《Re: Virtual》
Beginning Again?
"I can''t believe you talked me into this.", I said to my friend who was currently eating a bag of chips. Good god, he was basically breathing the chips in, no wonder he''s always salty."First of all, you''re the one that suggested this to us. Second, stop bitching about this, you were the one that suggested doing this.", from the side, a cool reply from ex-girlfriend quickly shot towards me. How dare she call me a bitch, to think she''d call me, of all people, to be bitching! Surely she''s lost her mind!
"Victor, I would like to point out that your lack of ability in applying common sense is truly problematic. I suggest you improve yourself by answering situational problems that the internet should be able to provide. I worry that you might cause complications to not only yourself, but everyone else around you.", said my favorite nerd. As usual, she''s judging the hell out of me, telling me about the shit she''s already told me many times before. Not like I can blame her for it, she''s kinda right. "Eh, whatever. Let''s just get this over with.", Martin, I mean I, replied. We were currently walking down a sidewalk, a surprisingly empty one. Empty because the sun hasn''t even risen, and the stars were still visible. We didn''t really need to this, we could literally just ask for a pick-up, but my favorite nerd woke us all up at 3AM in the morning, and basically forced us to walk outside. For someone who stays in the house a lot, she''s actually quite physically fit. Imagine this, a group of kids just walking down a road they''ve never seen, in a city they just visited now, with not a single guardian to protect them. Kids isn''t really the right term, considering the oldest among them, who was Captain Potato Chips over there, just reached 25 a few days ago. The youngest, which is 17, was currently grumbling about everything. Yep, I''m the youngest. Since I''ve said the age, might as well introduce the person.
Victor Sanchez, an amazing person that just graduated college, which was quite surprising by his age and personality. Who would have thought that an idiot like him would graduate, much more at such young age. As for what I graduated in? Doesn''t matter, just know that it won''t really help with how I live my life. I''m what people would call an immigrant, a legal one. I believe I need to make that point well-known. Being an illegal immigrant back then caused such a big controversy, and most people didn''t get over it. I''ve lived my live mostly in South-East Asia, though living there was such a pain. I couldn''t even speak my native language properly, the only part of my language that I''m proficient in is the cussing, English is what I''m best at though. I''m rather average in height, just 5'' 5'''', leaning on the chubby side of life with 154 pounds on me. I have the typical messy hair look that was such a craze back then, with eyes that ALWAYS look tired. My skin color? I''m fairly white, actually.
The one eating the potato chips is Theodore Clancy, born with perfect looks and a very imperfect attitude. Blond hair that reached around his shoulders, dark-blue eyes that can entrance most people if they look long enough, and a body that wouldn''t lose out to a male model''s. He''s a slob, there''s no other way to explain how he deals with his life. Doesn''t help that he''s rich and literally just relies on his family when it comes to everything, they own a very large company that deals with a lot of shit people use in their life everyday. You''d think he''ll have paparazzi swarming his ass while bodyguards pushed them away, but no, he''s actually a bastard son. He was accidentally conceived by his dad when he was on a business trip, which his bride didn''t like much. His prospects of inheriting the company is basically nil, but he still gets advantages.
Now, my ex-girlfriend. Well, I wouldn''t really call her my ex, heck, it''s even harder to call her my girlfriend. Amanda Snow Lim. A half-american half-asian beauty that almost never smiles. Bright red hair that reaches her very wonderful ass, she''s smoking. Literally. She''s smoking a stick of tobacco right now, which is strange to see considering the fact that''s what the elderly usually use to kill themselves. I can''t really say anything too much about her, mainly because she''s probably the most normal among us. She''s lived her 19 years of life without too much problems, she''s currently studying to get a degree in something that I don''t really know nor care about, she has a loving family. One of her problems in life? Me. Let''s just say me and her had a few swings together, and though they ended very well, it didn''t really mean we were compatible for each other. Well, at least from my point of view.
My favorite nerd goes by the name of Nadine Johnson, she literally looks like one of those generic nerds that they show in shows. Thick-rim glasses, pigtails, and extremely beautiful looks when you remove her glasses and put make-up on her. Always the one with a soft expression on her face, her brown hair gives her the feeling of being the mother in our little group, which she basically is. 22. she''s actually like me, someone who graduated way early. But she has the qualifications to be called a genius in the field she studied, unlike me. Always the most informed in our group, she''s talkative, and always looks for ways to help us all. She''s too kind, which is why she''s usually the one that can rein me in when I have one of my episodes where I do the dumbest of things. Anyways, introductions are done.
Jesus, why am I so long-winded today. I never explain anything in such an expansive style."Victor, stop having mental monologues and look where you''re going.", right after Nadine said that, I hit my face on a lamppost."CONFOUND IT ALL!", I scream quite loudly. I try to be creative in how I complain."We should have just called for a cab, it''d be easier.", grumbling, I walk while rubbing my now aching face. Eventually, we reached our destination. An exquisite building that rose higher than any other in vicinity, in front of us was the a sign that gave anyone passing through a very clear idea of what or who owned it. Mirror Fall.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"Right this way, children. Again, we thank you for sacrificing yourselves for the sake of our research. It''s quite hard these days to find people who''re willing to leave their life that aren''t suicidal, we can''t really use those types of people.", a balding man was talking to us while he was reading a few sheets of paper, I could smell the thick scent of ginger spice on him.
"Sacrifice isn''t really the best word to describe what we''re doing right now, Mr. Burns.", Amanda was already being spicy, that''s a good sign. We were all currently strapped down to metal beds, our limbs tied to our sides with an array of machinery and sharp needles inside us. Though this sounded ominous, it isn''t really as bad as one might think. We all agreed to this, we''ve said our farewells to friends and family, most of the loose end in our lives have been tied together... We''re basically ready for what''s going to come now.
"I agree, Professor. Though the situation may count as us sacrificing ourselves for the sake of improvement, this is simply for entertainment reasons and we''ve already been notified that it''ll pose no threats to our life. Rather, we should be thanking you for allowing us the chance to be the first testers of the concept of Full-Body Virtual Reality Immersion.", Nadine was being herself too, and she explained what''s happening right now. We''re gonna be testers for VR, but the catch is this''ll be permanent. Technically. Once the research is done, it''s our choice whether or not we''ll return to reality or forever stay in the virtual one. Nifty, huh.
"I don''t care, let''s just get this over with. The faster the procedures go, the sooner we''ll be ''reincarnated''. This''ll be interesting enough.", Theodore with a very important word in his sentence. Reincarnation. What''s also special about this is that we''re all going to start as babies, or at least what equates to one in the world we''re gonna dive in. It''s a typical fantasy one, magic and all that. You must be wondering, why don''t we sound afraid or excited of this? Well, we''ve been preparing for this for the last 3 years, and we had to be briefed a few times every week of what will happen to us. We''re basically numb now.
"Quite so. What about you, Mr. Sanchez? Any comments of the situation?", he stared at me with a raised brow, with a look expecting a very stupid reply. And stupid was the reply.
"Can we stop this for a second? I forgot to do something important." (Victor)
"Reallly? And what is that, Mr. Sanchez." (Burns)
"I left the stove running. Literally. I''m sure that place you left us is burning." (Victor)
"Worry not, Mr. Sanchez. We were expecting such behaviors from you, and have prepared for it.", after saying that with a toothy grin, me and him stared at each other with squinted eyes. You could see the electrical sparks from where our gazes met."Anyways, you aren''t going to get in the simulation just yet. First, we have to introduce something else. A portable AI system. When I say AI, I really mean you''re going to have a new personality in you, and when I say Portable, what I really mean is we''re going shove them in your brains. You will be kept safe, and we can assure you that it won''t cause any complications."
We were quite surprised to hear that, to say the least. Me in particular, because I read a lot of novels as I grew up, so I''m the edgiest and most ''experienced'' in our group when it comes to stuff like this."The AI will have very similar personalities with your own, to ensure that both you and the newly implemented personality don''t have clash too much. As for why we''re going to do this, it''ll be a surprise. Now that that''s done, this is goodmorning!", he then ordered a few of his assistants who quickly made quick work with the machines and fluids.
With that, we blacked out.
Oh god. My head feels so heavy right now. I crack my eyelids open to see a bright light. God? Is that you? Wait no, that''s just a normal light. Groaning, I raise myself up with great effort. I was currently in a white bed, in a white room, with a bunch of machines around me.
Initializing...
Normally, I''d be going apeshit if something like that popped up, but I was too befuddled at the time. Unknown to me, a very sexy nurse had already gone into the room and was checking the machinery beside me. She had such a fine ass. Wonder how it felt...? Without any warning from me and for her, I slapped that ass and gripped tightly. There was a few seconds of absolute silence.
*SMACK*
With that, I was slapped back to sleep. If I didn''t do something as stupid as that, I would have had the chance to at least have a final talk with my friends before we were sent to the game. Unfortunately, while they were all judging and complaining about what happened to me, they were complaining how I shouldn''t have been slapped strongly. They expected me to do something like that it seems. Regardless, thus started my journey to this new life! Unknown to me, the AI had already scanned my personality and basically mimicked it. Apparently, I pop-up would appear on how the AI would function depending on my initial desires, but being blacked out didn''t help me with that.
So the better way to explain it, is thus started my journey in a new fantasy world with an asshole that constantly talked shit about me.
Pressured by a beauty and my introduction
An infinitely vast sea of stars stretches out, bringing cosmic beauty and intrigue to all who gaze upon it. Within this endless field of glowing dots, 4 spheres of light flicker into existence, their light no less than the heavenly bodies. They were colored black, white, blue and pink. Slowly, they all descended towards a flourishing world, the lands were green and the waters a deep shade of blue. The world was suspended in space, receiving warmth and light from a nearby star. A bluish moon floated beside the world, its surface cragged yet not as peaceful as one might assume.
The orbs gently cascaded downwards towards the clouds, passing through them unhindered. Moments after, alongside the sound of glass shattering, they all shot in the 4 cardinal directions. The red orb shot towards the east, it glided across the sky as it tore through the air without even a whisper. Eventually, it approached an immense mountain that touched the roof of the world, it pierced through it like a sword. Atop this mountain was a ruined temple, wherein a statue of a beautiful goddess stood strong without even a blemish nor scratch.
The red orb shot into the temple and stopped right in front of the statue, its crimson light shedding away the darkness that covered the interior of the structure. Instantly, a bright light was emitted from the statue, the darkness now truly gone as the walls and stones of the ruin shimmered with an ethereal glow. From the statue walked out a ghostly form of the goddess, her beauty truly unmatched."Welcome, Mr. Sanchez.". she smiled warmly to the orb, bowing slightly.
The orb then started to vibrate, with a popping sound, it turned into the visage of a male humanoid."Wow, the journey was quite scenic. I''m pretty impressed, but I''m sure Theo would shrug it off like the rich prick that he is." "I was warned that you would be direct, I''m rather amused.", she said with a chuckle, her smile blooming so brightly that it made Victor freeze for a bit.
"...Yeah." (Victor)
"Are you ready now to hear the brief explanation of what''s going to happen?" (Goddess)
"Pretty sure we''ve been told of this, but why not. Just in case I forget shit, because I probably already have." (Victor)
"Very well.", the Goddess nodded, she waved her hand as a window popped up in front of him, showing a very expansive list of what he assumed to be the races. Just from a glance, there were probably tens to hundreds of choices that he''d have to look into. There were even racial mixtures like the half-elf or the half-orc. "Welcome to the world of Mifaral, a world filled with adventure and magic, kingdoms and empires, demons and gods, and many other fantastical things!", after saying that, she closed her mouth and looked at Victor, waiting.
"...That''s it? No long-ass explanations about how amazing the world is, of what I could do, or any other boasts that all games have?" (Victor)
"Mr. Sanchez, this is merely a world made for research and the collection of data. Though you might view this as a game of sorts, we are using this simulation to further our knowledge in the field of virtual reality. We''ve near perfected the sensory replications, but that''s only for singular or a small group of people. Our aim is to find out how to connect large amounts of people into the same simulation, without overloading the system with their own experiences. Unlike the finished product that we desire, you will be experiencing 100% of the world. You CAN go insane in this program, should the situation you''re in is enough to cause it. Now, I suggest you look through the races, for none of you will be able to start unless all of you have chosen your race. Choose 5 that you find interesting. But be wary, some of those races haven''t been tested properly yet, particularly those branded as aberrant. They are dangerous, and will cause complications if you use them.", after bombarding him with that speech, she gave a sweet smile and stayed quiet.
"...Ech.", Victor grumbled and complained mentally, not knowing the Goddess had the ability to read his thoughts, and now started to look through the list. There was a lot of interesting races, most of which he hadn''t even heard or would imagine of. Water Rat? Who would agree to call an entire race that? After looking at the list, he pressed on the ones he liked, and after he all of them, the list disappeared. What appeared next was a window that had listed the ones he chose.
Choose your race!
Goblin
Goliath
Merfolk
Orc
Tiefling
Looking at it, Victor tapped on them. Nothing happened. With squinted eyes, he pressed on them even longer, expecting another window to pop-up with descriptions of the races he chose. Again, no reaction. Grunting, he looked at the Goddess with a raised brow, his questioning eyes looking at her without shame. She smiled and calmly replied,"No explanations will be provided, Mr. Sanchez."
"...Though I''d love to have an argument with you about that, I''ll just think to myself. Ass.", after saying that last bit, he put his hand to his chin and started to ponder on what race he''d choose. The reason he chose those was because he had some vague ideas on what they were. He was an avid fan of high fantasy-related content, old and new, and these races were very common, particularly the orcs.
Whenever he played RPG games, rarely was he the type that would cast spells from afar, using up time to cast them. He''d be either the rogue, tank, or the warrior in most games, fighting the enemy up-close in personal or sneaking behind them to deal a catastrophic amount of damage. He finds attacking enemies from afar to be boring, thus he chose the races he believes have the most likely chance of being fighters.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Goblins were small, sneaky, and very ugly. They''re usually shown to have high dexterity alongside an uncanny ability in keeping themselves away from hairy situations by hiding in the shadows. Goliaths, huge muscleheads that stand out in a crowd with both their height and appearance, they''d work best as tanks who carry the huge tower shields or barbarians that swing the greataxes with ease.
Orcs were basically like the goliaths, except more wild and suited for war. Most of the times they''re shown as the enemies of the side that lean towards the light, but that doesn''t necessarily have to mean they have to be evil. Mermen were seen as the masters of the sea, they live in underwater tribes or kingdoms, honing themselves to become powerful warriors. Some of them even become wandering mercenaries or greedy pirates, terrorizing the shores with their amazing skill.
As for tieflings, they''re depicted as the offspring of demons and another race, they''re known to have some degree of talent when it comes to magic. He chose them mainly because he believes he''d look cool with having horns, hooves or a tail. But he also has to consider that this is more like a new life than an actual game, the race he''ll choose might be hated or discriminated heavily in the world. Though he wouldn''t call himself a smart person, he''s still someone who can look at things from different perspectives.
"...Is there racial discrimination in this world?", he tentatively asked the woman, though he was expecting either silence or a cryptic answer.
"In some parts of the world, yes. From the races you''ve chosen, the least looked with favor are the goblins, but that doesn''t mean they''d be killed on sight. They''re just generally accepted as misfits, but that''s it. Only specific places take it to the extreme of killing other races without hesitation.", she replied as she brushed her hair to the side, that smile still on her face.
"...Wow, you actually answered.", he had an very exaggerated look of surprise on his face, as if he was mocking her in some way. Since the racism in the world isn''t as widespread as he assumed, he could now freely choose from all of them, but he still hasn''t decided. As he gazed at the choices, the woman''s form faintly shimmered.
"One of your companions has chos- Two of your companions have chosen their race." (Goddess)
"Goddamnit, woman. Stop pressuring me! Fuck it, I''ll just be a super strong beefcake.", he further narrowed down his choices to the orc and the goliath. Though both of them were strong, each had their own advantage and disadvantage. Just as he was about to randomly pick one, an idea sparked in him.
"Woman, can I merge these two races? I saw there was this half-orc thing from the big list, can I make a combination of the two?", if he combined these two, what would happen? Would the hybrid be superior in strength compared to the parent races? Or would it be genetically inferior?
"Yes, though I warn you, most hybrids of races aren''t seen in a good way.", though she was sometimes annoying, she was still considerate of him, even though he was mentally insulting her as she spoke. Such is the life of someone capable of reading thoughts."Are you sure with your choice?"
"Well...", hesitation was written all over his face, he already chose to be a close combat fighter recklessly, he seriously has to consider this for it will affect his entire experience."By the way, your 3rd companion has chosen their race.". she said as she gave another amused smile, though it seemed this one was teasing than the last.
"Fffffffff, woman, goddamnit. Fine, fuck it. I''LL BE A HYBRID.", what he hated the most was being pressured, and this woman was doing just that. He might be an asshole, but he wouldn''t want to ruin his friends'' fun. After saying so, a flash of light illuminated his form as he was suddenly dragged out of the temple without warning, blacking out just before the woman said, "Have fun, Mr. Sanchez.". Her form collapsed into motes of light that were absorbed back into the statue. The glowing stones returned to what they were, and the temple was once more shrouded in darkness. It was as if nothing ever happened.
"What is this...? Why is it so dark...? Tired..." (Victor)
...
"I feel warm... And moist... Like being in a jacuzzi but not really...(Victor)
...
"How long have I been here...? And why do I feel moister than ever...? Moister...? Oyster...? Am I a crustacean...?" (Victor)
...
"I''m probably inside a vagina right now. That''s the only explanation I can think of that is actually plausible. It''s BORING IN HERE. BIRTH GIVER, SPAWN ME." (Victor)
...
"Take that, and that, and that, AND THAT. MY MARTIAL ARTS WILL FORCE YOU TO SPAWN ME. I probably shouldn''t be doing this. Hmm. I''ll be more merciful, and kick only every few... how long have I been here?" (Victor)
...
"JESUS CHRIST, I DID NOT SIGN UP TO THIS. WHICH TROLL DECIDED TO SHOVE US ALL IN WOMBS AND MAKE US WAIT FOR WHO THE FUCK KNOWS HOW LONG?!" (Victor)
...
"Am I closing my eyes or are they open? I feel that I have fingers, but I can''t feel what I''m doing. Wait, would I still be even a guy??? WILL I HAVE MY OWN SPAWN PIT? OH SHIT." (Victor)
...
"WHEN I WAS, A YOUNG BOY. MY FATHER, HE TOOK ME TO THE LOCAL BAR, TO SEE THE LOCAL HOES. HE SAID SON WHEN, YOU GROW UP. WILL YOU BE, THE FATHER TO THEIR CHILDREN, BUT LEAVE THEM LIKE I WILL DO TO YOU... Now I understand why people say I need therapy. GOOD THING I''M TOO POOR FOR THAT, HAHAHAHAhahahahuhuhuhwuwuwuwuw... Times like this, my friends would say I need the bible." (Victor)
...
"WHOA, I CAN FEEL IT. I''M COMING OUT!!! HERE I GO!!!" (Victor)
In a small cabin, something glorious was happening. 3 people were currently engrossed in what many would call the final stages of pregnancy. A female orc was currently in a bed, growling and screaming as she gripped the hands of her mate tightly, who was also screaming but without sound. Mainly because the orc''s nails were digging into his gray skin, but he didn''t want to stress his allegedly beautiful wife. It was a male goliath, he was clothed in grimy and dirty clothes covered in soot, burn marks all over his outfit. The midwife was a human, a no-nonsense look on her face as she glanced at the soon-to-be father with a raised brow.
"Here it comes, aaaaand...It''s a bo-", just as she was about to finish her sentence, a loud cry quickly drowned the sounds of both her and the female orc. The baby was rather big, at least for human standards, and it cried like no tomorrow.
Victor was suffering as well, he didn''t expect such a sensation from the birth, and even if he wanted to, he couldn''t stop crying. It was an instinctual response he couldn''t control, and as he cried, he finally opened his eyes, only to be met by this.