Birthday wish

'My head aches. What the hell happened? What's the last thing I remember? Wait, wasn't I just at my birthday party?'

I opened my eyes and sat up, my head feels like I shot myself. I could see a town around me, people selling weapons, boosters, armor, and food. I could tell that merchants were the main focus here. A crowd of people started to surrounded me, as I looked confused as fuck.

"Is this a new guy?"

"I've never seen him before. You?"

"Nope"

"Someone should explain to him what's going on"

I sat on the brick as they discussed about who should explain.

'This brick hurts my ass'

I stood up to stretch. I was the same height for a lot of people here. That's weird to me considering i'm 5'7". I'm also really scrawny compared to everyone else.

"I'll do it"

There was a guy who stood out like a sore thumb, he was at least 6'2". He wore all armor, you could only see his eyes through the helmet. He moved forward quietly, as his armor made a sound with each step.

"Hello, my name is Jason. Will you allow me to guide you and be your tutor?"

'Why the fuck is this guy so formal? Are they all like that around here?'

"Sure?"

"If you would follow me please"

By now everyone has walked away as though i'm not interesting anymore. I started following him. We walked through the town to a bar, it was a packed place at that moment. I can feel everyone's eyes on me, as if i'm irregular.

'Shit i'm still wearing the same clothes'

No wonder I look different, everyone has some kind of armor or weaponry on them. Some have guns, while others have swords.

"Sit here. What's your name anyway?"

"I'm David. What the fuck is going on?"

We sat down at a table. Jason looked at the bartender and put two fingers up, he looked at Jason and nodded.

"Right to the point, I see. Well, i'll tell you everything you need to know. This is the world of games. As you can see, every person has a different load out. Some have swords and armor, they're RPG players. Some have Guns and tactical armor, they're fps players. The people with neither are puzzle players."

"Wait, I play RPG and fps games. What does that mean for me?"

"Everyone chooses what they play, but choose carefully. Because if you choose multiple, you would have to buy crossover weapons and armor. There's something else I should tell you, you can really die in this world."

"Yeah I thought you could, so I still have a long time since i'm 17."

"I'm not talking about that, you can die from other ways as well. If you get negative in points, or lose all your hp, you'll die forever."

'Holy shit! That's the rules of this?'

The bartender brought over our drinks and put them on our table. Jason took of his helmet to show his skin is as brown as cocoa butter, with long dark hair. He had no facial hair, my guess is that it would get in the way. His eyes were turquoise and shining from the light.

"I recommend RPG only, considering I play those types of games, and I could team with you until your high enough."

'Didn't he say there's crossover items?'

"Is there a RPG mode with fps weapons?"

"Yes, in that mode anything is allowed. You can PK and steal from others. It's easier because guns are used."

'That game mode sounds a lot like what I enjoy.'

"Are you allowed to PK in the beginner floors?"

"No, PK activates once you hit floor 6."

I chugged the drink as I saw he had already finished his. It tasted sweet, but tart. I could tell it was alcohol because of the distinct smell.

"Listen, I know this is your choice. But i'd like it if you didn't do the crossover. I've lost too many people to that mode. The people in there are crazy, they kill anything they see."

He put his helmet back on, signifying that we were leaving. We stood up and he left a couple coins on the table.

"Have you chosen what you want to do?"

"I'd like to play the crossover."

He looked at me with disapproving eyes. He didn't want another person to go in, I could tell. Those eyes weren't disappointed or filled with hatred, those eyes didn't want to see another person die in there.

"Very well, I will bring you to the shop."

I followed him as he left the bar, almost no one payed attention because they were to busy drinking.

"You should've started out with 5,000 Kin, check your inventory."

"How might I do that?"

'I feel like a dipshit right now'

"Do you see the metal box inside of your left hand?"

I looked at my hand and saw the box sticking out of it. I wondered about how I got it. Then I punched it with my other hand and felt nothing.

"Press the button in the middle of it"

I stared at the box. There were markings on it that indicated that it was a button. I pressed it and a hologram came out of it.

'HOLY MOTHER OF GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING'

It displayed my items, storage, and Kin. There was an area on it that displayed the local map around me. It also had a friends list on the side.

"Is kin the currency of this world?"

"Yes and no. There's Kin, Tak, and Bel. 100,000 Kin equals 1 Tak, while 100,000 Tak equals 1 Bel."

"So 1 Bel equals 10,000,000,000 Kin?"

"Indeed"

'Holy shit! People have that money? I can probably only buy beginner gear.'

He lead me to a cheap market and looked me in the eyes.

"Let's get you some gear"