THE TESTER

Earth-Year 2788

 Over a billion years of fighting to eradicate human problems had finally succeeded, but humanity was far from happy. Even worse, they were sad.

 The rich no longer died of sickness, and the gap between the wealthy and the poor had become unimaginable.

 Humans could now artificially enhance their lifespan, and very little was left that could keep the rich awake and worrying. Very little made them cry anymore. 

In short, life became boring to them. Until they could take it no more.

It was in the 27th century when a rebel group, The Gamevoid, tired of the meaningless existence, created the Dome World. The Dome World cannot fully be described using words alone; one has to actually live it to fully understand it. Or so the makers boasted. The descriptions they gave, however, were the final nail to sanity among the affluent societies.

 They argued that this 'reality,' as they called it, would restore humanity to a true existence, where struggle, pain, love, hate, vengeance were once again part of life. This made people stampede as they tried to acquire the pass cards to the Gamevoid Tower.

Despite thorough warnings and negative ratings from governments and the United Nations, nothing stopped the Dome World's headquarters from being flocked by overzealous clients. Citizens boycotted their own government. And much like a person who gets a first taste of cocaine, the memory of their struggles was a fuel to the fire that could not be put out. 

People craved problems. What good was life without them? And Dome World promised all the troubles they could ever dream of, and man, did they dream!

******

He stood at the edge of the road, glaring at the imposing skyscraper on the other side of the street. A grand silver star embossed on the tower's pinnacle shone brilliantly as it reflected the lazy evening rays. 

Enzo had to shield his eyes from the dazzling beams cast by the silver letters written beneath the huge logo. 

He no longer had any doubts; this was the GAMEVOID.

 This was his destination.

Curious glances were thrown his way by gatherd crowd as he crossed the street in slow steps. 

He felt a rush of adrenaline pump madly through his veins, and tension began to build within him. 

Any minute now, and someone would have to apprehend him. And eventually, someone did.

"Hey, stop right there, kid. This is a restricted area," a uniformed guard approached him even before he reached the tower entrance. Enzo hesitated and turned to look behind him, but there was no one.

 "Kid... seriously," he had not yet realized that his malnutrition was that severe. "You need to back off," the guard added, shooing him off with his hands.

"That bad, huh?" Enzo sighed silently. He knew that he looked... well, cheap with his worn-out sneakers and haggard-looking jeans. His matted brown hair did not salvage the situation either. But at least everything he owned was acquired from hard labor, which could hardly be said about most of the Gamevoid players who got here due to their parents' money. 

He was the poorest among the poorest, hailing from the slums in Bangladesh that were well-fenced to keep the fleas and the scent of poverty from reaching the wealthier suburbs.

When Enzo had first applied for the advertised vacancy as a tester, he had not hoped to dream that he would land the opportunity. But when he did, he wasn't sure what the hell he had signed up for.

 The description had been simple: that his task would be to test the pilot stage of the Dome World. Yet Enzo found this hard to buy. They had invited people to enter the game world in the Dome World when it was still in the pilot stage? He did not, however, dwell much on it.

 They had paid him a thousand dollars as a downpayment even before his arrival, which he had left to his sick mother, knowing well that he would never see her alive again.

 His heart was set, and since the tickets had already been provided, why not try a game? Maybe it would not screw him like real life had done.

Enzo reached within the pockets of his faded jacket and fetched the silver envelope. 

The guard stared at the envelope in his hands as if not believing his eyes. He actually took a step back and ran his eyes through him, then looked at the envelope in surprise.

"Where did you get that, kid?" the man asked suddenly, not sure of himself.

Enzo could have laughed at the absurdity of the question. Where else could he have gotten a Gamevoid invitation from? It was not as if he could have purchased it. He could have sold both his kidneys and still be short by far. Besides, paid invitations were not similar to the free ones. The guard should know that, seeing that he was an employee of the Gamevoid.

"I was invited," Enzo answered nonetheless. He had no desire of provoking the man with a cheeky answer. 

The guard took the proffered envelope from him and did a thorough counter check. Everything matched quite right, and he had no choice but to step aside.

"Can't be too sure, kid. The reception is just after the front door," he said, offering the documents to Enzo.

"Thank you, sir," Enzo said enthusiastically while taking the documents. The guards seemed surprised at being addressed with such respect. He was certainly not used to that from rich, spoiled brats who flocked to the Gamevoid.

Enzo felt relieved at having overcome the first barrier. "Yes!" he silently exclaimed in joy, "it's the little victories that matter," he reminded himself as he fast approached the entrance.