3 Ch-1: Part-1: Resume.... or restart?

Nine months has passed since the beta test of AWA has ended. And today's the day AWA officially releases. Although I already got the newest copy of the official version of the game from my father again as a gift, my DG's still the same and has got pretty worn out.

Just as I finished installing the official version of the game and was about to start-up my DG, I saw a tiny spark in it followed with a zap sound. As I picked it up to inspect it, I saw it shutting down itself as if its life is over.

'Huh...'

.....

'HUUUHHHH!!!!!!!!'

Yup, my DG short-circuited. Today of all days. I got really frustrated to this unexpected turn of event. And it took a while for me to adjust to it.

After calming down, I called up the RifRits Entertainment, the developers of the game, to order a DG as soon as possible. Only to find that all the DGs' been bought already by every AWA player in the entire earth, since the game was a big hit. And if I were to order now, it will reach at my doorsteps after three months. 'What the heck??'

And if I wanted one right now, I will have to pay a hell lot amount of money, and like hell I could've afforded that.

'I am finished...' I thought, as I imagined myself getting guillotined by an executioner wearing a DG.

I, then, called up my dad and he too said there was no other option than to wait for three months.

'He- he- he---' might as well laugh like crazy rather than to cry like a girl who got dumped.

Then after thinking about it for long, I decided to wait for three months. But man, waiting for three months was like being locked up in jail for three centuries.

All my friends and acquaintances were enjoying the game and were already ranking up fast. It was just frustrating enough to listen to them talk about AWA when they were just arrogant beginners and I was a genuine experienced beta player. I wasn't able to follow any of my friends' conversations, and was the only one left out.

Everyday, they bragged about their progress in the game and smirked off. I can't even count the number of times I thought of yelling at them for being so overly proud of AWA, although I did knew it would be unfair for them. But still, hearing them brag about it made me wanna play the game so- so- so very much - and show those arrogant brats who's the real pro in this game.

|After three months|

-/Alarm ringing/

I woke up, and just after I flipped the next page of my calendar, I realized it was the day my package would be delivered.

"Yes, yes, yes, three months over!!!!" I shouted, while swinging my pillow around in triumph.

"It's seven o'clock in the morning Sharrel!!"

"Ah.... Sorry mom.."

Now that I remember, I haven't introduced myself properly. I am Sharrel Wellmiller, 17 years old, second-year at Riverside High School, daughter of the director of the game company 'RifRits', an average student, and a game enthusiast, especially in exploration games.

Anyway, I dashed outside the house to the mailbox and found my package. Then I hurried back upstairs to my room, unboxed the packaged and found my long-awaited Dream-Gear. I felt like a prisoner who finally got his jail-time cleared and was about to burst into tears after getting to see his family.

Then I started the DG and started the game and as usual everything turned white.

-----------------

Usually after having played a game before, when you try to login back after a while, you are to bound to see the same 'game menu' as when you played it before. But this time it was different. I was expecting to start at the white holy room with that angel like before when I logged in for the first time, but this time I arrived in a big courtyard with a freakishly long queue of different sorts of creatures, including humans as well. And in the front row I saw more than a hundred angels checking the people in the queue and classifying them according to their categories, as well as answering to their queries. This place was now totally looking similar to that of a ridiculously busy queue in a bakery during the Great Depression in Germany. This shouldn't be how heaven's supposed to be.

"Hey, you?" Someone called me from behind.

I turned back to check who was calling me, and found out it was a guy who was standing in one of the long lines.

"Eh.. You called me?"

"Yes. You new here?"

"Huh.. Oh... yes, ah yes.."

Of course that was a lie. After a long time of not playing this game, I thought of acting around like a beginner for a while.

"I am new here as well. What are you doing here, shouldn't you be standing at this queue? This is the beginner's line. You should go and wait at the last position of this line."

"Uh.. Yeah but before that I'll just.. uh... tour this place for a while." saying that, I walked away.

So first of all, I had to find the queue for the beta testers without attracting much attention. Otherwise other players are gonna mock me for starting this late and spread fake rumours about me if they find out. But considering the fact that the NPCs here aren't normal and the fact that all the beta testers would have already logged in way back, I thought that line wouldn't have even existed by now. But I still continued my search with a lil' hope.

As I continued exploring, I saw various players wearing various cool and awesome outfits and were wielding awesome looking weapons. And the number of players logging in every minute was unbelievable. No wonder it's a globally admired game.

Gradually, I found a map of this hall with the counter for the beta testers to be in the very deserted corner in this hall. Went there and found nothing except for an angel who seemed to be spacing out, sitting behind the desk, along with few books on the table to pass time during work hours, and a magical coffee machine.

I stepped up with a little bit of hesitation and excitement and asked, "Hello?"

"Huh?" she snapped out of her space and inquired, "Who are you?"

"This is the counter for the beta testers, right?"

"Well, yes.. You are a beta tester?"

"Ye-- yess!!" My excitement increased.

Then she looked at me with great concentration- almost as if her eyes were scanning me top to bottom. Her hoop started to glow more and after a while, it suddenly returned to normal.

"Pfft.." right after staring at my face for like 6 mins, all you do is 'pfft' me?

"Uh.. Sorry?"

"Please stop lying and go to counter 18-4, thats where the beginning start their adventure." She spoke as if she was the righteous one.

"Uh.. what do you mean? Why should I stand in line there? Ain't that for the beginners?"

"Could you please stop lying, miss?"

"Excuse me?" My excitement was slowly converting to anger.

"If you can't read English then let me help you. See?" she said, pointing at the board above her counter, "See that? That says, 'For Beta testers'. You, on the other hand, aren't a beta tester."

"What are you talking about?! I am a beta tester! In fact, I was the first beta tester to visit this world!" I, kind of, started to create a small commotion in the hall.

"Oh really, first beta tester, huh? Ok then, tell me your name and I will check it out this instant!"

"Why not? My name is Rayka!".

I could feel everyone nearby looking towards this counter. But by then I forgot about not attracting attention while arguing with this impolite angel.

"Rayka, eh!" She waved her hands and a thick book appeared in an instant. She grabbed it and opened the very first page of the book. Then she started skimming through all the pages.

After skimming through the book, she looked at me with a smug on her face.

"Pfft!"

"Huh! What is it?" I asked, infuriatingly.

"Let alone being the first visitor, your name isn't even mentioned at all in the beta records."

"Eh?!"

I snatched the book from her and checked the first page.

"Oii, this guy written here came like five days after I visited your world. How come he's the first name listed in the records?"

"That's of course because he was the first one here, duh!"

"So th- then, what about all the experience and level I gained back then?"

She looked at me with a pitiful expression.

"Stop dreaming, girl. This is reality."

That line she uttered made me lose it.

I banged as hard as I could on the counter, indirectly attracting everyone's attention, and yelled at her as loud as I could.

"LIKE HELL THIS COULD BE REALITY!!"

---------------

Soon I realized my pulse increased way too much, and I was kicked out of the virtual world. After I woke up, I recalled what happened back in the counter — along with the fact that I was off the records.

'Wait a second.... Off the records?'

.....

'Heh- heh.....'

....

'HUUUHH!!!!!!!!'