ALPHA TESTERS LOGIN

5mins to ALPHA TESTERS LOGIN...

FRANCO'S POV

Calling myself nervous and excited would be an understatement. Various questions buzzed in my head. What would it be like? Was it worth it? Was choosing the given name the best?

I could only ponder over this while simultaneously echoing the name in my head. A name that was whispered to me by the Game manager after the meet. The twinkle in his eye as he walked away spoke of excitement.

(00:00:03:34)

I honestly thought about a lot more than just it though. I went through possible builds for whatever character I could create. Figuring it out earlier could give me an advantage in getting things and decisions done.

I was a large guy already. Broad shoulders, muscular. The occasional gym visits kept me fit but not overly muscled like a wall of steel.

'Leveraging my size and weight could be good. Especially if their full-dive turns out to be true.' I thought. It would be useless going for a different body shape or size in a game that was said to cut close to realistic.

Why it might be possible I felt it might be best to work with something closer or familiar than with a whole new body build I wouldn't be familiar with.

(00:00:00:54)

(00:00:00:25)

I exhaled and waited. The feel of the liquid gel wrapped around me was cold and comforting. Like a skilled subtle massage. My mind went to the nutrient pipes connected to me and the helmet on my head.

(00:00:00:05)

"Here we go".

(00:00:00:00)

Words drowned into my sight as the game slowly whirled to a start.

[The concept of strength relies on the laws of the Victor and the Vanquished - Which are you?]

It felt like my senses dulled. I lost the feeling in my body almost like they weren't there. It was like a frightening form of sleep paralysis. Knowing your body was there but unable to control it.

[Welcome Player to Creator Online]

Were these words in my head? It was confusing and creepy. It felt like I could hear, see and almost know it in my head. All at once.

[We hope you enjoy influencing the strings of fate]

Darkness.

The darkness just as quickly as it came pushed away from my sight as I found myself standing on a large white floor. Naked as the day I was born. The floor was a very bright white. Not white in the color sense but more in the light of white sense. Luminous.

The floor I stood on hovered in an empty space of black. There was nothing in all directions. Just me, my white floor, and darkness in all directions.

I noted something else though. Other players, standing on equally white floors floated a good distance away from me. Far enough to get a blob of their floor lights but near enough to know they were there.

I zoned in on myself. I could feel my body, yet at the same time, there was a blurry disconnect. Like I wasn't there. Trying to make a fist, I watched as my palms curled.

"It feels, weird. Almost forced".

[Welcome player]

The voice spoke all around me. It sounded effeminate. Neither male nor female.

[Please choose your universe]

[Choice is permanent and cannot be revoked]

I creased my forehead at this. A permanent choice. So that was what Sir Jameson meant. Wherever we chose would be our final destination. Whether it appealed to us or not.

It felt wrong and unappealing. But in a way I understood. Having players pick only the best stream regions to head to would have been bad.

Still, it bothered me as I realized that if each of the creator players had been scattered so much then they must have quite a huge terrain around them.

'Must be a huge world'

My roaming eyes all this while focused only to realize that different words were floating about in a circle around me.

" Are these location names or bases or starter worlds? " I was unsure. This game devs weren't kidding about going in blind.

"Hellos, The Wheels, Elysium, Asgard, okay that's cool. Torpo..torpoka.. ahh, I can't pronounce that. " I paused looking through the names. Sliding I watched the names spin like a ring with the other options floating and entering my view.

Any I set eyes on glowed up with white light and dulled when I looked away.

"What did he call it". My gaze flicked back and forth and my hand moved as I waved the words fast but slow enough to see all the names clearly.

There were eye-catching names too. Ones like Illutras, Hermopha, and even one called Caelaari. Yet I simply moved on until I found it.

[STAR RINGS]

The words glowed white as I stared at them. Yet various things pricked at my mind.

'Why tell me one of these names?.' I looked around watching players turn into sparks and dissipate.

'Why tell me this?' Was he trying to prank players and send them to a heinous location? Or was this a punishment meant for players who must have taken contracts from big companies? I had no such contract though. If he claimed to know or didn't know then this is unlikely to be some sort of trap.' I sighed as j focused on the name.

In the end, I knew nothing. Just like the game manager had said.

I said the name and nothing happened. I frowned starting at it still lit up like a bulb. Raising my hand I tried touching it only to have my palm pass right through. The words moved like liquid around my grasp before reforming in place once it was through. Another frown.

'What's this? An error?'.

I sighed. My first error in the game?

As I pondered how to report this I paused.

" Having an error at the starting point is unlikely. This is basically the bridge so there must be a way to connect. " looking around I watched as more players disappeared. Troubled I looked back to the words.

"Is it from the word? " Contemplating testing another word I paused not wanting to accidentally enter another place.

"Wait, mental. How dumb of me" I remembered the words spoken in my head before. Figuring it had merit I slowly focused on the name and tried imagining a palm prodding it. At first, I got nothing making me almost sigh. Attempting again I prodded harder.

[STAR RING SELECTED - WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BORN IN THIS UNIVERSE]

"Universe. Wait, what?" my eyes blinked at the thought.

"Wait, wouldn't that mean? Ah, shite. That meant..." I pulled my prodding away and watched the prompt fizzle off. The other words that had faded away when the prompt appeared made their presence known. My eyes roamed over all the dull illustrious words.

"Universes. All of them. " I bent my head with a frown. " None of the trailers ever showed two creator players in one spot. Neither did their streams. And it was never mentioned. " I looked around even more.

"I bet there are one hundred universes. Damn. The game went all out. But wouldn't that be much? Like a hundred different worlds or more. " shaking my head I looked up to note that there were fewer players around.

"Let's just head in". Bringing up the prompt once more for entering the star ring I mentally affirmed since there was no option of yes or no given. Luckily it worked.

[DIVINE ORB]

[DAEMON CORE]

The new prompt asking me to pick gave me a pause to think. I might have thought about it but seeing even more players had me just grabbing the divine orb.

The prompt vanished and I felt the little sense I had of myself fade once more. This time though I had the view of both me and the floor breaking into little pieces of white light and dissipating.

*****

Heavy.

The first thing that came to mind.

Like a weight. Tremendous and unmoving. Pressed unto me. Keeping me, down. attempting to squish me. I tried grasping around to feel or see or know.

'Was this a bug?'

[You are in Star Ring]

The prompt was less visual and more mental, like a voice in my head. A female's voice. Soft and alluring.

I could feel a plethora of waves smoldering me. It was hot, yet cold. I felt myself pulsing, like a beat. Flooded with something that seemed to swell me up within.

[Divine Token Activated]

'Divine.' How was it divine? What did this mean? Confusion and uncertainties rose in me. This was way unexpected. 'Was I a god now or something?' I didn't get it.

The female informing me sounded excited yet hesitant like she couldn't wait for something but was unsure of it. I was more certain of this thought when she spoke again with the same eagerness yet still a bit of hesitancy.

[Divine Orb Generating]

I felt something heavy in me. Like a barbell pressed on my chest when my arms locked and there was no immediate assistance.

[Divine Orb Generated - Might]

Then it vanished the weight dispersing and spreading off. It was still there. Just less centralized. But I could still feel something there. Like a bit of displacement in my heart.

[You can now pick a name]

[You can now design your avatar]

[Please refrain from straying too far from your original body parameters]

There was no voice this time. Just the words glowing before me. I couldn't see anything yet. But somehow I could see them. Weird. I thought of my character and three lines appeared this time.

[DESIGN CHARACTER]

[SYNC CHARACTER]

[FORGE NEW CHARACTER]

Then came the info dump. Design character would be tweaking a new body out of my old one as I wished. Sync character would create an avatar from the specifications of my original body. Every inch and part without an option to change it at the moment. Forge, well. I couldn't become a female but if I wished I could create an entirely new me here.

I knew the downsides even before the info dump alerted me. Or was it already there? Weird.

The design character was good since the changes would affect my body calibration and proficiency in this new place by much. Forge would just be making myself a newborn in a world I was certain would be hell. The best was the sync character. At least I would have my real strength to give me an edge.

Confirming for sync character I waited. My senses seemed to fill out. Or was it my body? Like I went from two-dimensional to three-dimensional and got weight and depth.

Interesting.

Then I felt the heaviness intensify, only this time I noted it as something pressed on me. Wrapped like a bind around my torso.

Suffocating.

My arms stretched out. I felt a hard and rough material around my skin. Coarse. I strained and pushed, glad for my synced body. I doubted a forged body would have helped with the strength needed.

A creaking sound first occurred. Then a crack-like sight appeared right before me light spilling into wherever I was. It gave me the sense I was buried underground. Fortunately, I wasn't claustrophobic. Yet it didn't mean I enjoyed being buried alive. I fought hard pushing and making wag to the light.

Light means freedom right?

'Weird way to start a game. Wonder if it has something to do with the storyline.'

It took a few minutes but I did it. I was out. Coughing up what I assumed was sand I took in huge gulps of air while mentally relaxing and stretching myself.

After a solid thirty seconds of taking in deep breaths because I just escaped a goddamned grave, atleast I thought that's what it was. I opened my eyes and looked around.

" Holy Zeus".