Arcane Login

It was the year 2022, and a teenage boy sat on his hospital bed looking out the window as the wind blew into the room, making it feel cozy.

He thought of his middle school days and how he was bullied because of his weird appearance and mistreated by his classmates.

For you see, he was born a "Misfit." These are people born with a rare condition, often having different looks than their family members.

Having this felt like a curse. He felt extremely nervous around others and always tried to avoid eye contact.

But still, everything in his life wasn't that bad. His dad was a full-time office worker at his dream company, and his mother ran a local grocery store.

Everything was normal until a bully in his class named Ken and his group took things too far.

They poured dirty water on him as a prank, chased him, and even took his bag and tossed it around. When he told them to give it back, they pushed him onto the road.

This led to him getting run over by a car and sustaining some broken bones and fractured ribs. Luckily, it wasn't truck-kun or else that would have been a quick isekai.

That day he was rushed to the hospital for the first time in his life and had to go through surgery.

Sitting on his bed that night, the boy vowed never to be pushed around ever again.

But quickly time went by. "Ugh, I can't believe it's already been two years," he mumbled to himself.

Sliding open the entrance door, a nurse entered his room, addressing him, "Mr. Noah, your dad is here to see you."

Noah turned and looked at her, his piercing purple eyes staring at her frame. The nurse's face blushed a bit as she turned to the side.

"Yes, tell him to come in," Noah said with a smile. The nurse bowed and replied, "Sure, I'll do that right away."

The nurse turned and immediately walked out the door, closing it behind her, leaving him alone in the room in silence.

Noah sighed in relief. It had become increasingly difficult to deal with the nurses now and then. One look at his face and their whole body would turn red.

There was even a time when a nurse collapsed from just spending too long staring at his face, instilling him with even more insecurities.

Because of this, Noah had been afraid to look at his complexion in the mirror, thinking he would see the scariest beast known to man.

Suddenly, the door slid open and his father walked in. Immediately, he rushed in and hugged him. "Noah, my son, it's been far too long. How have you been?" the old man muttered.

Noah felt joy but couldn't express it. His father's hug was so tight that it felt like he was suffocating. He began to hit his father on the back, signaling he was squeezing too tight.

But his father continued, squeezing to his heart's content. Noah, unable to fight back, lost all his strength, and his hand landed on the bed as if he had passed away.

His father noticed his son had stopped fighting back and immediately let go. "Sorry, son, got a bit carried away. Hope that wasn't too much," his father asked, concerned.

Noah fell onto the soft bed, questioning his father's reason for being here. "Don't tell me that's the reason you came all this way."

His father, dressed in his office outfit and holding a fancy plastic bag, felt a jolt, remembering why he went through all the trouble and asked his boss so he could leave early.

He pulled out the item from within the plastic bag and stretched it towards Noah. "Happy birthday, son," his father said with a smile.

Noah was shocked that his dad would go through all the trouble to get him a gift. He was also surprised his dad forgot that today wasn't his birthday; it was supposed to be this coming weekend.

But whatever, he didn't want to tell his old man that, so he had to play along, knowing it's for the best. "Thanks, Dad. What is it?" Noah asked politely.

His dad rubbed his chin, feeling proud. "You won't believe it, son, but that's the latest headgear model for the world's most popular online game, 'Arcane.'"

His dad explained, feeling proud that all the discount coupons he saved up didn't go to waste.

"Really!" Noah said with a look of excitement on his face. "Yeah, son, why don't you try it on?" his father suggested.

"Alright then."

Noah sat up, opened the box, and put on the headgear. Trying to switch it on, he touched around the frame, looking for the on button.

His father chuckled as he watched him struggle, acting like a blind person. "It's over there."

"Where?" Noah questioned.

"To your right," his dad pointed.

"Where? I can't feel anything," Noah complained as he rubbed his hand across the frame.

His dad couldn't bear to watch him fool himself any longer, so he decided to step in. He walked closer, lowered his knees, tapped the button to switch it on, and then helped Noah rest his back on his bed.

"Alright then, it's time I get going. You can tell me all about the experience the next time I stop by," the father said.

Noah nodded reassuringly, wearing the black plastic helmet. And so his father walked out of the room, leaving him to play the online game.

Noah focused on the holographic loading symbol that appeared in front of him, his mind preparing for a new world and new experience.

Arcane was the world's most popular online game with tons of players, but it had been quite some time since Noah saw a bunch of people. How would he manage, and how would he level up? These were the thoughts going through his mind.

"Let's hope it's entertaining."

[System: loading... Complete, welcome to 'Arcane' Noah Reed]