Not even a week after its discovery the fourth stage of NERV's Evangelion Pilot Trainer had been defeated.
News of the gun toting fourth stage had exploded into popularity as soon as NERV-02 had confirmed the report. Many people had expected this stage to take the longest yet to complete, given the apparent difference in combat potential between the pilot and the enemy. It turned out they were incorrect on a number of levels.
First, active pilot numbers had been steadily increasing since the initial lull in players, queues to enter a simulator were getting steadily longer, and the venues in which they were located were getting more crowded.
This increased number of pilots meant more competition, and thus more improvement. Most regular players had completely gotten over any awkwardness with the controls at this point, and could maneuver in the Eva like any other game, or even their own body.
Second, a crucial discovery had been made just a day before the stage's completion.
Completing the third stage would unlock the use of the knife it had been wielding, the "light knife" as it had become known.
To access the knife the player would press a button on one of the control sticks, which would open a compartment in the Eva's hip housing the knife.
From there stage four was as simple as baiting the enemy around a corner and dealing it a well placed stab.
A boy from Montana had come forward having finished the stage first, and to the elation of the news media one of these claims was finally confirmed legitimate. At long last the media had their golden boy.
Being the first one to actually come forward, even if he wasn't the one to defeat the first stage, made fourteen year old Riley Taylor an instant sensation. News specials, magazine articles, and a constant stream of journalists asking for an interview meant he was a household name within 12 hours of the confirmation.
This kind of fame was unprecedented, even no name actors in major roles didn't gain notoriety this fast.
Of course along with his name and face came his story,
His small town had a single simulator, and he'd visited every day since it had arrived, and through hard work and dedication he was able to be the first to defeat the fourth stage.
Within a few days there were so many differing stories and opinions that Riley Taylor was closer to a myth than an actual person.
One article would say that he had sprung up from a disadvantaged household, ignoring the fact that his family owned a sizable property with a large house. Another tabloid would preach about the reflex enhancing properties of Gatoratde that had all but carried him to victory, only because he had been seen drinking one during an interview.
These information pirates would swallow up anything that could get them a few clicks. Half truths and flat out lies weren't just more sensational, they were easier to create.
The rampant lies and constant harassment very quickly drove Riley's family to hate the press, and just as soon as he'd appeared in the limelight, so he disappeared. Leaving a shadow of other people's lies behind him.
Some good had come from Riley's situation though, the details of stage five.
After defeating the fourth stage, Riley had moved right on and into the arena of the fifth.
Like the last stage, nothing faced him in the starting area, so he had moved out and gone to look around. Going past the start of the last stage he found an enemy in the same place as stage four, this time wielding a knife. His first thought was that the stages were starting to repeat, how lazy. He started the same setup, bait, hide, stab. But before he could do the final step he had been met with a bullet to the back of the head.
So that's it, he thought,
multiple enemies.
There were three in fact, one of each type encountered so far.
One with a knife, one with a gun, and one unarmed.