"Tech-Craft?"
I watched the live news on my computer near my desk. I plugged the headphones into my ears while reading the catalogue.
I am scanning the book line by line, with photos attached to each page. A person's photo in the catalogue caught my attention.
A person.
No.
A computer scientist and a Mage. He was standing near the desk, placing his hand near a helmet. He wasn't smiling at all, with a crystal-clear, indifferent face, devoid of emotion.
I smiled a little as I flipped the page. I gazed at other essential details in the book. I glanced at the clock from time to time. I heard a soft voice from behind my door. It was from my sister.
"Big bro, I'm going for practice."
I stoop up from my black chair. I glanced at the cupboard. There was other important information in the book. As I flipped the page, I accidentally cut off my thumb on the edge.
There were books and games on the shelves—a large cushioned bed near the bookshelf. There was a similar helmet like in the catalogue placed on the shelf. Then I put the catalogue near the desk. As I was about to shut down my computer, I finally glanced at the players' broadcast on the news.
All of them were holding a copy of the 'it', smiling happily, as shown in the highlight. The gorgeous lady reporter was standing near the Tech store, which was crowded with long queues. It was a foreign channel streaming news from around the world.
I switched off the computer.
I took it out of my bag—I took the white sword from the cylindrical bag.
On its blade, the word 'Tech-Craft' is written in English.
From the pack, I took out the cylindrical switch. It was bigger than a pen drive. I open the case on the switch. I plugged the wire into my 'portal'. I clicked the button down and held the sword in my hand.
[Tech Craft installed]
[Does 'player' want to exit the house?]
[To Bronze Ground?]
[]
I smirked as I closed my eyes.
"Active On!"
I saw numerous colourful polygons accelerating across the screen. I saw the light shining brighter than usual. I landed on the ground in front of the dome in a long plaza. I saw thousands of people logging off from the house.
The polyongal pattern faded away from the tip of my fingertip. I opened my eyes from a blur to see the familiar avatar's hand. I confirmed my arrival as I clenched my fist tightly.
"I returned to this world," I exclaimed as I started to dash. "I can get the 1st floor dungeon in a few days. Before that, I can get myself better equipment!"
[White Sword Level 1]
[Weapon Manipulation Skill - Level 1]
I glanced at my level as I dashed through the marketplace. I saw a lot of people talking to each other, some inspecting the equipment, some forming parties. I didn't mind anything about any of it. I'm off running to my destination. When I reached the alley, I heard someone calling out to me.
The person was coming from behind. I turned to check over him. He had the same avatar height as me. He was wearing a purple linen shirt and pants. He wore a scimitar at his waist. He gasped a little while catching up to me.
"Aren't you a 'Player'?" The person gave me a thumbs-up. "Could you… Perhaps teach me how to perform superb moves in this Tech-craft?"
"Superb moves… huh?" I looked at the person's stats. "Level 1…"
"Please, I'm begging you." The person looked at me as he placed both palms together. "My name is Azin."
Azin introduced himself, pointing his thumb at him. He smiled and gave me his hand. I shook his hand firmly and returned the smile. I pointed at the open space ahead of the alley. Azin nodded his hand. We started heading out together.
"I'm Zen." I introduced myself while scratching my head. "What type of moves do you want to learn?"
"I want to know the basic combat first," Azin asked after he thought for a second. "It is my first experience here. So I don't know anything about it."
"Oh…" I scratched my cheeks.
We reached the open space at the city border. I scanned through the entire area with my eyes. I saw a few monsters roaming the wild. I whistled the monsters. They noticed Azin and me coming towards them. The Lizardman came near to us.
We pulled the blades from our scabbards. I swung the sword towards the Lizardman's hands, and I sliced through the Beast's shoulders. Both hands of Lizardman fell to the ground, fading away into a polygonal pattern of chips. The Life of the Lizardman dropped by 5%, as reflected in the green aura. It started to reduce its Life.
"Now, Azin, give your blade a motion input," I shouted, keeping my sword in the scabbard. "Just Concentrate. Keep your sword in the air. Let the Tech feel the motion input, then attack it!"
"I have to check out the motion input." Azin raised his scimitar in the air.
The scar started to glow a purple colour, like his clothes. He charged it, running near to Lizardman, but before he could do anything. The injured Lizardman used his tail to slap Azin's stomach. With the backlash of the attack, Azin's body rolled out on the ground. Azin's Life Aura dropped. Azin groaned and tried to stand up.
"I feel awful," Azin remarked, pressing his hand on his stomach. "It's like…. A hammer smashed me down. Ugh."
"Of course, this is another feature." I pulled my sword; I slightly cut my finger. The edges scratched the blade. The blood dripped from the finger. The drop of blood fell on the ground. I felt the pain in the fingertip. My Life dropped by 1 point—still in green.
"A feature you say… well…" Azin paused a bit for a moment. "…Nothing expected… from a Real Battle."
A temporary feature in the Battle that can only last for a few moments. Azin stood up from the ground, sighing. He raised his scimitar again. This time, the system picked up his attack. His blade shone in purple light again, and he ran at a pace faster than the Lizardman. He sliced the Lizardman in half with a horizontal cut.
Slice!
The monster splurted the blood from its blood, yelling at the top of its lungs before it faded away into polygonal shards. This is a common feature in the Battle. There is blood and temporary artificial pain infliction. This is to add realism to the Battle so players feel like they're battling on a bronze ground.
The Battle with Tech-Craft was fought by two people: a magician and a scientist. Weapons that can immerse players by realistically attaching them to the Battle as students. Unlike past consoles or Tech-Craft systems, which required a controller and external input to draw Oryjin. The New Generation Tech-Craft weapons use a single motion input via technology.
"No wonder why… I feel weak for a moment." Azin groaned while rubbing his stomach. "It is still better than other old Weapons."
"Yeah, it is sure true."