Virtual Reality : Dystopian Tales Online

003.2 | The Spring of the Game

Dystopian Tales Online [DTO] has many good features, and one of them is the Speech Support System. It is a feature that allowed players to converse in-game without using an external application. It is advantageous in situations that need direct commands and quick responses.

This system had been once used in the early two thousand, where it had become a norm for games to have the voice chat function. However, it wasn't really to the extent of perfection since it could only function on specific models. Oftentimes, the voice overlaps the game music or the otherwise is too loud for people to hear each other.

External applications are then being used as an alternative. It wasn't bad but not good either. Since there is the need to use two software, only selected units that could handle heavy work can handle the workload. Though lower units could still access the applications, it is expected that it will not have commendable performance.

After humanity restored the world, recreational activities such as virtual gaming just emerged. Voice functions and such are still undergoing recovery. Of all the games trying to apply the function on their systems, only DTO managed to integrate it appropriately.

The speech support system itself is already superb; however, it is not limited to the usual voice-over. Some people that have speaking or hearing problems could turn on the sign language function to help them exchange information during a conversation.

There is also the option to use different languages. The system has an automatic translator that instantly converts words to the specified language. Cryptic languages like Morse Code could also be used. If one wanted to use a more different language, they only have to apply it to the system and get approved.

Though the whole setup seems to promote freedom of speech, there are more considerations that players have to remember. The system created is susceptible to vulgar words and profanities. Once it detects its usage, the game's artificial intelligence [AI] will immediately notify and ban the player.

The duration of the ban is no joke. It could last a minute, a month, or the player will be removed entirely from the game.

It is normal for players to curse inside the game, especially during tournaments, so this system has been reformed. Still, it works wonders, and several players still get banned daily. Of course, they could file complaints to the support system if the ban had been too much or the person was mistakenly accused.

Aside from the Speech Support System, the sound support function is also noteworthy. It handles all in-game music scoring, including all sound movements from players playing the game and the NPCs. It is adequate and so realistic that one could actually hear footsteps if someone is sneaking behind.

Leon controlled the mouse made Leon-36 move around. The character is set to have the first-person view, so instead of seeing the back of a person or the character's face, Leon sees the surroundings as if looking through the eyes. He maneuvered the character around for a while to familiarize himself with the movements.

In every game, there will always be a starting point where common ground can be found. Leon-36 found himself standing in the middle of the [Rebirth Stone] where most of the players, beginners or not, will surely meet. Most - in place of DTO players since these people could spawn on where they last stayed.

However, VR players are required to always start in the Rebirth Stone.

Rebirth Stone, by the name itself, is the starting point of everything. It is found on the largest neutral ground of the game, The Town, and is considered the beginner area since new players are redirected in this area. Upon log-in, DTO players will be given a choice if they want to be spawned on Rebirth Stone or their previous coordinates.

It looks quite different despite being named as a stone. It is an elevated circular platform, about a foot high, with streams of mana flowing up at its borders. A large cluster of high-quality mana crystals is located on the middlemost part of the stage, with smaller clusters of gems extended on the ground. The circular stage is then protected by a couple of trigrams inscribed on the lower floor. 

Upon description, the Rebirth Stone owned the largest mana output of the game. People regenerate quickly in this area, and probably why it is chosen as the rebirth area. The kind of mana that it emits is enough to revive the players from the dead. 

The game has a large gaming field, so there are many rebirth stones across the map. It serves as the cheapest vehicle since teleportation between rebirth stones is free if they are close enough. Traversing farther rebirth stone locations will only cost a few pennies. This main spawn location is the largest Rebirth Stone.

He looked around and saw a unique medieval fantasy setup. This is different from the environment that he grew up in. The result of the previous wars destroyed historical landmarks, so the people in this era will never visit the sites. It all thanks to games like this that he could also see the kind of community history has.

Most of the houses are stone materials such as red bricks and grey cement with sturdy wooden foundations and platforms. Wealthier establishments have better furnishings, painting their walls and doorways in a pattern. Windows are either made up of wooden blinds or glasses coupled with soiled sills for planting. 

Leon thought that people in the past live a dangerous life. There is no proper security during that time. One could easily break these wooden doors or smash the windows by just kicking them. Even his room has reinforced glass that not even a canon could break. 

The pathways are covered with dark cobblestones, with side areas retaining the brown earth. Trees and flowers naturally grow whenever there are water and sunlight, with the plaza garden being the most prominent of all. Once again, his attention focused on the flowers that keep blooming and seem to be chatting with the butterflies. 

The interface is just too realistic, even though he is only looking at it on a monitor. Actually, the kind of realism while paying in VR impacts him greatly that he would not want to leave that world. Maybe, if not from the required daily maintenance, he would spend all the time in the game. 

Leon typed in a [Hello] message with a smiley [ :) ]emoticon then a dialogue box beside Leon-36 appeared, greeting the players on the world chat. They did the same, and the chain of greetings continues. He left the World Chat and went over to open his map. He can go to dungeons by himself now due to his level, unlike before he needed a party.

The game's level cap is up to level five hundred. Leon-36 is at least in the three hundred. Though, he is already considered a high-level character. Both DTO and VR are good games, but not only because of their unique graphics and music. But because it is hard to complete quests and slow leveling. Some players are playing for three years but have never reached the first hundred level.

Leon-36 pondered what to do. He is about to open a new map exploration when a [ Ding ] sounded on his ears, plus a pop-out message appears on the screen. Leon blinked, reading the sender.

[AUD-01] : First time seeing you online on a weekday. Skipping classes? :snickers:

He recognized the character and smirked. Don't you think he is just barking on the wrong tree? Does he think that he is the right person to ask him this question? Setting the voice settings on, Leon tested the mic for a while. He also opened a private chat with the player.

[Whoa, hello too], Aud typed out.

"I'm not skipping. My classes are canceled," Leon answered.

[Oh? OH? : snickers:] A snickering emoticon was sent. The expression tells that he didn't believe Leon at all. 

"Why type? Speak."

Leon looked on the lower left part of the screen where the World Wide Chat is found. He closed the notification function of the worldwide chat to avoid flooding of unimportant messages, but he could still see the messages sent through the channel. 

Besides, the World Wide Chat is the icon for people on his friend list who are online. He searched the name of Aud that is found at the top and saw the account online with the green dot on the end of the name and an icon of a headphone that is on highlight.

Then, why is he not speaking?

[Sore throat] Aud typed in.

"That thing still exists?" Leon snorted. "Very unfortunate. Want me to send some lozenges?" 

[Not the least concerned!] Aud commented with an emoticon of an angry chick character. 

"I am concerned. That's why I am sending you some sugar."

[...] Aud sent him a couple of three dots before typing a throwing-up emoji. 

Leon chuckled. Aud, a person he never met in real life, became one of his closest friends online. That accidental meeting that happened ten years ago somehow become something tangible that created a huge impact in their lives - crossing each other fates that can't be calculated resulted in a strong bond that made them a family. 

He also had met with Shin a long time ago. The next day, they realized that they attended the same school, and the moment they met, they instantly became best friends. Meeting Shin in real life somehow made Leon feel a bit scared at first but gradually erased his doubt when they introduced each other.

It is also that time that [COINCIDENCE] does happen.

Leonard Graham is a son of a billionaire tycoon.

Shin Melville belongs in the same league.

Nobody actually believed each other at first. They both know that their relationship will affect their families' future prospects. After all, it is common for wealthy people to associate themselves with the same industry to create connections for future purposes. Them simply admitting each other as friends could easily shift the opinion of the spectators, especially the shareholders playing the market. 

It's good that their families didn't have the same interest and actually complimented each other. Leon's family is known in the medical industry, owning hundreds of hospitals and pharmacies. Shin's family is focused on the real estate and construction business. Their families are quite satisfied to the point where they treated each other as brothers and sisters. 

Anyways, both people didn't care. Leon wasn't the heir of the company, and Shin isn't part of the main branch. They have the status as possible heirs, but they had long given up the position and just wanted to live as rice buckets. 

Isn't living a life of a salted fish the best?

"What are you doing, by the way?" Leon asked. To have Aud message him first, he must be doing nothing. This person won't message them unless something important is happening or if he is bored. 

[Nothing much. I am just walking around then checking the market price or something. Reading the leaderboard to check if something legendary is happening.]

En, that long message means that he is bored. 

"Then why not do some quests? Dungeon?"

[:Gasps: Are you really recommending me to play dungeon by myself? So heartless T.T]

Leon scoffed, knowing that Aud is just bluffing. Even alone, Aud can finish a dungeon floor. Yes - dungeon floor. Not a part, but the entire floor. Saying that Leon is heartless is like sleeping with their eyes open. His abilities could be considered top-notch. 

Upon their meeting many years ago, Aud revealed that he is also an adventurer of Virtual Reality. He completely elaborated some good words about finding some friends in the same field and quickly recruited him to his party. Leon has no way to refuse since the person is compelling in his words. 

"I can see your potential. You can be of good use," Aud phrased it out.

A party is formed. No, a temporary party is formed. A party should consist of at least five members in the game before they can register for the program. Because there are only four of them, they have to look for other members to join. Aud is pretty picky in accepting members that it took them a year to find players to scout.

To be chosen - Leon is partly abashed. He did not know the state of the game during that time, but he knows that Aud is someone mighty. He and Frass rescued them from a newly opened dungeon; that is enough to say that they are powerful.

So, he thought that Aud was looking to form a party, and choosing him means that he really had seen the potential. Later he learned that Aud lost a bet, and he is ordered to form a party to represent a guild. Well, he still has good eyes, though. If Leon doesn't have the potential, then all other plays will be considered degenerates. 

Three members are added to the party - all belonged to the Third String players. The two of them are twins and are still nine years old at the time, known as the youngest pair of players throughout the game. They found the twins playing inside the dungeon finishing it on their own. The way how their characters complimented each other helped the two survive the monsters.

They are known as Marcus and Marlene Fischer.

The third player is of the same age as Leon and Shin. This player has the humanoid race with cavalier as its main archetype. By just looking at it, there is not really a huge difference between a humanoid-warrior, which is Shin's class, and a humanoid-cavalier class. But Aud has his reasons to ask her in the team. He must have seen something to this player that anyone wasn't able to grasp.

Her name is Alexandria Johanson.

Completing the requirement, Aud then registered their party under the name [SORA], which means "Sky."

[Hey], Aud typed out. [Now that you are free, why not accompany me to the dungeon.]

"Okay. What Floor?"

[Floor 385's map was released last night. It takes some time before the floor boss respawns again. Let's go there.]

"Whoa, so you are seriously going? You know that reaching the [NEXT GATE] will take some time to finish. I'm actually waiting for someone right now. I can't stay long."

Aud bombarded him with a cry-face emoticon.

"You sure want to play hardcore," Leon said.

[You asked me what floor, then you say no. Now, should I use my power as the party leader?]

"Logging out..."

More crying emoticon appeared with a clasping hand on the end.

"Floor 135," Leon said.

[250...] Aud tried to bargain.

"132".

[185]

"100?"

[Gosh, how much of a coward are you?]

"Okay, I'm out."

[OK OK OK OK! FLOOR 100! FLOOR 100!]

Leon can't help but laugh. Aud must be desperately bored right now that he would rather kneel and beg than die of boredom. He gave in with the floor level and accepted. Aud is spamming him with a crying emoticon as if he has been scammed.

[Let me punch you later] Aud wrote.

He didn't reply; instead, he accepted the invitation of Aud-10 for a game in a dungeon. Moving the cursors around, Leon followed the procedure to transfer location. Aud came in first the dungeon, and then he sent his coordinates to Leon to follow him. He quickly used the teleportation skill to follow suit.