Second Life: Welcome to Gaia

In a lifetime, people go through many situations that can make them a little depressed or cause an existential crisis, like when you start to think about what to do in the future, what career to pursue, or how to eat that delicious looking desert you saw on tv with no money to buy it.

Ye Yan just graduated from a famous university in City B, China, and doesn't know what to do with his life. He was undecided on what job to choose and ended up without looking for one. Now, he is unemployed with no perspective of what to do in his life. In the past, his parents wanted him to become a company administrator like his mother, so he attended business classes when he didn't like it, but he just went with the flow because he didn't have anything he wanted to do.

His mother was a valiant and hotheaded person that spanked Ye Yan every time he made mischief, which resulted in him being afraid of her and believing that women are very dangerous creatures that you can't mess with or the consequences couldn't be imagined. Most importantly, women with Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) must be avoided at all costs. Ye Yan's father was the opposite of his mother and the only person that could calm her down. He always had a zen attitude, never get angry, and could be an excellent shield for Ye Yan when his mother was in one of her moments.

His parents had always been the people closest to him and those he admires the most too. When they died two years ago, it was difficult for him to accept and made him feel lost and without a goal. He finished his studies because once he starts something, he will see it to the end, liking it or not, but he didn't know what to do later.

[What do I do with my life? I don't have a job, a house, or a girlfriend, only some money left by my parents, a college certificate, and my freaking virginity! I'm almost a loser! The only thing I like to do is gaming and fighting. I need some kind of sign to enlighten me about what to do with my life.] Ye Yan thought to himself while laying down on the couch, covering his face with his arms. While Ye Yan was having an internal debate about his options, he heard Tang Yunfan's voice and at the same time, a pillow hit him in his stomach.

"Get up! Or do you intend to stay on the couch all day long?"

"Why do you are being so noisy?" Ye Yan said while sitting with a not-so-good temper.

"I had an idea that can solve our money problems. We can become professional players in Second Life! Great idea, right?" Tang Yunfan said with an "I'm the best" kind of face. "My brother told me that the game will have many opportunities to make money because of the number of companies that will be joining the game. What do you think? Why don't you stop moping around in the house and come play with me?" His friend is always trying to find ways to earn money from games. Coming from a poor background, he is very concerned about his finances and started to plays games with the intent of earn money to help pay his bills. There was a time when he played as a priest and started to sell heals and warp portals for the game currency that he later exchanged for money.

Ye Yan shares an apartment with three friends that he knows since high school, Qian Zong, Tang Yunfan, and Hu Ling. After graduating from high school, they started sharing an apartment because they study or work nearby. Everyone, but Tang Yunfan, started their university studies in the same college while he works as a freelancer, accepting any kind of job that he could get. Tang Yunfun is the older among the four, with tall stature, oval-shaped face, military hairstyle, and muscles all over his body, which he acquired through hard labor.

When Ye Yan heard what his friend said, it was like the sky opened, and he heard the angels singing.

"The signal". Ye Yan took it as a sign that he should try it, because playing games is something that he likes to do, and if he could use it to make a living, even better. It is the sign he was waiting for, not an excuse to play games, but a real sign. Ye Yan's serious face bloomed with smiles as he thought that he finally found his path.

"Are you crazy? You forgot your pills?" Tang Yunfan said while rolling his eyes. His friend's reaction makes him contemplate the idea of taking him to a detoxification clinic for help because his current behavior is too abnormal.

"Never mind that. Just tell me more." Ye Yan readily changes the subject because there's no way he would explain his thoughts to his friend.

"Second Life will be like a completely new world, where people can extend their lives. You see, they advertise that one real-life hour equals two hours in the game, so it can extend the lifetime in a way. Many people are already thinking about the game as a second chance for them to remake their lives!"Tang Yunfan becomes very excited while speaking.

"You said something about companies joining the game, but what do you mean exactly by this? I know that Second Life will be the first VRMMORPG[1] that ever existed and can bring many monetary opportunities to people, but to have so many companies joining the game are a little too much, right?"

"My brother told me that, and I don't know the specifics, but I think they are trying to enslave people even more with more work hours in-game. They are even financing the game helmets to their employers."

"Humm. If we can make a living only by fighting in a game, we really lucked out. Fighting and making money while gaming, it would be heaven." He always can speak freely with his best friends, unlike what happened when he needs to speak with others. Ye Yan is a handsome young man with a diamond-shaped face, short hair, and a side fringe hairstyle. He is a typical nerd, studious, shy, and lacks some social skills but he is good at fighting and always portrays a serious and confident look.

"With you all brawn and no brain personality, it will suit you really well." Ye Yan teased his friend.

"Fuck! I will kick your ass pretty good in the game that you will regret even have been born."

"Haha. You say this because you can't hit me in real life, even being strong as an ox as you are." Ye Yan started to laugh, happier than he had been in a long time.

"Fuck!"

"You know if you continue to curse like that, maybe in the game will start to appear the phrase 'I will wash your mouth out with soup'." In one of the games they played before, the system always notified the players that were swearing with this kind of message, making them starting to type them with abbreviations.

"Yeah, I remember that."

"I think we will become companions, my friend. I'm joining Second Life as a professional player with you". When Ye Yan said it, he would never imagine that this decision would change his life forever.

......

[1] Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game