Chereads / Exploiting The Game / Chapter 2 - Selection

Chapter 2 - Selection

LOG 1

{ Calculating Responses... }

{ Developer! The Outcome has been concluded! }

{ ~330M/8.2Bn Intelligent Lifeforms

From Planet #ao333948j | "Earth"

Have Clicked "Agree"! }

{ Would you like to restrict access for the ~7.87Bn who declined? }

No, I will make use of them.

And Planet Earth is now under my full ownership since I won the { asset bid } remember?

{ Re-evaluating response... }

{ What response would be appropriate for the ones who declined? }

Since we'll be moving the chosen players into my sandbox...

Send the ones who refused to {storage} for the mean time, we'll make use of the extra numbers for future updates and modes.

{ ! }

{ ~7.87Bn new assets added to Developer ID - |█|█|█|█|'s |Storage!| }

{ Estimated Time for all ~7.87Bn to completely transfer: 8 Months (in local time) }

{ Counting current assets being transferred... 8,235/~7.87Bn}

I don't want to see this, so skip.

{ Skipped! }

{ Developer, would you like to transfer the 330M Players to sandbox? }

Send them to the tutorial stage of sandbox.

I'll cull the defects first. I only want the most valuable players of course.

This will be the masterpiece will be the one.

{ Understood! }

{ Sending the 330M new Players to the Sandbox! }

{ May the door open for you Developer! }

...

[ / Time Remaining: 0 Minutes7 seconds \ ]

The ticking of the timer put the globe in a craze. In just those 10 minutes, everyone, everywhere - from the far corners of Earth to the most densely populated mega-cities, they all had simultaneously experienced similar symptoms of cluster headaches and the alien phenomena "The Screen". For just 10 minutes Earth truly became interconnected for the first time, sharing, living and seeing what felt like a universal problem.

[ / Time Remaining: 0 Minutes1 seconds \ ]

Unfortunately, those 10 minutes were short-lived. Those who were incapable of answering, those who simply refused to answer and those who chose to refuse would all experience a similar phenomena one last time.

[ / Time Remaining: 0 Minutes0 seconds \ ]

0 Minutes and 0 seconds into the new year.

7.87 billion people all across the world froze still permanently, and what remained were the cries of 330M in denial or despair.

Was it God?

Whispered prayers of the desperate enveloped the earth - those who held no faith started to believe and repented in hopes that their loved ones be unfrozen.

However, all prayers were ignored.

"Will we ca-can move!"

Don't rejoice yet.

"HELP! DAN ISN'T MOVING!" A bloodcurdling scream echoed "CLAIRE ISN'T MOVING EITHER!" "WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

Other houses have been affected too. The screams didn't solely come from this house.

{ Sendi█ t█e 3█M new █lay█s to █ Sandbo█ }

Huh?

"Amy did you see that?"

- "See what?"

"That weird notification!"

- ?

"The unreadable one!"

- "Will I don't know what you're talking about!"

F#@*, what the f#@* is going on?!

[ ! ] ping

[ Announcing The Current Situation for Planet #ao333948j ]

[ An announcement from the Developer has been relayed to Earth! ]

[ Every Player from Earth will be transported to the Tutorial! ]

- "Will I think I see the notification now, it's an announcement."

"No- this wasn't the notification I saw-"

[ Preparation is not permitted, therefore all Players are to be transported to the Tutorial immediately ]

I couldn't wrap my head around the situation quick enough to fully digest what was going on. All I could do was stare wide-eyed and dazed at the screen in front of me.

A game.

My mind was racing a million miles a minute - thinking is all I can do - so I'll pour my all into thinking.

The only information that relayed in my head was that the current situation right now was something similar to a game - and I couldn't pinpoint what game it exactly is.

Ideas flowed through my brain as a rush of adrenaline engulfed me whole; the words of that strange notification seeped into my thought process once more; only a handful of humanity was chosen. That number, or what I think was a number was only in the millions. Why did it show me that? And, only the ones who chose to agree, could play...

[ Players are now being transported to their individual Tutorial room! ]

Sparks of pixelated particle-like embers in mere moments engulfed my body and everyone around me. A radiant sphere - approximately our heights respectively in diameter- encapsulated us individually and all the sounds outside of the sphere gradually became quieter until all sounds were deafened from outside... The final words I could manage to make out were the wasted breaths of Amy, shouting my name one more time.

"Will!"

Well f#@*.

The sparks emerged in full-force, not a nanometre of my body was missed - all far corners of my being had been latched on by the carefree, serrated embers. However, I felt no pain even though it seeped past my skin and into the fibres of my muscle: analysing and taking note of the intricacies of my human body. It acted on its own accord almost domesticated-like, curated to perform this task perfectly.

No light could infiltrate the sphere. It was pitch black, minutes had passed in this quiet confinement.

I instinctively knew what was about to come to fruition. The "Tutorial" would officially being soon. And it made sure to completely understand the Player's composition with no spot left neglected.

[ ! ] ping

The sound of the notification broke what felt like an eternal silence, and the notification that followed through marked the beginning of the game.

[ Players, we welcome you to your Individual Tutorial Room! ]

The embers shrunk in size exponentially, and a familiar breeze that was meant to stimulate what felt like the Earth's wind flew by. I was on at the edge of something tall populated with clouds, an entrance stood behind me and beyond the edge lay an ethereal view of the new world I had entered.

The skies were painted deep blue with a tint of fiery rose which indicated that the sun was setting; the landscape flourished with forestry and rich green that stretched into the far horizon and beyond that far horizon were grand mountains: shaped like fingers, towering high and penetrating the stratosphere with the peak almost grazing space itself.

[ ! ]

?

[ Currently looking at a Grand Monument:

The Hand Of A Titan

Coordinates: (0A, 0A, 0A) ]

[ ! ]

[ Player has completed a... Secret Starter Quest! ]

{ PTay/? hAAA comPLeted Player has d a... Secret Starter Quest! 1 of 5 in-nnnn ehtt TuttorrJ?ial }

{ PpppLyer IDPpPLayEr iD: UNOBTAINABLE }

"hmm...? That distorted notification again? And what was that last one too?"

"Again... what is this. 1 of 5?"

I should probably try to figure out what that meant... Something Unobtainable?

[ Player has received the Reward:

+ 5 EXP

+ 1 Coin

Mini-Map

Description: This feature can only be received after witnessing or encountering a Grand Monument. ]

"I gained EXP already?"

[ Engraving Coordinates of The Hand Of A Titan as a Way-point onto your Mini-Map!

(Unfortunately, you do not own/have access to a World-Map, or any other maps! So you cannot automatically engrave the coordinates of The Hand Of A Titan onto them! You may engrave the coordinates once you have access.) ]

This feeling, grand space with grand architecture is reminiscent of those large open-world games. I felt goosebumps traveling down my spine - both of dread and eagerness - an outrageous reality that I couldn't believe in. However, right now in this very moment I am a player. I still have many unanswered questions, but I guess they'll remain unanswered for the time being.

"I'll believe in this, and right now I have a tutorial to complete."

"I'm guessing that entrance over there is the start of the tutorial."

Time to find out.

[ ! ]

[ Entering The Entrance... ]

[ You have started part 1 out of 3 parts of the Tutorial! ]

[ Part 1 Beginning Your Descent. ]

[ Player! Please select your Starting Equipment that will aid you throughout the tutorial! ]

[

Gear 1 (Rare):

A Mace (Durability 62% | Above Standard),

A Round Shield (Durability 82% | Minimal usage),

A Chain-mail Chest piece (Durability 73% | Some usage),

An Iron Helmet (Durability 76% | Some usage).

Gear 2 (Uncommon):

A Longbow & Quiver (Durability 67% | Some usage),

20 Arrows,

A Short dagger (Durability 89% | Exquisite condition),

A Leather Tunic (Durability 54% | Standard condition).

Gear 3 (Common):

A Bronze Sword (Durability 77% | Minimal usage),

A Chainmail Chest Piece (Durability 65% | Above Standard),

A Lighter (Fuel 100% | New).

]

"Is this is the starter equipment."

"Gear One is the obvious choice of the three. It also has the most armour and most items to protect yourself with. Gear Three only has a sword and one piece of armour to protect myself with, Gear Two makes use of a bow which I have never used in my life." (...) "I think the answer here is obvious."

"I think I'll choose..."

"?"

{ INFFFO< suITsS Pp!Layer Player }

"Why does this seperate screen keep appearing?"

{ PpppLyer IDPpPLayEr iD: UNOBTAINABLE. . . . RE-CALIBRATING }

"Argh!" a sharp pain resonated in my head.

"Wha-"

{RECALIBRATING . . .}

{

plAYER IdD: Syntax ERROR . . . pLYr BEST-T-T zszuitS

ppLaYer hAS gr8 | INNATE | taLLLLentt5 4orFOR SHHH@RRRp wEEE . . . SHARP WEAPONRY

}

{ l0Lo,LOADING eXtr@ infrm@t>on . . . }

{ P@Rt 3 oFFF . . . plAYER'ss Tutiria XX TUTORIAL reqsssuires tH3 pPlaYER 2 uSe FIRE }

{ TEMPORARILY SHUTTING OFF. }

"What the F#@* !?"

"I'm sick of this already."

"I choose Gear On..."

"????"

"Ahem."

"I choose Gear On..."

"???" (...) "Ok..."

"I choose Gear On...!!!"

Why can't I say one for crying out-loud! Did the system make it so I can't say flipping numbers anymore or what!? This d*mn game has made me lose my head already, now it's making me lose it again.

Wait.

"I choose Gear Three."

[ You have chosen Gear 3! ]

[ Your Armour has been equipped. ]

[ Good luck on the tutorial! ]

[ . . . ]

"Are you serious."

A small creature no bigger than a toddler scurried across my peripheral vision and hid behind a rock. I equipped the lighter I was given and could faintly make out the shape of its silhouette from the glimmer of the fire it emitted.

It was hunched back, its spine bulged out of its skin and the hairs on its body stuck out in mismatched bunches of no more than 15 strands.

It ever so slightly peeked, its skin was shriveled and void of pigmentation, its eyes were grey and enlarged grotesquely.

"Keuh! What is that thing!"

[ You have encountered a Murodent! ]

"A what?"

[ ! ] ping

[ For your Clarification, that was: A mutated rodent! ]

"Ahaha. Thanks. I was dying to know."

[ Giving you a thumbs up! ]

"..."

[ You have encountered a Murodent! ]

"Another one?"

[ You have encountered a Murodent! ]

[ You have encountered a Murodent! ]

"Ok..."

[ You have encountered a Murodent! x10 ]

"???"

[ You have encountered a Murodent! x30 ]

[ Part 1: Introduction to the combat system | 1/3 mob types spawned | ]

[ I bid you good luck once more, Player! ]

...