"Today, I get to try out this new version of canned soda," said 22-year-old Ryan, peering into the can gripped tightly in his hand.
It was empty.
Annoyed by this, he clicked his tongue and threw the soda into the nearby trash can.
He missed.
Annoyed again, he glanced at the darkening sky just as a cold breeze sent chills down his skin.
His muscles spasmed as he rubbed them to stay warm. Then, he spotted a building across the street, next to a large signboard that read:
Freddy's Gamer Cafe. Come enjoy an addictive experience.
20% off on the VR Section.
"Were those signs always there?" That was his first thought before he shook his head.
The work environment must have taken such a toll on him that he no longer paid attention to things.
Around this morning upon getting to work, he'd gotten his first layoff. It wasn't a high-paying job, but at least it helped him pay the bills and have a little more to save for extra matters.
It was simple; all he had to do was find another job and maybe lower his expenses.
You see, in this era, jobs were extremely scarce. To find another one in this damned economy was going to be difficult.
"Might as well get into Starbucks."
Cars sped through the tarred roads as he continued ruminating on his thoughts. Then he looked up to see the signboard, its lights blinking rapidly as if beckoning him to come.
"I might as well learn how to be an entrepreneur after this," He thought while releasing a sigh. A few seconds later, he rose from the bench and crossed the road while wearing a sweatshirt and black pants.
Finally, he stopped before two sliding panels and, after taking a deep breath, deliberated on how he was going to plan his movements when all of this was over.
If only he knew what fate had in store for him.
As he pushed the panel doors, he immediately squinted at the dim room in front. There were benches for sitting, Laptops, PlayStations, Desktops, and the ones that he'd come for.
VR helmets.
A man in a white shirt and black pants approached him with a smile that he couldn't tell was either genuine or fake.
"Good evening, welcome to Freddy's Cafe, how would you—"
Deciding he had no time for a prolonged explanation, he cut the man off with a question. "What's the latest VR game in town?"
The Man placed a hand under his chin; he couldn't tell if he was being impressed or something else.
"It's 'The Nation's Quest'."
"What's it about?"
"You play as someone who experiences their life alongside a nation while going through a specific role."
To Ryan, who was seeking something to help his current low self-esteem, it sounded as though the games didn't have enough adrenaline rush for him to feed on.
However silly he thought of it, he decided that the least he could do was give it a try.
Before the attendant could speak to confirm anything, a stack of bills was put in front of his face, followed by a question.
"How much will this cost?"
He looked at the bills, took them away, counted, and gave a sharp answer, "At least 4 hours of playthrough."
To Ryan, that seemed enough; he hoped it was.
The Attendant led him to the center of the room, where a number of pillars with metal benches were hunkered against the floor.
And above those benches were the helmets sitting idly on them.
If it weren't for the little red lights on the ceiling, paired with the one coming from outside, he had doubts that he could have seen that area.
Regardless, he walked to it and picked one up, then he put the helmet on to select a game.
As the attendant watched, the panel doors slid open again, showing an old man who was holding a trash bag.
"How many hours did the kid pay for?"
"4"
The Man looked at the VR player who was still busy adjusting the settings to suit himself.
"Poor kid, it happens like this."
As the game began to load, Ryan watched with a mundane expression. He didn't know what awaited him, but part of him looked forward to it.
Suddenly, a strange dizziness overcame him, and his vision began to blur.
"Wait, what, what's going on?" He stuttered while the blurriness worsened.
Just as he put his hands to pull out the helmet, a voice sounded in his ears.
[Loading Complete]
By the time he realized what was happening, his vision turned blank.
The two people in the store were about to go about their day when a loud thud echoed from the floor. Then they looked and saw a man sprawled over the tiles with the VR helmet still clinging to his head.
'Shit!'
~~~~~
Somewhere unknown, a young man opened his eyes to a sea of darkness.
His head felt heavy— had someone hit him with a plank?
"Did I just faint without warning?"
A dim light appeared, and after a while, he managed to make out a screen.
[Dear Honoured One. Your journey in the Human World has come to an end.]
"What?" He looked at the screen, confused as to whether the AI-like voice came from there.
An end? Did that mean he was dead?
Such information didn't sit very well with him; he shook, and a tight slap occurred.
Surely this should wake him up, right?
Wrong.
[Luckily, you were given another chance to start over, although now your journey won't be on Earth.]
Did he drink too much soda? Surely too much of it could make you drunk. So drunk was he that he saw this nonsense.
Wrong again.
[Regardless of how you perceive it. This is now your new reality. Please proceed with the Character Creation process.]
'New reality?
He wanted to laugh at those words. His new reality was going to be the next day.
First, he had to get out of here. He rose to the screen, and the tab flashed briefly before displaying some words.
[Below is the needed info you need to fill out for your nation:
Nation Name
Element
Skill]
Ryan scanned the fields displayed on the screen; there were empty spaces left in each labeled field that he was expected to fill.
This realization was seeping into his denial.
He was way too young to die; he hadn't lived his life at all.
A good day at the beach, going out on dates, he hadn't started any of that, and was still dealing with those damn bills!
He had long been left without any support for this hard life.
"Fuck!" He screamed, letting his pent-up anger manifest before sucking in—nothing.
He was going to get out of here no matter what because this was surely a joke.
Upon touching the screen, the AI narrated to him.
"Please pick one of the following nations for you to spawn."
A dropdown menu appeared, presenting a lengthy list of available nations. Taruhet, Willowill, Dresna…
He scanned the list and found one that he thought had a nice ring to its name.
"Ridlockia."
He was starting to wonder if this was The Nation's quest, but he hadn't played it, so he couldn't confirm.
He moved on to the next field, labeled 'Element,' and the AI spoke.
[You are free to pick one out of a pool of seven, namely, Flame, Water, Rock, Air, Nature, Light, or Storm.]
Without hesitation, he picked Flame.
He might have preferred explosions and fire for some reason. They burned, but at least they finished the job. In other words, he could 'Obliterate.' someone with a bang.
Then again, he was going with any random thought that popped into his head. Now it was time to answer the third field.
[Pick one out of the five skills: Wielder, Permeator, Tamer, Chanter, Mutant]
Confused about what each of those skills meant. Ryan carefully studied each option. But, with little to no information on what they meant, he could only pick what his consciousness was urging him to choose.
"Mutant."
[Character Sheet Created.
You have 20 points available. Allocate them to the stats below.
Strength - 10
Agility - 10
Speed - 10
Charisma - 10
Luck - 10
Mana - 20 (1 point updates by 5)]
"A world of magic, eh. I understand four of those points. What's the purpose of Charisma and Luck?"
[The First is how much people are likely to bond with you. A person with low charisma will struggle to connect with others. Luck deals with how likely you are to attract good events towards you and thwart bad ones.]
"Oh."
A series of consecutive taps later, and he was finally done. The screen flashed again before vomitting another bunch of fields.
[Six roles lie before you, Honoured One. Which is yours?
Scholar, Warrior, Priest, Merchant, Rebel, or Returning Royal.]
Ryan thought this was where a bit of difficulty lay. Surely, each of those roles must have an effect on the new world he was about to enter.
After thinking for a little while, and partly out of spite, he left himself with a rebel or RR and decided on the Returning Royal path.
He was returning to a new life, in a weird way, but at least, having a little of everything wouldn't hurt.
Hehehe.
[Title.]
"Is this what I will be called here?"
[Perhaps, it all depends on you.]
For a while, Ryan remained silent, thinking what name could go with the setting. Alas, he settled and typed the word 'Red Heart'.
[You have completed the creation process of your character. Congratulations.]
The screen vanished, and a bright light pierced the darkness.
[Otherworlder, welcome to the Land of Tum.]