Arrival
"I have legs!"
"I mean, I can now move them!" (and for some reason I was also wearing a Shrine Priest's Equipment but don't mind that)
It felt very natural that I only figured it out this late. I stood up subconsciously. It's a way better feeling than the one I've had at Immerse Tech. If previously I had to think "left step, right step" to walk, now I could do it subconsciously! 'Hail Existence!' I'm going to devote myself for granting my wish. I never thought of a time that I would be able to walk again.
Thank you Existence! Thank you! If you ever encounter legal problems, just tell me and I'd gladly do it for free, I'm not the best at the field but I'm one of the better ones!
I spent the next minutes thanking various Gods and promising to render assistance to Existence and its development team while kneeling and kissing the ground.
Luckily, no other players were around. If there were any witnesses, my dignity and reputation will surely take a big hit. Not that I mind though, I never regret prostrating and will do it again if given the chance but I'm still glad no one saw that.
Now that I finally calmed down, I noticed that few things were strange.
"How could this be possible?" I muttered out loud.
First of all, [Aeulheim] is a keyboard and mouse game, not a virtual one. Could this be a new technology and I was dragged into a part of a 'public beta testing'? Is this the 'thank you gift' mentioned earlier?
Next, There might be some new technology involved but this brings me to the next question, what was the new technology? Or atleast what was the medium? I didn't install any new hardwares to my computer. A new technology that could pull a person's consciousness just by using a software? That sounds as absurd as magic.
Also, why me? Are all players dragged into this mess? I guess I need to gather more information on this. If other players are around, then maybe we could think of something together.
Maybe I was an AI to begin with? Shit, where was that thought heading for? What the hell am I thinking, I really need to stay away from anything sci-fi next time.
Keeping that aside, I might not be very good but at the very least, I know how important it is to show gratitude. I might just be an experiment on their part but they've given me my dream.
"I must personally visit them. Should I cook for them? But my cooking is only so-so. I guess I'll order pizza, nobody dislikes pizza" satisfied with my decision, I decided to log out.
I know my conditions couldn't get any more worse but taking precautions is always good. Who knows what damage this could probably do to my body. While I'm there, I could also take the opportunity to ask about my limitations when playing the game. Two birds with one stone!
I planned to bring up the settings panel but there were no buttons to click. I thought for a while and treated it as a virtual reality game. I spoke:
"Settings"
Ding!
Along with the notification sound, a translucent panel quickly entered my vision just like as it was in the game. Once again I was amazed by the new technology.
[Settings:
Display
Controls
Contact GM
Help
Log Out
Close Window]
The text referring to [Controls] were dimmed. I thought about clicking on it when a message window popped out.
Ding!
[These settings are not available for the current version of the game]
Knew It. After all, there are no buttons to press so the controls are useless now that the game has gone virtual. Still, I felt relief. I'm glad that the [Log Out] button is not dimmed out this means I can log out anytime, the GM can also be contacted.
"I didn't press it with my fingers but the message popped out. Intent could also be used to issue commands, cool."
Hesitation took over me as I stared hard at the Log Out button. I'm not experimenting if 'staring hard' at it will cause me to be logged out but the gamer in me seemed to whisper that it doesn't want to log out yet.
Like a devil enticing me using its sweet tongue, The gamer in me said "Don't worry, you can log out anytime. We've only just arrived and now you want to quit? Come on, let's play a little bit more. Explore the game, test the rules. It's not just the old Aeulheim, there are new contents in line with the update. Don't you want to find them out? The level cap has been raised, you can grind levels again. Aren't you excited to learn new skills? There's the new [Uniqueness] System too. Most importantly, the map has been expanded and new locations were added, don't you want to travel with those new legs of yours?"
The last sentence broke the hesitation and my internal dilemma has finally been cleared. "I'll stay for a few minutes and check things out. On second thought, I believe the development team would gladly appreciate it if I give some feedback. I'll do some tests, some of them are going to be lengthy so I might extend for a few hours" I nodded to myself "It's certainly not because being a game addict took over me, I'm doing this for the development team. They drank thousands of coffees for this, It's only right I give them some insightful feedback."
With that, I started with the top of the list. I thought of 'Display' and after hearing a notification sound, a new window appeared above the settings window.
[Display Settings:
Heads-Up Display (HUD)
Party Display
Skill List Display
Minimap
Inventory Side Bar
General Display Settings
Close Window]
"Heads-Up Display" I really don't have to say it but nobody's looking anyway, so why not?
[ Heads-Up Display
∆ Character name
∆ Class
∆ Sub-Class/Profession
∆ Level
∆ Gender
∆ Health Gauge
∆ Mana Gauge
∆ Status Effects
∆ System Date and Time
∆ Experience Bar
Close Window]
All options are turned off, "So that's why my vision was unobstructed". I quickly enabled all options and saved the changes made. I closed all the windows and found new information at the upper left of my screen.
[Blake
Lv. 1 Shrine Priest
Health: 100
Mana: 70
Exp: 0%
Time: 8:42 A.M.
Date: December 23, 763 A.A.]
The date seems to be game-based. If I recall correctly, it takes 6 realtime hours to complete a day in game. A 1-to-4 time dilation! Existence started late but they're way ahead of the competition, existing games only feature 1-to-2 or 1-to-2.5 at most.
I can't wait to explore all of [Aeulheim]!
"Settings"
[Settings:
Display
Controls
Contact GM
Help
Log Out
Close Window]
Although this is just considered an update, a major rework was obviously implemented. It wouldn't hurt to learn the basics.
"Help"
[This Function has been Disabled and is currently Unavailable]
A bug? I tried using [Help] again but response didn't change. I even pressed the button manually but the response was still the same. This bug needs to be reported to the Moderators.
"Contact GM"
[This Function has been Disabled and is currently Unavailable]
Huh? Another bug? I tested it again a few times more. The result was:
[This Function has been Disabled and is currently Unavailable]
[This Function has been Disabled and is currently Unavailable]
[This Function has been Disabled and is currently Unavailable]
Cold sweat soon started to accumulate at the back of my neck. The weather was warm but all I felt was a chillness that penetrated my bones.
"No, no, no, Please"
My eyes were stuck at the only button that I haven't pressed yet.
*Gulp*
"Lo-- Log Out!"
I shut my eyes as soon as the words left my mouth. I slowly opened my eyes only to find a new window on top of the previous one.
[Are you sure you want to log out?
'Yes' or 'No' ]
Shit! This is building too much tension! My palms are already wet from all of these suspense. I slowly guided my index finger over the 'Yes' button.
After what seemed like a few minutes, I calmed down and adjusted my breathing. I pressed the button as I prepared for the worst.
Ding!
[This Function has been Disabled and is currently Unavailable]
...
...
...
"F*ck!"