[COMMAND FAILED!]
The prompt popped up and beamed in red colour signifying something negative.
"What... the... hell... is going on! Axon, log me out now!" Beth screamed.
[COMMAND FAILED!]
She dished out the same command over and over and for each of her commands, there was still only one response — Command Failed!
Beth dropped to the ground and her mind strayed.
She tried to figure out what was happening and possibly, a solution to her current problem.
She had gotten a glimpse of a [Log Out] tab before now and now she sat down, confused and quite doubtful if she had really seen it since it was no longer there.
She shook her head and reassured herself.
"No. I definitely saw it," she said with utmost confidence.
Beth had been trying for hours now, in the time of Nexus, to solve her problem but she could not come up with a solution.
Her SOS message to the NERVE Tower, who were the developers of the virtual reality massive multiplayer roleplaying game (VRMMORPG), also failed.
She was stuck in this universe while in the form of her avatar, the ice wielding elf — Nyx.
Beth was scared for her life at the thought of a new form of existence she did not opt for.
As much as she relished the concepts behind virtual reality games and enjoyed the world of Nexus so far, she never planned on staying forever.
Being stuck in this virtual world meant she had to stick to the identity of her avatar — Nyx, who is summarily a beautiful elf woman with long white hair, and turquoise eyes, and the ability to cast ice magic spells.
Nyx will remain a basic character at best, pending when Beth decides to take on more challenges in Nexus Online.
With every second, every minute and every hour that passed in Nexus, Beth lost faith that could not be regained.
She was losing it.
"I knew it," she cried out.
"It was too good to be true. I should have known better. No one gives out that kind of amount of free money."
Her hands were tied on the matter and there was nothing she could do but that did not stop Beth.
She could tell that something fishy was going on in the real world but could not pinpoint what exactly it was.
It was all too timely for the [Log Out] to suddenly vanish right after she had passed through a Gate of Nexus.
"The only chance to quit was in the Anteroom."
Beth laughed at herself when the realisation came to her.
"I'm in for a long ride then."
She rose from the ground where she sat and looked forward.
Ahead of her but blurred due to the immeasurable yet surmountable distance between them was a tower.
It was a gigantic tower whose top she could see as it appeared to be hidden in the skies of Nexus.
There was only one option left which she was yet to explore.
Beth could not guarantee that it was going to work but she would not know until she tried it.
It was the surest among the ones she had tried.
Beth sighed again as she thought about it.
Even though the possibility of getting out of Nexus was highest with this particular option, it was going to take a long time to execute successfully.
The thought of it alone strained her.
That option of exit, which was her last option, was for Beth to complete the VRMMORPG and reach its end… and then… hope for the best.
That was the only way that she could assure her exit to a greater extent.
Having completed the [Anteroom] tasks, she was currently a level 1 player and an equal to most of the players she entered the beta testing launch with although she was yet to see any of them.
"Axon, can I see a map of Nexus?"
[Only a first grade map is accessible to you]
She sucked her teeth in frustration. "First grade map?"
She pressed on the [Map] tab and a description appeared.
"Hmm," Beth muttered as she critically looked over the blue screen. "I only get the first grade map for free. I've got to keep upgrading as I go along. Not bad anyway?"
Beth, from her little gaming experience in the real world, knew the importance of maps in adventure-themed games and that was why she needed one.
Navigating through an unknown world without a map was an effort bound to be fruitless.
A wasted journey.
She clicked [More] to see how she could purchase a map and how much it cost.
—––
MAPS:
[Maps of Nexus are the visual representations of the world of Nexus and the various locations to be explored]
—––
"Show me the grades."
—––
GRADES:
First grade: Accessible «Click to equip»
Second grade: «Locked»
[2,000 coins to unlock]
Third grade: «Locked»
[8,000 coins to unlock]
Fourth grade: «Locked»
[14,000 coins to unlock]
Fifth grade: «information not accessible»
World Map: «information not accessible»
—––
"What the hell is this!" she exclaimed. "These maps cost a fortune! Maps are even supposed to be free!"