[Kill!]
[Double Kill!]
[Triple Kill!]
[Quadra Kill!]
[Penta Kill!]
[Congratulations on setting a new record!]
Noah yawned as his natural green eyes pierced through the notification visible on the monitor. He looked around, seemingly confused about something.
"Damn, I need to buy another energy drink. Guys, it looks like this is where we end the stream today."
Noah stood up after ending his streaming session and searched deep inside the pockets of his hoodie, hoping to find a few coins.
'Is that all?'
He looked around the dark room. Snack wrappings everywhere, empty cans, not a single furniture aside from his gaming chair and the gaming desk where his double monitors stood.
'I need to do better than this.'
Noah noted inside his head as he stepped out of the humid mancave. The convenience store was right across the street, and buying snacks from there was easy. He quickly bought a few energy drinks and some food that could last him through the rest of the day.
Getting back to his room, he turned on the stream, forgetting that he had promised his viewers that there would be no more streams today. The viewers laughed in the chat when they saw that he once again forgot about the promise.
[Buhaahah. He forgot it again, didn't he?]
[You already ended your stream a few minutes ago, saying that it was the last stream today.]
[Bro! No one plays these games anymore! You should stop now before you completely ruin your life!]
[This guy's a mess. The biggest downfall in esports history. Once a legend, now a creep.]
Noah looked at the chat. He messed up once again. His viewers ridiculed him, and the money he earned from them was abysmal. This time, he took his time to ponder the messages that his viewers sent. Something he used to ignore.
"You guys are right. Everyone is playing that damned Eternal Dreams. However, what can I do? I spent all the money I earned, and what's the point in playing a game that is similar to a second reality?"
"I like to beat records, I like to do the impossible challenges that everyone else gave up on. I'm no good in real life, but I have a knack for gaming. Eternal Dreams would ruin me. I might as well go down doing what I'm doing the best."
[DING!]
[Donation Alert! You've received $15000 from RE:ALITY, Inc. Note: Eternal Dreams is vastly different from your imagination! We would like to offer you an opportunity to play our masterpiece, as we believe that you earned the right to experience the next level of gaming.]
[Holy! A donation from the legends themselves!]
[Screenshot, screenshot! I was here!]
[Does this mean that Noah will finally play Eternal Dreams?!]
The man in question looked at the unbelievable notification. RE:ALITY, Inc. Was the developer and creator of Eternal Dreams. The world's first VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game).
They were also the sole developer and seller of the Dream Pods, the devices capable of turning Eternal Dreams into a second reality. Coincidentally, the best model on the market costs exactly $15000.
Noah leaned back in his gaming chair and closed his eyes. Should he play Eternal Dreams? His viewership soared the instant after RE:ALITY sponsored him. This could be a chance to get his fame back.
However, what if he turns out to be a bad Eternal Dreams player? This game was nothing like the legacy games he used to play. Noah looked at the chat going crazy in front of his eyes. He exhaled one last time and made his decision.
'Haaah, since when did you start worrying about being bad at a game?'
Noah looked at the screen with a determined expression on his face.
"Today, I will renounce all of my past world records. I was happy while it lasted. I created many good memories, and some bad ones, but I enjoyed the ride. Now, the only game I will focus on starting from this point onward is Eternal Dreams."
"RE:ALITY gave me this chance, if it doesn't work out, I will have no choice but to quit gaming altogether! I would like to thank all of my viewers who followed me till this point. See you all in Eternal Dreams!"
Noah turned off the stream along with his computer and stayed inside his chair, pondering what he had done. At this point, he didn't know yet that this event would spread like wildfire.
'I have to do something about this smell. Take a bath, put on my best clothes, and buy the Dream Pod.'
Noah put himself together for the first time in a while. He took a proper bath, found his best clothes, and proceeded to tidy up his room. Cleaning it was a challenging task, but not impossible, and soon, he had enough space inside the room to fit a Dream Pod.
Noah took a bus ride to the nearest RE:ALITY shop and bought a middle-range model for $7500. It was not the best he could afford, but still something that most players couldn't buy.
The shipping would take a few hours, so he decided to do something with his old computer in the meantime. He turned it on for one last time to read everything he could about Eternal Dreams and look at the news regarding the game.
What he found there made him smile. Various news reported his decision to abandon legacy games.
[Meteorite News: The mysterious legend, who once dominated legacy gaming, announced his retirement! A donation from RE:ALITY, Inc. sparks a new beginning!]
[Zero News: RE:ALITY successfully lures the once-famous record breaker into the world of Eternal Dreams. What's next?]
Noah turned off his computer for the last time with a smile on his face. He decided to place it on a shelf that now stood empty after he got rid of all the trash. It was time to start a new phase of his life. A career in Eternal Dreams.
The pod arrived in less than an hour, and the installation took less than thirty minutes. Noah looked at the futuristic sleeping pod. The front of the Dream pod was a special glass window. It opened up after Noah pressed a button.
The inside of the pod resembled a comfortable car seat. Noah sat down, and the seat reclined, then it tightened around his body. The transparent front window closed down once it detected his presence.
Noah closed his eyes. It was time to take his first step into the world's first VRMMORPG.