You didn't read wrong, the real world! It's been a while!
We aren't going to stay long in it though.
Enjoy!
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/Half an hour later…/
After walking around for a while, Dale found Illia's Inn.
It wasn't hard to locate it as this time of the night, most buildings were dark with the exception of a few that were still on.
This wasn't modern times, in the dark, people had to move carrying some sort of light.
Candles, lanterns, torches...
So it wasn't hard for Dale to find a single shinning window in the dark streets.
"Time to log off…" Dale mumbled as he took off his shirt, laying on a creaky wooden bed
He was currently resting in the room given to him by Illia, the sole inn owner of the village.
'This place is really falling apart… But I can see the history behind it.'
'A relic from a time when Resko was a bustling town filled with activity, most of the old furniture is still rather intact albeit a few were in heavy need of repairs.'
'And dusty, the room was very dusty in some corners.'
'This room was actually far from what I expected from a countryside room, but it's still very dusty…'
Illia, the Inn owner, made sure to keep everything in good condition, within human limits.
She could only check everything once per month or so, as doing it every day in a multi-floor, multi-room Inn when she already had so much to do would only make her fall ill.
Dale wasn't particularly comfortable, but he wasn't offended by this nor did it matter as he wasn't going to be sleeping here...
At least not 'him'.
"A bed to lay on is good already since I need to give my character periodic rest otherwise I'll get those pesky debuffs." He said as he remembered his time testing things in the Beta with his friend
"Speaking of him… It's about time I send him a message."
"I'll do it once I log off, to see what he's doing, perhaps I can even help him?" He said as he closed his eyes and enjoyed the faint breeze of air from the broken window
Dale was lucky Illia had waited for him to arrive, otherwise, he would've had to sleep on the Church's floor.
He even felt touched by her actions…
"I'll pay her back… And I hope she has a good night's sleep…"
'This village, I will make it rise again.'
'I don't need a quest to encourage me as I already had plans to settle in this place in the Early to Mid game. Can't say about the distant future though.'
'But given everything I have experienced so far, that may still be the same.'
'If only I had a way to quickly move between the territories... Some places have teleportation gates, extremely expensive but they work.'
'Most players have to go by with wagons, they usually get inside and log off so by the time they log in again, they arrived at their destination.'
'I can't really do that though...'
[Log off?]
"Yes."
"... ZZZzzz..."
And like that, Dale left the game, but his body remained there, sleeping soundly.
…
/At the same time in the real world…/
/Bloop... Bloop.../
Back at Dale's house, in the room his pod machine is currently located in, his body could be seen floating in blue liquid…
As bubbles rose from within the tube, his body started to twitch very slightly...
It looked fairly alien...
/Beeep!/
[User has disconnected, initiating log-out procedures] Said the mechanical voice of the pod as several lights started to turn on in sequence
[Quick System Check: All systems normal]
[Current body condition: Perfectly fine]
[It's safe to continue]
When the AI finished its procedural check, the blue liquid started to be drained away into a small hole that opened beneath Dale's feet.
Several lights started to light outside the pod, indicating what was going on for those observing.
In under half a minute, the entire blue liquid had been drained and Dale's body was now suspended by a mechanical arm tied to his waist.
His entire body was limp, like a doll without strings...
/Beep!/
"!!"
/Gasp!/
Inside the translucent helmet, Dale's eyes suddenly darted open as he drew in a quick breath.
As he recovered his senses, the mechanical arm gently dropped him onto the ground as small currents were released into key parts of his body, stimulating movement.
At the same time, the Virtual Intelligence of the Pod said:
[Welcome back Dale, breathe slowly and…]
"Haa... Phew..."
But Dale ignored the machine, and instead, he looked at his arms, moving them around the place in surprise.
"Technology sure is convenient."
'Previously, after logging off from an extensive session, you have to wait for a minute or two and sometimes more for your brain to readjust.'
'It's similar to sleep paralysis. Many pods have the technology to prevent this or help your brain adjust faster, but my older pod was just a standard version I got on my 18th birthday, and that was already very expensive mind you.'
'Normally, you would be sent to a separate lobby on the Pod so you could do something as you waited for your body to readjust...'
'People can get quite anxious and panicked if they can't move, especially if they log off after some intense situation...'
"But this bad boy comes with everything in it… If it wasn't for the massive discount… Sheesh. Freaking rich people saying money doesn't buy happiness…"
[Your body has recovered all normal functions] Said the machine, interrupting Dale
/Shua!/
The doors of the pod opened, making the air from outside rush inside.
[You are free to remove your helmet at any time Dale]
/Click!/
/Inhale.../
Dale pressed a button at the base of his neck, removing his helmet soon after as he breathed in the 'fresh' air of the room.
At the same time, he put his helmet on a hook inside the pod, it was the most expensive part of his suit, so he was very gentle with it.
The Suit is simple to replace, though good suits like this one must be custom-made.
The Neuryne can be bought in specialized shops too... But the helmet needs to be customized.
"Phew… What a day."
"For now, I'll eat something, take a shower, and then..."
{Information transferring… Complete}
"This is?..."
But once again, it seemed things wouldn't be as simple as he desired...
The Voice that changed his life had once again spoken, making him wonder what would happen now...
'The green box?'
{Accessing… Re-adjusting configuration based on in-set parameters}
"... Wait a…"
'This happened before didn't it?…'
{Biological Core has been processed}
/ZOLT!/
"URG!" Exclaimed Dale in pain as he fell onto the ground
/Bam!/
Pain suddenly hit all parts of his body like a thunderbolt, making Dale stumble forward as he left the machine.
On the ground, he spasmed a few times as his eyes turned white...
But just as the pain came, it disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only massive soreness behind... And a gasping Dale on the ground.
"Haa… Fuck…"
Dale sweated bullets as he got up from the ground, his arms and legs trembling slightly.
/Steam.../
His body was so hot it was releasing steam. But it may be due to how cold the room was in the first place.
For a great performance, the machine had to be kept within a room whose temperature was within 5 to 10 degrees Celsius, rather cold but not overly so.
With his legs trembling, Dale got up once more and noticed the green box in the corner of his eyes.
"I almost forgot about it…"
'The few hours I spent in the game made me forget about this thing… Despite it appearing a few times.'
"Perhaps I will get some insight into what happened if I check my current condition there…"
It's better than speculating...
{Initiating}
{Dale Houston (19-year-old)
Body condition: Healthy-8; Tired-2; Sore-3; Satisfied-4
Lineology: Mixed race -> North America, South America, European.
Physical Data
-Body: 84(99)
-Cognitive: 59(74)
-Fucking 0: 34(49)
Meaningful Abilities: Maintain Emotions 2.5-Star; Spear Technique 2-Star; Exercise 2-Star; Willpower 2-Star; Gaming 1.5-Star; Analysis 1-Star; Study 1-Star; Close quarters Combat 0.5-Star; Spacial Awareness 0.5-Star; Knife Technique 0-Star
Overall, comprehensive Analysis: A young Human male who has successfully broken the limits of his own body, achieving a Superhuman physique despite all odds.
Still inexperienced, he can barely utilize his own body effectively, making his very achievement a miracle.
Arrogant and confident of his own achievements, he needs someone to put him in his place.
Score: 7 out of 10
}
{Recalculating…}
{New Score: 1.3 out of 10, there is a lot to do. A body that holds so much potential and yet he can barely make use of it.
Flimsy Spearmanship and a combat sense on the same level as that of a Mule, with his sole redeeming factor being his will to improve.
The classic description of someone less capable than what they believe to be.
}
"??? What?"
Many questions started to fill Dale's mind.
"It... Changed?"
'Why did the green box change? And why is it using the game's Skill classification system now?'
Frowning, Dale massaged his temples in search of an answer.
'It seems everything is connected way deeper than I thought… What is this game, truly?'
'And what is this green box? It keeps evaluating my current physical body, and now it is doing it based on the presets of the game...'
'Just what sort of parameters is it using? What are its references?... Parameters?...'
'Is it affecting reality or is it merely an illusion created to hide some sort of conspiracy in the real world? And what role am I playing in it all?'
"... Dammit it all…"
'What happened to my body right now… It's similar to what happened when the green box first appeared and my life changed.'
'My body transformed due to the game once more… And I hope it's positive,'
'Besides… What is this awful description of me… Less capable than I think I am? Confident and Arrogant?...'
Dale's expression was dark, but he could only shake his head in disappointment.
"Sigh… It's frustrating how accurate it is... I need to change my way of thinking fast."
'But I can tell one thing, it is hiding something from me… Or at the very least, it is simply not displaying everything.'
"I'm getting a fucking headache… But I did get some answers I didn't expect to see so soon…"
'My objective became very clear now, playing the game increases my real-world strength... It seems crazy but it is how it is...'
'Now I know what that last value meant… It was supposed to be the Status linked to my Mana, whatever that means… So I'll change it to that for now.'
"However... If the two statuses are linked... Are other things linked as well?"
Dale started to fear for the choices he made before...
"One life in real life and one life in the game... If I die there, will I also..."
He started to tense, but as time went on he shook his head and decided to think about it later.
And as Dale recovered his bearings, he started to fantasize again…
'Hum… If I have mana… Can I use magic?'
'In real life?'
'And what about my Skills? Would they work?'
"It seems my Class Constituion Ratio does not affect me in real life... A shame, but something to be wary of."
'... Just a shame I have none of my items available and my Skills aren't really incredible… Perhaps I should look for a magic Skill.'
"But then again, Miasma Immunity didn't pass to this Status… I wonder why, is it because it's a Skill I got while I played and not the other way around?"
'If it's that, then it may be difficult to prove my previous question about Mana.'
'If I have no Active Skill to use, then how do I know Mana exists?'
'I can punch the wall to see how strong I became, I can test my reflexes, but this...'
'It's nothing but a value on a screen for now.'
/ZIP!/
Unzipping his suit, Dale stepped out of the room to take a shower and eat, he spent 14 hours in-game, and under the time difference of 3:1, that is equivalent to a bit over 4 and a half hours of real-world time.
He needed to eat something and prepare since he was sure he was going to spend a looong time gaming the next time he entered that Pod.
…
But as Dale stepped out of his room, he realized there was no one home.
"Where's everybody?" He asked as he tapped the wall
/Beep!/
[Miss Houston left 14 Minutes ago to buy groceries while Mr. Houston is currently inside his Virtual Reality Pod, your younger brother is also currently inside his VR pod] Replied the house's Virtual Intelligence
"I see… In that case..."
"Please, make me an energetic meal as I am going to stay in the pod for a few more hours… Also, heat up the water for me." He said as he made his way to the bathroom
[Understood Dale, I'll make you a delicious curry]
[Also, I already set the water temperature in the bathroom from the moment I saw you stepping out of the pod, you may get in anytime]
"Thank yo... Wait... From the moment I stepped out of the Pod?"
[Indeed]
"This means... You saw that?..."
[Are you referring to your slight convulsion? I have paid attention to it, but given its momentary nature, I have already called off calling the Ambulance]
[If you're still feeling unwell, please say so as I shall contact your parents immediately]
"Sigh... Of course you saw that…"
'I forgot the Virtual Intelligence records many things that happen around the house…'
'In that case...'
"I'm alright, my body condition couldn't be better."
His eyes sharpened a little as he said:
"Delete everything you saw in the Pod room from the past 5 minutes, it also includes this request of mine, make it discreet if possible."
'This way, in the strange circumstance someone starts watching the recording, they won't find it odd if they see a slight splice in me getting out of the Pod.'
'The rest of the recording isn't really meaningful, but I will take a closer look later.'
'It may have some interesting revelations about what happens to my body while I'm in the game, if not, one less thing for me to worry about.'
[Understood, but this command requires the secret code]
[Please provide the…]
"Mulberries Snaff Ofens 9+10*..." He said in embarrassment as he looked at the ground
[Password has been confirmed, video recording Number… Has been deleted]
"..."
'I hate this password…'
Without saying anything else, Dale entered the bathroom and started taking a shower…
/Shuaa shuaa.../
…
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Notes
So Dale is back home and something happened...
Well continue with him in the Village next chapter.
See you all tomorrow!