[Have you ever thought about living in a fantasy world?] A mysterious voice spoke to Arthur.
“What?” The boy responded with confusion. “Are you talking about RPGs or light novels?” He further asked to know what the voice was talking about.
[No, not those that you play on your computer, or you read in books. I’m talking about a real fantasy world, that you can very much touch with your own hands.]
“… Well, of course I did. That’s my wet dre- Ehem, I mean, I very much did, didn’t I?” He replied with an awkward cough.
[Hahaha, yeah, that fantasy world. A massive realm filled with mysteries and things you would only dream about otherwise. Creatures that you can’t fathom, superpowers that transcend the human limit, and adventures that would last you a lifetime.]
“I would be lying if I said that doesn’t sound enticing. Exciting, even.” Arthur replied as he tried to hide his grin. “Tell me more, I need to imagine this world.”
[Why should I tell you?] However, the voice shut him off coldly. [You’re already hooked. Go buy Divinity Online and try it yourself, broke bastard!]
“That’s uncalled for, unknown voice! I treated you nicely! Return some kindness or I will beat you up!”
[Have fun, fool. Perhaps we might never meet again.]
“What?! No! Come back here!”
However, as if the voice didn’t hear him, it vanished completely, sending Arthur into panic mode. “Divinity Online! Give me my game! DIVINITY ONLINE!”
As he yelled the name, his eyes suddenly snapped open and he rose from his seat. Looking around him, he quickly realized where he was. Many eyes looked back at him with varying degrees of wariness.
‘Oh right… I slept on the metro back home.’ He thought to himself. ‘Did they hear me scream?’
Looking again at the other passengers, Arthur coughed. ‘Yup, they definitely heard me. I’m sure I don’t look like some kind of maniac right now, right? I mean, everyone has this kind of dream every now and then, no?’
As he was trying to convince himself that he hadn’t just labeled himself a ‘Weirdo’ in front of tens of passengers, his eyes shifted to the ceiling above him. There, he saw an electronic advertisement sign that seemed to show some kind of ad.
On it, the camera was seemingly traveling through a vast fantastical world, filled with greenery, mesmerizing structures, and flying creatures. Above it was the title of the game. ‘Divinity Online’.
“Get yourself the full set along with additional support for 999 Dollars! Join Now!” The advertisement said.
‘… 999 dollars. Like I can afford something like that!’ Sighing, Arthur rested his back on the seat again, trying to ignore the voice. His eyes shifted to the outside world, and a scenic view of the city formed in his eyes. He was now in the city center where the activity was at its highest.
However, everywhere he looked, whether it was a building or even a sign on the street, they all advertised a single thing. ‘Divinity Online’. It was everywhere and still spreading across the entire globe like a plague.
‘I’ve heard the number of pre-orders exceeded the 1 billion pre-orders. When did people have that kind of money? Are they selling their kidneys for cheap? I should start considering selling mine if it is functional.’ As he was considering his option, Arthur clenched his fist in frustration.
He knew that he had no actual way of getting his hand on a Full-Immersion Capsule. The cheapest option was 1000 dollars, and the more expensive ones even reached the tens of thousands of dollars.
That was the kind of money someone like Arthur, who had no financial support from anyone, could never afford.
‘Where are parents when I needed them the most? Dammit.’ He rolled his eyes as he watched the shifting scenery with boredom. The light of the city reflected in his clear blue eyes like a mirror.
When he was young, Arthur’s parents left and never came back. So, the boy was sent to live with his grandmother who died a few years later due to old age. So, the boy found himself alone in the world, with no one to help him except for himself.
He had to start working, find an apartment to live in and attend school in the city. It was naturally really hard, but with time, Arthur learned to accept this life he was given. Except, there was one single thing he could not accept.
‘Boring. My life is too goddamn boring!’
His tiring routine that goes through every single day annoyed him beyond words. Not because it took a lot of energy, but because it lacked any flavor. He felt as if he was living inside a cage, not able to leave nor look beyond it.
Every night, he would lay there and ask himself ‘Is this the life I’m destined to live? Do I really have no other option available? Am I going to die in obscurity? How did the first person discover cow milk is consumable?’
Those questions kept bothering him every single moment of his life, until the day Divinity Online was announced for the masses.
At first, nobody believed the rumors. After all, a Full-Immersion Virtual Reality game sounded like a pipe dream. The technology should’ve not been advanced enough to actually make that possible. Yet, by some kind of miracle, Divinity Corp, the company that created the game, showed the proof.
The results sent a shockwave across the entire world. This was far more important than just a video game announcement, this was a breakthrough for the human race itself. Divinity Online was ahead of its time by decades or even centuries.
Naturally, people started questioning how Divinity Corp was able to achieve such a thing, and who funded them. But, no matter how much they tried to dig for dirt, the media couldn’t find anything suspicious about this mysterious company. In fact, not a single journalist reported about the company or tried to actually investigate it for some reason.
That led to the company going public a few months before the release of the game and its stock almost instantly shot up to the sky, making it the richest company in the world by a huge margin and boosting the popularity of Divinity Online even more.
The entire world shifted its gaze to look at Divinity Corp and its unprecedented success. They became the very center of all the news. Then, the release date for the game arrived… The 19th of July.
Everyone marked their calendar for this historical day that might be the pivotal point for a whole different era and that day was precisely tomorrow.
‘Sigh, people must’ve already gotten their FICs.’ Grumbling under his breath.
But, he knew there was nothing he could do. People were going to enjoy this new world while he watched from the side. He had to accept that fact and move on. Perhaps one day he will have the opportunity to actually buy an FIC of his own.
With that, Arthur looked up and noticed that his station was close so he stood up and walked to the door. Then, along with many others, he left the metro and the subway station, heading back home after a long day of work.
He had found a job as a cashier in a small convenience store on the other side of town. It didn’t pay him much since he was only 16 years old, but he didn’t care as this money was enough for him to buy food every day.
The area he lived in wasn’t horrible, as one would expect. But, it wasn’t a rich neighborhood either. Arthur was lucky enough to find a kind landlord in the city that was ready to take him in for a negligible price. He did it mainly out of kindness when he heard of Arthur’s situation or that was what Arthur was told, at least.
Still, he was quite grateful for that as it spared him from ending up living in some shady orphanage or moving into the dormitory of some high school once the year started.
‘Sigh, what should I eat tonight? Chicken noodles or beef noodles?’ As he was contemplating his options, Arthur looked up at the apartment complex where he lived.
There, right in front of the main gate, he saw a giant truck. The vehicle was parked right in front of the gate with some workers standing around it.
‘Hm?’ Looking at the back of the truck, Arthur’s eyes widened. ‘Isn’t that logo… Divinity Corp!’