OL - 01: New Game

      A dejected young man stands outside of a game shop window pining over the latest technology—Virtual Reality. His disheveled black hair hangs down to his shoulders, not as a fashion statement, but from lack of money to pay for a haircut. His baggy clothes, ragged and faded, are one loose string away from making him appear homeless. He sighs, slowly letting his hand slip away from the glass. As he walks past the entrance, he finds himself drawn into the store due to a ruckus coming from inside.

 “What do you mean can’t fix it?” an angry voice bellowed.

“I’m sorry, sir! Our technician is on vacation. It’ll be a month…” replied a trembling voice.

The dejected young man looked over towards the register where an elderly man stood arguing with a nervous store clerk. “Why does that old man seem familiar…” He wondered.

“Well, what am I supposed to do with this defective thing?” complained the old man.

“D-Did you buy the w-warranty?” said the clerk.

“Warranty? The nerve of this shop trying to rip me off after selling me defective equipment! Should I speak to the manager?” said the old man in a vengeful tone. He shook his fist at the clerk, who was close to passing out from the intense pressure emanating from the old man.

The dejected young man shook his head. He couldn’t help but remember his old college professor, who would berate his fellow classmates when they failed one of his exams. He chuckled and turned his attention to a stand next to the VR units. It was filled with copies of the latest VR Game, One Life.

One Life was an online multiplayer role playing game set in a fantasy world filled with monsters, magic, vast kingdoms, and dark dungeons. It was the pinnacle of VR worlds! It took full advantage of the latest VR technology and used it to create a world indistinguishable from reality. It replicated everything – sight, touch, smell, taste, and even pain! Its most notorious feature, however, was that once a player died in the game, their character would remain dead until they were resurrected through magical means. This could be achieved through the use of magical artifacts, magic spells acquired by players, or through the services of special NPCs (Non-Player Characters). But, if the in-game body died in such a way that it could not be recovered, (such as being burnt to ashes by dragon-fire, being eaten and digested, or shattered to pieces after being frozen or petrified), players would lose their character.  Hence the name, One Life. Critics called its creators sadistic, but its extreme dedication to realism quickly made it a worldwide phenomenon.

“Merlin?” A familiar voice called out.

“Yes? Oh, is that you, professor Bleise?” exclaimed Merlin, with an astonished look on his face. “I haven’t seen you since graduation! How are you, professor?”

“I’m quite alright, Merlin. How is my star pupil?” replied the professor.

“Oh, you know…drowning in debt…” Merlin grumbled.

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing professor! I’m fine! So, are you interested in Virtual Reality as well?” Merlin changed the subject.

“Why, yes I am, dear Merlin. You see, thanks to this profound technology, I have been able to spend my evenings fishing by a serene lake, catching fish to my heart’s content. There’s nothing like it Merlin, I tell you.”

“That’s wonderful, professor. Say, I couldn’t help but notice you having some trouble at the counter there…” said Merlin pointing over to the check-out counter, which currently had the store clerk sprawled over it in anguish.

“Oh, that? I was trying to exchange this defective VR helmet, but the poor lad at the counter there would not oblige this old man.” the professor explained as he held up a shiny black helmet. To Merlin’s surprise, it was to the latest model of VR Helmets he was looking at moments ago. The professor continued, “However, a mere store clerk would not impede my efforts. I put the fear of God into him! You know how it is, Merlin.” Merlin, remembering his college days, shuddered at the professor’s words. “That poor lad, he just gave me a new one. He didn’t even ask for this one back.” 

“Oh, so that’s how it is! What’s wrong with your helmet, professor? “Merlin asked.

“This piece of junk? Well, you see, the helmet itself is functional in all respects, but it occasionally behaves rather irrationally, but that’s not the worst of it. The pain limiter is broken as well! For a young person, perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad, but I am an old man, Merlin. For perspective, I slipped on a slippery dock once and the pain nearly caused me to faint while inside the game. When I took the helmet off, I had a bruise on my bum! Another time a fish bit my finger and…” The professor went on describing his mishaps. 

As he rambled on, the professor made to put away his defective helmet, but Merlin stopped him, “Say, professor…”

“Yes?”

“Since its broken and you have a new one…could I possibly…have that one?” Merlin asked with uncertainty.

“Merlin, are you interested in this this piece of junk?”

“Yes.”

“Certainly, Merlin, you’ve saved me a trip to the dumpster. Here you go. Bye now.”

The professor gave the defective VR helmet to Merlin and walked off with a gleeful look on his face. Merlin caressed the device in his arms and whispered to it. “Don’t be afraid. I know just what to do with you.” Merlin grabbed a copy of One Life from the shelf and shouted at the store clerk. “Hey you! How dare you sell me a defective unit!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘I can’t believe the store clerk regained his courage, maybe if I was more forceful… At least he gave me a discount on the game…’ Merlin bemoaned the extent of his luck. ‘Well, I pretty much got this stuff for free, so I guess I can’t complain.’ Merlin spent the rest of the day reading the game manual and becoming familiar with the game’s commands. Feeling confident in his preparations, he put on the helmet and started the game.        

[Commencing full body scan…Please wait…]

[Identity Acquired!]

[Name?]

“Merlin!”

[You have 20 stat points available…Please assign or say ‘Randomize’]

“Let’s see what we have here…”

STR: Strength. Increases damage and carrying capacity.

AGI: Agility. Increases movements speed, dodge rate, and flexibility.                    

DEX: Dexterity. Increases accuracy, critical hit rate, and fine motor control.

INT: Intelligence. Increases spell power and mana. Affects spell acquisition.

WIS: Wisdom. Increases healing power, experience gain, and mana regeneration.

CHA: Charisma. Increases intimacy with NPCs, merchants, monsters, etc.

LUK: Luck. Increases chance to find spare change on the floor, useful for gambling.

“Hmm…there’s so many. How about this? Randomize!”

[All points allocated to LUK…Entering world]

“Huh?”

[Thank you!]

“Wait…”

[Welcome to Logres!]

[Merlin joined the server.]

[Now entering safe zone: Tintagel Castle]

A blinding white light flashes. A frail looking youth appears amidst a crowded square staring blankly into space. Suddenly, he drops to his knees and starts to cry. This youth was Merlin.

“Look at this guy…he looks so sad…”

“Did his whole world end?”

“Was he scammed out of all his belongings?”

Players avoided the miserable Merlin and went about their business. “How could this happen?” cried Merlin. Tears puddled on the paved ground beneath him. “It can’t be true...Show stats!”

Name: Merlin

Class: None

Level: 1

Available Stat Points: 0

Stats:

Health: 100/100          Mana: 100/100

STR: 1                         AGI: 1

DEX: 1                        VIT: 1

INT: 1                         WIS: 1

CHA: 1                        LUK: 21

DMG: 2           DEF: 2

Skills: None

Equipment:

Dagger: +1 DMG

Cloth Tunic: +1 DEF

Sandals

“How could it be this way?” Merlin sighed. He picked himself up and wiped away the dirt and tears, smearing them on his tunic. “I suppose…I suppose I should look around…” Forcing a smile, he slowly dragged his feet across the square and found himself wandering through a crowd of merchant stalls and players bartering over goods such as food, treasure, armor, and weapons – anything an adventurer might need on their journey.

“Armor! Weapons! The best in all of Tintagel!"

“Milk! Bread! Fill up at a fair price!”

“Hey you…” A sinister-looking man pulled Merlin into a dark alley. “I’ve got a magic tunic here for you. Very affordable. How about it?” His eyes were glowing red, but not just red, they were a deep crimson color and emitted a murderous aura—the sign of a Player Killer, also known as a PK. The tunic he was holding up was stained with blood. To Merlin’s horror, a hole could be seen on the back where a treacherous blade most certainly passed through.

“Uh…No thanks…” Merlin ran off. Soon, he found himself in front of a worn out wooden building with a sign over the doors that read “Adventurer’s Guild”. ‘Ah…I can choose my profession here…” Merlin thought to himself. He walked through the wooden double doors and found himself in what appeared to be a lively tavern. Players were busy eating, drinking, chatting, and making friends. It was common for players to form teams here before embarking on perilous quests. He made his way past the crowded tables to a counter in the back where a cute female Non-Player Character, or NPC, stood ready to assist players.

“Hello! How may I assist you today?” she said, with a bright smile on her face.

“I- I’m here to choose my profession!” Merlin replied.

“Ah, a new recruit, eh?” She said with a wink. “What will it be?”

Merlin thought for a moment. The image of a knight in shining armor, slaying dragons and saving damsels in distress, appeared in his mind. Raising a fist in the air, he shouted, “A knight!”

The clerk furrowed her brows. “I’m sorry. To become a knight, you must first become a squire, but in order to embark on this noble path, you must have at least 10 VIT and 10 STR and have the backing of a noble.”

“What? But all my stat points were dumped into LUK…I want a do over!” whined Merlin.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have control over that. You could try to level up and raise your stats to meet the requirements, but with 1 stat point awarded per level, I estimate you’d be around level 20 before you could do so. Who told you to put your beginning stats into LUK?” teased the clerk.

“I didn’t... The system was supposed to distribute them randomly. It’s not my fault!” fumed Merlin.

“Oh…how unlucky…” the clerk giggled. “Would you happen to have another preference?” she asked.

Merlin calmed down and thought for a second. The image of an all-powerful magician surging with magical power, flying through the skies, and sweeping away armies with a sea of flames came to mind. “A magician!” he shouted.

“I’m sorry. To become a magician, you must first become an apprentice, which requires 10 INT and 10 WIS and a letter of recommendation from a respected magician.” She said, tearing away another piece of Merlin’s soul. “Anything else?”

Merlin thought for a moment. The image of a master thief, a lone wolf blending into the shadows, sneaking past danger in the night, and stealing the world’s most valuable treasures came to mind. “A thief!” he shouted.

“I’m sorry. That requires 10 AGI and 10 DEX to start… anything else?”

“A priest?”

“Nope”

“An archer?”

“Sorry.”

“A warrior? A druid? A battle-mage? A beast-tamer?”

“I’m sorry. You don’t meet the requirements for any of these.” Said the clerk.

Merlin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Well…what can I do?” he asked.

“Well…There are the production and trade classes, as well as some others… Here’s the list.”

Merlin looked through the list. There were many trade classes available: blacksmith, tailor, merchant, miner, fisher, sculptor… just none that he was truly interested in. Merlin sighed. “These don’t seem like much fun. I just want to be a knight…how can my luck be this bad?” Merlin, defeated, pushed the list away and asked the clerk, “Could you pick for me?”

The clerk gave an expression of surprise and smiled mischievously. “Very well. Your class is…Jester!”

[You have fallen unconscious.]

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