The Chaotic Dynasty Online Forums.

"Dynasties Online is known as the hacker's hell."

"A lesson to all to always read terms and conditions no matter how fast one wants to accel."

"Though boring things that people agree to outright."

"Sometimes they end certain important rights."

"Such was the case for many hackers so bad."

"That the friend system happily sent them mad."

Julius Butler to James Larant.

….

Reginald was plunged into an eerie darkness when he returned to the real world. The icy late winter breeze which streamed through the window chilled his bones as he quickly went to shut the open window, which had aired out his small room and looked at his phone to get the time. It was 9 pm, and as if his body had just woken up again, the suppressed hunger pangs reappeared and struck him. Having missed dinner, the young, starved university student was famished and quickly went to satisfy his need to eat, realising that he had spent nearly 7 real-life hours in the game.

While his body was relaxed and rearing to go after being still for an extended period, his mind was exhausted from his time in the game, as one must remember that the game basically transported someone's consciousness to the virtual world, so any feeling of tiredness would be mental instead of physical.

The main reason for the in-game time limit per day was to allow people to exercise so they could stay physically fit because if someone does not use their muscles for an extended period of time, then they will begin to disappear, alongside this the time limit was also implemented because the game was mentally taxing on people.

After staggering over to the kitchen, his mind so out of sync that he had to use the wall support, Reginald quickly cooked and began chomping through a pizza, his preferred meal of choice for when he was tired due to its simplicity and taste he then brought up the dynasty online forums.

Upon entering the website where the forums were located, Reginald noticed that one had to have a Dynasties Online account to read through any posts or threads on the forum. After putting in his username, he was asked to turn on his mic and talk into it and give his personal information linked to his account. Once the system verified his identity, he was logged in.

Later Dynasties Inc would later create an app for the forums that could be linked to your VR headset or capsule that would allow you access, but for now, this was the only way for people to access the forums.

After scanning through a few threads, Reginald found them to be as chaotic as he had expected, with many complaints being mixed with admiration. Playing even only a few hours through the Dynasty History System was enough for people to find and figure out how realistic and unique this new VRMMORPG was.

[Didn't they say they say that we could make money off this game? Why is it that there is no way of doing that yet?]

Asked one user named StingyBastard39, obviously one of the people who hoped to make a large amount of money off the game.

These were the sorts of players who only cared about what personal material wealth they could get out of the game, and many treated NPCs under their command as expendable resources valuing their lives less than £100 in their bank account. It was also due to these players' poor treatment and disdain for NPCs that they usually found themselves betrayed and with a dagger in their backs sooner rather than later, many of them losing everything in the process.

The Friend System would not care or ignore their protests at how un-game-like Dynasties Online was as he would have warned them many times as he did with Reginald, not to underestimate NPCs or see them as pieces of code but instead see DO as a second-world with sentient people living in it believing that they deserved their unfortunate fates.

[Yeah, it is probably just another one of those lying CEOs who overpromise and scam customers! I thought that because James Larant had a good reputation that he would not do this, but it appears he is just like all those other greedy wealthy businessmen.]

Another player said, joining the hate train that had emerged for the game and its CEO.

[You guys do realise that the game has not even been fully released yet, right? We can still be counted as going through character creation as the Dynasty History System is linked to character creation, you know.]

[Why would we get access to all of the game's mechanics during character creation? Are you an idiot? Did you fail your first Dynasty History Event and got butthurt?]

Even 100 years after the internet had come about, it was still as toxic as ever as more users joined in on the comment made by Elendils Fist, who decided to stand up for the game developers.

[He must have failed his first event though I'm not surprised only a stupid sore loser would come crying to the forums complaining about a game mechanic not being present in character creation.]

Another user said joining in and thoroughly roasting these dissenters like one would barbecue a pig, even the most well-reasoned arguments would have trolls gather, let alone some angry, raging player who did not have the foresight to try to gather more in-game resources with their starting resources instead of selling them all off to the system for a quick buck.

[Did you guys see how realistic and humanlike the AI's are? The landscape and world are also beautiful! I nearly lost myself in it! Even the food you eat has taste instead of being an item you use only for healing. I also never thought I could get hungry and thirsty in-game! They really pulled out all the stocks to develop this game!]

It did not take long for the topic to shift to something that was more interesting and productive than dunking on 1 salty player as many players echoed this user's comment, also surprised at how beautiful and realistic the world is.

[Have any of you got through your first Dynasty History Event yet?]

Scanning through the forums, Reginald found a thread where people were talking about their first experience with the game, some of those idiot users who wanted to brag even posted publicly about their event rewards, making Reginald, who had just recovered his mental state thanks to a hearty meal facepalm himself and want to smack his head against a wall.

Even someone who only wanted to use the game to make money and not play seriously would not tell the world about their potential trump cards, the user who had just asked the question being named arctic king.

[Yeah, mine was about business, and I passed it with flying colours! What's odd, though, is that my opponent used modern business tactics and knowledge against me. He marketed well and even tried to buy up all the stock so I wouldn't have any!]

[It was like I was facing an actual player! If it were an AI, then players would be the last of our problems!]

Elendils Fist had quickly moved to this thread after beginning the roast on the player who had complained about the game, and the two users continued conversing with each other, ignoring everyone else posting in the thread. It was evident to those paying attention to their conversation that they knew each other, most likely from a previous game where they worked together.

[You don't think he would put players against each other already, would he?]

The user, called Artic King, asked the confirmation that he was not the only person who had felt this raised the player's suspicions as a move like that would truly fit the character of the person he was talking about. This was also the user who asked the question about whether anyone had gone through their first Dynasty History Event or not.

[It is that guy, after all, I wouldn't put anything past him! But it would be interesting if players had grudges against each other from the get-go without one side knowing as players make new characters and dynasties when they lose certain Dynasty History Events so they would not know if a player they come across was one that they screwed over while going through the Dynasty History System.]

Elendils Fist posted, putting a sighing emoji at the end of his comment.

[In that case, we need to be careful who we work with and recrit from the start of the game that lazy bastard always loved making others work.]

Artic King replied in a rush, seemingly busy, as his spelling and grammar worsened with every comment. It was possible to access the forums during the game, but it could be distracting, especially if you are in a war or tense situation, to have a screen open blocking your view, so it was usually only done if the player was feeling safe which is why Reginald who was on the battlefield and always busy sleeping or making plans never did.

[We should probably talk in private you never know who's watching, accept the friend request I sent.]

Elendils Fist commented, deciding that he wanted to talk in private rather than in public where many eyes could see the conversation.

[Done! Give me a min! I'm just finishing my own Dynasty History Event. We can talk then.]

This conversation which was mostly drowned out by other comments and threads, piqued Reginald's interest. The young university student noted the two people's names down as they were clearly sharp, being able to see and have strong suspicions that they were actually facing players in their Dynasty History Events the only difference between them and him was that he was able to confirm that it was possible to have conflicts against players during Dynasty History Events but they could not.

Obviously, these two players knew each other, meaning that they would most likely make an alliance and try to work together. With their competence, if Reginald ever got far or somewhat influential in the game, there was a good chance that he would interact with them.

Most of the other comments were all praises for the game's looks and realism or complaints about the game, but there was one last thread that was gaining attention, reaching the top ten threads that caught his attention.

'Never try to hack or exploit DO!' was the title for this thread.

'Of course, hackers had already tried to exploit the game. They can make money off it! After all, being able to exploit or hack in-game currency into the game could allow them to make a killing.'

Reginald thought while opening the thread, intrigued by its contents and reading the top comment, which was pinned.

[I am a bad gamer, someone who shamelessly tried to hack Dynasties Online in attempting to increase my stats above the starting limit. I can only tell my fellow immoral, shitty brothers and sisters not to try what I did and become a bad gamer, or you will have a wonderful trip with Friend System to the warm embrace of hell.]

[Yes, hell is a real place in DO used by Friend System for disciplinary measures! After a gruelling two-day stay in hell, I am thoroughly repentant and have become a good gamer. Don't be a bad gamer. Being a bad gamer is treason. If I do it again, I will be punished and likely permanently banned from DO.]

[I hope that hackers, exploiters and bad gamers heed my warning so everyone can live in the glorious light of the Friend System. All hail Friend System!]

Reginald, who could barely take 5 minutes of torment from the all-powerful sadistic Friend System, could only imagine fearfully the fate of this unfortunate player who had crossed the Friend System and had to endure two days of its sadistic torment.

DO seemed to have a place specifically to send players who participated in 'bad gaming' but was reassured that hackers and exploiters would get their due and would eventually avoid this game like the plague.

Of course, there would be a few people who would try anyway, but the Friend System would gladly welcome them to hell with open arms, never saying no to a new plaything to torment.

The player who wrote the comment seemed depressed and robotic, as if he had been somehow reprogrammed by the Friend System, the unfortunate person's feelings and poor mental state to anyone who read his story.

Below it was a few similar comments, all in a similar style, telling similar stories mirroring the warnings of the first and hailing the Friend System. Those who were more astute noticed these small details deciding never to cross the game's sadistic administrator. But these comments were blown out by the number of players that were commenting about how they deserved it and praising the company for its no-mercy stance towards these parasites.

Any honest gamer hated hackers with a passion, as they tended to ruin everyone's fun.

Some of the hackers and those sympathetic to their plight tried to start and organise a class action lawsuit against Dynasties for abuse and for mental damage caused while playing the game only for an employee of the company to remind them of the legally binding contract they signed when they bought the game saying that is was impossible as the company was not liable for any damage or negative consequences when it came to the game and its punishments. This contract also stipulated that they accepted that the Friend System could punish them as it saw fit for any 'bad gaming' that they took part in.

All the talk was then halted as people realised that James Larant had predicted that something like this would happen, and so had already planned for it accordingly.

A few minutes after he had finished reading through the forums, various other students in his flat coming and going, a few being interested in this new game, deciding they may get it themselves the next day before leaving going to attend one of the many uni parties that Reginald preferred to stay away from, unaware that many first bonuses were already lost to those who played first.

Then, Carter, Reginald's friend, entered the kitchen like Reginald. He staggered in exhausted, obviously back from his first Dynasty History Event feeling the same blowback that Reginald felt before he ate, and quickly went to make something quick for him to eat.

After making a pot noodle and wolfing it down, he then went on to make some sandwiches for supper. His brain returned to its normal function after the nutrients went through his system, they decided to go for a walk around the lake on campus to relax a bit and talk.

"How was it?"

Reginald asked.

"Amazing but tiring! I have no idea how we will deal with the fallout from 12 hours playing if we are like this after 6…."

Carter said, ending his sentence with a tired sigh as the silvery moonlight from the full moon that loomed reflected off the lake's clear blue water sending faint streams of light in all directions, faintly illuminating Reginald's fair skin.

"We will get used to it. At least we know that there was more to the daily playtime limit than just keeping us physically fit."

Reginald replied, reassuring his friend that it would be something they will eventually get used to it before asking his friend a question.

"What background did you choose?"

"There were quite a few. I chose to be a landless noble with a background in business who bought whatever title he had with money as it would allow me to travel around with more freedom and settle where I wish."

"What about you?"

Carter asked back, expecting his friend to choose something similar, for while he was not a business student, he still wanted to make some sort of living off this new realistic game that he was playing.

"Fallen noble with a background in the military who will eventually have an empire after him."

Reginald said as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Huh…."

Carter said before his brain processed the full extent of Reginald's words, and he cried out in surprise.

"Hhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh!"

"Your fucking kidding, right!"