Today marked the official launch of the latest VRMMORPG, World Gate: Online. Almost everyone was talking about it. On television, online, even at school, its name kept coming up as if it were the most important topic in the world.
People lined up from the night before just to be the first to get the game. Some stores even ran out of stock within hours. The excitement was absolutely insane.
Rein had actually received his copy two days before the official launch, as he had participated in beta testing. Perhaps it was a small gift from the developers.
Unfortunately, having the game early didn't mean he could play it immediately. His old Neurolink couldn't read the World Gate: Online system. Perhaps the version was too outdated.
In the end, he could only really start playing the game two days after the official release.
Before going any further, it was worth explaining a little about the device that made all of this possible: the Neurolink.
The Neurolink was a lightweight headset integrated with thin, futuristic glasses. It wasn't as bulky as older VR helmets, but a minimalistic metallic black device with small sensors along the temples and back of the head.
Inside, soft pads pressed gently against the skin to read the user's brainwaves. On the right side of the device, a small indicator light glowed blue whenever it connected to the system. At a glance, the Neurolink looked like modern headphones, but the technology inside was far more advanced than any electronic device ever made.
It worked on the principle of Full Dive technology. The Neurolink read the player's brainwaves and sent artificial signals directly to the nervous system. Once the connection was active, the brain was "tricked" into feeling as if the body truly existed in another world.
All of the player's senses—sight, hearing, touch, even smell—were redirected to the virtual body inside the game. Meanwhile, the real body was locked in temporary sleep mode, so the player didn't move at all in the real world.
Using the device was actually very simple. The player just needed to wear the Neurolink like a normal headset, connect it to the main game system, find a comfortable position—sitting or lying down—and speak the voice command:
"Neurolink – Full Dive, Start."
At that moment, the player's consciousness would be pulled straight into the virtual world.
But the Neurolink wasn't just a gateway into the game. It also came with various supporting features designed for user comfort and safety.
Its main feature was, of course, the Full Dive System, which allowed players to experience the virtual world fully, as if it were truly alive.
There was also Body Lock Mode, which kept the real body from moving during gameplay.
To prevent the gameplay from feeling too painful, there was a Pain Limiter. In normal mode, the sensation of pain was only about thirty percent of reality.
Additionally, the Neurolink included a Health Monitor that tracked the player's real-world condition, such as heart rate and brainwave activity while playing.
If something dangerous occurred, an Emergency Logout feature could force the player to exit the game immediately.
For social interaction, there was a Communication Link, allowing players to communicate with others via voice or text messages directly from inside the game.
There was even a Memory Recorder, capable of capturing the player's experience in the virtual world and replaying it like a video.
And, of course, there were many other features, which were updated regularly. Each system update could add new functions—or even remove or modify old ones.
That was the Neurolink, the gateway to the world of World Gate: Online.