Overgeared: Saharan Successor

Chapter 1: VRMMO Release Day

In the not-so-distant future, the realm of virtual reality evolved into an unimaginable frontier, transforming the way humanity experienced entertainment and social interaction. 

What once seemed like a whimsical notion had become an indispensable part of everyday life. The advent of Capsule Connectors marked a paradigm shift in the VR landscape, elevating the experience from a mere visual and auditory simulation to a full-blown sensory adventure.

Capsule Connectors were sleek, high-tech devices resembling sophisticated pods. Users would recline comfortably within these capsules, donning neural interface headsets that seamlessly linked their consciousness to the virtual realm. 

The once cumbersome VR gear became streamlined, allowing players to effortlessly transition from reality to the fantastical world within the blink of an eye.

VRMMOs became the pinnacle of immersive entertainment in such a future timeline, and here it was, the year 2070 which marked the release of an VRMMO that would lead the advance in both technology and entertainment.

Satisfy World Online, as it was called, found its way into the homes of many players, where they could enjoy relaxing time or engage competitively with the desire of conquering such a world. 

This fantasy world they offered was not just pixels on a screen, no, it was a living, breathing universe, meticulously crafted to mimic the grandeur of ancient realms, with sprawling landscapes, mythical creatures and magical wonders.

Entering such a Fantasy World became the desires of many, regardless of the price. And to speak about the generosity of the developers, it was affordable. 

Some commentators and reviewers of this game suggested that this strategy of selling the capsule they developed at an affordable price was akin to how drug dealers would sell their coke on a huge discount before spiking prices once they got their customers hooked. 

After buying the capsule, you only had to continue extending your game subscription, which was too at a reasonable price of 25$ monthly.

 One such case was of a young adult who was living by himself in a small apartment in the capital city of Romania, Bucharest, who was drowned in the sheer number cables that he had to set up for the Satisfy Capsule, which were so extensive that you might believe they were intestines. 

"It's a mess… The delivery guys also made a mess from the box with all the foam wrappers, but at least the capsule wasn't damaged in any way."

"Hahh, I expected that I would get entangled in those cables, so no point in complaining. Let's start following the tutorial and ready myself for the Launch."

This individual busied himself like an ant working towards a goal, circling around his sole room in the apartment and inserting the outlets and other safeties required by the Satisfy Capsule. It felt worse than building your PC from scratch for certain.

After an hour, the young man finally breathed a sigh of relief and stretched his body from his strained and crouched position as he was setting up the cables in an orderly way.

Done with his stretches, he walked before the capsule and stood there, watching this sleek and futuristic Capsule Connector, and in a short span of time, his heart began pounding with anticipation. 

"Fantasy World Game. Huuh, I think I got influenced by grandpa too much as I heard his pleas and whatnot about having the chance to experience an Alternative World from this day-to-day nonsense."

The device, resembling an otherworldly cocoon, beckoned him into a realm where the boundaries of reality would blur, and his senses would be thrust into a fantastical adventure. 

As he entered the capsule, a gentle hum enveloped him, and the translucent lid closed with a soft, futuristic hiss.

Once settled inside, the young man felt a subtle vibration as the capsule initiated the connection sequence. 

[ Neural Link Synchronization Process: 1% … 25% … 100%]

The ambient lighting within the pod shifted, casting an ethereal glow that danced across the interior. His neural interface headset synced seamlessly with his consciousness, and he felt a momentary disorientation, as if being gently pulled away from the tangible world.

Suddenly, he found himself standing at the entrance of a virtual gateway, a shimmering portal that pulsated with arcane energy. 

Whoa, this logging feature is polished. Ten years in development are not for nothing.

The transition was seamless, and his surroundings morphed from the sterile capsule to a breathtaking landscape of towering mountains, cascading waterfalls, and vibrant meadows.

Taking his first steps in this virtual wonderland, the young man marveled at the attention to details. Blades of grass crunched beneath his bare feet, and a gentle breeze tousled his short black hair. 

The distant calls of mythical dragons echoed through the air, creating an immersive symphony of the fantastical.

Oh my god. Those dragon cries feel so vivid. And this is just a preview of the actual game, since it hasn't launched yet.

I still got 4 hours before the Live.

As he moved forward, the air around him sparkled with a touch of magic. 

The landscape stretched endlessly before him, a world waiting to be explored. He could scarcely believe the level of immersion; every sensation felt as real as if he were truly traversing a mystical realm.

Worth all the money I put into the Capsule. Just moving around this 'Preview' Area 'freely' is enough to stir up my imagination for a future web novel.

I heard Satisfy World Online is a Medieval-High Fantasy World, so I'm sure I'll have something cooking pretty soon. Only if I don't get drowned in playing the game.

But I doubt… I still have to go work my 8 hour shift at the Hotel.

Crap, my mood is about to switch. Let's not bother with the work, and explore whatever I can in this Preview Room.

Looking around himself, basking in those landscapes of an untouched world, he felt relaxed, almost serene, and as he finally reached the end of the 'Preview Area' set up by the developers, a holographic interface materialized before him.

[ User-1235AB, welcome to the 'Preview Room'. You can set up your Gamertag and customize your Avatar.]

This should be the infamous Morpheus AI that won the Developer the Nobel Prize. thought the young man as he analyzed the interface along with the messages flowing in a adjustand window.

"I would like to receive an explanation on Avatar Customization. What are the limitations and possibilities a player can achieve?"

[Request has been confirmed. The Chosen Ones have three paths to be explored.]

[First choice in customization is an automatic feature that translates User's features from the connector's sensors.]

Really? Now I understand why there were so many cables…

[The second option is a 'Manual Customization' but it has to be taken into consideration that there will be a limit based on the User's body type that has been registered by the Connector's sensors.]

Makes sense… This should be a realistic virtual world, so you can't have all sorts of wacky body proportions like in Novels and Anime.

[The third option is a combination of 'Automatic and Manual', where you can select specific features that you want to adjust.]

Huh? What's this? Isn't this simply option 2?

"Question. What's the difference between option 2 and 3? It's rather troubling."

[Request input has been received.]

[Option 3 allows an User to modify specific traits that are related to accidents such as scars, body malformations, regenerate missing limbs, and adjust the size of body features.]

... That's clearly sanctioned VR Plastic Surgery. These Plastic Surgery junkies. Are they flashing up their Black Desert Online character interface?

I understand the necessity of the disabled to relive what they have missed but those who have ugly faces, big noses, mono eyebrows and whatnot, why cater to everyone?

Hahh, anyway. I guess, good for them?

"I understand. Thank you for the explanation. I would like to proceed with the Avatar Customization. I will pick option 1."

[Requesting permission to check the body sensors of User-1235AB Connector… Access permitted.]

Suddenly I can sense a burning sensation wrapping my body? Is this related to the sensors?

Yet, this sensation passed in a flash, and right before the youngster's eyes, a body size mirror morphed from nothing, appearing magically in front of him.

He could clearly see all of his features in the mirror, but couldn't help but feel a twinge of self-consciousness as he stood motionless, inspecting everything that got translated from IRL to VR.

Why am I naked?

In front of his face was standing a decently tall man, reaching 190 cm, with a lean body in the range of 15-20% body fat. His skin tone was olive, clearly he wasn't afraid of walking outside of his house and touching grass, and from his visible muscles he was also diligent in taking care of his body.

His looks could be described as above average; his short black hair, and mesmerizing green eyes granted him quite the charming appearance.

Once satisfied, the youngster confirmed his choices, and the holographic interface dissipated, leaving his avatar standing before him in all its glory. 

"Register the Avatar."

[User has confirmed the appearance of the Avatar. The User is required to register a Gamertag for a complete experience in the Satisfy World.]

Presented with a unique window along with a keyboard for safety's sake, he felt encouraged to deliver an edgy and corny gamertag that would come to haunt him for the rest of his days, or as long as this game was still operating.

'Nahh, I know I've got some insane imagination, but let's not take it too far.'

"M-A-T-E-I"

[Ding! The User is warned about the possibility of being commonly messaged because of the generic Gamertag. Based on current registry data, the selected Gamertag has been registered 2,862 times.]

"WHAT???"

"I can not? I can't even use my own name? I thought this game was big in East Asia and the US, not in Europe… Uh-huh, Romanians, why do they have to be so stubborn and greedy? Just let only one person be Matei…'

"Ahh, crap, I'm also among them."

Deleting the name he wrote using the keyboard, he gave another input this time, and to his relief the AI told him that he was among the first people to bless their Avatars with this name.

[User is confirming the usage of the Gamertag 'Mathias'? Currently there are only 1,875 players to name their Avatars as such.]

"Noo! Tsk, they should have implemented a system where the first guy to take a name, owns it, just like in the other games. And I imagine this is just the start, after a couple of weeks, months, there would be hundreds of thousands of Mathias's and Mateis roaming the streets of Satisfy World."

"Once more people turn out in the game, this name will be less and less noticeable. What I need is something that would make me stand out, something rarer."

"I should brainstorm some new ideas for a name. First, avoid popular comics/anime characters, plenty of folks would go for those I imagine. Let's think about the literature I've read?"

"Mythos maybe? Well, why not? Those stories are no longer that popular with the advent of technology and the rise of AI."

"Let's do it for the charm of it, and not pick gamertags like those Chinese and Korean folks."

…

The facial expression this younger was having on his face while appearing in his Adam Suit, with a flashing holy light covering his intimate area could be simply described as someone constipated.

For lack of a better word, he was racking his brain for all sorts of names, and finally he reached a pleasant conclusion that matched with his plans for this new journey into VR.

"..."

"Odin."

[ Based on current registry data, the selected Gamertag has been registered 0 times.]

"That's how it should be. If there's more trying to claim this namesake, I'll be sorry to tell them that I'm quite the petty person, and will crush them into changing names."

[User's Gamertag has been registered. You no longer can change it.]

Done with the 'administrative' process of creating his avatar and setting his gamertag, Matei, or rather how he would like himself to be known in this fantasy journey of his, Odin, remained for a bit inside the Preview Room.

The sights were breathtaking and goosebumps inducing, there was no reason not to stand there and watch the world underneath if you were into landscaping. Yet, he had to log off and resume his patient waiting game which overwhelmed hundreds of thousands of players, if not millions.

The world might have been in a population decline, but the innovation in VR brought by the brilliant minds of the late 21st century brought a moment of peace from the stressful lives of many souls.

Among those who wanted to take their minds away from the stressful day-to-day lives, was 'Odin', who had a heavy routine of working his 9-5 job, followed by his workout, and later on slowly destressing at home. This new addition of the Satisfy World was a welcomed surprise for many like him.

I got my strategies right from the scraps I accumulated screening the Forum Posts of the Beta Phase. Even though their gameplay was restrained to only completing some starting Questlines such as enrolling into the Garrisons of their starting locations, there's one specific place that has the highest difficulty of climbing the hierarchy.

And that would be the Saharan Empire. The NPCs there all start as 'distrustful' or 'neutral' with the 'Chosen Ones' and only after completing many nagging quests that would improve the favorability with them, would the bread and butter be spread around.

However, I should see for myself how hard it is to get the quests rolling.

While it hasn't been explored much in the Beta Phase, some of the lore explorers found out important info additions regarding this Fantasy World. Such as the structure of the Saharan Empire and who were the greatest figures in this Continent.

Mainly, the Seven Great Dukes, along with the Four Pillars or the Empire, and with the Blazing Sun of the Empire, Emperor Juander von Saharan.

Without a margin of doubt, the Empire is the Hegemon of the Western Continent, with rumors of those merchants stating that there's also an Eastern Continent but the Red Sea is cursed by an Evil God that makes it impossible to cross it.

There's only Oracles from the Gods talking about that location as the breeding ground of the Evil God Worshippers. A place that should be purged under the name of the Goddess.

Only those bits of the Lore makes this Fantasy World more entertaining. And with those Oracles one can have an estimation on how the Main Quest Lines of the Game should look like, with us, the 'Chosen Ones' being the knife delivering Justice on the Evil Gods.

Sorting his thoughts in place, while on his laptop that had all sort of folders opened with files containing strategies ranging from leveling to how to improve your favorability with NPCs, there was a spiderweb-like board that was reminiscent of an Investigation Board of a NYPD Detective on the wall adjutant to his small office corner.

⤷ Bro, I just managed to configure my avatar. I pumped my muscles like there's no tomorrow. Don't forget to add me on your friend lists once you enter the game, I'm 'Demacia' with #1504 if there's other assholes picking the name.

⤷ I've read your forum post, and I'm interested in joining your future guild since we're in the Europe Server. Add me on your friend list, my gamertag is 'KebabforLife'. And if there's another… food enjoyer, the tag should be with #5722

⤷ Man, I like the idea for the guild you shared online, I'm down for it. Finished setting my account and avatar, now just rotting in my chair waiting for the servers to open. Make sure to add me, 'Hairylegs#2178. Much pleasure man and I'm sure we'll dominate the Europe server.'

As Odin watched the constant stream of messages popping up without stopping as reaction to his forum post regarding his willingness to shape up the first guild among the players in Europe, presenting his cause for those who were joining the Saharan Empire Area.

Unlike other already established guilds from the other VR games that were popular in recent years who didn't feel inclined in inviting noobs or beginners to this genre, Odin had a different approach. 

〘 Ascent of the Leviathan Guild: Global Invitation, everyone will be welcomed 〙

 Inwardly, Odin felt delighted of seeing so many players expressing their willingness to collaborate with him and put together something that would truly be called a Leviathan, unquestionable and undeniable.

If he wasn't already in a great mood knowing that Satisfy would open to the wider audience, with his plans in motion, a wide grin played on his chiseled face that lacked fat. He put his phone back on the office table, but the buzz of the notifications was constant.

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There is a discord for this fic. It has Live Updates about chapter progress and when they are completed, pictures for characters, lots of tidbits about the story, among other things. Join at https: // discord.gg / urTNDCufRx