It's Monday morning, and I've just woken up. Time to get ready and head to work. I'm Luke, 19 years old, living in Yerana City, part of the multi-stellar kingdom. I'm barely considered middle class and live alone. My parents passed away in a car crash when I was just 11 years old.
I glanced at myself in the mirror. Same black hair, green eyes, and slightly handsome face staring back at me. My lean physique could stand out more if I had better clothes, but mine are a bit too big and worn out. I can't afford to buy new ones until they're completely used up—it feels like a waste of money otherwise.
My flat is okay, I guess. It's a two-bedroom apartment with about 50 square meters of space. Not bad for the lower middle class. It's near the slums, just a seven-minute walk away, but still better than nothing.
I have to get to work if I want to afford the thing I've been dreaming about—the new MVRPG game coming out next Monday. I can't wait! It'll come with a capsule that's fully immersive, able to simulate up to 90% of real feelings in the worst model and an incredible 99.99% in the best one. I've been saving up for ages because I don't want the cheapest one. I'm aiming for the 95% model, which is still insanely expensive. The price tag? A whopping 500,000 celestial dollars. I've only saved 100,000 so far, but I'm hoping this game's connection to the real-world economy will let me change how I make a living.
As I walked through the bustling streets of Yerana City, I reached my workplace—a slightly shabby restaurant tucked into the shopping district. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Hey, Luke, working today?" Amy called out.
"Yeah, Amy," I replied.
Amy's been my best friend since childhood. When my parents died, she was just 18 herself and not much better off than me, but she still cared. She helped me get back on my feet, even got me this job. She's a waitress here, and I work as a plate washer. I just clean. Eight hours a day. Every day of the week. When will it end?
I'm really thankful Amy helped me get this job, but I'm still overworked and underpaid. She's tried talking to the boss, but I'm lucky he even let me in. They don't urgently need more staff. The boss is this middle-aged man with a big mustache. Kind of chubby and funny-looking. Just your typical rich restaurant owner.
The world feels so unfair sometimes. He gets to live comfortably, doing as he pleases, while I'm stuck washing plates. If it weren't for Amy, I'd have quit a long time ago. It's tough finding work here in Yerana. Most higher-end jobs are handled by robots.
After my shift, I walked home. My stomach growled along the way, so I stopped at the closest fast-food place, grabbed the cheapest meal I could afford, and headed home. I unlocked the door, dropped onto my bed, and stared at the ceiling. Dead tired, as always. It was already 11 p.m. by the time I showered and got into bed.
The following days passed in a blur—work, half-hearted dinners, and moments of rest that never felt like enough. Finally, Sunday arrived. I was free today, and I'd already handed in my resignation letter after yesterday's shift. Tomorrow, the game would launch. I'd preordered my capsule, which was set to arrive in the morning.
Two whole days to prepare. Optimistic, I ate breakfast, went for a walk, and spent some time scrolling through my phone. Evening came faster than expected. I couldn't sleep, so I browsed online forums to read about the hype surrounding this groundbreaking game.
The game is said to have a true open world—no barriers except those locked behind quests. The scenery and sensations are supposed to be as vivid as real life, from the taste and smell of nature to the feel of the wind. Even the combat is hyper-realistic. Some beta testers couldn't handle it because they got scared out of their minds!
There's even a built-in streaming feature. Maybe—just maybe—I could try my hand at that too. I couldn't wait. Somewhere during my scrolling, I finally fell asleep, only to be woken the next morning by the sound of the doorbell ringing. My capsule had arrived.