The time has come

Floki walked back to his apartment, lost in thought about the virtual reality game he had just played. As he approached his door, he pulled out his wrist device to unlock it through a high-tech verification process. The door automatically opened as he stepped inside.

However, what caught his eye as he entered was something very different in his room. A huge, sleek-looking gaming capsule was sitting next to his bed. The capsule was big enough to fit an adult human and looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. It was black and glossy, with neon blue accents that made it seem even more futuristic and cool.

Floki couldn't believe it. He had never seen anything like this before, and he couldn't imagine how the government had managed to get one into his room without him noticing. As he stood there, marveling at the capsule, a message popped up on his wrist device.

It was from the government, and it informed him that he had received the gaming pod as a gift to play the new game that was about to be released. The message went on to say that every citizen in the Lines had received the same gaming pod and that the new game would be a level playing field for everyone.

Floki couldn't believe his luck. Just moments ago, he had been lamenting the inequality of life in the Lines, and now he had a chance to prove himself on equal footing with everyone else. He couldn't help but remember the thoughts he had earlier about wishing for a fair starting ground. It seemed as though his wish had been granted.

He was practically bouncing with excitement as he quickly stripped down to his underwear and climbed into the capsule. He couldn't wait to experience the new game and to see what it had in store for him.

As he lay there, waiting for the countdown to end, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building up inside him. This was his chance to make a name for himself, to show the world that he was more than just a poor kid from Line 6. He knew that this game could change everything for him, and he was ready to give it his all.

The anticipation was palpable as he watched the countdown clock slowly tick down to zero. His face was etched with a mix of excitement and seriousness as he prepared to enter the game.

As he settled into the VR capsule, his heart beating with anticipation, Floki couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the technology surrounding him. The countdown on the screen in front of him had finally reached zero, signaling that it was time for him to enter the game.

With a determined look on his face, Floki closed the lid of his capsule, and thought of the start button. The world around him vanished as he was plunged into darkness, and a surge of energy coursed through his body.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot towards him, and a voice boomed in his mind:

"Welcome to Swardo, earthling. I'll explain the basics of this world to you. Swardo is a virtual world created by the New World Order as a form of entertainment and evolution for the human population.

It's a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that simulates a fantasy world filled with diversity and mystery.

Players can create their own avatars and interact with other players across the Lines, as well as an even greater variety of NPCs, to complete quests, unravel the mysteries, build your own kingdom and not to forget: engage in intense combat." After a slight pause the light continued:

"Remember, young warrior, only those with sufficient strength will be able to live freely in this world. Having a firm mind will set you up for an easier journey, but remember that opportunity and danger always coexist in this world. You are hereby warned of the dangers that lie ahead.

In a second, you will be dropped in a random town as a level 1 classless human. It is your job to get accustomed to this world and go for your class change once you reach level 5. In your inventory, you will find your current specs and some basic items. I wish you luck, adventurer."

Before Floki could utter a word back, the light disappeared, and he felt like he was being sucked through a black hole. After a couple of seconds of spinning around, he landed on a field and slowly opened his eyes.

His vision was too blurry to make up anything, after a few seconds did his eyesight clear up. Looking around, he saw many other players spawning in as well.

He could see more than 1000 players already, many of them still holding their head because they were dizzy. But soon, many people started running around, eager to explore this new world.

Yet Floki just stood there.

Floki's heart was still pounding from receiving a brand new gaming pod. His encounter with the mysterious light felt incredibly lucid.

He couldn't help but question the light's mention of the game bringing about an evolution.

These thoughts were overwhelming his mind, and he decided to push them aside for the time being, and focus on his journey ahead. He didn't want to miss out on what seemed like a great opportunity.

Never before had the government cared about a 'fair playground'. So Floki had to step up right now.

Looking around again, Floki was struck by the vividness and detail of the virtual world. The grass beneath his feet seemed to sway in the breeze, its lush green color appearing more than real enough to touch.

The sky above was a brilliant blue, with fluffy white clouds lazily drifting by. In the distance, he could see the crumbling ruins of ancient buildings, their once grand architecture now overgrown with weeds and ivy.

The sunlight filtering through the trees cast dappled shadows on the ground, adding to the sense of realism.

As he looked around, he noticed other players exploring the area, their movements appearing lifelike and natural. The sounds of birds chirping, leaves rustling in the wind, and the loud chatter of other players all added to the feeling that he was truly in another world.

As expected many of the other players were also heavily discussing about their new gaming pods and how surreal this game felt.

Floki couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder as he took in his surroundings. This virtual world was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, and he couldn't wait to see what adventures and challenges lay ahead.

With a confident smile on his face he rushed towards the old broken buildings of the city. Eager to learn more about this world.

As Floki ran towards the nearest building, he quickly realized that the town he had spawned in was far from the grand and bustling metropolis he had imagined.

The streets were narrow and cramped, lined with dilapidated one-story buildings that looked like they had seen better days. Many of the buildings were in disrepair, with broken windows and crumbling walls.

The few NPC people he saw on the streets were ragged and poor, their clothes threadbare and their faces gaunt.

As he reached the nearest building, he saw that it was a run-down shop with a small sign hanging above the door, "Class Change NPC." Inside, the shop was dark and cramped, with a single NPC standing behind a counter.

The NPC was a small, weak-looking man, and he looked up as Floki entered, giving him a tired smile. "Welcome to Swardo, traveler. I'm here to help you with your class change," he said in a hoarse voice.

Floki looked around the shop and saw that there were only a handful of other NPCs in there. They all looked just as poor and weak as the rest, and he could see the emotions in their eyes.

He realized that this town was far from the lively and prosperous place a normal town should be. It was clear that the people here were struggling to survive. Even though they were just NPCs, they all had their own detailed backstory's and life's.

It has been known for many years that the NPCs from the VR-games, have their behavior based on humanity's behavior through extensive research projects. So it slowly became normal for humans to show some emotions to the NPCs.

Yet from a glance Floki could tell that these NPC's were different than those from other games.

These NPC's look and act way to realistic.

Floki approached the NPC that looked like he was in charge and began politely asking him questions about the game and how to progress.

Only the lowest level of players would mindlessly explore the game, any normal player should know that he should first gather more information before just running around.

Floki thought of this as he noticed many other players entering the shop behind him.

The NPC quickly explained that the game was divided into levels, tiers, classes and bloodlines, and that once he reached level 5, he would be able to choose a class and specialize in a certain skill. He also gave him a few basic items to start with, including a rusty sword and a tattered cloak.

"Here son, Take these items and come back to me once you reach level 5."

"Thank you, sir." Floki quickly thanked the man as he accepted the gifts from him.

'It is most likely the first person that engages with this NPC that receives the sword and cloak.' Floki thought to himself.

With newfound knowledge, Floki stepped out of the shop and into the streets of Swardo. He knew that it would be a long journey, but he was determined to make the most of it. He would find a way to make a difference in this game and in his life, no matter how poor and broken he may be now.

Floki was excited to go and explore the forest and encounter his first beasts. But before he ran out the town he decided to make a quick detour to the plaza, specifically to the nearest quest giver, in the hope of receiving an easy quest.

As he traveled through the town, he encountered many other players, some weren't sure what to do and already requested others to team up.

He didn't respond to any of the callings. Floki had always been more of a loner, and so he pushed his way through the thick crowd on the main square.

Finally, he found a quest giver. It was an old, frail looking man, with a few items scattered on a small and dusty table in one of the alleys connected to the main square.

"Sir, I am going to the closest forest north, do you have a quest for me?" Floki asked the man with a sincere face.

"Oh young traveler, I'm very pleased to have you visit me. Many travelers have come by my stall today, yet not one has greeted me. I only receive questions of: How much for this and that."

He sighed: "Since you plan on going to the forest, can I ask you to gather me 10 Green-sprout herbs? You will find these in the center region of the forest."

"Okay Sir, I will be going then. But before I go what payment can I expect to receive?"

"Oh young traveler, let us not discuss this in open, that is if you don't want to compete with the other players. You will receive your reward when I receive my herbs."

Without saying anything further Floki left. He knew that any more talking would be pointless.

He ran through the streets, avoiding the other players who were busy exploring the town. As he ran, he came across a sign that pointed towards the north entrance. Without hesitation, he followed the sign and soon left towards the forest.

The forest was roughly running 20 running minutes from the town. When he finally arrived he found himself standing at the edge of a dense, lush forest.

The forest was unlike anything Floki had ever seen before. The trees were tall and their leaves rustling gently in the breeze. The sun filtered through the branches, casting a warm, golden light on the forest floor.

He could hear the sound of running water and the chirping of birds in the distance. He realized that this forest was full of life and wonder, and he couldn't wait to explore it.

On his way deeper inside the forest he came across many other players fighting the wild animals.

He stopped when he saw a player in front of him using his novice sword to fight tooth to nail against a brown rabbit. Floki suddenly grew a slight smirk on his face, then he slowly got closer to the guy battling the rabbit and carefully unsheathed his rusty sword.

Bam!

His sword hit the neck of the player from his blind spot. Before that player could even look around at his killer his body started disintegrating. Leaving behind a bloodied spot of grass.

<SYSTEM ALERT: killing a lot of players will turn you into an enemy of the kingdom. Continuing this way will make you a red name player. A red name player receives higher punishments upon deaths>

<Received 5 XP for killing a player>

"Humm, so it takes 2 seconds for the body to disintegrate. Unfortunately it didn't drop any of his loot."

Without feeling remorse, Floki turned his attention to the wounded rabbit. "Hello, can you speak?" he asked, knowing full well that the rabbit most likely could not. "How sad," he muttered, leaping forward to strike the rabbit with one swift blow.

However, the rabbit narrowly managed to move its upper body, causing Floki's sword to only wound its leg. "Well, while it's not a perfect hit, the rabbit will still bleed to death," he said to himself.

<Received 3 XP for killing a Level 0 brown rabbit>

The rabbit left his fur behind while the rest of his body disintegrated.

<Acquired 1 brown rabbit fur, place in inventory? YES/NO>

Floki clicked YES and watched the fur disappear.

"Although I'd rather not kill other players for no reason, it's damn quick and easy way for me to level up at the early stages. Especially since it looked like the rabbit would've killed him had I not done it myself."

After he saw no other threat around him he went and opened up his stats panel:

Name:

Location: Belli Tania kingdom, beginner's town

Level: 0 (8/10XP)

Title: None

Class: None

Hp: 100/100

Mp: 130/130

Stamina: 98/100

Shield: 0

(This number is based on the gear you wear, this adds to your hp, 1 point equals 10 hp regeneration per minute)

Vitality: 1

(How fast your hp will be regenerated, 1 point equals 10 hp regeneration per minute)

Agility: 2

(This will control your movement abilities and flexibility)

Strength: 1

(This number represents how much brute force is behind your attacks)

Physical endurance: 1

(This number stands for your stamina, stamina is used to activate your brute force and agility, 1 point equals 10 stamina regeneration per minute)

Intelligence: 4

(This shows how much damage your magical attacks contain)

Mental endurance: 4

(This number stands for your Mana points, Mp is used to activate magical spells and skills, 1 point equals 10 Mp regeneration per minute)

Free attribute points: 5

(Attribute points can be used on: vitality, agility, strength, physical endurance, intelligence and mental endurance. You currently receive 5 points per level up.)

(Each level up adds 1 point to all 6 attributes)

Inventory:

Novice sword Lvl 1: 1 piece. Adds 1 strength. Durability 10/10

Rusty old sword Lvl 2: 1 piece. Adds 3 strength. Durability 13/15

Elastic novice bandage: 2 pieces. Adds 25 hp over 1 hour.

Elastic green bandage: 3 pieces. Adds 50 hp over 1 hour.

Brown rabbit Lvl 1 fur: 1 piece.

Tattered cloth Lvl 1: Wrap it around your head to hide your appearance.

Coins: 5 copper coins.

Looking at his stats he noticed the 5 free attribute points. he was thinking In his head where he could best use these points.

"I feel like I'm not as much of a physical class player as I am a mental class. I should better put my focus on the mental classes. But without any clear skills to learn yet, the only way I can level up right now is by using force."

After careful consideration, he decided to put all of the points into his agility, leaving his strength at a meager 1 point.

It made sense, as his real-life appearance was that of a fragile-built young man. His in-game avatar resembled his real self, with wavy black hair, patches of facial hair, and a height of 185 cm. It was natural that he would have a low strength and physical endurance with his build.

" If I can't sneak up on a player I can just run away." Making up his mind.

Floki then put on the tattered cloak he had received from the NPC of the class change building.

"It's better to keep my identity hidden." Floki then continued on his way further in the forest.

Floki's mind raced as he ventured deeper into the forest. He had passed by many fights, with many of them being PvP's (playerVplayer). He was aware of the fierce competition in this game and this further reminded him to be careful of other players who might try to kill-steal from him.

He kept a watchful eye out for any potential threats and made a mental note to be cautious.

As he ventured deeper, he also kept an eye out for the green-sprout herb that he needed for his first quest. He knew that in order to succeed in this game, he would need to be efficient with his time and be both strategic and cunning.

With this in mind, he pressed on, determined to make the most of his journey in Swardo.