12:50 PM*
*Darwin University. Male Dormitory, room 305*
Vinny collapsed onto his plush bed, exhausted. "Ha...ha...ha...I made it." His eyes drifted shut, savouring the luxurious comfort. The bed was a far cry from the creaky, hand-me-down mattress he'd grown up with. A small comfort, perhaps, but one that made the exorbitant tuition fees of the normal students almost worthwhile.
Almost.
"Finally made it, huh? What took you guys so long?" A redheaded brown-skinned male posed a question to both Greg and Vincent… well, just Greg, actually. Vincent was too busy deriving pleasure from the otherworldly mattress to pay the overly muscular youth any heed.
His gaze lingered on the ceiling, his mind still reeling from the events of the day. He chose to ignore Alex's jibe, instead focusing on the soft, golden glow of his bedside Holo-lamp.
"What took us so long?" Greg repeated, his voice tinged with feigned annoyance. "Ask Vincent over there. I swear, dude's slower than a snail!" He jerked a thumb toward Vinny, who seemed to remain oblivious, lost in thought.
Despite the idiotic accusations, Vincent (Vinny for short) did not respond. His inner monologue, however, was far from tranquil.
'Of course, I slowed you down, you friggin' retard. I'm surprised you didn't trip over your own feet.' He bit back a retort, aware that engaging with Greg would only escalate the situation.
The young man was pissed, very much so, but he couldn't trust his tongue enough to respond. After all, it tended to be rather… vile when confronting idiots. But lacking in the intellect department as they were, they were still humans of the new world.
They were both from well-to-do families, and thus had been binging G.E.Vs since infancy, their physical stats were easily on par with those of a professional athlete. Vinny didn't stand a chance against either of them, much less – God help him – a ticked off team up.
Perhaps the school's management might have been able to help? No. Vincent's aunt and uncle were ok, but they didn't quite meet the class standards of the average student in this institution. In fact, Vincent himself was here on a scholarship, making his case a bit more sensitive.
All things considered, Vincent was better off confining his derisive thoughts to himself, not letting them show at all. At least, it was less of bullying than it was socio-economic ostracizing.
At Greg's response, Alex shook his head with an air of unsurprised disappointment, as though he had suspected such a scenario all along.
'Oh no, don't do that. You might end up squashing your tiny brain against that thick skull of yours.' Not having the balls to say it out loud, Vinny spat inwardly.
Here were two people, discussing Vincent's inability, as though they were parents disappointed at their child for missing curfew. It was quite the display of buffoonery.
"Alex, Greg, you guys should cut Vinny some slack." The third and final roommate chimed, a dubious smirk plastered on his face. "After all, it's not his fault his family couldn't afford basic necessities." The comment hung in the air.
At the ill-intended comment, Greg chuckled. It would seem that the message went across to him well; the other one, though… not so much.
"Tsk, Tsk, Logan, you always have to defend the weak, don't you? His lack of speed is his fault, even though we all agreed to be here for the big launch." Alex commented foolishly. His every word showcased a truly frightening lack of intelligence.
'Ha! Like hell he does! You're just too stupid.' Vinny thought with exasperation.
Speaking of the big launch, the only reason he was right here right now, instead of in the school's library or anywhere else for that matter was because of it.
Because of the one game.
He couldn't go to any of the local gaming hubs as they were all packed with gamers who had the money for a reservation, neither could he go to another dorm room, as there was a strict policy against such acts in the school.
But if it was for the sake of the one game, he was willing to put up with this distasteful bunch.
'Sigh, Cultivation Climax… the things I do for you…..'
Despite the fact that Vinny had already been living with the bunch for slightly over a month now, he could not like three people any less than he did these guys.
How could he? One was dumb, the other was dumber and the last of them was just downright hopeless. Honestly, not even the top-of-the-line A-grade supplements could help him develop his brain beyond the size of a walnut.
"That's not what I… ugh, just forget it. Everyone get your gear ready. I'm turning on the TV.'' Logan sighed and powered on the room's flat screen. Meanwhile, the other three retrieved their 'gear', which consisted of a helmet-like VR headset as well as a small memory chip about the size of the long outdated mix tape.
'About time.' Vincent thought, griping his Diving helmet in anticipation. It looked rather old and less advanced compared to that of the others, but that was a given.
After all, the three had bought new headsets just for the occasion of launching the hot new game, while Vinny had been using the same one since middle school, and even that was a gift from a friend.
His miserable allowance could never afford him a luxury such as an actual VR helmet. He had already just barely managed to afford the actual game without digging too deep into his entire life's savings…
Turning his attention to the large TV, Vincent could see an advertisement projected onto a floating holographic panel behind the LCD screen.
It was a very vivid and graphically alluring visage of a white-haired young – possibly old – man, alongside a lithe and unrealistically beautiful female warrior.
The hermit was garbed in lavish-looking robes, which did little to hide the outlines of his perfect muscles. His eyes shone a deep and ferocious blue color while a myriad of hues seemingly seeped from his divine build, the mighty great sword he held was rested with its blade pointing harmlessly at his feet, and as for his expression?
Well, nothing but an unshakably confident grin of course.
The maiden, on the other hand, wore shorter robes that easily showcased her exquisite curves and svelte build. She also had white hair as well but instead of blue, her eyes radiated an otherworldly gold that perfectly complemented her immaculate skin and transcendental beauty.
The iron maiden had a similar multi-colored aura which blended and intertwined perfectly with that of the male warrior. Her weapon – a thin but lethal-looking spear – was pointed at the vast heavens with a pompous nonchalance.
The sight was the two-dimensional embodiment of awesomeness, and added to that the finessed flurry of background imagery as well as the eye-catching font of the game's name: [Cultivation Climax], the entire thing made for a sight that would effortlessly enthrall unsuspecting onlookers.
'Cultivation Climax… Rumored to be the most hyped game of all time! It's only competitor being [Berserker Online] and even that only amounted to half of its preliminary sales' grossing.'
Heck, even the foul Vincent was still not immune to the awe-inspiring enchantments of the picture. Despite having gazed at it for long minutes at the store and on the holographic billboards all over town.
The youth continued basking in the sheer awesomeness of the advertisement poster, his jaws refusing to properly shut until his attention was grabbed by the appearance of a single man.
The man looked just a bit over twenty despite being more than fifty years of age. To the best of Vincent's knowledge, this man had never appeared in the media in this way ever before, but his profound charisma still commanded attention.
A short panel appeared underneath him.
[Trevor Lavender CEO. Climax Co]
"Good day, everyone," Trevor began, his voice low and smooth. "As you all know, I'm Trevor Lavender, the mind behind this… timeless creation. Developed to be as realistic as possible, Cultivation Climax is more than just a game. It's an odyssey, a legend if you will." The camera panned across the sleek, modern architecture of the Climax Corporation's headquarters before zooming in on Trevor's confident smile.
At this time, the press, as well as every other soul watching from home, had grown silent. Vinny, in particular, had his eyes glued to the screen, unable to look away, his mind absorbing the words. Trevor's tone was filled with this infectious passion; it was hard NOT to get drawn in by him.
"When I came up with the idea of the game, the first obstacle I faced was the naming. Countless ideas crossed my mind, but only one truly captured the essence of my message. Climax. A word synonymous to others such as zenith, peak, apex. It represents the highest point, the summit, it is a destination and at the same time a journey. One perilous, unforgiving and cruel."
Raising a finger, Trevor Lavender paused for suspense, his deep gaze seemed to penetrate the screens as well as the very souls of his audience.
Vinny shuddered.
He knew that this was all just mere propaganda – Nothing but an intelligent ploy to generate even more hype for the game; of course, in an era such as this one, such innovations were to be expected. But still…
"In Cultivation Climax, the path to greatness is fraught with challenges. Of course, there will be bountiful rewards to be reaped from every success, but likewise, every failure will incur merciless punishment. These punishments, unavoidable as they may be, will break you, reinvent you and then ruthlessly shatter you to pieces once more. Only those with the true heart of a warrior will survive the horrific culling and keep striving for the most coveted prize of them all. The ultimate prize. The only prize.
To all you gamers… only those with the strength to persevere through soul-crushing tribulations can and will etch their names unto the annals of history, because you see, the line between reality and illusion is not a boundary, but a horizon – and like a mere spectre of the imagination, it is that very same horizon that recedes before us as we approach it. So I ask…" Trevor's voice trailed off into the silence.
By now, Vinny had been so entranced by the man's speech that he had even forgotten to breathe. It could have been seen as a bit much if the words were said by another. Heck, it would have even been cringe, but such rules didn't seem to apply to the man known as Trevor Lavender.
His every word captivated the audience and the people had no choice but to maintain utmost decorum to glean as much as possible from his boundless charisma.
Vincent had no way of confirming this, but the young man thought… no, he could feel it in his very bones. By the mere words of a fellow human, a mortal like any one of them, the entire world listening to Trevor Lavender had fallen into a deafening silence.
As though time itself had stopped to accommodate the whims of a mere mortal. Vincent could hear his heart pounding; he could feel the adrenaline rushing through his body. He was excited. Never before had Vincent Carter ever been this excited about anything…
"…Are you ready?"
The man asked, ending the speech with a finger point. The cameras shifted, and once again, the figure of the Climax Corporation's main building came into view, and at the very top of the magnificent skyscraper was a holographic…timer?
[00:00:10]
Goosebumps spread throughout Vinny's skin.
[00:00:09]
"Shit! The countdowns started! Everyone into your beds and get ready to log on.'' Logan yelled, but the other three didn't need the loud reminder.
[00:00:06]
Vincent was the first to get into his bed then turning on his headset, he inserted the game's memory chip and then went ahead to don the helmet-like thing.
[00:00:04]
As he readied himself, he could hear cries and pleas from the press calling on Mr. Lavender, but by the sound of things he wasn't willing to answer any further questions. They had missed their opportunity, and the man did not do second chances.
[00:00:01]
[00:00:00]
'As expected for someone like him.' Immediately Vincent completed the thought, a string of panels appeared before his eyes.
[Cultivation Climax loading….]
[Cultivation Climax fully loaded. Would you like to log on?]
'Yes!'
[You have successfully logged on!]