3 Game Start

[Host, please proceed to choose your character]

Gerard opens his eyes upon hearing a womanly gentle voice.

He cannot help but shout, yes! I did it! I did it!

And then it dawns on him. Why am I happy? I died just a moment ago so why am I happy?

Then he heard the gentle voice again.

[Host, please proceed to choose your character.]

Gerard is confused, why. Why am I still here? I am already dead so why?

Logically speaking, he should not be here, unless his soul was sucked into this virtual reality game? Is it possible? The soul is intangible and so is the data. But there's a big difference between the two.

Well, he was already here so it must be, probably, right?

Gerard finds a different explanation for this bizarre situation but he cannot think of anything. While doing so, the gentle voice keeps repeating her statement to Gerard.

In the end, Gerard gives up and decided to let it be.

"Since I am here, why not enjoy every moment?" Gerard then took a deep breath and composed himself. He should not be wasting his time, who knows this body might vanish sooner or later.

And then he thought of the word interface.

In an instant, a rectangular interface appeared in front of him.

There are lots of bars with written words on them. Character, Nationality, Age, Gender, Height, Residence Address, etc.

He looks at everything on display, and as usual, it is all in default, and all the information written on it is his actual information in the real world.

[Reminding the Host that the time difference between reality and virtual games is three hours to complement the size of the Kingdom to Earth. If the Kingdom game is three times the size of the Earth, the developer adjusts the time difference to three hours as well. One hour in the real world is three hours in Kingdom]

Gerard just nodded his head in confirmation, of course, he already knows about it.

He then looks at the Character.

To his surprise, all the characters available are in dimmed status. And it only means one thing, it cannot be chosen. This is a protocol they develop in the game. Since this game holds an amount of significance in politics and businesses, they didn't allow seventeen years below to play the game. And they will be forced to log out.

But his situation is different. He is already forty-five for goodness sake! So why can't I choose any character?

This is not the end, since only two Jobs appear on the interface with basic information written on it.

The first two basic main jobs that appeared are the most common choices of players. Swordsman and Archer.

There are different basic main jobs in the Kingdom, a total of six basic jobs.

Swordsman

Archer

Guardian

Assassin

Healer

Mage

These six basic main jobs have subclasses. All players are given to choose one out of the two available subclasses. Chef and Blacksmith.

Supreme System only allowed two subclasses in the beginning stage of the game to meet both conditions from the fantasy genre and Earth'.

Two subclasses are only available for now. Because Kingdom is adapted to meet half of the earth's situation. So as the game progress, more subclasses will be available according to the needs of every player.

The basic main jobs are only considered Tier 0 jobs. A tier 1 Swordsman will be called Apprentice Swordsman.

A tier 2 Swordsman is called a Master Swordsman. A tier 3 Swordsman is called an Expert Swordsman. The tier 4 Swordsman is called King Swordsman while the last Tier is called Heavenly Swordsman.

The same with Archer, Assassin, and Guardian.

The healer has a different title per tier and is categorized into two according to one chosen gender. Once the breaking through, the healer will automatically be called Tier 1 Priest or Tier 1 Oracle according to their gender. Then the titles of Priest and Oracle are different as they progress in the game.

Tier 2 Priest is called Bishop. Tier 3 is Cardinal, Tier 4 is Pope while the last tier is called Divine Official.

But for Oracle, they will only be called Tier 2 Oracle to Tier 4 Oracle but once they reached the highest realm of Oracle, they will be called Delphi, the Oracle of God.

As for Mage, it is somehow the same as Healer. If a player becomes Tier 1, they can freely choose one out of the two available jobs. A Necromancer or Wizard.

A Tier 2 Necromancer is called Lich, Tier 3 is called Lich King, and Tier 4 is an Undying King. And the highest realm of Necromancer is Ruler of the Dead.

For Wizard, a Tier 2 Wizard is called Professor. Tier 3 is Prime Wizard, Tier 4 is Advance Prime Wizard, and the highest realm of Wizard is called Headmaster.

Each job has its own advantages and disadvantages in combat. The majority of job that a player choose is Swordsman. The second of course is Archer followed by Assassin, Mage, Guardian, and Healer.

So Gerard wants to choose swordsman but unfortunately, it is not available. He starts to scroll and wants to choose Assassin or Mage. But then again, he was stupefied. It is still in dimmed status.

Gerard's head starts to ache again. He groaned and unconsciously raises his hand to massage his right temple.

The remaining basic job available is Tank and Healer. He is not fond of playing as support even in his previous virtual games but he has no choice.

Gerard starts to contemplate and looks at the upper right of the interface. He saw a lonely yet familiar bar. And there are two words were written on a lonely bar, log out.

If not only for his worries that he might vanish once he chose to log out because he was sure his real body is already dead in the real world, then he might log out and complain about why the four available jobs are unavailable.

Gerard sighed and scrolled again, and he almost choke himself to death when he saw the status. A dimmed one, unavailable!

Again?! It cannot be right?! If you cannot let me play, at least free my consciousness from here!

His breathing becomes haggard due to disappointment.

He started punching the ground and something appeared and he start reading it.

[Zero Damage]

"Really?! Zero damage?! I don't care!"

He started throwing punches on the ground and the same two words repeatedly appeared whenever his punches collided on the grounds. He was like a child throwing tantrums at this moment.

Due to his frustration, he swings his hand to the interface, and suddenly the interface starts to scroll down on its own.

His sharp eyes didn't escape the different status of the last available job.

Gerard's brows furrowed deeply and his eyes are open wide and weakly mumble "What?"

"Am I dreaming? Is this true?!"

He didn't notice the Interface can still be scrolled and the last available job is not in dimmed or in unusable status.

Mix emotions start overwhelming him. In the end, he laughs and laughs until he can't anymore.

"Fate sure has a higher sense of humor." Gerard softly said as he chuckled.

He then shook his head softly and read the last available job.

SNPC (Extra Job)

[Special Non-Player Character]

[Description:]

[Due to adapting fifty percent of situations on Earth. Supreme System offers a Special Non-Player Character for the sole purpose of a leisure lifestyle. SNPC can use the benefits that a Normal Player can use. However, they cannot grind quests or level up. But at the same time, they cannot be killed by other players]

Gerard smirk, so this Special Non-Player Character was created to accommodate the spendthrift for solely leisure time. In short, an extra source of income for the company.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He really didn't know about this extra job, after all, he was removed while the team is still in the one-third phase of the development of the game.

For sure, many have changed inside the game compared to the original plan he knows.

"Well, whatever. Instead of being stuck here until God knows when. It is better to play as Special Non-Player Character and enjoy the game."

Although he is somewhat relieved, his intuition keeps telling him about foreboding things that might happen. But he quickly disregard it, what could happen? He is already dead.

Putting everything else aside, he then chose the SNPC, and instantly his body glowed. After a few seconds, he now wears basic equipment solely for his chosen character that was displayed in the interface.

The next page of the interface shows him how he wants his character to look. This time, they are given free rein to change their body build and appearances.

Gerard quickly change his face, it would be weird when the company give me a funeral blessing, and yet my face was shown inside the game as an SNPC. He meticulously made some changes, making his face a bit handsome. He made sure to look like a late 20s dude. Then switch his attention to a body build and started to change his character build.

As a Senior Developer of the game, he knows that choosing a body built is crucial. If the character chosen is Assassin, then the body build should be fit. This way, the player can quickly adapt to his or her chosen job.

However, this was kept secret to let the player experience hardship as well. Not to make fun of them but to satisfy the 50% adaption from Earth.

As the saying goes 'It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.'

Although he was left with SNPC, he made sure his body is fit, befitting, and complimenting his handsome face.

While doing so, he unconsciously smirks due to his barely uncontained happiness.

After looking at the side, front, below, and back perspectives, he was satisfied.

And then the last thing he needed to do is to put a name on his character.

"Hmm. I cannot choose a famous and well-known name in the world of gaming. I don't want my name to be plain either."

Stuck in contemplation, Gerard starts to wrack his brain to create a name for his character.

Ten seconds had passed.

Twenty seconds had passed.

Thirty seconds had passed and he was yet to find a name for his character. Then suddenly he remembers when the previous boss found him under the pine tree, making a blueprint of some kind of system.

His boss was amazed by the blueprint and he was quickly recruited as a developer of the company who in the future will create the most famous virtual reality game, Kingdom. That moment is important to him because many in his life changed and he starts to appreciate the world more.

So Gerard put the name Payne as his first name and Blanc as his last name.

Players have a right to include the last name or not, but since his character is a Special NPC, he needed to blend. After making sure everything is okay, he heard the gentle voice of the woman again.

[Is the Host sure this time?]

He was taken aback a little because the voice is somewhat of a live person.

"Yes."

[Understood. Synchronization will start]

After five seconds his body illuminated.

[Synchronization of 90% is done. Warning, the synchronization is permanent and cannot be changed once inside the game until the main storyline ended.]

Gerard was taken aback once again. He never remember that it was part of the raw plan. But then again, he was removed from the team and didn't complete the development of the game.

It seems the company really intended to make this game a second Earth.

He cannot help but chuckle.

"Fine, I am already dead in the real world so let's enjoy the 90% synchronization rate to the fullest. I just hope food has the same flavor as on earth."

If the food inside the game is bland, then how can he enjoy living there? One of the things that make life worth living is the taste of every food!

[The host is correct. The food inside the game has the same taste as in the real world]

Gerard smirked and start asking questions about the Supreme System.

"It seems my friends in the company really made you like a living person regarding conversation."

[Host is correct. But I am a mere data and my sole existence is to look over the game and give basic information to the player the very first time they log in]

Gerard's brow arches. He knows that most virtual games offer the same system and give a little guidance the first time the player logs in. But those voices are monotone. Not gentle, but this Supreme System voice is too gentle and the way it communicates is so worthy of a living person.

If he is talking to the Supreme System through phones, then he might confuse the system with the real person.

Whatever. At least, his question was answered and he was relieved. Life inside the game is now worth living.

Then it dawned on him which made him perplexed.

So If he lives inside the game and once the player completed the main storyline, the game will automatically shut down and when it does, it means his consciousness would shut down too. Probably?

Gerard becomes worried, if he is not wrong, about the first launch of Kingdom before it comes sensation, the storyline only reaches a decade. The company plans to extend the storyline and if his guess is correct, it will probably take thirty years before the main storyline end.

He then quickly inquire about the Supreme System.

"Supreme System, what is the lifespan of the kingdom?"

[Supreme System cannot give an accurate answer. My lifespan is indefinite. As long as they don't shut down the main server, my existence will not cease to exist]

He placed his hand on his chin and start pondering. If he is correct, it means due to the intervention of the countries, this game will become the second home of humans where war and other things that cannot happen in the real world will take place.

Although he is worried about many things, he decided not to ponder for it for the time being. The important is the present. Right, the present.

"One last thing, is Kingdom Building still the ultimate purpose of the game?"

This time, the Supreme System sure takes her time before answering [Yes, one of its few ultimate purposes]

His brows furrowed. Definitely, it should be Kingdom Building, to defeat the Demon King and its Hordes of Demons and to accommodate the Official War between two countries in the real world. But hearing the system answered, there's probably a couple more.

He was about to do a follow-up question but the System warns him [I won't entertain any more questions regarding the matter.

Gerard nodded his head in agreement. He totally understood. After all, he didn't want to be spoiled! No one wants that!

Once again, the gentle voice started to speak to him.

[Is the Host ready to commence and live inside the game?]

For real! This Supreme System is----argh. Let's leave it.

"Yes!" He enthusiastically responded back.

[Then the game will commence in five seconds. Best of luck to the host!]

5

4

3

2

1

[Start!]

His body was enveloped in a blinding light which forced him to close his eyes.

After about ten seconds, he felt a warm breeze brushing on his skin.

Gerard then slowly open his closed eyes and he was greeted by many people around him.

He cannot help but exclaim "At last!"

He is not worried if there's a nearby player who can hear him. After all Special Non-Player Character is a job as well.