Jace saw the portal in front of him. He was about to enter when the portal vanished.
-Ding. You have received a gift box from Futuristic Fantasy Inc.
-Ding. The gift has been retrieved.
-Ding. You have received a gift box from Futuristic Fantasy Inc. Enter the purple portal to receive it.
Jace got stunned and looked at a purple portal that appeared by his side. He steeped inside gingerly. A human's voice announced. "Congratulations, Player Extremely Lazy. You are one of the ten luck people. You have received a 'Random Maxim Comprehension' Card. You have one minute to find the number. Use it well." Flash! The blurry world grew clearer.
A fantasy like world. It was a forest. The greenery sparkled like silver. It had an enchanting gleam to it. Thankfully, Jace was quick to recover from his daze. "Damn, five seconds is already gone."
He ran towards the most eye-catching thing in the forest. A huge stone tablet. He jumped on top only to realize it was empty.
What was it? A ruse? A scam? Or do I just don't fit the requirements to see it? Jace wondered. But he quickly became determined. Something so basic like a game, why would I not fit the requirements? I must!
He peered at the stone table muttering. Basic. Simple. Easy. The stone tablet started to become clearer. As Jace saw that he became more resolute and passioned, a word appeared on the tablet. What appeared? Jace was stunned. Wasn't that a line. A vertical one?
His mind started to spin and his thoughts became faster. I was told to find a number? "One." He said it as fast as possible.
-Ding! You have passed the test. Go in to take your reward.
Jace wanted to relax but he couldn't until he had seen the reward. He rushed into the purple portal that just appeared.
He saw a wooden tree that had the shape of a table. He quickly climbed a bit and finally reached the 'reward.'
-Ding. You have found the reward.
Jace looked back. The portal had disappeared. He couldn't help but have a horrifying thought. What if the timer was still counting? Damn, what a trick test! I hope I'm wrong.
He hurriedly touched the reward. It was a paper. He flipped it over and a beautiful calligraphy with the words, 'Level One' appeared. It looked mysterious and otherworldly, yet, it was made up of the most basic strokes. Comprehend! He shouted inwardly.
-Ding! Write the words in your mind.
"Fuck, I was right! Damn it, you Futuristic trash*, you and your misleading bullshit."
*He is talking about Futuristic Fantasy Inc.
He imagined writing it in his mind with a beautiful pen. He wrote it at first but it lacked the otherworldly and mysterious aura. He tried again and again. When he tried to imitate it exactly. The lines he had written glowed. But it was so hard! When the lines got crooked a little bit or even if he had a little bit of hesitation to his strokes making it rough and with points everywhere. The glow would immediately fade. He had to write it with one stroke.
"What am I missing? Level one? What is level one? The lowest level? No, it's the basic strokes!"
As he came to this realization, a countdown appeared with some words on top. "You have a star ranked treasure. Sacrifice to gain 15 more seconds?"
He gritted his teeth. He could only decide hastily. 'Sacrifice!"
Actually, because he split part of his focus to count down the time since he started drawing, his usual concentration was diminished. The result was the loss of a star rank sword. Though he had no idea how high the rank was, it was probably strong enough for him to destroy the so-called guilds rampantly. He fumed. "The sacrifice better be worth it."
He put the time out of his mind. He started to draw. Slow strokes. Solid and continuous. Lines and curves. Perfect control! Like a drawing made out of points*, the world started to take shape. Interestingly, the end of the word was not at the 'e' of the one.
Even the space in the middle seemed like a natural bridge that closed the gap between the two words. The time was still ticking. When it reached ten, it started a countdown. 5…4…3. Everything was in place. Except a dot. Where the dot was supposed to be was glaring. It looked like a hideous crack on a beautiful vase.
2…The countdown continued. Though it was in his mind, the veins in his hands showed like snakes. His muscles were tense and his back was soaked with sweat.
He was now aware of the time. He couldn't stay at the spot for too long or the writing will be spoilt.
"Fuck it. Win or lose…I won't die!" His hand drew a curve not following the normal route at all. The strokes elegantly curved and stopped at a dot. The flaw was fixed!
If it was a vase, it now had a touch of elegance besides its mystery and otherworldliness. It was finished.
-Ding! Maxim rating: Surpassed original.
Sadly, Jace couldn't hear this unbelievable rating. He had fainted. He was too tired. A faint mumble escaped the unconscious boy's lips. "You fucking call this a game?!!"
…
Jace woke up in the VR capsule. He pressed down a lever to open the top. A gel like substance immediately withdrew from around him. He stood up looking clean and fresh.
"Ugh, what a headache. It looks like I had a hangover."
He held his head and crept towards his bed. He collapsed n it with a thud.