The year 2080 "Hey loser, what's your plan of action? We requested that you bring some cafeteria snacks. Do you have hearing loss? A burly, tall man tells David. He is a little scrawny and lacks self-defense skills. Consequently, he is constantly harassed by some of his peers. At university, the same thing is taking place right now. "I'm sorry, but I didn't bring money today. Could I just go?" David tells them, trembling. A second guy leaps at him from behind, causing the books he was clutching to fall. When David reaches for them to be picked up, one of the bullies steps on his fingers, causing him to scream in agony. "That's what you get, loser, for answering back. Tomorrow, you had better bring some munchies, or we'll beat the living hell out of you. David is left on his own. A female approached David as he was packing up his belongings and inquired about his well-being. She assists David with packing as well. "I'm alright, thanks." She thanks David and walks out. David was drawn to her thoughtfulness.
He came onto a street fight later that day while returning to his apartment. A handful of the folks standing at that side were familiar to him. The bullies from his class were the same ones. An old man is being beaten by them. At first, David chose to turn a blind eye and move on, but he couldn't let someone suffer harm. There was no way he was going to beat those four people. Nevertheless, he leaped at one of the guys and gave him a forceful rear-end kick. The unexpected attack knocks him out. The others are all staring at him in amazement.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing, you loser?" They begin hitting David after realizing who he is. David only wanted to save that elderly man; he didn't care if he was beat up. He makes room for the elderly man to escape. When he does, the bullies become even more enraged while David simply smiles.
From every angle, they begin punching and kicking David. David looks back and observes a girl who appears to be with the bullies. "You." She is the girl David remembers from before—the one who assisted David in picking up his books. David's sentiments were further damaged by witnessing her with the bullies because he had a crush on her. He lets out a few sobs.
Suddenly, sirens begin to sound in the distance. They flee the scene, leaving David laying on the ground, thinking that the police are approaching. "Hey, are you okay?" It was the elderly man who made the police call. He took David to his place since he lived close by.
"Thank you for saving my life last night; you were very brave." When he awakens, the elderly guy thanks him. It's alright, I'm accustomed to being beaten. I have to leave because I have classes to attend. "I would advise you not to do that today since you need some time for your injuries to heal. You seemed to know those brats anyway. We have lots of time to talk, so tell me more about yourself. The elderly man laughs.
"I'm just a person trying to improve my situation in life; there's nothing remarkable about me. The boys from the previous evening? They are my peers. They attended the same school, college, and, currently, university as me. That's my level of misfortune. I am a complete failure. I wish I was stronger, that I wasn't like this, and that I could give those punks a lesson. They are among the individuals who have damaged my life. Frustrated, David chews his tongue.
"Well, there is a method to become wealthy and powerful. All those brats have a lesson for you. Do you want to see how I can accomplish that? "How"? David queries. It's the virtual reality game System Ascend. These days, everyone plays it—even the bullies. In the real world, you can become wealthy if you gain strength, level up, and finish assignments.
In actual life, every high-ranked player is wealthy and powerful. I made the decision to retire last year, although I was once among the best players. I thus have sufficient experience to mentor you. The quickest path to success is to play System Ascend. Are you ready to go on your new adventure? David accepts the old man's offer. "I'm aware of this game, but I can't afford to purchase one of those game chambers." David informs him.
"Have you not heard that I announced my retirement? It implies that others are welcome to use my game chamber. I'll let you use my gaming room. How would you respond? David is both anxious and thrilled at the old man's offer. Yes, but I'll need some time to properly consider this. I'll be back tomorrow. David heads out of his house to his job at the restaurant.
He needs to work extra hard to support himself because he is impoverished and lacks parents. His coworkers regard him as a loser and show him little respect, even in the workplace. But David's mental toughness has only grown as a result of his challenges. He was in awe of the woman's beauty as he was serving her dinner. David is shocked by her apparent wealth because they don't have many wealthy patrons at their restaurant.
Serving her makes David a little uneasy, and he spills the drink he was meant to give her. The manager rushes over to console her and chastises David for what he did. It transpired that she was a senior Z-corp officer. David did not realize she even had their badge on. Since she had the power to close the restaurant if she so desired, the manager became alarmed when some of her clothes got soaked.
David is instantly fired by the manager, who also asks the client if there is anything he can do to help her feel better. "It was not his fault, so you don't have to fire him." She gives the management her word. "Are you certain, Miss? We don't want you to have an unfavorable impression after visiting. What more can we do to help you feel better? The manager breaks off in speech.
"I'll write a negative review of your restaurant if you terminate him. That is not what you would want to happen. The woman gives the manager a fixed look. She gives David her business card after telling the manager to leave. "Come talk to me at my office." David wonders why the Lady would want to do anything with someone who looks like him as she leaves.
She needs to get things done more urgently than to sit and converse with the menial waiter. What's going on? As he leaves the restaurant after work, he muses. Upon closely examining the card, he realized it was an elite Z-Corp card, granting him access to Z-Corp transportation. He walks to the bus stop nearby and boards the Z-corp bus with the card. After confirming the woman's address, he makes the decision to visit her office.
The vehicle hits the hundredth story as it soars through the enormous towers. "Whoa, her office is up in the sky so high." David approaches the gate and tells himself this. Two robots welcome him and scan David's card before letting him exit. One of the robots helps him get to the office. It surprised me how quickly you arrived; you are quite impressive. That being said, I had nothing to do at home. I so reasoned, "Why not pay you a visit?"
"All right, let's get down to business. I dislike squandering time on pointless conversations. Every window and door closes when she waves her hand. "Many spies try to steal our technology, and they don't want anyone to know that we converted." She informs David. David becomes a little uneasy and begins to reflect on what had happened.
"My name is Melati, and I am the director of operations here at Z-Corp. I've been observing you for a while, and we've decided to include you in our most recent experiment. She waves her hand again, and a few people come in. Senior Z-Corp executives make up all of them. She motions for someone else to explain the circumstances to David.Hello David Dillon is my name. I co-founded the video game System Ascend. My friend Matthew and I created this game a few years ago, and Z-Corp published it.
Our virtual reality went viral around the globe and was the most influential thing ever. Even the USD has been eclipsed by the in-game currency. Because of us, countless currencies around the globe have declined. Z-Corp gained greater power as a result than the UN itself. But my friend Matthew preferred to do things on his own. Miss Melati eventually fired him because of his avarice. He has been lurking and scheming against us ever since.
He's been breaking into the system. In reality, we are unable to ban any players or even obtain any personal data about them. People are free to walk around as in the real world. The realistic feel of this system is what has increased its popularity. But Matthew has been utilizing it for his own goal. He is currently playing as a player and he has gotten so powerful that we cannot get rid of him.
Right now, he is the third-most potent player. The two strongest players, in terms of ranking, are unwilling to assist us. Besides, no player wants to oppose Matthew because of how dangerous he is. He's also quite difficult to find. He has been murdering other players, and every participant that perishes in the game forfeits all of their belongings, including money. He is one of the few players who can actually kill other players with considerable difficulty.
A player spawns somewhere else when his HP drops to zero. Only when compelled to spawn five times in a single day does a player perish. To truly die, a player must lose five times in a row on a single day. The adversary ought not to have... The man starts to elaborate, but David interrupts him. That is far too much information to process at once, woah woah woah. Could you please simply tell me what to do and why I'm here, please? David informs them.
"Oh, I see. Alright, you don't seem to be very smart. Hello Miss Melati, are you certain that this man is the one? Hey David, you want to become wealthy and powerful. If you follow our instructions, I will make you wealthy and powerful. You want to explore a new world, so what say you? A universe in which you can advance and accomplish your objectives, free from bullying. A game chamber appears as she waves her hand. When David walks in, everything goes dark.
"Player David, welcome to System Ascend."