Stage 9: Into A Whole New World

After ending the call with his cousin, Lixin placed his phone on a nearby bureau before heading toward his pod. Once he was in front of it, he ran his hand along its cold metal plating, smirking as he remembered his cousin's words.

This was going to be a momentous occasion all right — but not just in the way, Zeyu thought. The moment would mark the start of his path to revenge.

A sinister smile made its way across his face, as he fantasized about the horrified expressions that would no doubt appear when those people discovered it was he who caused their downfall. Excitement surged through him and he could barely contain himself in anticipation of the journey that lay ahead.

He reached forward and pressed the green button on the side of the egg-shaped construct. The machine came to life with a series of beeps and boops before it opened up, like a flower blossoming as springtime arrived.

Once the hatch was opened, he stepped inside and put on the silver-hued body suit that was attached to various wires within the pod.

The suit snugly covered every inch of his body, but he found it amazingly comfortable. It was lightweight, but the elastic yet soft fabric used in its construction was hard to discern.

For all he knew, it could be space fabric. It certainly felt out of this world.

Huffing at the stupid thought, he double-checked to ensure the bodysuit was straight. Once he was sure it was right, he spoke the command the worker gave him.

"Close!"

Lights flickered inside the pod at his words, and the hatch began to close. As it did, a touch of nervousness hit him.

Doubts swirled around his head. For instance, whether or not he would be able to adapt to virtual reality or if he would even be good at playing the game, and if he was, would he be able to use his cooking skills to destroy Solar and her mother?

However, when he recalled what they had done, his determination for vengeance overcame any doubts.

~

Lixin was grateful that he wasn't claustrophobic. Because if he was, he would be having a full-blown panic attack by now. Taking a deep breath to calm his mind, he waited until the pod was fully closed before saying the second command.

"Power up!"

As the machine rumbled to life, it caused the inside of the pod to take on a bluish hue. Remembering what the worker said, Lixin waited for the pod to signal him before doing anything else.

[SYSTEM]: Dream XRPRO will finish calibrating in 10...9...8... 7...6...5...4...3...2...1. You may enter virtual reality now.]

Lixin was slightly startled by the mechanical voice. When the worker said the pod would signal him, he definitely wasn't expecting that.

'I shouldn't be surprised. I have experienced crazier things,' Lixin chuckled, as he gave the last command. "Start!"

~

As someone who had never played a virtual reality game before in his life, Lixin didn't know what to expect when he said the command. He thought that perhaps he would be transported directly into the game or something.

But never in his wildest imagination did he think he would experience something as crazy as this. It was like he was being pulled into a black hole. But instead of darkness, there were psychedelic lights everywhere. Lixin could only close his eyes and hope that it would end soon.

He didn't know how long it lasted, but soon there was a bright flash of light that even bypassed the darkness of his tightly closed eyelids. As soon as the light dimmed, Lixin blinked his eyes open to see the wormhole spit him out into empty white space.

Looking around the white space in awe, Lixin wondered where he was. 'Is this Virtual Reality?'

As if to answer his question, a sparkling indigo orb materialized right next to him and spoke in a mechanical voice.

[SYSTEM]: Hello user, and thank you for choosing PLight's brand new VR pod the Dream XRPRO.]

"You're welcome," Lixin replied, surprised by the sudden appearance of the glimmering blue orb. Taking a small step back, he stared at the orb curiously. He never saw anything like it in reality.

[SYSTEM]: Welcome to the Neothera Sphere or, as the users call it 'the in-between area' before you launch a game.]

"I see. And how can I launch the game?" Lixin asked while glancing around at the blank white space around him. 'No wonder other players call it the 'in-between area'; it looks like purgatory.'

[SYSTEM]: Sorry, but you can't launch any game yet.]

Confused, Lixin turned back to the floating orb and asked, "Why can't I?"

[SYSTEM]: After doing a thorough scan of your brain and nervous system, this system realized they were still in their pure state, meaning you had never used VR before. Since that is the case, this system knows that your virtual self must feel heavy as if it were moving underwater.]

Now that the system had mentioned it, Lixin realized what the system had said was true. His body felt sluggish. It was as though he was wearing weighted clothes.

He guessed he hadn't noticed it before because he was too focused on the freaking floating orb. Who wouldn't? It was a strange sight.

[SYSTEM]: To get rid of that feeling, you will need to acclimate your body to the pod. To do that, you will need to go through the training tutorial.]

"A training tutorial?" Lixin asked bewildered. The white space was a void of nothingness. What type of training could he receive here? However, before he could ask, the system started to speak.

[SYSTEM]: Yes, you will be participating in a mandatory training session. The training tutorial will involve a series of instructions that should help your body acclimate to your pod, as well as to your chosen game.]

"I understand the purpose of a training tutorial, I'm just confused as to how it will take place here," Lixin said.

Although he didn't have much gaming knowledge, he did know that most tutorials helped players get a grasp of the environment they were in. So they could understand what they could and couldn't do. But how would he learn to do that in this empty white space?

However, his confusion didn't last long. Instead of explaining it to him, the glowing blue orb let out a burst of light, and the white space changed into a boggy meadow.

"Wow," Lixin blurted out in amazement. He was completely stunned by the sight before him.

One moment he was in an empty white space and the next he was transported outside to an idyllic meadow filled with flowers. It was like magic.

Was this the power of virtual reality? If that were the case, then Lixin could understand why people enjoyed it so much.

Who wouldn't want the ability to travel to new and unexplored places without leaving the comfort of their room?

Wonder shone in his eyes as he stared at the gorgeous scenery before him. He couldn't believe how real everything appeared to be. It was mind-boggling.

He actually felt the wind as it blew lightly against his skin, and he could smell the delightful aroma of the surrounding flowers.

Curiosity surged through him. Would the flowers feel as real as they smelled? However, before he could give in to the urge to bend down and pluck one, the system spoke.

[SYSTEM]: Here is where your training tutorial will take place. The training tasks will appear overhead in a blue box. A task will only be replaced with an updated one when it is completed. Would you like to begin?]

"Yes, I would like to begin training now," Lixin replied. It would be interesting to see what kind of tutorial this place would offer him.

[SYSTEM]: Training will commence in 3...2...1!]

As soon as the countdown ended, the glowing blue orb disappeared and Lixin was alone in the boggy meadow.

While anxiously waiting for the first task box to pop up, he hoped that he wouldn't have to do anything too difficult.

Although he doubted that the tutorial would make him do something as taxing as fighting some sort of boss monster. However, the system said that this was to help get his body acclimated to VR, so some sort of battle simulation might not be out of the question.

'Well, as long as it's not some kind of bug-like creature, I think I can handle it,' Lixin thought, just as a semi-transparent blue box with words on it popped up in front of him.

As he read his first task, Lixin almost laughed. It seemed that he was overthinking things.

[Task1: Please follow the arrows while walking!]

After glancing down at the large yellow arrows that appeared on the ground, Lixin followed them. They led him all around the meadow, and only when he was near where he had started, did the task change to an entirely different one.

[Task 2: Please follow the arrows while jogging!]

The tasks continued like this for quite some time. Lixin had to run, jump, carry, grab, and do tons of other stuff before the training tutorial was considered complete.

'And here I thought that the tutorial would have me fighting in a bloody battle. How wrong I was,' he thought to himself.

But as he stared down at the crystal clear water of the pond in the middle of the boggy meadow, he realized something. His body felt different from how it previously did. The heaviness was lifted.

'I guess those exercises really did work,' he mused, walking back to where his training first began.

As he did so, the terrain began to fade away. It only took a few moments before it completely disappeared and then he was back in the Neothera, with the system hovering next to him once again.

[SYSTEM]: Your training has been completed! You can now choose the game you want to play.]

As soon as the system said those words, multiple semi-transparent screens popped up around him. Lixin couldn't help but be amazed at how many there were. From what he could tell, over 20 different games were circling him.

All of them, however, were grayed out except one. So it was easy for Lixin to find the one he was looking for. Moving his hand toward the only colorful screen he pressed select.

[SYSTEM]: Are you sure you wish to play Watashinojinsei-dan Online? Yes or No?]

Lixin's breath caught in his throat as he started to reply. A tinge of anxiety ran through him. This is how it began. He could finally get his revenge, and if everything turns out right, his redemption as well.

But was he confident he could do so?

Determination glinted in his eyes as he said, "Yes."

[SYSTEM]: You have chosen Watashinojinsei-dan Online. Please log on to your account! If you don't have one, please exit the pod and make one now.]

Right after the system spoke those words, another screen popped up in front of Lixin. Unlike the other plain blue screens, this one was completely different.

The sign-up screen had a depiction of luminous green mountains, with a faraway kingdom barely visible in the distance. And floating in the sky, there were the words Watashinojinsei-dan Online in golden calligraphy.

Lixin could tell that a lot of effort was put into it. This made him even more enthusiastic about playing the game.

After entering his email and password into the appropriate columns, and double-checking to make sure they were correct, Lixin clicked on the green button to log in.

As soon as he pressed it, a blinding white light enveloped him. It was so bright that he had to close his eyes to block it from his sight. However, because of this, he missed his body being transformed into small particles as the light teleported him away.

~

Author says:

MomoCatt: Are you nervous?

Lixin: Who wouldn't be?

MomoCatt: A person who experienced this multiple times.

Lixin: So… what tea do you have for me today?

MomoCatt: Peppermint tea, it will help to calm your nervousness.

Lixin: I want two cups.