《Rising Sun: Online》


 Chapter 1 - Procession prelude

    Roam exited the dungeon, a complex network of mountain tunnels, at a dead run as if hell itself was on his heels. His heart was jackhammering in his chest but it wasn''t because of the cardio he was currently doing. It was fear and anxiety born out of a situation he didn''t understand.


    This was supposed to be a game, so why did he feel real pain? How did a raid with a few friends end with him unable to log out or contact support? His party had been downed and none of them were respawning nor responding to his messages. So many questions swirled in his head, tho deep down, what he feared most right now was the answers.


    The thousands of viewers watching his stream kept spamming his chat, saying that news outlets were reporting that players were dying in the real world, but he refused to let himself believe them. They were just being assholes, a concerted effort to gaslight him as some kind of dumb prank. Probably a new Internet meme or something.


    He was sure of a few things tho. He couldn''t get out of the game, there was a bug in the system making him feel pain to the point of blacking out, which he did earlier, and a message from a party member who had stayed behind to celebrate the new years event held in the nearby city of Kyoto said they needed help.


    It was just past 1am in the real world, and around 10pm inside the game. Instead of the usual black, starry skies, it was red, bathing the Japanese countryside in an ominous scarlet hue. A rend, like a crack in a mirror, split the heavens in half. The moon was full and white but the sky fissure passing through it made it look like a smashed porcelain plate.


    Once out of the perimeter of the dungeon¡¯s entrance, he returned to world map rules so grabbed the magic bamboo whistle hanging around his neck and called the beast of burden it was attuned to.


    ¡°Your mount is afraid and cannot be called at this time.


    (Mounts are unusable until the ¡°Parade of the hundred demons¡± event is cleared)


    What the hell is this? Roam had never encountered that in the game before. The word parade did spark his memory however. He looked to the opaque words floating on the middle right of his vision and checked his quest log.


    QUEST: UNHOLY PROCESSION


    The barrier between the mortal and astral realms has weakened enough to allow strong monsters to step into our world. Yokai commander Nurarihyon and his legions of depraved monsters, drawn by the new year celebrations, decided to join the festivities. Although, their idea of a good time is eating humans and reveling in chaos.


    CLEAR CONDITION:


    -Defeat Nurarihyon


    -Survive the night


    OPTIONAL OBJECTIVE(S):


    -Zero deaths


    *note: RS:O¡¯s regular day-night cycle is locked in perpetual night until the server wide event is over.


    Monsters crossing into our realm! This must¡¯ve been the beginning of the new story arc in the expansion that unlocked today. And the reason why the system wasn''t working as intended. He just had to go get his friend and sit tight for the mods to fix this shit.


    Roam broke out in another sprint, heading downhill into the dense eerie forest surrounding the dungeon, hiding its the location.


    Weaving through the ancient trees, he heard a blood-curling screech somewhere to his left. He had caught the attention of one of the spirit monsters trudging through these haunted woods. It began chasing him and quickly gained ground as its ethereal body could phase through tree trunks.


    Another ghost materialized ahead. Roam altered his trajectory to try and avoid aggro-ing the newly spawned enemy but another piercing scream let him know he had failed. He did avoid a head on encounter but it was now following him as well. He could hear both of them rasping behind him as they were slowly catching up.


    A glance at his avatar¡¯s various status bars around his field of vision told him he was about to run out of stamina.


    He was going to have to engage them. He wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat these high level mobs alone without getting hit but he could perhaps create some distance. The thought of experiencing the intense head pain from before chilled him to the core.


    Roam spun around to face his opponents as his stamina ran dry, hands darting to his secondary weapon, a wooden short sword made from a sacred tree branch. With one hand on the scabbard, the other on the handle and his waist bent forward in an aggressive stance, he activated his ¡°Flash draw¡± iai skill and his blade shot out like a blur. It was a fast light attack that dealt low damage but combined with his sacred short sword, which stunned spiritual beings for 5 seconds, was enough to stop the first target dead in its tracks. His blade returned to it¡¯s sheath just as fast as it had been taken out, enabling him to use the skill once more in quick succession. The second ghost was stunned, it¡¯s clawed hand outstretched and a mere inch from his face.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Roam stepped away from them while reaching into his inventory and taking out a Taiyaki-a cake shaped like a fish and filled with red bean paste that restored 20% stamina. He had items that recovered more but they all took longer to ¡°eat¡±. He barely had time to shove it in his mouth before the spirits regained their mobility.


    He landed a second round of stun attacks then spun around and activated his sprint. Focused on gaining as much distance as he could, he did not pay attention to the tree branches cutting his skin or poking into him or the hp he was losing due to environmental damage.


    -5hp


    -5hp


    Roam swore up a storm out of confused anger as he could feel the pain even from those. What the fuck was happening?


    He burst out of the wooded area unto a small dirt road, then slowed back to regular jogging has his stamina was nearly depleted once more. He had lost the unwanted attention of the spirits but still stuffed his face again in case he encountered something else.


    He followed the path until it merged with a bigger one winding itself down Mount Atago. He spotted a Jizo statue where the roads intersected and approached it. Something was off. There was a cloud of dark miasma in front of the bald deity¡¯s eyes, with reddish motes floating in it. It was as if the statue was cursed, its sight stolen.


    Roam was wary but trekking through areas teeming with strong mobs that could literally hurt him wasn¡¯t any better then setting off a potential trap. He decided to try using the statue to fast travel back to town anyway. He checked is inventory and took out an offering.


    SUPERIOR JIZO CANDY: +5 to all stats for an hour upon arrival at fast travel destination (cannot be stacked). He placed the candy on the pedestal at the statue¡¯s feet. A window popped up in front of him alerting him that it couldn''t be used at this moment.


    Roam grabbed is hair, losing his cool. How was he going to reach the safety of the city which was miles away? He turned in a circle, analyzing the environment around him. Was there something he could use? All he could see were rocks, grass and tall trees.


    Tall trees! An idea struck him. It normally wouldn¡¯t work well on flat ground but it would on a very steep hill.


    He ran towards a tree and right before smashing into it, activated his ninja footing skill which allowed him to run on any surfaces at the cost of 1 mp per second. Running up the trunk, he retrieved a piece of fabric tied to a metal rod from his inventory. Reaching the top of the tree, he launched himself in the air with a front flip and at the apex of his jump, pumped 20 mp into a one time cast skill. The energy spread through the cloth via the magically conductive metal. The wing shaped fabric came alive unfurling into his glider.


    Roam soared through the skies, heading towards the illuminated city of Kyoto in the distance, slowly losing altitude as he got closer.


    From this vantage point, he had a wide, clear view of the area and what he saw beneath him was nothing but pure carnage. There was fighting everywhere he looked. Monsters ran rampant on every streets, barely suppressed by players and the Emperor¡¯s npc armed forces. Roam was baffled as cities were not zones were PvE combat occurred.


    He angled himself so that his path aligned with the first tallest structure around which happened to be the adventurer¡¯s guild pagoda. He stuck the landing on the tiles of a ledge midway up the tall tower.


    Assessing the dire situation below, he could tell that the players were not doing well, many of them writhing in pain on the ground screaming or hovering a feet off the ground in a chrysalis of golden light, the telltale sign that a player was defeated and had not been healed fast enough to rejoin the fight. They would have to respawn manually. But they weren''t choosing to do so¡­


    Roam had the sick feeling in his stomach that what his viewers had tried to tell him was true. Players were dying for real.


    15 months earlier¡­

 Chapter 2 - FTW

    Life can change in a moment. Sometimes for the worst, like an employee being let go after they purchased a new house, or losing someone in a random traffic accident. And sometimes it changed for the better, like a poor person winning the lottery or an author releasing a novel that went on to make them an household name.


    Jerome returned from his soul-crushing call center job to his cramped one-bedroom apartment, one of the thousands in this low rent mega-structure. It was a shithole with walls that were too thin and something always managed to break or leak yet somehow still cost nearly half his monthly wage. That was big city living for you.


    After a quick microwave meal and a shower, he booted up his aging computer to do one of the few things that still brought him a bit of happiness and excitement. He navigated to Clutch, the world¡¯s leading livestreaming platform and began prepping his bi-weekly show. He fiddled with his camera, microphone and stream settings making sure everything looked and worked as intended. He put in ¡°Huge reveal, gaming will change forever!!!¡± as the title of the night¡¯s show. It was click-baity but necessary to draw eyes to himself in order to grow. Problem was everybody did the same so it didn''t help much. Once everything was setup the way he liked, he launched it a whole 10 minutes before he¡¯d actually be on, to let people come and settle in.


    Not that anyone outside of his few usuals and the odd curious passerby did. He wasn''t a high profile streamer or anything. He was like most people, another face in an overcrowded site, trying to break out and make a name for themselves. The most concurrent viewers he ever had in his four years of doing this was six, and that sixth person had left right away.


    Still he kept at it, always trying new methods to make it work, always optimizing the process, studying those that made it or refining himself to be a better host. He¡¯d even taken improv and business classes. ¡°If you do something, do it well¡± were words he lived by.


    People he had mentioned his hobby to had told him he should quit if he wasn''t seeing results. He had no intentions of doing so. He was determined to make his dream a reality. Heck, the hope of one day reaching his goal was what kept him going. Without that, he was just some 26 year old guy working in a scummy call center to pay for a crappy, overpriced apartment. The only thing he quit was telling people about his hobby.


    There was another reason why he still did this tho. The handful of people he had met over the years on his streams whom he had stopped seeing as viewers and more as friends. One of them in particular.


    Jerome opened up another stream, broadcast by Japanese gaming hardware and software giant Shinkodo, in a second browser page.


    Half a year ago, they¡®d unveiled a new product set to redefine not only gaming but perhaps how everyday life was lived. Full-dive virtual reality technology. It came in the form of helmets called ¡®Impulse Casque¡¯. They could simulate virtual spaces in which anything could be created digitally yet were indistinguishable from reality.


    During that initial reveal, they had mentioned three different models that would be available to consumers. The 50 000$ full-dive one, which connected all senses and neural impulses in charge of body movement to avatars at a seamless 1:1 ratio. One of the best aspect of this was that even people who had missing limbs or were paralyzed could use them. The helmet was attached to a bed-like pod that was comfy, adjustable and had heating and cooling functions for the mattress players rested on, to keep their body at the desired temperature.


    Second was the half-dive version which eschewed the pod in exchange for a bulkier standalone helmet. Compared to the full-dive version which was made with stronger, lighter alloys, this was made with slightly cheaper material making it heavier and less impressive. It had less bells and whistles, couldn''t do taste and smell, and although the sound system and display put in was high-grade, it wasn¡¯t the cutting edge proprietary technology that the pricier version had. All those factors lowered the price considerably but was still pretty damn expensive at 20 000$.


    And lastly, there was the shallow-dive, which was a basic helmet that connected the player to his avatar but did little else. You couldn''t feel anything, just like normal game. This version was 8000$.


    Tonight at 8pm EST, Shinkodo was going to give us the latest batch of info on the project, which up to now they had been drip-feeding to the masses. We were supposedly finally going to get a release date and the names of those who won the contest in which their most expensive consoles would be given to ten lucky winners. It was set to officially begin in a few minutes. For now, there was only a countdown timer and yet millions of people, mostly gamers and tech enthusiasts, were watching already.


    Something flashed on Jerome¡¯s screen. A person with the moniker DojoBreaker had joined the chat. Speak of the devil.


    ¡°Hey DoBre. Excited?¡± he asked the newcomer as he went live.


    A written reply popped on screen a moment later. ¡°Hi, and god yes. VR, BABYYY.


    Dojobreaker, or DoBre for short had been coming consistently to his streams for years and they had great chemistry, always riffing off each other¡¯s jokes.


    Jerome had been shocked when he found out that the spirited Japanophile was a girl. He learned that fact when they hung out on a random Korean mmorpg that she was playing and he heard her for the first time. He was streaming the game so his shocked face was forever saved in Clutch¡¯s archives. A fact she loved to bring up once in a while to tease him. Her real name was Clem but she found her nickname more interesting so it stuck.


    Although they¡¯d never met in real life, she¡¯d been a comforting presence, and had help him more then she could ever know. She could have chosen to watch any of the big guys but she seem content to interact with him and for that, he was grateful.


    ¡°What about you?¡± DoBre asked. ¡°Ready to cream your pants?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Somewhat.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean somewhat? What kind of lukewarm-ass response is that to what could possibly be the greatest invention of modern times?¡±


    ¡°Hard to get too excited for tech I¡¯ll never be able to afford.¡±


    Reactions to vr had ranged from happy to pessimistic to fearful. As with any new tech, it raised lots of concerns and moral and sociopolitical dilemmas. New jobs and virtual economies for an overpopulated world, new ways to perform surgeries, to train soldiers, for criminals to operate, you name it.


    Then there was vr porn. It would be coming, undeniably, and with it¡¯s advent, he was pretty sure that a non-negligible amount of people, mostly men, would say goodbye to actual reality and not look back.


    As for Jerome, all he had felt was forced disinterest. He would love nothing more then to share the gaming community¡¯s elation but he would never have the money to own even the base model. Perhaps in a decade or two, when the tech got cheaper but for now it wasn''t worth wasting his time thinking about it. He¡¯d learned that lesson too many times. Having said that, talking about it and speculating with his online buddies was a fun way to unwind and socialize.


    ¡°Tough-tiddies,¡± DoBre replied. ¡°You just need to get two more jobs, then you¡¯ll have the money for one in no time :P ¡±


    ¡°Great idea. Not sure where I can find the time for all that sweet extra work tho. Any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°Skip sleep. Who needs that anyways?


    Jerome was going to respond when his neighbors started shouting, having their daily argument. The walls were thin enough that it carried inside his own apartment. Too many times had he been woken up or had his streams interrupted like this. On nights when they went at it pretty hard, like now, he could make out some words amidst their otherwise muffled exchange.


    ¡°Why¡­ got to¡­ such a bi¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­asshole. And¡­ small di¡­¡±


    ¡°Yikes,¡± DoBre simply said.


    Jerome groaned, holding his head. ¡°If your gonna fight everyday, just end your relationship already¡­ damn.¡±


    ¡°Well, on the upside, this would make for a good stream blooper reel.¡±


    Jerome imagined himself compiling a bunch of similar clips he got over the years and burst out laughing. Feeling better, he put his self-centered neighbors out of his mind and focused on the show which was starting.


    A man, quickly revealed to be the head of Shinkodo¡¯s worldwide game studios, stepped on stage. His appearance was brief, just long enough to give a short speech about the new technology and the worlds it could create. That was sure to get tech enthusiasts and potential devs interested in getting a game development toolkit. He then mentioned that a bunch of their studios were hard at work on various vr games but that instead of talking about it, he wanted to show us. He left as a video began playing on the screen behind him.


    Twenty games in multiple genres were shown off and each looked amazing. Jerome¡¯s poor little gamer heart was fluttering. He commented on each of them for the handful of people watching him and they gave their own mostly positive thoughts in return.


    After that showcase, another man came on stage stating his team had been working on a very huge, very secret project for the last few years and it was time to show it to the world. And thus the first full-dive mmorpg ever created was introduced.


    It was called Rising Sun: Online and was set in Edo period Japan. The presentation came with a slide-show of locations and characters artwork. It had ninjas and samurais, mages called Omnyoudo and supernatural monsters of all types called Yokai. If you were of fan of Japanese culture, this would scratch your itch. The man then launched into a deeper explanation of some of the content.


    ¡°The game¡¯s world map is a half-scale replica of Japan. It was created using satellite imagery, topographical data and historical maps. Obviously, we had to tweak some things for the sake of better game flow but overall, the same places you see in the game are places that exists in the country it¡¯s based on.


    We''ve created a vast playground for you to play in. You¡¯ll be able to adventure through realistic environments and face every type of terrain, climate and weather patterns. It will take players roughly one month to walk across the game world and that¡¯s if they don''t stop for the innumerable quests, hidden treasures, unique dungeons, bizarre monsters and interesting characters doting the landscape.


    With full-dive technology, you will think you were actually there in the flesh. You will feel the sun on your skin or the wetness of morning dew on flowers as you stride through fields of them. When you strike an enemy, your arms will reverberate with tactile feedback. You will smell blood, sweat and smoke lingering in battlefields and so much more.


    Talking about smell, the character creation as a smell option in it. Players will be able to create themselves a custom fragrance that those who own the full-dive pods can pick up if they get close enough.


    This is the sort of attention to detail we¡¯re bringing to the plate. Be warned, this will not play like any mmorpg you''ve ever seen. We hope you enjoy the game when it comes out on January 1st. Thank you.¡±


    And with that the man left. Jerome had never really been into mmorpg¡¯s but he had to admit that he was interested by this one. DoBre on the other hand completely lost her shit since as this was definitely up her alley. She loved her some samurai flicks.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make an oath,¡± she said. We both get vr as soon as we can and we play this game together.¡±


    Jerome wouldn''t hold his breath but still, he looked at the camera and promised. It was another fine goal to have.


    Last but not least, Kutaragi Hirai, the CEO of Shinkodo waltzed on stage. He gave the usual corporate spiel about who they were, how long they''ve been in business and that it had brought them at this point with the creation of a new technology. As many had theorized, he dropped the release date.


    ¡°The impulse casque will be commercially available on November 12th of this year,¡± the man said. The words barely had time to leave his mouth before the audience broke into a thunderous cheer. He waited for everyone to calm down before adding ¡°Thank you. Now I have one last thing to do before I leave. I think it¡¯s finally time to announce the winners of the Stoke-kodo contest. As you know, Shinkodo partnered with energy drink giant Stoke."


    Jerome nodded at that. How many cans had he drunk trying to stay awake at work.


    ¡°Millions of you have entered over half a billion of the codes located on the products but only ten of you can win. The lucky winners will not only receive a 50 000$ full-dive console, but will get it an entire week before the public.¡±


    People in the audience, and probably everyone watching the stream, leaned closer as Hirai slowly took out an envelope from inside his jackets inner pocket. He smiled smugly, enjoying the moment and the fact that he had everyone¡¯s attention. He then began rattling off the names.


    You could literally feel the shift in the crowds emotion with each name. Hope swelled high, a name was uttered and the mood nosedived as everyone wanted to win but failed to do so. There was a short applause afterwards, quickly forgotten as the next one person was ready to be called out.


    Jerome yawned and looked at the time, not really paying attention anymore. Tomorrow was the weekend which meant he had to get up early to go to his second job working as a kitchen helper in a Greek joint not far from were he lived. Once the show wrapped up, he¡¯d stream a game for an hour and call it a night. He got up to get a drink as they were announcing the last name. He stopped dead in his tracks after a few steps.


    Life can change in a moment. Sometimes for the worst like being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Sometimes for the better, like winning a contest with millions of participants.


    Jerome West had this life-changing moment. He could even tell you exactly when it happened if you asked him. Friday, October 4th 2177, 8:28pm EST.

 Chapter 3 - Clutching a dream

    Jerome stumbled back to his seat and stared at the screen in disbelief.


    ¡°Wait¡­ did they just call out my name?¡±


    His chat was going crazy, or as crazy as five people typing furiously could get. They showered him with praise but by far the happiest for him was DoBre. And thank god for her. While he was still staring slack-jawed at the screen, thinking they had all misheard and were mistaken about the situation, she went out on the web and dug out a confirmation.


    ¡°Check this out, you¡¯re on their feed,¡± she said, linking Shinkodo¡¯s social media account. Right there on a post that congratulated the winners, was a list of names. His was there, staring him in the face.


    A weird noise escaped his throat, a mixture of a laugh, an incoherent syllable and a wail, the same you¡¯d hear when someone is about to cry but isn¡¯t quite there yet.


    The next few hours ended up being absolutely life-changing, thanks in part by Jerome¡¯s foresight. After the announcement, he somehow had the clarity of mind to change the name of his stream to one that had more chance of attracting viewers- ¡°I WON SHINKODO¡¯S VR CONTEST. OMG!!!¡±


    He didn''t expect much but to his surprise people showed up. There was a trickle of gawkers at first. Jerome knew that they had clicked on his stream in part because they were hyped about vr as most gamers were right now. So he did is best to entertain them with talk of the new technology. He threw in lots of humor and just generally tried not to embarrass himself too badly. Even tho the numbers were low, each minute they watched helped propel him higher in the site¡¯s rankings, pushing the algorithm into recommending him to more and more people. And came they did. By the dozens, then the hundreds and then the thousands. The number had increased until it hovered at 4000 concurrent viewers.


    There was a certain amount of pressure that came with suddenly being put on the spot. Jerome was nervous, hands shaking and a voice in the back of his head nagging him. You don¡¯t have the charisma to do this. You¡¯re just a loser who¡¯ll never amount to anything.


    He told that voice to shut up and did his best to keep his cool. Luckily all the training he had done in case this very scenario happened came in handy. Score one for preparedness.


    And then all these thought melted away as he realized that those watching him were people with the same love for the industry as he did. They showered him with congrats, they left funny or witty comments that he could play off from and the whole thing just became fun.


    Once the the stream ended, Jerome paced about his apartment. His mind was racing, thinking about what he should do to capitalize on the situation. Winning the vr pod was amazing in itself but the real prize was the opportunity that receiving it one week early created.


    To succeed in life, you usually had to be first to do something or be one of the best at said thing. Jerome couldn''t compete with big streamers right now as they had more money, time and clout then him. But by receiving the pod one week earlier then most, he would be first, a trendsetter.


    He guessed that he would gain a bit of notoriety in the following days for being one of the contest winners. If he played his cards right, he could use that to boost is visibility and get the ball rolling but the real window for his success was that one week. He had one month to prepare for it. He would spend it creating as much content as he possibly could.


    Jerome started by going over to MyChan, the leading video-sharing website, and uploaded highlights of his stream to his account. Just like Clutch, one could earn ad revenue from videos. He had tried before in his teens, uploading comedy sketches with friends and game walkthroughs but never got that much out of it. Recently, he¡¯d just been using it to watch videos but it was time to dust it off and try again.


    Once uploaded, he noticed how amateurish his page looked. He had gained a lot of experience since his early days on how to make catchy thumbnails, search engine optimization and such. He worked until the wee hours of the morning, revamping his channel using every trick he¡¯d learned.


    Jerome barely slept a wink and before he knew it, it was time to head to his second job. At work, he was in a strange headspace, both exhausted and wired at the same time. He made mistakes as he was distracted by everything that was happening and his boss was losing patience with him as he stopped frequently to scribble down notes or to check how many views he¡¯d gotten.


    He also browsed his emails and noticed he¡¯d gotten one from Shinkodo. They wanted to speak to him to verify his identity and shipping address, as well as go over a few legal matters. He used the contact number provided to get in touch with a representative and got everything sorted out. In order to accept the prize tho, he would have to sign an agreement to let the company use is likeness for promotional purposes. All standard stuff he didn¡¯t have a problem with.


    Talking with them about all this promotional stuff gave him an idea. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would pan out but tried anyway. During his lunch break, he looked up the article mentioning the contest winners and by extension, him, on the biggest gaming news website and contacted the writer. Jerome had originally just wanted to ask if the article could be updated to include a line about him being a streamer and were viewers could go to check it out. Shockingly, not only did the writer agree but he was asked for an exclusive interview. Since the subject of vr was trending currently, they were willing to pay a thousand bucks.


    Jerome sucked in a breath and almost agreed on the spot but stopped himself. People who made money and were on top in this world didn¡¯t just agree to the first thing to come along quietly. He decided to take a gamble and told the writer that unfortunately, he was already in talks with the second biggest gaming news website for a similar exclusivity deal although they paid 1500$ instead, but since he liked this site better he would drop the other guys if they matched the payout. Jerome ended the call 1500$ richer.


    He barely noticed the day go by, so focused on is own machinations as he was. Once home again, he called back the news writer to conduct the interview that would help propel his career forward, engaged with those who left comments on his video or sent him emails and then set up an out-of-schedule stream. He had tried to do a daily stream in the past but it hadn¡¯t garnered enough interest so had scaled it back to two days a week but now was willing to try again.


    The night¡¯s show never reached the same proportion as the last one, but it was a stark difference from his average. Hundreds of people had shown up and that number was bound to go up as the article went up the next day. That sealed it. He was gonna go for his dream with everything he had, caution be damned.


    After work on Sunday, he went shopping. In a move that was very stupid and could utterly ruin him, he maxed out his credit card and bought a new camera, pc parts to upgrade his old rig, studio lighting, a recent popular game that he could play now and pre-ordered two of the vr games that would release when the console did. Nothing ventured nothing gained, he kept telling himself as he watched, with a strained smile, the cashier scan his card.


    The following weeks were a blur as he spent every waking hour working. He worked his regular jobs during daytime then rushed straight home, scarfed down food and then created videos he thought people would be interested in, followed by a stream while those uploaded. During his breaks, he would study what was trending and come up with topic ideas or researched ways to make his work more discoverable.


    He was like a man possessed, sleeping only five hours a day, sometimes even as low as four. It wasn''t healthy but he wast planning on doing this forever. He just wanted to hit the iron while hot and keep the momentum going. A mixture of endless anxious energy, mental restlessness and the strongest coffee blend he could get his hands on kept him moving through the fatigue.


    By the end of October, he had around 40 videos, which combined had nearly 3 million views. The stream highlight were he had won the contest accounted for 2/3rd¡¯s of it as it had gone on trending. It might not have seemed like a lot compared to the bigger creators but it was still a solid number. His metrics dashboard showed that he had earned 4000$. A little over what he made with his two jobs combined in a month and his numbers were only increasing. Who knew what he would make when he got his prize.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The world felt different now, as if he had stepped in a dream. A weight he didn¡¯t even know he had been carrying for so long was lifting off his shoulders. He could finally do what he had wanted to for years, what he felt he never would be able to, which was to entertain people and have a career instead of a soul-sucking job.


    His next months rent secure and trying to be forward thinking, he took another gamble and quit his weekend job. This would allow him many extra hours to sink into his current endeavor, and maybe a few to sleep as he was ready to crash from exhaustion. More videos meant more money to offset the lost wages. Besides, he had a money-generating idea that could bring him even more then what he was earning at the restaurant but he needed to get the vr pod first.


    Another tool in Jerome¡¯s business arsenal was the Clutch affiliate program. He had to reach a minimum of watch time and followers on the platform in the last 30 days to be eligible. With this, he¡¯d receive benefits like a bit more push by the platform to make him visible and better streaming quality (although only partners had reliable quality that didn''t dip in high traffic times). But more importantly, he¡¯d gain the ability to have subscribers. People could pay 7,99$ a month and gain a few perks like custom emotes. A streamer with 1000 subs would make 8000 bucks minus a 50% cut to Clutch and taxes owed at the end of the year.


    Jerome reached the milestones necessary to gain affiliate status Sunday Nov 3rd. He sent in his request and was approved by lunch time the following day. He advertised it on all his accounts and soon had 42 people signed up, DoBre being one of them. His heart welled up and he vowed to thank them the next time he was on the air.


    November 5th was the day he finally received his prize. People from Shinkodo showed up with a large package, a small film crew and journalists in tow. Neighbors came around to see what was up then word of mouth spread through the entire megablock and soon it was a real circus outside his apartment.


    Size wise, the living was too narrow for both the pod and his furniture. The couch and coffee table had to be sacrificed. Those quickly disappeared when Jerome asked the group of tenants rubbernecking outside if anyone wanted them. The unit was then professionally installed and configured by Shinkodo¡¯s people. Of course, Jerome filmed everything that day and uploaded it. He ended up on trending again that night.


    This was it, the moment of truth. The console would be commercially available in 7 days, on Nov 12th, so he had to redouble his effort if he didn¡¯t want his fifteen minutes of fame to be just that.


    He had taken the four vacation days he had left at his call center job for this week with the plan to call in sick for the rest and spent that time pumping out content. He did an in-depth analysis video about the Impulse Casque¡¯s specs and showed off how it looked and operated. There were even a few game demos pre-loaded in the console to play with. The amount of views, exposure, revenue and clout he gained in that week was astonishing.


    Jerome braced himself when the casque was officially released and other creators jumped on the wagon. He did see his number stumble but not has bad as he had envisioned. Seems like now that people knew he existed, they liked his what he had to offer and were showing up for more. So more he gave them, with the day one games that he had pre-ordered.


    Emboldened by his numbers and his first payment from MyChan, which he¡¯d receive the 15th of every month, he decided to quit his job.


    That day, he went to the bank to pay off his cards then went to the call center to quit. He told the manager to go fuck himself. There actually was a reason for doing that besides the fact that he hated the man and the job. Like soldiers in olden times, they would fight harder if put in a situation were they couldn''t retreat from. Jerome made sure the call center wouldn''t rehire him and would hurt his prospects in finding another job and basically burned his bridges. It would make him desperate to succeed. Perhaps a stupid move that would hurt him in the future but the thought of returning to being a nobody in a minimum wage job for the rest of is life was something he would bear no longer.


    Jerome was finally able to enact the money making scheme he had thought up a few weeks earlier, which was to rent his top tier vr pod to those that wanted to experience true full-dive but couldn¡¯t afford it, which was basically everyone who wasn¡¯t filthy rich. Since he wasn''t using it while he edited videos or engaged with his audience on social media, he figured he could put it to good use and make extra money.


    Jerome posted an ad on a few gaming forums, letting people know he was looking for renters. He charged forty bucks an hour, which was twice the current minimum wage. A lot of people saw his ad and signed up but problems quickly arose. First, he ended up spending too much time building a waiting list, scheduling people or answering the same questions over and over. Then there was the customers themselves. Some where no-shows which wasted both is time and potential earnings, kids showing up to his apartment without parents which was an absolute no-no in a litigious society and then there was that teenage boy he had to throw out by the scruff of the neck because he tried to stay longer and getting rowdy as he wasn''t getting his way.


    Jerome didn''t have the time and energy to deal with all that bullshit. What he needed was one singular responsible adult who rented his machine long term. This gave him an idea. He went to forums were video makers and streamers talked about the business side of things and helped each other, and copied his rental post there, adding that it was a great business opportunity for those wanting to take their gaming channels to the next level.


    It didn''t take long to find someone. He had received a bunch of messages from interested parties. One was a single mother who was in the same line of work as him. Her name was Stephanie Briar but went by ¡°Miss Bunnykiss¡± online. She had sent him links to her two channels and he was able to see her work. On one of them, she did playthroughs of more family friendly games and content geared towards a younger audience.


    Her second, more mature channel was were she did avatar fashion and lifestyle videos inside Central, Shinkodo¡¯s social hub. A place were people lived and socialized through their avatars. They had their own condo and could groom and outfit their characters to their liking with digital goods that cost real money before heading out into the large cityscape to partake in fun events.


    She had a sensual voice, something she was aware of and used as a tool. When speaking through her well endowed avatar, it explained why men were her biggest audience. Some people would complain saying it was manipulative but Jerome didn''t fault her for it; time¡¯s were hard.


    Besides, having that sort of online persona did come with drawbacks. Men had to deal with obscurity, women had the opposite problem, too much attention of the wrong kind. Each had their problems.


    Stephanie was consistent, professional and had managed to carve herself a little community. It wasn¡¯t huge but she lived off of it and it was still bigger then his own for now. Maybe she could teach him a few tricks. She seemed like a down-to-earth person so he scheduled a meeting with her.


    When she came to his place, standing before him was a petite and slightly chubby 29 year old woman with green eyes behind glasses, and brown hair tied in a ponytail. Not pretty nor ugly, just an average woman who like him was focused on her own affairs. She was bright and no nonsense so they got right into it.


    He showed her the machine and let her try it for an hour. She came out convinced that she wanted to take her channel this direction. She wanted to expand and also, after what she¡¯d just seen, figured that it wouldn''t take long for vr to take over and wanted to be the first one to do avatar content in full-dive.


    They started talking price and times she would use it. A daily six hour block was good enough for her since she had a kid and couldn''t spend all day gaming. The latter reason was also why she wanted to come during the day, when her seven year old son was in school. This worked with Jerome since he mostly did his thing later in the night.


    Price wise, Jerome decided to charge 25 bucks an hour, which covered rental and electricity cost as well as shelf space for her food. They came to an agreement. She only had to pay before each sessions in the beginning but would have to pay monthly later.


    It was awkward at first, Jerome used to living alone, and not the smoothest with the opposite sex but after getting to know each other for a few days, they settled into a groove. After a few weeks it was like they were old friends.


    December rolled around, and things were looking great. All his numbers where continually on an upward trend and because it was holiday season, the ads were worth more since companies made the most money in this time period, so paid higher advertisement prices. Instead of the regular 5$ per thousand impressions, it was sitting near 9$.


    Unfortunately, he could only earn ad revenue on MyChan as he needed to be considered a partner on Clutch to get that privilege and he wasn''t there yet. Also, he received less donations from his viewers since they had Christmas gifts to buy for their own family. Still, he managed to make more then usual.


    Jerome shook when he received his second paycheck on Dec 15th. He had passed the 10 000$ mark. So much had changed in less then two months, it was crazy. But with an eye for the future, he was ready to take the next step.


    He had thought long and hard about were he wanted to take his business. Instead of playing random games, he wanted to niche down with a specific type of content, something that he could make his. When people would think about it, they would associate him with it. It had to be popular, with potential to grow a big player base and something that lasted a long time. Single player games were out as they were short-lived. He might play them on the side but he wanted something with a more social and competitive aspect to it.


    One night he scrolled through lists of upcoming releases. That was how he stumble upon the one game that fit all his criteria. A mmorpg with a huge world that would keep expending in the following years. There was a lot of buzz due to it being the first vr version of its kind. And he remembered the oath he took with his pal DoBre. The more Jerome thought about, the more he liked it. Rising Sun: Online, that¡¯s were is future resided.

 Chapter 4 - New game

    ¡°One minute left,¡± Roam said to his viewers. There were close to 50 000 people watching him right now, a new record utterly dwarfing his previous one.


    It was January 31st 2177, right before the turn of the year. The servers for Rising Sun: Online were set to unlock at 12am Eastern Time. While regular folks around the world watched one of the various televised New Year countdowns, gamers were glued to the timer on the RS:O icon inside their vr helmets.


    Roam was already strapped in the pod and connected to his avatar which currently lounged on a long-chair in front of an ocean on a remote island paradise.


    Players could chose which main menu theme they wanted set as default. There were various versions in different genres. For example, there was an horror themed one that looked like a graveyard and the tombstones acted as the menu icons that could be interacted with.


    Jerome had chosen the beach theme. The time of day in here was synced to his time zone, so it was night. The moon reflecting off the sea and dozens of bamboo torches spread around the area gave the beach a festive glow.


    Full-dive capabilities allowed him to smell the fishy ocean air. He even turned up the heat from the pod¡¯s mattress he was laying on a few degrees. He really felt as tho he was in the actual tropics. While there was a blizzard going on in his home town, he was cozy in here. Take that, harsh Canadian winter.


    He was kicking back with everyone in the chat. They were seeing through his eyes and he was currently staring at the line of game-icon looking clouds floating above him, watching the seconds tick by.


    Although a big chunk of the watchers were not here for him but just to see gameplay, it was his job to entertain them as they did. It was an momentous occasion for the gaming community so he figured he might as well give an uplifting speech to the masses.


    ¡°Alright guys, this is it. In less then a minute, we are about to make history,¡± Roam said in an overdramatic serious tone. From now on, all of you gathered here today will be able to say that you witnessed this moment, the birth of vrmmorpg¡¯s.¡± Subscribers in the chat played along and began spamming one of his custom emotes, a cat wearing an army beret standing at attention.


    ¡°We are on the cusp of greatness my brothers and sisters,¡± Roam said, is voice raising into a shout. ¡°YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?¡± he added as he jumped out of his seat and slammed his coconut cup filled with pina colada on the ground. ¡°I SAY NO. TIS NO GAME. Tis the future¡­¡±


    The chat was flooded with clapping emojis and then the promised time was upon them.


    5¡­4¡­3¡­2¡­1


    Just like the time of day, the menu had also been programmed to mimic the New Years celebration. Fireworks burst from a series of floating platforms on the ocean, launching colored streams that exploded into mesmerizing blossoms. At the same time, the game icon refreshed and the lock symbol disappeared. Access was now granted.


    ¡°Happy New Years everyone. See y¡¯all on the other side,¡± Roam said as he spoke the voice command to launch RS:O.


    The sea-side landscape eroded around him until he stood in a vast empty space called the transition area. It was a loading zone in which the players could still move around while data loaded; vr games did that once at the start, then whatever else it needed would be done in the background.


    There was a slight ethereal echo here so he amused himself in shouting nonsensical words into the void. With a huge crowd of young gamers and meme-sters in his chat, they didn''t have trouble coming up with dumb ideas.


    After a few minutes, the world morphed again, this time into a swanky office. The walls were painted a light tan color while the trimmings, ceiling and paneling were wood of a rich brown, polished to a glossy shine.


    The back wall was lined with shelves stacked with thick books except for the right corner. There was a door there instead. An ornate mahogany desk that no doubt cost a fortune completed the luxurious look of the room.


    A beautiful Japanese businesswoman stood next to it. She was petite but very well proportioned and wore a miniskirt, blazer and glasses. She had the air of a serious upper manager in a big firm.


    ¡°Umm, I thought we were supposed to be in feudal Japan,¡± Roam mused aloud.


    ¡°Welcome. Please have a seat,¡± the woman asked politely, pointing to one of the cushy leather chairs in front of the desk. Roam disregarded the demand, instead walking over to stare at her. It was the first time he had seen an actual human recreated in vr. The other games he had tried had been first person simulators devoid of npcs. She looked as real as anyone he had seen before.


    Obviously, he tried to cop a feel as any straight man would. Heck, it wasn''t just a guy thing, it was also a unspoken gamer thing. If it can be messed with, it shall be messed with.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Before his hand could grab anything, it was violently recoiled by an unseen force. The lawyer lost all seriousness and childishly screamed ¡°OBJECTION¡± while crossing her arms in an x-shape in front of her. She stayed that way until Roam took his seat at the table.


    ¡°Hi, My name is Suzie,¡± the woman said, regaining her composure. ¡°I am a digital representation of Shinkodo¡¯s legal department and this is my office. To be able to play the game you need to look over this online access agreement.¡± She materialized a stack of paper in her hands.


    ¡°As this is an online game with a monthly fee and interactions between players of various countries, there are certain rules we must abide by. The document also goes over things such as company indemnification, privacy, general policies, etc.


    Lastly and most importantly, this game has mechanics that people with certain triggers could have trouble dealing with such as light simulated pain or spells that can bind or paralyze you and more. It is all detailed in the document. You need to understand and agree to the terms by signing this agreement before you are given access to the game.


    I am here to help with any questions you may have. I can also read the document to you should you want it. If you choose not to sign, you may exit the game by leaving through the door behind you.¡°


    She slid the stack of paper towards Roam then folded her hands on the table and waited for him to sign. He picked up the document and leafed through it quickly. It was the same type of end user agreement he had accepted in other mmorpg¡¯s in the past. Normally, it would just pop up on screen in text form when you started a game. This was the vr version of it.


    Roam picked up a fancy pen from the table and signed without going over it. He usually read these but he was working right now, entertaining people with short attention spans who were already spamming ¡°BORING¡± or ¡°ZZZ¡±.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Suzie said before standing up, taking the file from him. ¡°Please note that you may return to this room to peruse our legal documents at your leisure by selecting the ¡°Terms and conditions¡± option from the main menu. And I will always be available to answer any questions you may have.


    You may enter the game as soon as you are ready by exiting through the door at the back wall. Enjoy your time in Rising Sun: Online.¡± With that she bowed to him respectfully, returned to her desk and went to work on some random paperwork.


    There was a circular clearing about five meters in circumference, surrounded by a bamboo thicket, waiting for Roam when he opened said door. He took a few tentative steps in, studying his surroundings. The air was noticeably hotter then the office as the area was basking under a bright sun and blue skies devoid of clouds. The summer heat brought out the buzzing sounds of cicadas. The bamboo stalks swayed, jostled by a slight wind. It made their shadows dance on the forest floor.


    He could see the top of a giant tree rising above the canopy further ahead. The path cutting through the wall of greenery in front of him probably lead to it. When Roam looked back, he found that the door was gone. Guess there was only one way to go now.


    He followed the trail to were the tree was in its own larger clearing. As he walked past the forest¡¯s threshold, a whimsical Japanese melody played with flutes started. Just like the office door, the path he had taken was no longer visible.


    Ahead, there was a small square dilapidated building that he assumed had once been a shrine before it was reclaimed by nature. It had been built near the base of the tree, which must¡¯ve been thousands of years old and was as wide as a bus. A series of overgrown shelf mushroom growing over the structure put it under perpetual shade.


    A large, hollow spherical bell hung over where the shrine¡¯s sliding door used to be. From Roam¡¯s limited knowledge of Japanese culture, a person would ring it and pray to the spirit residing there. Unfortunately, the bell was rusted and the cord used to pull on it ripped short and in tatters.


    There was movement on the roof. Roam spotted cute creatures playing like young children, running after each other or sliding down the tiles. Some precariously close to the edge. They had phosphorous green skin and looked to be part flower. A thin branch grew from the top of their heads with one or multiple leaves on them depending on the spirit¡¯s size which varied from tiny to small.


    He noticed more of them popping their heads out from beneath the tree¡¯s roots or between its branches. One appeared out of thin air on the shrine¡¯s banister. Roam stepped on the rotten and mossy steps wanting to get a closer look but they cracked and broke under his weight, scaring the creature away. He gave up on exploring the shrine further as he could tell there was nothing else to find anyways.


    The only other thing of note in the area was a stand-alone wooden frame that was slightly taller and larger then he was. There were pegs on it holding little wooden plaques. He headed over.


    BIIING


    Before he reached it, he received a donation from one of his viewers. The superchat highlighted the donor¡¯s message and kept it pinned on top so it could be easily accessed and read out loud.


    NihonScholar donated 20$: Hey, found you not long ago and I¡¯m already a fan. Keep up the good work.


    P.S. I¡¯m a English teacher in Japan, been here nearly 20 years. If you need details on what you see, let me know.


    ¡°Cool, thanks,¡± Roam said. ¡°I¡¯ll add you as a moderator so your messages will be highlighted without having to pay. What can you tell us so far?¡±


    ¡°Those creatures are Kodamas, gentle tree spirits. And the plaques you¡¯re about to check out are called Ema. The Japanese write wishes on them and hang them. At some point they¡¯re collected and burned together in symbolic Shinto rituals.¡±


    ¡°Oh, professor dropping some facts. Very nice.¡±


    Roam looked them over. With the exceptions of a few drawings of animals such as those from the zodiac, most had Japanese phrases scribbled on them. He did spot the Shinkodo company logo, which was a nice easter egg.


    The middle row tho, had English words on them. ¡°New game¡±, ¡°Continue¡±, ¡°Exit game¡±, ¡°Extras¡±, ¡°Settings¡± and ¡°Terms and conditions¡±. That last one had been mentioned by the lawyer.


    Roam touched the ¡°new game¡± plaque and a window popped up in front of his eyes.


    Your location is Montreal, Canada. Checking for closest server. Closest server is North America. Set as default or choose other location?


    He took a look at all the options before choosing the NA megaserver right away. There were three others; EU, ASIA and JP. He returned to the previous menu and made his selection.


    He was asked to confirm and when he did, the music stopped abruptly.


    ¡°What now?¡±.