The eviction notice was taped to the center of Ethan Bellwethers front door. It wasn't the landlord this time. It was the banks collection agency and they has used aggressive orange tape that kind that makes the wood sticky when you peel it off. It screamed "You are a Failure" in the apartment complex hallway.
Ethan stood for too long. His camera bag, a hand stitched leather, hung heavy on his shoulder. It smelled like dust now, not like film. He stared at the paper. He was thirty two, a photographer who couldn't take photos anymore, and this was the end of the line.
He knew the number. He didn't need to read the tiny print. It was massive, sickening number a financial black hole that had swallowed his career,his house and his dignity. The total debt that had piled up since the Great VR Shift, When the world decided that the Aethelgard a VRMMORPG game was worth more than the real art.
1,540,210.44$ "One point five million", He mumbled, the number a sour taste in his mouth.
He used his thumb nail to pry at the corner of the orange tape. He ripped the notice down, tearing the paper in half. It was useless gesture, but it felt good.
He walked past the hallway noticeboard. It used to be pride but still is - a gorgeous crisp shot of a snow leopard, a famous black and white street portrait. Now they were just fading paper mocking him. He should have sold his vintage Leica M9 Camera years ago. But he couldn't it was the only thing he had left.
He tossed the ripped notice onto the worn kitchen counter. It landed next to the smooth matte-black of the Aethelgard VR pod. He bought it for rent a month ago, a desperate final investment.
There was only only one way to make money. He had to be a gamer , he Ethan Bellwether, the photographer was going to be a player.
He sat down his heart thudding a slow, terrified rhythm he looked at the screen which showed
"START".
"Alright Aethelgard", He muttered, clicking on the start button. "You want a player? You just bought a Photographer"
START!!
The world around him was pitch black and a screen hovered near him and he was floating in a silent black void.
[ WELCOME NEW PLAYER PLEASE SELECT YOUR NAME ]
He typed his name and he didn't want to think about it
[PLAYER NAME: ETHAN BELLWETHER]
[PLEASE DISTRIBUTE YOUR CORE ATTRIBUTE POINTS]
A holographic table appeared showing the stats and its attributes : STRENGTH, AGILITY, PERCEPTION, INTELLIGENCE, VITALITY, LUCK. He had 30 points to distribute to his stats
He knew where every point had to go like some unknown force was telling him go to this Stat specifically.
He immediately dumped every single extra point into PERCEPTION. He felt his eyes his ability to see the world one frame faster than everyone else
PERCEPTION: 30
The system made a tiny high pitched ping noise
STRENGTH : 5
AGILITY : 5
INTELLIGENCE : 5
VITALITY : 5
PERCEPTION : 30
LUCK: 5
He hit confirm.
[ATTRIBUTES CONFIRMED: STR 5, AGI 5, PER 30, INT 5, VIT 5, LCK 5]
[PLEASE SELECT YOUR CLASS]
Swordsman, mage , assassin , rogue , etc... , there were many good classes like an assassin which would be better with his perception stat, but Ethan scrolled past them looking for something cheap and boring maybe a Merchant or a Scribe.
Then, the world changed
A blinding violent green light erupted from the center of the void. The screen screamed at him
[CLASS SELECTION OVERRIDE DETECTED]
The standard menu was ripped apart, replaced by chaotic, swirling red and green code, it was looking like a critical error!!!
[CLASS UNLOCKED: THE SYSTEMS WITNESS - EX TIER]
Ethan felt his stomach drop. EX Tier? that's impossible!!. That was a hidden tier but he was a random debt ridden nobody how could he get a hidden EX Tier class.
[CLASS DESCRIPTION: The Systems Witness a specialist class dedicated to the absolute irrefutable documentation of Aethalgards most secret and powerful events. Your currency is not gold, but PUBLIC VISIBILITY (PV), converted from your photographic content.]
[WEAPON ACQUIRED: DOCUMENTATION CAMERA]
A camera materialized in his hands it was matte black obsidian, perfectly balanced feeling like a heavy custom tool, it kinda felt alien like but yet familiar.
"Its a camera" Ethan whispered. The game had just slapped his old job description on his EX Tier class.
[CORE STAT UNLOCKED: PERCEPTION ZENITH CLARITY]
[INITIAL SKILL ACQUIRED: TEMPORAL SHUTTER ( EX Tier )]
The system confirmed last skill with the a powerful echoing chime that shook the void. Ethan felt this is the cheat code a golden finger like he read in some novels.
The black void shattered he was standing on a damp cobblestones in a starting zone a grim crumbling courtyard outside a dungeon entrance. The air smelled like a wet earth and cheap sulfur.
[LOCATION: THE FALCON ALLEY (STARTING ZONE)]
[OBJECTIVE: ACQUIRE SEED MONEY. UPLOAD CONTENT]
He opened his character sheet one last time
Name: Ethan Bellwether
Level : 1
EXP: 0/100
Class: The Systems Witness ( EX Tier )
HP : 100/100
MP: 50/50
Strength : 5
Agility : 5
Intelligence : 5
Perception : 30 - Zenith Clarity
Vitality - 5
Luck - 5
Skill : The Temporal shutter ( EX Tier )
Inventory : The Documentation Camera
[Zenith clarity - Passive ability : The ultimate expression of the Witness Perception your mind processes visual and spatial data at an accelerated data, allowing you to instantly discern traps, hidden mechanics and weak points of enemies far exceeding your level, hidden objects are highlighted and movement patterns are calculated in milliseconds. This ability allows the Witness to survive without combat stats.]
Ethan tested the ability now focusing on the courtyard of Falcon alley. The grim on the cobblestones didn't just look dirty he saw layers of history oil from the cart wheels faint scorch marks from low level fire magic and tiny almost invisible scratch marks highlighted by Zenith clarity.
It was just sight it was instant analysis. His eyes saw the scene and his brain immediately superimposed a tactical map onto it. He saw the world as a complex data rich environment and he was the only one who could see this details with utmost clarity this was glorious and terrifying.
Next was the cheat code and his golden finger
[Skill : The Temporal Shutter ( EX Tier ) : Passive: Allows the user to briefly fragment the active timeline to perfectly frame a photograph
Activation: When the camera shutter is charged, the user is granted 3 seconds of true Temporal foresight
Effect: During the window, the world proceeds normally but the users perception accelerates allowing them to precisely anticipate the next 3 seconds of enemy movement, environmental collapse or system events.
Cool-down: 10 seconds]
A 10 second cool-down that was manageable. It meant he could use it as a highly reliable survival tool and not just one time gimmick. It was the ultimate short term panic button giving him just enough warning to dodge the unavoidable and snap the perfect market breaking photo. The cost was the sheer mental energy required but not the mana used but raw neurological strain!!
Now should I move on to the First Quest !!!