["Welcome to Avalor Academy! We are delighted to welcome you as member of class 501T3! Over the next 7 days you will learn basic survival skills, armed combat, magic wielding, and many other skills needed to thrive here in Avalor. We hope you are excited!]
[This is more than just another tutorial; this is beginning of an unforgettable adventure full of lasting memories and friendships.]
[On behalf of NAVA, welcome!"]
'Ok, that was freaky…it felt like I was watching a dream while still awake.' Arthos thought as he "experienced" the new player tutorial video played by the system.
This was his first time in an avatar, and the experience was much like waking up from anesthesia after major surgery. One moment he was lying in his bed connected to his Nexus-Link V1 (it looks like a VR headset), the next moment it felt like the world went dark…briefly weightless and untethered…as if all five senses went "offline." This disconnected feeling was soon interrupted by the five senses returning in a tangled mess. The first was hearing…muffled hums, followed by ringing sounds, then sounds similar to voices underwater.
The next sense to return was touch. Arthos could feel the pressure of his own bodyweight on each toe, calf, and knee as his body struggled to balance and stand under its own weight. He could feel his eyelids heavy as if marbles were placed on top of them. Light soon pressed against his eyes, bright and sharp like staring at the sun…this caused his vision to feel blurry and color meshed.
Smell and taste soon emerged as well. Before he could acclimate to the new body, a system message started to play within his mind. Although the message did not obstruct his field of vision, there was no escape or evading the message either. It followed his field of vision like a bad pop song…impossible to tune out and impossible to ignore.
As the system's welcome message reached its end, Arthos turned he head sluggishly to each side. What surprised him was not the presence of others, rather it was the fact that some of the other avatars were moving freely and with ease. Arthos expected to see many other new "players" also referred to as "trainees" on this day, but he was caught by surprise seeing some of them well coordinated and synchronized in their avatars despite being their first day as well.
THUMP!
The thought was quickly interrupted by a loud noise from behind Arthos. It sounded like someone dropped a sack of potatoes from 30 feet high. He turned slowly to investigate the cause of the loud crashing sound and spotted a body lying flat on the ground struggling to get back up.
'Did that guy just fall on his ass? Or did someone shove him?' Arthos wondered.
"Did you see that scrub?" One boy asked another.
"Yeah, what a scrub…he can't even stand up!" Another boy replied.
The loud thump managed to grab the entire room's attention. Soon a wave of hushed voices and snickering sounds erupted. This didn't last long. A loud and powerful voice soon took command of everyone's attention.
"Normally I would say, 'take your seats,' but as you can see there are no seats here. This is on purpose. It will help improve your balance while I speak to you. Feel free to thank me later. I am your trainer…you can simply call me trainer."
A tall and extremely muscular dark-skinned man spoke with authority as he walked up and down the large room filled with trainees. His gaze hovering over each player for a moment…like a scanner assessing each while emphasizing key points as he spoke. The room quickly realized that the talking man was no NPC, it was an actual person. This small detail made the experience feel like an army boot camp rather than a "game tutorial."
He continued, "for some of you here today, this is your first time in an avatar. Others have had little to extensive practice. Regardless, NAVA policy dictates that I review with all trainees the basics. So, listen up!"
A loud groan was heard from the class.
"Do we really need to go over the basics? We already know that stuff," one boy asked.
Another said, "can't we just skip the tutorial and dive right into the game?"
"If you fail to listen, I will see that you never play this game. Period. We have 1 billion players…what's 2 or 3 that I blacklist? Hmm…listen well class, regardless of if you are new or experienced. The basics are the foundation on which you will build your future as heroes." The trainer said with authority.
"What's the point? The scrubs are just going to die anyway," said a voice too faintly to pinpoint the origin.
Soft whispers were heard followed by giggles.
Ignoring the comment, the trainer continued saying, "this is more than just a videogame! This is a profession! Many of you will leave this academy and become great heroes fighting on the frontlines acquiring fame and fortune…one day you may even join the ranks of a top guild such as Eterna or Paragon."
Immediately the room was filled with 'ohs' and 'awes.'
Avalor was the largest and most successful video game of all time. It had over 1 billion active players worldwide with many more waiting to join (age restrictions limited the game to 16+ years of age). Every single player including the "scrubs" (derogatory term used to describe new players) had heard of the famous Eterna and Paragon guilds. They were the two largest and most prestigious guilds in the world. The starting salary for members in these guilds was 1 million Nanocoins (currency used in game)! The currency conversion rate was such that 1 Nanocoin roughly equaled 1 US dollar. This meant that getting into a top guild meant financial security.
"An average hero can earn anywhere between $200,000 and $500,00 Nanocoins each year! That's roughly half a million US dollar! Of course, those numbers depend on factors such as level, skill, guild, but most importantly engagement. This class, right here, right now…is not a game tutorial like those cheap VR games you played in your bedrooms…this is basically a new employee orientation."
"Today is the first day of your new careers…your future starts now!"