Satisfied with the equipment, I leave the armory.
The armory door opened before I could reach it. Everyone else followed inside, grabbing and equipping what they could. Once we were all outside and fully geared, a portal materialized in the center of the map. The Admin's orb flew ahead of us, its glow lighting the way.
"All of you! Enter the portal now!"
The group erupted into panic, voices rising as they begged the Admin to reconsider, to not force them through the portal. Their pleas fell on deaf ears as the Admin hovered above, silent.
"Final warning—enter the portal or I'll make you."
The protests quieted. Trembling, everyone began to enter the portal one by one. I was the last to step through.
The screen shifted, revealing a ruined city straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Burnt buildings, cracked streets, and debris littered the landscape. Nothing stood out, just devastation. As the group looked around in disbelief, something caught our attention—a message appearing in front of each of us.
[Tutorial: Fight, Scavenge, and Survive]
I felt my character start to shake, the fear palpable.
"Get down!"
Dom ran toward me, pulling me down to the ground. Looking up, I was startled to see an arrow sail right over my head.
'An arrow? Who the hell is shooting at us?'
Turning around, I saw the danger. Thousands of small figures were marching toward us—Gnomes. Their short builds carried massive weapons, and their pointy hats were torn and damaged.
"Oh my god."
"You're kidding, right?"
Jun and Steve bolted in opposite directions, running without a plan. My character, out of sheer desperation, ran in the complete opposite direction from the others.
'No! What the fuck are you doing?! Why are you moving on your own!?'
I yelled at the screen, but it was useless—my character wasn't listening. Not long after running, I had to stop. My character was already exhausted.
'It's only been 3 minutes. How long is this tutorial going to last?'
Suddenly, I heard a low growling sound. I quickly suggested that my character hide. Luckily, he had the same idea, ducking behind a brick wall where he could see without being seen. Observing the scene through his eyes, I was struck by how realistic the game looked.
'This is so detailed... for a mobile gacha game?'
Then, something small came into view—a Gnome, sniffing around as if tracking me.
'We have to kill it before it warns the others.'
I suggested equipping the slingshot. He loaded a shot using some nearby debris and took aim. Fire.
Swoosh
Miss.
The Gnome turned, alerted by the sound of the missed shot.
'Load another one, quick!'
Another shot was loaded. He aimed again. Fire.
Swoosh
Hit!
The Gnome tumbled to the ground. I commanded my character to finish it off. Reluctantly, he did. Once the danger was dealt with, I directed him to search the surrounding area. After a few minutes of walking, we came across an old market.
We went inside. It was dark and silent. I made him search for anything usable.
[★ Liu found an old granola bar]
[★ Liu found a damaged backpack]
He equipped the backpack, and I moved him to a wall with a window. Peeking outside, I spotted two Gnomes nearby. Fire.
Swoosh
One Gnome dropped dead while the other ran off, screaming at the top of its lungs.
'Shit, we need to go now.'
I tapped the screen repeatedly, urging my character to move. After running for a while, he had to stop and rest again.
'I really need to get this guy in shape.'
As we rested, a sudden message flashed on the screen.
[★ Jun permanently died]
[★ Steve permanently died]
My character panicked and started running in desperation again.
'He's doing his own thing again...'
He didn't get far before stopping to rest once more. As I waited, a notification from the Admin appeared.
"Looks like the tutorial will be over soon. I hope you learned something!"
Not long after, the next message popped up.
[Tutorial complete]
[★★ Dom returns alive] -> [★★ Dom Level 1] -> [New Skill: Protector]
[★★ Amber returns alive] -> [★★ Amber Level 1] -> [New Skill: Scavenger]
[★ Liu returns alive] -> [★ Liu Level 1] -> [New Skill: Coward]
[Reward: Beginner's Weapons, Beginner's Armor, 10x Summoning Ticket]
'Oh, come on. Why do I get the crappy skill, while those two get good ones?'
The screen went black, and we were all back in the lobby.
The Admin orb floated above us once again.
"Five went in, but only three came out. That's better than average, so I guess I can't complain."
"Now that you've completed the tutorials, rest up for tomorrow. Your Master just logged off, so do whatever you want until then."
I glanced over at Dom and Amber, who were already talking. I forced my character to join in.
"It's good to see you again. I'm sorry for tackling you earlier."
"Ah, uh, n-no, it's alright. Thanks for helping me."
"I'm Amber Rolwell. Do either of you know where we are?"
"I'm Dom Marcel. Unfortunately, no. And I don't think we're going back home anytime soon."
"I'm Liu Lu... I-I don't know either."
'Jesus, even in-game he acts just like me around strangers.'
Seeing my character interact with them left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"Since we're the only three left, why don't we form a group?" Dom suggested.
"I like that idea!"
"Y-yes, please."
Watching my character talk with them filled me with jealousy.
'I wish I could talk to people like that…'
I shut off my phone and lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Someone to talk to… I miss those days."
"Ever since moving here, nothing's gone my way. Nothing."
I felt a wave of nostalgia and sadness wash over me, my eyes stinging as tears threatened to fall.
DING.
I grabbed my phone and saw a message from @min.
[From: @min]
M: Did you have fun? If yes, we have a proposal. If you're willing, we can send you your very own VHG so that you can experience the game from a first-person perspective. Additionally, we'll provide you with a special version of the VHG that will let you experience the game on an entirely new level. However, you'll first need to sign an electronic waiver. So, how about it?
"My own Virtual Head Gear?! Those things usually cost 600 bucks. But what's this 'special VHG'? Is he just advertising regular hardware? How special can it be from the average?"
I typed back quickly.
[From: Liu]
M: Yes, I would be willing to sign a waiver.
Seconds later, another message popped up.
[From: @min]
M: Here's the link: xxxxxxxxx. Once you've finished, we'll send you your very own personal VHG by morning.
"Wait, I haven't given them my address so how would they send it to me?"
[From: Liu]
M: Don't you need my address? I don't remember giving it to you yet.
[From: @min]
M: Goodnight, Mr.Lu.
That last message left a strange feeling in my gut. Something felt off. But I shrugged it off, charged my phone, and climbed into bed.
The next morning, I woke up to a notification on my phone. I had a message saying a package had been delivered. Groggy and still half-asleep, I walked to the front door and, to my surprise, saw a box waiting for me. I hadn't expected it to arrive this quickly.
Carrying it back to my room, I wasted no time tearing the box open. Inside was a small letter and the VHG. I picked up the letter and read:
Hello,
We want to thank you for participating in our game. As a token of our appreciation, we've decided to let you keep this VHG permanently. No need to worry about connecting it to the game—it comes pre-installed. Just charge it before using it.
Take care,
@min
"It's just an average VHG..." I muttered, slightly disappointed. But still, it was free, so I couldn't complain.
I plugged it in to charge and decided to kill some time. Curiosity got the better of me, so I did some web searches about the game, Anastasis, and the company behind it.
Nothing came up. No articles, no discussions, no forums. It was as if the game and the company didn't even exist.
"Weird, very weird..."
Giving up on that search, I scrolled through social media. As usual, everyone was out traveling, working, and posting about new milestones in their lives—weddings, promotions, babies.
"I'm so behind in life," I muttered bitterly. "If only we hadn't moved... life would've been so much easier."
The frustration settled in, but I tried to shake it off. I put on some Lo-Fi music and closed my eyes, hoping to relax. Just as I started drifting off, I was jolted awake by a knock on my door.
"Hey Liu, I want to talk to you."
I didn't respond.
"Listen, I've got a friend who's looking for someone to help with fixing PCs. She's someone I met back in college—really easy to get along with."
Silence.
"If you ever want to get back out there, you know I'm always here to help, right? Alright, son?"
Hearing him talk about college and his "successful" friends pissed me off.
"Whose fault do you think it is that I'm in this mess!?"
The words exploded from me before I could stop them. It wasn't my dad I was angry at—it was everything else. But he sighed and turned to leave, only stopping briefly in the doorway.
"I'm always here for you, Liu. I won't give up on you."
He left, and I wrapped myself tightly in my blanket. His words echoed in my mind, and guilt hit me like a wave.
'Why did I lash out at him? Why am I like this?'
I felt my chest tighten, tears welling up in my eyes. I tried to hold them back, but they spilled over.
'I'm sorry, Dad. I'm just… so tired. So frustrated. Sorry.'
I cried silently for a while before wiping my face. It was going to be okay, I told myself. It was just a moment of frustration. Dad would understand, wouldn't he?
I checked the status of the VHG. Fully charged.
Wiping away the last of my tears, I unplugged it and put it on. Lying back on my bed, I powered it up.
[Booting…]
[Game: Anastasis]
[Logging in…]
[Successful, beginning…]
As the VHG established its neuro-connection, I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I was standing in the game's lobby—this time in first-person view.
I could move freely, and there was no more tapping on the screen. My thoughts could be voiced without shouting.
Excited, I ran around the lobby, testing everything out. But before long, I had to stop. My body felt heavy, my chest tight with exhaustion.
'Wait, where's the stamina bar? If I push my character too far, I usually get a warning. But this…'
I actually felt tired.
The VHG was supposed to offer first-person immersion, allowing for freedom of movement and communication, but never had I heard of a system that made the player feel real fatigue. Chest tight, breathing heavy—I could feel everything. It was like I was actually in the game.
Before I could process it all, someone slapped me on the back. I straightened up, turning to see Dom standing behind me.
"What's up, Liu? You feeling alright? Still getting used to the new environment?"
"I-uh, n-no, I'm getting used to it. It's just... well, um. I don't know what to do now."
Dom paused, thinking for a moment.
"Want to train together? I'm sure it'll keep you busy."
Clack. Shing. Clack.
I fell to the ground, breathing heavily. My limbs felt like they were on fire.
"That was good, Liu. If you keep this up, we'll both get stronger."
I tried to get up, but my body was too tired. Dom came over and helped me to my feet.
"Breathe calmly. I know it's tough, but it'll get easier over time."
Panic shot through me.
"Over time?! This isn't a one-time thing?!"
Dom laughed. "Of course not. To live is to fight. Just sitting around, doing nothing while time passes—that's a sure way to lose to life's challenges."
His words stung. I looked away, biting back my frustration.
"Let's call it a day," Dom smiled, patting me on the back. "Rest well, friend."
He walked off to train on a nearby dummy. I stayed where I was, catching my breath.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
The sound of fists hitting something caught my attention. Turning toward the noise, I saw Amber practicing her punches against another training dummy.
"Wow… scary."
She noticed me and waved.
"Hey, L! Wanna practice?"
I gave her a weak wave and tried to walk away, but before I could, she sprinted over and blocked my path. Her grip was surprisingly strong.
"I-I'll pass."
I stammered, but she held me firmly.
With a sigh, I nodded.
We stood face-to-face—no gear, just bare hands and feet. My confidence wavered as I watched her stance.
'She should be slower and weaker after all that training, right? If I charge first, I might have a chance...'
Feeling a bit too sure of myself, I launched forward with a winding punch.