1 Prologue
It is 1 am in the middle of the night.
In one of the tenant room in a dorm building, all the lights have been turned off.
In the darkness, the dim light of a monitor is bright enough to be seen from outside if not for the curtain completely blocking it.
And there's a silhouette of a human in front of that monitor.
Which is actually is ME!
Hello everyone, my name is Adam Walker. 23 years old. I am a college student in his final year that is currently living in this dorm.
Eh? What did you say? Using computer in the darkness is bad? Well, I think my parent gave me a strong gene for healthy eyes so even if I keep using my PC in the dark like this, my eyes could still see normally without using glasses.
Eh? Why did I use the computer even when it's already this late? Why for playing game of course!
Eh? Because I introduce myself as final year college student, do you think I am working for my final theses to graduate? Please stop saying theses man, I feel like dying every time I heard theses. I am depressed right now because my girlfriend dump me so let me get drown in my sorrow here, buzz off!
(Ha~ah... Just what am I thinking about? I'm aware that my mental health is not satisfactory but start breaking the fourth wall is just too crazy. I know I shouldn't have watched Killpool)
My problem started with my girlfriend dumped me without any reason that made me feel down for a long time. To distract myself from the sadness, I start marathoning novels, anime, games, and well, yeah of course it is also included... porn...
But well, let's not talk about that in specific. Anyway, after moping around for almost half a year, the sadness from being dumped has completely gone (I think), but I can't get away from procrastinating habit. I tried to strengthen my resolute to get back at my own two feet but it would always lasted for only a few days before going back to the comfortable lazy life.
Maybe because of my current condition now that I feel kinda addicted to playing The siMan. The siMan is a game where I could simulate a human life. I can make the siMan, that's the way to call the character created inside the game by the way, to become the perfect version of myself that I always dreamed of. I can chase any kind of dream no matter how impossible it is. I could command the siMan to do anything and they will definitely abide, different from my own complex brain which wanted to but don't wanna do.
In short, yeah, I am running away from reality and chasing after the illusion of my ideals in the game.
Ha~ah... let's just focus on the game first. Anyway, The siMan game is now is in its 4th installation actually. I've played the previous version so I could feel how great the improvement in the game system is since the 1st installation. The 1st installation is almost like playing with dolls as the game feels less lifelike but in this current latest installation, the siMan could have their own trait, aspiration, and emotion which makes the game feels more 'alive'. Well, the emotion system is just a simple one though.
Working, getting money, buying things, starting a relationship, everything can be done by the siMan. And they could do it easier than that in the real world. Well, that is of course as the system could only simulate things in the simplest way or the game would just become too hard to play. But then again, man, just how much did I wish that real world is also this simple.
"Alright, I finally become the ultimate geek guru. Oh, I wish learning programming is this easy in real life"
Yeah, my major in college is computer science. I choose this major because I thought that this major would be needed a lot in this modern age but I was too naive.
Learning about coding and programming is just impossible for me. I can understand how to analyse and design but to implement all of it into codes are just... not my thing. This is also one of the reasons of why I can't get back on my feet for so long. the wall in front of me is just too tough for me to break.
I really feel jealous that the siMan inside my monitor could easily learn it just by filling the experience bar.
"Okay, it is a good time to quit. I really should go to sleep... if Mr. Insomnia allows me sleep that is"
I closed the game and getting ready to shut down my computer. But when the game application finally stops running, a pop up window suddenly appears in my monitor.
"Hmm? An advertisement pop up? What is this? A scam?"
The pop up still showing a blank window when it appears so I don't know what it is actually, but well, 11 out of 10 of this kind of pop up would be scam anyway so I just reflexively close it.
...
...
...
But there is no close button in the pop up.
"Man, wtf. How could you make such kind of pop up without a close button? If I knew how to report you I'd definitely will"
Such a persistent pop up I think. Well, last resort! Just go to the kill switch in the task manager!
But before I open my task manager by using the forbidden code of alt + shift + del, the pop up finished loading and showed its content to me.
"Welp, too late. What the hell is this pop up is about anyway"
As I don't really have anything else to do, and with my curiosity getting the better of me, I just starts reading the text shown in the pop up.
"Congratulation you have won blah blah and the prize is The siMan RV edition full for free. Claim now... Uh... Ok? Eh? The siMan RV edition for free? Are you for real?"
Yup, that is what written in the pop up. It really sounds suspicious with all that congratulation you have won thing but to win a free The siMan game? Now that made me quite interested. But what is this RV edition? VR maybe? Maybe it's just a typo? Let's just read a bit more carefully once again.
"Yup, I've won some prizes I am unknown joining and the prize will be a game of The siMan RV edition complete with its special console. What a special console? a GameStation 4?"
(Suspicious! Too suspicious! But the temptation from The siMan new installation is super effective to me. Let's take precaution first by turning on and updating all my anti-virus and safety programs. I should try Moogle it first before but nah~ it's too much work)
So with my heart screaming "YOLO~" I pushed the claim button.
"So what will come out? A scam virus? A simple prank? Let see... Your claim has been accepted. The special console will arrive at your dorm in the XXX street by tomorrow Mr. Adam WHAT THE F THAT IS SCARY!"
I never input any information of mine in this pop up so how could this pop up know that my name is Adam? And how the hell did it even know my address? This is F-ing scary man.
...
...
...
(Ma-maybe this is from that famous information stealing issue that has been viral lately? Yeah... um... that should be it. It HAS to be it)
(Now that I remember, the drug dealer in this country is getting a bit out of handle nowadays. Will that pop up be related to them? Damn... I kinda feel suicidal these days but I also don't really want to die. Especially in this kind of way...)
(Yeah... Maybe this is just too much internet for me today... No, technically tonight as it's already a new day now... Ah who cares let's just go to sleep...)
And of course, I can't sleep from the fear and anxiety that the mysterious pop up bring me...
*#*
*Knock...
"Mr... package..."
After being unable to fall asleep in the night, I finally manage to fall asleep around dawn somehow. And some loud noise is disturbing my sleep.
*Knock knock
"Mr Adam... package..."
As I am still in the border between unconscious and not, I still couldn't catch what the loud noise trying to say.
*Knock knock
"Mr Adam, you have package! Please accept it!"
(Ah, a package? For me?)
Still not fully awake, I stumble forward to the front door to accept the package. After signing the package I just accept it, throw it somewhere I perceive as 'safe', then go back sleeping again.
*#*
Late afternoon that day, I finally wake up.
"Another day passed without anything done. Great"
I just can't help praising myself sarcastically.
After getting enough with drowning myself in the negativity, my stomach started to grumble as it demands food from me.
"Well... breakfast time... and uh? What is this?"
As I rise my body up, I noticed an unfamiliar package lying in the corner of my room.
"Ah, the package that arrives this morning... WAIT... Don't tell me"
I vaguely remember receiving a package this morning but when my head becomes clearer, I suddenly remember the event that was happening last night. That scary pop up message.
"... It's not a bomb right? Why terrorist would bomb me if I'm just a nobody? What should I do with this?"
I am really scared with the package as it has a mysterious origin. But after hesitating for a while, I decided just to open it. Of course, before I do anything else, I tried putting my ear against the package just to make sure no ticking sound heard from the inside. And while I'm at it, I might also check it using various way first. Safety first!
"I could hear nothing, the package is quite small like those of glasses box or maybe a smartphone case, it is quite light, and I couldn't hear any rustling inside when shaken... Seems okay... Let's open it then"
(I don't know the number for the local police... can I just dial them with 911? Or is there a specific phone number for them? Anyway, if there are dangerous things inside the box, I need to contact the police ASAP. I know! I can use social media to tag them! I am a genius)
"Then shall we open the treasure chest?"
Then I carefully open the package wrapping and found a small box with the character of "The siMan RV edition" in its cover.
I gulped a mouthful of saliva and I could also feel my heart pounding wildly from the fear and also excitement from opening this mysterious package. After a few deep breaths, I open up the cover and ffind something that is familiar for modern age people inside.
"Huh? A smartphone?"
Inside the box is a familiar touch screen input style smartphone that could be found literally everywhere now in this age snugly packed. But the weird thing is, there is no other thing inside the box beside the smartphone as usually the other accessories and important papers would be packed together. The only clue that I found in this box which made me relate it with last night scary pop up is just the game title name that is written in the cover.
With not enough clues, all I can do left is just to turn on the smartphone. Maybe there will be some explanation inside.
I turned on the smartphone and after a few seconds of booting, messages start appearing in the screen.
"Hmm? Congratulations on being selected as the individual that would become the master of The siMan RV edition. The system will be ready in a few second so please wait until the system finished loading and the most important thing is to please not panic? What the hel..."
Tilting my head from the cryptic message, I could only swear to calm myself down but before I even finished my swearing, something weird happening.
A semi transparent window suddenly appears before my eyes floating in the air which shape is similar to that of a loading progress bar. I got surprised by it but because the cryptic message before said that I have to calm myself down, I managed to swallow my scream back.
I can only stand in place, stunned from the things happening in front of my eyes. Soon, the progress bar reached 100%, my sight is filled with many semi-transparent windows like before but each of them is filled with different things with only 1 conspicuous window in the middle.
[Welcome to The siMan - Reality Version]
I could only make a soundless scream from getting the scare of my life.
