Chapter 3: Hitting back

"Sure. I did prepare for this question today as this game is one of a kind game just made to surpass the old generation of playing RPG games. Kuhum. In simpler terms without saying anything specific, since it'll be a breach of information, I'll just say it like this. The helmet is made to send 'something' inside your brain then reacts with 'something' inside that lets you experience 'something' like the 'sleepwalking phenomenon'. That 'something' is projecting your astral body outside your own physical body while at the same time 'retains the person's astral body' inside your own physical body. It is connected, if I would say. One that is inside the body and the other that was outside. Like the currency used in ancient times, a coin. There is a saying in the past called 'two sides of the same coin'. There are two faces in the coin called heads and tails. They are located in different places but, they are still in the same structure of the coin. No matter what process you did to make a coin, the end will still result in two faces combined together. This analogy applies to the physics behind the astral body located inside and projected outside after the helmet sent 'something' inside your brain and reacting to it. It's somewhat of a live application in quantum physics, like the famous Schroedinger's Cat thought experiment, but let's just leave it at that. Though this time we are the cat and instead of experiencing both alive and dead at the same, what we are experiencing is both located outside of our body and inside."

"True... True true true. While this is not an educational broadcast, it does give us a deeper insight into the most well-known hardest subject in high school. To give you kids more explanation in the subject, I'll let Sir Abakumov compare the application of quantum physics in Schroedinger's Cat between the set up for the game 'AcroUnilyxis'."

"Okay, then. I'll be skipping the experiment of Schroedinger's Cat because probably it is mentioned to you kids many many times by your teachers haha. To start off, the cat was placed inside a box. The cat is me or a person who wishes to play the game while the box is the reclining chair. Inside the box, there is a catalyst that may or may not decay when left inside exactly after one hour. Besides the catalyst, there is a sensor to know if the catalyst started to decay or not. And below the sensor was a poison bottle that will be broken by the hammer tied to the sensor and will only be released if the sensor detects something. The catalyst is the helmet while the sensor with a hammer tied is the specific built functioning quantum computer. The poison inside represents the connection of the quacom to the singular electronic space. Now, proceeding with the cat experiment, the cat is either dead or alive. On the first result, it is shown that the cat is alive while the second result is that the cat died. Now in the set-up for the game, as many people guessed, the results will be both of the two. One is that the player logged in the game exited his/her astral body to play the game inside the singular electronic space. The second is that the player didn't leave his/her body to play the game inside the singular electronic space. Either way, the player still managed to play the game without either being split into half right? Hahahahaha! Simple explanation right?"

"Yeah... While I am now a reporter on a news channel, hearing this takes me back into my high school days where we got amazed by that simple experiment with a simple explanation. Thanks to Sir Abakumov for that wonderful dissection of the game set-up with basic quantum physics in tow. Now, after hearing the process behind the helmet, I'll just go straight at the point. When will it be available on shops and have people contract ownership?"

"The set-ups are massed produced since last half of the year so you can expect that everyone will have a gamer set-up in stores nearby their cities in the next three months to buy for themselves. We will also accept specific requests at a later date. Probably after a year and a half. After this interview, we will be starting accepting pre-orders only one per person and for more other information, go check on our official site."

"Now before our excitement wanes away, I will ask Sir Abakumov our most requested question. When... will AcroUnilyxis will be online?"

"Huhu...*chuckles* Mark your calendars people. In the month of September 30th, AcroUnilyxis will finally be Online!"

*loud background cheers*

Shaking hands, heavy ragged breathing, I firmly stare at the tv as if to bore a hole into it. I didn't mind my appearance as I keep replaying 'It's here. It's here.' inside my mind.

Finally snapping myself back to reality I rushed outside the dining room to go upstairs.

"Ah! Son? Son?! Loren!!"

Not noticing my mom's call, I went upstairs straight to my room to mark my calendar for me not to forget the date.

Though I didn't notice how excited I am as even thinking that I may forget the date of AcroUnilyxis going online, the game I waited for years to even know the name and its release date.

"He's gone nuts mom."

Entering the dining room with a satisfied expression on her face with a towel on her neck she said with a nonchalant tone.

"Ahh... Let him be. At least he's finally opening up to us Lina. Huhuhu *cries*. Did you remember when he is always bottling up his emotions when in front of u-shiik *sniff*. Also when the times wher-shiik*sniff* he wanted something, he will work without us knowing then buy it with his own money. Shiik*sniff*. Do you know how hard for me and your Pappy to bear it? Huhuhu*cries*"

"Yeah yeah, I get it, mom. Though he is still the same with buying things."

'But at least every day has been fun with him like that. Just a bit.'

Lina continued to remain nonchalant looking towards her mother but she is happy inside that she can call her brother a friend in this cruel world.

"Humph! Later when he goes down again I'll pay him back for what he did earlier. Humph!"

Meanwhile, in Loren's room

Jumping straight to my bed and fixing my position with my face facing the calendar.

I grabbed a marker placed on the top of the calendar and opened its lid.

[August 17th]

I flipped the calendar after marking the date today and after reaching the month of September, I marked the number 27 on it.

"Heh... Hehehe... Hehehihiehe... Hahahahaha! Hwahahahahahhhahaha!!! Hiehieheiheheheheahheaha!!! Hahahahahahahhhhahahaaak-kaaaah! Kehok, kohok... Kohom! Kohom! Aaackkk!... Kohom kohom..... I'm hungry..."

Holding my neck after choking from my laugh, I went down to go to the dining room.

"Finally you have come down. C'mere you little shit. Ignoring the saying 'Girls go first,' I'll make you pay. Orahhh!"

Surprised by the sudden punch, I instinctively tried to evade but due to years of mostly sitting down and having an unhealthy lifestyle, my body disappoints the expectations my instincts want me to do.

Receiving the punch to my solar plexus, I crouched down resisting my urge to vomit.

"Go go! Go punch and beat him more into shape!"

"Hehehe. How did you like that huh? Finally worshipping your very beautiful and womanly sister?"

Suddenly struck by harsh words from my mother, I thought why am I the only one receiving this treatment.

Glaring at my sister, thinking I need something to retort to her.

Standing up and letting the chair support my body, I remembered what she said earlier.

"Hahhh... Hahhk-kehok khhooo... D-Didn't you say earlier how I am 'a good for nothing brother who doesn't work and a shut it?"

"W-wha-"

"Aren't you... talking about yourself?"

"Areehh? A-are you not mistaking it for som-"

"As a girl who shuts inside her room and writes about one-sided love stories where the main character thinks she is the best girl wherein in the process of making the capture targets fall in love with her, she destroyed stable relationships between lovers and make the women hate her to receive the protection of the men to make them fall in love with her. Are you... Perhaps writing your own fantasy novels since as a very beautiful and womanly woman, you're still single past your deadline?"

Hearing my words, she stood still for a few seconds.

Finally snapping back, she grits her teeth and one can see little tears forming on her eyes.

"Y-you! A-aren't you the same?!"

"Oh please. You can spare me from that. I'm already 36 and I'm almost turning into a 'Great Sage'. Please don't destroy my dreams. But how about you? 33? Man... I hear this from someone and said 'When Christmas, there are Christmas cakes but isn't after Christmas they are just ordinary leftover cakes?'"

'I will not get hurt from this!!! To payback someone I must swallow my own shame!!!! Curse myself for saying that!!! Arghhhh! I am considered a high-class virgin but, I wanna **ck!!!!'

"Y-you, yo-you... U-uu..."

Seeing her almost cry, I suddenly felt guilty...

As if I will say something like that!

Her punch earlier to my frail body almost took all of my mental faculties to resist vomiting.

Even much worse is that my stomach is empty.

If I can't beat her physically, I'll just do it mentally!

"Heh."

"Uuu..."

Making a short laugh of a winner, I hear the screeching sounds of an electric car stopping outside.