FantasyLord

"It's not just a game, it's a living breathing world and we are his puppets." Teo barked.

With the beta version of the new game now finished, the beta testers wait for the official launch of the game. With the official launch of the game more people are sucked into its virtual world, what sets Neon Solaris apart from other games is it's unique party system.

With only the beta testers knowing the horrors the games provide, uncertainty grows. Death in the game could also mean death in the real world. What started as a massive multiplayer game becomes a prison created by a sadistic being.

Matteo finished the beta tester as the top ranked player- NOBLE ZERO, but even he failed to get a grasp of it's true reality. Clearing the final level might be the only way out of the game and he is intent on building the strongest party and reach the final level at all costs and achieve the title of master gamer.

A/N: This book relies on gaming elements and diverse character developments as well as a unique party system. If you are tired of simple mmorpg books then this might be a good read. There might also be some light humour and some other elements like darker plots and tragic backstories.

Also the MC is not exactly a hero, he is a somewhat sadistic antihero who cares only about becoming the game master. At all costs.
I will be trying my best to make this book the best it can be in quality and release frequency.

Neon Solaris Online: Birth Of The Master Gamer

8. Exploration and growth

Matteo was not the first to leave the city, many others rushed out with him, he could feel some eyes on his back. As eager as they were to get started the veterans suspected just about everyone next to them, a majority of them had the same thoughts in mind.

I wonder if he's going to clear the first level yet.

Matteo walked under the bright morning sun with a normal pace, he could feel the heat of the sun on his skin. He was starting to feel like this was not an actual game but a real world, another world. It made him wonder what Neon Solaris really was, and how involved the game master was in the plot of the story.

Matteo was not interested in clearing the first floor just yet, he had a much more interesting experiment in mind. Exploration and growth.

He noticed how the rocks beneath his feet reacted to the weight of his every step, he observed the rocky landscape that stretched out a few meters outside the town of beginnings. After that was a forest, vast and green. Lots and lots of green in one place almost made Matteo hurl.

It reminded him of broccoli, he never liked eating his veggies for any reason. He looked to his side to see the newbies looking around in awe at the sight before them. For the veterans it was the same seeing the game they played so realistically depicted before them but not all of them.

Matteo could see the young woman with a white mask walking a few feet apart from him, it was the same person he met in the underground library. He wondered if she had the same idea as he did.

"Yeah, yeah. Just listen to me and you'll survive." The proud bull gloated to her followers.

The girl in the white mask said in a low voice. "She's going to get them killed."

Matteo was not sure if she was talking to him or if he was just good at picking up voices. He waited for a few seconds before saying. "It won't make a difference, nearly half of everyone here will be eliminated on the first day."

The girl in the white mask did not say anything, Matteo also kept to himself and changed his direction and headed into the forest. They broke apart from then, Matteo did not look behind him, neither did he hurry. He took his time to take in the world around him.

He ran his hands down the tree barks and on the leaves of the smaller bushes and marveled at the realism behind it. "I guess this is all real then."

He paused and smiled, his gaze going up to the sky. The branches of the trees there were not as thick as they would be further inside so he took it all in.

"There you have it Lisa, mom, dad, you always wanted me to go outdoors for a hike or something." He looked straight and summoned his inventory before him just by thinking of it. "Let's see if it really is as fun as you say."

He thrust his hand into the inventory and that part of his mind left the normal space. He thought of his sword and soon he could feel the cold metal in his grip, he pulled it out and started to move at an even quicker pace.

Matteo knew there would be a small reward for the first person to level up but he was not too hasty to die just yet. As he was walking he heard a sound like a loudspeaker somewhere within the forest.

It was a robotic voice and one he knew well.

Matteo's eyes darkened as he thought to himself, it's started. The weak ones are been taken out already.