Chapter 5

Greetings, Mr. Ryker Henderson!

We received and read your concern.

Unfortunately, the Beyond the Realm copy―that's with you―is solely yours. We cannot reformat the system of the console you have and transfer it to another gamer. That's the policy of our game design.

Nonetheless, we assure you that you won't regret having a gaming experience while playing Beyond the Realm.

Let us make gaming more interesting!

With regards,

MW Interactive Entertainment

I heaved a sigh after reading MW's reply to my email yesterday, asking them if they could transfer the game to my friend, and that was the reply I got from them.

"Well, at least I tried..." I breathed, consoling myself. Guess I have no other choice but to play the game.

Averting my gaze to the package, I stood up from my bed and started to assemble the game inside my room. I had no more space in my gaming room to place the game. I also read from the reviews that it was best played while lying down because you didn't have to do anything at all. Your consciousness will do all the heavy lifting for you.

While reading the instructions, I simultaneously did what they told me to do. After inputting my bank account details on the console, I wore the headgear and the wire patches to be attached to my body for calibration. It was written on the instructions that my avatar would be the same as how I look in real life―that reason why I needed to calibrate.

There was actually a slight hesitation upon reading it. It was the first time I had to use my actual appearance as the avatar in all of the games I played. However, my curiosity about this game made me continue.

After calibrating, I removed the wire patches on my body to prepare for the full immersion. I lay down on my bed and positioned my trembling finger on the button.

"Please work..." I whispered, sounding desperate as I exhaled a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Once I was done mentally counting up to three, I pressed the start button. Right off the bat, it felt like I was being drawn into a whirlpool for a few seconds before a computer avatar appeared before me.

---BEYOND THE REALM---

"Good day, Ryker Henderson!" The fairy avatar greeted me. "I am Glimmer, your tutorial guide for the game."

Cocking my head to one side, I stared at her. Glimmer was wearing an adorable smile, disarming you from being too skeptical.

"First, you need to enter your game handle and age before we move on to the city," she instructed and waved her wand.

A box appeared to place my game handle and age. I typed in my usual handle, "Stryker," and set my age to nineteen.

"Wow! Stryker!" she reacted after I pressed the enter key.

Glimmer, then, showed a catalog of skins to choose from. The skins weren't different from our casual attire, just like what was seen in the trailer.

A glowing treasure box below the catalog didn't escape my eyes, but before I could even ask Glimmer about it, she had already started explaining it to me.

"Here are some of the attires to choose from, Stryker. You can navigate by sliding the options from left to right," she explained, then flew near the treasure box. "And as the chosen player for New York, you received a complete set of Dark Majestic outfits — all in black! If you want to use it now, just open the treasure box and wear it. If not, you can just put it in your inventory or in your wardrobe once we arrive at your starting house."

I pursed my lips while scanning the skins. The Dark Majestic set had a quilt leather racer jacket, body-fit shirt, skinny jeans, and shoes. I personally liked the jacket, so I had to go with that one.

"I'll take the gift," I quietly said, reaching out for the treasure box and opening it. An option appeared to either wear or equip it in the inventory. After I pressed the first option in just seconds, I found myself wearing everything I saw on the screen.

"Wow! So handsome, Stryker!" Glimmer complimented me.

I grinned at Glimmer, who was so good at complimenting. She was programmed to be too admiring.

"Can I ask something, by the way, Glimmer?"

She slightly stopped before she smiled and nodded. I thought she would be like other robotic NPCs, but she was very interactive.

"Do all the chosen top players from each state receive the skin I'm wearing right now?" I asked out of curiosity.

She shook her head. "No," she put her answer into words. "You all received different skins. Each gift was specialized for each top player."

Slowly, I nodded as I got the answer I wanted.

"Anyway, are you ready to go to your city and starting home?" she asked. Her tone went high-pitched because of excitement.

"Uh, sure..." I answered with slight hesitation.

"Okay! Here we go!" she shouted and waved her magic wand again.

A very bright light flashed before my eyes, and I just found myself inside a room that looked like a flat studio when it dimmed.

I was interested in architecture and interior design, so I couldn't help observing the details. The flat had an intricate, expensive design. I could also sense the crucial meticulous space planning that had been done in designing the room by keeping the furniture to a minimum size and using a palette of white and black. The space wasn't that huge, but it managed to fit everything I needed. There was a bed, a mini kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom. Just enough space for a starting home — or even better.

It was precisely what I wanted my room to look like. I couldn't believe that they really managed to pull off something like that. But as much as I loved my starting home, the short teaser didn't show a panoramic view of the realm, so I was curious to see what it looked like.

Wanting to satisfy my curiosity, I walked to the window and shoved the curtains aside. My jaw instantly dropped when I saw New York before me. I was at a loss for words, completely in awe of how the creator managed to change the exteriors of skyscrapers and other buildings in New York to be incorporated into the game he developed. The New York Times Square became some kind of battleground. I could already see players below the ground who were currently wandering around.

"This realm is parallel to the real world..." I unconsciously whispered to myself, and one corner of my lips slowly rose in excitement.