Chapter 1: Escape to a New World
Chapter 1: Escape
Thunder flashed in the sky as water poured down from above. The glaring words of "WORLD LEADERS MEET TO DISCUSS RESOURCE MANAGEMENT" flashed overhead on large neon signs. That was three month ago. The discussion had failed miserably according to the news. Overpopulation has caused food and water to become a privilege given only to those rich enough to afford it. The rest of the world had nothing.
Then, two months ago a company by the name of Equinox emerged with a new announcement. A solution. Code:Genesis. A method in which your consciousness could be forcefully extracted from your body and placed into a separate digital world that resembled a game. A world monitored by the creator of Code:Genesis, Arthur Freeman. His reasoning: a digital world meant an infinite amount of resources.
There was only one problem. It was also expensive. Slightly less wealthy families found it impossible to undergo the procedure to enter Code:Genesis. Finally the game released another verdict. They would release a finite number of tickets of various tiers that would be hidden everywhere around the world. These could be used in place of money to be given a chance to enter Code:Genesis with higher tiers offering higher bonuses upon entry. The game population exploded in days with tickets being discovered all over the world.
~~~
The day could not have gotten any worse for Luke Graphite. He was an orphan, one amongst many that silently roamed the streets of Rakham City. Raven black hair stuck to the sides of his head, dripping water down his face. His bare feet slapped against the hard concrete road, propelling his body forward as hard as he could. Sounds of heavy boot against puddles of water rang out behind him. They were getting closer.
On any normal night, Luke Graphite would never have chosen to rob an Official. Much less if this one had a Spectre as a protector. It had been a risk he was willing to take after he discovered the Official was in possession of a Gold Ticket. The quick flash of light reflecting off the ticket was all Luke needed to act. His success, however, was immediately rewarded with the presence of a Spectre.
Spectre were men who had been trained since birth to be bodyguards to the death. Men who obeyed the commands given to them unconditionally.
Luke rushed down a road, vaulting over one car and sliding over another's hood. Life as an orphan had taught him many things if he wanted to live but his number one rule was: never stop moving. There was a higher possibility for him to become the owner of Equinox at that moment than beating the Spectre in a brawl. A task made impossible with the size of his meals and muscles.
Luke darted left and right dodging people on the sidewalk. A flash of red caught his eye as he turned the corner of an intersection. Another one but still far. The easily identifiable mark of a blood red cloak only fueled his will to live and run home. In a split second, Luke made his decision, pushing himself into the nearest store. A computer store. The store was full of people by No one paid any attention to his stench and ragged clothing. Typical. Luke desperately shiver his way through the crowd amidst the low mutterings of complaint that spilled from the customer's mouths. His eyes rapidly roamed the interior of the shop for any means to escape his current predicament. It was large, various laptops and computers ran along the edges. The bonus was that there was still a large crowd shopping at this late hour. "There must've been some sort of sale doing on today" Luke thought
His gaze fell on a large iron door with a keypad on its handle. Luke grinned to himself. It was going to be too easy now. As he watched for any staff member approaching, Luke carefully stepped towards the keypad. Perfect. The keypad must now have been cleaned recently. Luke could easily identify the six fingerprint-covered digits that he needed to open the door. Quickly he punched in a random combination of the numbers. 1-6-4-2-8. Immediately a loud buzz rang out from the door causing a groan to escape his lips.
"Hey! You there! Boy!" A loud voice immediately began to shout in the background.
1-4-2-8-6. Another loud buzz echoed through the store as the customers finally began to realise that something was going on.
8-6-4-2-1. To Luke's amazement, a clear soft buzz rang out instead. At this moment Luke's ears burst as the glass door he had come through was smashed. Luke turned around in time to see an arm reach out from underneath a blood red cloak to reveal a gun that quickly snapped towards his head.
Luke dived towards the ground as gunshots rang over his head. Quickly he crawled through the open door and locked it behind him. He could still hear the sounds of bullets slamming themselves into the door on the other side.
The Spectre quickly approached the iron door that separated him from his target. With one hand he crushed the door handle and pushed his way through only to see another similar door open on the other side of the small storage room. Immediately he reached to place a finger on his ear, activating the hidden earpiece within. "He's gone, lost vision of him on the intersection of 42nd and 69th."
"You may return." A cool static voice replied.
~~~
Luke stumbled into his tin shed exhausted. His legs burned as he feebly attempted to reach the futon that lay in the center of his home. He had constructed this particular single roomed shelter from the remains of a nearby dilapidated timber house and brought the pieces so he could live close to one of the largest garbage disposal sites of the city. The location had kept him relatively safe since his mother had passed away due to its smell. It was small but had still managedto fit all the meagre belongings he dared to claim as his own. The walls were made of long timber strips whilst the front door was barely hanging on having lost two of its three hinges. The corrugated tin sheet that ran along the top to acted as his roof, never disappointing him with the noise it could make on a rainy night. Magazines were strewn all over the dirt floor, whilst various sized cups and bottles hung from his tin roof by thin strings. A personalised water collection system he had created.
Slowly he pulled out from within the only pocket of his shirt, a golden ticket. It was a plain rectangular gold card that fit snugly in the palm of his hand. The only markings present were a simple black line border and large black bolded letters in the centre that spelled simply "Code:Genesis Link".
He didn't know what he had expected but definitely not anything as ordinary as this. Because of his rush, he had been temporarily unable to properly look at the card. The old grandpa he had robbed must have thought that no one would be able to touch him with the Spectre nearby But he had underestimated the worth of this unassuming gold card to any random passerby.
Luke was torn between the choice to rest now or immediately head to an Equinox branch to begin his new life. The legs burned from the most recent pursuit but he knew that if the man that he had robbed could afford one Spectre, that man could easily hire a team of men to stand at the building to get back his ticket. He sighed. There was no need to decide. Luke grabbed a large coat to cover himself off the ground before running back out into the old night air.
The journey to the closest Equinox branch was more tense than he could have imagined. Each shadow along the streets seemed to him just big enough to carry a person waiting in ambush for him. His fingers tightly gripped the yellow ticket hidden in his coat pocket whilst his legs pushed him forwards as quick as he could despite the immense aching of his muscles.
Before he was aware of it, his legs had taken him inside a large building. The room itself was abnormally large, so large he was almost afraid that his eyes were finally beginning to fail him. The lack of any other humans did not help as well. His soft steps echoed off the white tiled floors. The walls themselves seemed to be a large LED screen that flickered time to time with static light, otherwise remaining black. Reaching the service desk, he finally noticed the first sign of life other than himself within the building. A young lady that featured ordinary looks sporting thick rimmed glasses.
"Place your card on the table. We do not accept cash." Her clear voice immediately cut through the silence of the room.
"I- Ma'am I have a ticket." Were the only words he managed to elicit. Her head slowly lifted.
"Show me." Making sure to not fumble he quickly withdrew the hand within his coat pocket to reveal the glittering gold ticket. "Hold it and come with me."
With that, she stood and immediately walked around the desk to lead him through a set of doors that had remained hidden from his eyes.
"Are you familiar with the second world?" After hearing a sound to deny the question, the attendant continued, "The world has been shaped off medieval times whilst following the basic structures of a game. You will become, in essence, a game character. You have played video games before I assume?" Seeing the lady stop to look at him directly, Luke quickly nodded his head. He had played lots of games when he was young before the resource distribution had dropped low enough to kill his parents. Those memories were still fresh in his minds after three years.
"Communicating with the system can be done through thought and speech. This will become clearer to you after your rebirth. Rewards are given to you after certain actions are completed. This can include actions related to a quest, monster killing or perhaps trade related actions. I would like you to remember that once you are inside the second world you will be unable to communicate with anyone outside." Finally they arrived inside what looked like a surgical room. A pod rested in the middle with wires that extended from it, connecting to a large computer. "This is your last chance to leave. If you are ready please step inside the pod." With that the lady walked to the computer and began to tap at it.
Luke did not hesitate. He had dreamed of this opportunity for too long. Slowly he walked up to the black pod. He slipped one leg in before swinging his weight up and into the pod, groaning at his muscles. Almost immediately the glass top closed on him, sealing him inside. But before his mind was to register this, the voice of the lady sounded within the pod. "Close your eyes and calm your breathing, you will experience some pain within your head."
Slowly, he closed his eyes and breathed, relaxing in the darkness as he felt gas being pumped into the pod. It wasn't long before he had drifted off into sleep as the machine worked on his body.
The last words he heard were:
[Gold Ticket has been recognised]
[Generating bonuses]
Everyone had experienced the shock of waking up from a nightmare. It was the sort that left your back sweaty and your heart pumping wildly in your chest.
Luke woke up to the familiar feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins. Except. He didn't have veins anymore. As he "looked" around himself. His shock increased. He didn't have a body. He was just there.
[Hello Finder of a Golden Ticket]
His eyes searched around himself. There was no one around him. He seemed to be stuck in space with no light and no walls.
[Please select a name]
Once again the voice rang out in his head. Luke began to panic, "How do I type if I don't have a body?"
[User has chosen the name "How-do-I-type-if-I-don't-have-a-body"]
[Please confirm your choice. This cannot be changed]
Luke finally remembered he words the lady had just told him. He could convey his thoughts to the System.
[You have denied the name "How-do-I-type-if-I-don't-have-a-body"]
[Please select a name]
[User has chosen the name "Luke Graphite"]
[Please confirm your choice. This cannot be changed.]
Luke would've heaved a great sigh at that moment, if he still had a body.
[Hello Luke. Welcome to Code:Genesis]
[Please select a class to begin your journey.]
[Please confirm your class:
- Warrior
- Tank
- Archer
- Rogue
- Mage
- Priest
Classes will allow you to more easily learn skills that correspond to your class. This can be changed in game]
Luke had already decided on his choice the instant he saw it appear as an option on the list. "Rogue" in other words, an assassin. The concept of hiding in shadows had already been ingrained into him after living on the streets and he was glad to put the skills he had learnt into use in this world as well.
[You have selected "Rogue"]
[You will be sent to "Genesis Town" to begin your new life. Enjoy!]
[Final Warning: Death in this game is the same as destroying your brain. You have been warned]
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