It was dark.
Not the nighttime kind of dark the kind where opening your eyes felt pointless.
I blinked anyway. Nothing changed.
"Okay," I muttered, confused. "Either I'm dreaming… or I finally broke my brain where I am?."
Then I noticed someone standing in front of me.
A tall guy. Human-shaped. Tall. Completely normal except for one thing. His face refused to load properly. No eyes. Just… blank. Like a character model that hadn't finished rendering.
The guy spoke.
"Welcome to Arklands."
I startled.
"Arklands?"
That name sounded important. Like it was supposed to mean something.
I waited.
Nothing happened.
"…Is that it?"
The darkness snapped apart.
I woke up.
"Ah—"
In front of me was a mess that wasn't supposed to exist. Broken items. Dust everywhere. Spilled milk. Boxes scattered across the floor.
Right.
I remembered. I was working cleaning the store I worked at. A store so dusty it felt like the dust had been there longer than the shelves themselves.
- Before losing consciousness -
I checked the surroundings. No customers in sight.
Perfect.
I raised my arm dramatically.
"Summoned: feather duster!"
(Imagination.)
I struck a heroic pose in the middle of the store and went to work, wiping and sweeping every corner like a legendary janitor on a quest.
"Phew… I thought this dust was never-ending."
I was about to rest but then an accident happened and my foot slipped between the wet floor.
I tripped getting stuck awkwardly between two shelves.
"Sh*t, that was close! I hope no one sees it-"
I thought I was safe.
Then I looked up.
A big box right above me is about to fall.
"…f*ck."
- Back to the present -
When I woke up, the aftermath surrounded me.
Broken items.
Milk soaking into the floor.
Boxes scattered everywhere.
My head throbbed.
When I tried to stand, my legs wobbled.
I sucked in a sharp breath and forced myself upright.
"Oh no… I should be hurr—"
I stopped.
Something was behind me.
My shoulders stiffened.
Slowly, I turned my head.
It was the manager.
He stood there in silence, arms crossed, staring straight at me.
His face was tight.
Angry. Very angry.
"Let me—"
He raised a hand.
That was all it took.
"Get him out here," he snapped.
Some of the crew walked up. I opened my mouth again, my words tumbling over each other.
"Wait, I can expl—"
Laughter cut me off.
"Seriously?"
"You useless idiot."
Someone grabbed my arm. Hard.
"Hey—!"
Before I could react, another hand shoved my back. My balance was already gone. My head was still spinning from the fall.
I stumbled.
Then they dragged me.
Across the floor.
Past the shelves.
Straight to the entrance.
The door flew open.
And they threw me out.
I hit the ground hard.
Crash.
The door slammed shut.
"Don't come back here!"
They laughed as the door slammed shut.
People nearby stared. Some whispered. Others shook their heads.
"Ma! Look, let's help him—"
The mother waved her hand dismissively.
"No. Don't be like that. That's an example of a no-future adult."
They walked away like nothing happened.
"I can hear you, b*tch," I whispered, flipping her off.
I exhaled, swallowing my anger, glaring at the store.
"Your store is trash anyway. Even the equipment's low quality."
I walked away, defeated.
"Haaa…" I sighed quietly. "Where can I even get a job again…"
That's when I passed by two students talking.
"Have you heard about the new VR game? Adventure Arklands."
"Yeah! It's really cool!"
I stopped.
"Arklands…?"
That name again.
"…Where did I hear that?"
Curious, but broke, I kept walking—until I stopped in front of a game shop.
The advertisement plastered on the window showed the same game.
"Bad luck… why now?"
A sales clerk suddenly stepped in front of me.
"Hello, sir! Would you like to buy our popular latest game?"
I scratched my head awkwardly.
"No, sorry. I don't have the budget for it."
Then he said the most dangerous words known to mankind.
"It's discounted. Thirty-five percent off."
I froze.
"Kuhh… sorry, bu—"
I tried to walk away.
The sales clerk smile behind me and said
"It comes with a freebies code."
My face said everything he said freebies to me.
A few minutes later, I stood there holding the game, my savings decrease.
"I just spent my savings on useless stuff again…"
Still… I felt a little happy but then I glanced at the new game advertisement and I noticed that you can't play this game without VR geared.
Then reality hit me.
"…It's a VR game."
I bought a VR game without owning a VR headset, then stared at the box.
"Sh*t. I should refund this—"
Ring.
"Thank you for buying the brand-new VR set!"
I stood outside the shop, lifeless, holding both the game and a VR set.
"..Why is this happening"
Later at home
I got home mentally and financially exhausted.
I jumped onto my bed.
"Argh… I'm a failure for life."
I glanced at the VR set and my PC.
"…I hope it's worth it."
It was my first time using VR.
I opened the box.
"Wow… it's like a helmet."
I looked at the box.
"Where are the instructions?"
I opened the box and rummaged through it, looking for the instructions.
"…Ah, found it."
I picked up the instruction sheet and started reading it.
> Instructions:
This VR Geared set uses a Hyper-Neuro Transmit system.
You may feel sensations inside the game.
These sensations are generated through imagination and fast neural transmission so you won't get a real life damage.
"…So you can feel things in-game? Weird"
I kept reading.
It could connect to a special VR computer or a normal PC.
"VR computer machine? Nah. I have a computer."
After several confusing minutes of following the instructions and reconnecting the same cable twice it finally worked.
Then I inserted the new game's CD into the VR.
All that was left was to press the power button.
Click.
The VR powered on.
I smiled.
"Now I'm getting excited."
A voice echoed from the device.
"Setup complete. You may now equip VR gear."
I took a deep breath and sat down in my chair in front of my PC.
"Alright. Let's go."
The moment I put it on, it felt like a roller coaster drop.
Darkness.
Then I opened my eyes.
Someone stood in front of me.
A tall guy. Human-shaped. Tall. Completely normal except his face refused to load properly. No eyes. Just blank. Like a character model that hadn't finished rendering.
Déjà vu hit me.
"…Why do I feel like I've seen this before?"
The tall guy opened his mouth.
"Welcome to Arklands."