The real beginning

Gustavo was sitting on the kitchen counter. In his hand, was an empty glass. Before it was full. He drank the whole bottle. From Whiskey.

— Why am I so bad at playing?

He was very frustrated. He played Beta as a swordsman and all he got was dozens of defeats, having his monsters stolen and being murdered by a guy hiding in a tree.

The 15 days of the Beta Test, which were used to evaluate the general functioning of the servers and mechanics, did nothing for him except to lower his self-esteem.

— Sir, Miss Silv is calling. Should I decline the call? — Julius is one of the most advanced AI in the world, having a system that detects people's emotions. Even more so when these people wear watches with the ability to monitor vital signs in real-time.

— No. I'll talk to her. — Gustavo replied with a sigh. He wasn't drunk. He could drink more than 5 bottles without getting drunk. It was a characteristic of humans. Especially after the events of the Third World War. An insane resistance to foreign bodies. Even getting sick was rarer. Although if one of the simplest diseases were to go back to ancient times, it could wipe out more than half of the pre-war world population before they find a cure.

After straightening his clothes and hairstyle, he accepted the call. — Hi Silv, how are you?

— Hi Gus... Were you drinking?! — Seeing the bottle on the table, Sara Silvana, Gustavo's long-time friend, exclaimed. —You know you shouldn't drink too much. Remember Nova Brasilia?

— Yes, and I wish I had forgotten. — Gustavo replied and quickly got rid of the bottle. — Are you going to remind me of that every time I drink?

— Of course, yes. You appeared in the newspapers of every human settlement. They even made a statue for you on Mars. — Silver, as Gustavo usually calls her, is one of his closest friends. When he was still just a teenager trying to make a living, they met.

— Why did you call me? — Gustavo didn't want to talk about that subject. It would be a shadow that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

— You're quick to change the subject. But anyway, tomorrow Reverie will be released, the top game of the moment. I know you're going to play so I came to invite you. Since you're a thinker, maybe it's nice to have you as a team mage? — Sara was being honest with what she said. It is common knowledge that scholars do best in magical classes.

— I do not know. Maybe I should give up being a professional player. I haven't achieved anything in these ten years.

— That doesn't look like you. Where's your excitement? It doesn't matter if it went wrong before. What happened, happened. You cannot go back in time and change. You've only been in this market for ten years. How many spend more than a century to come out of mediocrity? — Silv knows Gustavo's personality well. He doesn't usually give up so easily. Whatever happened, it must have been very serious. — Looking like a dead fish will change anything? And then, if you don't play, I'll tell Iago and he'll give you hell for years to come.

— Oh, worse than counts. — Gustavo perked up a little. Although Sara had delivered this unnecessary funeral speech with an expression worthy of an Oscar, he improved. She's always been that dramatic. And that was something he liked. Sometimes it was good for him. — Okay. Tomorrow I start playing. Your Hollywood speech inspired me.

—So, you talk — Silv said with a thumbs-up. —So, tell me how your first day was and pass your Nick as soon as you log out.

After they talked for a few more minutes about some VR pod-related matters, Silv hung up.

Gustavo was sitting on the living room sofa remembering BETA. He knew he was bad at swordsmanship, so he decided to take Sara's advice and become a Mage. The question is, is he bad at swordsmanship or is he bad at playing?

He wouldn't know until he started playing.

The next day, he woke up later than usual. He drank his coffee normally. He followed his routine. He was nervous. The beating he took from all those players stuck in his mind. A swordsman whose blade moved like a whip. An archer who didn't miss an arrow. A killer who disappeared from view. He was nervous that he was simply the worst player, even though he dreamed of becoming the best.

He was so lost in his thoughts that when he realized it, it was time to play the game.

—Very good. Start connection.

As soon as he spoke, he felt his mind slipping, as if asleep. Less than 1 second later, he opened his eyes. Where he looked, only white. His body was white and gave off a blue aura, so you could see the outline.

—Hi. Welcome to Reverie, I'm Tori, your guide. — Behind Gustavo's avatar, an angel appeared with 6 pairs of wings. His wavy brown hair and light eyes gave off a divine feel and accentuated his beauty. — My job is to show the way for your immortal soul to generate a physical body. For this, please choose a class.

In front of the avatar, 3 transparent blue screens appeared, each with a class.

Combatant: Monk, Swordsman, Berserker, Warrior.

Mage: Elementary, Sorcerer, Healer, Summoner.

Rogue: Archer, Ranger, Assassin, Hunter.

In doubt about which class to choose, Gustavo decided to look at a summary of each class.

A new blue screen appeared on this one, the video options were showing a summary about the Classes.

Combatants are generally masters of melee, choosing to face their enemies head-on. It has specialized Force bodies with Neutral agility. Mages are those who seek the path of wisdom, choosing to strike their enemies from secure positions with powerful spells. They have inherently slower bodies but a larger mana pool.

Rogues are focused on speed. Precise attacks at short, medium, and long-range. For any mission that needs description, they are the best.

— It is different. — Gustavo realized that it was not like in the BETA Version. When he played it, he simply chose an outfit and he went along with it. The system determined which class it would be by the choice of weapons. Already there was a well-defined class system, where he should choose a class.

— Anyway, I'll choose Mage. I feel like I won't do well as a Combatant or Rogue.

SYSTEM: Do you want to confirm the Mage class?

A blue screen appeared asking for confirmation with one button for yes and one for no. Of course, as he decided, he pressed yes.

SYSTEM: Choose your specialization.

Elementary: Offensive type. They are masters of destruction. Your spells at their peak can wipe out armies all by themselves.

Sorcerer: Support type. His spells can turn the strongest of beings into sheep for slaughter.

Healer: Support type. Your best friend in battle. The most skilled keep him from crossing the gates of death. The less skilled can bring him back.

Summoner: Neutral Type. With His invocations, there is nothing you cannot do. At their peak, they are armies only for themselves.

— What vague descriptions. — Gustavo was shocked. It was as if whoever defined them was too lazy to detail the classes. — Choose summoner.

SYSTEM: Do you want to confirm the Summoning Specialized Mage Class?

As soon as the blue screen with Yes and No options, he confirmed.

Immediately afterward, Tori spoke:

— Congratulations on choosing your class. Now, before sending him on his adventure, choose his appearance.

This time a version of himself with open arms appeared. The clothing he wore was reminiscent of the traditional peasant clothes of ancient Europe.

SYSTEM: You can select its appearance as your own or modify it to your liking.

Again, a blue she appeared. Now he had the option to change the look of his body.

Gustavo changed it to have 15% similarity with himself. He also changed his hair color from white to black and his eyes also got darker.

SYSTEM: Want to confirm your appearance?

Gustavo, as he liked his selection, confirmed.

— Very good. Finally, what will your nickname be?

On second thought, he chose to use the Name that had always accompanied him.

— My name will be Bloody Wolf.

—Good name. Anyway, as it is your first time going through the path of souls, I will give you the chance to choose the place where you will start.

When the angel finished speaking, a map with the ten initial kingdoms and the three empires appeared.

As he had played the Beta Version in the White Night Empire and had not had a pleasant experience, Gustavo selected the Star Dragon Realm.

SYSTEM: Select your starting main city.

There were more than 15 major cities apart from the capital. Gustavo ended up choosing a city that is close to the mountain ranges.

— Since you've already decided where to start, this is where we say goodbye. I wish you good luck on your journey. I am the guide of souls. So, I hope I don't see you again anytime soon. May the winds of luck guide you.

A light appeared from behind Tori and blinded Gustavo. When he could see again, he realized he was in a village.

Sighing, Gustavo said: — I agree with you. May luck be on my side.