I was just a source of light! Is this the game?! Did I lose already?! As I was freaking out, a small window popped up in my field of vision.
[Welcome the My Fantasy Online. Would you like to import your appearance from Earth?]
[Yes] [No]
I don't really feel like customizing my character. If I start now, I'll be here all day messing with the countless varying options. Besides, I want to get to the game as soon as possible. I can barely contain my excitement! I hit the yes option and instantly regained my body. I let out a sigh of relief.
Not even moments later, another small window popped into view with a black translucent keyboard. It read as follows:
[Please choose your name. No special characters allowed.]
Choose my name? My name is Matthew! Why would I use any other than the one given to me? I typed my name into the keyboard and hit enter.
Once I did so, I was pulled backwards at alarming speeds. I was quickly turned around whilst being pulled through the cosmos themselves. That is when the lore of the game was explained to me.
"For as long as time itself, humanity and the demons have been at each other's throats on the planet of Faramos. Within the past two centuries, the demons have had an advantage over the humans. They pushed the humans back to the kingdom of Jericho. It is up to us fairies to summon you heroes from your distant world to fight the demon threat. You are the saviors we need!"
That is when I got a view of the planet Faramos. I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed with the presentation so far. I descended upon the world and as the mentioned kingdom came into view, I slowed down greatly and was put down very lightly. I was completely overwhelmed and fell on my ass as soon as it registered to me what just happened.
"TALK ABOUT AN OPENING! I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE THERE!" As I nervously laughed, a small fairy pop into my view.
"First things first, we have to pick your class!"