Buzz
A soft buzzing sound echoed as two youths pushed open the glass doors of a gaming shop. The pair was none other than Pete and Sam, both dressed in casual clothes.
It was the very next day after their big discussion, and Pete didn't want to waste any time. He wanted to set everything in motion as quickly as possible.
The shop was massive, easily the largest gaming center Sam had ever stepped into. Bright fluorescent lights gleamed on polished tiles, and the air carried that faint plastic-scent mixed with the hum of electronics. Rows upon rows of shelves stood on one side, stacked with gaming CDs, consoles, and accessories. Screens on display flickered with trailers of the latest releases, attracting groups of youths who chatted loudly while testing the games.
But the real highlight was the other half of the building. It was separated by a large sliding glass wall, almost like a portal to another world. Beyond it lay rows of futuristic gaming capsules, sleek and laid horizontally like metallic pods. The capsule zone was quieter, more serious—the domain of hardcore players.
Pete and Sam made their way toward the counter.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. My friend and I would like to try out the VR capsule," Pete said politely.
The receptionist looked up with a warm smile. She was a young woman, her uniform crisp, and a golden nametag on her chest read Roseline.
"Good afternoon. What game would you like to try?" she asked sweetly.
Sam, standing behind Pete, blinked. His eyes instinctively lingered on her smile, and he thought to himself, Damn, no wonder this place is filled with guys. They've practically hired bait for the male population.
"Aurora Express, please," Pete said without hesitation.
Roseline tapped quickly on the sleek system in front of her, scanning through the database. "Aurora Express… okay, that will be one grand per hour. Since it's a VR game, you'll need to pay by debit card."
Pete handed her his card without fuss. "I'll pay for an hour—for me and my friend."
After swiping it through, Roseline returned two metallic tags engraved with glowing numbers: 18 and 19.
"Here we are," Pete said as they stepped into the capsule area. Twenty capsules lined the room, sleek and humming faintly with energy. Compared to the bigger cities where hundreds of such pods existed, this was modest, but it still felt surreal to Sam.
They stopped before capsules 18 and 19.
"Alright," Pete explained, "since this is your first time, you'll have to register or just enter as a guest."
He slid what looked like an ID card into a slot on his pod.
"Welcome, Player P," a monotone voice echoed from the machine.
Pete grinned and climbed inside. Sam followed suit, deciding to enter as a guest for now.
The capsules hissed shut, and a faint vibration ran through Sam's body. Darkness enveloped him for a split second—then his vision burst open into pure white.
He stood in a featureless void, an endless white room that stretched in every direction. His body felt light yet real, almost unsettlingly so. Suddenly, a friend request popped up in his vision. It was from Pete. Sam accepted, and in a blink, he was teleported into another identical white room. Pete was standing there, spinning in place.
"Hey bud, what do you think about my character?" Pete asked proudly, doing a 360 turn.
Sam's eyes narrowed. "Really? Of all skins, you picked Jinwoo?"
"What can I say? I have great taste," Pete smirked. His avatar bore an uncanny resemblance to the protagonist of Solo Leveling.
"I still can't believe this is even possible…" Sam muttered, looking at his hands, then the endless white floor. "This is insane."
"Pretty cool, huh? Think of it like my device—but on steroids," Pete replied casually.
Sam chuckled dryly. "If people can make this, why the hell haven't they solved space travel or energy problems yet?"
Pete just shrugged. "Priorities." Then his eyes sharpened. "Anyway, focus. We're here for one reason. I'll fight a couple of matches while you watch from the viewing area. There isn't much I can teach you directly, so watching and then practicing is your best bet. I'll play one match against a stranger, then one against you. After that, you're on your own."
Sam nodded.
Pete queued up for a fight, and within seconds, a ripple ran through the white room. The floor expanded, reshaping itself into a large circular ring. Sam's body dissolved into glowing particles, only to reform in a raised viewing stand overlooking the battlefield.
A figure spawned on the other side of the ring—Pete's opponent.
Sam's eyes widened.
The man stood tall and bulky, bare-chested except for a pair of ragged brown shorts. But where his head should have been… was that of a rhinoceros. Thick gray skin, small glaring eyes, and a massive curved horn that gleamed menacingly under the artificial light. His nostrils flared, each breath like a steam engine. His sheer presence screamed raw power.
This guy looks like a beast straight out of a nightmare… Sam thought.
Above both fighters, a glowing timer appeared.
3… 2… 1… BEGIN!
The rhino-man wasted no time. With a thunderous stomp, the ground cracked beneath his feet. He charged forward like a living battering ram, horn lowered to impale. The floor shook with every step.
Pete's eyes widened, but at the last moment, he rolled aside, barely dodging. The horn scraped the air where his chest had been a heartbeat earlier. Pete spun on the ground, raising his fist, and a swirling fireball erupted from his hand.
Fwoosh!
The blazing sphere shot toward the rhino-man. But with surprising agility, the beast stomped again. A jagged slab of stone burst from the ground, intercepting the fireball with a fiery BOOM. Shards of flaming rock scattered across the ring.
Sam gritted his teeth. He blocked it like nothing…
Pete had no time to recover. The rhino-man roared and lunged again, horn gleaming. Pete tried to sidestep, but this time he was too slow.
CRASH!
The horn slammed into Pete's side, launching him across the arena. He hit the ground hard, skidding and clutching his ribs. Above his head, Sam noticed Pete's health bar—half of it had already vanished.
"Damn… that was a critical hit…" Sam muttered, gripping the railing of the viewing stand.
Pete staggered up, wiping digital blood from his mouth. He fired another fireball, but the rhino-man bulldozed straight through, flames licking his thick hide. His skin charred but didn't break. He swung a heavy fist, and Pete barely managed to block, the impact rattling his arms like a sledgehammer blow.
This guy's not just strong, he's relentless… Sam thought, his pulse quickening as though he were the one fighting.
The battle dragged on a few more exchanges, but the outcome was clear. The rhino's raw strength and defense overwhelmed Pete's attacks. Finally, a crushing headbutt sent Pete sprawling. His health bar drained to zero.
DEFEAT.
The arena dissolved. Pete and his opponent vanished, and in a flash, Sam and Pete were back in the empty white lobby.
"Whoa, man," Sam blurted. "I thought you were supposed to be a pro?"
Pete gave a sheepish grin. "Nah. I hardly play. Once or twice every few months, tops. Haven't touched this in ages."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "You never mentioned we'd have powers in the game."
"Right—Aurora Express is unique," Pete explained. "Before your first match, the game scans you and assigns an ability it thinks suits you best. No switching later. That's why you've got to take whatever it gives you seriously. Remember, we're doing this for training, not show."
Sam nodded slowly.
After some more explanation and a rundown of controls, Pete sighed. "Alright, that's enough for now. I've got to head out for today's shift."
Sam watched as Pete's avatar dissolved into pixels, leaving him alone in the endless white room.
He clenched his fists, heart racing.
"Now all that's left…" he whispered to himself, "…is to name my character. And wait to see what ability the game gives me."
*******