Chapter 3: Pros and Cons of VR Rooms
We started our journey towards the VR Room Complex. She walked in front while I was two steps behind her.
There were two reasons why I did not keep up with her. Firstly, she had a warrior-like long gait, and I, a bookworm, indeed could not keep up with her pace. The second reason was I just liked to watch her toned, peachy bum bounce before me as she walked.
Okay, this was the only reason but which hot-blooded male could blame me?
To be honest, I had developed a slight crush on her when we hit puberty. And who wouldn't?
Stivi was a beauty in every aesthetic sense. She had curves in all the right places, and her long legs exposed by her ripped jeans shorts went on and on.
Her most striking feature was her face, particularly her eyes. She had sharp stormy gray eyes that sent jolts down the spine. Combined with a pointed nose, oval face, and dark maroon lips, she attracted the attention of suitors wherever she went.
Of course, as her only male friend, I would attract their hatred. Just like now when she stopped and hooked her arm through mine right before the huge VR Room Complex.
I could feel the warmth of her firm, grapefruits pressing against my arms. But even more than that, I felt the gazes of several young men bore into my back.
'This little troublemaker! I need to stay away from her in-game or I will be PKed everywhere I go.' I decided as she dragged me inside the building.
The huge reception area was full of couches and lounges and it was currently empty. Except for the two of us, there was not a single person in the reception hall. Even the reception desk was manned by an AI!
"So which VR device do you want to use to play? VR Headset, VR Cabin Capsule, or the VR room?"
Hearing her ask this question, my glum face brightened. "Eh? Dreamverse is also available on VR Headsets and Capsules?"
This was news because I had only heard that Dreamverse VR was the first VR game made to be fully compatible with VR Rooms. However, if I had the option of using one of the other two devices to play, maybe my game experience would not be so bad…
I had already started weighing the pros and cons of the Headsets and the Capsules in my mind.
The Headset had a lower immersion rate and even worse response rate with only 75%. The Cabin Capsule had a much higher immersion rate at around 85%. Its main problem was the stiffness of joints that came after playing for a few hours in an enclosed space.
Whichever it maybe, I preferred either of them over the physically exhausting VR rooms...
Stivi saw me consider the options seriously and tittered with laughter. I saw her mischievous grin, and realized I had been fooled and shot her a stinky eye.
What annoyed me the most was that the news was indeed true. Dreamverse VR was only available in VR rooms. I let out a loud sigh and accepted my fate.
The reason I dreaded and hated the VR room was it was actually what the name suggested; a large room with all the VR stimulants built into it.
It was expensive to maintain but it was created out of necessity.
The atmosphere on Mars was made suitable for Humans by artificially engulfing huge swathes of land under a semi-permissible sphere now called Biodomes. The Colonies were established inside these Biodomes.
However, as the land covered under the Biodome was limited, real estate became impossibly expensive and Virtual Reality became the norm.
VR capsules and VR helmets provided all the facilities but they were sedentary in nature. This led to people spending 24 hours inside their house or capsules.
It adversely affected their health over a short period of time with obesity and many similar sedentary lifestyle diseases. After a longer period, many even forgot how to use their muscles for normal tasks like walking!
Combined with a lower gravity on Mars, muscle degeneration became a real problem. The VR industry took note of this problem and provided a solution - VR rooms.
The immersion rate of VR rooms was as high as 99%, and its response lag was as good as none. More importantly, one had to imitate most actions one wanted their virtual character to perform.
If you wanted your character to walk, you had to walk. If you wanted your character to run, you had to run.
This also meant operating a character in Dreamverse VR was difficult and tiring. More often than not, an ordinary, inexperienced player would fail to do the correct trigger action and end up with no results.
Despite these problems, Dreamverse VR gained popular approval. The first reason was the immersion rate. It was head and shoulders above the other games, thanks to 100% compatibility with VR rooms.
The second was it kept people healthy and in shape while entertaining them or, in many cases, while they did their jobs.
VR rooms also enabled people to learn skills in the game and replicate them in real life. Any sword art, archery, or martial arts using physical weapons could be replicated in reality if mastered in the game. Albeit, without the special effects.
The same was the case with life occupations.
Tailors, Cobblers, Blacksmiths, Pharmacists, Chefs, and Engineers, Architects and many such professionals could learn the skills of their professions in-game without wasting actual resources!
These advantages attracted hordes of people to Dreamverse VR.
In an age where menial jobs and entry-level workers were eliminated by Robots and AIs, VR games single-handedly propped up the lowest level of the economy. They provided jobs and learning opportunities to the youth.
It was no wonder people preferred VR Rooms over VR Headsets and Capsules despite getting sore muscles at the end of the day.
"When you use play Dreamverse through VR Rooms, you also get another hidden advantage."
Stivi said, acting mysteriously. Her demeanor had successfully piqued my curiosity.
"What advantage?" I asked, not showing I was interested.
"Lethal Strike."
I understood the meaning of these two words, but I did not understand the context. I raised my eyebrow at Stivi, prompting her to explain.
"In Dreamverse VR, you can ignore the HP Bar and Insta Kill an ordinary mob, a boss monster, or even other players if you can physically hit their exposed Vital points. Exposed as in they should not be covered by any armor, light or heavy."
This information caught my attention. I had resigned myself to the fate of having to play in the VR rooms. I might as well seek advantages that would help me make the least movements while maximizing my capabilities.
The cogs in my brain turned as I started to think of various classes that suited my purpose.
According to the Website of Dreamverse VR, there were Six Combat Class categories - Archers, Mages, Summoners, Tanks, Healers, and Weapon Specialists.
Each of the three factions had their own variant of the classes, and I began to sort through them for the one most suitable for me.
The Mages and Healers were eliminated from the get-go. They could not trigger a Lethal strike as they fought using magic power.
Also, Mages already had high enough attack power at the later stage and did not need to rely on Lethal Strike to insta-kill their enemies.
Healers were mainly supporters which did not depend on Lethal Strikes in the first place.
Summoners used summoned beasts, undeads or spirits which were operated by A.I. Hence, could not trigger the Lethal Strike.
Melee combat classes like Weapon Specialists and Tanks were most likely to trigger Lethal Strike, but they were far too physical for my liking.
I knew my limits. I knew that I did not possess the motor capabilities to excel in these classes. There was no way I could see myself outmaneuvering my opponent to hit him in his vital points to achieve insta-kill.
That only left me with the Archer Class....
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone