Chapter 009 - Alice?

Cyan opened his eyes as he welcomed a brand new day, he feels his body full of energy unlike yesterday when he was feeling like an old toy using discharged batteries, he moving very slowly and having to think each step before moving his feet’s. After checking his phone Cyan realized that he has slept for a whole day and now it was Monday 15, however now he felt that his condition was back to normal, no, it was better than ever before, in reality, Cyan thought he would take a few days to go back to his normal status but it seems it didn’t take that long at the end.

It has to be a week since he has entered the [Training Tower] but in reality he only has trained for less than a single day while the rest of the time has passed by while he was sleeping, and now he only has three more weeks left for keep training inside the tower, after all, Willy has already told him the training period duration would be only fourth weeks, in other words, he has three more weeks to save his friend and keep increasing his stats all he could.

[Cyan]: “You just wait up buddy I will get you back, no matter what”

Having decided it what to do next Cyan moved to open his wardrobe, after all, he has being wearing the same set of clothes since he got here and now it was time to change it into something different, however inside his wardrobe he could only find ten neatly put together School Uniforms inside, the only difference was that these set of Uniforms have the [Midas] logo stitched into them instead of the West High School logo that his current set of clothes has, it was like [Midas] has copied the clothes he was wearing and then put them inside his wardrobe and hoped he would like it, as for the logo it was something he has seen in the [Lobby Area] already that’s why he knew it was the [Midas] logo.

[Cyan]: “Whatever this uniform it is not that bad either way”

Now that Cyan thought about it, he has forgotten this was not his room anymore, when opened the wardrobe he was expecting to see his own clothes inside but now that he thought about it the fact he has something to wear at all was very good news indeed, he could tremble to the thought of people that have come to the [Training Tower] with clothes they hate or even worse without wearing any clothes at all, would they get anything in their wardrobes? Cyan shook his head as if trying to remove that idea from his head, it was better not to think about it anyway.

[Cyan]: “[Midas] balancing program… probably had solved that problem too”

Cyan thought in the possibility that he was thinking way too deep in something that could be easily fixed, after all after he got here he didn’t saw anyone being improperly dress at all, after coming to a conclusion he moved to the bathroom to take shower.

Cyan realized how clean he really was, like if he has been taking showers all week but it made sense as he was submerged into water for a week, after checking out his body he also notice it was better to define and in better shape than ever before, all those small imperfections that he had been accumulating in his body over 16 years of life were actually gone or fading away, however he lamented the fact that there wasn’t any mirror inside his room or even inside his bathroom and he could not take a look at his reflection, probably [Midas] thought that human vanity items like mirrors were deemed a waste of resources, after all when Cyan looked all around only the bare minimum of items that were used for Players comfort and everything else was put for training, the only thing that could be called a luxury was his bed that was at least ten times more comfortable than his own bed.

After ending his vanity check Cyan took the chance to open his [Status] while hoping that his status was back to normal so he could go back to training.

[Status]

[Information]

Type: Player Name: Cyan Status: Normal Location: [Training Room] Level: 0 Profession: None Sub-Profession: None

[Stats]

Strength (STR): 16 Tier 0 Dexterity (DEX): 18 Tier 0 Endurance (END): 15 Tier 0 Stamina (STA): 18 Tier 0 Intelligence (INT): 12 Tier 0 Free Points: 18

[Cyan]: “Good my [Status] is back to normal and my stats seems ok, however, these stats don’t tell how stronger I got in reality”

Cyan stretched out his body and felt his body like a bag of crackers being pressed because of the noises his bones were producing, he also did some pushes on the ground trying to gain the feel of his increment in stats, but in the end he figured out that he had made a mistake by not measuring first how hard he could hit or how fast he could run before he started training, measuring the difference now was impossible, but not to make the same mistake again he needed something to measure his current strength and speed, and for doing so he tries asking [Midas] about it, after all, there was the real possibility to communicated with Willy this way while writing to [Midas], not to mention that not having someone to talk to for three weeks would make things harder for him.

Reply: “[Midas] is there a place where I can measure my strength or speed in a numeric value?”

As always [Midas] gave him an immediately reply

Message [Midas]: “Player can check their [Status] to see their own progress”

Cyan could only sigh to this reply, it seems he has to be more specific about the subject in his questions, not to mention the reply was back to “Player”

Reply: “I mean something to test my capabilities like punching something and getting a score?”

Message [Midas]: “Player can unlock the Floor 8 [Fighting Arena] by spending 100.000 Credits for it, in that room there are machines that can take a measure a Player current strength, for entering the Floor you will still need a Floor [Ticket], do you wish to unlock it?”

Reply: “I don’t”

It seems that floors can be unlocked by spending Player Credits however after a floor was open by the Player other Players can also enter the Floor if they have the [Ticket] for that Floor, and even the same Player that unlocked the Floor also needs a [Ticket] for entering it, and in fact you don’t actually even need to unlock a Floor for entering it, you only need the [Ticket], however the thing was that only after unlocking the Floor is that the [Ticket]’s for that Floor would be sold openly to Players in exchange Credits instead of having to complete a Quest for getting one you could buy it, in other words, Cyan didn’t get any advantages by spending 100.000 Credits for unlocking Floor 8 just to be able to buy a ticket.

It was better just to wait for someone else to do it, or get a [Ticket] from a Quest, after all, he was new here and there was much to learn, not to mention the [Shop] was still locked in his app and he probably will be buying items from there in the future, so for now, it was better to save up his Credits, so for now he discarded measuring his strength in Floor 8 and instead use more conventional means.

While he was lost in his thoughts his phone ringed meaning he got a new message when he checked a smile was drawn into his face.

Message [Midas]: “Cyan is advice to return training as soon as possible and not to break his limits again, doing this will likely end with the Player Cyan death”

As if Willy was playing turns with [Midas], this text must probably come from Willy no doubt, and like Cyan guessed it was a warning for him to no overwork himself while training not he knew how though, he felt that the best way to reply this message was by sending…

Reply: “Affirmative”

After seeing that no new messages arrived Cyan exited his room and headed to the elevator, for now, he will go to Floor 4 and do some light training for the day, checking his [Quest] in the app he didn’t found a new Quest to do.

[Quest]

Start your training (Completed) …

This also helped confirm that a new Quest would be shown as [Quest](1), in his way to the elevator he used his app to check how many people have accepted the invitation after 1 week has passed.

App [Midas]: “Total Players: 351/1000 concurrently there are 351 people that have accepted the invitation of a total of 1000 invitations with 42 refusals”

When he arrived at the Tower there were only 105 Players now that number have more than double to 351 Players and there was 42 refusals from the initial 15, now that he thought about it this tower was relatively small with only 1000 total invitations, in the news the number of missing people was in the one hundred million, and like Willy has told him there are many more towers with small differences between each other, and with different numbers of Player each.

At that moment Cyan phone vibrated again but this time it was a different kind of message because at the same time everyone in the tower got the same message, in other words, it was an announcement, something that every Player in the Tower should be aware.

Message [Midas]: “Announcement: With the start of the third week all new Players starting from today will get a Tutor Player for guiding them, to become a Tutor Players need a lest having spent 1 week inside the [Training Tower], [Midas] will automatically assign new Players with a Tutor, if the Tutor doesn’t wish to take part please reject the Quest in your [Quest] menu using your app and you will be removed as a [Tutor], both Players and Tutors will be rewarded by their performance at the end of the week…List of Rewards:….”

Like this a new balancing protocol was implemented, with the failure of the AR series 2 a void have being created, this time [Midas] opted to use Players instead of robots as guides that should at least not endanger Player lives and this will also improve Player cooperation in the long run.

After reading the message Cyan could only think that the rewards you could get at the end of the week for being a [Tutor] are very good as they are also listed in the announcement message, things like Free points, a whole lot of Credits, Floor Tickets, Specialty Food free for a week, Random Item Boxes, etc, even though he meets with the requirements of having spent one week inside the Tower and him could become a [Tutor] the truth was that he had spent more of this time sleeping inside a tube due to his careless of his first day than gaining knowledge about the Tower or training, so for him begin a [Tutor] was not different than two new Players stumbling in the darkness and it could harm the new Player more than helping it, that’s why Cyan opted out for refusing out right this Quest.

[Quest](1)

Start your training (Completed) … Become a Player Tutor (In progress)

[Become a Player Tutor]

Become an excellent Tutor (1 week remaining) Are you sure you want to Quit being a Tutor?

[YES] [NO]

As Cyan was feeling down for having to abandon his second Quest and missing out the chance of obtaining more Free Points and Credits his phone vibrated indicating he just got a new Message.

Message [Midas]: “Cyan has being selected as Tutor for a new Player, please meet with Alice in the [Lobby]”

[Cyan]: “Wait, Willy, I don’t think I can become a Tutor for….Alice?”

Cyan notice this message was coming from Willy so he wanted to reply back right away saying he will refuse the Quest, but the name of Player he would be tutoring was named Alice? That stopped Cyan from moving, do such coincidences exits in this world? It can’t be, right? If they were the same Alice then… Cyan thoughts flared in his mind as he considered the possibility of this being Alice.

Cyan changed the direction the elevator that was moving to the Floor 4 to Floor 1 and when the doors opened he sprinted out, using his app and opening [Map] he could see a green dot draw in the center of the [Lobby Area], there were also white dots around signaling they were other Players but Cyan was only focused in the green dot in his screen as he walked in that direction, he was drawn like a blue dot in the same map.

Cyan stopped just a few meters away from where the green dot was and when Cyan raised his head and took a look at the direction the green dot was, he instantly froze because he could see that person clearly, it was wearing the same School Uniform he was wearing with the same West High School logo stitched into it, the height was the same as he remembered it, and the face was also the same with the same expression she used when it was in a strange place for the first time and it was feeling anxious, it was, all the same, every bit the same as in his memories, the person he would be guiding for week, it was Alice.

Alice, on the other hand, was standing in the middle of the [Lobby Area] looking all around without knowing what to do or where to look, scared of her surroundings but it seem to Cyan she was scared about something else, then when they eyes meet for the first time a happy smile bloomed into her face.

[Alice]: “Cyan!”

Alice could not help but shout out Cyan name gathering the attention of a few other Players as she ran into his direction and ended giving him a big open hug in the middle of the [Lobby Area], it was the same kind of hug people will do in airports when they meet with their family after months of being apart, for Cyan and Alice, it was a very touching moment after being reunited once again but Cyan was feeling a little off because it only has been one week for him but Alice was acting like it has been months or did something big happen back on earth?

[Cyan]: “Ali--- I mean Class President what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here”

Looking back now, Cyan could had use better words for his reunion with Alice but being young and dumb is all part of growing up, he was too surprise of seeing Alice in front of him that he ended calling her Class President and saying she shouldn’t be here, but to his favor there are many other [Training Tower] around, enough for millions of peoples, so ending in the same Tower was not something that happens too often actually. However, because of that Alice put a sorrowful and hurt expression while looking down as she was feeling not welcome making her separated herself from Cyan.

[Alice]: “that… you told not to refuse… and then you disappeared for a…. so I…”

Cyan could more or less understand what she was saying and he felt pain into his chest for making the Alice make such expression and for being so dumb too while talking.

[Cyan]: “That…I am sorry Class President I didn’t mean to say it that way, I am happy to see too you, it is just that I was too surprised, please I ask you to forgive me”

Even though Cyan has made his apology clear Alice expressions didn’t change much but become more glaring.

[Alice]: “Alice”

[Cyan]: “Class president?”

[Alice]: “If you call me Alice from now I think I can forgive you”

[Cyan]: “Class President that’s…”

[Alice]: “…”

With Alice glaring at him as that Cyan could only give up after a few seconds and call Alice for her name.

[Cyan]: “Alice”

[Alice]: “Again”

[Cyan]: “Class Presidents that’s…”

[Alice]: “…”

Cyan wanted to say that calling some by his name several times in a row was too embarrassing for him to do, but the glaring gaze he was receiving from Alice was too painful for him to bear, while it also prevents him from saying anything else other than Alice name, that only made him ponder even more about what had happened to her during the seven days he was away.

[Cyan]: “Alice”

[Alice]: “One more time”

After letting a sigh Cyan could only give up and hope this will be the last time so Alice can forgive him.

[Cyan]: “Alice”

However, that was just wishful thinking from his part.

[Alice]: “Said three times in a row”

Cyan wanted to retort are you a genie or something? But Cyan shame had crumbled into bits after saying her name three times already.

[Cyan]: “Alice! Alice! Alice!”

Cyan realized his face has become red in shame but it the same for Alice, an awkward minute passed by in silence where neither of the two says anything, the silence was finally interrupted by Alice laughter, making Cyan start laughing also, now he could be sure he has been forgiven this time.

[Cyan]: “Then are you really a genie now?”

Alice giggled

[Alice]: “Of course, I can grant you one wish, what do you wish for?”

There were a lot of things that Cyan could think for a wish of Alice but for now, however, he only has one wish.

[Cyan]: “Then can you tell what had happened to the earth during all this time?”