{ Without My Glasses }

Why has the floor swiveled? Has earth turned against me, too? Like my ex-girlfriend?

Ah, that's right, I'm on a bus. When I am wounded, I become sensitive about the littlest of things, assuming the world is against me.

I cannot possibly comprehend why I'm able to sit down and huddle the backpack closer to my body, sobbing, recalling the scene of my ex-girlfriend getting on another man.

Betrayal and shock, these emotions are very compelling and I am petrified to have gone through them alone. Not in public transportation, not as I am escaping in heartbreak.

That would be rude to other passengers. Then again, sobbing uncontrollably like a loser helps nobody.

God damn it! I am a man, aren't I? Cry manly, why am I whimpering as if my parents take away my game cube in the 2000s?! Is this why...she cheated on me? Is it because I act as a beta rather than an alpha?

Nonetheless, what is an alpha, anyway? I read too much A/B/O that I am starting to question whether or not I'm alpha enough for my girlfriend. That is stupid! I am stupid! What do I do? How do I grief? How do I cope?

Like I always do— I turn on my phone and play whatever's shitty RPG which worth at best a hundred dollars, which I downloaded and paid for. Repeatedly and mindlessly jamming the attack button, slaughtering the endless seam of troopers running at me. My empty eyes become hazy, I cannot focus.

In fact, the reflection of my touchscreen shows my wailing expression, causing me to tear up even more.

"Ah, this is..." I snatch my glasses away and cross my arm above my face, covering it, shielding it, as I sniffle and drizzle like a coward with no emotional outlet. For a second, I close my eyes, and the other second, I open my eyes, calming down after what felt like minutes.

I realize the change of atmosphere.

Brisk, rough, and a little bit— tantalizing, if you know what I mean. I was certain the atmosphere was as despondent as outer space. Now, I can measure the denseness of the heat and the mumbling cacophony of chatters.

Confused, a coward, I lay low and keep the scene a mystery.

What on earth is going on? Have people walked in this late at night? How hasn't I felt the quiver of the floor braking? My feet have always been excellent at sensing my surroundings because sadly, that has only been the things I look at as I walk: my feet.

I don't care, I couldn't care, I shouldn't care, I don't care!

I cannot man up to society. I cannot stand up for myself when my girlfriend cheated on me, like, maybe if I were to slap her? Her guiltless face and smudged lipstick as I desperately held her hand and practically begged her for a confirmation, so I wouldn't have to let her go, so she wouldn't have to let go.

I treated her like I was in the wrong.

She is the villain, she is the villain!

I was angry!

Still, still, still, even if she is the villain, even if I am angry, I am more devastated than I am angry. And I hate myself for the fact that I easily forgive a wrongful person in order to cower in self-pity.

As if I am addicted to the feeling of pain and agony where I torture myself slowly inside. I hate this side of me. I wish I have more self-value, more self-esteem.

I wish I am worthy enough to deserve to prioritize my indifferences. It is hard.

I wish, I wish, I wish— as I shuffled around behind my crossed arms, I finally unbar my face and hesitantly meet the world. I am feeling suffocated due to my heated sigh and runny nose, in needing of fresh air and light, I lean back to seep in a big breath. And then I notice it.

Huh?

My clothes, no longer the comfy oversized hoodie I always wear. Somewhat of a rigid material, as rigid as wearing a body-sized armor, forged in burnt metal like those troopers from the game. My arms and thighs and feet are suffocating in these items of clothing. Though, my chest and pelvis feel loose and free.

I am confused?!

My glasses.

Where are my glasses? They're gone! I am patting myself down and it is gone! I cannot find it!

Aw, I'm panicking, they cost a fortune for a broke college student like me.

How will I see from now on? Do I have to crawl on all four?! My eyesight is as bad as Communist, I can't not wear them.

Plus, I wear them too much they have become my second skin, now. I do not think I will be able to handle leaving my dormitory without them.

I feel naked.

What do I do?

I sit at the back every day for my entire life to avoid the professors and the social pressure, I am the gloomy quiet kid. If I turn on my phone and zoom in on the board to take notes, I would be kicked out. I would attract attention.

Anxiety, anxiety. I am undergoing anxiety!

Ah, wait a minute. Is it just me or is my eyesight getting…sort of "better"?

I can't feel my glasses on my nose bridge, but I can see vividly the wrinkly elderly lady across from me, smiling nervously back at me after noticing I have been staring her down as if I am about to brawl her. Right? Is that why she seems cornered? Is my bloated face intimidating?

My bad. I turn away from her and act as if I have no idea what I was doing to have targeted her with my heartbreak.

What happened? What happened to my body and why am I in this costume? Am I hallucinating? Dreaming, maybe? Going through the day without realizing? Was I drugged? Am I high?

Ugh, the sun is peeling into my vision, why and when is it so bright in here? Huh, the sun? It is 1 AM, there should be no sun!!

No? There is a sun. As the vehicle journeys even faster ahead with the same amount of horsepower as a locomotive back at New York, I realize the blurry sightseeing and the skyscrapers whooshing by, with my better eyesight.

Strange, I don't remember New York City being this flashy and colorful. What district am I? Did I forget to take my stop?

Shocked and a teeny bit excited, I hurriedly peep out the window with my palms pressing the unusually sanitary glass window.

And well, spank my ass and call me 'Sam', where the fuck am I?!

It is equivalent to a dreamworld sci-fi city in a game. Modern, pretty, and technologically savvy. Every building was a metal skyscraper, I can't see a single building shorter than a high-rise.

These skyscrapers are gaudy, and the roads were tangled and crossing each other like bridges, sky polluted yet environmental-friendly no matter what. In the blink of an eye, I suddenly jump when a flying anti-gravity car passes me.

Woah…

An anti-gravity car?!

This is the peak of humanity!

[ "Welcome!" ]

"Ah!" Startled, still seated on the bus, shameless and astonished, a robotic and remote voice resonated in my head. Who was that? Am I dreaming? Am I crazy? I may or may not have caused a public rouse, but everybody on the bus seems to ignore me. "Sorry…" I whisper, bowing in apology.

What is this? Who are you?

[ "Welcome, to the 'World-class Hero RPG System'. My name is Anima and I will be your assistant AI." ]

A-Are you in my head?

[ "Correct. Your inventory will be accessed by me, I am your system." ]

Mrs. Anima, what is going on and where am I? You said 'World-class Hero RPG System', was I transmigrated?

[ "Permission to access the confidential information is denied." ]

O-Okay? Then, can you please explain why am I inside a video game?!

[ "Guest Player, accessing the narration mode, yes or no?" ]

What?

What narration mode?

[ "Guest Player, accessing the narration mode, yes or not?" ]

U-Um, yes? I don't even get a manual instruction on what half of these things even mean. How do you expect me to answer blatantly, Mrs. Anima?

[ "Affirmative. Accessing narration mode • • • processing • • •" ]

I will wait. All I can confront is a big hologram screen in front of me, blocking my viewpoint, making facial expressions in perplexity.

Even though I am tapping the air about myself, the passengers around do not seem alarmed, almost as if they do not notice.

I really am in an RPG, huh. I wonder what player I am. If I get to choose as Vector, that would be cool! To play an RPG via my body and bad physical coordination would be a challenge.

I wish I am qualified enough for it and I wish I had gone to the gym often. I'll die, right? Would there be an option to respawn?

I am petrified.

God, I am so petrified I feel my stomach rumbling. I want to retch.

[ "Your name is Tayden De Mattia, you are a twenty-five-year-old trooper harvested to serve under a tyranny planet, ruled by The Almighty." ]

Wait, wait, I'm a what?!

First and foremost, my name is Tayden Kim, thank you very much. And secondly, a "trooper"? I don't remember WCH having a trooper as a playable character nor a selectable choice.

Those guys are such insignificant NPCs, and literally, anything that's associated with the villain is WCH's natural programmed enemy, eh? Even their cyborg canines and giant auto-tanks.

So, you must be mistaken. Shouldn't I select my own characters? Those are the rules, right?

[ "Permission to access the confidential information denied." ]

Oh my god, just answer me, Mrs. Amina!

[ "You are not a playable character nor are you a character. You are simply an NPC, created to fight for The Almighty." ]