Chapter 4: Launch!
Aakesh stood in front of a mirror as he looked at himself.
The change in the past month was visible, as the bulge had lessened to the point where only when Aakesh wore something tight would it show. His muscles had become toned to some extent. His sunken eyes were still there, but they couldn't hide his charm anymore.
"I will revive you!" Aakesh mumbled under his breath as he looked at himself. Things were going to change from this moment on, and he was ready to face whatever may come in his path.
[Ding!]
Unaware of how much time had passed, Aakesh continued standing in front of the mirror. The sudden notification sound from the virtual device broke him out of his trance.
Aakesh turned around as he looked at the device and then the clock. Only five minutes were left before Myth Online would launch.
The bell-like sound was a notification for Aakesh to enter the device and log in with his credentials before the server's opening. Aakesh would finally see the device's interior since it had only become unlocked now.
Aakesh didn't waste his time and reached the device after two steps. A small lid had opened in the device after the sound. Beyond the cover, a glass welcomed Aakesh's sight.
The information about the lid and the glass was available in the user manual, so Aakesh already knew its purpose. The needle he had prepared earlier came in handy as he poked it into the tip of his thumb.
Psss!
Aakesh groaned as the pain from the needle hurt him more than he had expected. Aakesh finally experienced the saying, "The known pain hurts more than the unknown!"
The blood began to seep out, but before it could spread across the thumb's tip, Aakesh pressed the thumb on the glass behind the lid.
The border of the glass contained tiny LEDs, so they lighted up while the device began to scan Aakesh's blood.
[Welcome, Aakesh Jha!]
A soothing female voice rang in Aakesh's room as the pod's hatch opened.
Aakesh couldn't help but become surprised when he saw the device's inside from outside the hatch.
There was no comfortable bed or wires that would connect to his brain inside. But only a tub full of blue liquid greeted him.
Aakesh stepped ahead and tried to touch the liquid. It was a liquid, but its viscosity had reached an extent where Aakesh felt his hands passing through the sand.
When Aakesh's hands passed through the liquid, he felt a comfortable feeling wash through them.
[Aakesh, only one minute left before the launch!]
[Countdown starting…]
[59,58,...]
The soothing female voice rang again, informing Aakesh about the closing server launch.
Aakesh stopped looking around and stepped inside the pod. Aakesh knew what he had to do. He took off his clothes and stepped into the pool of blue liquid.
Like sand would surround the man, the blue liquid covered Aakesh from his head to toe. No part of his body was left untouched.
[...,4,3,2,1!]
Click!
The countdown also came to an end, and the hatch closed on its own.
Aakesh's brain temperature began to fall at an unprecedented rate. A drowsy wave attacked Aakesh. In no time, Aakesh's body fell into a deep sleep. It was one of the benefits of the virtual device.
(A/N: I checked it on the internet. I know the Internet isn't always right, so those who think this is wrong, please do comment.)
As for waking up, Aakesh would only need to Log Out of the game, and his brain temperature would return to normal, waking him up.
The diary left by Manish was placed in Aakesh's drawer since he couldn't let anyone come into contact with it. When the hatch closed, a blue light engulfed the diary as well. When it vanished, the diary also disappeared with it.
***
After Aakesh's body fell into a deep sleep in the liquid, he found himself in an unfamiliar place after opening his eyes.
A palace that looked familiar yet unfamiliar, dreamy yet dreadful, chaotic yet serene, welcomed Aakesh's eyes.
Aakesh's heart skipped a beat as the palace in front of him was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
[Welcome, Adventurer!]
A soothing female voice suddenly rang in the area. It would have soothed someone's soul, but Aakesh's face turned angry as it broke him out of his reverie.
But the anger disappeared when he turned in the direction of the voice.
An otherworldly beauty greeted Aakesh's eyes. Eyes like lotuses, a slim waist, fairly large hips, and deep bosoms gave the beauty an ethereal appearance. A red skirt with sky-blue borders flew with the wind, while a red blouse showed a gateway to the two peaks.
[Adventurer, welcome to Panagea!]
[I am Urvashi, the Apsara of Introduction!]
The being seemed to move, but her every movement was a graceful dance step. Aakesh's eyes never left the beauty as he followed her movement.
Urvashi seemed not to mind Aakesh's gaze on her body, and her steps became even more graceful, which Aakesh felt was impossible before.
The dance continued for a few seconds, but then it suddenly stopped. The smile on Urvashi's face disappeared.
Aakesh felt an unbearable pain in his heart as he no longer saw the smile on Urvashi's face. At the same time, it was also needed. After entering here, he lost himself first in the beauty of the palace and then in Urvashi.
Aakesh took a deep breath as he looked at Urvashi and asked her to introduce him to the world of Panagea.
[Adventurer, the world of Panagea is a world that housed gods and beings above those levels in the Ancient Era. But now those beings had left this world, giving everyone a chance to reach their level.]
It was only a short introduction that didn't explain much about the world. When Aakesh asked Urvashi to delve deeper, she told him to find out what he wanted to know by himself.
The next step was to create his profile, so Aakesh told the name he wanted to set as his profile to Urvashi.
The next moment, a blue screen appeared in front of Aakesh, containing his status.
Name: Ikshvaku,
Race: Human,
Level: Level 0,
Title: None,
Class: None,
The status panel didn't contain most things, and it was short. Urvashi solved the doubt before Aakesh could ask.
[Adventurer, your status screen is temporarily locked. To activate it, you need to complete the quest you would get in your beginner's village.]
[Please select a birthplace in the Radison Kingdom.]
Even though there were no different servers for different countries, the game had set different starting places for people from different countries. Every person logging in from India would spawn in the Radison Kingdom.
Before waiting for Aakesh to respond, Urvashi told Aakesh, and soon, a map of the Radiance Kingdom appeared in front of Aakesh.
Aakesh didn't answer right away. Since the diary didn't tell Aakesh to choose a specific city, it didn't matter what city he chose to be his beginner's place.
Aakesh believed that there was more to the diary since there was no point in leaving a diary if Manish hadn't left clues to the future.
***
A/N: What do you think about the point of doing a quest to unlock the status?
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