"Finally, it's here."
The excitement in his voice couldn't be contained as he saw the full immersion helmets from Egostic company.
The package arrived in a matte black box, with the company's silver logo engraved in the center. He had been waiting for it for three weeks, checking the shipping status every day like a child before Christmas. Although the price had been high — his savings for the entire year reduced to a third of what they were — it was worth every penny.
The reason was the popular Ranking Conquest, an immersive virtual reality game with an AI so powerful it made NPCs indistinguishable from real people.
It wasn't like those old games where characters repeated scripted lines or followed predictable routes. Here, every villager had their own life, their own worries, their own secrets.
You could spend hours chatting with a baker and discover that, in reality, he was a retired hero with a hidden quest.
Ranking Conquest was the most popular game on the market due to its unique system and expanded universe.
Because, unlike other limited-area games — survival, battle royale — here the map wasn't restricted to one region: it was limited only by the universe.
There were medieval fantasy worlds, zombie survival, futuristic environments, gambling worlds, interplanetary racing. Any possibility was possible. The developers promised that not all worlds had been discovered yet; some only activated when a player reached certain conditions, as if the game's universe itself expanded organically.
Another point was transactions: both the in-game currency, Claws, and real money could be exchanged, bought, or used directly to purchase items from the system store. That meant a dedicated player could make a living inside the game, selling rare items or completing quests for other users.
There were stories on the forums of players who had left their regular jobs to live exclusively off Ranking Conquest.
Smiling faintly, he headed to his room.
The helmet was lighter than expected, with a smooth surface that adapted to the shape of his head. He connected the helmet to the power supply and the processing unit he had installed next to his computer the night before. The LED lights blinked in sequence, indicating everything was working correctly. He turned it on, put it on, and closed his eyes.
[Do you wish to enter Ranking Conquest?]
[Yes] [No]
He quickly pressed "Yes" with a thought — the helmet read basic neural signals, something that still felt both unsettling and fascinating in equal measure — and his consciousness plunged.
The world faded without transition. There was no blackness, no loading screen. Just a blink, and suddenly he was there.
But not in an epic landscape or a floating city.
He was in a white room. Empty. Infinite in its simplicity. The walls didn't exist as such, only a diffuse boundary of homogeneous light that faded into nowhere.
The floor was solid but textureless, like walking on a hardened cloud.
The silence was absolute, except for a faint ambient hum that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. He took a couple of steps, just to confirm the floor was real, and his footsteps produced no echo at all.
In front of him, floating at eye level, a translucent panel flickered softly:
[Avatar Configuration]
[Customize your identity in Ranking Conquest]
Options appeared: race, facial features, build, height, voice. Each category unfolded into endless submenus. He could scan his own face or build one from scratch. He could be human, elf, a mechanical being, or something completely alien to any known species.
There was an option that said "[Advanced Configuration]" with a warning that modifying certain parameters could affect initial stats.
He made a mental note to investigate it later.
He ran a finger through the air and the options spun like a ghostly carousel.
The system responded with impressive fluidity, without the slightest delay. Every gesture, no matter how small, translated into instant movement on the panel.
Looking at the ghostly roulette, he observed the various options for his race: there were the typical ones — dwarf, elf, beastman — but also more exotic ones: robot, monster, non-human bodies, and even a cryptic category that said "[Classified]". When he tried to select it, a message appeared: [Requirements not met. Reach level 50 to unlock].
Bringing a hand to his chin, he examined the races until he chose one.
He briefly considered choosing elf for the magical affinity they usually had in most games, or perhaps beastman for the physical bonuses.
But something about the simplicity of the human appealed to him.
No significant natural advantages, but also no marked weaknesses. It was a wildcard capable of extracting the best advantages, good at everything, master of none.
[You have selected the Human race]
[Do you wish to confirm this race?]
"Yes," he replied.
[Human race confirmed]
[Please add characteristics]
He watched as a male human body was created without apparent features — a generic silhouette, like a store mannequin. Then a box appeared with complex specifications to add or remove things from the body. Every muscle, every proportion, every detail could be adjusted with millimeter precision. There were sliders for shoulder width, limb length, even spinal curvature.
Scratching his head, he looked at the screen and noticed a base template section.
There were pre-designed body models: there were slender, robust, muscular, and obese shapes. Each template could be modified afterward, but it saved hours of manual adjustments. Since he didn't want to spend all night on configuration, he chose a normal build and then edited it, adding firm muscles — not to the level of a bodybuilder, but rather like a swimmer or martial artist: defined without losing agility.
Then he moved on to hair. He left it black, straight, flowing down to his neck. Nothing too flashy, but with a casual touch.
He tried other styles — shaved, shoulder-length, even one that looked like it came from an anime — but returned to the original. Simple, functional, and above all, easy to remember.
As for eye color, he left it a blood-red color. A detail that broke with the ordinary.
Bright red, intense, as if they carried their own light. It wasn't a common color, even in the game, and he liked the idea that someone might recognize him just by his gaze.
After adding a few other specifications — a barely perceptible scar on his left eyebrow, slightly bronzed skin as if he'd spent time in the sun, hands with marked knuckles — he looked at the result. In front of him stood his avatar: he had the appearance of a young man of 19, slightly tanned fair skin, black hair with penetrating red eyes, and a body trained like an elite athlete. He wasn't the strongest or the fastest on paper, but he conveyed a sense of balance and quiet competence.
[Do you wish to confirm the avatar's appearance?]
He pressed the accept option without hesitation.
After accepting, the avatar dissolved into particles of light that merged with him. A few seconds of tingling passed — like small electric discharges running through his virtual skin — until he noticed that he now had the appearance of his avatar, although he didn't feel different. He moved his arms, his legs. He flexed his fingers. Everything responded naturally, as if that had always been his body.
"Weird," he murmured, raising a hand in front of his eyes to observe the details of his skin, the lines on his palms. "I even have clothes."
The clothing was a simple outfit: a black survival suit, the basic gear that all beginners received. Among the initial belongings were a low-caliber pistol, a short sword with a dull edge, and a dagger that looked more utilitarian than lethal.
Nothing impressive, but enough to start. An pop-up window confirmed: [Novice Equipment automatically equipped. You can change it in any safe zone.]
[Please choose a username]
"Uhm," he said without thinking too much. He just wanted to move forward.
[The name "UHM" already exists. Please choose another name]
"¿What, wait!?" he exclaimed, incredulous.
[The name "¡¿What, wait!?" already exists. Please choose another name]
"Shit, stop," he said in frustration.
[The user "Shit stop" already exists. Please choose another name]
He closed his mouth instantly, sighing mentally. He was silent for a few seconds, processing the absurdity of the situation. Of course those names were already taken.
This game had been active for months. Any combination of common words, insults, or funny phrases had already been claimed by someone faster or more original. Or by people who simply had nothing better to do.
After a few seconds of serious reflection — he didn't want to end up as "User12345" or something equally ridiculous — he smiled with satisfaction.
"Shade," he finally said, hoping that name wouldn't be taken.
[Name successfully registered. Please select your starting world]
In front of Shade appeared several grids of different worlds he could enter.
Since he was only level one, he needed to increase his level and obtain a set of items to move between the different game zones. Some worlds had a red lock over their icons: [Requirement: Level 10], [Requirement: Level 25], [Requirement: Special quest completed].
Before entering, he had researched the best places to farm initial levels.
He had spent hours on forums, watching video guides, and comparing statistics. He discovered that the best place was called Alderac. A medieval fantasy kingdom, with dense forests, underground dungeons, and a guild-based economy.
The presence of novice players was lower due to a small detail: the main quest.
When going to a planet, you were given a main quest that depended on the affiliation you decided to join.
The Alderac quest was particularly difficult for low levels, which scared away casual players. But that also meant less competition for resources, fewer crowds in farming zones, and a more dedicated community.
There were three affiliations.
The first was the Light affiliation, aligned with justice, official guilds, and the established order.
Then there was the Neutral affiliation, which allowed free movement between factions but without any major benefits.
And finally the Dark affiliation, for those who preferred to operate on the margins, with stealth, theft, and assassination quests, but with the constant risk of being hunted by Light players.
After thinking over and considering his options — each had advantages and disadvantages he had studied in detail — he chose the city of Alderac as his starting point. He didn't declare an affiliation immediately; the game allowed him to postpone the decision until completing certain introductory quests. He preferred to keep his options open.
[Welcome to Ranking Conquest, player Shade]