《Cultivation Online》Chapter 1 - Character Evaluation
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"Brother! I got the game you wanted!" The teenager said cheerfully next to the young man laying on the bed. In her grasp was a large helmet that looked like a bike helmet, but with more of a sci-fi look.
The young man's eyes were closed, seemingly asleep, but the girl continued to speak: "Here, let me help you put it on…"
The girl climbs on the large bed that could fit an entire family of four, and she lifts his head, putting the helmet she had prepared on his head.
"Thank you…" The young man finally spoke after she gently laid his head back down.
The girl smiles, tenderly caressing his hair so it wouldn't bother him. "Brother, although I will be busy with school this week, next week for sure, I will play with you."
"Un…"
"I will come back later, so until then, have fun!" After those words, she went to touch the button on the side of the helmet and waited a few moments before leaving the young man all to himself.
—
It only took a few seconds after the button was pressed for the young man's body in the real world to fall into a state similar to slumber. He could no longer smell the aroma that was unique to his room or feel the warm bed. Instead, he could feel himself standing, something he didn't have the opportunity to experience for many years.
The world before him was mostly black, like the night sky without stars. However, it wasn't entirely black since he could see the white numbers floating above him, slowly counting down.
"I can see… I can feel my limbs… I… am no longer blind or a cripple..." The young man almost broke down in this darkness, becoming emotional and nearly falling to his knees.
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He was born with an incurable illness that left him blind at the age of 7 and crippled at the age of 13. He is now 18 years old, and for the past 5 years he would lay in his bed, unable to do anything else besides just laying there; it is a gruesome and unimaginable life for countless people.
However, for this young man who has spent more than half of his life living in a world void of light, he was able to continue living without giving in to despair.
"So this is the world's first VRMMORPG with 100% immersion, huh."
When he first heard of the game from his younger sister, he almost couldn't believe it.
A game that operates inside the mind of the individual and allowing that person to live in another world without the need to move a single limb — who would believe that such an incredible and advanced technology could exist? Not to mention that this high-tech technology was announced to be affordable enough for even the most common families to enjoy.
It was unimaginable at first, but experiencing it firsthand, the young man can only believe it.
The countdown continued to lower as the young man tries to familiarize himself with the feeling of moving his limbs.
As the system's notice appears, the black space quickly brightens, becoming a bright white room. And right before the young man, a crack appears in the space in front of him, looking like a glass window being cracked.
Crack. Crack. Crack...
The crack grew larger and larger — until it was large enough for an adult to fit.
Suddenly, the large crack breaks apart entirely, revealing the darkness behind it, and a beautiful woman with a graceful and elegant body slowly walks out from within the cracked space, looking like a goddess appearing from another dimension.
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"This is…" The young man could only watch in a daze as the beautiful woman who just came out of the cracked space begin looking at him from top to bottom. Dressed in a red Cheongsam, her figure was supple and graceful. Her facial features were sharp, symmetrical, and peerless. All in all, the beautiful woman looked like an otherworldly goddess. However, despite all of her perfect features, her gaze was anything but friendly.
She stared at him with her golden eyes that overflowed with a feeling of dominance, and her aura radiated with a tyrannical power that the young man cannot comprehend.
"Mortal, place your hand on this." The beauty spoke to him with a cold voice that was fitting for a ruler, and the young man watched as she pulls out a crystal ball from thin air.
"Okay." Believing that she was an NPC, the young man followed her instructions and placed his hand on the crystal ball without thinking about it too much, and words began appearing inside the crystal ball.
Name: ???
Cultivation: None
Legacy: None
Bloodline: None
Physique: Heaven Refining Physique
Physical Strength: 34
Mental Strength: 275
Soul Strength: 1,210
Physical Defense: 10
Mental Defense: 1,121
"!!!" The beauty's expression suddenly changed upon seeing the information in the crystal ball, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Heaven Refining Physique!" Her hands trembled along with the crystal ball in her grasp. "Not to mention his Soul Strength is at the rank of Spirit Warrior despite being only a mortal with no cultivation — No, that is nothing when compared to his physique! "
The beauty has never been this shocked before, even to the point of her body trembling.
"Is something wrong?" The young man asked her upon seeing her silence and obvious trembling.
She lifts her head to look at him, thinking to herself: "I must rope him into joining my faction before the others find him…"
"What is your name?" she asks him with a serious expression.
"You can call me Yuan."
"Take this." The beauty retrieves a jade medallion from thin air and suddenly tosses it to him. "Make sure you don't lose it, I will see you again."
"Huh? Wait, I have some..." Before Yuan can ask her questions, the beauty walks back into the cracked hole, disappearing alongside the crack in the air.
"What an odd NPC. What should I do now?" He looks around the empty place.
As the timer hits zero, Yuan's vision suddenly twists, giving him a slight headache. When he blinks and opens his eyes, he finds himself in some kind of village where many people that wore the same white robe as him, gathered.
"This is… Cultivation Online?" His eyes widen when he sees mountains floating in the sky above even the clouds.
"Welcome! I am Elder Song, who is in charge of making sure that before you all leave this place and adventure this vast world that you will have a goal of what you want to do here set in your mind." An old man in blue robes greeted everybody, shocking every individual there with where he stood to speak to them.
"He's flying! He is really flying while standing on that sword!" The people exclaimed the obvious.
Elder Song smiled and said: "I will answer your questions later, but first, let me explain to you about this world."
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Just a Bystander
Everyone wants to believe they are the hero of their own story. But in a world where prophecies are real, what happens if you're not the Chosen One? A budding arcanist named Caden enrols in the Academy, entering the same cohort as one of the legendary Chosen Ones, and finds himself caught in a tangle of fate that threatens to unravel the entire Empire. Updates on the last week of each month. Join the Discord community here.Support me on Patreon here. Cover art by Fuyu Dust. "Just a Bystander" is a work of love and I intend to keep posting it for free on RoyalRoad for everyone to enjoy. If you would like to support me, I have a Patreon page for those who would like to make a financial contribution. However, I would like to stress that I am able to continue writing with or without financial support and that you should not feel compelled to put dollars into this. I am happy simply to receive your support as a reader, and would also love for you to join the Discord to hang out and chat with other readers.I've chosen not to offer early chapters because I'd like my readers to keep apace with each other, and there are time constraints that come with my situation.Thank you for reading my work. I hope you continue to enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. =)
8 247Jadepunk
My name is Roth. I live in Taisao City, where I make a living assassinating, planting evidence, sabotaging...whatever my clients require of me. When I don't have clients, I steal. It's a life. But I got caught, and for some reason, after that, I have memories of a man named Jeff-- What do you mean memories? I'm somehow stuck in your body now. I mean, I'm grateful I can finally see, but I really would have loved to see my own world. Things powered by jade is just too different from what I know. --who is now ruining my life by trying to do something good. Something that's not only for my benefit. So will you please get out of my head? Would if I could. But if I have to take over your body to do good, why not? *sigh* And so begins the fight for my body. Which, unfortunately, I may be losing.
8 168CY
It was 3990, A cyborg joined the 36th galactic war between humans and extra terrestrial life forms however due to unknown explosion in the enemy base during the final battle the cyborg Zeno died..or maybe not
8 258Cornerman (Naruto)
A melting icecap, a bubbling spring or the soft autumn rain; small trickling streams that, over many years, grow into mighty rivers. Within every man lies the call to power - it is as much a part of him as his very own blood. The foolish drink from that vital liquid, but the wise know that strength is not worth seeking. Instead, they desire that which lies beyond it. They follow the mighty river to its source. Eyes wide, they spot the glistening icecap. Ears open, they listen for the bubbling spring. Nose twitching, they smell the scent of the autumn rain. They find those small, trickling streams. They are led to the source from which strength flows. It is that which beats within the bosom of every man: a blood-red heart.
8 111Invincible War God
A sword?? A spear?? Blade??? No weapon in this world that I can't use. So is that really mean I can only fight using weapon??? No, although I'm mastering all kind of weapon I never use weapon to fought my enemy. I killing them using my body. The ultimate art of weapon is to forge every part of your body and become peerless weapon.
8 194From the Dark, Comes Life
All I ever wanted was what normal people wanted. A simple life, money to supply my and her needs, and children to watch grow old with us. However, life has this way of making a joke out of your dreams, your desires, and honestly, your personal opinion. It was at the height of my career that my life went from all wins to back to back losses. At first, I was optimistic. I felt that I could overcome this. This wasn't something that could keep her down. She was stronger than this. We were stronger than some disease. At some point, it even look like she was going to make a strong recover. We already bought tickets and were planning our next step in life. Talking about kids, that blue house and white picket fence. Ho... Instead, I stood in front of a freshly dug grave. I stared at the casket that was being lowered into the muddy ground. I did not say my last goodbyes. How could I when everything she was, she had become, she was going to be was in my face like a fresh slap. Our house, my work office, the blackness behind my eyelids. It was a fresh reminder.. Then, I got this fresh start.. This crazy bish summoned me.. Summoned me from a world where I had went down the wrong path. To a world where there was no right and wrong for me. There was no peers I had to look into the eye and see pity. There was no more of walking to her grave and telling her what I had become after she was gone. It was simply just us in my heart. The way she look when she at her worse, the strong vigor she held in her soul. Comforting me while I was attempting to comfort her... Ha, this new world.. I wondered.. is this not a fresh start? Should I care about what will or wouldn't happen? As long as I can recreate what I lost? Should I care about what I shall become? Let's find out how far I can fall in the pursuit of what I desire...
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