Chapter 155: Ready Player One (Part 3)

"These people are really creative, stacking containers to form apartment buildings." Using containers as houses is something quite common in the USA in the Marvel universe, but there's no area like this container district here. And in this world, there isn't just one such container district.

But there's no other option. Poor people can only live in such places. Before the great war, it wasn't necessary, but after the war, the areas with nuclear radiation were simply uninhabitable.

It's fortunate that the leaders of various countries exercised great restraint and negotiated peace at the last moment. Otherwise, instead of the Oasis game, this world might have turned into Fallout 4.

After staring at the container district for a while, Daniel Davis left a regular tavern just one street away from the container area and headed to the city where the Online Creations Company was located.

"If this were before the transmigration, it would just be a large game studio," Daniel sighed deeply after seeing the situation inside the Online Creations Company's headquarters.

The Oasis game is already considered a second world in this universe, having a significant impact on the real world. The stock prices of most companies are tied to the game.

Because of the Oasis game, the courier industry has also developed greatly in this world. Delivery services are completely mechanized, including food delivery, all handled by drones, a service not yet widespread even in the Marvel world.

"If this happened in Marvel, Spider-Man would be out of a job." Peter Parker occasionally worked as a courier to make money.

"This guy is really pitiful. So many experts spent so much time but couldn't achieve what the protagonist did so easily." To get Halliday's inheritance, Nolan High-Tech hired numerous experts to analyze the entire Oasis game and Halliday's life.

Before he died, Halliday created a personal library in the Oasis called the Halliday Archive. The library, which appeared before the egg hunt was officially announced, contained all his life experiences stored as 3D images.

In a way, Halliday is quite similar to Arnim Zola from the Marvel universe, who also transferred his consciousness into a computer. Strictly speaking, Zola was more impressive because the technology of his time was far inferior to Halliday's era. That's Marvel's black tech for you.

Ready Player One is set in the 2040s.

To conquer the first challenge of the egg hunt, the Death Race, Nolan recruited many gaming experts and analysts to study every obstacle, spending vast amounts of money and resources on them. But no matter how skilled the professional players were, they all fell at the hands of King Kong in the final stage, unable to break through its defense.

After listening to Nolan's angry rant for a while, Daniel left.

Halliday Archive.

In the first few years after the egg hunt was announced, the place was packed daily with people hoping to find a way to clear the game and become billionaires.

But after several years without anyone passing the first challenge, the place gradually emptied, with only a few hopefuls occasionally visiting.

Today, Daniel came by. He didn't remember much about Ready Player One, only the Death Race at the beginning and the ending.

"Geniuses are indeed unique, but it's a pity they were born in the wrong world."

"This is the Death Race." Sitting in a dilapidated second-hand car at the starting point, in the last position, Daniel looked at the hundreds of various cars ahead with an excited expression.

In theory, there's no restriction on who can sign up for the Death Race as long as you have a vehicle, whether it's a car, motorcycle, or even a bicycle.

The race tests whether you can overcome the obstacles, including traps and sudden disasters. Bicycles, for instance, would be crushed by a T-Rex.

To deal with these obstacles, many vehicles have been modified. Except for flying vehicles, anything you can create in the game can be used.

But the game's rules, created by Halliday, don't allow any vehicle to bypass the game's mechanics. No legitimate method can succeed in the Death Race.

So besides those who initially tried their luck, only those unwilling to give up continue to participate.

Anyone can enter the Death Race, but vehicle damage is the player's responsibility. In this game world, where all equipment must be crafted or dropped, vehicle damage means losing your property.

"Daring to enter the race with such a car? It's been a long time since I've seen such a newbie." Daniel's car drew ridicule because the vehicles now entering the race were all heavily modified. Standard cars couldn't handle the race's traps or sudden T-Rex attacks.

It's not that Daniel didn't want a better car, but he couldn't get one in time. These people had been preparing, while he decided to join on a whim.

Ignoring the mockery, Daniel focused on the race. He wasn't petty, and even if he wanted to retaliate, it wouldn't be easy in this game. Everyone started from the same point, and his reaction speed was faster.

As the race began, the roar of engines was like a thousand horses galloping, and all the vehicles shot forward. Many were destroyed or pushed off the track right at the start.

This was no regulated race; any chance to take out an opponent would be seized without mercy.

"Yeah!" Daniel shouted excitedly, driving forward. Although his car was standard, his quick reflexes allowed him to avoid many traps. Even in a game, reaction time mattered, otherwise, there wouldn't be a term like "clumsy gamer."

With his current reflexes, Daniel could easily compete in real-life professional racing.

While Daniel knew the right way to pass the first challenge was to drive backward, he found the Death Race fascinating and wanted to try it out before clearing it. This was, after all, a virtual reality game.

If he hadn't developed the habit of self-discipline and control through his training, Daniel might have gotten addicted to this game upon arriving in this world.

Enjoying the game without getting addicted, Daniel found it very engaging.

"Damn T-Rex," he cursed as a T-Rex tail swept him off the track, car and all.

"At least the pain isn't too bad." As the second world, the Oasis game had pain settings, but they weren't as intense as reality. Otherwise, even knowing it was just a game, many wouldn't play due to fear of pain.

If the game felt too real, even phobias like acrophobia would manifest.

"Enough fun, time for business." After several days of participating in the Death Race and trying various ways to fail, Daniel hadn't once reached the final boss, King Kong. The race had a time limit, and he couldn't finish it in a standard car within the allotted time.

Many vehicles were modified for speed as well as to overcome obstacles. No matter how quick Daniel's reflexes, he couldn't complete the race in a standard car within the time limit.

While he participated in the Death Race to have fun, he also hoped to encounter the protagonist, whose insight allowed him to solve the puzzle Nolan's team couldn't crack.

But he hadn't spotted anyone resembling the protagonist, which wasn't surprising. The protagonist wouldn't have "I'm the protagonist" written on his forehead, and Daniel had forgotten the protagonist's name, both real and in-game, as well as his appearance.

Finding a specific person among the many notable figures in the game wasn't feasible. The original protagonist was a famous figure only within his circle until he obtained the first key and became widely known.

The current top-ranked player was from the Online Creations Company.

As the others rushed forward at the start, Daniel reversed his car, quickly moving backward. Just as he was about to hit the wall behind him, a ramp appeared, and his car went up it. Looking up, he saw the normal road above.

Driving backward, Daniel reached a fountain plaza, where a figure appeared, giving him a scroll and the bronze key.

"This is…" As Daniel drove backward into the underground passage, a female player watched in shock from a car at the starting line.

This player, Artemis, was silent for a moment before reversing her car, crashing into the wall with a loud bang, sparks flying.

"How?" In reality, such a crash would severely injure or kill the driver, but in the game, Artemis quickly got out of the car, ignoring the sparks to inspect the wall.

No one is a fool. Thinking others are fools is the real folly. Daniel participated in the Death Race for several days in a row with a standard car, always starting last, which piqued some interest. Artemis was curious rather than suspicious, and she noticed his pattern of starting last.

In such races, starting first is advantageous.

While some noticed Daniel's actions, they didn't think he knew something special, only finding it curious. Artemis was one of them.

Just then, a system announcement sounded across the network. Daniel had cleared the first challenge and obtained the bronze key, earning the top rank and a reward of 100,000 coins.

The sudden announcement stunned the entire Oasis player base. Some who were busy fighting monsters got killed due to the distraction, cursing upon revival since death meant starting over, especially for those with lots of gear.

Aside from the unlucky ones, most Oasis players were thrilled. The long-stalled egg hunt had seen no progress, leading some to doubt its existence, thinking Halliday might have been joking.

However, the top-tier knew it was real, or the corporations wouldn't have invested so much.

The inheritance was legally certified.

"Damn it, find him immediately, at any cost." Those eyeing Halliday's inheritance ordered their subordinates to investigate Daniel's identity.

Meanwhile, Daniel looked at the countless friend requests and offers from corporations wanting to buy the bronze key or the method to clear the challenge.

After years of trying, many guessed the Death Race required a special method.

Ignoring the offers, Daniel planned to make the second clue public. He had succeeded in the first challenge due to prior knowledge, but the second clue

 left him puzzled.

The next day, excitement surged again as Artemis became the second to clear the challenge.

"The vehicle left behind?" Daniel knew someone stayed behind but wasn't concerned since he intended to share the information.

___________________

Read Ahead

P@treon.com/Mutter