In the year 2055, a new game was released to the public.
Pandora.
It was a game that took the world by storm, not because of its graphics or anything similar, but because of the new technology it introduced to the public.
VR, or virtual reality, was considered a fantasy. After all, transporting yourself to a digital world and still being able to feel was something that was considered a fantasy. However, when Pandora was released, that notion disappeared.
But after a year, a new update was released.
The update allowed in-game money to be turned into IRL cash.
Thanks to this, Pandora turned into a full-time job. Many guilds were made in order to make money through the game and effectively become companies, or investors would be a more accurate word
I was an orphan who barely got into a university with a scholarship however, I had no choice but to rely on Pandora as my income after a certain incident caused me to be kicked out of university.
***
Feeling the pain all over my body, I tried to speak, however, it was impossible. Looking at the fading red lights in the distance, I wanted to laugh.
'Is this really how I go out?'
I was going to be one of the greatest players of this game, yet all that was gone, and now I was going to die.
My early life was pretty shit but I was able to make somewhat of a name for myself however, my guild then betrayed me and kicked me out in order to get a rare artifact. Now I was dying in the middle of the road with my blood pooling around me.
As I was remembering life, I heard a loud rumble before a bright flash hit me.
'Great, even god hates me'
Feeling the cold, I pulled the blanket over my body.
'That's better'
But the next second, my eyes widened. I quickly shot up and looked around my surroundings. My eyes looked over the rows of beds that had a few kids sleeping in them.
'This is…'
I knew this place after all, this was where I lived for most of my life.
"Am I dreaming?" Pinching myself, I tried to see if I was dreaming or not, but feeling the pain that was fading made my heartbeat increase.
'Did I just go back in time?'
I had read many webnovels about this type of thing. However, they were fiction; I'd never thought it'd be real.
Letting out a breath, I started to go over the events that led me to this situation.
I had successfully completed a quest, causing me to unlock a unique scenario, which was something I got excited about, but soon that came crashing down. I was summoned to the guild office, and when I got there, I was told that I was basically being kicked out.
As one of its pillars, I had a lot of say in the guild's decisions. One of those decisions was to not take the offer of another guild to join them.
It wasn't a combination, but rather our guild would be a part of that guild. I rejected it as a rare artifact that wasn't worth it.
However, it seemed the rest of the guild heads were morons as they decided to kick me out and take my account due to a certain part in the contract I signed. Thus, I was kicked out and stripped of the one thing that kept me going.
This made me pissed but I couldn't do anything thus I drowned my sorrows at a bar before I was run over by a car.
Then I was…struck by lightning…
"And ended up here," I muttered as I looked around
'Was that lightning the reason I was here, or was this a last-minute illusion of what my life could've been?'
But I quickly shook those thoughts away.
So what?
I was here now, wasn't I? I might as well make the most of it, even if it is something in my head.
'Right, what's today's date? "'
Looking under my pillow to find an old, cheap, and cracked phone, I turned it on.
'I leave today, huh…'
The orphanage kicked out everyone who turned 18 as legally we weren't their responsibility anymore. In other words, I was going to be kicked out in a few hours.
Although it wasn't exactly a problem.
I had gotten into a university with a scholarship and only had to take a small loan to pay off my residence.
'But…how much could I increase my current balance by?'
If I remember correctly, there were a few stocks that increased immensely after the launch of [Pandora], the world's first VRMMORPG.
It took the world by storm not due to the brand new technology but rather a new feature that made it into a job. The [convert] feature allowed people to turn in-game money into IRL cash, causing many people to quit their jobs and try to make a career.
Although I was mostly impossible.
A player's skill level was very important as the bosses and hostile NPCs were very hard, and there wasn't a difficulty setting for the game. Thus, everyone was thrust into a world that was basically on impossible mode.
An average player would need a lot of potions and expensive equipment. This would cost a lot of coins to be spent, and getting them wasn't easy either. You'd have to be very skilled in order to make it a full-time job.
Yet, guilds were created, allowing some players to earn some money.
Thanks to this guild'sbecame one of the greatest and influential powers in the real world. The players who created such guilds were the best of the best and were the most skilled players in the world.
Although, with my strength, I wasn't as strong as those guys, and my guild was pretty average too.
But this time was going to be different.
Clenching my fist, a grin spread across my face.
I knew where the hidden quests were, where to obtain the overpowered skills and even get a unique class.
"This time, I am going to make sure I surpass everyone!"