Chapter 06: Something Happened, Entered Inside the Dungeon
Arlo, gasping for breath, inquired,
"Remi, how much further do we need to go?"
His voice was a mere whisper, each word a testament to his exhaustion.
Remi, equally drained from their trek, retorted, "Arlo, do you think I'm enjoying this? I suggested taking a cab, but you declined! I even mentioned the bus, but you said?"
"I'd rather die," Arlo interjected, his words interspersed with desperate gasps for air as he lagged behind Remi.
Remi, perplexed, queried, "First, why do you have so little stamina in the first place? You're always walking wherever you go."
Arlo, fighting for breath, responded, "Remi, don't make me talk while I'm walking. I'm struggling to breathe. I feel like I'm on the brink of death.
Someone…
Anyone…
End my misery…
Stab me…
Shoot me…
Please, anyone. Please," his plea was barely a whisper, drowned out by his labored breathing.
As they plodded along the sidewalk of Aurora District, the surroundings were a blur of glass skyscrapers, bustling streets, and Cybers peddling wares in shops. But for Arlo, it was as if a white fog had descended, obscuring everything as he kept his gaze lowered, barely able to stand, winded from the exertion.
The prompts that kept appearing were,
[Stone]
[Road]
[Lamp]
Remi continued to engage Arlo in conversation, attempting to divert his attention from the curious onlookers who were openly staring and commenting on Arlo. Even someone as oblivious as Arlo couldn't ignore their scrutiny; it felt like a barrage of icy stares.
A passerby remarked, "Look at him, dear, even our servants dress better than him."
Another retorted, "Dear, don't insult our servants; they are not Residues."
Residues are individuals who reside in impoverished districts such as Aegeis, Etherium, and PsyCity, who have been overlooked in industrial planning and future developments, leading to the creation of slums.
As the mockery continued, Remi remained silent, knowing that these people's attitudes couldn't be changed, no matter how much they tried to reason with them.
Remi's father was a revolutionary who sought to establish equality and order for all, but at this moment, a single person couldn't even shield his friend from prejudice.
Remi could empathize with Arlo's plight, as if a spear had pierced Arlo and the tip had grazed Remi, allowing him to share in his pain.
After what seemed like an endless journey, they finally reached their destination—a towering building of nearly fifteen floors, with a massive sign in the middle that read:
"Jay VR and AR World."
Remi gazed at the sign with a sense of accomplishment and announced, "Welcome to the world of Jay VR and AR World."
Arlo, brushing past him, arrogantly retorted, "I can read the sign; now show me what I asked for."
Remi clenched his fist, thinking, "This arrogant bastard. Just moments ago he was whimpering from exhaustion, and now he's acting all high and mighty."
"Are you coming or not?" Arlo prodded.
As soon as Arlo stepped into the building, a window popped up:
[A new quest is available. Find and enter the dungeon.]
[Reward: Exp]
Arlo grinned, "I was wondering how to use this system; perhaps I can uncover the truth inside the dungeon."
"What are you smirking about?" Remi queried.
"Remi, I need to find something; let's explore," Arlo instructed.
As Arlo was about to start exploring, a sales clerk Cyber, with a silver metallic body, wearing a green hat and yellow overalls, approached. The Cyber had a square face with three LEDs aligned in a row serving as its eyes. Its voice buzzed like a bee,
"Apologies, sir, but you need to be appropriately dressed to enter this store. Could you kindly comply?"
Arlo clenched his fist, ready to strike.
"He is with me. My ID: Xf234. Name: Remi Endrick. This person is my aide," Remi stated his social ID.
"Then it is acceptable for you to enter, Assistant of Remi," the Cyber clerk stated and retreated.
"His assistant!!!! I'm not his assistant," Arlo protested, fuming.
Remi told him to calm down and added, "This is the only way you can get in. Don't sweat the small stuff; let's find what we came here for."
After Arlo had cooled down, he sarcastically asked, "When did you become so influential?"
Remi replied, "It's not like that; our security firm manages this building, so I have access. Don't worry about anything."
As they navigated towards their objective, the place was filled with VR and AR glasses. The entire place was bathed in white light, and as they moved, holograms cast shadows that trailed on the ground like real shadows.
Holograms displayed,
[New VR model 'JyneV7',
Experience the world as if you were there.]
"The VR model, 'JyneV7', boasts a sleek black glass design with a small red gem in the center and a frame inscribed with the phrase 'New Life'."
People kept staring at Arlo's peculiar behavior and wondered why a well-groomed and refined man like Remi was accompanying him.
As they reached a corner of the floor, Remi pointed to a small box with two eye lenses protected by a laser-protected window in a display case.
Remi explained, "It allows you to see the things you described earlier, like seeing inside your eyes."
Arlo quickly touched his eyes and rubbed them to check if he was wearing lenses, but he found nothing. Adding to his disappointment, he accidentally scratched his iris with his nail.
"This is not it; I'm talking about seeing inside your eyes, not like wearing lenses. It's like when we see someone's face, their name will hover over them, like actually…
uh, like when I see something, my brain actually recognizes your face and objects and has the ability to display window prompts like a VR screen display but inside your eyes," Arlo stammered.
"Images inside your brain? I seriously have no clue what you're trying to convey. You're terrible at explaining. As far as I know, only Cybers can recognize faces because they are robots, and the one matching your descriptions is V-Chips, implanting a chip inside your brain that will allow you to do something like this, I believe," Remi replied reassuringly.
Arlo, with a glimmer of excitement, asked, "Where is that thing? Let's see it then."
Remi dashed Arlo's hopes by replying, "The chip is still in the early stages of development. All the things I said, Jay Industries told us we will be able to see a new world with V-Chips in the near future, definitely not now. Probably, I think it will take another 20 to 30 years to see the things you described."
Arlo was disheartened by Remi's words, and Remi tried to comfort him by suggesting, "Why don't we check out the prototype of V-Chips upstairs?"
"RING…" "RING…"
As they were about to ascend the stairs, Remi suddenly received a call on his phone and answered it.
Arlo noticed someone's phone for the first time—it was made of transparent crystal glass. Small widgets floated inside it, but when he looked at the back of the phone, the images were all blurred.
"Sorry, Arlo, it seems there's been a mix-up with our wedding dates at the altar. I need to go there right now. You stay here and check out the V-Chip on the second floor. If anyone asks who you are, just say you are my Assistant," Remi said hurriedly, dashing off.
Arlo didn't even get a chance to bid him farewell as Remi bolted away.
Deeply disappointed, Arlo just wanted to see the V-Chip and leave as soon as possible.
As he reached the stairs and planted his right foot on the steps, suddenly a blinding light enveloped him, and a gust of sandy wind blew in his face. As he opened his eyes, he found himself in a desert with towering sand dunes and hot air whipping around him. Even in a few seconds, he could feel the scorching heat of the sun.
A prompt window swiftly displayed:
[Congratulations on discovering the new dungeon.
Explore further to progress in your journey.]
[Reward: 10 Exp]
[A new tab has been created:]
[Player Level: 1/∞
Progress from 1 –> 100 to reach the next level.
Based on Player level, your user level ability status (Defense, Strength, Endurance, Agility, Intelligence, Dexterity) will increase.]
[Current: Level - 1 (90 Exp to Level 2)]
[End of Chapter]