VF - Chapter 2

It's the long-awaited day!

The game [Realm Domination] is finally online! Opening of servers at 12 am every server. I purposely skipped my class today just to enjoy the game. I hope it doesn't disappoint me. But because this is a game that even drives Dan crazy, I think this game is rather extraordinary.

I put the Neu-net helmet on. It looks like what you saw in SAO. Yes, that very ancient anime that my father forced me to watch when I was a child ... even now I still remember that one anime. At least, I didn't have to shout [Link Start] or anything. That will be embarrassing.

Once the engine is on, the electrical nerve network that connects to my brain finally works. It put me into a deep sleep and enter some kind of REM or something. And as if blinking my eyes, I saw endless white space. A menu appears in my sight, immediately I select the [Realm Domination] app because it's the only installed application.

Oh, so this is the log-in window. I operated the floating holographic keyboard and enter my username and password that I have created this morning.

A blinding light ... and the beautiful scenery of a crystalline lake in the middle of the icy mountain range. I teleported again, this time I'm in the middle of boundless blue ocean with an island and reef. Tropical forest, sandy desert, snowy taiga, a rocky cave, and so on.

After somewhat teleporting back and forth into some beautiful place with magnificent scenery, once again I'm in white space. But this time there's someone or something(?) waiting for me there. It's a statue cast out of silver with the figure of a girl wearing a ceremonial toga. A blue electrical current flow through her vein as if it was her blood.

She opened her eyelid and bow her metallic head.

I welcome you, to the Realm Domination. I am your personal guide, A.I-sha.

The statue speaks. This spectacle baffled me, it feels surreal. However this didn't shock me much, I've read that there's a great range of races inside Realm Domination. Just what kind of sorcery could generate something like this?

The playable races in Realm Domination are divided into three major categories with each category comprise a ton of individual tribe. Maybe this metallic-lifeform guide is one of those species. I doubt she's humanoid though.

First, let me tell you about the situation in our realm.

The opening story is being unfolded. I'm forced to listen to her explanation with no option to skip it. I'll summarize her story with a simple paragraph.

Her world with many other worlds is in a state of chaos because of Dimensional Tear. The Dimensional Tear allows a living being from one world to move to another. With their exploration team bringing them back rather great news. That in the other world, there were more natural resources they could suck dry. And what's that means, it means wealth.

This makes the superpower races of each world colonize other weaker worlds. And that brought the realm into an endless war. It has been 5,000 years since the first Dimensional Tear. Gods believe that peace will be returned to this world if someone has placed the realm to submit to a single ruler.

Because the original inhabitant of the realm couldn't produce heroes anymore. The gods sacrificed their remaining souls to create more of these heroes. And with that gods summoned the Soul of Undying, like the name they will not die even if they are killed. With that kind of power, the gods hope there will be one of them who can finish this mission. This Soul of Undying ..., aren't immortal, they can die but they will be revived endlessly, yes they are 'Players'.

Thus, the journey of conquest started.

I beg you, please restore peace into this realm once more.

A.I-sha lowered her head and beg with a sorrowful voice.

"I'll try what I can do with my meager strength."

Thank you, your words are enough. Let us proceed, before that how do I call you?

"Kia or Zaki is fine ..."

Okay, lord Kiaorzakiisfine, is this correct?

Is this will be my character name? So it will be an interview and not inputting it with the keyboard? But, the hell?

"No! How the hell did you come up with that name!"

I deeply apologize. How do I call you?

I pondered and then decided.

"Zaki."

The simple the better, I choose this name because since childhood everyone calling me that. That is also my real-life nickname, but who the hell cares? I don't like those edgy character name that the person himself doesn't know how to say it. The name should be something easy to call, especially in the VR game like this.

Lord Zaki, is this correct?

"Yes, you may call me that."

Acknowledged. Next, what races will you be in the Endless War Realm?

"What are you?"

Answering lord Zaki's question, I'm the third evolution of Metallic Lifeform, Silver-blue Vein. Categorized as Heteromorphic race.

Oh, so she's playable race. Since there are many playable races, I guess something like her is also a life form in this game.

"Hmmm ..., can I ask you another question?"

That is my job to satisfy your curiosity. Ask anything inside your mind.

"Can you ... copulate? I mean, how do you reproduce your kind and continue the next generation?"

With a flat and cold voice, she answered.

Negative. Our body was not designed for that kind of entertainment. Unlike our cousin, Metallic Lifeform - Pleasure Doll, we didn't have any means to reproduce with other races. When our lifespan end, we have a place called the Factory that can produce offspring by designing a body. Then we impart our knowledge accumulated in this life to the child. That's how we sustain our generation.

"Wow ..., but, that kind of thing ..., that is not a reproduction right? Is it prolonging life? Like you just change your body into newly made one?"

Lord Zaki can think of it that way.

"Okay ..., that's enough for now. Show me the humanoid starter races!"

...

She lit up a holographic screen that shows various figures of a human. Some others that look similar but not a human. Fantasy races like the elf, dwarf, guinea, oni, aunkham, babyl. I don't know a large part of it, and from where or whose fantasy stories it originated from. Or maybe real-life races in the world and then turn it into fantasy races.

The human races are rather plain ..., their stats are mediocre. But their racial abilities are great, a bonus of +3% EXP point. And this racial abilities can be further enhanced! Maybe 3% is not a big number, but it is crucial in the late game when the EXP point is scarce and not that easy to get anymore. If you pick human races, you could select what descend they from. The other races are also like that and they look different.

The elves are excelled at the archery and nature magic; they are agile and steadfast make a good scout or ranger. But they can not stand a heavy blow with their weak constitution. Another thing about this elf. I think it based on Lord of the Ring book, or maybe Poetic Edda? Yeah, those pointed ears with flawless slender body and skin that so clean and tender. They live in the forest but still have skin like that? When I went to Borneo two years ago, I saw the natives there had rough and tanned skin. Is it because of the forest they live in?

I check the dwarves and the other humanoid races for some time. But none of it caught my attention. After that is the demi-human.

In this category, there is some monster-like humanoid. Something like troll, goblin, orc, giant, furry cat-bipedal, furry dog-bipedal, furry (place animal's name here)-bipedal. I think this category has a great range of races. Because even all of the big cat, genus Panthera for every species, they have races on its own! But ..., I don't see something like bird-man, fish-man, toad-man or insect-man in this Demi-human. Though, alligator-man and turtle-man exist.

The advantage of being Demi-human is that their physique stronger than humanoid, and their growth is exponential. Although with that advantage, Demi-human still has some disadvantages, in the start they didn't have racial traits. If they choose to level up their race level, they will gain racial abilities. And they will get many of it. Still, it means they couldn't get maximum job levels.

The last category is Heteromorphic races. That was the most races choices. Starting from the metallic life-form like A.I-sha the silver-guide, into the undead family like that of a skeleton, zombies and other dead but still alive stuff. Ohh ..., the fish-man and the other animal-man that I didn't see in the demi-human categories is also here.

Just like Demi-human, Heteromorphic races could raise their race level to get racial abilities. At the start, they also have passive racial traits. The minus of this race is that they have many restrictions that unique to their races. For example, the undead, if they were hit by light or fire magic, then it would deal more damage than the normal one. Later on, in the game, they can upgrade their racial abilities that could nullify the damage, but this is a fatal weakness in the early game.

Meh, I think I've seen something like this in the past. Ahh, is it one of those ancient anime? Yes, if I recall it then this is something like the Overgod. The main character was transported to the favorite game avatar, bony skeletal Ruler of Death. He becomes the strongest in the new world because he has reached the level maximum cap of 100 while the resident of that world is some weak level 30 or 40.

My father called that overpowered. But for me, that's basically bullying the weak. A cheat! I don't know why my father thinks it like something cool.

Let's put that aside, so no for the heteromorphic race. Although I think it will be awesome as a tentacle man or something, with that many restrictions in mind, the demerits are great. Demi-human ...? I won't be that ugly and furry something, it's weird just imagining it. When you wake up and see that you have a belly full of furry, Neu-net has the capabilities to reproduce that fantasy into reality. Thus ..., the humanoid.

Humm ..., a human is just plain as it was. But the other humanoid is just not to my liking. If the appearance's great, then their racial trait is trash. And if their racial trait's good, they look deformed. I scrolled through it until I found it.

Javadvipa Races that reign planet of Jayavadi. Races of the great explorer, sailor, and metal-alchemist. Their short limb is said more dexter than the dwarves of Nidavellir. Javadvipa has great knowledge about earth and sea, with mastery over the flame. They make great engineer and their racial job is Metallurgist. Javadvipa worshiped the Sea Goddess - Rara Kidul and Mountain God - Salaki.

Attributes:

Health: 100 | Magic: 100 | Stamina: 100

H. Reg: 0.5/hrs | M. Reg: 0.5/hrs | S. Reg: 0.5/hrs

STR: 10 | CON: 10 | DEX: 10 |INT: 10 | WIS: 10 | CHM: 10 | LUK: 10

ATK: 2 | M. ATK: 2 | DEF : 2 | M. RES: 2 | SPD: 2

Racial Trait:

Adiluhung (P): You get one additional attribute point for each level up.

This is it, this is the one. Yes, no doubt about it. This is remaking of old Javanese people, the people of Meganthropus paleojavanicus. But with the mix of modern Homo sapien bone structure. As a member of the modern Java tribe of Indonesia, this race really stirs my interest.

This race is short, only about 1,65 m. That's the average height of the Indonesian people. With a yellow complexion like the skin of langsium fruit. Brown eyes with dreadlocks black hair. In the display window, Javadvipa's man is wearing only trousers and he let his muscle clad upper torso as it is. While the woman is wearing a jarit skirt and a simple kebaya dress.

What a barbaric-looking race. I recall there's ancient China recording about Indonesia Archipelago people, the Chinese refer to the dweller of the southern island as barbaric people. The title of that historic text is also 'Barbarian of the South Archipelago.' Well, Indonesian people now are also barbaric, they seem polite to the foreigner especially the white people. But they are actually a barbaric and ignorant bunch that easy to provoke. Not that much different in the ancient age.

As bad as it is, I am also a part of that society. I can't change the way the society works, but I can be a better person for society even if the society is crooked.

The infighting between tribe and race in Indonesia is unavoidable. Even more so with the minority ethnic group. East Indonesian like Mollucan or West Papuan for example, are frank and studious people. Not a backward tribe that doesn't accept the change in the way they do things. I also have an acquaintance from Jayapura, a black-skinned Papuan woman, her name is Jaynee. A straightforward and clever person, although she's reeking sago, she is idealistic with a nice dream. She dreamt that the children on the Papua will get a much better study facility like what Java Island had.

I love the diversity in my country. It's not the best and a lot to think about again. But with our ideology, it unites us in one flag and one nation. Indonesia comprises not only Javanese people, other tribes and races that speak their native tongues also live as a part of it.

Yeah, if speaking about people it's never good to judge someone by their appearance alone. A creepy dark-skinned Mollucan uncle can also be some samaritan. Ahh, stop thinking about that. Let's choose this race as my character.

" I choose Javadvipa as my races,"

Acknowledged, does Lord Zaki want to alter your appearance? The default is Lord Zaki's original appearance in the real world.

A mirror appeared in front of me, I see ..., so this is my character. Not that much different from me in the real world. Maybe I should alter the appearance more.

"Hmmm ..., make me taller, not much add 2,5 cm so that my height reaches 1,7 m. Ah, can you also brighten my skin tone?"

A.I sha changed my skin until it looks brighter than it should be. Now it more like pale-yellow color. The faces that full of freckles and pimples now clean and smooth like that of Daniel. I feel handsome.

Is this enough?

"Yes, and change my teeth arrangement. Make it neater."

Done. Lord Zaki cannot change your appearance because have exceeded the 15% limit of real appearance.

"Ohh ..., so that's how it works. What a pity, I could make myself more handsome." I muttered with regret.

Let's proceed with the next one. Ah, it seems we're already on the last step. Does Lord Zaki want to familiarize the realm mechanism by doing the tutorial?

"No need."

Lord Zaki, please reconsider. Lord Zaki wouldn't get the tutorial bonus if you miss it? The tutorial can't be done anymore.

There are many benefits that you will get if you do this tutorial. Not only will you get the experience needed to get to know the mechanisms of this world, but you also know the politics that are currently taking place in Realm Domination.

This will help Lord Zaki a lot in the near future. If you know whose allies and enemies before you jump, Lord Zaki will not clueless. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, are you sure you want to miss it?

She frowned as she turned her gaze towards me. This is the first time I've seen her like this with such a rich expression. Even though she's made of metal, no, she's just a line of code and recorded voice data ..., but why can I feel the feelings from her words just now?

Maybe it's just my imagination.

"Well, if you insist. What is the tutorial?"

She smiled sweetly even though she just a robot and said.

Please select the level of difficulties.

A window appeared in front of me. It shows me the choice of difficulties level.

Easy Normal Hard

Difficulties are divided into three; Easy, Normal and hard. I will take the normal. I know nothing about Hard mode, and I feel insulted if I complete an easy tutorial even with very high results. And I can't think of a situation where I won't be able to finish such a small thing as a tutorial.

I tapped on the Normal option in the holographic window and teleported to the tutorial ground.

I am in the middle of the battlefield. The cries and screams of warriors fighting echoed throughout the plains. Blood and brain fill the muddy ground. Corpses scattered on the ground with savage-looking soldiers swinging their weapons at each other. Two sides fighting against each other. White and Blue, everything is painted blood red.

I just realized that this tutorial is normal for a hardcore.

On my HUD, the Tutorial Quest with its details appeared.

Tutorial Quest

Survive the battle between Rashikan and Shabirun.

Difficulty: Normal

Reward: Identity Card, Skill Points, Attribute Points, ???

Failure: Death

F*k this! A battlefield for a tutorial!? What about the Hard mode then? What is more horror than suddenly teleported into an ongoing battlefield?