14 Stage 14: The Start of a New Adventure

"Are you ready to enter the world of Watashinojinsei-dan?" Morpheus inquired as he held the golden book in his hand.

Nodding his head, Lixin felt more than ready to start his adventure in this new world that would facilitate his revenge. "Yes, I am."

Smiling brightly, Morpheus opened the book to a blank page, then turned it outwards, facing Lixin. While extending his arms so that the book was farther away from his body, the NPC spoke a strange incantation.

Once the incantation was cast, Lixin could only watch as a large portal emerged from the book's open pages. It looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

It was such a surreal sight to behold.

Removing his attention from the swirling blue pool of flowing energy, Lixin looked at Morpheus, only to receive a mischievous smile from the man.

After seeing the smile, he should have guessed something questionable would happen, but he didn't. In his naivety, he assumed that the portal was what he needed to enter to start the game.

It was. He was right about that. However, he didn't enter the vortex on his own. Even before he could take a step towards it, a shimmering tendril stretched out from the vortex and encircled him.

Gasping in shock, he watched as the tendril wrapped itself around his entire body before pulling him quickly into the silvery, whirling light of the portal. It happened so swiftly. One second he was in the annular chamber, and the next, he was dragged through the vortex's liquidity threshold.

And as strange as it seems, the only thing that crossed his mind was: 'What is with these developers sucking players into holes without warning?'

Luckily, unlike his experience with the previous wormhole, he was only inside it for seconds before it was over. However, his exit differed greatly from the others.

Instead of gently materializing into a new location, the vortex spat him out, leaving him lying sprawled, face first on a hardwood floor.

With a pained groan, Lixin used his arms to lift himself up until he was kneeling. Quickly glancing around to see where he was, he noticed that he was in a rustic living room.

'This place seems familiar,' Lixin thought, using a nearby sofa as leverage to stand up. Once he was standing, he could see the full scope of the room. That's when he realized why the place seemed so familiar. 'It's the same room I saw in the cut scene.'

He finally understood what was going on. The vortex didn't spit him out onto the floor instead it dropped him into the last position of his persona.

And the only reason he was lying sprawled out on the floor was that at the end of the cut scene, his persona fainted because his powers were unlocked.

'Wow, the developers must have thought through every small detail when making this game,' Lixin mused, looking around the virtual room with curiosity.

The room was lovely if a little rustic. He didn't notice it because he was too focused on the cut scene. But as he looked around the living room, taking in every detail, he couldn't help but be amazed. From the musky scent of the brown leather sofa to the texture of the rug beneath his feet, everything seemed so real.

Even the photos on the wall looked genuine. Interested to see how they looked close up, Lixin moved towards them. However, as soon as he took a step away from where he first arrived, dings sounded and blue transparent boxes popped up in his field of vision.

The way the blue screens appeared out of nowhere was daunting, especially for someone like himself who had never used virtual reality before. But he knew he needed to adapt fast because these would pop up randomly throughout the game.

'At least the screens are accompanied by a ding, unlike those wormholes,' Lixin thought as he turned his attention to the first transparent blue box.

[Cora:] Welcome to Watashinojinsei-dan Online! The only game where your preferences help create your gaming experience. In this world your actions have consequences, so think twice before doing anything! Note: Don't forget, you need to say OPEN STATUS to access your Cora.]

Although at first glance the welcome message appeared normal, Lixin knew it wasn't. Because hidden there between the lines was a very valuable insight into the game. He really should give credit to the developers for being so shrewd.

However, to be honest, if it wasn't for the research he and Zeyu did on the game, he wouldn't have caught the hidden meaning. It was a great thing he did since it allowed him to understand that the message was talking about the three types of quests in the game.

The first was Storyline quests. This is where players receive quests automatically when the previous one is completed. The second was called Regular Quests which could be anything from killing, escorting, or delivery. These can be found on the quest boards in town.

Then there were Random Encounters. These quests could only be triggered by certain actions or events. And finally, was the last type of quest. These quests were called Butterfly Effect, and they were quick time actions given by the system. These actions could lead to a quest that was lame, epic, or something in between. However, the player's choice during the quick-time action determined the outcome.

When Lixin first read about the Butterfly Effect system in the game, he was really curious about it. But after watching some videos of players that encountered it, and landed in frightening situations, it worried him.

"Hopefully, I will choose correctly when the time comes," Lixin muttered to himself, exiting the welcoming screen before reading the next one. Surprisingly it was a quest.

Storyline Quest created: The Mystery of the Golden Scale: A Young Koi's Journey.

The Adventure Begins Part 1

Your unexpected transformation has taken you by surprise. You didn't think unlocking your powers would leave you in this type of state. Would your guardian even recognize you? You really hope so.

Objective: Show Peter your new appearance!

Reward: 10 EXP & 10 Bronze Coins

~

Author Says:

Lixin: I got my first quest. How exciting is that?

MomoCatt: It looks like an easy one too. But who knows you need to stay focused. Here drink this Pu-erh tea.

Lixin: Thanks and don't worry I will.

If you want to read advanced chapters go here: patreon.com/Momocatt