Chapter 2

The guys were already planning how to spend the money won while we were on the way home. Wearing a proud smile on my face as I drove the car, I couldn't help but look back on how we started.

The five of us met at an internet café in our neighborhood, but I was already friends with Flint at that time. Since we were all playing the same game, we decided to co-op. After winning six games consecutively, we decided to team up and named our unbeatable group Kings of Kings.

"Good thing we had a match today," Trey said. "I need to buy a new game that will be released tomorrow at noon."

As usual, Yohann got curious. "What game?"

"Beyond the Realm," Trey answered, with a hint of pleasure in his voice.

"Is that the new game everyone's going crazy about?" Louis asked. "I heard that they will only release ten copies in our state. It is a limited edition."

"Only ten copies?!" Yohann couldn't believe what he had just heard.

I glanced at the rearview mirror as that information piqued my interest. I couldn't fathom why the company is only releasing ten copies per state when it is such a sought-after game on the market. Shouldn't they cease the chance instead? I mean, they are getting a lot of interest.

Trey and Louis nodded. When the stoplight turned red, I glanced at Flint when his action caught my attention. He swiped up the screen in AR from his smart bracelet to search and read articles about Beyond the Realm.

"Damn..." he whispered a curse.

"What is it?" I asked him, also curious about this game that they were talking about.

"It will only be available to fifty states here in the United States and won't be available overseas. There's an allocation of ten limited copies per state," he said while reading the article. "It was also written here, though, that there is one special copy in every state that will be sent anonymously to a certain player per state. A total of 550 copies will be released tomorrow. It is very limited," he told us more about the game. "There's no statement in the article stating whether they will release more copies after tomorrow's launch."

"Well, I bet this will be more drastic than The Hunger Games," Yohann commented. "But I wonder ― who are those lucky ten players who will receive the damn game for free?"

"What's this game about?" I couldn't help but be exceptionally curious as I interrupted Yohann's thoughts.

"It's a VRMMORPG," Trey explained. "The graphics in the game's trailer are so dope! You'd really want to buy it. For an avid gamer, it was like getting a bar of gold if you happen to have a copy."

"And what makes the others so frantic about this game, clearing out missions can make you earn money," Louis added. "But once you die in the game, you won't be able to play it again. The console will perform self-destruction and won't work anymore. It's a survival game."

It was not a surprise anymore that the new game was virtual reality. That year's upgraded nanobots made it easier for developers to create VR games and make you experience a different dimension. I read an article about it one time. It has the ability to present a total immersion of virtual reality from within our nervous system by plugging our brains straight into the cloud.

Yohann, who also seemed interested in buying the game, asked, "How much is that game?"

Well, I couldn't blame him for feeling interested. Because of my overwhelming curiosity about the game, even I became very intrigued. The urge to also have a copy of the game was building up in me.

"800 dollars," Flint was the one who answered Yohann's question. He was still busy reading the article about Beyond the Realm.

Louis' exaggerated a fake cough when he heard how much the game cost.

"But it already has a lot of inclusions, such as the hardware, CD installer, gaming console, and headgear ― which are all invented solely for the game. You can't use it to play other games," Flint continued.

"The price is very reasonable if that's the case, then..." Yohann said while nodding and still sounding a bit dubious.

Pressing my lips into a thin line, I stepped on the accelerator and put the car in motion as the stoplight turned green.

Spending 800 dollars on the most anticipated game of the year should be worth it. Anyway, I had enough savings in my separate bank account for my games. If I clear all the missions inside the game, I might be able to recoup the money that I'd be spending. I might gain even more than that! However, I wondered if the developers could actually keep the game running if they only planned to sell limited copies. It almost sounded like they were plotting their own bankruptcy.

"I already asked my mom for an advance allowance to buy the game, and I still have a hundred bucks share from our win earlier. It's a good thing that we have a bet this coming Saturday. I can easily earn money for my allowance," Trey said, trying to convince himself that it was okay to spend 800 dollars on a game.

"Which gaming store will release the game?" I asked.

"They will just open a pop-up booth in Time Square tomorrow at 1 p.m.," Trey answered. "That's the nearest booth here in Brooklyn."

I nodded and turned the wheels to the road that led us to our neighborhood where our houses were located.

"Don't tell me... Are you also going to buy the game, Ry?" Flint sounded so amused.

I was not the type to be interested in those kinds of games, but something about them made me curious.

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "Maybe I should..."

"Damn!" Trey cursed. "Ry will surely rule the game like always."

"Maybe not..." I drawled. "I'm not familiar with virtual reality. I'm more on computer and video games."

"Then, I'm sure that VRs will only be a piece of cake for you," he assured me. "I'll bet he'd be in the number one spot within a month."

"He better treat us if he will!" Yohann butted in.

I just smiled wickedly and accepted their predictions as some kind of challenge. Even if I wasn't familiar with VRs, I would do my best to top the game. I wouldn't allow a game worth 800 dollars to just be wasted.

"Are you going to buy tomorrow?" Trey asked me when I dropped him off at their house.

"I'm still not sure..."

"If you will, please, do send me a message. I'll hitch a ride. It's a huge hassle if I commute on my way to Time Square."

I chuckled and nodded. "I will. Good night, bro!"

We made a fist bump before I drove off and went home.

The interior of our house seemed like it was painted in black as all the lights were turned off. The sound of my footsteps on our wooden floor was very audible. Even the sound of my breathing could be easily heard.

Others may find it like some kind of horror scene, but it was already the life I got used to every day. My parents were both in Los Angeles, working to provide everything I needed. I was an only child. They only come home every mid-summer for two weeks or less.

Without manually turning on the lights in our living room, I used my smart bracelet to access the lights digitally. Once I was upstairs, I turned it off using the AR and went straight into my room.

After lying down on my bed, I turned off my smart bracelet's "Do Not Disturb" mode and immediately received some notifications from my social media accounts. The last notification I got was from my email about a subject that caught my attention.

Invitation to Beyond the Realm

In an instant, I pulled the screen up and checked the email from MW Interactive Entertainment.

Greetings, Mr. Ryker Henderson!

Hope this email finds you well.

MW Interactive Entertainment team wants to let you know that you are one of the fifty players picked for one of the free special copies of our latest game, Beyond the Realm, after our team's intensive research for the past months while developing the game.

Your outstanding performance as "Stryker" in several video and computer games helped us decide to choose you as the special player of your state, New York. You will receive a special Beyond the Realm package from us tomorrow, 18th of May 2080, at 1 p.m. sharp. Just reply with your full name and address in our email to receive the package.

Let us make gaming more interesting!

With regards,

MW Interactive Entertainment

The thrill and excitement that I felt while reading the email made me ecstatic. As a gamer, I felt like I had just won a lottery worth millions. I wasn't even expecting this email from MW team. It was also a huge coincidence that we were just talking about the game a few minutes ago. I didn't expect that I would be one of the chosen players. I couldn't help but re-read the email repeatedly before I decided to finally send my reply.

Surprisingly, I got a reply from them within three minutes.

Greetings, Mr. Ryker Henderson!

Thank you for the reply and confirmation! Rest assured that your package will arrive at the stated time.

Let us make gaming more interesting!

With regards,

MW Interactive Entertainment

A ghostly smile automatically formed on my lips as I imagined what awaited me the next day.

I can't wait to play that damn game.