Chapter 3: Trying to escape my overprotective brother - Ruka

Ruka sat on his bed listening intently to his brother’s explanation on how to play Otherworlds.

“Otherworlds is the most highly anticipated VRMMO this season! I cannot wait to play this game! Ruka, as you may have already known, Otherworlds is a Virtual Reality MMORPG created by Inspire!, the most successful gaming company in Japan.”

Ruka nodded lazily, as he stared past Hikaru.

Hikaru continued: “To enter the game, just like any other VRMMO, you have to purchase a capsule pod which will allow you to access the virtual world. I got your gaming pod from mum and dad in return for being the Valedictorian, so please put this to good use, Ruka. The best thing about the pod is that you can enter the game while your body is asleep! You can game 24/7! Isn’t that awesome!”

Ruka sat up in realisation of where this was going. It was not a pleasant experience to be stuck with his overprotective brother 24/7. Oh the agony! He has to think quickly of a way to persuade his brother against this notion.

Meanwhile, Hikaru took Ruka’s sudden alertness as a sign of interest and continued excitedly: “As you know Otherworlds is a fantasy land made of numerous worlds. To go to another world, you have to complete special quests and meet certain requirement like your level and skill set to open the portal. You can go on an adventure to discover new worlds and slay weird monsters! Its like a dream come true form a party with you! I heard that the scenery is really spectacular!”

Ruka paled at the thought of being dragged throughout the game by his brother. That hardcore gamer that can forgo sleep and game for three nights straight.

“Goodbye free time and personal space! I will miss you dearly!” Ruka thought in despair.

“The starting world, Mygics is made of the basic 5 continents, each based on one of the following elements: water, fire, earth, wind and dark. you will first start off in the beginner’s city of the continent of your element of choice. Your choice of element is very important as you can only learn and use spells of that element.

Otherworlds consist of 4 basic races: human, elf, ghoul and orc.

The 4 races each has special traits.

Humans- +5 intelligence, + 10 Agility

Elf- +10 in strength, +10 attractiveness

Ghoul- +10 in stamina, +5 intelligence

Orc- +5 strength, +5 vitality, -10 attractiveness

Upon reaching Level 100, players can evolve into the sub clans specific to their race, provided that they clear certain special requirements of that sub clan.

The various sub clans:

Human- Angel, giant, zombie

Elf- Fairy, demon, nymph

Ghoul- Vampire, lich, armoured ghost

Orc- demon Orc, Orc saint, Orc skeleton”

Hikaru droned on about the game….

After what felt like hours of lecture to Ruka, Hikaru finally exclaimed: “Let’s play the game now!”

Hikaru’s eyes sparkled at the thought that he will be able to form a party together with his beloved Ruka and help him level up.

“Fufufu maybe Ruka will praise me in admiration of my gaming skills and express his brotherly affections for me when I save him from those nasty dungeon monsters…fufufu….” Hikaru fantasized wildly in the privacy of his mind.

“Ani, let me play this game by myself till I reach level 100!” Ruka pleaded.

Hikaru’s fantasies were brought to a screeching halt. His dreams shattered into a million pieces.

“Why? Ruka? Why?!” Hikaru exclaimed woefully.

“Onii-san. Please…”Ruka stared at Hikaru with his huge watery puppy dog eyes.

Hikaru could not resist those puppy dog eyes. Who could resist them? Guilt tripped, Hikaru gave in to his brother’s request. He had a soft spot for his younger brother.

“Thank you, Onii-san!” Ruka smiled one of his warmest smiles that could have melted the coldest of hearts.

Hikaru’s heart melted at the sight of his brother’s smile. With that he left Ruka’s room to play Otherworlds.

Ruka heaved a sigh of relief, as he place his eye drop back onto the table.

“Thank goodness that Hikaru always falls for that trick.” Ruka smiled, as he recalled Hikaru’s face whenever he pulled this trick on him. Hikaru always gives in to him whenever he does his puppy eyes trick.

Although, Ruka was not scheming by nature, he had no qualms about tricking others as long as no one was hurt. Of course, this more playful side of Ruka, was only seen by his family member and his close friends. Ruka was too shy to play his tricks on other people. With his request granted, Ruka decided to log into Otherworlds. Ruka wondered what will await him in Otherworlds......