Long ago, before entering the Atheria game. The original world, Earth. Located in a country called Indonesia, a nation of many islands. East Kalimantan, Kutai Kartanegara—Samarinda city.
May 29, 2029, 17.27 WITA, afternoon.
The name is Celis Verrader, a 24 year old single man who still likes to play online games with his friends after work.
He has black hair in a middle part style, black eyes and sharp eyes like a knife. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt with long sleeves and plain black trousers.
Currently, he was in his own room sitting—facing the computer.
"Ah, finally I can go home early. I want to play that new game, it's called Atheria. He said it suits my gameplay."
Moving the cursor on the computer monitor, he saw various game icons he had downloaded. The cursor hovered over the top and then slowly descended. The game icon, black with the word Atheria written on it, was pressed twice, which then entered the game.
The screen becomes a lobby in the main menu.
« Start
Settings
Menu
Exit »
Click the start button and then the screen displays an image that tells Celis to create a character.
A few minutes after finishing setting the style and appearance of the character he created named Willard Heidri—pressed the « Go » button, but at that moment Celis was confused by raising his eyebrows.
"What's this?"
« Top up to get luxurious prizes, unlock various features and get 181 diamonds to play this game easily, right now! »
« Rp.599,999.00 »
At the end of the notification there is an X mark which can reject the notification, Celis presses the X button and the notification appears again.
« Are you sure? If you refuse, you will have a hard time playing this game. »
«Yes or No»
"I don't have the money to top up, I'm more concerned with paying for this boarding house than buying items in a game, so I refuse."
Celis realized that he was unable to make transactions in a game, because his current situation still required additional money to support his life.
"My basic salary is also only a little over a million, that's only enough to buy food and buy necessities in my boarding house, sometimes I also don't have enough money to pay for this boarding house."
Pressing the Yes button—the screen became bright, blinding her eyes, her body was slowly sucked into the monitor and then Celis' body disappeared who knows where.
— Atheria
Present time, August 1, 1884, 11:21 AM.
Located in a very dense forest with towering trees, a place for new players or the first place called the Green Zone, a 20 year old young man. Short brown hair with a dark blue robe and wearing a plain black long-sleeved t-shirt underneath and wearing black trousers with boots underneath.
The man named Willard Heidric or usually called Will was surrounded by three Kroco Goblins but... his cellphone was triple layered!
« Goblin: 10000/10000 x3 »
« Goblin: 10000/10000 x3 »
« Goblin: 10000/10000 x3 »
Every Goblin's HP bar is so low, It's so weird but somehow I can kill it.
Only armed with a kitchen knife with a blade made of stone in his left hand.
Will ran away not because he was afraid, but because there was no miracle that guaranteed success and saved him only to kill the Goblin, while the Goblins were chasing him quickly behind.
"I don't understand, why do lowly enemies like them have such high HP?!!"
He turned around and swung the knife, hitting the head of one of the Goblins which when pulled the Goblin's head leaked like a bottle that was pointed at a knife—spewing out bright red blood like a fountain. But the problem was, even though the head was a vital point in human anatomy which was more or less the same as Goblins... His HP only decreased normally as if there was nothing special and such a concept had no effect on this Game World as if vital points were not used in this Game.
« -102 »
"Arghh!!??" Will was shocked and annoyed looking at the small damage.
Will runs again, attacks the head, runs, attacks the head again, runs again, attacks the same spot, runs again.
Repeatedly swinging the kitchen knife bit by bit, it whittled away at its HP, but... It only broke one bar. On many occasions, attacking only managed to break one layer of its HP, which was incredibly thick for a small fry.
Repeating the same strategy. As time went on, Will became overwhelmed by them, his muscles feeling like they were tearing from repeating the same thing over and over again, like a gym workout.
Will could only defeat one Goblin in over two hours. Fortunately, Will managed to escape the Goblin's pursuit, panting and muscle-tired—having entered the cave exhausted both physically and mentally.
His breath was ragged with exhaustion.
The two Goblins were out of reach of Will's Cave hiding, they lost track of Willard who then scattered who knows where.
"In two hours, I only managed to kill one goblin?" said Willard, who then sat down in the middle of the room.
The dark atmosphere, with little light coming from outside, was filled with nothing but rocks and nothing else but himself. The smell of damp, damp earth around the edge of the room was overwhelming.
"A game called Atheria—an MMORPG game that is known to be unfriendly to free-to-play people or those who don't often buy diamonds to buy things. But I am that person... I was actually interested in the gameplay that seemed fun but suddenly I ended up becoming my own created character. I've been going through this for two years, only being able to kill one Goblin for hours. When will I be able to buy cool equipment? Even killing Goblins is this hard and the reward for one Goblin is also small—Aarghhh..." Willard complained while rubbing his forehead in stress like a child being told to learn science.
Located in the bustling, city named "Grezzley" a place with the appearance of ancient German buildings, living in the era of the classic MMORPG game world with various types and free to choose the type of role while in the Game.
The people there are very crowded with a fairly large number of players and NPCs, due to being trapped in this game world.
Now, at four in the afternoon to be exact, the people in the guild were all individuals with what could be called sultan accounts. All of them were wearing luxurious, cool, bulky equipment, and of course, of high rarity, as they were the ones who had made the initial transactions into the game. They themselves had just returned from completing their respective Zones.
"Will!! Did you just come back from the Green Zone?" someone called out to Willard.
Someone approaches Willard, a man in golden armor named Melgezz, who was Will's age when he first entered the game. Judging by his dirty, blood-stained appearance, he likely just returned from an adventure in the Red Zone.
Zone is a place for players to play or more precisely gameplay.
Melgezz and the other players made their initial transactions. They were given fancy, cool weapons and equipment, along with powerful abilities. Furthermore, their stats were also doubled, allowing them to traverse the long journey through the Green Zone with relative ease.
Meanwhile, this is in stark contrast to Willard who had nothing at that time, only carrying the Avatar body he created.
Now, Willard could only run his hands through his hair in discomfort as he met his peers who had surpassed him by two years.
"Yeah, Gezz. I just happened to get home, but I only got as far as the beginning of the route. Did you just get back from Zona too?" Will asked.
"Exactly, I just finished it and brought a lot of materials that I can exchange."
"Is that so..." Will said with an unpleasant expression.
Melgezz patted Will on the shoulder and said, "Keep it up buddy, I know you're strong."
Will smiled, patiently accepting his fate of not being able to match his peers.
"Yes..."
Then, in the center of the Guild, where the items were exchanged, Will took out a small, medium-sized green crystal, the result of killing the Goblin.
"Sorry, I only got this," Will said.
"It's okay, you tried, Will." Uncle Sam took the crystal enthusiastically—while giving him three bronze coins in exchange.
Uncle Sam leaned in to Will's ear and whispered.
"Take these two bronzes as a reward for your hard work, and I hope you can become stronger," Uncle Sam whispered.
Uncle Sam then instantly acted normal, as if nothing had happened. The people there didn't even notice.
Will put the coins into his pocket—leaving a grateful smile, he left the Guild.
Far from the city or on the edge of town, near a wide river, Will finally arrived at a place he could call home. It was a small house made of wood from nearby trees, perhaps 4x4 inches in size, simple but sufficient for his needs.
Will opened the door to his house, only to find it filled with a bed on the right that took up half the room, a small table with an oil lamp on it—next to the bed. A chest and a stove made of clay with charcoal that had turned to dust inside were facing the bed.
"Ahh... Am I going to keep doing this... Inviting someone to a party is also impossible. Everyone who invites me to form a party will disappear from this world. They always fall either because they can't try hard enough in this stingy game."
"People in this world sometimes view hierarchy in terms of rank, achievements, their sultanate, or even the length of time they have been playing, which makes it difficult for me to find a party that wants to be with them."
Willard took off his robe and put it on the table and then he lay down on the soft bed.
"Am I going to be like this forever? There's no magic, no system error that can make someone a Cheater. Huh... Well, luckily I don't need to eat or drink. If there were, I'd probably starve to death."
Willard let out all his complaints because he was alone, which psychologically could provide a sense of relaxation, calm, and temporary stress relief.
Staring blankly at the sky, at a loss for what to do, he then tried to check his stats.
"Check."
Statistics menu is open!
« Name: Willard Heidric.
Level: 9
HP: 2007/2007
Core: 600/600
Statistics: Locked.
Sorry, the feature cannot be opened because the initial registration transaction was not completed.
Ability:
- Swordmastery
Can master all types of sword weapons and techniques.
- Instinct Miracle
Creates instincts that control the situation in battle.
- Resistance to Intimidation
Immune to opponent intimidation. »
"Close."
The statistics menu is closed.
"Huhh... Strange game, really stingy, I swear. Even when you start, you are asked to buy to get some items and unlock all the features."
Willard stood up and opened the chest, only to find 30 bronze coins, 9 silver coins, and 2 gold coins. He took the coins he had found earlier and put them there—and closed the box again.
Little money with hard work for 2 years.
"When I first started playing this game, I didn't buy the 'Newbie Special' because I'm a Free-to-play player. I only played this game because it was hack and slash. But when I started playing, it was too difficult, even after two years of being trapped here, I still had trouble."
In a life of patience and complaining, Will realized that there was something exciting the next day. His eyes widened, shining brightly as if there was still hope for him.
"Tomorrow... August 2nd—is the Anniversary Event... The fifth anniversary of the release."
Will lit an oil lamp and went to sleep, convinced that he still had hope of living longer.
The next day, morning at 07.21.
Everyone flocked to the main lobby. It was quite a long journey for Will, who had already walked for approximately three hours.
The main lobby is a place in the eastern part of "Grezzley" City which has a more modern appearance that is more like a Kingdom in Fantasy World because this is the main kingdom that will hold the Anniversary event.
It can be seen that many people are wearing steel armor with cool big swords behind them, not only that, people like magicians, spearmen and archers are also no less cool with what they get because they have opened the 'Newbie Special'.
"Hey, you look at this!" Player New.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Player New.
"I'm cool too, you know!" Player New.
"I can't wait to get straight to the Zone." Player New.
"Yeah, me too." Player New.
"You look so cool wearing that armor, plus your sword glows like a diamond!" New Player.
Not only those who bought the 'Newbie Special', there were also more or less those who didn't buy it.
They just wore trousers and t-shirts as per what they had arranged when they started.
"What happened?!" New Player.
"Is it just the initial default?!" New Player.
"Did you skip the tutorial?!" New Player.
"Is this really how you play?!" New Player.
"I didn't bring anything but my Custom when I made this character?!" Player New.
They looked confused because right from the start of the game they immediately controlled it as they pleased, only bringing the previously created character and not bringing anything or any belongings for new players.
As soon as they arrive, they realize their consciousness has been transferred into their own character and immediately play it. There are no instructions, no explanations, no direction, and they play as if they were veterans.
They also panic because they can't get out of the game or get out of the body they are currently using.
It's a strange game, truly strange. Whether it's a bug or by design, no one knows for sure.
Willard could only walk leisurely, reflecting on the circumstances he'd been through. Whether he tried or not, it was their way of life. Because once, Willard had met someone who'd done the same thing as him, not making a transaction, and ended up being killed by goblins in the Green Zone...
There is no indication that there is a return to life, just death.
"I'm afraid they'll suffer the same fate," Will said, looking at the players who didn't buy the 'Newbie Special'.
Willard planned to buy something and went to the equipment shop, inside there were lots of armor, iron pants, spears, swords, shields, even arrows clearly displayed in every corner of the room, this atmosphere created a distinctive smell of sharp iron.
"Hey you, do you have money to buy things?"
The voice belonged to a man with a long beard, a large, muscular build, slicked-back hair, and simple clothing.
"You're right Uncle James, I need a sword." Will replied who had just been standing in front of him.
"How much money do you have now?" James put his arm down on the table hard.
Willard took coins from his pants pocket, placing all the coins he had from last night on the table. James stared at each coin and glared at Willard.
"This much?" James asked in a slightly harsh tone.
"Yes, that's all the money I saved for two years."
Uncle James' eyes were fixed on something, harboring intentions that might not be pleasant for Willard.
He stood up straight, walking towards the back door.
Willard just stared at him with his thoughts all over the place.
"I hope I'll be given a good weapon, this money is my only hope. I need 200 silver coins to exchange 2 gold coins and need 900 bronze coins to exchange 9 silver coins. I also collected it all by only killing 1 or 2 goblins," said Will in his unpleasant thoughts to reveal it.
Uncle James came in with a sword and then put it down, at the same time unsheathing the sword on the table.
A medium-thick, long sword with a gently curved tip, a single notch on the back of the blade, a light blue, wing-like handguard on either side, a pale purple ball in the center, and a fluttering blue cord at the end of the grip. The scabbard is made of cheap, wool-like fabric.
"Is this enough?" James asked as he picked up Willard's coins one by one.
Willard grabbed it with a flip of his hand, reflecting the light as Will looked at the blade and examined it from the tip to the hilt.
"Check item."
« Sword of Inception
Skill: none. »
Just reading it convinced Willard, who nodded with a faint smile—showing his confidence in the sword he had received. He sheathed the sword and strapped it to his back.
"More than enough," said Willard as he walked out of the hardware store.
I don't know what happened here, but it's a common occurrence. After the door slammed shut, the main street was suddenly filled with thousands of players.
"Wow, it's jammed again."
Soon after that...
"It's so crowded—Missions, missions, missions." Willard squeezed between them, shoulder to shoulder because the road was so narrow.
In the south, there was a dead end alley leading to nowhere, Willard squeezed through the crowd and out of the crowd.
"That's crazy! It's so hot being around people. Not to mention the smell of their sweat."
There, between the houses—Will walked slowly, one by one the houses put trash bags next to their houses which made the air stink with the smell of rotting, stale food mixed in the plastic and there was even one of the trash bags, being attacked by rats. Gnawing on the plastic and finding fish bones that still had some meat left.
Willard just waved his hand to avoid the unpleasant smell.
At the end of the alley where the road becomes a dead end, a blue tube-shaped portal appears.
"It's rare to see a portal in a place like this, I didn't think there was one. Well, to replace my lost money, I have to go to the Zone," Will said—clenching his fists in confidence as he entered the portal, he disappeared from their sight instantly.