Huff...
Looking out of my room's window, I let out a long sigh.
Two weeks have already passed since I was hit by that red sports car and came back in time.
During this time, I have done quite a lot from writing a lot of my knowledge of [ Fragmental ] into my smartphone's notes to telling my parents that I purchased a 3,000 dollar VR pod.
To my surprise, they were not angry or even a little bit annoyed. In fact, my father encouraged me to go and find the game that I would enjoy playing.
Now that I think about it, I shouldn't be surprised by my parents' reaction. In my previous life, I had little to no motivation to engage in any activities. I was always lost in my own thoughts, disconnected from reality, spending my days rolling in bed, scrolling through the internet or attempting to alleviate boredom through exercise.
I guess my parents were pleased to see me take initiative and purchase something for myself.
Anyway, two weeks passed in such passion. I spent my time relaxing, spending time with my parents and simply enjoying life. And today, after a two-week wait, [ Fragmental ] will finally be launched!
It will b-
"The breakfast is ready!"
My mom's voice interrupted my thoughts, calling me downstairs for breakfast. I quickly got dressed and headed straight to the kitchen.
Taking a seat on one of the chairs, I took a deep breath and quickly dug into the food with a smile. I only had an hour left before the game's release so I had to pick up my pace.
However, it seems that the way I ate caught my parents' attention.
"Leo, is everything okay? No one is going to steal your food, slow down..."
Trying to hide her smile, my mother chuckled as she watched as I ate as if there was no tomorrow.
I was taken by a surprise and lowered my head, attempting to hide my reddened cheeks, receiving another chuckle from my father.
Mentally I'm 31 years old and yet I'm still getting embarrassed by my parents...
Damn, that doesn't feel good.
Mourning silently, I took my mother's advice and slowed down my pace, finishing the meal with a smile, and bidding my parents farewell before running to my room.
"I haven't seen him this excited for years..."
As I disappeared into my room, my mother said with a smile.
"True."
My father also nodded his head and once again indulged himself in the sweet aroma of his coffee.
***
Click...
Entering my room, I quickly closed the door behind me and flung myself toward the white VR pod. Carefully, I climbed into its frame and closed the window, shutting out the outside world.
I could feel my heartbeat accelerating with each passing second.
Brushing my hair to the side, I reached for the headgear lying near my feet, placing it on my face and quickly navigated to the section for new games.
[ Fragmental < Download Now > ]
With trembling hands, I somehow managed to download the game.
[ Do you want to launch < Fragmental > ? ]
[ < Yes > / < No > ]
Soon, a window popped up in my sight.
Pressing the 'Yes' button I felt my consciousness slip before everything around me turned dark.
Blink... Blink...
After a few moments, I was conscious again.
Looking around I realized that I was no longer in my room, now I was levitating in a void.
The only thing in this empty and black abyss was a blue hologram that hovered before my eyes.
< Choose your Race >
~ Human
~ Orc
~ Elf
~ Fairy
~ Dwarf
~ Demon
~~~~
A list of a few races appeared before my eyes, making me smile.
The options currently displayed before me were the primary races that a normal player would get upon starting the game.
Later on, players could evolve their race, but this was only possible a few months after the game's update.
In [ Fragmental ], once you choose your race, there is no going back. If you wish to change your race, you will have to delete your account and start over.
Many players choose their race without much thought and end up having to delete their accounts later on in the game.
Each race has its unique starting points, different NPCs, and quests.
Some races are unable to interact with NPCs from other races. For example, Demons were considered the worst race because they could not interact with most NPCs from other races.
Their starting point was harsh and full of powerful enemies. Many players deleted their Demon accounts due to the challenging start that the race had.
In my previous life, the most popular primary race was Elves, they had the most quests and a relatively easy starting point. They also had one of the strongest subclasses in the game, the Lightning Mage.
In my previous life, the strongest player was a Lightning Mage who could use lightning bolts to defeat her enemies.
Humans were considered the second strongest race due to the many hidden quests that they had.
Completing a hidden quest or defeating a hidden boss could grant an item, skill, or spell that is exclusive to you.
All the players have a limited capacity of 10 Passive Skills, 10 Active Skills and 10 Spells. A player can't have more than that or else it would be a literal clusterfuck.
Fairies also have an easy start and a relaxing gameplay, their race is considered a support race and fairies are usually Healers.
Orcs are similar to humans, but they have a more challenging starting point. They are very strong in the mid-game, but they are easily defeated in the early stages of the game.
Dwarfs are usually chosen by players who want to acquire wealth quickly. They become blacksmiths and quickly gain wealth by making weapons.
Anyways, there were a lot of options for players to choose from when it came to selecting their race in the game.
However, it didn't faze me as I smirked and chose the Demon race.
"They don't even know..."
Some races have unique sub-classes that are not revealed until someone discovers them.
One year after the game's release, I remember seeing a forum post about the unique Demon subclass that had been accidentally discovered by a player who goes by the name of 'Rotten Water'.
The post showcased the class's stats and its exclusive skills. I can still remember feeling envious when I saw how powerful the sub-class was.
A unique rarity class is a class that only one player can have.
It's unfair, but also incredibly powerful!
In my past life, I was also a Demon, but I was forced to choose the Devourer class, which excelled in speed and stealth.
It was good for collecting information and moving quickly, but unfortunately, it was also quite boring.
< Choose your Class >
~ Mage
~ Devourer
~~~~
As I was reminiscing about my past life, another window appeared before me.
Clicking on the Mage class another set of options appeared.
< Choose your sub-class >
→ Dark Mage
→ Dark Priest
~~~~
The Dark Mage sub-class has weak Physical Defense but decent Magical Damage and Mana.
The Dark Priest is a sub-class that specializes in curses, it lacks Magical and Physical Defense in return for strong Magical damage.
Players can try to balance their stats, but it is not recommended as it is not efficient.
"..."
However, as I levitated in the nothingness, I remained motionless. I didn't intend to choose any of the sub-classes presented.
To acquire the hidden sub-class, one has to be a Demon Mage and have no sub-class.
< Warning! >
< You haven't chosen your sub-class >
< Are you sure you want to Proceed? >
< Yes > / < No >
~~~~
After a minute of waiting, another hologram appeared, however, without hesitation, I pressed
< Welcome to Fragmental >
A robotic voice echoed in my head before I appeared in the middle of a spooky ancient village.
====
#Author's Note
[ Fragmental ] is a game built around the leveling-up system, leveling-up gives you SP (Status Points) which you can use to enhance your stats.
The game also has death penalties, if you die, you'll lose 2 levels, and if your account is not above level 3, you'll have to create a new account.
Dying while fighting against another player will result in you dropping 50% of your inventory.
Starting villages are the safe zones in which players cannot attack each other. In other cities, you are allowed to attack another player, but if an NPC sees you, you'll be jailed.