《World of Wonders》 Prologue: Netizens are Netizens "The identity of the man behind the game ''World of Wonders'' is still unknown. Rumors and speculations are going around the world as to who invented the game. The CEO of ''Wonderful Company'' still hasn''t mentioned anything about the person behind the most popular vrmmorpg game and he continues to deny involvement in the creation of the game. According to the CEO, he only manages the company because the inventor of the game is shy around people. Whether this is true or not, some people does not believe him and indulge themselves in creating rumors and conspiracy theories. Here are some comments pulled up from the biggest fan site of World of Wonders." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Akaloli97: Isn''t it suspicious that they don''t show the man behind World of Wonders? What if the CEO killed him and stole his invention? Lol Cutesiepie: Are you retarded? Lol the CEO is probably the one who invented it, maybe this is just their marketing strategy Kingoftroll9287: Suck my d!?k harder! ~aagnh Wonderfan23: Can the mods ban this troll!!!? What are the mods even doing!!!!!????? Wonderful567: lol @Akaloli97 I recommend you to stop watching dramas Kingofnyans: meow~ Nyanf0llow3r: my king! Switching the television off, the man lets out a big sigh. "People are stupid." Chapter 1 Alex pov "Thank you! Have a nice day!" The customer ignored me again. Sigh~ Cynthia''s school fees are due this week and there''s the house rent too. According to my calculations, my pay should be enough to cover our expenses this month, I think. - "I''m off! Bye!" (Alex) "Wait!" (Kelly) "Hmm? Kelly? What is it?" (Alex) "Ah- you''re going to your next part-time job right?" (Kelly) "Yeah but I''m going home first to change into my uniform." (Alex) "Then please take this. The guys at the kitchen made too much and they were planning on throwing it away. It seemed such a waste so I decided to take it." (Kelly) Kelly handed me a box. As soon as I opened it, my nose was intruded with the smell of bacon. "Is this alright? Isn''t there a policy that prohibits employees to take home leftover food?" (Alex) When I was employed, the manager kept on telling me that I should never take home any food from the restaurant that I did not pay for. He kept on reminding me everyday until it was drilled into my head. I even have occasional nightmares because of it. "It''s okay. Please accept it with my apology. I''m sorry for insulting you. I was obviously out of line." (Kelly) When I started working in this restaurant, Kelly would always wear a scowl when she spots me. I don''t know why she hates me but last Monday, she finally blew up. She saw me talking to one of the customers and at the end of my shift, she followed me to the break room and told me that it''s not my job to socialize, that I should do my job properly instead of talking to people. None of what she said got to me because I know full well what my job is, and it wasn''t even an idle chat, I was just helping the customer, then she went on to tell me that maybe because I was poor that''s why I''m lazy. I kept my mouth shut because I know that arguing with her would have no point. Apparently, the manager was nearby and he heard everything she said. The manager told me he''d make her apologize to me but I told him it''s okay. I don''t like the idea of forcing someone to do something they don''t want to do. This 180¡ã change in her attitude is suspicious though. "Apology accepted." I smiled and went home with the box of bacon. Yay! Free food! - As soon as I got home, I heated some of the bacon and stored the rest of it in the fridge. My little sister is already home and she helped me prepare the table for dinner. "So? Anything interesting happen at school today?" "¡­" "¡­" "I punched Kris in the face." (Cynthia) "What!? Why!? What if they sue? We don''t have money for compensation." I talked so fast that some of the bacon in my mouth flew out and landed on the table. As Cynthia gave me a disgusted look, she then went on to say "Don''t worry. Nobody would believe him and besides, I made sure there was no one to see it." (Cynthia) S-she''s scary. I don''t know if she''s joking but it doesn''t seem like it because she explained it to me without changing her expression. Sigh~ "Anyway, I always tell you violence is not the answer. What made you punch him?" "He''s annoying." (Cynthia) Tha-that''s it? Sigh~ My little sister''s too scary. "Ah- I should go now. I don''t want to be late." "Okay" (Cynthia) That''s it? No ''see you later!'' Or ''Have fun''? Sigh~ ------------------------------------------------------------------ Cyan pov "You should go outside from time to time." (Mom) "Don''t want to." She sighed and slumped her shoulders dejectedly. She should just give up, there''s no way I''d go out voluntarily. "Then at least go downstairs and meet your cousin." "No way." "You can''t just live in this room forever. What will you do about university?" "I can take online courses." "What about your career? You would have to meet people someday." "Being a novelist does not require me to meet people. I just have to send my works to an editor and then to a publisher." She looks at me with a look that says ''I give up'' and then she opened the door and left my room. I continued to read the book across my lap. As I turn the page over, there''s a knock on the door. Obviously, I ignored it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. *knock* *knock* *knock* Ignore. *knock* *knock* *knock* This is getting annoying. "The door is open." The door opened to reveal an annoying looking kid. "What do you want?" I asked as cold as possible. Maybe scaring this child will make him leave. "Is this a library?" He asked stupidly while looking at the shelves filled with books surrounding the room. "I didn''t say you can come in." I put my bookmark in my book closed it then I put it on my nightstand. "You''re not the boss of me." He retorted while making a stupid face with his already stupid face. "This is my room and I can kick out people if I want to. Get out." He ignored me and went to the shelf closest to him. Tch! I should be the one ignoring you, not the other way around! He took a book from the shelf and flashed me his stupidly evil smile. This action took me by surprise. "Return that book this instant!" Wow, I didn''t know I could yell this loud. "Nope." He dashed right out of my room. Because I was in my bed with my legs covered with my comforter, I could not stop him from leaving my room. I rushed out not bothering to change my clothes (btw I''m only wearing a shirt and an underwear, I guess I should''ve put on some pants first) and I saw him ran straight down the stairs and into the living room. I finally caught up to him before I run out of breath. I caught him by the back collar of his shirt and he dropped the book with a loud thump. At the same time, he cried with his stupid cry and his stupid face became more stupid as his eyes were suddenly leaking tears. My parents and the others rushed to the scene to find me holding this annoying kid''s shirt by his collars on my right hand while picking the dropped book on my left hand. "Let go of him this instant! Are you trying to kill him!?" The fat lady was yelling while pointing at me. I guess this is his mother. I let go of his collar and he decided to sit on the floor. He flashed me a smile while making sure that my body is blocking everyone''s view. This little piece of shit. The fat lady is still yelling and I ignored her as I went up the stairs with my book. I went straight to my room and placed my book at it''s right place. I then sat on my bed while my back is being supported by the wall. I took my book that I was reading earlier and I continued where I left off. - As I was nearing the end of my book, the door flew open revealing my parents with a serious look on their face. "This has got to stop. You need to socialize and learn what''s right and wrong. You nearly choked that poor kid to death!" (Dad) My mother was fighting back tears that are obviously going to fall in a minute. The thing is, that stupid kid wasn''t even choking, he was just pretending in order to get me in trouble. Little shit. "Have you heard of World of Wonders?" (Dad) "What''s that? Is it an Almanac?" I had an amused look on my face and my father''s face contorted to show an angry expression. I guess he''s not amused. "No. I haven''t heard of it." I answered seriously this time. "It''s a game that you will be playing for a year. World of Wonders is a multiplayer vrmmorpg game. With this, you will meet people-" (Dad) "Don''t want to." I cut him off in the middle of his boring speech and the look he gave me suggested that he had enough of my shit. "You will play this game! If you don''t play this game for a year, I will donate all of your books to the library!" "No!" I had a pained expression on my face and this seemed to make him smile. What a sadist. "Tomorrow morning, some people will come and take all of your books and then set up a virtual reality capsule." (Dad) He had a triumphant smug smile on. "Don''t worry sweetheart, I heard there''s a library in the game." (Mom) My face quickly brightened and this wiped off his triumphant smug smile and quickly replaced by a scowl. "It''s only for a year right?" I said while smiling directly at him. That being said, I need to research this game. I don''t want to have my hope crushed when I find out that there are no books in the game. Chapter 2 Alex pov "Good Morning!" I don''t know why but I feel so happy today. Maybe it''s because I woke up before the alarm clock, maybe it''s the sun shining down on my face, or maybe it''s because of the fact that today is pay day. I arrived at work earlier than usual and was met with an angry stare from the owner of the restaurant and an apologetic look from the manager. Did I do something wrong? I racked my brain looking for a reason explaining why the owner is angry at me and I came up with nothing. Maybe there''s something in my face? It''s rude to be angry at someone just because you don''t like the way they look. I wonder what it is. As I was racking my brain for more plausible reasons, the owner broke the silence by talking first. "You. Meet me in the office." (Owner) "Y-yes." I stuttered. Why did I stutter? And what''s with this weird atmosphere? It feels intimidating and at the same time, awkward. I followed him in his office and shut the door. "You''re fired." (Owner) What? Did I hear that right? Nah, maybe he meant fried. It sure is hot today and I do a light jog everyday so I might be sunburned without even realizing it. "Yes, I walked here and didn''t realize that the sun was frying my skin. Do I really look fried? I looked at my reflection from the mirror hanging on the right wall. I put my right hand to my face and rubbed my cheeks. I don''t look fried though. "Are you deaf? I said you''re fired." (Owner) Wha- so I heard it right. My cheerful face suddenly fell down into a scowl. "May I ask the reason why?" Even if I''m fired, I would be restless if I didn''t know the reason. "Ha! Acting all innocent and pretending you don''t know. I heard it all from Kelly. She told me you snatched some leftover food and threatened to kill her if she ever tell anybody about it. It took her real courage to come and tell me what happened. At the end, she was even crying!" (Owner) I''m at loss for words. I just stood there with a blank expression because I just can''t comprehend why she did what she did. "Not denying anything? I see, at least you have the decency to remain silent." (Owner) He opened his shelf and produced an envelope. "This is your pay. You should leave now before Kelly sees you. I''m sure she''ll break down if she sees you." (Owner) I took the envelope and walked out of the room. The manager walked up to me and apologized for the injustice. "It''s fine. At least someone believes in me." I smiled as I walked out of the restaurant. As I was walking towards home, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to return my uniform. I turned heel and ran in the direction of the restaurant. As I was in the process of opening the doors, I heard some conversation in the alleyway beside the restaurant where the garbage bins are. It piqued my curiosity and I couldn''t help but walk in that direction. I didn''t know why I was walking stealthily but I was thankful that I did. I hid beside a garbage bin close enough to see two people having a conversation. They couldn''t see me in my postion but I could see and hear them. "Hahaha I wish I saw his stupid face." (Kelly) "It was magnificent! Khukhukhukhuku he was so out of it. It was so funny pretending to sympathize with him. Do you know what he said?" (Manager) "What? What is it?" (Kelly) "He was like ''At least someone believes in me'' hahahahaha I nearly bursted out laughing." (Manager) "Hahahaha what a stupid kid. Your plan succeeded though. I didn''t know it would work hahahahahaha." (Kelly) I couldn''t hear anymore, or rather, I was preoccupied with my own thoughts that it naturally drowned out their conversation. This was the manager''s plan!? I couldn''t believe it, no, I refuse to believe it. But he admitted it himself. I feel like there''s a hand squishing my heart and I have difficulty with breathing. So this is what it feels like to be betrayed by someone you trusted. As I heard the back door open and close, it was my cue to run away from this place. I ran and ran and I somehow ended up sitting in a swing in a park immersed deeply in my own thoughts. I feel so dumb. I''m not angry at the manager, rather, I''m angry at myself for being so damn gullible. But more than that, I''m worried about how I''m going to pay for our future expenses. I opened the envelope and I pulled out a cheque containing $3,351. This wouldn''t even last a month. I should look for another job. Just as I was pondering about what to do, two teenagers sat on the bench beside me and I could clearly hear their conversation. Did I become an eavesdropper? Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "What is your class? I am a mage and I need a tank." "We should meet then. I''m a knight and I''m confident about tanking." Tch! Good for them. They have no worries and the only thing they do is play video games. "So how much was the last bid?" "$1034. Well that''s to be expected because it''s such a rare item." "Woah. I wish I also find a rare item to sell." What!? $1034 just for an item!? I know some people buy game items with real money but to spend $1034 is insane! What game is this!? "Yeah, some dark gamers are rich because of ''World of Wonders''. We should explore a dungeon together, maybe we can find something we can sell." World of Wonders? I feel like I''ve heard of it before but what''s with the tacky name? I wonder how popular it is for people to ignore how tacky the name sounds. For now, I should head home. I visited the bank on the way home to deposit my last paycheck from the restaurant. - I opened my laptop and searched for the game World of Wonders or whatever it is. As I was going through the search results, I clicked on a link and it led me to the official bidding site for game items/weapons/clothes/etc.. I nearly fainted at the site before me. Unbelievable prices! I saw the number one item on the list and it currently has a bid of $6945. Damn! It''s twice my paycheck! And it''s still ongoing! I refreshed the site to find that the amount changed from $6945 to $7690. What!? This is incredible! If I play this game, I could sell rare items I find and I would be rich! With this, my problems will be solved! I looked at the official World of Wonders website and the price nearly knocked me off my chair. $3000 for a vr capsule! And that''s the cheapest one!? Then how much is the most expensive one? $20000.99!? These prices are going to give me a stroke. The game has $50 monthly subscription!? Well, that''s to be expected, I guess. Wait. First month is free! Should I go for it? Might as well. I clicked on the order now button and it led me to a new tab where I quickly filled out my information. I picked the most basic vr capsule as it is the cheapest one. I finished ordering and I received an email of confirmation and receipt. I also received an email informing me that workers will come tomorrow to set it up. Wow! Tomorrow!? Really!? At least they work fast. Although I''m still a little bummed from spending $3000 in a day. Sigh~ I should just research information for now. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A/N: Please leave a comment on how you''re liking the story so far. Is it going too slow? Is it at a moderate speed? Does it lack details? Feel free to nitpick on every little things as it will help me deliver what you, the readers, want. Have a nice day! :-fightingchicken:- <- Is this a panda? It looks like a panda. Chapter 3 A/N: Hello! Another new chapter! yay! Cyan pov Heee~ so it''s pretty popular. So it features full immersion, huh. Pain reduced to 20%? Well that''s convenient. While browsing the internet, I stumbled upon a website called wonderwikidiot.com. According to the about page, this website is dedicated in updating legitimate information about the game. The information collected is checked thoroughly by a hundred or more players before it is posted in the site. While casually scrolling through the latest updates, my eyes were drawn by a particular title. I clicked on ''Latest Update: Available Starting Cities'' because I need to know where I would be stuck for 1 week RL time. I read somewhere along my searches that time is slowed down at a ratio of 1:4, and that you can only leave your starting city after four weeks for safety measures and so that players can get used moving their body in-game before going on an adventure. As the page fully loaded, it showed me four different cities and information below each of the city name. The first one is called ''Central Kingdom'' and it is ruled by an npc referred to as ''King Cedric Digsalot''. I feel like they didn''t even try to come up with a creative name for the city, and as for the name of the king, it feels vaguely familiar. According to the information listed below, Central Kingdom is the very first starting city. I stopped reading as I was interrupted by the door opening and people entering my room as they moved all the shelves down to the basement. I was watching as they tried to move as carefully as possible because they know how much I love my books. I suddenly lost interest in what I was reading and decided that was enough for research. I would start in ''Central Kingdom'' because as it is the very first staring city, less people would choose it as their starting city. Two painful hours went by as I watched my books get taken away from me and I nearly lost it when the last shelf left my room. Now that the shelves are gone, my room suddenly looks bigger and a lot emptier. I feel the cries of help from my books as they get forcefully dragged down only to be stored in a room that nobody uses, but I cannot do anything to save my books. I can only try to endure one painful year without them. When I thought everything was over, another set of people came in with a disassembled vr capsule and assembled it in front of my eyes. After they were done, they left uniformly through the door. The vr capsule is so big that it took half the space the shelves used to occupy. I opened the capsule and it reveals a bed covered in vicu?a wool. I touched it and felt that it was the same texture as my own bed and it''s the same softness and warmth. With backward glance to my door, I sighed and went inside the capsule. I switched it on and the capsule door lowered and locked me in. One by one, the lights in the capsule dimmed until I was fully enveloped in darkness. After 5 seconds, there was light and I realized that I''m not in the capsule anymore because in front of me is a lady with a smile on her face. "Welcome to World of Wonders! As you don''t have an account yet, you are redirected here in the character creation page." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. As she finished saying this, a figure appeared before me with an expressionless face. I automatically recognized it as me. Black hair, pale skin, gray eyes, 5''7" tall, and a skinny body suggesting the need for exercise. "Now, what race would you want to be. Humans are popular because they are well balanced and most of the cities don''t shun them." "Elf." I replied nonchalantly and my face became more angular and my ears became pointy. I picked elf because they have high affinity for magic and that means they heavily rely on intelligence and wisdom. If I want to read in-game books, I have to have high enough intelligence to earn the linguistics stat and start from there. I only changed my eye color to black and ignored all the words coming from the lady''s mouth. "I would like to start in Central Kingdom." Cutting her off in the middle of her speech, she looked angry but she quickly pressed some invisible buttons and I was slowly enveloped in light. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alex pov The workers arrived in the morning and installed the vr capsule. Wasting no time at all, I quickly opened it and saw a sticker on the bed part. I took it off and quickly read the contents. Apparently, it is made with 35% cotton and 65% polyester. I laid down quickly and pressed the on button. The door slowly closed and the lights slowly dimmed. Just as I was debating whether it was broken or not, I was blinded by light suddenly appearing to show me that I am no longer in the capsule. There is a man in front of me with a smile that tells you that he has no worries in life. Must be nice. "As you are recognized as a new player, you are redirected to this room for character creation." He spoke with his smile not leaving his face. Suddenly, I was surprised by the sudden appearance of my figure in front of me. The smiley man explained the races to me and I chose to be human because humans are balanced and aren''t discriminated in most places. I didn''t change anything with my current appearance because I didn''t feel the need for it. Blond hair, blue eyes, 6''3" tall, and a lean muscled body. "Thanks to the help of some high level players, there are currently four starting cities. Where would you like to be put in?" He asked as the smile is still plastered to his face. "I would like to be in Central Kingdom." He smiled even wider and I was enveloped in blinding light. I opened my eyes to see I am in the central square in Central Kingdom. Lots of people are everywhere and it all feels real. I suddenly noticed a figure beside me. I looked at him and his face is contorted in a way that suggests that he will vomit at any minute. "Are you okay?" "Mind your own business, you ignorant giant." (Cyan) He glared at me and quickly left the area. What was that? What a rude kid. Sigh~ people sure are ruthless. Chapter 4 A/N: New Chapter! Reasons for late update: 1. Tables. Tables are a pain in the ass. I should''ve just stuck to my original idea of making this a fantasy instead of virtual reality. FML 2. Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken - I was busy reading this light novel I found. 3. I was just being lazy. Yep, maybe that''s it. Cyan pov The bright light continued to glow until I was fully enveloped by it. The light slowly subsided and I find myself in the middle of Central Kingdom. The sound came first and a second later, my eyes adjusted to the unfamiliar view in front of me. The place is filled with people that it made me sick just being here. "Are you okay?" I heard an unfamiliar voice and I instantly looked at the source. Beside me is a man standing tall with lean muscles and an oddly handsome looking face. I was instantly attacked with jealousy the moment I laid my eyes on him. How can anybody be this tall!? It''s not normal! The truth is, I''ve always envied tall people. I tried everything to be taller but nothing worked. Adjusting height is not allowed in character customization but there''s an exception to some races. That''s it, maybe he picked a giant. Damn! I should have picked a giant too! Why didn''t I think of that!? Wait, according to the novels that I''ve read, giants have low intelligence. Ha! Stupid brat picking a giant just to become taller. "Mind your own business, you ignorant giant." I retorted as I glared at him and ran the opposite direction. That was dangerous, I should watch what I say. Even though we are inside of a kingdom, he could easily kill me and run away before the guards catch him. First and foremost, look for a library. I was wandering around when I came across the Central Library. I walked in and my eyes were greeted by millions of books neatly placed in shelves. It was almost perfect except for the fact that the library is so crowded with people dressed in colorful robes. That''s to be expected, mages can raise their intelligence stat through the library. "Is there another library in this place?" I was muttering when suddenly, an old lady spoke up. "There''s a small library near the west gate but I wouldn''t recommend you going there. That library is small and no one goes there because most of the books there raises less intelligence than the books here. That''s why this library is always crowded and that library is always empty." Perfect. An empty library! I can''t believe how lucky I am! I asked the old lady for directions and as soon as I got it, I immediately set out on the way to the west gate. I arrived in front of a shabby looking place with a dark atmosphere surrounding it. I slowly opened the door and entered. The man inside suddenly smiled and told me to come in. "It''s been a while since somebody visited my library. Nobody comes here because people only read books that can raise their intelligence stat. The books here are novels and mostly stories by unknown writers, that''s why it raises little to no intelligence stat. I''m curious traveler, what made you come here?" (Old man) "I just need a quiet place to read. The other library is filled with people that it gives me a sick feeling in my stomach." "Hahahaha you, I like your attitude." (Old man) "First time someone said that." He then laughed louder. This man is getting annoying. He then asked if I already have the linguistics skill. I answered no and he searched his shelf and produced a sheet of paper with letters of the alphabet. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "What do I do with this?" "Read it out loud." I reluctantly agreed and as I got to the letter ''z'', my body started to shine and a transparent box appeared in front of me.
Learned New Skill:
Linguistics (Beginner level 1)
Just as I finished reading the box, another box appeared.
Learned New Skill:
Ancient Language Translator (Beginner level 1)
Wow¡­ two skills at the same time? I feel like a pro. "Thanks, I learned a lot by following your instructions." I feel deeply grateful to this somewhat annoying old man and my view of him changed from being ignorant to that of a knowledgeable man. "It''s okay. It moves my heart to see young''uns reading books without discrimination." Because my linguistics skill is still level one, I can only read picture books for now. After reading 10 picture books in under 10 minutes, my linguistics skill rose to level 3 and I gained a new skill.
Learned New Skill:
Fast Reader (Beginner level 1)
By raising my linguistics to level 3, I was able to read more books. This continued until my linguistics rose from Beginner level to Intermediate level. I spent 6 hours reading and as I was finished with the book in my hand, a transparent box popped up.
INT+1
After so many books, I only gained 1 intelligence? So this why people don''t come here. "You''ve been here since this afternoon, do you have anywhere to sleep?" Now that I think about it, I don''t have any money for a room in an inn. My face suddenly darkened and then the old man laughed. Then I remembered, I could always log out and log in again, but I have nothing to do once I log out. My books are confiscated and I can only read books here. Tch! This is troublesome. "Hahahaha as I thought. If you don''t have anywhere to sleep, you can use the spare room upstairs. In exchange, please deliver this letter to the Central Library."
Quest: Deliver the old man''s letter to Central Library. (F)
As the old man witnessed your passion for reading all the books you can get your hands on, he decided to entrust a very important letter to a nobody like you. Time Limit: 30 minutes. Rewards: Accommodation provided by the old man. Increased intimacy with the old man. Failure: Intimacy with the old man decreases. *Quest cannot be refused*
"I''ll deliver it right this instant." I stood up and nearly attacked the floor with my face. After sitting for a long period of time, my legs feel funny and I had to shake it and do other stuff to make it normal again. Seeing this, the old man kept on laughing. What an annoying person.