"Happy sixteenth birthday, big brother!" A young girl exclaimed as she sat on her cranky bed, her face lit with excitement as she looked at him.
Max smiled, leaning in closer to hug his little sister, and mumbled, "Thank you, Lily." He was truly happy that he had finally turned sixteen; after all, this was the day when their lives would change for the better!
"You can play the game now, right?" Lily asked, pulling out from the hug, her green eyes shimmering with excitement.
"Haha," Max chuckled, nodding his head. "Yes," he answered, "The headset from the municipality arrived yesterday, so I should be able to."
Lily's eyes widened, her heartbeat quickening, a sliver of hope blooming in her heart. Maybe, just maybe, her brother could earn enough money to treat her condition….
But she quickly shook her head inwardly, 'No, no, no! I can't think of it like this! I'm already too much of a burden to him!'
Max noticed Lily's eyes droop; he knew what she was thinking. He flicked her forehead, causing the young girl to yelp in pain as she snapped out of her daze.
"Hey!" She yelled, rubbing her forehead as she glared at him, "What was that for?!"
Max didn't reply; instead, he folded his arms and stared back at her. "Don't think too much; your pea-sized brain can't handle it!"
"Wh-Whose brain is pea-sized?!" Lily yelled, clenching her hands, her green eyes drilling holes into him.
"Hmph!" Max snorted, standing up from the bed. "Anyways, I'm going to enter the game," he said, walking up to the closet on the other side of the room as the wooden floor creaked beneath. "I made chicken soup while you were asleep; it's in the container," he added, pointing his finger to the container on the table just beside the bed.
Reaching the closet, he opened its doors, revealing a few stacks of clothes and blankets, but his gaze went towards a cotton box beside the blankets.
Picking it up, he closed the closet door and walked back towards the bed before he sat in the chair beside it, opposite to the closet.
"Today is my first day, so I don't know how long it will take, but after I'm done, we will have some beef, okay?" he said, turning to his sister, who was still glaring at him.
Lily was still a little irritated at him for calling her a pea-sized brain, but still, she sighed, letting it go. "Alright, be careful, okay?" She replied, her brows furrowed in worry. She had read about the game in her online school; she even heard stories about it from online friends, like how people killed each other because of their feud in the game and how it was getting more and more common.
"Mhmm," Max hummed, not arguing with her as he opened the box, revealing a helmet. It was similar in size to a bike helmet, yet had a sci-fi look to it. It had a card slot on its top right, in which Max had inserted his citizen card and pressed the power button on the back. "Then, I'm entering…."
"Mhmm," Lily mumbled, still frowning in worry. "God, gods, anyone, if you're listening, please protect my big brother!" She prayed inwardly as she watched Max put on the helmet.
And as soon as he put on the helmet, it whirred to life as the screen lit up in blue, while Max slowly slumped back into his chair, as if asleep. He had entered the game!
...
As soon as Max put on the helmet, he felt a sting of pain hit his brain. He felt as if the nerves on the back of his neck were getting pulled; it wasn't painful like one would expect but instead gave him a weird feeling.
Still, Max wasn't panicking; he expected it. After all, this was taught in school as part of the course. And soon, the pain began to fade, and the moment it did, Max closed his eyes before opening them again, only to find himself in a white space.
"Whoa…!" He exclaimed, his eyes as wide as saucers; he knew this would happen, yet experiencing it was a whole other thing.
He looked around excitedly; all around him was white, as if it was the void itself.
DING DONG
Just as Max was looking around, the sound of a huge bell ringing echoed throughout the space, causing him to flinch in surprise, "What the…!
But after a few moments, Max slowly began to feel at ease while a pleasant smell began to fill the space; it was a mixture of earth and flowers. It calmed Max's mind, almost making him feel as if he was standing in a garden.
'This really feels ... real,' Max commented inwardly as a small smile bloomed on his face, while a digital clock materialised in front of him.
[00:10:00]
[00:09:59]
[00:09:58]
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BADUMP
Max's heart thumped; he stared at the clock as the time ticked by, his hands curling into fists, the soothing calmness from the smell snapping out of existence. He has been waiting for almost four years now. Four years of hardship.
[00:05:34]
Their parents death, the torment his sister went through, all of it…
[00:03:11]
All of it could be over, all of it could cease to exist, their poverty and his sister's condition could go away. All he has to do….
[00:01:29]
"All I have to do…" Max clenched his jaw, his eyes blazing with determination.
[00:00:03]
"...is to play this damn game and become strong!"
[00:00:00]
[Ding!]
[Welcome to Nine Thousand Heaven Firmaments!]
[Scanning player No. 113578930202]
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[Error!]
[Re-scanning!]
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[Error!]
[Re-scanning!]
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[Error!]
[Player No. 113578930202 has no dantian!]
[Producing Status!]
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STATUS
Player number: 113578930202
Name: Max Woods
Age: 16
Stamina: 8
Strength: 9
Intelligence: 7
Vitality: 8
Qi: 0/10
Spiritual root: NONE
Physique: NONE
Dantian: NONE
"...what?"