"Mother, do you want me to do anything else?" Ethan asked his mother while putting down the plates after washing them.
"No, son. You should go to school now. I can handle the rest."
"But these few days, there are a lot of people coming here for the festival going on nearby. Are you sure you can handle all the customers? I can take a few days off from school," Ethan replied worriedly.
"Ah! You don't have to do that. I have called your cousin Anna. She will help me during this week," Elizabeth said with a smile.
"Okay, I'll be leaving then. Call me if anything urgent happens."
With that, Ethan left their shop. It was a bakery, their family business. It used to be run by his father and mother, but two years ago, his father became paralyzed in a car accident and was bedridden ever since. From then on, his mother handled the business alone.
Ethan was in his final year of high school and would soon enter college. But he had already decided that he would not continue studying. After finishing school, he would fully help his mother with the business.
As he was walking, he noticed a huge crowd gathered in front of a big shop. It was a gaming store, and today it was selling the world's first fully immersive VRMMORPG gaming console.
The advertisements had been running on the internet for over a month. Tonight at midnight, the game would be released worldwide.
The creators of the game were very mysterious. They had never appeared on camera, nor had they given any comments or interviews. Yet, their game had become wildly popular, spreading like wildfire across the world.
"Apocalypse Online," Ethan muttered under his breath and sighed.
Even though it was cheap, he still could not afford one. He was astonished when he first heard the price. It was only 300 dollars, but even that was out of his reach right now.
"Well, I'll play someday if I can make enough money to buy one," he chuckled softly.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
"Hey, Ethan! Where are you now? We hit the jackpot, bro!"
A super enthusiastic voice came from the other side. Ethan's heart skipped a beat. He had an idea what his best friend was talking about.
Five days ago, they had bought ten lottery tickets. The top three winners would each get an Apocalypse Online console for free. And Aren had just said, we hit the jackpot.
"What is it?" Ethan asked excitedly.
"Yes, you already guessed it. We won two prizes! I've collected them already. Come to my house and take yours. I'm not going to school today. I'm way too excited for that!"
Ethan jumped three times in a row and said, "I'm coming! I won't go to school either!"
He rushed to Aren's house and collected his console. It looked like a sleek bike helmet.
"Ethan, why don't you stay at my place? We can enter together. Maybe we'll even spawn in the same area," Aren suggested suddenly.
Ethan thought for a while and then shook his head.
"I'd better go to the shop and help my mom a bit. Besides, you're a pro gamer. I'd feel inferior playing by your side. Okay, good luck," Ethan said before leaving.
He returned to the bakery and told his mother about winning the gaming console. His mother just smiled.
"You don't have to work today. Go home, take a good nap, and eat something before entering the game. Your body will need nutrition even if you're gaming in a virtual world."
Ethan hugged her and said,"You are the best mom."
After that he went home directly. After finishing everything, he went to sleep.
At midnight, 11:55, he activated the gaming console, and instantly, his consciousness entered the virtual world.
He appeared in a vast white space. It was so bright that Ethan struggled to keep his eyes open. After a while, his vision adjusted to the light. He was standing there, wearing only a black T-shirt and black trousers.
"What is this place?" Ethan wondered aloud.
There was a timer floating in front of him.
[4:40]
Then, a tiny pixie fairy appeared before him.
"Welcome to Apocalypse Online. Swallow this vial of serum and awaken your status panel," she said, handing him a small glass vial filled with red liquid.
Ethan was surprised by how real it felt when he held the vial.
She continued, "You will be placed in the realm of the Orion Belt of the Milky Way Galaxy. The Milky Way is currently under invasion from the Monster Realm. You are needed to protect the galaxy along with other players."
With that, the pixie vanished.
There wasn't much information, but Ethan was already astonished by the vast scope of the game. It began directly in the Orion Belt of the Milky Way Galaxy—a region so immense that millions of solar systems could fit within it.
Ethan glanced at the serum and then at the timer. Only two minutes left.
He swallowed the serum, and immediately, he felt his body started burning from the inside out. As that sensation spread, the timer reached zero.
Cracks appeared in the white space, and within seconds, the entire space shattered like glass.
Ethan's vision blurred as he was teleported away.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw around two thousand people dressed in similar black clothes standing nearby. A middle-aged man stood in front of them.
"Welcome to the Orion Realm, players. I am Elder Rey. That pixie should have given you a brief introduction, but I will provide you with your guidebook, where everything is explained in detail. First, check your status panel by saying 'Status'."
Everyone had swallowed the serum earlier but had not checked their panels yet.
Ethan whispered softly, "Status."
[Name: Ethan Moriarty
Cultivation: Mortal
Bloodline: None
Physique: Infinite Devouring Physique (Blank)
Cultivation Talent: Low
Strength: 5
Spirit: 25
Speed: 4]
"Whoa! What a domineering physique I got there. But the other attributes are below average," Ethan muttered after seeing his status panel.
He looked around to observe everyone's reactions. Some were barely containing their excitement, while others appeared utterly dejected.
Elder Rey cleared his throat.
"I hope you have all seen your panels. Each of you should have a physique. Tell me the rank of your physique and cultivation talent."
"Elder Rey, I have a Legendary Physique and high-level cultivation talent! Can you tell us the ranking system for physiques and cultivation talent?" someone asked eagerly.
Elder Rey's eyes widened.
"A Legendary Physique? A high cultivation talent? A supreme genius indeed. I must be very lucky to have him here," he thought, smiling warmly at the boy.
"There are seven ranks of physiques," Elder Rey explained. "Low, Mid, High, Top, Legendary, Epic, and Mythical. But Mythical is only a myth. I've never heard of anyone awakening it. Epic-ranked physiques belong to the godly chosen ones, while Legendary physiques are the real geniuses of the Orion Realm. The same ranking applies to cultivation talent."
Instantly, everyone began whispering and discussing among themselves, now understanding the hierarchy.
"Mister, I have a low-rank physique as well as a low-rank cultivation talent. We all paid the same amount of money, so why is there such a huge difference? Isn't this unfair?" one young man complained bitterly. Others turned toward Elder Rey curiously.
Elder Rey coughed lightly.
"The status panel depends on your luck. This game is as real as it gets. Everything here matters. The money you paid only bought your entry. From now on, your fate is completely unpredictable."
The boy fell silent. There was nothing more he could say. He had already experienced how real everything felt.
"Elder Rey, I have a top physique and mid-level cultivation talent," another person announced proudly.
Elder Rey nodded and looked over the crowd.
"Is there anyone else with a Legendary Physique or higher?"
No one answered. He sighed, a little disappointed.
"All right. Here is a cultivation technique for all of you. Now, enter this portal, and you will be teleported to one of the five continents of the realm. Even I do not know where you will arrive. This is your personal guidebook. If you do not understand something, you can ask it directly, and you will receive an answer."
After that, he gave a token to the boy who had a legendary physique.
"Boy, if you want, come to the sword sect in the west continent. My sect is the highest ranking sect for swords. Best of luck."