[ Your luck is legendary! ]
[ Congratulations! You have been selected to be part of the chosen few who will travelling to Aethelgard realm ]
[ Notice: Aethelgard is a corperial world of magic , monsters and gods. 100million players are being initiated along with you. Teleportation will commence in 5..4..3..]
Victor Thorne was lazily listening to a boring lecture on Microeconomics when his concentration was broken by the mechanical sound that chimed inside his head.
He blinked, looking around the room. Professor Higgins was still droning on about supply and demand curves, and the girl next to him was deep in a mid-lecture nap.
Am I finally losing it?
Victor wondered as he blamed his lack of sleep for this hallucination. Maybe having 6 cups of coffee in the morning was a bad idea he should have just stuck to the usual 5.
But despite disregard the countdown still continued as the UI was clearly visible in his retina.
[ 3..2..1 Initiating… ]
Huh?!!!
Victor didn't even have any time to process his thoughts as a white light erupted blinding his vision as everything around him changed.
The stale scent of the classroom was replaced by crisp fresh air that was rare in the cramped smoggy city he was in, making him instinctively take a deep breath. The cool air entering his lungs rejuvenated him.
It took him a few moments as his vision cleared up and he could feel and see his surroundings more clearly.
And Victor was sure of one thing , wherever he was it wasn't anywhere on Earth…
…..
Victor blinked, squinting as he gazed at the sky , it was a vibrant shade of blue just like the pictures you see on the internet but this was real and wasn't photoshopped.
He wasn't in his cramped university seat anymore surrounded by desks and depressed students…He was standing in the middle of a sprawling stone plaza that made European cathedrals pale in comparison.
Massive obsidian walls hemmed the city in, and above them, their jagged peaks seemed to pierce the clouds like the fangs of a beast.
Victor's lips twitched as he pinched himself on the arm to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. And to his dismay he wasn't , but he did pray that maybe he was hallucinating or something, caffeine was addicting but he didn't think it was like a drug making him see stuff that he wasn't supposed to.
Economics class was boring but it wasn't boring enough that he prayed to be transported to a mediaeval fantasy where death was not probability but a guarantee.
He could hear the distant and faint roars of beasts that certainly weren't like the ones on earth , just the sound itself was enough to make him feel chills because he understood that he wasn't on top of the food chain anymore.
And if the armored soldiers patrolling the streets were any indication then he was in a place that experienced constant conflict , because the whole city seemed to be draped in a depressed aura.
Around him, thousands of others were appearing in similar bursts of white light. Some were weeping, some were screaming, and one guy was still holding a half-eaten burrito, looking devastatingly confused.
In the end the guy finished his burrito while sobbing, his tears acting as seasoning making Victor feel like he had witnessed something funny and sad at the same time.
Suddenly Victor and every single teleported person felt it.
[ Regional Announcement: Welcome to Zone 666 — Stormgate City. ]
[ Current Player Count: 100,000. ]
[ The System is now active. This system is your new lifeline. It will be your silent partner on your conquest of Aethelgard]
[Tip: For the chat function, navigate with your thoughts, it's faster than typing! ]
...
Victor took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves, he was both nervous and excited since it was always his fantasy to have a system.
Open the chat he thought, testing the system's interface.
Immediately, a virtual window flared into existence before his eyes. It looked like the UI of a high-end messaging app, but the speed at which the chat moved was dizzying. Messages were scrolling at a rate of 999+ per second.
[ I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BOSS FIGHT ON ELDEN RING! WHO DO I COMPLAIN TO?!!!! #$###$$¥€¢ ]
[ I don't want to die! I'm forty and I've never even moved out of my mom's place! Help! ]
[ I'm a Senator! I demand to speak to whoever is running this simulation! ]
[ Does anyone know if the 'Fire-Breathing Wolf' outside the gate is aggressive? Asking for a friend who is currently being chased…]
[ Why go back? I was working sixty hours a week for pennies. Here, the locals say we can become literal gods. This is the ultimate reset ]
[ I'm Jax. I used to be lead security for a Fortune 500 company.. If you want to not die in the first ten minutes, meet at the fountain. No losers allowed ]
[ Count me in! ]
Victor watched the scrolling texts, his mind already coming to terms with the absurd situation he was in. There was no log out button or an option to go back home , and this wasn't some elaborate VR stimulation.
Everything was real and unlike him who took the news calmly it wasn't the case for some as the plaza was filled with all kinds of people from all walks of society.
First you had trust fund kids in designer suits looking for a manager to complain to , heck they were already trying to order those around him saying their father will hear about this.
Then you had exhausted office workers staring blankly at the sky and then you had guys like Jax the security guy who was acting like the main character.
Status , wealth , influence... Nothing mattered anymore. In this world everyone was starting from the same starting point...