Have you ever witnessed a person being hit by every conceivable emotion all at once? Do you know if that person still exists?
The one feeling every emotion imaginable at once?
Well, if you haven't then the first candidate to ever cross that line was Robin. Robin was feeling a flood of emotions in response to the M4 rifle that now lay on his desk, extending beyond its width.
The M4 was an icy grey colour, but it had been polished to a shine. In-game currency was used to modify this M4 that Robin owned. He cautiously reached out and touched M4's body to make sure it was real.
It-freaking-was!!
His first impression upon picking up the M4 was that it was a bit on the heavier side, a telltale sign that this particular M4 was a unique creation. He didn't know much about firearms because he was an Indian citizen, in a country where guns weren't readily available to the general populace.
The M4 rifle's safety lock was the only item he was familiar with, having learned about it from a YouTube video. He checked the gun's safety lock and then looked it over carefully. He looked up online instructions for opening the magazine and gave it a try.
Also, after inspecting the magazine, he was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that this weapon was authentic. The cool metal and intricate mechanics gave him an almost reverential appreciation for the device in his hands. With a sense of excitement and apprehension, he noticed that the ammunition was in plain view, easy for him to grab. The sleek metallic rounds glinted in the light, a stark contrast to the soft warmth of his palm.
A goddamn miracle had finally come his way but
now Robin faced the real challenge. The rifle had to be disposed of immediately. His bedroom was too small, too cluttered with the knic knacks of his lived life, there was no hidden cabinet or closet where he could keep a weapon of that size. He needed to discard it and do it quickly. Before his parents find it and create a ruckus.
As Robin considered his options, he realized that the only choice he had was to abandon the firearm in an area devoid of witnesses and surveillance equipment. He weighed his decision carefully, mapping out possible locations in his head. There was another option, of course, which was to put the gun back in the game, and he tried it but failed instantly. The mechanics of his powers were far more complicated than he had anticipated, and he couldn't figure out how to reverse the process of bringing the M4 into the real world. Robin felt a pang of frustration, but he knew that time was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to waste any more of it.
He tried to devise a plan to get rid of it at the perfect place. He suddenly realized! The grounds of his former university! He decided that would be the perfect place because the campus gates were always open, and he will be able to take the family car and dispose of the weapon in an area with no inhabitants nearby. The campus of the institution was enormous, and there was virtually no one there in the late afternoon or early evening.
Unfortunately, he could only do it in the evenings. It was still daylight, so someone passing by might see him carrying a weapon. He had to keep the weapon out of sight till then. He then slid the rifle in at an angle into the compartment beneath the table.
"M4 can be taken care of later. Now that I have this ability, let's see what else I can accomplish with it."
By this time, Robin had collected himself and was contemplating his next move with the firearm. He then continued to see whether he could access any other items from the storage menu. The menu always has an option to split and zoom in on individual game pieces. He found the perfect accompaniment for his new toy. A 4x magnification scope.
He gave the scope a go, and as predicted, a single swipe gave him a 4x magnification. An optic that would fit on his new M4. That's something he'd never do, of course. Nothing fancy about the scope.
As he explored the game's options, he found another feature that piqued his interest.
A car.
The Dacia 1300 was a vehicle from the 1990s.
Like a freight train, that idea slammed into Robin's brain. He was tempted to give it a go, but he had discarded this idea. It was just not practical. It would be utter chaos if he pulled the automobile into his bedroom.
It was too much of a gamble for him to make. Not in his room, at least not at the moment. However, if he were truly capable of doing so, he could make 'impossible' things a reality!
"Oh, I wonder if the power is only compatible with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds? Is it possible for me to play some other games?" This exciting notion crossed Robin's mind. Sadly he didn't have another game on his mobile at this point. He checked out Google Play for games to see if there were any he could play.
He couldn't go for games with guns. Having to deal with just one M4 was already a burden, so he set out in search of a more straightforward game, which he discovered without much trouble.
Mobile UNO.
The game was innocuous and downloaded swiftly. Once he had installed it, he eagerly initiated the first round and was promptly rewarded. To his delight and mounting anticipation, he repeated the action with his fingers, and once again, the results were just as satisfying.
His fingers slipped through the tempered glass screen, and he deftly retrieved a random deck of UNO cards. Despite his urge to burst into laughter and jump with joy, Robin managed to restrain himself.
His newfound ability was a game-changer; pun intended and would determine the trajectory of his life from this point forward. As he examined the now normal-sized deck of cards, his thoughts wandered to the possibility of applying this ability to other types of games. Could he use it for desktop and console games, as well as mobile games?
The idea took root in his mind, and he wasted no time in flipping open his laptop. In reality, Robin was not an ardent gamer. He had never been one to immerse himself in games, and the few he had played were always in solo mode.
The absence of a modern gaming PC was the crucial factor in his detachment from the gaming community. His parents prioritized his education over indulging him with a gaming PC replete with all the bells and whistles.
Despite having reached an age where he could afford a top-of-the-line PC, he found himself lacking the funds and time to play games. Instead, he relied on YouTube trailers and reviews to stay informed about the latest gaming trends. It was a regrettable reality, but one that he had come to accept.
Skyrim, God of War, Counter-Strike, Mario, and others were among the games he played in his youth. Simply put, he loved playing those ancient games and played them anytime he could get his hands on them.
Furthermore, at the moment, he only had a single game installed on his computer. It was a bit dated by 2022 standards, but he still considered it his favourite game of all time. There were obviously more games out there than the one he had on his laptop at the time, but this was just his personal favourite.
The name of the game was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
He got it the day it came out and played it nonstop for three days. He was so enamoured with it that he even played it while taking university semester exams. And right now, Robin opened that game. The loading screen appeared after about a minute.
Without wasting any time, he accessed the witcher Geralt's wares. Similar to Skyrim, it was a story-driven solo adventure. A witcher was mentioned in the game as a human with somewhat improved capabilities and a touch of magic in his arsenal. Geralt was essentially a hired gun who took jobs killing demons. monsters like ghouls and vampires
The plot centres on his efforts to locate and protect his adopted daughter from the villainous Wild Hunt, who was after her because of the unique skills she possessed. According to Robin, the game's story and mechanics were the greatest of any she'd played.
There was a tonne of stuff in his inventory because he had played the game so many times. A crossbow and other craftable items were also there, along with armour, potions, glyphs that could be affixed to swords to increase their potency and even give them magical and elemental powers.
Taking a deep breath, Robin paused. A decisive moment has arrived. Mobile games were getting better and better as the industry matured, but they could never compare to the power of PC and console gaming.
In the same way that his power enabled mobile access, if it could do the same for him it would be a huge step forward.
With deliberate motions, he moved his fingertips to one of the glyphs in his stockpile. Without any resistance, his fingers pierced the thick glass of the laptop screen and he extracted a blue glyph of Aard.
It was over; he had succeeded. He's finally found peace! It appeared that his abilities extended to all platforms, including PC games.
'OK!! It works on non-living items. What about Geralt? Does it have any chance of success there?'
He made an effort as his hands reached out to the standing Geralt. Unfortunately, his fingers appeared to go right through the figure.
'So no living characters. That's the preferable option. If I can bring a living character, it will be more of a headache than help.'