Chapter: 8
Act 7: How It All Started (Filler, sort of)
Sword And Shield Online launched in early December of 2045 with fans crowding every game shop trying to get even a glimpse of a headset. So of course with sails rocketing all around the world, the game became the no.1 best-selling game in the world. People are still trying to get a headset to this day even though it's been a year since it's launch back in December.
You might be wondering how I got my hands on one, right? Well, It's sort of funny story. The story goes like this; I was 20 at the time and I did not differ from how I am now. I wasn't desperate to buy the game. In fact, I hated video games; especially virtual reality games they made me nauseous. But while I was looking for a job at my apartment bulletin board, I saw a flyer for S.S.O that had a man in shining gold armour and long white hair that sat on a gold throne with an evil expression on his face.
The flyer read:
Screw Jobs!
You can become a millionaire just by becoming the no.1 player in the world just like Yǔxuān. How hard could it be?
Little did I know it was incredibly hard, but how blinded I was by how cool and rich Yǔxuān looked. I wanted it all, rich, fame, glory, and muscles. I ripped off the flyer and rushed back up to my apartment.
I stuck the flyer on my fridge with a magnet and rushed to my laptop. I searched for "Where to buy a headset." there were lots of websites and online stores but they were all sold out so you would have to wait until next months restock. Finally, I found a very sketchy website that was littered with ads and everything was in Chinese. I tried translating the website, but the translation was way off so I just left it in Chinese and looked for a picture of a headset.
After a while of searching through the polluted website, I saw a headset. In fact, it was the last one in stock. I clicked on the link but every time I clicked the link it would take me to some weird dating websites!
I tried multiple times until finally I got it to work. It costed 6,434.20 yuan which was equivalent to 1000 US dollars. I put in my card information and all that stuff and finally pressed ship which took me to another weird website so I clicked back and I had to retype everything. I gritted my teeth and typed everything in again, hoping it would work this time, but it didn't. So, I repeated this process over and over for an hour.
Finally, it had worked. I shouted in joy and was ready to earn some cash. But like I said before, it's difficult to become the no.1 hero in S.S.O. and you won't earn cash right away, but I didn't know that at the time and I just wanted to play. I booted up the game for the first time.
[Welcome to Sword And Shield Online]
[I'm Aerial, your personal assistant]
It was a mid-twenties female voice with a slight English accent. Her voice echoed throughout my head.
Bding!
A blue keyboard tab appeared in front of me. I jumped back as it scared the living daylights out of me.
[What is your name? (Use your actual name.)]
I thought it was weird that it was asking for my actual name, but I followed the rules, worried that if I disobeyed them, I would be kicked out of the game.
I typed in my first name.
[Elton is your name?]
(Yes) or (No)
I tapped yes as four holograms formed in front of me.
[Choose a class/race]
1. Human: Balanced stats, good for players who want a balanced layout or are new to MMORPG.
2. Dwarf: Stronger but less stamina, good for players who want more power and don't worry about speed or stamina.
3. Elf: More stamina but physically weaker, good for players who want to play stealthy or be speedy in combat.
4. Imp: More mana but physically weaker, good for players who want a more magical approach.
*Warning! you cannot change class/race.
I thought for a while about the options that were presented to me. I didn't want to choose Humans because that felt too boring for me nor did I want Dwarfs. They are just too short, hairy, and buff for my liking. There were only two options left, Elf and Imp. Imp's just don't seem appealing to me but Elfs, on the other hand. Well, they seem so cool and mysterious; they were not hairy either. They came in many sizes and there long ears, don't even get me started on their long ears. To put it short, elfs are just badass.
I swiped through the holograms back to the elf race and tapped it.
*Warning! are you sure this is the race you want to pick for your journey?
(Yes) Or (No)
I tapped yes as another tab appeared. This tab had a bunch of sliders and a 3d model of my avatar doing a T-pose.
[Customize Appearance]
Now this was the part I loved in video games, even though I despised them. I sort of wanted to make my appearance big and bulky to give off an intimidating look, but I just stuck to how my body actually looked in real life but with a few exceptions of course like a tad taller than I actually was and not as skinny.
*Warning! are you sure this is the appearance you want to pick for your journey?
(Yes) Or (No)
I tapped yes as the blank area around me shifted. The ground became bright green grass, tress rose from the ground, and people and creatures appeared. The game felt so real. Except this wasn't even the game yet. It was just a cutscene.
[Welcome to the world of Anoa. A land where magic and mythical creatures thrive. Here you will embark on many quests, slay many monsters, and make lots of friends. Unless you want to be a Lonewolf of course.]
The cutscene went on showing all the aspects and elements of the game. Near the end of the cutscene it talked about becoming the no.1 player in the world and how the no.1 player becomes the ruler of all of Anoa and people who are willing to challenge you must defeat you for then you will be de-throned and that player that beats you becomes the ruler and gains all the power of Anoa.
That sounded amazing to me. Ruling the world, people wouldn't look down on you, etc.
I was so eager to jump into the game.
"Aerial?" I called out.
[Yes master Elton?]
"Can I play now?"
[Of course]
[Booting up map]
I started to glow.
"What the...?" I said while looking down at my hands.
"Woah!" I was floating now!
"Aerial, what's happening?!"
[You are being transferred into the server from the lobby. Don't worry it's a short and unpainful process.]
My body evaporated into the air and within a blink of an eye I was in the world of Anoa.
I looked down at my body to make sure everything was still intact and then surveyed my surroundings. I was in a little cottage with dirt walls and a straw roof. There was a tiny table and chair in the cottage's corner by the window and a bed behind me. I went outside to see what kind of terrain I was in. It was a forest with very tall trees and a pond with lots of wildlife near it. There was a trail straight ahead that must have led into town.
Bding!
A tab appeared.
[Quest Log Page 1]
Go to town: Incomplete (0/1)
House chores: Incomplete (0/10)
Work out: incomplete (0/50)
Combat practice: incomplete (0/50)
Prepare food: incomplete (0/5)
v
[Swipe down for more quest]
"Why were there so many quest on my first day in the game?" I asked myself as I scrolled through the quest. I swiped the tab away and ran to the path.
"Woah!" I said I was so much faster than I was in real life.
"Aerial, how fast can I run?" I asked.
[You can run up to 45 mph]
"That's faster than than the fastest man" I thought. I leaped into the air in joy and sprinted as fast as I could in to town.
"Woo hoo!" I shouted.
I was actually enjoying a video game for once. As I ran in to town, text appeared at the corner of view.
{Toad Stool Town}
It was a smaller town, definitely not as big as the city where I live in the actual world. It had markets lined up on the left side and the right side of town. I skimmed through all the markets until I got to the blacksmith's shop. Come to think of it, I didn't even have a weapon yet! Most games you start out with weapons so where is mine?
"Aerial, where is my starting weapon?"
[There is no starting weapon. Did you come out of your mother's womb with a weapon?]
I guess that made sense; I was technically just born in this world, so I have to buy one. But come on, does this game have to be so realistic?
I gazed in astonishment at all the cool and interesting weapons, tools, and armour. There was one that really stuck out to me, though. It was a double-sided dagger with a leather grip. As I looked at it some more, a price popped up for it.
[450 coin]
I couldn't afford it of course, so I walked away and looked at other shops. While I was looking at shops, a big hairy man stopped me. I looked up to see his face.
"Ayo!" the man said while waving.
"H-hi..." I said back.
"Dude, you 're the first elf player I have seen in this town," he said.
"really?" I asked while looking around for another elf player.
"Yeah dude, Its totally rad!"
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen any other elf players as well. Why is that?"
"It's because it is the hardest class to play but you must love challenges since you picked it."
"No, I didn't know this. I picked it because elfs are cool." I replied.
"Yeah, they get like twenty quest per day and they aren't even fun quest but on the other hand us other classes get like ten quest per day and they're actually fun." The man said.
"Why is the Elf class the hardest to play?"
"No one knows, I think maybe the Devs. hate Elves."
I panicked and ran back home.
"Hey dude, come back, lets be friends!" the man shouted, but I ignored him.
I wish I could have switched classes, but there was no going back and I had to live with it.
I did the rest of my quests that day and turned off the game when I was done.
"Well, this is going to take me a long time to become the no.1 player." I said to myself as I lied down on my bed.
"This sucks"