Chapter 0 : The Beginning

"Welcome to the 4th Crafter's Inc. anniversary event. To jump start the event, all members that wish to register for the latest version of [The VRP], please follow the guides to the scanner."

One by one, the crowd scanned their ID card, and laid down on the body scanner. Not knowingly, each person had their thoughts analyzed...

Harrog's Perspective

Things happened. It was all in the past, the things I could have done and the things I should have done. What you see is a middle age man, your less than average social worker.

I left home at 15. My parents were getting a divorce; I didn't want to change school so I lived by myself. I paid the rent and bills with the part time job I had. Once I saved enough money, I bought myself a car after having received my driver's licence.

I dropped out of college on the third year. They didn't teach me what I wanted to know; In the two years I worked as an apprentice, I learned more than I ever did in those three years of college. Now, a self-employed technician. From month to month, my income fluctuates severely, with some months higher and others lower. But overall, it is enough to live by.

Actually, I'm not living so great. This place is a wasteland. My dog died of cancer because I was taking him outside regularly each week. Apparently there were traces of carcinogen here in the west coast. What a great way to end the year.

I also had been engage, but thankfully we broke apart before anything got too serious. I also traveled around the globe, to my sister living in Laos. She was going through a hard time, and needed someone to be there after having a divorce. You would expect that there would be some sort of foreign policy to protect visitors, but there really isn't.

I got attacked "accidentally." There really is no safe place in this world. I want to sue, but the laws here didn't allow me too. The half-drunken man that rammed his car into me paid for my hospital time, and was exonerated from any charges.

No internet here.

Did I just heard that correctly? How can there be no internet at a hospital? For three weeks, I had these 3 books that my sister brought to me. Even though I am interested in science fiction, I am bored to death. I could be playing Loktus right now on my laptop and doing dungeons with my guild mates. I tried going to the airport before. They thought I was a crazy man. Do you think I look crazy? Surely I might be cringing in pain yelling furiously at them with white foam coming out my mouth, but do you think I would pose a big threat?

Now that three weeks passed, I come back to the states, the good old stinking states.

What did I find when I come back? Loktus is no more...

Morganna's Perspective

Meh. Another game taken over by Crafter's Inc. Too bad I really liked Loktus, free to play and all. Now that leaves me with only 6 dollars left in the wallet and there are no Free to Play MMOGs left. Six dollars isn't even enough for a week's worth in any of the Crafter's Inc MMOGs.

Stupid Dad. And oh great, Janice is complaining again. I'm 23 already and do not need a stepmother to tell me what to do. I already got enough on my plate, and only took 3 college classes this semester so that I can help out around the house and still have enough time to level some characters.

Ah, the kids. Dad gave me 40 dollars to spend to take the step-grandchildren out for lunch. Janice is such a bitch. She took 20 dollars away, saying that 20 dollars is more than enough. I like to see where in this town you can buy a meal for four. Of course I'm single so they aren't my kids but my step brother's.

I'm in the bleh moment right now. My character is needs 51million exp tnl (till next level). Probably will chill and grind mobs then. Ked and his alts (alternate character) must be soloing dungeons right now. If only I weren't feeling this "bleh," I would be motivated to grind with him.

Ked's Perspective

In game, I may be OP, multiboxing with max level character, several alts all at high level, and wearing rare equips. However, In real life, I'm only a high school student. Even at my best I score with a mediocre grade. I realized last semester, the first semester of my third year, that life is a cheat.

I used to think that those students that raised their hands wanted to say something, but I learned: they just wanted a higher grade. It makes them look good and us look bad. It is always the same people, I realized.

It didn't dawn to me until that day, when the truth was laid before me. A computer in right in front of us, the substitute teacher handing out the test, and teacher absent again for the 4th week because of surgery; what a perfect environment for promoting academic dishonesty. I'm such a loser, I reflected. I knew I did not study..enough... but why did I have to stick with my pride and listen to what all those teachers tried to enforce.

It was obvious 1 week later. My result: 64 overall on a 100 multiple choice test. The Class Average: 97.

Two months later, for another subject, this time my AP class, the teacher told us she was going to "make" the test. I studied, read the text book, went over some review packets she given out. I can't believe I scored only an 80! At least it is higher than the 70s from the tests before, but still, the same students scored 90s.

Finally I did what I never thought I would do: look up the questions online. Then smacked right in my face was the test. The choices were not arranged in the same order but the questions and answer choices were word for word.

I give up. There were winners, and then there were losers like me with no friends and connections. I have all this extra time now that I given up trying to study. Clearly I do not have the "good study habits" that some people possess, and with that time I commited myself to Loktus. I haven't seen Morg or Harrog and several of the other guild members, including the Guild Leader, around the last couple of days before Loktus closed

And now I have nothing left to show for myself with the whole database gone. What do I have left now? Grades? Awards? Prizes? Friends? Family?

End Of Chapter 0: The Beginning