Second Life: Welcome to Gaia

When Ye Yan left the temple, he remembered of the [Teleportation Sroll] that he received when he registered on the Adventurer's Guild. He didn't use it before because he was saving it for a moment that he would really need it, like now. The scroll can be purchased at the Adventurer's Guild for 5 silver, which is a price that he can't afford now.

He opened the scroll and read the content aloud, and when he finished, he was transferred to the Teleportation Hall in City Ji. Again, Ye Yan had to wait sometime for his body and mind to adjust, because the mind can't understand what happened fast enough, even he being more than aware he is in a game, but his mind can't accept it right away. When he left the Teleportation Hall, the sky was already becoming dark, so he looked up and discovered that it was 7 a.m. in real life. He has stayed 13 real-time hours in the game, 26 hours in-game. So Ye Yan resolved to log out and do his morning routine, which consists of exercise and breakfast.

He left his room thinking about how this virtual reality technology is so advanced because he can play while sleeping. He was always told that he needs to sleep because his brain demand rest, but it looks like his brain didn't stop and he feels nothing strange. When he arrived in the kitchen, he remembered having seen something on a News Program about it some time ago. It looks that CyberTech discovered a way for the mind to rest and be active at the same time and the simulations or the game works like a lucid dream. As our minds are active but resting during the dreams, so the same happens in the game.

This time, Tang Yunfan was already up and had just eaten his breakfast.

"You log off early today." Said Ye Yan.

"Yeah. But there's no way out, I need to work. They called me yesterday and asked if I could go today because someone got a sick leave. And until I starting to get some real money in Second Life, I need to work to pay my bills. I can't depend on you guys for everything. I'm going now or I will be late." He said almost ruining to get his things so he could go to work.

"Have a good day at work!" His friend worked since high school so he could help his mother at home and ended up with bad grades because he was always too tired in classes, that is why he couldn't get into university and started to work full time after he graduates from high school. Now that his mother remarried, he could save some money and not work so hard anymore but he never relaxed and always say that money can never be enough and he needs to pay his bills. They wanted to pay the food expenses but he never let them do it, his pride wouldn't permit it.

A moment later Qian Zhong came to eat his breakfast while complaining.

"Why is this game like this? I will become poor at this rate. Damn thieves!"

"What happened?" Ye Yan asked curiously.

"Some people started to do the job change quest to thief. Do you know what is the first step of their quest? Steal someone! They got a level one thief skill called Steal that enables them to rob people. This skill can only take 1 copper each time and they are required to steal 100 coopers! You need to stay very alert in the city now, there are thieves, or future thieves, everywhere. Some have been caught by the city's soldiers but it only made them more cautious. The city is not safe anymore!" Qian Zhong was exasperated.

"Hahahahaha! This is new! At least they are just robbing coopers. Have you imagine if they could rob people's clothes too?" Ye Yan laughed at the situation.

"I want to see if you become the one that is robbed by them. Humf." Qian Zhong became indignant by his friend's reaction to his plight.

"Do you forgot what happened to the last thief that tried to rob me?"

"Well. That guy even asked to be sent to jail to get away from you. But in the game, things could be different and you can become like me, almost coinless."

"I want to see them try."

"But what if it is a sex woman thief? You would just become paralyzed and made it easy for her."

"....." Ye Yan abstained of comment because it can really happen to him.

Later, they found that Hu Ling had the same experience as Qian Zhong but he didn't complain as much. Both of them had started their job change quests too. Hu Liang decided to become a mage so he went to the library to start his quest. The first step of the mage's job change is the test of knowledge, which consists of an examination of five book's content, and among them was one about the Four-Elements Theory of Aristotle¹.

"I know that mages need to control the elements but to know so much and so many different things and theories about them is too much! Why do I need to know about all that when I'm burning someone's ass? It's absurd!"

"You only need to read some old books, it's easy. I have to learn how to use a bow, like, really learn. I will only pass this first step when I hit, at least, the 7or 8 rings of the target². The NPCs are trying to teach me but it will take a long time for me to get there, I can only hit the 2 ring by now. And how is your test, third brother?"

"I have to pass 6 tests, but it looks that mine until now are more like about my beliefs. And I don't know how the next tests will be."

"Lucky you! I never thought that the fighter's test was so easy. Tsk." Qian Zhong started to envy Ye Yan.

"That's because fighters aren't sophisticated or knowledgeable enough to do more complicated things." Hu Ling disdained.

"Hey! You just say this because you are jealous!" Ye Yan decided not to tell that he is doing the hard version of the test to avoid more of Hu Ling's poisoned tongue.

As Hu Ling is a rich second-generation heir and he only goes to his family company two times a week, and Qian Zhong is a programmer that works from home, they didn't need to go out, so they talked about the game until it was 5 p.m. Each day they are starting the game early than the day before.

Ye Yan login into the game right before the dawn in the City Ji, so he took his time going to the Military Camp.

When he arrived at the Military Camp, the sun had already risen, and the soldiers just let him pass because of the token. The NPCs in this game can sleep, so he can't see them at any time like in other games. He went straight to the commander Xia Hou Lian tent and meet him when he was going out. The NPC looked surprised at him and asked Ye Yan to follow him back to the tent.

"You impressed me, boy! Not only you passed the test but make it so fast. You are a promising future fighter. You need to remember to learn with these experiences you are having to better yourself. Now that you have completed the first test, do you are ready for the second challenge?"

System: 'You have completed the Job Change Quest: the first step. 200 exp. gained."

System: 'Congratulation, you level up. You gained 3 BP and 1 SP.

Ye Yan distributes his BP in Attunement, Strength, and Dexterity, putting one point in it. Now he has 61HP, 23 ATK, and 7,5 HIT, and four skill slots. And as the only skill he has at the moment is [First Aid], he didn't need to use his SP yet.

"I'm ready for the next test." Ye Yan answered with conviction.

"Very good! Now you will go meet my younger brother, Xia Hou Ming at the swordsman area, he will give you the second challenge, the Test of Courage. Good luck, boy!" He turned to one of the soldiers at the entrance of his tent and said. "You, take him to meet my little brother!"

"Yes, sir!"

Ye Yan followed him to another area of the camp.

...............

¹Aristotle believed that four classical elements make up everything in the terrestrial spheres: earth, air, fire, and water.

²Standard targets are marked with 10 evenly spaced concentric rings, which generally have score values from 1 through 10 assigned to them. Targets are colored as follows: 1 ring & 2 ring – white, 3 ring & 4 ring – black, 5 ring & 6 ring – blue, 7 ring & 8 ring – red, 9 ring, 10 ring & inner 10 ring – yellow.