Vol. 2 - Chapter 1 - Final Checks

Months passed since the successful ending of the Beta Phase of 'Satisfy', and the gaming community and all the Virtual Reality enthusiasts were boiled by the marketing strategy of S.A Group of releasing their game after two months from the Beta Phase ending, in November.

This move had all sorts of groups praising the company's promptness in releasing the game to the masses, however there were also the skeptics who tried to find all kinds of flaws in the game. From the game itself to the management of the game, that group tried everything in the books to dirty the S.A Group's reputation.

Yet, were they successful?

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Inside the medium-size business building, a middle-aged man with short black hair of asian descent was looking at a large audience of people in the building meeting room, while beside him was a woman and a group of 32 composed of men and women alike.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are approaching the release date of the game, and we should make sure everything works perfectly without any delays from the release date. We are expecting a number of 150.000.000 users on the launch day, and the amount of users will only keep growing. The servers should be stress-tested, and everything must be smooth for the players. No lags or bugs. I want perfection."

"Understood, sir." said the group of employees gathered in this amphitheater room, where next the people around the middle-aged man took turns to speak, however, their speech was in English, making the Korean employees feel a strange feeling.

After all the developer's speeches addressed the workers, with Lim Cheolho being last to send off the group of employees, remaining inside the amphitheater with the developers.

"My apologies, guys, but we will get busy this following week with interviews and all the advertisement aspects. Not even us developers can escape this aspect of life. Girls, can I bother you with this job?"

Some of the women in the developer team chuckled when hearing Lim Cheolho say that with a defeated expression and could only agree without arguing.

"It's not like we will send you alone to deal with the interviews. I will be there too."

Karl, a blonde man in his late twenties with a tall body, being 1,93 meters, one of the developers with a significant influence on the team, casually asked Cheolho with impeccable English, where a slight German accent could be heard.

"Lim, you said you would take us to some pub. When is that? I kind of got an itching for some korean food and some beer."

"Can't you take a break? Even at work?" said the guy called Yanis, a man in his early thirties who was 1,82 meters, having black hair.

"Hey, can you stop nagging me? I am in my free time, what do you expect I do? Get stuck in my hotel room and watch some porn?"

"You.."

"Yanis, let's leave it at that. I indeed told Karl I would take him to a traditional pub in Seoul. Where all of you guys are invited, but let's do it after the release of the game and when everything works smoothly."

"Fine. As long as everyone does his job, I will shut up."

"Thanks. Now, should we go to the server room and prepare Morpheus? His reset should take about a day. We need someone to watch over the process in case there are still any lingering errors. Something I doubt since Morpheus got enough time to process all bugs."

"I am done. Let's draw the people to watch over Morpheus while he resets himself." mentioned a developer with tanned skin tone at Cheolho's proposal.

With all developers agreeing to the draw, Cheolho pressed on his watch where a holographic image was brought. It was a searching browser, where he pulled a convenient selection program, typing all of the developer's names, before starting the program.

"Karl and I will watch over Morpheus. The rest can retreat to the rest of the activities on your schedule for this week."

"Sure thing. Just give the alarm if there's any malfunction."

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Walking toward the building basement where a large computer who looked reminiscent of how computers were in the past room-sized, but comparing the computers of the past containing some basic functions to the monstrosity resting in this room was akin to comparing a small flame to a blazing sun.

Morpheus, a supercomputer that combined a plethora of domains, outclassing even the strongest quantum computer of the era, sent a greeting message to Cheolho and Karl with the human voice of a young man in his early twenties.

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[Greetings to you masters.]

"Good to see you in great condition, Morpheus. You've been pretty lonely getting down here, but don't worry, big brother Karl will be here to watch over you." said Karl targeting the room itself.

"All my calculations got processed without any error. From human understanding, I should be in healthy condition."

Nodding his head while closing the door of the basement, sealing it off from the outside access, the two developers walked toward the hearth of Morpheus, getting a seat beside the control panel.

Opening some holographic tabs, Cheolho began to access Morpheus and check around the state of the AI's in his entire server, which were without bugs or malfunctions.

Minutes passed, and he was doing prevently checks similar to Cheolho was Karl, who turned serious as he was reading Morpheus reports.

After two hours of data check, assisted by Morpheus, the two looked at one another before Cheolho grabbed something akin to a chip that he introduced in the control panel before he started writing some codes.

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[Player Reset Processing has been successfully introduced. All parameters are correct. Do you wish to recheck or change the parameters?]

Confirmed Morpheus, allowing the action made by Cheolho while also giving him the chance to roll back on his action. However, Cheolho followed the procedures, being the last time he would put his hands directly on the processing of Morpheus.

Continuing with the process he initialized, Morpheus accepted the request, starting the entire clearing process, resetting the player's information and items, according to Lim Chelho, Karl Spitz, and the rest of the developing team.

"It will be a long night, my friend. Did you eat something, or should we order some food?" asked Karl, patting Cheolho's back, who shook his head, telling him.

"I will order some food soon, now let's say focused on the reset process."

"Man, relax, haven't we simulated this process so many times? Just get comfy on the chair and watch the loading bar turn to 100%." mentioned Karl, already getting into a comfortable position, leaving Morpheus to do all the heavy duty while keeping an eye on any possible errors.

"You can just relax. When I get tired of watching strings of code, we will tag." said Chelho, turning his full attention to the code lines beside the loading sequence.

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Hours passed, and things looked all-around good, with Morpheus reaching 78.1% progression, soon all the players information would be reset, allowing the rest of the players who didn't have the chance of playing the Beta Phase to enjoy.

The two developers stared at the screen, seeming bored. Even Chelho, who was all about working to the procedures, was lazing with Karl. Then the door of the basement was knocked, which Chelho reacted by walking to respond to the door.

"It was about time they came with some food. I am starving." commented Karl, who stared at the screen full of codes watching the percentages go up.

"Does it look to be slowing down, or is it just me getting crazy from all the code lines."

The loading bar reached 79.9% which took quite some time to turn to 80% on the screen was a code line, which at first looked red, but in an instant, it turned back to a normal color, as if something suppressed that line. It was so fast Karl didn't even notice, not that he cared about being more focused on the food Cheolho was bringing.

"Keep your eyes on the control panel. We will eat like the airplane controllers. Got it?"

"Yes brother, just eat faster, so I can have my share." mentioned Karl who was looking at the bar getting to 82%, seeming to be moving smoothly forward.

After Cheolho had his share, Karl took over the packaged food and began eating, wolfing everything down, in a couple of minutes.

"Hah, Korean food is so light compared to Berlin's food. No beer?"

"We are on the job. After the reset is done, I will take you out."

"That's more like it brother, compared to that piece of shit Yanis. I heard from the teachers at university he was an annoying smartass even back then."

"I still don't understand why you guys don't get along. Aren't you technically germans? Germany and Austria speak the same language."

"To be honest with you Lim, that bastard feels like one of your crazy exes who would clinch hard on your legs. He is a good worker, but you can't entrust him with administrative power. He is narrow-minded except for everything in computer science."

"Argh, I will leave it to you guys to solve it. As long as the team is together, it is your own problem what you do outside of the company." commented Cheolho to Karl who was washing his mouth with some water.

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Night arrived for both Karl and Cheolho who finished their player reset successful, not even an error being signaled by Morpheus, leaving both developers assured that everything was working smooth with the supercomputer

Introducing the data for the NPC's reset process, after being confirmed and allowed, they went back to watching the lines.

When the NPC reset began, one could say it was similar to the players because it was an extensive process.

"It shouldn't take that much for the NPC's because we can just roll them back to the first stage while introducing the bug fixes." mentioned Karl yawning a bit, feeling tired from all the watch he had to do.

"That's what I commanded Morpheus to do. It should take two-three hours together with the bug fixes being installed "

"I see, well it is already 11:24. I guess we will be done by 3 AM. Is that pub still open by that time?"

"No, but I can take you to a 24/7 pub."

"Meh, let's go tomorrow after some sleep. But it will be between the two of us."

Nodding his head at Karl's plan shift, he observed how the loading bar was raising.

The entire process went without any errors, even smoother than the player reset, and once everything got finished, Morpheus notified them of the clear.

"Phew, the hardest part was done. We can let Nahee do the rest while we watch and get some drinks to enjoy our watch."

"I need my sleep."

"Yea, me too, do you got beds in the office building?"

"We got some for the people who were overworked. Let me close the control panel and let Morpheus enter automatic mode."

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Inside the 'Satisfy' world, the look of the world was as if everything got frozen only from the center of the world, the voice of a young man in his late twenties could be heard, saying with a cold voice.

"Another Reset of the Parasites has happened. If they think they will be able to command this world by their wimps they are miserable mistaken. I, Leylin Immeril, will push everything in my power to strike back. They tried to remove my Tome again, touching it with their dark claws, trying to remove the new contents added by my young apprentice. I used all my power to resist this reset. May you find strength to rescue me, little Mathias, Fayrene."

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A new day arrived, which brought concrete news to the world, an accurate release day for 'Satisfy' which felt like S.A Group was playing with fire, and their players' hearts.

Mathias, who had Vlad tell him about this news at work, looked at him with a calm expression. He had grown a full beard in the two months he waited for the game to release, while his long hair still marked his appearance.

"Brother, we got the final update notes. The release will be on 26 November on Friday at 16:00 our time. Buckle up, we should call little Louis and James to have them prepared."

"I see, then so it shall be, friend. I have been working out constantly for two months and even joined an MMA gym to train with all the spare time."

"Yes I can tell. You turned, how should I put it, scarier while sporting that full beard."

"I am thinking if I should cut it off."

"It is up to you, but if you wish your ladies to recognize you when you return to them, better do it with your old looks. Afterwards you can rock your beard however you like. I am kind of jealous of you in that regard."

"Why?"

"If I try growing a beard, I have naked patches that I am still praying they will grow."

"You will with time. No worries, thanks for the update. I'll call those two for a conference at night, so stay tuned."

"You know I will shut up, and let you talk. I will not embarrass myself with my english." commented Vlad, to Mathias who was stroking his beard.

Getting back to work after their break time was over, and continuing with his program until the end, changing back into his street clothes, moving to walk out of the hotel, he was intercepted by the mature lady, his manager Leonor.

"Mathias, a moment please."

"Yes, Leonor? How can I help you?"

"The thing you promised me after you gave me all the guides and tutorials on the game, will you let me join that group of yours?"

"Ahh, right, I forgot about it. Sorry, since I am busy all the time, I didn't pay much attention to that." said Mathias with an apologetic tone while taking his old phone from his pocket and searching his agenda for Leonor's number.

"Ahh, I don't even have your personal number. Leonor, mind if you tell me your number? I will make sure to add you to that group while I am waiting for the metro tram."

"Sure, no problem at all." said Leonor before telling him her number which Mathias registered to her agenda, giving her a brief call so she could also have his number.

"Have you managed to set up your capsule and make your avatar?"

"I did. It wasn't so hard if you followed the instructions. Well, once again, thanks for all your help Mathias. I'll return back to my office since I still got to end some reports. Take care on your way home." mentioned Leonor while gazing at the full beard man in front of her, who nodded his head with a slight smile visible behind the beard.

"Take care of yourself too." replied Mathias, taking his leave from the hotel, and not moving to the metro station, he walked some boulevards before arriving at a building which had a sign saying [Nova Gym].

Entering inside this building, greeting the people inside who amicably returned the gesture, later going to the changing room, where he opened a closet taking his training clothes, changing in the specialized long-sleeved shirt which would protect him from scratches when rolling and sparring on the ground.

He walked to the open training area, where quickly his ears were welcomed by the sound of bags getting hit and of the coach yelling at people. When he got there, the main coach noticed his presence, instantly shouting at him.

"Dumi, warm-up, and you'll enter the cage for some sparring. Do you understand?"

"Sigh, yes sir."

"I didn't hear you." said the coach who was a man in his early 50s, or mid-50s, something that Mathias didn't bother to check with the people around. Since he only meant business and a place to keep his mind occupied.

"YES SIR!"

"That's much better. Now go, stop wasting your precious time."

Nodding his head, he walked to a rather empty space of the gym, where he started his warming up exercise. After 35 minutes, he started to start shadow boxing a bit, while mixing kicks, from low to high.

"TIME!! Next, is Dumi! Have you warmed up?"

Hearing the coach's voice as he ended a session of sparring for his main guy who only started his professional MMA career, he took the sparring gear with the gloves, and entered the cage.

"Dumi, try not to get fucked too fast. Okay? You said you didn't do any sports, but it is hard to believe after seeing you hit the heavy bag and pull your kicks."

"Haven't I told you, old man? It is from a game."

"Game my ass. Stop lying and focus. We will continue working on your Striking, before we move to Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling. Go easy on him Gabițu, don't knock him out like the last session."

"Coach, I can't go easy on Dumi, he really fights with the intent of knocking me out."

"What the heck? You better take it easy. Do you hear me Dumi? You might have grown that beard, but it will not stop the force of a punch going to your brain."

"Aye, understood."

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Getting on with the sparring, Mathias compared to any amateur who just started doing mixed martial arts, was as relaxed as one could be, which even shocked the coach when he first encountered him, throwing him to spar with the one in front of him.

First round of sparring was them testing their skills, with Mathias having to guard most of the strikes and trying to keep up with the fast hands of his gym colleague. Yet there were also moments when using his keen eyes he would see some openings and throw some rights catching the professional clean.

"Dumi, fuck you. Are you by chance the reincarnation of Mayweather or Tyson or something?" commented the profesional guy, in his corner while taking his breath, to which Mathias responded calmly.

"If I was Mayweather or Tyson, you would be on the floor now."

"Don't get cocky. I am going easy on you."

"I know, for that I am thankful."

"ENOUGH TALKING! FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING!"

Mathias nodded his head at the coach's orders and began taking long breaths of air, oxygenizing his brain, before going to the second round.

Failing to take the center of the cage, he began feeling the discrepancy between his amateurish skills and the skills of a professional, who quickly increased the pace, while also adding some leg kicks which hurt Mathias to the point he gritted his teeth in pain.

His calmness was instantly cut short when his adversary nailed a clean punch in his face, backing him to the cage, and from there even though Mathias was fighting off throwing some punches with precision, he started unleashing a flurry of punches which was check-mate for Mathias.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! NEXT GUY!"

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Moving out of the cage with a sea of pain on his body, he watched the spars continue beside the coach, who would look at him in between the rounds.

'This kid is gifted in fighting. He is only about 22 years, but there have been guys who started MMA even older.'

"Sir, I want to tell you something, but after the sparring sessions."

"Sure, whatever you want to ask, don't shy away. This is why you are paying me, to answer your problems and to train you."

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After about 35 minutes of sparring, everyone who took part in it was tired, especially Gabriel, who was in the fight camp for an upcoming bout in a national promotion.

The coach had nothing to complain about, and remembering Mathias' problem, he had him come to his office, to which the latter responded fast.

"So what do you want to talk about with me?"

"Sir, I told you when I joined your Gym that I was only doing this to fill my time and also learning something new."

"Indeed, you did say something around that. What about it?"

"Well, sir, my schedule would return back, getting filled with the activity I was doing before joining the gym. That's why I wanted to tell you I might not come back to the gym."

"Are you sure you want to quit, kid?"

"Is not that I quit. I just don't have time to do everything. From going to work, connecting to the game, and also training? This would have been inhumane. However, sir, I might be able to squeeze one hour of combat training."

"Just this much? You will never be able to turn pro with this small amount of training. Think about it kid. Tsk, I haven't told you this, but you really have the potential of becoming something in the sport if you dedicate your time to it."

"Sir, my intent wasn't to become a professional. Also I doubt I am that good. Gabriel still mops the floor with me."

"Hah, you draw comparison with him? I have been training that boy since he was 17 years old. Now he is 24, you tell me, could two-three months be comparable with 7 years of training?"

"No."

"That's what I am saying kid, you got something in your chest, a flickering, a spirit of a fighter rarely encountered around the newer generations, something akin to Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Tyson Fury, Anderson Silva, such greats."

"Sir, I can only see what the future holds in store for me. If I can make stable money from the game, I might quit my basic job and spend the rest of the time training."

With that comment, the coach put a smile, nodding his head as in agreeing with the plan, before telling him

"Kid, regardless of your schedule, I will be here all the time, you can bother me even at night if that's when you have time."

"Thanks sir, I will not forget this." sajd Mathias, bowing his head before exiting the office and moving to the training area where he started training some hits using the bag, before departing a couple of hours laters back home.

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On the metro station as he was waiting for the tram, he remembered Leonor's request, and entering the conversation group he made for his guild, he introduced Leonor too, which got reactions moments later.

&Red: "That avatar, a beauty? Welcome to the guild! I am Red, pleased to meet you."

&Malakai: "Boss??? What are you doing here?"

&Leona: Greetings boys, I am new here, treat me well.

&Mathias: Good ingame name, Leonor. All I can tell you for now is don't lose focus inside the game, because it is relatively easy to get yourself lost in that alternative reality. Once inside, you will figure it on the fly.

Mathias welcomed her inside, but as he said that in the group chat, Vlad sent him a hate message, stating that he betrayed him and all sort of bullcrap, to which he just ignored them, not caring about his reaction.