Chapter 3 - Requiem
On March 7th, at 23:57 p.m., in a dark and silent room, Yone lay on his bed, getting ready for the game's launch and perfecting his body position.
Eclipse Online wasn't merely an ordinary game; it caters to general audiences and everyone above the age of 18, reaching even the masses around the age of 60+ and regular workers who had a busy schedule throughout the entire day.
How do they do it? Through cutting-edge technology that allows players to experience the game while they sleep, doubling their playtime without affecting their health.
Indeed!
Everyone can play the game while sleeping and putting their bodies at rest, not affecting their sleep schedule and health at the slightest. To make matters even better, forty-eight hours inside the game are twenty-four hours in real life, which makes it more convenient for everyone to play.
Bip!...Bip...Bip!
As the time closed in, Yone's phone rang.
'As expected,' He thought as he replied.
"Big brother, wanna know a few hidden and special quest locations?" Shen's excited voice sounded from the other end of the call, not bothered by sharing any of it with his brother.
"How many times have I told you? Your beta tester experience doesn't impress me. Keep it to yourself, kiddo." Yone's tone was strict, he had to make sure Shen didn't keep thinking of him as the same noob as before.
"Hump!" Shen snorted and hung up without hesitation.
Yone wasn't bothered by his actions since he knew his brother wasn't truly mad. He didn't accept his request mainly because the beta testers who were invited to test the game beforehand were at a loss when they first entered.
Their experiences, hidden quests, farming locations, and special boss tactics were all useless and altered by the AI overseeing the game and its performance. It's like every beta tester had just stepped into a totally different game, not one that they played for several months before launch.
"Anyway," Yone pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he focused on the most important thing in his life," Eclipse Online, here we go again!"
Yone felt like he was passing through several ethereal walls at a speed unimaginable to the naked eye before he reached a huge white plaza devoid of any physical materials.
The next second, a breathtaking and unreal beauty appeared, spreading her arms and saying," I'm your assistant AI in choosing your character, Elina."
With a wave of her hand, a panel appeared in front of him, of which different classes and categories were placed in front of him.
Tank: Shield Paladin, Protection Warrior, Guardian Knight.
Healer: Bard, Cleric.
Mage: Elementalist, Arcane, Summoner.
Warrior Weaponry: Swordsman, Berserker, Assassin, Death Knight, Hunter.
Thirteen classes appeared in front of Yone, catering to every basic class that everyone who has ever played a PC MMORPG was familiar with. Eclipse Online excelled at this, as it didn't alienate players but instead gave them something familiar yet special and beyond their imagination to play.
Tanks specialized in absorbing damage and keeping monsters focused on them. Warrior-type classes focused on dealing maximum DPS. Healers kept the party alive, while Mages unleashed devastating bursts of magic damage.
Every class had its own unique gameplay style. Despite being a VR game, Eclipse Online remained familiar to both veteran gamers and newcomers alike.
For Yone, the choice was instant. Assassin. The class he had mastered for seven years. There was no reason to pick anything else.
"Class selection complete, now choose the city where you wanna start, please."
Right after, several other options related to his main spawn point were displayed in front of him.
Golden Gate Kingdom: Evergreen City, Ice Lake City, Nightmare City, Crystalized Tree City...
Seven city options appeared before him, but once again, Yone immediately chose Crystalized Tree City, where he had the most information. He did not need to put himself on a distance course.
"The starting point was successfully selected. Please choose your in-game name now."
"Requiem."
"Player registration complete. Good luck on your journey."
A surge of white light engulfed him, and in the next instant, he felt gravity return, the weight of the world settling onto his shoulders as he landed in Crystalized Tree City. His second chance had officially begun.