An elderly person spoke, saying, "Calm down, everyone. Nothing will benefit us or our difficulties if we bicker and argue with one another."
"Yeah, whatever."
"Woah-—hey! We're not done with this! Explain what you all mean!!" Leroy demanded the two.
"Young man. I assume you've assessed your appearance, hm? It's familiar to you, isn't it? As if it looks like your actual body in your real life...?"
"Yeah, it did- does look like my real life body, but I thought it was just some weird-" That's when it hits Leroy.
"You understand?"
"Yeah… This could only work through one of those VR capsules. But that doesn't make sense. I entered using an old VR set that I had".
"Another thing that I must inform you about is your health in the game. Normally in a game, you'd get hurt, but you'll be unscathed in the real world and be fine. Not in this game, though. Whatever you do in here, it's going to affect you as if it were real. You get hit, you'll feel it. You fall, you'll feel it. Pain is real in this game; that is not a doubt."
"Okay-—now that just sounds like bullshit… You can't feel pain in games..."
The elderly man chuckled bitterly. "It takes virtual reality to a whole 'nother level, doesn't it?"
Leroy started to feel anxious. How would he even live in such an environment? Why is this even happening!? And why are these people so damn calm!?
Feeling anxious, Leroy also felt somewhat curious about something. If this is a game, then it must behave like one, having the same features and stuff! Inhaling, then exhaling, Leroy shouted aloud.
"Status Info!"
<
[Level: 1]
[Strength: 9]
[Agility: 18]
[Stamina: 20]
[Mana: 30]
The people around him stared at him, stunned. "How did you do that!?" All five of the people start shouting.
'I guess the other people can see the status info too.' Leroy mentally noted.
"It's simple. If this game is—you know? A game. Then I figure it'd work like one. Just say 'Status Info' and you'll see your own status info."
Everyone started attempting his instructions at 'Status Info', assessing their stats. Leroy took a glance at the blue screen, finding two options near the tab beside 'Info'.
<
<
"Hm?"
He goes over to click on the 'Event' tab, pressing it. The tab revealed instructions on what to do currently, answering one question in Leroy's mind.
<
[All players are to go to the 'Dungeon: Floor 1.' Each player is equipped with basic tools and gear to guide them through the floor.]
"Now that answers what to do."
Right after that message, another message came up saying...
<
Leroy was, once more, in some kind of pitch black abyss… then reappearing in another room, standing on solid ground.
"Damn... this game is going to give me a heart attack..." Leroy mumbled to himself, resting his hands on his knees, taking a deep breath to calm down again. After a breath or two, he looked back up, standing completely.
The room he was teleported to was filled with different kinds of weapons. It had close-range for close combat and far-range for fights from afar. One would say this armory had everything you would need for battle or combat.
"Man... there are so many weapons to choose from." Slowly Leroy began giggling to himself. "This is like paradise!~" He whispered to himself with glee. Leroy noticed a person look at him weird and decided to shut up.
"Hmm." Leroy started to walk around the armory for a bit, turning his head from left to right, taking interest in all the weapons. Looking over to a sword near him, he shrugged.
"What's this weapon?" Leroy hums, picking up the weapon. Right after he picks it up, he sees the info on the weapon.
[Grade: Common]
[Quality: Extremely Low]
[Grade: Common]
[Quality: Low]
"...This is absolutely ass..." Leroy sighed, extremely disappointed by its low stats. Suddenly he remembers that his magic powers, MP, were pretty high.
"Since I have a pretty high MP, I should get a wand- Wait, the RPG said something about this… Something saying that you need to learn magic to use magic... That's probably the most realistic thing ever in this game. Learn how to use something before getting it."
"Hm… Maybe I should take some throwing daggers as a long-range weapon for me?"
[Grade: Uncommon]
[Quality: Good]
[Have 1/3 chances to bounce on the surface]
[20% to give Crit Dmg on the enemy]
"Okay, now we're talking!"
[Yes/No]
"Yes, sir."
Leroy teleported back to the place he was originally placed, receiving yet another message.
<
[All players have successfully selected their weapons and equipment that they required. Players will now be given access to 'Dungeon: Floor 1']
[Players should remember one thing. In this game, everyone has one life. Use it up, and it's Game Over. If you die in the game, you're not guaranteed to live in the real world anymore either.]
[Take note that as long as you are here, people from the real world will not look for you. In the real world, you do not exist, temporarily. Once the tower has been beaten, you'll return back to your world, but until then...you're trapped here.]
[Best of Luck Players!]
Everyone began panicking, chaos swarming through all the players as they scrambled around to try to find an exit.
"What the heck! Is this game playing with our lives"?
"What will we do now? If we die, we die in real life!"
Everyone was screaming and panicking about what was going to happen to them. But Leroy was feeling a bit different. Leroy felt strange. The thing he loved doing, the thing he did as a living, was now something he was hating. He loved being a gamer before, trying games and having fun, but this was different. There wasn't going to be much fun. The only fun there'll be is the fun the creators get. Watching people get hurt, injured, or even die in this game. All a sick joke. Amongst the panic, a big screen comes up with highlighted words across it, saying
<
[Yes/No]
Leroy stayed quiet, but with a determined expression on his face and in his eyes, he answered. "Yes."
As soon as Leroy answers with "Yes," something circle-shaped comes up... Its color is pitch black, painted like a night sky sprinkled with glowing stars. Many stars. The stars stretched out far and wide, seeming never-ending. On the outer rim of the space-like oval, small blue lights illuminated it as if it were a supernova. The blue exploding with a light neon color, it's blue behaving like a clear ocean, swimming around the darkness of the inner.
"I'd guess this was a portal..." Leroy mumbled to himself, taking a small step forward in front of the portal.
Taking another step, Leroy entered the portal. Once he entered it, he felt a cold feeling against his skin. Like ice, but its coolness flying into his ear, speaking words of comfort instead of intimidation. Crossing through the portal felt unbelievable. It felt like a dream with the way the portal absorbed his body. As soon as he reached the other side of the portal, he already missed the brief comfort from before. Looking forward, Leroy saw that he was in a hall... a very long and far hall. He glanced behind to the portal, only to be met with a hard, cool wall.
"I wonder what this hall is fo- "
SWOOSH
"OW!- WHAT THE HELL? WHO? ARGH! MY ASS!!"
Leroy fell down to the ground, one hand on his rear end, while the other hand kept punching the ground. He crawls with the arrow in his ass towards the portal, and a screen comes up.
[Yes/No]
"What do y'all think- I GOT AN ARROW IN MY ASS!! OF COURSE YES!"
< Leroy was teleported to the lobby, beginning to heal pretty quickly.
"..At least the lobby can heal players… Ouch… I guess you could say that this game is a pain in the ass..."