Chapter Text
Message from Riki:
DUDE! HURRY UP AND PLAY IT ALREADY!!
Jake sighs at the message, turning his phone screen away. He hastily removes his backpack and plops it onto his desk. He bites his lip anxiously as he takes out the pristine package from within. The intoxicating smell of fresh bubble-wrap and packaging tape immediately sending his senses into overdrive.
He gawks at the device, the sleek black coating accompanied by the refined minimalist design giving it a modern feel. He grabs the card from beside it, holding up the thick paper against the fluorescent lighting, staring in awe as the surface reflects rainbows back at him.
“Chasm Heart VR System.” He reads aloud, whispering the words to himself. “The world’s latest innovation for intense and fully immersive VR Gaming experiences, providing amazing audio-visual sensory technology as well as smooth gameplay.”
The shrill ringing sound of Jake’s phone pulled him out of his trance, pulling his attention away from his latest toy.
Caller ID: Riki
Jake grabs his phone, swiping the answer slider to the side. “Riki! What’s up?” he says into the microphone. Okay, okay, tell me. How is it? Is it cool, are the graphics great, do the monsters actually feel real when you touch them?” Riki interrogates from the other end, questions rattling off like a listening quiz.
“Dude, calm down.” Jake says, the excitement in his voice betraying his statement. “I haven’t even turned it on yet, I was waiting for you.”
“Yeah, about that…”
“How did you even fail Physics?” Jake was pacing around his room, listening to Riki grumbling over his mother’s punishment on the other end. ”Easy for you to say! You’re great at Physics!”
“That’s because I actually know how to prioritize things, something you need to learn to do Riki-san.” Jake lectures earning a groan from the younger. ”Anyways, MOM. My point is that I won’t be able to play for the next week or so. Just start ahead of me so I can leech off you when I start.” Riki snickers and Jake can nearly see him rubbing his hands together deviously.
“Fine, fine.” Jake sighs out, tucking his phone between his ear and his shoulder as his hands move over to fumble with his new headgear. “Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not sure how much I can progress alone in a week.”
”You’ll be fine,” Riki draws out his syllables, ”You’re amazing at video games! You’re like, the best player I know!”
“Don’t patronize me, Nishimura.”
”You still suck at FIFA, though.”
“And there it is.”
”But honestly, you’ll do great. Just google some stuff if you have to.”
“So I set it up like this...” Jake latches the VR system to his head, feeling the click as he connects the straps behind. The bands were snug against his skull, the weight of the eye-piece made Jake’s head lull forward.
“Sit or lay down in a safe area, free from potential hazards.” Jake recites the instructions out loud. He rests his body on his bed, feeling himself lax on the comforters. “Here goes nothing.”
Jake presses the switch, the music of the opening instantly filling his room.
He finds himself afloat in the middle of nothingness, surrounded by an endless expanse of blue. He feels light and weightless, as if he was truly in the air, but if he focuses hard enough he can sense the familiar springiness of his mattress. ”Welcome to the Chasm Heart, respectable adventurer.” spoke a voice, deep and monotonous, reverberating into Jake’s bones in a chilling yet oddly exhilarating way. To say he was excited was an understatement.
A menu forms in front of him and he takes a moment to read it:
Do you wish to create your avatar?
“Yes.” Jake breathes out, still enthralled by how surreal everything is.
Please select your race:
HUMAN
ELF
UNDEAD
BEASTKIN
FAE
YINKLE
VAMPYRE
Curiously, Jake reaches out for the Beastkin option. A drop-down description appears, shocking him slightly before leaning forward to read it.
Beastkin: A race of mutant humanoid creatures residing in the Miracle Oaks that bear various traits of bestial origin, such as hooves, ears, tails, claws and others. The Beastkin were formed as an after-effect of the Great Cataclysm, those who were once humans on the brink of death were saved and brought anew by the Goddess Specia. The primal instinct and hunting styles of the Beastkin show their prowess through their strength and power, often overpowering foes and prey.
Special Profession: Beast Knight
“Special Profession?” Jake reads aloud, cocking his head to the side. “Is that like, a class only these guys can be?”. He sucks in a breath through his teeth, shaking his head before picking another option.
Vampyre: An evolved species of Undead, developing a taste for blood, and live in the darkest areas of the Abyssal Lands. They excel in the arts of mind control and manipulation, often using it as a means to fend of intruders or lost wanderers from entering their grounds. Caution and intrigue go hand in hand amongst the Vampyre race.
Special Profession: Marionette
“This is making my head hurt.” Jake huffs, his mind spinning after reading the descriptions. “Do I have to go through each one of these? They all sound so cool, though…”
He places a hand under his chin as he continues to ponder. “What about Humans?”
Human: The most populous race in the entirety of The Chasm. Brought upon by the Father God Almas, they are the longest standing race amongst all the creatures. Their diversity and ability to adapt proves them to be tenacious and worthy competitors. The Humans caught the attention of the Goddess Sofya, and now live under her guidance.
Special Profession: None.
“No special class?” Jake asks, his curiosity gnawing at the edges. Before he could regret, he confirms his choice. The word “Human” glows a blinding green accompanied by the boisterous sound of trumpets.
Character Creation in progress…
The aquamarine space Jake was once levitating in begins to spin in rapid speed, the colors fading from a light blue to a dark marine until it finally stops to a pitch black darkness. The bustling sound of pixels fills his ears as he begins the world-building, witnessing each individual grain of gravel form underneath his feet until finally, he stands proud under the light of the midday sky.
The pajamas he wore earlier were now replaced by a light, feathery, beige tunic paired with brown leather trousers. On his feet were thick leathery boots that cracked and split the dirt below. Sitting heavy on his belt was a copper sword, situated comfily on his belt with the metal reflecting the rays of the sun into Jake’s eyes.
He takes a deep breath, and Jake swears he could taste pine in his mouth. “This is…” Jake begins, his eyes darting around, “AMAZING! I never knew the immersion was this realistic! Oh, I can’t WAIT to tell Riki about this!” He giggles and jumps around, already imagining the battles and the adventures that await.
”Welcome to The Chasm.”
Jake was pulled out of his thoughts by the same booming voice as earlier. He clears his throat, feeling slightly embarrassed that he was caught acting like a child, even if the audience was an omnipotent character guide system.
“Access your inventory by tapping your left chest with your index finger.”
Jake brings his hand to his heart, tapping it softly. A pop-up menu flies out from where he touched, showing Jake his empty inventory slots. On the left-hand side is a rotating 3D display of himself wearing the clothes he has on. There are 2 bars under the feet, one colored pink whilst the other was a mint green, with each one labeled “HP” and “MP” accordingly. Jake drags his eyes back up towards his character model, both impressed and slightly creeped out by how accurate it was to his actual body.
”Equip your new accessory by pulling it out of your inventory and wearing it.”
A ring appears in one of Jake’s slots, the image of the item fitting perfectly in the allocated square. “Pull it out…?”
He attempts to pinch at the image using his thumb and index finger, letting out a gasp once he sees his digits disappear once it comes into contact with the menu. He still feels them attached, but it’s almost as if they’re somewhere else, like in empty space. Something cold and metallic catches in-between his fingers, and he yanks his arm out to reveal his newly acquired ring.
It was a simple band, silver and dulled. It barely shone in the lights and, quite frankly, looked quite ugly. “Well, it is free beginner gear.” Jake says, raising the object towards his eye. A drop-down comes out with the ring’s description:
Silver Ring
A regular ring with no special abilities.
Defense + 1
He slides the equipment on his left index finger, clenching and unclenching his hand to get used to how it feels. He takes a moment to scan his surroundings, granted that he doesn’t actually know where he is.
“An arena?”
”Task: Use Skill ‘Mana Bullet’ on Target. Access your Skill Menu through your Inventory.”
“Target?” Jake asks. His attention is pulled away when he hears the soft plopping sound coming from behind him. Standing ominously before him was a tiny slime monster, gelatinous and squishy. The translucent pink creature hopped up and down in place, leaving squishy noises and little droplets of jelly. “Huh, cute.”
Jake turns his head back towards the menu at his side, opening the tab labeled “Skills”. It was fairly empty, except for two things:
Mana Bullet
Low-level neutral element magic skill. Consumes MP.
Adapt
Description currently unavailable.
“Another skill?” Jake says to himself, leaning in to read the descriptions better. “Huh, it doesn’t say anything. Maybe I have to complete the tutorial first?” He shakes his head in confusion, opting to just continue on so he can get started on the actual game.
“Okay, so it says to…” Jake lifts his arm, moving his fingers to the shape of a gun, his pointer finger acting as the barrel and his thumb raised high, and pointed the end towards the slime. “Mana Bullet.” He says, a hint of embarrassment coating the back of his throat. A circle of magic appears on the tip of his finger, white runes lining the edges whilst the spell was being cast. Jake barely had time to gape in awe before the skill was executed, a small projectile of his concentrated mana shooting out speedily and making direct contact with his target.
Jake ducks as the slime bursts into pieces, bits and globs of its substance flying out everywhere. A particularly large piece lands directly on his foot, squelching loudly as he attempted to shake it off. “Ew, ew, ew ,ew ,ew…”
”Please enter your adventurer name.”
A keyboard manifested in front of Jake, the cursor indicating his name was blinking, waiting for him to type it out. Without a thought, Jake typed in the name he wanted to be addressed with in-game, his fingers tapping against the letters.
”Would you like to be named: Jaeyun?”
“Yes.” Jake spoke out, letting out a deep breath and straightening his posture. He shook himself, putting away the nerves and anticipation, steeling himself.
”Welcome, Adventurer Jaeyun.”
The words “Tutorial Complete” wrote themselves into the sky, large and sleek. Jake bit his lip, his leg bouncing up and down with the eagerness to start and get on with it. The space around him swirled into a vortex once more, similar to what happened from before he was brought to the tutorial arena. He watched as the stone seats and walls liquefied and merged with the ground, becoming one with the trees, stones and clouds.
He finds himself floating in the bottomless void as he waits for the world to load in. The light tunic and thick trousers still adorning his form, and the copper sword still weighing down on its holster.
His adventure is only just beginning.