Ingrain
The unique feature of the latest RPG game produced by Orion, The Reign of Aegis, is the stimulus-response capability of their headgear. Whatever the program dictates, the brain recognizes it as a stimulus and thus acted upon it as if it has really happened in the body's vicinity.
"Damn it, this is so hot," Markus mumbled as he hid himself into a pile of hardened lava walls. He can feel the heat seeping to his flesh, drying his sweat glands, and making his breath tight. "I wish they fully turned on the Aircon in the Atrium."
This time, the field is a disastrous hell.
He scanned the area and saw Magma and lava flowing across the field. No luxurious canopy or serene sky nor a playful wide field. Just a plain ash-covered area with a steep slope under a crimson smoky sky and enemies are hunting each other.
"This..." the kid muttered. "This is a single dungeon?!" he peeked his head to see his area and found men lurking across his sight and looked around. He kept himself downwind.
"Okay, Minz..." he called the holo again. "Where am I? and what the hell is this place?! It's freaking hot!!"
"Hai." the bunny replied. "This is Acheron. Hell in the dooms area in the ROA arena. This place is very high on temperature because of the stimulus generated by the headgear and was sent to your brains to experience the effects in 4D."
"4D, huh?!! Are you kidding me?" Markus shut his own mouth when he felt a movement behind him. When he raised his head, he saw a geyser that is about to blow. "Oh, Crap..." he muttered and crawled away from the place.
He took refuge under a rock where cold water was flowing from underneath.
"Whoa..." he sighed. "At least, there are places like this." he swiped his hand in the air and a map showed in front of him. "First round was on the ragged building
He found himself in the northeast part of the area where 5 participants are nearing him on the map.
"I really appreciate these kinds of updates, Minz." Markus whispered and waited for an opportunity to strike.
He activated stealth and ran past through them. "Phew, that was close. I'm not fully equipped yet so fighting against the 5 of them would be fatal." He quickly hid behind a totem pole and sat on the fiery ground.
"Now let's see..." he viewed his specs and muttered, "Guess having a robe in here would be dangerous so I better change into ninja skin." he clicked the ninja icon and Arcane Phantom immediately turned in a ninja suit. "This is better." he clicked a few more icons to activate and enhance his equipment.
"I better be ready. At this rate, if anyone summoned the Aegis out of nowhere, this could become a riot. This could become a battle royale." he stared at his map and thought of a plan. He slowly moved forward, avoiding the other enemies. "I mean, these guys here are pretty good in gaming and have conquered more dungeons than I am. Not to mention, this hell is a maze. I could get lost and die if I ever chose the wrong way."
He saw players who have been eaten by spiders (truck-big ones), electrocuted by eels under the loose floor, toasted by passing fire throwers, and many other traps that were set by the game masters.
A few bangs have echoed the whole arena, notifying certain deaths.
"Though the goal is the same, this thing is getting harder and harder. Loot to strengthen your specs; fight to gain the upper hand; go get the Aegis or even steal it and defeat the enemies as you went deeper in the maze. The highest looter will be the winner. Stay, not Die or your game is over." he muttered while swinging his swords across the hallway.
"I don't need to be the number one, I just have to make it to the top ten or just reach that place so I can ingrain PA... I guess my program won't be able to beat the upgraded programs made by those damn adult programmers... I just have to do what I have to try." Arcane Phantom mumbled to himself and hid from a huge pile of rocks." This is getting exciting. "
He turned to the left and crawled under hardened lava creating a small cave connecting the side where he is from the other.
"This is it!" AP whispered and left a cube next to the maze wall. "The game starts now." he stood in the middle of the walls and pulled the dagger out from the shadows. He gathered his mana on his weapon and the air around him tremble in fright and turned cold.
"Phantom, STRIKE!" he chanted and dropped the knife on the ground, piercing it. The treasures, loots, equipment, and mana of the ones near him were taken and he immediately leveled up. His victims immediately lost the game.
Bangs sounded the area.
"That was fast," AP mumbled. "This thing had never disappointed me..." he laughed while running to places where he can get more loots and hid from his enemies.
People around him are having their hard time fighting against the other players and avoiding the traps.
He can hear them mocking, taunting, trash-talking one another as they fight to loot and try to summon the Aegis. Their excitement was fueled by the heat of the surrounding area.
Apart from the people he passed by, there are also players that went heads away from them, from him. The leader boards are flashed at the sky of volcano Island. The top players have not changed since the game began.
Aegis was captured! An announcement sounded in the whole area and the crowd cheered with delight and awe.
He didn't mind their commotion, he continued his strategy until the near end of the game. When the time was almost up, about 21 seconds left he said,
"It's time...." He clicked something on the open black tab he had on his monitor and activated the bin files of his Algorithm in the real world.
The program ran and displayed a checkmark. He smiled.
The Finals ended. The winners were announced and luckily, it was the top five scorers who will receive the award and he was one of them.
"Fifth place from ZONE 6, no other than, Konozawa Kana! Congratulations my lady,,," the announcer said. "Come on here on stage, my lady..." she went to get her trophy and the envelope. "that was a wonderful performance out there. You tricked those people around you to give their loots and used the 12-2-6 strategy! What a tricky woman you are! Not to mention you've gone away from your teammates and led an army of your own from the other ZONES."
"Hai.." she replied. Her curls bounced on her shoulders and her Asian eyes smiled in delight. "I already said to my teammates that I will be fighting alone, thus I won Alone. I don't need to cooperate. I want to lead my own rules."
"That was great!" The crowd applauded her.
"So she had pulled things up at the last minute, huh... I thought she will give up after they prohibit her cell phone-like devices inside the game area,, lucky..." Markus said to himself. "Oh, I will be the next..." he muttered.
"The next placer, the fourth among the 13 contestants remaining... the youngest... though I can't believe how he did it. Please all welcome from ZONE 11, the first kid who stood in the Finals and got the chance to play with our Pros, Markus Lockwood!!"
Markus went to the stage to get his prize and trophy. The audience is looking at him in mixed emotions, awe, doubt, excitement, but more of doubt.
"How did that kid make it?" others murmured, echoing the whole stadium.
He can hear their whispers on stage but that didn't stop him from smiling and raising his trophy. He went down the stage and the other placers were waiting for him there saying,
"Well done kid..." one of the men wearing a black shirt with a checkmark on the left breast said to him. His hair is a mess and his eyes were filled with dread.
"Smart kid... you will reach higher than this..." the other man wearing eyeglasses said in agreement. "If only we're not here to play, that's it."
"I wonder, but... I don't know... probably..." the youngest one added but he rolled his eyes.
The top three placers of the contest were programmers from ORION.
ZONE 1 has gotten all the remaining awards and recognitions.
"No wonder they were able to win the top three spots, not to mention the top one summoned the Aegis. But that teenage kid is something awesome.. he was able to beat the older ones, huh..." he turned away and hurried home.
He ran to his room and immediately opened his computer checking what his program is doing at the moment. As he opened the black tab, it popped up,
13%
"Wooh, that was fast...I didn't expect it would be this easy. Anyway, let me speed it up..." he sat on his chair, grabbed a mouthful of choco bars he bought on the way, and hit multiple keys. "I will definitely have that copy tonight!" he mumbled with his mouth full. "This is exciting!"