"Choosing a career is hard because you're sacrificing your time, money, and effort, but choosing the categories in playing this virtual game is harder, for it will be the answer if your chosen career will be fulfilled."
LOCATION: Virtual door selection area TIME: Morning
*bell rings*
Second was startled by the sound she heard. An alarming sound that everyone was familiar with.
"Everyone, welcome to the virtual reality game selection!"
Everyone frowned. Author did not appear with its iconic hologram; they could only hear its robotic voice.
It began to speak again. "As you can see, there are six virtual doors which can teleport you to your chosen destination." So, these were called virtual doors that resembled ordinary elevator doors made of gray metal. "Each of you must choose one category of the game you will play." There would be multiple categories for this one, just like in level 1, stage 3.
"The first one is, 'The MMA Combat'." She turned her eyes to the left. On its elevator-like door, there was a label above that read 'virtual door no. 1' and below it, 'The MMA Combat'. "A game where you will fight on a battle course without using any weapons, showcasing your combative skills, and the one who controls you will hold your victory."
MMA? Mixed martial arts. This required a strong physical and mental edge. It sounded cool, like a wrestling game she had seen online.
"The second one, 'The Firearm Assassination'." She gazed to the left, just next to the first door. Like before, there was also a 'virtual door no. 2' and 'The Firearm Assassination' are labeled on it. "A battle where you will use deadly weapons to fight your virtual opponents. The weapon you wield depends on your controller."
This one seems good. Unlike the previous one, where no weapons were allowed, here there was a higher chance of winning, especially if the controller was skilled with weapons. You could eliminate an opponent with just the weapons you wielded.
"The third one, 'The Elemental Wielding'. A battle where your defense and offense mechanisms are natural elements. Unlike earlier, guns, swords, etc., you wield a power that can control air, fire, water, land, gravity, and electricity."
This one sounds interesting. This was usually what she saw in movies and cartoons. You had elemental powers instead of weapons. You could manipulate nature to your advantage.
"The fourth one, 'The Coven's Domain'." Her attention was drawn to what Author said. Witch? All about wizards and fantasy? "A wizarding world where your power lies within your magic wand. Cast magic spells and tricks in order to shield and dispute your virtual opponents."
This one is a magical genre. Maybe it was fun to experience real-life magic spells and be a witch for once.
Second noticed that Author stated, 'virtual opponent'. She breathed a sigh of relief because she thought they'd be fighting to kill each other. This was a good thing—to compete in the virtual reality world.
"The fifth one, 'The Zombie Catastrophe'." Zombie? Wow, they existed in this game. How do we play that? "A battle between the living and the living dead. You will eradicate your virtual opponent, which is a zombie. If you manage to kill those monsters, you will win; but if they tame you, you will transform into one of them, meaning you failed to win."
When they killed all the zombies, they won. When they became one of them, they lost. Thrilling, because this would be a game of 'to chase or to be chased'.
"Last but not least, the sixth one, 'The Nightmare Enigma'." The title itself made her curious. Enigma? "A dark and terrifying night where your goal is to catch the notorious midnight culprit who assassinates its victims. In the snowy streets of Phantom Street, there lies the serial killer named Zarod."
It was about solving mysteries. It sounded terrifying as described by Author.
"The game controllers are called 'players' while you are called 'characters'," Author clarified again. "As for the difference between the two, the player controls the character while sitting inside the control room, rendering multiple options, settings, and buttons to play the game. On the other hand, the character is the one who plays inside the virtual game, which the player controls."
"Hey, when we walk through those doors and play, are we really going to experience things like in real life, or?" Thanks, and Aeith boldly asked.
"That's right. You will teleport again to your chosen category. A setting far beyond what you're experiencing right now."
Author mentions 'again' teleporting. So, they can really experience the cold, heat, and whatnot when they are in the actual place of the game, which seems very real.
"Um, what if we choose the same category?" Fourth followed up incredulously.
"It's not allowed. Choose one and enter the door quickly to avoid that conflict," Author responded.
"What exactly are we going to do there? How do we know if we've won? And how do we get out of there?" Sectwen interrogated Author with a stern look. She appeared determined, judging by the rapid-fire questions she asked.
"Your goals and objectives will appear when you play. You will know you have won once you have fulfilled all your missions inside the game. You will automatically vanish from the game and be brought back inside the glass capsule when you achieve victory."
Sixzen stepped forward. "Do we communicate with the players?"
"Yes, but only for a limited time. You're lucky if you manage to win within a short period. You can turn your communication on or off to conserve your communication time limit."
It was good that communication was possible, but the downside was that it only lasted for a certain period.