Universe

Virtual reality was only a dream until after the third world war. With the world in peace, the gaming industry made a breakthrough in technology. They were able to create the first ever virtual reality system. Years passed and hundreds of games were released, each gaming havings it's own unique story and style, however with competition increasing and ideas running out, the various gaming companies decided to create a single game; Universe. It was going to the greatest game created. With all the gaming companies working together, the game was finally released. The game had a large world with players having the ability to do anything they wished. The catch, however, was that there was a single server. It didn't matter where you were from, everyone began from the same place.

The very first launch of the game was a huge success. Reviews were high and people couldn't help but want more. Universe became the center for many peoples lives.

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Ki Shin, like many of the citizens around the world, was waiting to buy his very own copy of Universe. He had been waiting in line for eight hours. He woke up extremely early but still wasn't the first person there. Now, after a long time, would he be able to get his own copy.

"Next in line please!" A woman walked out of the store. The walls of the place were covered in a white and black checkerboard pattern. There were signs on each window flaunting the new game, Universe. The store was one of the only ones around Ki Shin's neighborhood that sold both the copy and virtual system together.

Ki Shin walked forward eagerly, his hands trembling slightly. He was not a rich person, but he also wasn't poor. He had been slowly collecting his money for years, and now that he finally had the money he could purchase the full set.

"Ah, yes, that's me." Ki Shin walked towards the pretty woman who called for the next person. She had chestnut hair that was tied into a bun. Her beautiful blue eyes looked at the nervous Ki Shin intently. She noticed that his clothes were not very clean and that his ashen grey hair was a mess. The woman decided to ignore all of this and led Ki Shin into the store.

When Ki Shin first walked into the store, he didn't find a large number of people, rather he only saw about a dozen or so. The store was very large, so with that much people, it basically looked deserted.

As he followed the woman, he saw boxes on top of boxes that said the same thing; Universe. There were action figures, collectibles, and even clothes that screamed out the new game.

"Miss, I was wondering where you will be taking me? I just want to buy the system and the game." Ki Shin was extremely nervous. He didn't know what to expect. This would be his first virtual related purchase. He had only ever seen videos of others game, but he himself had never been able to get a system, it was just too expensive.

"Don't worry, sir. I just need to do some measurements and get some other small things before I send you on your way." Ki Shin became confused. Send him on his way? What did she mean by that? He was thee to buy a game, so why would be asked to leave. The woman noticed Ki Shin's confused and worried look and couldn't help but giggle.

"This is your first time purchasing a system, right?" Ki Shin nodded slightly, as he listened intently.

"Well, we first measure your body size and pick a system that would match the results. We also need to create your identity ring. This ring will contain all the information and money that you will receive, plus the ring needs to be specially made for you so that no one else is able to access it." The woman slowly explained everything, while Ki Shin nodded his head seriously.

"How are you going to make it special to me?" Ki Shin was confused on that part. Passwords were uncommon since they were easy to breakthrough. Anything that required one to type or speak would usually be considered as unsafe because of hackers, so something special was difficult to get.

"What the companies have created is called a DNA lock. We use your DNA to lock the key, making it so that no one is able to hack into or force you to open unless you do it willingly. And even then, the contents would not be shown to anyone but yourself." Ki Shin was astonished. Since he worked the majority of the day and slept the rest, Ki Shin did not have many friends. He didn't get any news from others so he was left in the dark about most things.

"Wouldn't people be able to use my blood or hair to get my DNA?" A common way of getting DNA from someone was either through blood or even hair. If they were only going to use his DNA to lock the ring, then it would still be unsafe.

"Sir, you really have lots of questions. Hehe!" The woman let out a cute giggle.

"Haha!" Ki Shin couldn't help but laugh with embarrassment. He scratched the back of his head as he continued to listen.

"Well, what we do is use your DNA and combine it with something special. We won't say what that special thing is because it helps keep everyone's rings safe, however, all you need to know is that the ring will be perfectly protected and that none other than yourself will be able to access it." The woman quickly wrapped up the explanation and took Ki Shin into a change room.

"I will need you to change into these clothes before we measure your body. I will be waiting outside, so call me if you need any help." Ki Shin nodded and shut the cover. The clothes that he was given were mostly white. It was a really tight tracksuit kind of clothes. There were green stripes over the shoulders, around the neck area and basically around any part of the body that could rotate or move.

A few minutes later, Ki Shin walked out of the change room in the white and green tracksuit. Ki Shin felt extremely embarrassed walking out in such clothes. However, when he walked out, many of the females working the store couldn't help but gasp. Ki Shin had an extremely fit body. He worked two jobs at a time that required him to help with constructing and lift heavy boxes, this built his body into very good shape. His tall body had refined muscles that weren't too large but also weren't too little. His grey hair allowed for his emerald eyes to stand out. Ki Shin was a good looking man and had a firm body, but his personality was very weak.

The woman who was helping him didn't show much of a reaction and only continued to smile.

"Since you are done changing, let us go to the doctor to get your examinations done." Ki Shin nodded his head as he followed the woman. She led him into a room that had a small bed and a high tech computer. There were weights and weight machines all over. It was like a mini gym.

"What do I do to start?" Ki Shin couldn't wait any longer. He really wanted to get started right away.

"First, wait for the doctor. Hehe!" The woman smiled at Ki Shin's excitement. She knew how he felt because she was the exact same when she first got the game.

Suddenly, an old man with barely any hair on his head walked out from a door behind the computer. He had a pair of glasses sitting on his round nose. In his mouth was, what seemed like a lollipop.

"This is the next person? He has got a good build and looks strong. Maybe we can chat privately after the examination, haha!" The old man looked at Ki Shin pervertedly. The woman only smiled, however, Ki Shin felt his spine tremble. He had fear written on his face as he took a couple steps back.

"Ummm… I don't know if I am comfortable with being examined by him." Ki Shin whispered quietly enough for only the woman to hear him.

She turned her head and saw the fear on Ki Shin's face. She lifted her pale hands and put them over her mouth and small tears began to form in her eyes. Her body was trembling slightly, which caused Ki Shin to think he made her cry.

"Miss, I am sorry, I meant no offense, but he…" Before Ki Shin could finish his sentence, the woman burst out into laughter. She put her hand on her stomach and patted her knee over and over again.

"Hahaha! Oh, I'm sorry. This old man is just messing with you. He isn't like that, he is already married and has like two grown children. Don't worry, he isn't going to do anything weird to you." The woman calmed herself down but still couldn't stop her voice from running out of breath. The scene was just too funny for her.

"Kid, I was just messing with you. I am not into young males. Haha, I think I should quit medicine and just become an actor. I am really too good."The old man patted his own shoulder and spoke with pride. Ki Shin found the whole scenario to be extremely weird and surprising. The old man was really too godly in acting. He really looked like a pervert.

Ki Shin could only awkwardly laugh as his mouth somewhat twitched. He walked towards the old man and spoke seriously.

"Can we begin with the measurements and whatever now?" Ki Shin couldn't wait any longer, he was fast approaching his breaking point. He just wanted to quickly get the system and game, and then begin playing.

"Yea, yeah, you young folks really are impatient. Alright, first we will measure your height." The old man had Ki Shin stand against a wall. He then brought out a square machine that hand along the vertical stick. Ki Shin was told to step on the base of the machine. The old man typed some things into the machine before the vertical stick began to move up. Once it reached a height slightly above Ki Shin, a horizontal piece slowly came out. The old man recorded the number on a piece of paper before having Ki Shin walk onto the weight scale.

Half an hour passed and Ki Shin's height, weight, waist size, head size, and width were all measured.

"Since we got the measurements, all that is left is for you to provide a blood sample to me as I go and create your ring. Fill out this form so that I can add in all the information I need." The old man handed him a form that asked for his full name, age, birthday, blood type, and other small pieces of information. The old man then took the sheet and brought out a needle.

"I am going to take some of your blood, so please…" Ki Shin nodded and lifted up his sleeves. The old man cleaned the area with an alcohol wipe and found a good vein on his forearm. He tied the arm with an elastic band and then inserted the needle into the vein. Ki Shin didn't react to the pain too greatly. Even as a child, he was not afraid of needles. To him, they were just a small prickle, nothing more.

The old man drained some blood into a small plastic container. He took the needle out and place a cotton ball on top. He then took a bandage and applied it on top of the cotton with pressure.

"Alright, I am going to go and make your ring. I will be back in a few minutes." The old man walked away, leaving Ki Shin with the woman. He hadn't learned either of their names so he was feeling kind of awkward. He decided to see if the woman was wearing a name tag, and luckily he found one. However, the name tag was above her left breast; he felt that it would inappropriate looking. The woman noticed that Ki Shin was getting a little red and that he was looking at her chest.

"Are you trying to read my name tag or…" The woman smiled at Ki Shin. The smile contained some evil and ill intent which caused Ki Shin to panic.

"No! I was trying to find your name, but your name tag is near your…" Ki Shin cut himself off. He couldn't get himself to say breast. It was just too embarrassing.

"Haha! I am just messing with. Jeez, you are such a stiff person. Do you not understand how to joke?" The woman asked with a smirk.

"I can joke, but not about things like that." Ki Shin turned his head away will annoyance. He felt that he was a humorous person, but why would he joke about a person's body parts? There was nothing funny about that.

"Alright, I will stop joking now." The woman stretched out her hand in front of Ki Shin. "Here is a late introduction. My name is Nae Sohyun, and what about yours?" Ki Shin extended his own hand and shook Nae's.

"My name is Ki Shin." He pulled his hand back and scratched the back of his head.

Suddenly, the old man came out from the back door with a ring in his hand. He noticed that Ki Shin was awkwardly scratching his head and that Nae Sohyun was smiling at him.

"Oops, did I just walk in at a bad time. Sorry, I will come back later. Hehe!" The old man was just about to turn when Nae spoke out.

"Stop with the jokes. Hurry and give him the ring, I don't think he will be able to hold it in much longer." Nae Sohyun smiled at Ki Shin. The old man turned and walked towards him. He stretched out his hand and presented Ki Shin with a obsidian coloured ring.

"Here is your identification ring. You can have your bank add your info to it for you after you finish up here. This ring is extremely important so do not lose it, well the only way to lose it is if someone chops your finger off." The old man handed the ring to Ki Shin before sitting on his seat.

"What do you mean by that?" Ki Shin asked with a blank face.

"Well, this ring with bind to your finger permanently. I won't tell you how, but it will be impossible to remove unless you remove your finger entirely." The old man spoke casually. He picked up a cup which was on his desk. He placed the edge of the cup on his mouth before taking a sip.

"If the ring can't be taken off, won't my blood flow stop in that finger?" Ki Shin was worried that because of the lack of blood, his finger would lose all functionality.

"You really do ask lots of questions. No, that won't happen. Everything will be fine, just where the ring." The old man became annoyed and just told Ki Shin what to do.

Ki Shin hesitated before putting the ring on his right index finger. The ring suddenly tightened and he felt a cool feeling coming from the ring.

"Ok, now that the ring is put on, let's move onto the final step, selecting the system and game. Since we got your body measurements, we can make a system for you right away, however, we just need you to tell us the color. We will then move onto getting your game installed onto your ring." Ki Shin nodded as excitement filled his entire body.

The old man stayed in the mini gym, while Nae Sohyun led him to a small floating computer.

"The computer will lead you through the whole process. I will be waiting outside, so if you need any help, call me." Suddenly, a large cube appeared from the ground and surrounded Ki Shin. The place was extremely dark, however, the computer light screen lit up.

Ki Shin read through the details and accepted the conditions placed. The first thing that he need to do was place his ring under the scanner. He did as he was told. The computer showed all of Ki Shin's info and then moved onto the next step. It asked him to insert the one-billion won into the little slot. Ki Shin pulled out his bank card from the tight tracksuit. He hesitated for a long time before placing the card in the slot. The card had years of savings that he put blood and sweat into. The card disappeared and the money was taken out. The information on the screen changed slightly. There was now a section for money. The previous one-billion won was now down to a few hundred thousand. It was just enough for him to survive for a couple of months.

The screen flashed an in front of Ki Shin appeared a list of colors.

[Please select color of Virtual system]

He read the message and selected the black color. He really like black and it was harder to see dirt on it then say a white color.

[Thank you for purchasing the Universe virtual system. We will now install the game into your ring. Please do not remove ring from the scanner.]

Another message appeared and Ki Shin couldn't help but become excited. He had finally purchased the game that he wanted. Tears almost appeared from his eyes, but he held them back.

[Game installed. You may proceed with checkout.]

Ki Shin hit accept and the walls that locked him, went back into the ground. He was met with the sight of Nae Sohyun smiling at him.

"Congrats on getting the game. We have already sent the delivery truck to your home. If you go now, you can get there before they do. Remember to go to the bank as early as possible." Nae Sohyun smiled as she saw Ki Shin quickly leave when he heard the truck was heading to his home.

"Thank you again miss Nae Sohyun." Ki Shin yelled from the exit before vanishing.

"I am not miss, just call me Nae Sohyun. I am probably the same age as you." Nae Sohyun smiled annoyingly before turning around and tending to the other customers.

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Ki Shin ran with full speed across the clean and orderly streets. Since there were little to no cars in his neighborhood, the streets were usually filled with children or fast walkers. As he ran with a deep smile on his face, he finally approached a small home on the end of the neighborhood. His home was not an apartment or anything like that. It was a house that wasn't connected to others. The front gate had his name while the gate was made of metal bars. The house was somewhat small, but it gave off a homely, warm feeling. It was small for a big family but just big enough for three people. Ki Shin walked into the house and quickly headed towards an empty room. The house had a total of three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small kitchen. There was no backyard, but there was a small basement. The house was the first and only home that he had bought. It was meant for his parents, but after they passed away, he lived alone.

*BEEP BEEP*

The sound of a truck reversing was heard from the outside. Kin Shin quickly ran outside and opened the gate. He saw two buff men walk towards him.

"Are you the owner of this home, Ki Shin?" Ki nodded his head. "Can you please sign this so that we can move the system into your room?" Ki Shin quickly signed the tablet. The two workers then opened the back of the truck and pulled out a large box. One of the men pulled the front while the other quickly grabbed the back.

"Can you lead us into the room you want this set up in?" Ki Shin nodded his head and took them towards his old room. It was the largest room in the house, but it wasn't where he slept. He usually slept in his late parents' room because he missed them greatly. His room became empty after he left it, so he decided to have the system placed in there.

"Give us half an hour to set this up. After that, we will leave you to your fun." One of the workers smiled towards Ki Shin.

An hour flew by before the two left. He served them some tea and had a small talk with them before they left. Now, he walked into the room and found a large black system. It was metallic and looked extremely nice. He walked towards it and rubbed his hands together. He opened up the top of the system and found a helmet and belt. He put the helmet on his head and wrapped his waist with the belt. There was also a neckpiece which he tightly strapped around his neck, however, it was loose enough for him to breath and move around. He sat inside the system and closed the top. When the top closed, a light flashed inside.

[Please place hand with ring inside the cube]

A cube appeared in front of him and so he placed his hand inside. Suddenly, something released from the helmet, causing him to slowly shut his eyes.

[Hello Ki Shin, welcome to Universe!]