It was winter, and the sun cast a soft, gentle light in the sky.
Even though the curtains had been drawn open, the warm sunlight couldn't completely dispel the chill in the room.
It shone through the open window, creating a square border of light in the room.
Ring!
The phone rang again.
After ringing three times, it went to the answering machine.
"Bittu? This is your mother. I'll give you one last chance. Return the game cartridge immediately, or you know the consequences!"
Rude and threatening as usual.
Bittu ignored the message and focused on the game cartridge in his hand.
Bright red in color, the size of a thumbnail.
After checking it, Bittu inserted the cartridge, which had cost him all his savings, into the virtual helmet's cartridge slot.
This helmet was used to log into the new VR game that had just been released. The world had been abuzz with the release of the most anticipated VR RPG game in history before its release. It promised an immersive experience beyond imagination, attracting hordes of eager players, particularly children aged 12 to 25, and even an influx of older gamers from different age groups.
The game, known as "Eternal Nexus," swept the globe like wildfire, captivating hearts and minds with mesmerizing trailers and tantalizing gameplay teasers that had been spread like wildfire by beta testers. This game had claimed that it could achieve one hundred percent realism. Gamers couldn't resist the allure of exploring a virtual world that promised adventure and excitement, the likes of which had never been seen before. As the release date drew closer, online forums and social media platforms buzzed with speculations and predictions about the game's incredible features.
In the news, it was estimated that a total of one billion people bought the game on the first day of sales. Eight hundred million were purchased from all parts of the world, and 200 million were practically given away to the poor due to the ridiculously low price. People couldn't understand why it was practically given to these people for free, but most didn't care, and those who did couldn't get the creator's attention and instead got criticized by others. But it was clear that it was the best VR game made to date.
Today was the day that a lot of people would log into the game, and Bittu was no exception. He logged into the game while lying on his bed.
"Welcome to Eternal Nexus. To play, you need to create a character."
"To create your character, scanning of your body is necessary. Would you like to proceed?"
"Yes."
"Scanning started...
10%...20%...30%...100%
Scanning complete. Character creation finished. Would you like to see your status?"
"Yes."
Name: Bittu Sah
Age: 19
Race: Human (male)
Stats: Strength -> G
Agility -> G
Stamina -> G
Constitution -> G
Spirit -> Locked
Perception -> Locked
[Abilities: None]
[Alias: None]
[Equipment: None]
[Inventory: Empty]
"Would you like to enter the world now?"
"Yes."
Just as he said yes, his vision went blank. After a while, he woke up, feeling as if he had slept for a day, which seemed impossible since he had just logged into the game. As he woke up, he heard people talking around him.
"Hey, what are your highest stats?"
"Where are we all?"
"Hey, which class are you going to choose?"
"Which place are you from?"
"....."
All around him, people were discussing various topics. The excitement of the best VR game was palpable in the air. He looked around. The room they were in was entirely white, so vast that there seemed to be no end in sight, which was expected due to the sheer number of logins – nearly a billion people from all over the world. As he was looking around, a man with a loud voice attracted everyone's attention.
"Hey, guys, look up! There's a blue screen, just like our status, in the air."
As everyone turned their heads to look, they saw a microphone icon on the screen, which began to speak.
A voice resonated throughout the vast white room, capturing the attention of every player present. "Dear players, you can call me NEX, and I have an announcement to make," NEX began, its tone completely plain.
"As of this moment, your connections to the outside world have been severed. You are now inhabitants of the vast realm of Eternal Nexus, with no contact beyond its borders. You will be staying within the confines of the tutorial dungeon for the next six months to prepare for your stay in Nexus. During this time, your mission is clear: to survive, thrive, and become legends within this world."
A murmur of uncertainty first swept through the crowd, then it changed into excitement. Everyone assumed it was part of the game's setting, like the start of a story in which they would be introduced to a new virtual world, so no one took it seriously which will bring a lot of regret to be carried with by the players in their long journey in the future.
NEX continued, "This dungeon is a crucible where you will hone your skills, learn new abilities, and progress at three times the usual rate. Each of you is bestowed with unique potential, and how you choose to make your mark in this world will determine your rating for mission completion. Remember, in this tutorial, you won't face permanent death. Instead, you will be knocked unconscious for a period of time, but your experiences will shape your character's future in the Nexus."
Many wanted to ask questions, but as NEX finished speaking, they were given their missions, and their vision went blank again.
[Entering Player Tutorial Dungeon...]
[Main Mission: Survive for six months, 0/183]
[Background: you are a visitor from Nexus who has arrived and settled in the street called Abbey Road for six months. The city you are in is the capital city named Sunlight City. Your identity is created based on the skills that you already have, which match with the dungeon world. (Hint: you are given a profession based on the skill that you are best at.)]
(Hint: The Beginner's Dungeon is a great opportunity for every player.)
As I opened my eyes and looked around, I found myself sitting on a chair, probably dozing off. I was in a room that was white in colour with blue as the colour of the designs with a ceramic-tiled floor. A lot of musical instruments such as guitar, flute trumpet,.... were in the room. In front of me was a... piano! What? Why am I in a room full of instruments ? Isn't this a fantasy VR RPG? Shouldn't I be in a starting village where I will learn to fight? At least that was what I read the game would be like in the comments given by a lot of people.
As I was thinking, a green screen popped up in front of me. At first, I was shocked, and on instinct, I attacked the screen with a punch while I jumped back. That was when I remembered that a screen like this also popped up in front of a beta tester in the teaser of the game. I got embarrassed instantly. After that, I sat down again and read what was on the screen. As I read it all, I heard someone calling me.
"Excuse me, young man?"
I looked behind the piano, finding a middle-aged man. He had an average-looking face with black hair and a French beard with a fit body. He was about 165 cm tall and was wearing a black suit. He looked like a classical butler, just a little short. As I was looking at him, he spoke again,
"Do you know where the musician from the east is at?"
I was going to say no, but I just read that I was given the profession based on skills that I already have and can be used in the dungeon, and the one the system thinks I am best at. I won't say I am a musician, but I have a hobby of playing instruments. I know how to play a lot of instruments, piano and guitar being the ones I am best at, and I am from the east in a sense, east or southeast; it would be the same, right...? So, I can conclude that maybe my role is that of a musician who is quite famous. As I was thinking this, I felt that there was something wrong about this, like I was overlooking something, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"....yes."
" That's good, so where's he at?"
"..right before you... I am the one you are looking for." As I said this, I stood up from the chair while moving towards him.
"....."
"Cough... cough, I apologize for not recognizing you, Mr. Bittu. I knew about you being very young but never seeing you before I thought maybe you would be in your early twenties, but it seems you are even younger than that, only in your late teens."
"It's fine; it's natural to not recognize me since I am new here, so I didn't think much about it." So, why are you looking for me?"
"My lord has invited you to our manor for a welcoming party," the man said with a polite tone and a smile, handing me an invitation.
"Welcoming party...?" I said in surprise.
"Yes, a lot of talented people from south and east have arrived at our land, so, to make everyone familiar with each other, our lord has organized a party. We hope that you will attend it," the man said with a smile.
"That's nice, and I would love to join the party, but..." I said as I paused.
"But...," He said while thinking what I was going to say next.
"Who are you, and who is your lord?" I said with a frown on my face. How can I just join a party of someone I have never met and have no idea about who he is? Even though I might seem a little too cautious for thinking this, I feel caution is necessary while playing something new where you have no knowledge about anything. Who knows they might be kidnappers or thugs?
"....," The smile on the man's face stiffened for a sec before he sighed and said ,"....you should have asked anything but this."
Right after he said that, he attacked me with a punch, going in for a surprise while trying to take out a dagger in his other hand with a cunning glint in his eyes. But when he saw my face, which was calm as if I already expected it with a tinge of excitement, he was baffled but still continued with the attack. I caught his hand, avoiding his punch with both hands and using his momentum threw him down with force, but I miscalculated my strength and put forth more than I wanted.
"Sigh."
Seems like I got too excited and used more strength. Until now, I have never fought with anyone, even when I was with my friends who always end up attracting trouble and engage in fights. When they were in trouble and called me, no fight occurred, and when I have not reached or am far from the place, only then does a fight occur. I always wanted to fight, even if it was only once, so I learned moves that I liked from all sorts of fighting arts, but I never got a chance. Now that a VR RPG with a hundred percent realistic feeling, how could I not play it?
Now I can't question him any time soon. I just wanted to injure him and render him defenseless to ask some questions, but now, due to my excitement, he got unconscious. Though this guy is really testing his luck, trying to sneak attack me in such an obvious way, he must be an amateur. But what he didn't know was that the guy he just knocked out was the leader of the thieves. He used this very attack to become their leader and rob a lot of people. Just from this, we can see that Bittu's fighting instincts are quite high, and maybe this is why in the real world no one attacked his friends while he was around.
I dragged the guy inside the studio, locked the door, and put him down. I checked his pockets and found a dagger, some coins, and some lock-picking tools. After seeing these things, I thought he must be a thief. Thinking that a thief could have something more important in a hidden pocket, I checked him once again in a detailed manner, and guess what I did find something.
When I took it out of the pocket hidden in his lower end of the suit, I found a key. The key was half-black, half-white in color, looking very attractive and mysterious. I was instantly captivated by it. Looking at the key, I felt that it was something very precious to me, but I didn't know why that was. As I kept looking at the key, I felt as if I was seeing things. It felt like I was in a dream, and I saw a door that was big and majestic, half-black and half-white in color. After that, I felt I was being called by the thing that was inside the door, but just as I was getting deeper into the dream, I heard the doorbell ring.
*Ringing...*