Marcus led the two technicians out as they finished installing and certifying the pod. With the clack of heavy deadbolts, Marcus felt secure. Installing the locks was the first thing he did when he moved in, as he was aware of how much he was out of touch on the level of security of his electronic lock provided. Locks might be picked or hacked, but a deadbolt cannot.

Following the instructions left by the technicians, he turned on the pod and watched as it booted up. Motors whirred as the door opened on its own, revealing the padded space within. Settling himself inside, it had the distinct new car smell as the mattress formed itself to his body.

He closed the panel as a moment of claustrophobia threatened to rear its ugly head, only to be mitigated by a cool breeze blowing through the vents from the Pod’s internal climate control. Marcus looked around, expecting something to happen, only for him to feel himself falling as his vision closed to a point.

First Time Synchronization and Neural Calibration

Please focus on the dot for ten seconds...

Marcus read the notification, but ignored it for the moment. Looking down, he could only see his avatar’s feet and found that he could not move his body yet. The feeling was uncannily familiar. He followed the instruction and looked directly at the dot shown floating in front of him.

Next was a series of instructions which Marcus followed, testing what he could assume was his connection to the machine. He kept the dot centered in his vision as it moved from side to side, then diagonally. More tests went on, like hearing, reaction time, and others. It felt like the human benchmark test Marcus had done many times back then.

Next were the motor tests. Marcus was tasked to walk, run, sprint to a location to stop on a designated spot, turn on a dime, and dodge projectiles. It even required him of mimicking poses that reminded him of the Kinect era.

Marcus had to be honest. It had been tedious at the beginning but turned out to be quite fun, all for the novelty of it. He hadn’t even started the game yet.

Congratulations!

Pod synchronization at 100%

With the pod calibration ended, the light dimmed to a more gentle tone, and the game selection screen popped up. The single thumbnail showed a devastated land with a man armed with an SVD Dragunov slung on his back, clad in patchwork gear and camouflage, looked on to the devastated landscape. Title showing, [Burned asylum]

Unlike the games Marcus had been used to, there was no splash screen or cinematic, and no main menu. It directly led him to the character creation screen.

Marcus wasn’t that big on character creation. Usually, he just pressed the random creation, or the presets repeatedly until he found a model which he liked well enough. As for gender, Marcus usually picked male when playing first-person games and female when playing third. What can he say, he appreciates a nice ass, especially the one he selected. This time, there was no selection option for gender.

‘No chance of catfishing there,’ Marcus thought to himself.

Attention!

Would you like to use your current physique as your avatar?

[Y/N]

[More Information]

Curious, Marcus picked the inquiry, and another notification popped up.

More Information:

The game will follow your current physique and use it as your in-game avatar your facial features will not be included for privacy. Your body will be re-scanned monthly and your avatar will change accordingly. This is in compliance with MRA: 1733.

[More information]

An option to copy his current physical stature? But why the included law number? He clicked on more information.

What followed is a twenty-page long law. Curious, Marcus skimmed through the subjects covered. It was mainly to reward the physical maintenance of its citizens by encouraging their players to receive an incentive if their player characters are considered fit. It sounded like a dumb law, but there has to be a reason for it to pass through the rigorous requirements of passing one, right?

Marcus opted-in, considering that he planned to get out of his skinny form anyway and sculpt his body to a more fit physique.

The System then showed him his avatar with the current scan of his body wearing a face that was not his own, doing a T pose. Marcus couldn’t help but have a proud chuckle. He had woken up with a body of a holocaust survivor, his muscles atrophied from the damage brought by his neurological condition. Now, Marcus had put in a bit of weight, enough to be called slim, maybe thin, depending on who’s looking, and looking more to the lighter side of a healthy human being. A sliver of belly fat was the cost of the month-long bulking process following his recovery. It was a price Marcus was eager to pay, as he could easily trim the fat with some proper nutrition and more exercise.

As for his face, it was alright, a normal-looking white man with light blonde hair. He was not keen on putting as much care into his looks, but adding a scar running down from the corner of his eye to his cheek was too cool to pass up. Add a bit of stubble, and he was good to go.

Attention!

Allocate your stats.

Points available: 10

Physical Stats Strength Endurance Constitution Dexterity 1 1 1 1 Affects carry weight, sprinting speed, striking damage, and throwing range. Affects rate of stamina consumption and the rate of recovery. Affects breath holding time and breath recovery. Affects total hit points. Determines the chance of surviving a wound by decreasing the rate of bleeding through wounds, both internal and external. Determines the ease of handling weapons and tools. Decreases the chance of fumbling. [Slot Empty] [Slot Empty] [Slot Empty] [Slot Empty]

From his experience of playing MMOs back in his childhood, Marcus knew this was where one of the few crossroads where someone could make or break their builds. A casual looking to play the game for fun would just pick the stats they fancy and allocate from there. But with Marcus, he needed a solid build for his character.

The stats were straightforward. All were a tradeoff between speed, stamina, health, and manipulation. Unlike the MMOs he had played, there were no wikis available on the web. Any information likely has to go through a paywall, so Marcus either had to pay up for information that might turn out useless, or find it by himself.

The game claimed its devotion to being as realistic as possible. Which meant that Marcus’ previous experience could prove worthwhile to implement. From his experience participating in two gun competitions, he knew cardio was a critical part of getting to the top as aiming.

Most people don’t know, but breathing could mess up your aim as easily as a shaky pair of arms. This meant that holding your breath is important for a steady aim. But if someone was running from, say, cover to cover, then they could be winded by the time they reach their destination and would have a very shaky aim by then. Of course, one could also time their shots between their breaths, but that needed practice. A lot of practice.

As for Constitution, that is where Marcus’ real-life knowledge stops. He was never shot before, nor had a bullet land close to him, but it would be safe to say that the higher the stat, the higher chance of someone surviving being shot. The description was not specific to the extent of its effects or what caliber would take someone out at what endurance level.

He had to risk it, but the stat took the least priority for him. He didn’t plan on being shot in the first place.

For dexterity, he was torn. The description said that the stat affects the ease of handling weapons. But does it mean that it extends to the personal knowledge of handling the weapons themselves? The description didn’t elaborate.

Attention!

Allocate your stats.

Points available: 0

Physical Stats Strength Endurance Constitution Dexterity 4 5 2 3 Affects carry weight, sprinting speed, striking damage, and throwing range. Affects rate of stamina consumption and the rate of recovery. Affects breath holding time and breath recovery. Affects total hit points. Determines the chance of surviving a wound by decreasing the rate of bleeding through wounds, both internal and external. Determines the ease of handling weapons and tools. Decreases the chance of fumbling. [Slot Empty] [Slot Empty] [Slot Empty] [Slot Empty]

Usually, when games show something simple, it always ends up being much more complicated later on. As of now, Marcus had to focus on what he could foresee as something he would need in his immediate future. His reasonings were thus:

Strength: 4

He needed to carry his gear, guns, and ammunition with him along with the loot he will surely bring back with him.

Endurance: 5

Just like he said, cardio is the key to success. There is a reason soldiers run every morning and forced to march long distances. They needed to get to their positions without being out of breath, or worse, exhausted.

Constitution: 2

One point into the stat. This might make him into a glass cannon, but who isn’t at level one.

Dexterity: 3

This is where he dumped the rest of his points. He didn’t know to what extent the stat could benefit him in the game, but the description gave enough information for him to not miss out on it.

Attention!

Establish your character's history.

Points available: 15

Traits Childhood Flaws Previous Profession Hobbies [Expand] [Expand] [Expand] [Expand]

Marcus read through the myriad of choices on each slot and racked his brain on the best combination for his intended build. He needed a solid fighter, as going through raids was likely the fastest way of getting loot. Unfortunately, the combat-specific traits cost so many points to acquire that it forces the player to take up debilitating negative traits in exchange. Marcus didn’t want to be a stim addict in the game despite the trait point tradeoff. The trait had the risk of losing player control when experiencing withdrawals.

So he had to take cheaper options. The traits that could only support his character and give him the slight edge in a fight, not something that has to be relied on entirely.

Besides, it is not like he planned on fighting every time. PVE and PVP could get old quick, and Marcus wanted to enjoy as much of the game as he could without it being a chore.

Still, it was his plan to take advantage of the normalized and regulated RMT. To make money off playing the game and selling items to people who need them. In the games he played before, the wealthiest players were not the ones who shoot the most expensive bullets or wore the best gear, it was the modest player who supported the PVP addicts and simply went home with the cash while the others shoot money towards each other.

Attention!

Establish your character's history.

Points available: 0

Traits Childhood Flaws Previous Profession Hobbies Highschool Athlete (-6)

Childhood modifier. 1.1x Endurance, 1.1x Strength. Smoker (+4)

Addiction modifier. Cravings modifier affect .8x Dexterity stat.

Addiction modifiers need constant satiation or suffer withdrawal symptoms. Musician (-6)

Profession modifier. 1.1x Dexterity. The charisma stat bonus depends on the quality of performance and the number of audiences. Jogger (-7)

Conditional modifier. 1.2x Endurance. Requires regular jogging. Attention!

Are you sure you are finished with Character Creation? Changes will be permanent after this point.

[Y/N]

Finally done with his pick, Marcus picked yes.

Choose your spawn location:

[Expand]

Marcus spent a bit of time sifting through the locations. There are a multitude of spawn locations; military bases, corporate facilities, colonial holdings, and even unaffiliated holdouts. All corresponded to the available factions; United Sol Navy, Walt Industries, People’s republic of Terminus, and Renegades.

There were other minor factions, but were unavailable to choose from at the start. Factions like the Oasis, a scientific faction whose focus is researching anomalous phenomena on the planet. Interchange Alliance, a group of merchant companies banding together to make as much money on the planet as possible. There were even bandits, hostile to all, even their own.

Marcus wasn’t keen on joining the major factions just yet, so he chose the UNCS Light of the Stars as a starting location. It intrigued him, a massive colony ship that crashed in the middle of a city. It also didn’t hurt that the area is under the Renegades, a true neutral faction unaligned to anybody.

There was no falling sensation as he was taken out of the customization and into the game. To Marcus, it felt like simply waking up from a dream. A notification floated in front of him.

The beginning of your journey. You saw the opportunity, and you took it. You embarked on a years-long journey, frozen in stasis, and woke up to the war already at a ceasefire pending negotiation where opportunities reared their heads. You decided whether you will help with the reconstruction or help the other factions, ensuring that the next conflict will be the last and yours as the last one standing. Your father's guitar. Leaving your previous job as a bar musician in a small town, you took everything you had and sold the rest except for your father's beaten guitar he had passed down to you. Too bulky for luggage, you had it sent separately in a fast hauler to arrive before your arrival.

Quest type: Personal Quest

Requirements: Track your package and retrieve it.

Marcus finished reading the texts when he was suddenly rocked from the side. He was in a strange room, and there were other players with him, strapped to their seats, either sleeping, waking up, or busy looking around. Unsecured objects fell from the ceiling, hitting the deck plating and adding to the cacophony. Flame licked the edge of the window on the other side, and Marcus turned his head over to his own window just to see the curvature of a planet.

“Cool,” Marcus muttered as he realized he was being dropped from space and into the atmosphere. Through the porthole, the dark side of the planet loomed in the distance. Pinpricks of light dotted the inky blackness. Settlements, Marcus reasoned, but it was unlikely that they would be dropped there.

Marcus struggled through his restraints. The straps dug into his shoulders as he tried to see more out the small window and realized how playing could easily be mistaken for the real world.

Everything felt natural. There was not a trace of the uncanny valley present in every computer-generated movement. Everything was smooth, sudden, and jerky, but never unnatural. Those sci-fi authors might be right about something; reality could be a simulation.

“Attention passengers. We have now hit the atmosphere and are at an assisted glide towards the location.”

The PA announcement cut through the noise just as the turbulence subsided. What’s left was a steady whine as the craft leveled and flew. Looking out once more, Marcus could see only a devastated landscape with little greenery. Buildings from long destroyed settlements and shattered skyscrapers with their metal frame exposed to the elements.

“Hey what’s your name? Want to go into a competent team?” Someone yelled through the din. Marcus looked over to the source to find a man leaning forwards as much as his straps could let him, trying to talk to a woman who looked to be far from having it.

“Not interested.” She replied. “I already got a team waiting for me.”

“Are they any good? I’m sure if you roll with my squad, we could get to where you want faster. Just tell me what you want.”

“Sorry. Really not interested.” She said with a wave.

“How about you? You looking for a team? My guys are pretty high level. We could hook you up. You know, us renegades have to help each other.” the man said, changing his attention to Marcus. He looked behind him to make sure that he was talking to him, only to confirm that he was. All the other player characters had their eyes closed and heads swaying from the intermittent bumps their vehicle was experiencing. He looked back to the man only then to notice that the girl was shaking her head, subtle enough to be unnoticed by the man in front of him.

“Sorry man. I’m not really looking for a group at the moment. I’m thinking of walking around for just a bit. Take a feel of the location before logging out.” Marcus replied, shrugging.

The man smiled but didn’t reply. Marcus could see in his eyes that he was far from being interested. He was simply saving himself from the rejection by making it seem like he was just recruiting randoms.

“Attention passengers. We are coming up for landing.”

With a rising whine coming from the engines, Marcus felt his spine compress as the lander arrested its downward glide with a quick burst of its thrusters. He looked back out of the window to see a massive ship crashed in the middle of a city. It left a track of devastation that didn’t care about anything before it, buildings, roads, everything was destroyed, along with the ship itself. The Ship’s stern snapped off, likely because of the crash, but the aft portion of the ship was relatively intact and was where the lander looked to be heading.

Another piercing whine. This time, much louder and higher pitch than before. Marcus felt the weight on his back as the lander decelerated further and felt the landing more on his back as the craft touched down with a metallic thud.

“We have arrived at the UNCS Light of the Stars. Welcome to Terminus 3. Good luck.”

With a hiss, the door to his right opened downward, doubling as a ramp where the harsh light of the noonday sun shone brightly. Marcus had to squint even though he was still inside as the bright sun peeked through the hangar’s roofs and reflecting against the deck plating. The passengers unclasped their harnesses and stood up. Marcus followed. He trailed down the gangway and out of the shade, only for him to feel the sting of the sun’s rays as it hit his skin. He wondered if he could get a sunburn on this game and if it would be just as annoying as the real one.

He looked around and found that they landed on an overhang built to the side of the ship. It gave a panoramic view of the devastated city below. The city looked to be uninhabited despite it looking like it had once been bustling. He wondered why and was sure there had to be a lore reason for it.

Around him, other landers were landing and disgorging their passengers into the metal floor of a large open hangar. Getting away from the noise, he went inside and into the shade. Lights blared overhead, hanging from the ceiling.

A high-pitched whining noise pierced through the present din. Marcus looked over to the source and saw another lander hover in place and shoot out of the hangar and into the sky. It resembled much of the scenes in the movies and video games where landers would take off vertically from the deck, then take off into space.

Players converged on one of the corridors, so he followed along. This place was likely to be a noob area, so there should be an abundance of tips and tutorials designed for people like Marcus; clueless people.

He spotted the woman going to the same place. He fast-walked, homing towards her to catch up. She gave him a glance, but walked on.

Curious, he sidled next to the woman and asked. “So, why did you flash me that sign?”

“I know those kinds of people, they’re trouble just looking to take advantage of you. But if you’re really keen on joining his group, then I wouldn’t stop you. Just don’t come to me saying that I didn’t warn you.”

“Thank’s for the concern. But that man is laying it on too thick.” Marcus replied.

“Good for you to know basic common sense. Just don’t be the type of guy who learns very little from doing something very stupid. Well, here are my guys.” She said, pointing over to a group of men standing by the side, eyeing him. “It would be best if you pass through the shooting range to make sure the first gun you buy would turn out to be the one you want. Good luck.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

Marcus watched as the unnamed woman walked away. The other men kept their eye on him, moving out of the woman’s way. They gave him a slight nod and followed after.

“Thanks for nothing, really.” He muttered.