Earth. The Next Day.
"Didn't you say that he fell over the couch and you followed suit? Then how did he escape you? The story is a little bit shady."
Rodney looked away from his tablet to Chloe who was seated on a swan chair opposite the single couch in his study room.
Chloe tried as much as possible not to stutter,
"Yes, that's the truth. But just that, even I can't say how he escaped. It happened too quickly that I couldn't remember. That boy must be using something. I couldn't believe that I-- l--"
"Whether or not you believe isn't what matters. You lost him now."
Rodney dismissed, drinking from the glass of juice he had just picked up from a stool next to the couch.
"I won't lose him another time. I'll make sure he loses his life and is locked in the --"
Rodney cut in,
"There won't be another time."
Chloe face changed as though she'd been shot. Rodney broke into a classy laugh.
"Don't look so flustered. That doesn't mean that I've lost faith in you. We ULTINUM elites hardly lose hope. If we do, we wouldn't had created this project in the first place."
"May I know what else you plan to do?"
She asked. Rodney leaned back into the couch, crossing his legs. He had a fancy knicker on, and a sleeveless shirt which couldn't do justice to covering the protruding stomach.
"Don't be too curious or anxious. When it's time to act again, you'll get a notification on your tablet. Only that, for now, don't go near him. Avoid him at all cost. If avoiding him would be tough... then find him in the game or send him a message through the ULTINUM messenger that you were drunk the previous day and didn't know what got a hold of you."
He said in another words,
"In all you do, pretend that yesterday never happened between the two of you. When things cool down a bit, we can strike again."
Chloe was silent for a while. But then she came on,
"But if you don't mind me asking. Though I was the one who spammed you on the elite site that I want work for the elites. And I was the one who asked to make his life miserable too in exchange for my service. Yet, I can't help but guess that you seem to have a strong interest in Drake."
She pursed her lips,
"Not that I'm in any position to know why. But I just felt like, why Drake of all people! He's not even smart. He's so dumb and claims to everyone that he's a genius. I can't just stand him."
Rodney let out his rich classy laugh again.
"I'd love an answer to that question too. What do you think is special about him? Don't be too quick to dismiss! I tell you, there are cunny folks who hide under the shadow of a clown to get what they want."
He stood up,
"What should I do for you, Chloe? You keep rejecting my offer to give you more lifelines! I could go out of my way to give you twenty more lifelines. After all you have only one more. What do you say?!"
She stood up and bowed slowly,
"Never mind, sir. I'll get going now."
"Very well. There's a robot car waiting for you outside."
_____________________________|
The real game.
"What's this place?"
Drake gaped, as soon as he appeared in that new space. There was a strong wave of winds crashing against his body, which swept up white substances into the air, preventing him from seeing clearly. But soon enough, the winds died down and he could look.
He was standing on the peak of a very high mountain. The top of the mountain was so small that he could run to the other end in few seconds.
He walked to an edge and looked down it,
"Shit! I almost fell."
He pushed his weight back. At the base of the mountain to the stretch of the land was a very beautiful landscape covered by multicolored flowers whose pleasant scents travelled so high to the top of the mountain and filled i
his sense of pleasure.
[Welcome to Level one, Dreya."
A robotic voice came from behind him. He turned. He couldn't see the owner of the voice.
"Thought I heard something."
He muttered. Point in time, the voice came again.
[The single mission will begin right away. Pay attention to the details which are about to be displayed.]
"What mission are we playing on the top a mountain. At first I thought I travelled back in time. To some medieval period or some sh--"
Suddenly, a screen appeared before him and words were written on it by a robotic finger which looked almost human, like something created from titanium corset. It read,
[Level 1, single mission.]
[Level difficulty - Lucky you]
[Numbers of trials - uncountable]
[Choice of change - Thrice]
[Mission status - First to fall off]
The screen disappeared at once as well as the letters. Drake grunted,
"What am I supposed to do with all of th--"
There was a sudden quaking few steps away from him at the other side of peak.
"What's that?"
He swallowed. But he didn't have to wonder for long when a huge rhinoceros-like monster grew out. A monster twelve times his size.
"What in the actual fuc--- ah!!!"
The rhino charged at him. He was too slow to choose his actions. The rhino had gotten to him and picked him up in its horn. Off the cliff, it threw him.
"Ahhh!!!!"
He screamed, falling down and down and down and down till --
He was now standing again on the top of the mountain, the position he had been knocked off earlier.
"What just happened. Didn't I die?"
He looked down at himself, but there was neither a stain on his Samurai dress nor a bruise.
"What's with this dres--"
He seemed to be noticing that for the first time too. But the voice of the robot had came on again,
[Mission failed, try again. But you have a chance to log to out. When you log in back, you log in to a different challenge and circumstance. Maximum of three times."
"No, continue this!!"
He objected and the rhino grew out again.
"Wait, wait... let me think."
He probably thought he was bargaining with a friend. Not even Chloe would listen to him let alone that preprogrammed rhino. The rhino hit him off again.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
He screamed as he fell....
[Mission failed, try again. But you have a chance to --]
"Continue!"
He cut off the bot's instructions. The rhino grew out and charged at him again.
"At least wait for me to th--- Ahhh!"
He was knocked off again.
[Mission fa--]
"Continue!"
The rhino was at it again, charging,
"This bastard won't let me... Ahhh!!"
He fell off and continued trying over and over again till he lost count.
"Should I just change the -- Ahhhh"
"I don't think I'll ever win this -- Ahhh."
"This bastard please let me -- Ahhh!"
"I'll cry -- Ahhh!"
He tried again. But this time when he fell, he didn't shout or argue. He tried to think of what to do. And while thinking he was knocked off.
[Mission failed, try again. But...]
He didn't cut the bot off now like he used to do. He used that time to think of what to do.
"It's really tall. I should be able to dodge it. At a mini second, I can just -- shit."
He had been so lost in thoughts that he lost again.
"Okay now, I don't think I'll be able to dodge. It's so tall. I should be able to go under -- Bitch."
The process repeated itself.
"This is my last shot. Under this bitch now, Drake. Under it. A bot can't be wiser than a genius like --"
He watched as the rhino charged at him. He didn't feel fear this time. He felt a sense of purpose. A need to survive and quit losing. And that was what he set his heart to.
"Me!!!!"
He completed his sentence, sliding through the large space between the front legs of the rhino. He did it. But the tumbling rhino crushed his balls with its last hoof.
"Bastard!!!"
Drake screamed. But he was made to repeat the level.
"Wait, what the fuck. This is bullshit... didn't I evade that -- no shit now."
He was now determined. The keen eyes told how particular he was about this. He watched closely as the rhino advanced... And this time, he had a clean sheet. No odd, no pain.
"Yes! Oooooo! Fuck it. Genius. Genius Drake! Genius!!"
He jumped. Whopping for joy!! But then a sudden realization dawned on him.
"Wait, why am I this happy?! This is just the first level. Shitty brain, Dreya. Drake is the genius."
The type of screen which appeared at the beginning of the stage appeared again. This one is blue, while the 'mission failed' screen is red.
The robotic voice said, and the finger wrote,
[Congratulations. Mission passed. Rewards: --]
The rewards were shown in gold pallets.
[Level two, unlocked.]
[12 ULTINUM coins rewarded.]
[Buyable: A third-tier house in the ULTINUM world or a robot car in the real world. Note: Each cost 8 coins.]
"Yes! A robot car! I can own one now? No shit."
He thought again,
"But I'll need a house in the trash can -- sorry, ULTINUM world.]
A robotic voice with echoes was heard suddenly,
[Space closing. Space closing. Leave at once. Leave at once. Consequence. Consequence. Lose all you acquired. Lose all you acquired. Countdown begins now.]
"What the fuck is it saying?"
[5... 4... 3 --]
"What! This is for real?"
He began to tap on the blinking button on his nape.
"Work, fucker!!!"
He cussed. Suddenly, his body felt light and he vanished. But before he vanished, he heard the last countdown, and saw the place turn into chaos.
"Did I lose all?"
His voice echoed.
"No, it can't be."