ตอน 1: Leo
Huff... Huff...
My entire body was aching in excruciating pain, as if every muscle and bone was on fire.
I was hit by a car, a red sports car that came zooming down the street out of nowhere. The vehicle smashed into me, sending me flying through the air before I landed on my neck with a sickening thud.
I most likely suffered an injury that was beyond severe or rather I should say I died.
'Yes, yes, I died, I just need to relax and enjoy the darkness'
Parting my dry lips, a weak chuckle escaped from my parched throat as I pulled a soft cloth over my head.
For a few moments, I just lay there, waiting for the darkness to come and consume me. However, before the dark could come to claim me, I felt that something was amiss. I realized that the pain was gone, I was still breathing and I felt smooth satin sheets against my skin.
'Wait... Is that a blanket?'
Shaken, I quickly jumped to my feet, barely managing to stay balanced as a wave of dizziness washed over me. My legs were numb, as if they had fallen asleep.
I tried to scan my surroundings, but the room was shrouded in darkness, with only a faint glow coming from an unknown source in one corner.
Warily approaching the light, I found myself before a window covered by heavy velvet curtains. Hesitantly, I pulled back the curtains, allowing a beam of bright moonlight to flood the room.
As the details of the room became clear, I slowly took in my surroundings.
"..."
Unknowingly, tears began to gather in my eyes.
I knew this room. It was way too familiar and held dear memories, yet made my heart throb in pain at the same time.
Huff...
Stumbling backward with heavy breaths, I went toward the window and opened it wide, letting the cool night air rush in and fill my lungs.
Whilst looking out at the familiar view, I took some time to compose myself and after that, I decided to investigate this strange twist of fate that had brought me back to a place I thought I'd never see again.
Silently, I approached the wooden door and gently turned the knob, praying that it wouldn't creak and draw attention to my presence. Fortunately, the door swung open smoothly, revealing a dimly lit corridor.
Tip... Tip...
I cautiously stepped into the corridor, my bare feet making soft, almost imperceptible sounds against the polished hardwood floor. As I walked through the old and familiar corridors, I noticed that everything was unchanged from my memories.
The walls were still old and adorned with intricate paintings, the scent of old books wafted through the air, and the gentle flickering of dim light from vintage chandeliers illuminated the path ahead.
As I explored the house, my body unconsciously led me towards the second floor.
Thump... Thump...
My heartbeat quickened as I approached a certain door. It was the room of my deceased parents.
Click...
I quietly opened the door and saw two familiar figures lying in each other's arms. Their faces were obscured by shadows, but I could still make out their silhouettes.
"Mom.. Dad..."
Feeling as if my mind was about to black out from the overwhelming rush of emotions, I stumbled backward and leaned against the corridor wall for support.
I couldn't quite grasp the fact that my parents were alive.
My mind was in complete turmoil as I tried to process this information. I had and wanted so much to say, but only a weak and hushed voice came out of my dry throat.
"I've come back in time..."
With some effort, I closed the door and managed to stumble back to my room, collapsing face-first onto the bed. I was very shaken.
As I tried to make sense of everything, a sudden memory hit me.
"Fragmental!"
Grabbing my old phone that was resting on a cupboard near my bed, I unlocked it with my fingerprint and quickly checked the date and time.
[ 2212; August 16th; 23:26 ]
For a moment, I kept silent as I simply stared at the digital screen, realizing that something extraordinary had happened.
"I have traveled 12 years back in time!"
I almost shouted in surprise, however, covered my mouth a split second later, not wanting to alert my sleeping parents.
In two weeks, a new VRMMORPG game, [Fragmental], will be released. It will quickly become extremely popular and a major player in the market.
A few weeks after its release, its in-game currency will be linked to real money. The game will provide an opportunity for the poor to become wealthy and for the rich to become even richer. This is why I am so excited about its release even though it might seem dull.
In my previous life, I didn't start playing [Fragmental] as soon as it was released, which was disadvantageous. I only became interested when I stumbled upon a streamer playing the game and immediately fell in love with it.
After that, I used all my money to buy a VR pod and started my adventure.
Unfortunately, I had no talent for the game and was often referred to as 'garbage'. I was about to quit when I overheard my parents talking about a huge debt we had to pay.
I was shocked and, ignoring the people around me, did everything I could to gather money since the game was a literal gold mine.
I even signed a slave contract with a guild to earn some extra money for my family's debt.
At that time, things seemed to be going well until one fateful night my parents passed away in a tragic event.
Due to our financial situation, we were living in the slums, one of the most dangerous areas in Florida.
One night, while my parents were returning home from a grocery store, they were robbed and shot.
The memory of that event still haunts me to this day, the pain and anguish still fresh in my mind. That day I lost motivation to do anything.
The only thing that kept me going was the harsh terms of the slave contract that prevented me from taking a break.
I had to gather information about the game and document it in the guild's library records.
My life also ended tragically 7 years after my parents passed away.
Clinch...
As I recalled my past, I unconsciously clenched my fists until they bled.
Thinking about my parents, I swore to myself that in this lifetime, I would be there for them. I will join [Fragmental] and this time I won't become a slave to anyone but use my knowledge to acquire wealth and become the strongest player.
I will ensure that my parents are safe and live comfortably.
"..."
Taking another deep breath, I began to formulate a plan.
First, I needed to buy a VR pod to play [ Fragmental ].
Grabbing and scrolling through my old smartphone, I quickly navigated through the apps and checked my bank balance.
[ 3,457 Dollars ]
The amount wasn't huge, but it was enough.
While smiling, I used the internet browser to find an outdated version of a VR Pod that could still run [ Fragmental ] and quickly added it to my shopping cart.
Without hesitation, I bought the pod but couldn't help but feel uneasy as I watched the money leave my bank account. I didn't like the idea of spending money, however, I also knew this was an investment, an investment that would bring me more money than I could possibly ever need.
Looking at the date of when my product was going to arrive, I put my phone down and closed my eyes.
I felt very tired.
***
"Leo, breakfast is ready!"
A loud yet soothing, woman's voice made me startle awake from my deep sleep. Instantly, I shook off the sleepiness and quickly got out of bed.
Walking toward the kitchen I couldn't help but feel as if the path seemed longer than usual.
Tap... Tap...
As I entered the room, I saw two people sitting together and sipping coffee.
"Morning~"
They both said upon noticing me enter the kitchen. I also wanted to respond, but my throat felt dry, and I couldn't seem to get any words out.
Luckily, my movements weren't affected by emotions and I simply nodded, taking a seat to eat my fried egg. However, I barely had any appetite, my eyes were drawn toward my parents.
They didn't have any plates in front of them and there was no sight of them eating.
In my previous life, I had always assumed that they had eaten before me, but that was not the case... They were not eating at all.
While biting my lip, I forced myself to eat the meal they had cooked and wished them luck at work before returning to my room. I was a bit afraid I would begin crying if I stayed there any longer.
Currently, I'm 19 years old and I've just finished school. In my past life, I went out and got a small job at a local pub but now, everything will be different.
Click...
Locking myself in my room, I took out my phone and created a new text document. In there, I intended to note all the information I knew about Fragmental. I wanted to have it written down in case I forgot something or needed to sell parts of it for money.
After spending the next few hours writing everything I knew, I was disappointed with my writing speed. I've only written a small fraction of my overall knowledge.
"I have to pick up my pace..."
I muttered underneath my breath.
Knock... Knock...
Suddenly, the sound of someone knocking on the front door startled me.
I quickly put on a jacket and made my way toward the entrance to see who was there.
"VR Pod delivery"
As I opened the door a muscular man with a red cap and a massive box behind him came into my view.
I instructed the man to put the box in a corner of the room and watched as he carefully maneuvered the large box into place, making sure not to damage any surrounding furniture.
He quickly unpacked the box and took out a large white pod, carefully placing it on the floor.
It took some time but after successfully installing the pod, the man asked me to sign a few papers and then left the house after bidding me goodbye.
I also didn't forget to leave him a generous tip. This is what I call a good service.
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