Chapter 2 - System Initialized

Unbeknownst to Alex, something was happening while he slept. A sound echoed in the deepest part of his brain 

"System Initialization begin"

Alex awoke to that strange sound, only to be immediately greeted by the loud chirping of birds. He let out a long yawn and stretched.

'What's wrong with my body today? I feel like I've slept for a hundred years! I feel so damn good!'

Glancing around his room, Alex saw the familiar walls of his cramped apartment, bathed in the soft morning light.

The space was sparse, with peeling paint and worn furniture, each item telling a story of years gone by. His gaze fell on the small, cluttered desk adorned with his old gaming console and video game cassettes.

Despite the modesty of the space, it was his sanctuary. Here, he had spent countless hours lost in virtual worlds, conquering kingdoms, and embarking on epic adventures. The worn-out chair had molded to the shape of his body, a testament to the many hours of intense gaming sessions.

In this humble corner of his world, he found solace and escape from the challenges and complexities of the outside. It was a place where he could be himself, where the outside world faded away, and he could immerse himself in the realms of pixels and polygons, free to explore and conquer to his heart's content.

Finding nothing amiss, he approached the window to close it, disliking the sound of birds. To his surprise, the window was already closed.

Puzzled, Alex wondered how he could hear the birds so clearly despite the sealed window.

'Must be my imagination,' he mumbled.

Alex's mornings were always the same. He would do a quick stretch, enjoy a long shower while the water stayed warm – which was about 10 to 15 minutes if he was lucky – eat some leftover rations from the previous night, and then settle into his comfy chair to turn on the TV and his console for a session of his video game.

For the last few days, Alex was hooked on a new popular game called "I.Zombie."

It was an MMORPG where the main character would start as a level 1 zombie and by killing and eating his enemies, would become stronger. 

Since Alex was playing almost all the time, he was one of the highest-ranked Zombies in the virtual world, boosting his self-esteem as if he was a god himself.

He was essentially the best of the best... at eating brains. 

The great thing about the game was how immersive it was. As you leveled up, you gained access to new abilities, such as becoming super strong, fast, and all the usual gaming tropes. However, once you hit levels above 5, each level gave you something even more intriguing: Talent Points. These were essentially add-ons that you could tack onto one of your preferred stats.

With Talent Points, the game allowed you to customize your character in unique ways. Whether you wanted to focus on raw power, lightning-fast agility, or a combination of various traits, the choice was yours. This customization added depth and strategy to the gameplay, making each character truly unique as players fine-tuned their abilities and stats to fit their preferred playstyle. It was this level of detail that kept him coming back, making every level-up an exciting opportunity to further tailor his character's abilities to his liking.

Since Alex was someone who was weak in real life, he reveled in his virtual strength and started to add his Talent Points to augment his strength, giving him new abilities such as "Thunder Stomp" - an ability to cause an earthquake at a 10-yard radius by simply stomping his foot on the ground.

In the game world, he became a force to be reckoned with, a walking disaster to all of his enemies. With each thunderous stomp, the ground shook, and his adversaries were left reeling in chaos. It was a stark contrast to his real-life self, where physical strength was elusive, and he often felt powerless. Within the game, however, he found empowerment, and the satisfaction of effortlessly toppling his virtual foes brought him a sense of accomplishment he yearned for in reality.

The game has two main modes, one that focused on player versus environment (known as PvE) and Player versus Player (PvP).

Alex preferred PvE, immersing himself in the lore of his character, understanding his backstory, and exploring the world's intricacies. He had become an encyclopedia of the game.

Now at level 26, and after defeating a high-level boss, Alex decided to take a break for the bathroom and some food. He had been playing for eight hours straight, and his hands needed a rest.

Setting the controller down, he first went to the washroom.

Midway through his 'business,' he felt an unusual coldness on his private member. Looking down, he noticed a ring on his thumb...

"What the... How did this get here, and how did I not notice it until now, haha?" Alex said aloud, his habit of thinking out loud a result of his usual solitude in his gaming sessions.

After finishing from the toilet, Alex went to wash his hands at the sink, which had a mirror mounted above it. As he tried to remove the ring, it wouldn't budge.

"Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on?" Alex started to panic, his voice trembling with unease.

He tried lubricating his finger with soap, and with trembling hands, he tugged at the ring, but it still wouldn't come off.

Panic surged through him like a tidal wave, and each futile effort to remove the ring intensified his frustration, causing his thumb to turn an alarming shade of blue from the relentless, fruitless pulling attempts.

"Okay, Alex... let's think about this logically," he said to himself, deciding to examine his reflection and the ring in the mirror.

As he looked up, he suddenly jumped back in fright, hands raised defensively, and yelled, "WHAT THE F**K!!"

This was the first time Alex had ever fully sworn in his life.