When James woke up five years before, he did not expect to end up in this weird, new world. Here, he found a reality filled with queer rules and magic beyond his imagination. Despite all this, he clung to his peaceful roots that he had been brought up with. With his knowledge, he could have changed the world. However, he did not wish to become some reckless adventurer or fearsome ruler; instead, he only sought to protect his loved ones and live a happy life. Sometimes though, the call of adventure forces itself upon even those who desperately wish to refuse. 

Warning: This story has multiple POVs. (But by chapter 15, it kind of narrows down onto James)

Have you been playing a game non-stop for 20 years? Me? Yeah but sadly it'll in end after being around for 20years. At least that's what I thought.

Disclaimer: This Novel is a FanFiction based on an MMORPG called CABAL ONLINE.

Have you been playing a game non-stop for 20 years? Me? Yeah but sadly it'll in end after being around for 20years. At least that's what I thought. 

Disclaimer: This Novel is a FanFiction based on an MMORPG called CABAL ONLINE.

Inside the office building of Tencent was a busy scene. The occasional employee walking in the hallway didn't have the most optimistic expression. With company performance continuing to slide, employees sensed the risk of upcoming layoffs.
Yes, the lifespan of QQ wasn't the longest these days.
Once Future 1.0's messenger function came online, the number of active users on QQ trended negatively. The QQ project lead was so stressed that his hair almost turned completely white, but he was still unable to come up with a solution to reclaim the messaging throne.
What? User stickiness? That's right - when your friends, family, and friends on the internet all use QQ, it might be difficult to change users' messenger tool of choice. But when all your friends, family and friends on the internet already installed Future 1.0 and Future 1.0 happened to come out with a messenger function, was QQ really irreplaceable?
Especially since Future Technology used a "shady" technique - friend synchronization technology!
WeChat and QQ could synchronize a phone's contact list, and Future 1.0's overpowering function could synchronize WeChat and QQ friend lists. So any user with Future 1.0, QQ, and WeChat installed, Future 1.0 would be able to sync all a user's friends with the click of a button and separate the friends based on the filter.
This move made the project lead of QQ curse Future 1.0's mother, but he couldn't do anything about it. Future Technology hadn't violated any laws - it synced friend lists with the user's permission and didn't pose any threat to QQ's functionality, nor did it trigger any laws regarding vicious competition.
At least for messaging software on mobile platforms, Future Technology already snatched more than half of all users. It was fortunate that QQ was still competitive because of its PC platform, but WeChat, which normally always had a stunning performance, suffered greatly.
The foundation that formed the skyscraper of Penguin Empire was QQ - all other products were based on this foundation.
And now, Future 1.0 was attacking the foundation itself.
"Boss, Future Technology has made a new move." An assistant with square glasses walked in and slid a document gently in front of Ma Huateng.
He sat in front of his table with gloom all over his face. His eyes didn't leave the laptop screen at all.
It was an article reposted by News Net.
<Virtual Reality Masterpiece, Godly Land, has officially begun its internal testing. Future Technology welcomed 2000 players around the world to board a luxury cruise.>
Future Technology had been promoting virtual reality technology lately. Ma Huateng was skeptical if they could make their money back with the massive campaign they launched.
He had some understanding of virtual reality technology. While the country had made some technology in the field domestically, compared to Google and Microsoft, there was still a sizeable disparity.
[Virtual reality MMORPG overseas is still in its infancy, yet you wanted to get ahead of the game - what's the point? Once they eat the meat, they will just take the leftovers and fry it, and it will still be delicious. What's the need for innovation? In a 1.3 billion market, copyright is nonexistent.]
[Foolish, how foolish.]
Ma Huateng shook his head.
If virtual reality MMORPG in internal testing was really as magical as they made it sound, it would be an unprecedented shockwave to the traditional MMORPGs on PC and mobile platforms.
What made it difficult was that the testing location of Godly Land was in Pannu Islands; there was no media coverage and no leaked photos. Penguin possessed only minimal information.
Was it the traditional sensory VR equipment or the rumored immersive virtual reality technology? There was great debate about this on the internet. Some people claiming to be internal testers said it was, in fact, the traditional equipment. But other internal testers stated that Future Technology had developed the legendary immersive technology.
Because there were no leaked photos, the Godly Land seemed mysterious.
"Boss?" the assistant spoke out.
"Is there any renowned virtual reality company domestically?" Ma Huateng let out a sigh.
"Wanghai Lexiang Technology Company. They just introduced the Deepoon virtual reality equipment which uses Samsung AMOLED 1080 high definition screen with 75Hz rate and 120-degree wide angle screen. It performed superbly during the CES exhibition."
"Send people to discuss the acquisition," Ma Huateng ordered.
"Yes." The assistant nodded and left with quick steps.
It shouldn't be difficult to acquire the company - the virtual reality industry was never hot domestically, and the mild state meant there was a lack of capital in pursuit. If someone was willing to pay for their creativity, they were probably more willing to exchange their technology for cash.
Ma Huateng stood up and walked to the giant window.
He glanced down at Shen's streets as well as his reflection in the window. His eyes narrowed.
[Okay, since Future Technology has entered the virtual reality era, let me play with you then!]
…
The so-called Icarus paradox referred to an enterprise with a monopoly in the market and a fear of change; the company would be reluctant to conduct management, technology, and business model updates. This would make it difficult to adapt to the ever-changing environment and the company would lose its advantage with the arrival of new competition.
What was the Icarus effect? It referred to an enterprise already with a monopoly in the market using all its resources to prevent change from occurring. Examples could be seen by energy giants divesting from new energy resources or hostile takeovers of new energy companies.
But because of Future Technology's unbreakable share structure and excellent operating conditions, it gave the tech giants no vulnerabilities to target.
At the Microsoft headquarters in Seattle:
The chief executive officer, Satia Nadra, sat in front of his desk while staring at his coffee. He zoned out while listening to his assistant's report.
"… HoloLens' sales in July increased by 27%."
When he heard this, he recollected his thoughts.
HoloLens was virtual reality equipment based on the Windows 10 design by Microsoft. It received a positive market reaction since it was introduced to the market in 2016, but the significant fluctuation in sales was a rare sight.
"… Till the market closed, Nasdaq's virtual reality sector all ended in the green. Due to virtual reality division, our company's stock also rose by 3%."
A 3% rise for a mega-corporation like Microsoft was substantial.
Satia closed his eyes.
"Establish a subsidiary to operate the HoleLens project and immediately release the announcement for HoloLens2."
The assistant's eyes widened and he stared at Satia in disbelief.
"But HoloLens was just introduced… Could it be-"
Satia glanced at his assistant without saying a word.
He knew what the assistant wanted to say. Establish a shell, make an announcement, create a subsidiary first then an IPO and find the next buyer.
But virtual reality had a bright future, so why would he do that?
"The board won't agree," the assistant carefully cautioned him.
"Don't overthink. I'm preparing just in case." Satia stood up. "I'll go explain to the board. I have to also ask Gate's opinion."
Then Satia left the office and the shocked assistant.
With the document in his hand, the assistant stood still for a long time.
He didn't understand - with Microsoft's power, why would they need to prepare just in case?
In the office building of 361 Corporation:
"Godly Land? Virtual reality MMORPG? Interesting."
Zhou Hongwei scanned the webpage on the screen, feeling intrigued.
"Boss you don't seem to be worried?" Zhang Jiefeng, beside his desk, said with a wry smile.
"What's there to worry about?" Zhou Hongwei glared at him and sank into his chair. "Is this something to be worried about? Future's about to update to Future 2.0, yet there's nothing from the team assigned to crack the software. What a bunch of useless tools."
Zhou Hongwei felt angry when he thought about it.
Although 361 and Future Technology had project partnerships, Zhou Hongwei never stopped the process to crack Future 1.0.
But just some time ago, he ultimately gave up on the cracking of Future 1.0 and dissolved the project team. He knew he wasn't the only company that made that choice. Future 1.0 encryption was as hard as a turtle's shell and left him nowhere to take a bite.
He remembered that at the beginning of the year, he went to his friend at the Bureau of Patents, wishing to obtain some information from Future Technology's patent. But his old friend helplessly stated that the people from the Bureau of Patents spent countless time to convince Future Technology to submit specific technicalities and the benefits of patents, but Future Technology's CEO was firm.
No need.
It certainly looked down on the countless programmers who spent their time cracking Future 1.0.
But then, Future Technology threw out a smokescreen on virtual reality. Zhou Hongwei couldn't help but a curse: [can't you fu*king slow down on releasing the technology? We haven't even cracked the first one and now you throw out another one. With steps so big, aren't you afraid of pulling your balls?]
"Boss?" Zhang Jianfeng looked at the color changing on the boss's face as he questioned.
Zhou Hongwei took a deep breath and snapped back to the present.
"I want to hear your thoughts."
Zhang Jianfeng nodded. He was clearly prepared as he immediately began to explain.
"There are two routes in front of us - one is to purchase virtual reality technology companies and see if we can cut a slice of the pie from the virtual reality hype created by Future Technology. Two is to give up on this opportunity since there's still plenty of room for growth in the PC and mobile market. If everyone decides to pursue virtual reality, that's the perfect opportunity for us to expand our market share in PC and mobile devices."
Zhou Hongwei closed his eyes and thought for a long time.
After a while, he sighed.
"I prefer the second choice."
Zhang Jiefeng felt relived too.
"I also think so too."
Future Technology's massive advertisement campaign was meant to hype up the virtual reality MMORPG and see if they could stretch their balls, but if 361 followed the same massive steps, they would definitely stretch their balls.
It was better to play it safe.
Even if virtual reality was as magical as it was advertised to be, it could not replace the phone. Compared to the BAT giants (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), 361 had quite a discrepancy in terms of resources. Even if Zhou Hongwei wanted to compete with them, their chance of winning was not high. Cash was one thing, technology was another, and 361 had no advantage in either.
What they should do now was to not follow blindly but instead, use this opportunity and consolidate the mobile market while all the capital flooded to virtual reality. 361 search was already shaking the market penetration of Baidu search. If they spent more effort on it and let the big thugs battle with Future Technology, they would definitely win on this battlefield.
Due to Lingyu Technology's incident, 361 and Future Technology were still in a honeymoon phase.
Zhou Hongwei let out a sigh.
To be honest, he wasn't willing to make this choice, but he had no other options.
What he didn't know was, just after a few months, he would feel glad about the decision he made.


After the nuclear war, ruins stretch across the landscape in the apocalypse.
If you accidentally survived on the wasteland, then you must be ready to face the endless hunger, ceaseless dangers, the mad zombies at night, and the peculiar mutant creatures that are the aftermath of constant radiation.
But for Jiang Chen, this place is heaven.
Mansions standing tall, luxurious cars parked on the street, high tech products and gold abandoned everywhere.
What? You were the president of a game development company before the war? You were responsible for the development of the 3D virtual reality online multiplayer game? Well, that’s great, why don’t you come work for me. Your salary is two pieces of bread a day.
iPhone? Ultra thin design? Don’t you see that the phone I invented is thinner than a condom?
Aircraft carrier? Fighter jets? Oh, I have those things as well, but they are designed for space combat.
Watch the story of Jiang Chen, who possesses the ability to travel through space and time, as he witnesses the creation of an empire stretched across space and time... 


RF online is a MMORPG that was released on 2004. In this game the goal of the players is to reach the top and win every war (Chip War). The game is dominated by players and the NPC's roal is just to sell stuffs. 

In this story the game itself will be undergo huge changes. The name or the weapon, the skills the mobs/monster and many more will  be the same as the game. 

The changes includes the following:

-STORY
The story itself will be based on the original goal of the game, but it will be like a adventure. 

-CHARATER
The characters in this story will be purely NPCs. There will be no player-like existence. 

-NAME
The name of some NPCs will be changed according to their in the story. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N The game is still functional there's a lot of server to be played. Unlike any other video game related novel the game here is playable in PCs and it is appropriate in our Era.

In the Planet Novus

War is never ending

Devouring each other for resources and land

Killing for merits

People forgot the term coexist

And began to point gun at each other

Afraid to be killed

Kill!

It was a normal day in Chicago with slight drips of rain flowing off the buildings.
"Hey! Mom Me and Jason are going to meet at the gaming cafe... Is that okay with you?" Max told his mother hoping for his desired answer while grabbing money out of his dirty jean pockets.

The response came back instantly with the only answer, I mean THE ONLY answer he didn't want to hear.

"Yeah Go ahead but make sure to bring your little sister okay?" His mother said as his face went as white as a sheet.

"RUN" He quickly yelled to his friend while slamming the door behind him as he ran out the front door grabbing the umbrella from the stand. But he didn't get far before the monster suddenly appeared in front of his face from nowhere.
He saw the worst thing imaginable the thing that has been haunting him for the last fourteen years. 
His little sister Ruby...

"Hey, Jason..... Are you ready to hang out?" Ruby instantly says while having a face full of makeup and dressed rather nicely. She slowly moves past me and draws closer to my friend. 

"Ruby... Seriously we are going to play United Online and you don't even play MMORPGs (1) and honestly, I doubt that you have even played a VRMMORPG (2)" Max Says while pushing his sister away from his reserved friend. "Plus this game is brand new and apparently 400 Million people are expected for launch"

United Online was made over 11 years by Tessa Corporations and was miles ahead of anything else that was made during the same time period. The game incorporated every single aspect of real life including a system that you could experience all of the five senses with whatever percentage of real life you could want but everything could range from 15%-100% of real life adaptability for your senses in order to make people cherish their lives and have them not make stupid choices based off of the idea that you could die over and over. 

The game also has a wicked death program that if you die in the game you get death banned for one day unless you are a non-combatant class. However, with the pain that you experience, they forced all players to be 13 or older.

"Max you are probably just scared that I am going to beat you aga-" She boldly states while Max instantly covers her mouth "Don't ever talk about that again" He quickly states as he hears a burst of stifled laughter from Jason... 

"I mean man just let her come with us she is obviously way better then you are" Jason blatantly stated. Max stared at him with a state of disbelief then simply started walking to the gaming cafe.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Union Online do you dare to be the BEST?" The speaker blared as they got closer to the gaming cafe in which the whole entire room was packed and incredibly loud. There was a distinct line at two counters with one for picking up the microchip and one for buying the microchip in order to play. 

The gang quickly got in the order line and waited for almost three hours while messing around on their phones. The quickly got to the front of the line and asked for three basic kits and filled out the waiver forms that were required for the chips and then went in the checkout line.  

The room was silent in anticipation for the new game that they could play that night. The gang quickly left and ran home anticipating a wonderful night while they were still sleeping. 

Max and Ruby went inside their own home as their friend Jason's mom pulled up in a brand new luxury suv while talking of course looking quite frustrated. Jason pulled away after adding a quick smirk in Max's general direction. 

The gang was set up to meet in a village called Grindor when the game launched and would meet with some of their friends over the years. They all anticipated the night and inserted their microchips into their sleep goggles that the goverment issued a long time ago in anticipation for this game. They all fell asleep after taking some sleep medicine which was not recommended to do but who cares? 

"Welcome to United Online!" Their dreams instantly showed as they stepped into a grand room.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
1- MMORPG an online role-playing video game in which a very large number of people participate simultaneously.
2- VRMMORP a virtual reality version of a MMORPG

Glory, Honor, and Superiority must be of what you think when you think of a VRMMORPG Right? Well not in this world. This game is F#@$ing Hard! It has been 5 years and nobody has passed through the first country yet and apparently, there is 100s more out there And this is the easiest one!

*BEEP*
The Alarm clock beeps once and after that, a hologram displays itself above it. A woman dressed in casual attire smiles broadly as she looks at the young woman laying in the bed.

This is the latest model of Artificial Intelligence that has been released to the public. I named her Violet. Her main purpose is home security but has plenty of other uses. For example, telling the news and keeping you up to date with latest trends. It can even call for takeout food based on your preference and sign packages off. But this is getting off track. Back to the story.

"Happy Birthday Miss Luna. It is July 24th 2550. The time is 5:30am and the first thing on your schedule is exercise. It is scheduled for 5:40 am. You have 3 unchecked messages.  Would you like me to play them?"

As I listen, I slowly stretch my self. 

"Sure, play them." After saying this I go to my wardrobe and find some workout clothes and begin my morning workout. Starting out with simple stretches and going onto doing 50 situps to work on my core. Next, I do 3 reps of 20 squats. While I am doing this, Violet plays my messages. The first one is from my father.

'Good Morning and happy birthday Scarlett. I won't be able to come back today but I'll be there next weekend. But don't be upset yet. Afterschool today, you will see a suprise gift to make up for me not being there. I hope you will like your present.'

Next is from the class representative, Lisa...

'Happy Birthday Scarlett! Were gonna have a mini celebration with the class at that Restaurant across the street from the school.  Also, there is a new MMO coming out on saturday but if you buy the newest VR Cabin, you get it for free. Anyway, our Student Council is hosting a get together on it and I am also gonna be there. I also hope to see you there.'

As the message ends, I think to myself, 'I really don't want to go but I would waste everyone's time and money if I didn't show up. I guess I'm stuck going there...'

I was about to sigh to myself when the next message interrupted my thoughts.

'You have been randomly selected from the top students in your county to participate in the early release of our brand new MMORPG, Creed of the Fallen. You also have been sent the newest model VR Cabin and it will be arriving at your house in 1 hour. All we ask of you is to livestream your entire play session and relay your experience to our company and you will get to keep the equipment as payment as well as a bronze growth equipment set that you can upgrade along the way using other equipment. If the equipment has more than 1 special ability. The system will choose from what you don't have on your set already. We hope you enjoy our game.'

"..."

I stop doing my excercises and ask Violet a question.

"Give me the latest information on the MMORPG called Creed of the Fallen."

"Yes... Creed of the Fallen is the first VRMMORPG to utilize what is known as the Dream Battle Simulation Technology which is what the military uses to trains its soldiers. It puts your body in a light sleep while it projects  the chosen simulation into your brain. As the first public pioneer of the technology, the game company is working with the military to ensure that there are no problems with the equipment. The new VR Cabin model that comes out with the game is said to stimulate the muscle in the body and comes with a nutrient solution that stimulates the cells in the human body. As for the game itself; It is a fantasy mmorpg but has elements of the past and present. For example, there are carriages and there are also hovercars as modes of transportation. The game has 3 modes. Assisted mode, Half-manual mode and fully manual mode. Assisted mode makes it so the game performs the action or skill for you. This is generally for people who have never played a vrmmorpg before. Half-manual mode  is for people who have some familiarity with vr games but are not used to being in combat. Manual mode is for people who are very familiar with vr games also people who are familiar with combat. The game is set to release on Saturday. Would you like to clear your schedule for Saturday?"

"Go ahead and clear my schedule for Saturday  and sunday."

"Right away."

After listening to my messages, I spend another 30 minutes working out before finishing and taking a shower. Then I make a small breakfast. 

While eating breakfast, my doorbell rings as I was reminded that I would be recieving a vr cabin to promote that new game. I got up and made my way to the door and tap the display on the wall and three people show up on the camera feed.

"Package for Miss Scarlett Luna."

I open the door and greet the 3 people. 2 of them are wearing the game company's branded working outfits and the other one is wearing a business casual outfit. 

"Good Morning Miss Luna. I am Chris Hansen, and I am the representative for the Dogma Gaming Company. While these two are installing your cabin, I hope you can complete this survey."

"Sure, come on in." I invite them in and ask the other 2 to install the cabin in my bedroom while I bring Mr. Hansen to the living room so I can do this survey. "What's this survey for?"

"Oh, Its just to recommend what game operation mode you would like to use. Alright lets begin. Do you have combat experience?

"No combat experience but I have trained with my father since I was young. My father is in the military currently and doesn't have time to teach me so I just learn and practice on my own."

"Great, next question. Do you have experience with other VR Games?"

"No, never thought of playing them. I just tried to study hard to get into a good Academy."

"Oh, what academy are you aiming for?"

"Eclipse Academy in the capital."

"Great, That's near the company."

"Why is it great?"

"It's great because all of the early players will be invited to visit the company for a tour in 2 months and bring any feedback they have. Whether its yours or your friends."

"Oh, Alright."

"Next question. Would you choose 2 classes and what would they be?"

"You can pick 2 classes?"

"Not at first but after you become Lvl 10, you can either stick to one class or choose a secondary class and use it in tandem with the primary class."

"What classes are there?"

"In the game currently, there are Thieves, Berserker, Hunters, Rifleman, Knight, Warrior, Paladin, Mage, Cursemancer, Summoner, Cleric, Holy Mage, Swordsman, and elementalists. Out of these classes, which 2 do you think suit you the best?"

"... It would probably have to be the Thief and the rifleman."

"If you as a thief were going up against a knight with high defense, and low mobility setup, how would youj handle him or her?"

"Oh, that's easy. I would play with them until their emotional state became imbalanced and kicked them off the game."

"That's... very sinister."

"The winner is king. How I won wouldn't be important."

After a couple more questions, the installers came back to the living room and said that they were finished and were waiting on us so Chris placed a contract on the table.

"What's this for?" I ask curiously as I read what the top of the paper says. 'Partner Program'

"This is the Partner Program contract for you since you are gonna live stream your play session. The early release starts at 5:30 pm this evening so make sure you clear out your schedule. The contract states that you are to livestream at least once everyday for 3 hours a day. It also makes it so that when your viewers watch the stream for a certain amount of time, you and them get rewards sent to your mailbox or your personal storage of you have one. There really isn't anything too bad. It might as well say "do those things and you keep your vr cabin." Is this fine?"

"Sure." I sign it right away and Mr. Hansen takes it away and shakes my hand. After the contract was signed, Mr. Hansen and the 2 installers left my house while I also left my house to go to school.

Its is about a young woman fresh out of High School that has a very high IQ and a very low EQ. She is very good at self defense. And carries a dagger on her thigh at all times unless she is at home. She ended up being the Top Scorer in the county for the end of the year tests and earned a chance to play the new and upcoming game, Creed of the Fallen. The game company, Dogma Gaming, sent her a free VR gaming cabin and the privalage to play their game early while livestreaming it. This is when her gaming legend begins.

Within Seoul, the capital of South Korea, there was a young man, with a frail body of about 175 cm in height and a pale face.

 His name was Leiu, 24-years-old and a part-timer. Although it was currently summer and the weather was a bit hot, he didn't look tired right now. Quite the opposite, in fact, he was excited. Not because his shift would end in half an hour, but because the new game, 'Hell Gate', will be released in three days.

 It's currently 2021, and Virtual Massive Multiplayer games have been publicly released 4 years ago. But honestly, none of the current games were decent enough to attract a strong player base.

Hopefully, this era would change that. In fact, the beta testing of Hell Gate happened a few months ago, and the 500 people who tested it were completely captivated by it. They said, quote by quote 'it's as if I'm not in a game, it was 100% real', if not for the fantasy-like world, then they would have believed it was the reality and not just a game.

 Leiu who barely had enough money to pay for his little sister's high school and cram school fees, somehow managed to save some to buy the game.

 To be able to play it, you just needed to buy the Headset which naturally was accompanied by the game itself. The total cost was 2,500USD. For some, it was a mere allowance, but for him, it was extremely expensive. In fact, he had to eat all sorts of instant unhealthy food for 7 months in a row to be able to save all that money.

 Of course, he got sick several times and would always come back exhausted from his different jobs. But all that was not for nothing, fortunately, he even managed to save a bit more than the required amount–and that's because he wanted to quit some of his part-time jobs to have more time to play the game.

 Since his youth, he had always been drawn toward games. Whether it's MMORPG games or similar ones, he absolutely loved leveling his character, conquering dungeons and easily succeeding in finishing hardcore raids.

 He graduated from university 2 years ago but like most of the people, without any good acquaintances, it's a bit hard to directly find a job. Furthermore, the university he studied at was amongst the worst.

 He only had his sister, his parents died when he was young and it was his grandfather who raised his sister and him. However, life was cruel and his grandfather also passed away just when he graduated. It's a lie to say it was not difficult, he accumulated a lot of stress due to that tragedy, had to take care of his sister, her school fees and so on. With everything, he couldn't look for a job peacefully.

 They were previously living from the money their grandfather had gotten, but now that he had died, money didn't come anymore. For someone as simple as Leiu, he never questioned his grandfather about the money, so even if it was his grandfather's retirement monthly deposit, he wouldn't know.

 It was extremely hard to overcome that period, nonetheless, he did it. Not only did he took care of his little sister, he even managed to save enough money. Unfortunately, he didn't have any friends, he was of the passive type and disliked friends. There were no special reasons, he just enjoyed being alone. For him, it suited him best, or so he thought.

 He thought of himself as an 'introvert', especially when he was in high school. Now he had to interact with customers and so on, but his behavior didn't change much aside for talking a bit more than usual.


..

Today was Thursday, Leiu already asked his boss to take tomorrow off, and with the weekend coming, it was the perfect opportunity to prepare himself for 'Hell Gate'. It will open its doors at exactly 9:00 AM on Monday, so he decided to pass the remaining time either chilling or reading some posts about the game.

 As a matter of fact, since its beta release, 'Hell Gate' had become famous worldwide. Almost every country was going to sell it and it was not restricted to only teenagers. Its company was 'LobiSoft' and was known for its famous MMORPG games. It had never released a VRMMO game but it was widely agreed that they only made extraordinary games.

...


Finally, it was the end of his shift, so he hastily walked to his apartment. Tomorrow he would go buy the headset for the game, and since it was about 19 PM right now, it's still too early to go to sleep.

In just half an hour, he was already in his apartment. To be honest, it could hardly be called that, it was just a small room with a kitchen and a nearby bathroom.

He sat on the bed and took his old laptop to check some information about the game. However, just as he was going to do that, erotic moans began coming out of the thin wall separating the two apartments. Leiu's face soon turned ugly and he began cursing quietly.

'...'

With that, he took his headset and played some songs to not hear those sounds. These kinds of events would happen occasionally, the guy living next to him would bring girls almost every week and annoy him.

Because he prefers being alone, and his look is not that great, he never got a girlfriend. But that didn't mean he never spoke with a girl, he could interact normally with them but it's just that he was not that lucky to have one. On several occasions, he thought he fell in love with a certain girl but that 'love' would fade a few days later which is why he never tried to confess his love.

Anyways, in just a few minutes he was already on the official website of 'Hell Gate'. He started browsing, scrolling up and down to check the information available.

He had yet to investigate anything about it, he was always busy because of all his part-time jobs and he wanted to keep himself in the dark about the fantasy-like world of the game and the other surprises. But now it was different, he wanted to gain some knowledge as he was going to begin playing in just a few days.

"Hmmm, let's see, a topic about the continents and the world of 'Hell Gate'...*click*."

[Hi, can anyone tell me about the world of 'Hell Gate'?]

There were several comments asking similar questions, so Leiu started reading and checking the answers. He didn't write anything and kept scrolling down.

[I'l tell you, but first, pay 10USD.]

[Fuck! What do you mean pay? If you aren't going to answer then someone else will, go away, dipshit!]

[Hello, IIRC, the word of 'Hell Gate' is composed of one big continent called 'Westia Continent', that's as far as I know.]

[No no nono! It's called 'Renga', why are you spouting some bullshit!]

[It's actually 2 continents, I heard that....]

Absurd comments and curses were all over the place, that was to be expected from the people in the internet, it was rare to find decent people. Leiu only read what seemed to be useful, but still had doubts about the authenticity of even that.

The 500 beta testers were not allowed to leak any information about the game, not even the starting village. It was a pity, many journalists, gamers and so on were curious about it but 'LobiSoft' was very strict. Because of that, the beta testers kept their mouth shut.

"It seems I have to discover everything on my own...."

Leiu spent all night trying to find more information but none of it seemed real. There were some who said there were continents, planets or even freaking galaxies and some said it was only a country. As for classes and jobs, it was even crazier, so let's not talk about this topic.

..

At midnight he closed his laptop and went to sleep. He was a bit tired, thus in a matter of minutes, he fell soundly asleep. Fortunately, the erotic noises from behind the wall were gone or else he would have to bear with it all night.

Just like that, the night passed in a blink of an eye. Leiu woke up when the sound of his old phone alarm came out from under his pillow.

The sound was so loud and sudden that it deprived him of all sleepiness. It's like pouring cold water on you when you're sleeping. It was quite effective for Leiu as it allowed him to never be late for any of his jobs. Sure he suffered from lack of his sleep but there was nothing he could do about it.

It's a good thing he lived alone, or else his sister too would have been traumatized by the alarm.

It was about 6:25 AM, the selling of the headsets would begin at 8:00 AM, it was still early. He nonetheless woke up earlier because he had to arrive early or else he would have to wait for hours in the queue.

Leiu didn't waste time yawning or sleeping a bit more. He got up, washed his face and clothe himself with a black jacket on top of his blue T-shirt, some blue jeans and normal looking shoes which he bought at a cheap price. He never bothered with his appearance as for him. Leiu thought that people may look ugly on the outside but one should not judge based on appearance but on personalities and behaviors. But who was he to say that when he's a complete loner? Nevertheless, it was his own beliefs and he stuck with them until now.

Soon, he left his apartment and headed toward the nearest subway station...

Approximately 20 minutes later, he was standing in a somewhat long queue. Well, for some it may be called long and to other short, as for Leiu? He was neither happy nor angry. Fortunately, he woke up a bit early or else he would have to wait even more time.

He had already waited 5 minutes and looking at the queue, it would take at best half an hour for his turn to come, so it was a bit fortunate.

The weather was very hot today despite being early in the morning. With the sun shining on him, he regretted taking his jacket. But even while regretting, he didn't take it off. His body was a bit different and he was one of the people who did not sweat easily, so even with this hot atmosphere, he hadn't begun to sweat yet. Whereas a person in front of him who, although wearing only a T-shirt, was profusely sweating. That person was not even bothered by this fact, his eyes were glued onto the queue.

....

Time slowly passed, the suffering continued until 25 minutes later. Leiu was finally in front of the selling lady, she smiled at him and softly said,

"Hello customer, are you here to buy the game or the headset and the game together?"

There were some cases where only the headset was sold, so there were people who only came for the game, that's why she asked that. She looked friendly and in her twenties, she was fortunately inside the room. Although it was hot, she had a fan close by so she didn't suffer like the rest of the people.

"The headset and the game please."

Leiu responded calmly and waited for her to prepare his package. The selling lady nodded at him and went to bring what was needed. 30 seconds hadn't even passed when she came back with a box in her hand. She put it on a desk near her and said, 

"All the instructions on how to use it are written inside, and it's not complicated. As for the price, it's 2,500 USD or 2.8million Won."

Leiu's didn't answer this time and passed her the money bills. Even though he was excited for the game, seeing all that money that he barely managed to save disappear in seconds pained him a lot. Nonetheless, he soon snapped out of it and stuffed the money in the seller's delicate hand.

And like that, he went back home with a somewhat large box in his hands. A smile was blooming on his pale face, and although he had long black hair, it didn't cover his weird grinning. Consequently, all the people were looking at him strangely, but he didn't mind as he was focused on the box. For him, the trip back home was way longer than the time it took him to go and wait for his turn.

...

15 minutes later, Leiu was already in his room, all sorts of materials were scattered in front of him with a black headset that covered the eyes and part of the nose laying on the center of his small bed.

Fortunately, as the lady said, there was a paper with instructions on it. So it didn't take him that long to assemble everything as instructed. Soon, a lot of cables were coming out of the headset and were linked with other cables. It was a complete mess, therefore Leiu spent another half an hour to fix everything and make it tidier.

After he finished, he took a big breath of fresh air while looking at the headset with excited eyes. He then sat down and went back to sleep. There was really nothing to do, he slept for a couple of hours before he picked up his laptop and browsed the internet for more information yet again.

..

Just like that, the weekend finally passed, and it was now Monday at 8:55 AM. Leiu was obviously awake and wearing the headset while quietly waiting for the right time.

Since 8:00 AM, access to the headset has been allowed. He was standing in an empty space, completely naked, while huge red numbers indicating the count down were displayed in front of him.

During this hour, he tried moving and running around, he found out that it's just like reality. He never was a runner or good at sports, but here he surprisingly could run a bit more than in real life. Besides that, everything was like real life, literally, from moving fingers to breathing to dancing, etcetera...


..

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

 

'Hell Gate' is now available for all users!
 

Welcome to 'Hell Gate', I'm the assistant N#145131, 'would like to proceed to character creation?'
 

Leiu's was a bit startled, but soon regained his calm and focused on the noise. It was the voice of an adult woman, a bit melodic and nice to hear. She called herself an assistant...

'Yes, proceed to character creation'

Just as he said that, the empty space changed. What was displayed in front of him was a hologram of himself.

You are now in character creation, the system detected that you are a male, so it is prohibited to change sex, however, it is possible to select one of the available races, it's also possible to slightly change your appearance.
As he heard that, Leiu was not really disappointed. He only made male characters, so there was nothing to be sad about.

What interested him were the races. But after browsing through them, it was not that fascinating. There was the 'Human' race, the Elven race –which resembled elves a bit– and last but not least was the 'Rahn' race– which was tall and robust looking.

Even when selecting those two to see how his appearance would change, nothing drastically happened. For the Elven race, his ears became pointed and long. And as for the Rahn, he became a bit taller and more muscular. Besides that, his appearance didn't change to the point of not recognizing him.

As for the other options, he could change the color of his eyes or even add some tattoos. But he couldn't change his height, add muscles or change his face completely. It was a bit disappointing, everyone wanted to make a handsome character, so why wouldn't he? But here, it was not likely to happen.

After passing several minutes checking what's available, the woman's voice rang again.


'Yes'

Proceeding..... Welcome to the continent of Westia! You will be placed in a random beginner's village.
 ...

Leiu, 24-years-old, is a person who is struggling between finding a decent job with regular income and providing care for his family. After spending a long time working part-time jobs, he finally has enough money to buy the new VRMMO game that's about to be released.

This is a story about his adventures and progress in this new game.

Author's note: Be aware, this story contains drama, tragedy, horror and so on, so I advise to think twice before reading it or else you might regret it later.

WARNING: If you are not a fan of the stories which contain overpowered Main Character, then there is no need to read this.

PS: This story has a direct relation with Once, Human, Now a Parasite. However, you're not forced to read the two stories to understand the plot but it'll still clarify a lot of things later on.

PS2 : This story relies on readers, I'll put a pole and let you vote on what the MC does in certain situations. 
The pole will be back only when I reach where I stopped in the old version.

"Hello,everyone everyone of you are thinking what the hell is happening.Nobody needs to worry about it cause I am the one who is after this mystyrious light.From now on your life will turn into a real MMORPG Game.Don't get too shocked from this,this is the only begining.You can notice a small icon on your head.If you will press it a small screen wil appear.On that screen can notice Name option.Now press it and write whatever name you like.After that a class option will appear.There are 3 beginer's class.1st is Swordsman,2nd is Mage/Wizard and the 3rd is Archer.Choose any class you want.Cause from now on you need to protect yourself from deamons,monsters etc.
     Cause this is just begining of The Game Of Life."

Every person between 13-18 age are trapped in MMORPG world.Will the players will be able to get out of this situation.To know just ho wii they cme ou of this world,read Into The World Of MMORPG..

Without moving an inch, Liam stared at his very own face, which was now someone else's, not knowing what to do.
Ultimately, he decided to grit his teeth and slapped Biming awake. With bright-red cheeks, the man jumped in fright, suddenly sitting upright as if his spine was made of springs instead of bones. Like a bunny that had just come out of its den, his eyes darted everywhere, stopping to move around only when they landed on Liam. Then, they grew incredibly wide, looking like they were about to pop out of their sockets. His jaws also dropped, almost touching the ground.
"Close your mouth. I don't want to see my face with such a foolish expression on it. It feels disgusting," smiled Liam with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Before you say anything, I want to make it clear that this situation is all your fault. That's what happens when you jump into a wormhole without knowing a freaking thing about it."
For a moment, it was as if the time had stopped. The tall herbs rustled in the warm breeze, but neither of them moved, sitting there, in the middle of nowhere.
Then, Biming innocently blinked, tilting his head, which made a few strands of his light-brown hair slid from his shoulders, gently falling in front of his chest.
Liam suddenly felt the urge to slap him a second time, yet he didn't in the end, thinking that disfiguring himself for no reason wouldn't make him feel any better. He quite liked his face, actually.
Still, it was somehow nauseating to look at a big, grown-up man trying to act cute, especially when there was nothing cute about him.
Unable to endure it any longer, Liam cried out:
"Stop making weird faces! It's very traumatizing for me!"
Upon hearing these words, Biming couldn't help but shrink into a ball, making Liam breathe out heavily. That kid didn't understand what he meant! Not at all!
Slowly lifting his head to peek at Liam, Biming asked with a touch of hesitation in his voice, "Are you angry?"
"Of course, I'm! I'm stuck in your body, and I guess you know very well how weak it is. I just walked around a little, and my legs are about to snap. What are they made of? Jelly!?"
"I'm not really an outdoor person…"
"Yes. I've noticed that."
While searching for Biming, Liam didn't pay attention to his sore muscles, but now that he wasn't moving, he realized that he was simply exhausted. He also came to the realization that the pounding headache, the one that was trying to burst his skull, was probably due to this kid's awful physical constitution. Liam had transmigrated many times, and even if he did feel a bit of pain each time, it wasn't that agonizing, even before the grim reaper reduced his ability to feel pain.
Truthfully, it was the first time it felt so awful, and although he guessed that a part of the pain resulted from the unusual way they transmigrated, he knew it wasn't all.
The bodies the deceased inherited in a new world were based on the original, and since there were no free meals, the process of transmigrating rarely improved the person's fitness. Because background characters didn't have a predefined appearance, it didn't matter if the body changed overnight. Besides, the memories of their entourage would be slightly modified to accommodate the new appearance, and people wouldn't notice the difference.
When the new shell vastly differed from the original, it was mostly due to its race. A gnome couldn't be as tall as a human, and elves had pointed ears. Moreover, the ethnic group also influenced the hair and eyes color.
All in all, the appearance was always a little different, but at the same time, it was similar. That was why Liam hadn't suspected that he had transmigrated into a body based on someone else's information. If he had known, he wouldn't have been so calm. He already had difficulty surviving as it is, and he had an athletic body, so with this one that was as weak as a chicken, he was afraid that his death would be quicker than usual.
How was he supposed to defend himself when it seemed like a casual slap was enough to break his wrist in half? The wind could just blow him away, for all he knew!
"And… Where is the other man? Didn't he fall into the wormhole with us?" weakly asked Biming after fidgeting for a while, appearing a little embarrassed.
"Well…"
How to explain things without scaring the boy? Liam scratched his cheek, pondering over the problem without finding any solution. So, in the end, he showed him the crystal-clear pearl, saying:
"That's him. Because he is a grim reaper, he didn't react the same way we did when we transmigrated. Apparently, only his soul was…"
As he was talking, Liam suddenly shut his mouth, feeling like he was the biggest idiot in all worlds.
The grim reaper said that only his soul was sucked in, but ultimately, wasn't it the same for them? In a book, their soul was transferred into a background character that would then inherited the appearance of the deceased. As for the black particles, they would disappear in a puff of smoke, only reappearing after their death to pull them back in the grim reaper's realm. So, in an MMORPG, shouldn't it be the same, but with an NPC? Yet, it seemed like the grim reaper wasn't allowed to possess the shell of an NPC.
Why?
What information was he missing?
Now that Liam thought about, Biming's arrival in the realm had interrupted the grim reaper's explanation. He never finished his sentence. What was he about to tell him? Was it super important information!? The crucial kind!?
His throat felt strangely dry, and Liam couldn't help but glance at the pearl in his hand, whining in his heart, 'You and your half-baked explanations! They are going to be the death of me!'
"Is soul was?" repeated Biming when he noticed that Liam was lost in thought, trying to draw his attention.
Coughing, Liam said, "Let's just say that his soul is trapped inside this pearl and that we need to find a suitable receptacle to put it inside, like a doll or a puppet."
Taking a deep breath, he added, "Also, now that you're stuck here with me, I have something very important to tell you. We are not in the world of a book but an MMORPG. So, don't tell anyone that we are dead people, or that you're a ghost haunting the game. Although I don't know the consequences, I can already tell that it won't be a nice experience. Get it?"
Without delay, Biming furiously nodded, not daring to say anything.
"Good. Now we should explore what we have on us first. If possible, I would like to know how to check our level too."
Tilting his head, Biming asked with stars shining in his eyes, "How do we do that?"
"Look at me." Liam pointed the pretty face that was now his; there was no expression on it. "Do you think I know?"
"Oh…"
Without a word, Liam ignored Biming and started to pat over his body, trying to find something useful, like a dagger or a map. He had been too worried before to do it, but now, he had all the time in the world. However, even after rummaging throughout the many layers of robes he wore, he found nothing. All Liam had was a delicate ring on his pinky, with a red stone embedded in the middle.
To make matters worse, Liam also realized that his clothes were wretched, almost falling apart. The quality of the fabric was one of the lowest, irritating the skin while allowing the wind to pass through. They were simple, with no ornaments whatsoever; it was very much like the clothes a new game character started with. Liam didn't even have a ribbon to tie his waist-length hair, and the leather of his boot seemed quite cheap. Biming was in the same situation.
They looked at each other with a dumb expression on their face.
No weapon, no money, and no food.
So, what were they supposed to eat tonight? Weeds? In any case, certainly not meat. After all, what could they kill with their bare hands? One was a clutz, and the other one was stuck in the body of a weak chicken. If they dared to hunt a beast, they would only become their prey's dinner.
At that moment, Biming's stomach growled, and he touched it with a pitiful expression on his face. He said while staring at the blood-red flowers, which seemed to be strangely appetizing right now, "I'm hungry."
Liam's mouth twitched, and he said, "Don't you dare eat that."
"Why? It's only a flower."
"Poisonous plants. Ring a bell?"
Biming nodded.
"Carnivorous plants. Also ring a bell?"
Although he hesitated a little, Biming still nodded.
"Then, don't eat those flowers. Or at least wait until your back into your own body before taking a bite."
"But how do you know they are poisonous? And carnivorous?"
"Well, once upon a time in a faraway world, I found a plant very similar to those flowers very appetizing."
"And?"
"I tasted it, and within a few minutes, my whole body became numb, then was left paralyzed."
Biming gulped, asking with a low voice, "And then?"
"I had to watch the thin roots unrooted themself before crawling to me. Slowly, they covered my body while secreting a powerful acid that dissolved my flesh bit by bit, making it easier to 'eat' me by absorbing the liquified meat. The agony went on for three days and three nights, and all you could hear in the silent valley was my screams."
It was precisely after that death that the grim reaper decided to reduce his ability to feel pain. At the time, Liam had almost gone crazy, shivering in fear for a very long time after his return. He didn't even pester the grim reaper, curled up into a ball in the corner of the barren space.
Biming's face became deadly pale, looking fearfully at the blood-red flowers. After a while, he finally whispered, "Actually, I'm not very hungry."

Liam’s death was rather sudden, but not unexpected. That’s what happens when you cross the road without looking left and right. Then, he met the Grim Reaper, who told him that Heaven and Hell were overcrowded; neither could accommodate his soul, and he had to wait for at least a millennium before a spot becomes available. Upon hearing this, Liam almost fainted out of anger; no sane person would want to spend so much time with that poker face!

Luckily, the Grim Reaper came up with an idea, suggesting that Liam transmigrate into different kinds of books to pass the time. However, the young man kept on dying within the first days following his transmigration. He looked so pitiful that even the Grim Reaper couldn’t help but sigh. In the end, he decided to send him to a world set in an MMORPG, hoping that he would survive a bit longer in the world of a game. 

There was just one small problem. A newcomer, who couldn’t overcome his death, made everything go down the drain, and the Grim Reaper ended up following Liam into the MMORPG. While he was at it, he also lost all of his power, becoming as weak as a chicken. And to make matters worse, if Liam dies this time, his soul will break and disappear, leaving nothing but dust behind. For someone that kept on dying all the time, staying alive is quite a difficult task in a world filled with danger and idiots, even more so when they are level one.

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