Chapter 1

I often regretted my decision to attend school in person instead of attending online. To be honest, it hadn't been my choice. My parents forced me. I'm an introvert and they were afraid I would never make friends unless I spent eight hours a day in a room with my peers.

It's not that I hate people. They just tired me out. From what I could tell, my values seemed to be different. I didn't understand many of the things they fussed over. People my age are always so loud, over-emotional, and immature. Their happiness always seems dependent on the opinions of their friends, which I thought must be a crappy way to live. The roller-coaster appeared to be never-ending. There was no stability in that kind of happiness.

My happiness was my own. I lived in a bubble filled with books and web series. My classmates often looked at me with pity when they saw me sitting alone with my computer tablet. If they knew my thoughts, they'd be shocked because I pitied them in return. I could already imagine their lives after graduation and I believed they were in for some turbulent times—especially those rare few people who were already talking about co-habitation and marriage.

"Hey, Jay," Sheynan greeted as he collapsed into the desk in front of me. He was the closest thing I had to a friend, since he was pretty good at sensing when I'd reached my limit of human interaction. While I was a hermit, Sheynan was the nomad type of loner who fearlessly jumped from clique to clique through the school. His pleasant, non-judgmental personality allowed him to mesh well with all kinds of people while his athleticism kept him from being the target of bullies. Only his short attention span kept him from amassing a large following.

"Hey," I said back, my focus still on the book I was reading on my tablet. "Are you hiding from the girls again?"

Sheynen let out a tired chuckle as he laid his head on my desk. "What have you been up to lately?"

I didn't comment on how he answered my question with a question since I didn't actually care about the answer. "I'm reading a book called The Sage's Footprints. It's about a guy who—"

Sheynen's head popped up and he interrupted, "I didn't know you liked to play 4D."

"Who said anything about 4D?" Let it be known I'd never played anything other than a mobile tablet games. Computer games were money-pits and I didn't like the limitation of console controllers. I'd never tried 4D—full immersion—gaming because the headset technology was still too new and it'd be a waste of money if I didn't like it.

"The book you're reading is based off a 4D game called Aetherscape," Sheynan explained, his voice filling with excitement over finally having found some common ground with me. "It's actually part of a series following Aetherscape's famous exploration team. The Sage's Footprints is the fourth book. The first is the Warrior's Stance, then there's the Cleric's Chant and the Archer's Sprint. After the Sage's Footprints should be the Mage's Song and it finishes off with the Assassin's Dance."

"I've read the first three," I replied. "I didn't realize they were based off anything. The Warrior's Stance popped up when I was looking for recommendations."

"If you like the books, you should really try the game. It's not like other games where you mindlessly level up. You need actual skill. I'm an elf archer and it took me almost a year to reach level ten."

"A year for only ten levels?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"In my defense, I've never shot a bow before and I only play at night since I'm using a helmet. It took me a while to learn. I'd have been screwed if it was a standard game where levels are the only way to progress, but Aetherscape makes it so even level zeroes can contribute and experience the content. And my team was great about waiting for me to get better. Tonight, we're going to attempt Gaia's dungeon. We're hoping to beat the Redwood Treant on the third level."

Since I'd already read so much of the book series, I had some idea of what he was talking about. In the books, the setting was based on a world of dreams. There were mundane areas, fantasy areas, nightmare areas, and mythic areas. Gaia's titan body housed the passage connecting the mundane reality of Lutum with the fantasy realm of Summerland. I could see how it could be considered a dungeon, considering it'd been a harrowing journey for the Warrior's party. In the novels, the Redwood Treant had been particularly difficult to escape from.

"Now is a good time to join Aetherscape if you want to get into it," Sheynan continued. "They just opened up a new mundane map based off Atlantis and three new underwater races. There will be a lot of other newbies, so you won't have a hard time finding a pick-up group for quests."

"I'll think about it," I said, refusing to commit to anything.

The teacher walked in and Sheynan took it as his cue to get up and head for his own classroom. There were only a few minutes left until the first bell. Before he went, he added, "Let me know if you decide to try it. I can give you my Net ID so you can contact me if you need help."

I didn't think anything more of the conversation until three days later when I finished the last book in the series. It'd been an incredible adventure full of action, comedy, and tragedy. Each story had an incredibly strong voice, making it hard to detach myself once the interwoven epoch was over. There had been so much history the writers had merely hinted at and some of the described landscapes left me in awe. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to explore such a vibrant world and see those places for myself.

A normal seventeen year old might have rushed out to buy a helmet, but I wasn't the type. I started by doing lots and lots of research. I watched tutorials and read every guide I could find on the various races and classes. I skimmed through forums to find the hidden downsides of various combinations and compare them.

The only major problem I foresaw was the freestyle combat system. While it was possible to learn skills and spells, players actually needed to perform them. There was a noticeable difference between physically fit players and those who were weak in the real world.

Some players had complained to the game studio about it and the developers were completely unrepentant.

"A healthy body results in a healthy mind. For players unwilling to put in the effort needed for a physical combat class, we recommend the Mage, Cleric, or Sage classes. These classes can aid in combat without requiring the same athleticism necessary to excel as a physical fighting class. The Mage class possesses powerful long-range attacks and the Cleric is a master of healing and crowd control. The Sage class is a weaker jack-of-all-trades, making them a good transition class for players who intend to improve their physical abilities over time."

I set my sights on the Sage class. Although the developers claimed it was a transitional role, I could see its worth from the perspective of a solo player. With that class, I wouldn't be dependent on anyone else to survive and explore. I'd be able to do everything a six-man team could do, although I'd have to put in six times the effort to make it viable. That meant I would need to start exercising so I could act as a physical combat class when necessary.

My parents noticed when my routine changed. They let a week go by without commenting on my sudden urge to exercise. Finally, my dad came into my room while I was doing push-ups and demanded to know what was going on.

"Are you getting bullied, son?"

I laughed at him and shook my head, tumbling over to lay on my back on the carpet. I was dripping with sweat and I truly had no idea how someone could do a hundred pushups all at once. My whole body was trembling by the time I finished a set of twenty.

I stared up at my dad, who continued to loom over me, and explained, "A friend at school asked to if I would play a game called Aetherscape with him, but it's a 4D game. I did some reading and I learned the better you can control your body in the real world, the better you can control your game character. I thought I could exercise for now and ask for a game helmet for Christmas."

I was the new owner of a 4D gaming helmet that same night. Despite appearances, I wasn't spoiled. I simply asked for things so rarely that my parents jumped at the opportunity to encourage me to act like a regular teenager. The news I wanted to play a game with a friend left them so ecstatic, they didn't want me to wait.

It was earlier than I planned, but I decided to go along with it. I registered my account online, then I laid down in bed an hour early. The world around me quickly faded as soon as I turned the helmet on. I floated in a black void for only a handful of seconds while my conscious shifted from my real body to my digital body. Holographic screens appeared one after another in front of me.

[Initializing...]

[Biometric scanning... Incomplete.]

[Avatar Rendering at 15%]

[Note: First-time login completion will bind biometric scan to your game

account. For the best gameplay experience, it's advised for players to

update their scan using a game capsule.]

[Extrapolating Avatar Model Based on Impartial Render....]

[Avatar Rendering at 100%]

[Account registration... complete.]