It's the year 2095.
Imperial City, Downtown Area.
Yonmu Imperial Hospital.
In a VIP room, we currently find a young man in his twenties resting on a bed with a few machines beside him making beeping sounds. This young man could not be considered as handsome but he was above average in looks.
He has short, black hair and dark brown skin, signifying that he's of mixed descent. His body could not be called bulky or muscular since his body was more on the slim side but he does have some well-developed muscles underneath his hospital gown so lean would be what most people used.
He was fairly tall, reaching 183cm in height, and weighed roughly 70kg. Currently, a few cords were sticking out of his arms, connected to the machines next to the bed and he was sleeping quite peacefully with no change to the peace of the room.
A few minutes later, however, we find the young man jumping up from his sleep and instantly surveying the room around him with a sharp but cautious glint in his eyes. Finding no one around him, the young man eased a bit of the caution from his eyes, but he then started checking out the various things in the room he did not recognize.
His eyes passed over the various machines making noises in the room as well as the cords connecting his body to said machines with a bit of curiosity but did not touch them. He then looked around the room, which was in a bright white color, and saw the sunlight peering through the gaps in the curtains covering the windows. Seeing that the surroundings weren't a threat and that he was in a medical facility of some sort being treated, the young man returned to lying back down in the bed and going over his thoughts.
'What the hell happened to me? How am I still alive?'
The young man thought back to his final memory before blacking out, which was of him fighting Alladin next to the river. He remembered killing the man before falling into the river back first. He even remembered having settled on the bottom of the river bed and releasing his final sigh in that life.
Up to there, the young man had no trouble remembering but as soon as he tried to think of what happened next, he immediately struck with a sense of realization, followed by a splitting headache. He remembered, just before blacking out, there was a red glow emanating from his body and that it was coming from where he had that mysterious bead on his body. He had no time to dwell on this thought, however, as the headache forced him to blackout once again, only this time his body slightly twitching in a few places.
*******
One hour later.
Currently, we find a young woman in her mid to late twenties walking up to the VIP room. Beside this woman, we find a few men dressed in black suits shadowing her. As they got to the room door, the woman turned to the men and gave them a nod before entering the room. The men, in turn, took up their places outside the door, waiting for the woman's return.
Inside the room, we find the young woman look at the young man currently asleep on the bed. Seeing that he wasn't awake, the young woman went and opened the curtains a bit to let more light into the room. She also cracked open the windows to allow fresh air to enter. Completely unaware to the woman, the young man on the bed was currently eyeing through the small gaps between his eyelids.
The young man was aware of the woman's presence the moment she and her entourage neared his bedroom door but pretended to be asleep to see what she planned to do.
In his eyes, he saw a woman that would attract the attention of males anywhere she went. She looked tall for a woman, roughly 172cm, and was dressed in a conservative dark blue dress suit. She was slim and had shoulder-length black hair. She had on a pair of square glasses on her face covering her sharp eyes on her oval-shaped face. Her body was slim and the dress suit stopped just above the knees of her long legs. In short, the woman was a cool beauty.
After eyeing the woman for a bit while she worked, the young man went back to sorting out the memories he received from that massive influx of pain the headache from an hour before had given him. During this time the woman sat down on a chair nearby the bed and took out a book to read.
For the next twenty minutes or so, the young man sorted out the memories he received from the headache. In the memories, he learned about the owner of the body he was currently in, Wang Xu. He learned that the young man, like him, was an orphan. He grew up in an orphanage during his early years.
He was eventually adopted during his grade school years by an elderly couple but even they didn't stay in his life for too long as they passed on while he was attending high school years later. After finishing high school, Wang Xu had to immediately start working as he had no money to attend college. After a few years of working odd jobs, he eventually ended up working for this security company and was assigned to the unit attached to the Sanming Gaming Studio.
Looking at the memories up to here, the young man couldn't help but feel somewhat rueful at how similar both his and Wang Xu's lives were. The only difference is that unlike Wang Xu who died in his twenties, the young man managed to live twice as long and was starting to contemplate retirement before he died. Besides that, their lives were just that similar.
After figuratively shaking his head free of distractions, the young man then looked up how exactly Wang Xu met his end. He was on his way home when he saw a few women being harassed by a group of men. Normally he wouldn't have taken that route home but this time he was in a rush and just so happened to come across this event, so he decided to call the cops and help the women in the meantime.
After calling the cops and giving them his current location, Wang Xu confronted the group as a means of buying time. Eventually, a fight broke out and Wang Xu managed to take down a few of the men before he was eventually hit over the head from behind by a member of the group who wasn't present before. Apparently, the hit was severe enough to draw blood and this caused the group to run away before things got any worse.
That hit, however, was enough to cause Wang Xu's death and by the time the ambulance showed up he was already long gone. The only reason he wasn't considered dead on-site was that the body apparently still had a heartbeat and he was then rushed to a hospital where he underwent surgery and had been resting ever since.
While going through those memories, the young man noticed something strange. While no one was looking and after Wang Xu had died, he noticed that there was a brief flash of red that appeared in Wang Xu's body and it was this flash of red that caused him to retain his heartbeat. When he tried to focus even further on what that flash of red was, something appeared in the young man's mind. This something caused the young man to instantly jump up in the bed, startling the woman reading her book next to him. The reason for this is because the young man recognized what that something was. It was the bead he was charged with retrieving during his last mission.
Now that he's jumped up and startled the woman next to him, the young man couldn't just pretend to be asleep anymore, so he started surveying the room as if he's puzzled why he is in a hospital. Seeing his reaction, the bespectacled young woman pushed a button on a remote next to the bed before turning to the young man.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Wang. How are you feeling?"
"My head feels a bit fuzzy. Apart from that and a few aches and pains in my body, I'm doing just fine. Thanks for asking."
The young woman nodded and just as she was about to say something else the doctor and a few nurses entered the room. After looking at the bed and noticing that the young man was awake, the doctor and the nurses approached him. While the nurses were preparing materials to do some tests, the doctor spoke to the young man.
"Good day, Mr. Wang. I am Dr. Sing and I am the one in charge of your treatment. How are you feeling now that you are up?"
"Hello, Dr. Sing. As I have just told this young lady here, besides my head feeling a bit fuzzy and a few aches and pains on my body due to lack of use, I'm doing just fine." After saying this the young man adjusted his position on the bed so that he's currently sitting up.
"Very good, Mr. Wang. That fuzzy feeling in your head should pass within a few hours and those other aches will be erased when you start exercising later. Seeing that you are currently awake, do you mind if we run some tests to check up on your health?"
"By all means." As the young man said this, the young woman from before took her book and made her way towards the door.
"I'll be back to check on you later, Mr. Wang." Without waiting for the young man's response, the bespectacled woman left the room so that the doctor and nurses can carry out their tests unhindered. The young man watched as she left then shrugged before allowing himself to be checked by the hospital staff.
*******
Outside the VIP room, the woman nodded at the bodyguards before walking away, the men following after her. As she was walking, she took out her cellphone and made a call.
"He's awake, Sir."
'What's his current state like?'
"Nothing serious so far, Sir. If all goes well, he should be fully recovered in a few days."
'Very good. Keep monitoring him until he's released from the hospital and make sure nothing happens to him. Those are the orders from the young miss.'
"Understood Sir."
After hanging up the phone, the woman continued on her way and left the hospital with the security detail in tow.
*******
After a few more days of rest within the hospital, The young man was given a clean bill of health and finally allowed to leave. When he asked about payment, he was told that the bill was already covered by the woman who visited him a few days prior. At first, he was a bit surprised but after remembering what she had talked to him about later that evening, he shrugged it off and slowly made his way home.
In the few days that he's been awake, the young man or Kirou was able to sort through and fully absorb all of Wang Xu's memories. Feeling that the young man's life ended way too quickly and realizing that he himself now had a new lease on life, Kirou decided that he would live out Wang Xu's life for him.
As he thought this, Kirou, or rather, Wang Xu started coming up with plans on what he should be doing next. Unlike his previous life where he lived like an assassin, Wang Xu decided that he would live a slow and steady life this time.
Looking through his memories, he noticed that the security job that the previous Wang Xu had wasn't all that stressful so continuing with it wouldn't be an issue in the long run. At the very least it could provide him with some stability.
Next on his list was finding a means to train his body. Though he wanted a slow and relaxing life, Kirou understood very well that one's safety can only be assured by oneself so he wanted to make sure what happened to the previous Wang Xu won't happen to him.
Lastly, he now had to decide what he should do as a hobby. As opposed to his previous life where he worked as a blacksmith among other things in his free time, he currently lived in a world where such things aren't the norm so he had to find something else to occupy his time.
As he was thinking this, Kirou couldn't help but notice an advertisement broadcast for a new video game on a billboard across the street from him. The game broadcast showcased many elements similar to things from his previous life, including his old hobbies. Kirou couldn't help but marvel at that fact and made a mental note to look up the details for that game later on.
It's been roughly a week since Kirou left the hospital and resumed working at the Sanming Gaming Studio as Wang Xu. During this time, no one was able to notice any differences between both individuals. Granted, this was mainly because Wang Xu himself never really socialized that much with the others.Currently, Kirou was making his final round of checking for the day. It's his fifth one for the day with his partner, Shang Yin. Shang Yin was another recruit to the security detail stationed at Sanming, but unlike Wang Xu, he was quite a social person. Even the antisocial Wang Xu found himself caught up in Shang Yin's pace whenever the two were working together.As they were returning to the guard station, Shang Yin decided to strike up a conversation with Kirou, "Hey Brother Wang, have you tried the new game that our company is currently active in yet?""Not yet. I've read up on it for a bit after leaving the hospital last
Kirou looked around as soon as his vision returned to him. He was currently near the center of a rural village. Though it has been at least a full week since Immortal Era was launched, you could still find quite a few people moving around the village.As Kirou was surveying his surroundings, a Lycan reminiscent of an old man approached him."Hello and welcome to Elderwood Village, young one. I see that you are new here. I am called Old Wolf." The old man now identified as Old Wolf gave Kirou a polite greeting."Greetings senior. I go by the name Kirou. Is there anything I can help you with today?" Kirou returned the greeting with a polite bow and asked.Old Wolf looked at how Kirou greeted him and couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. Most of the new Lycans he had greeted in the past few days never returned such a polite greeting to him. To them, apparently even interacting with him was a hassle b
After walking for a few minutes, Kirou once again returned to the town center where he originally met Old Wolf. Looking around, Kirou found Old Wolf sitting on a chair, watching the villagers moving about. He then approached and greeted Old Wolf."How was your talk with the instructor, young one?" asked Old Wolf with a smile."It was both pleasant and informative Elder. Thank you for pointing me in his direction. Instructor Bladesmith's words truly opened my eyes to the potential of my class," replied Kirou with a relaxed smile of his own.Hearing Kirou actually mentioning Bladesmith's name caused Old Wolf to raise an eyebrow. "The fact that you know his name and spent so much time getting back here already tells me that you are truly different from the other weapon master rookies who've passed through this village. Very good. Since that is the case, allow me to give you some work."[System Message:
[Skill Generated: Pickpocket]Skill: PickpocketSkill Level: 1/5Rank: C (A at max skill level)Cost: 1-5 MPSkill Creator/Generator: Player KirouDescription: This is an alternate version of the skill [Steal] from the Thief class that was self-learned by Player Kirou. This skill allows the player to take something from a targets' body or inventory. The item taken can be anything on the target excluding quest items and the rarity or amount depends on the skill level, target level in comparison to the skill user, and the amount of time the skill user's hand is on the target's body. Luck also plays a part in deciding the item taken.Kirou had just been going on a hunch but he was glad to see that it paid off. In addition to that, when he opened his palm, he noticed that there was a copper coin resting in the middle of it. He wagered that it must have been the fact that he finally obtained the coin for why the
Kirou was currently on his way back to Elderwood Village. He was currently smiling as he was wondering what the look on Reya's face would be when she saw the quality for the list of items she traded with Kirou.'I almost regret not waiting around to see her face when she checked those items. I'm willing to bet she will be shocked,' thought Kirou to himself with a smug smile on his face.The reason for Kirou's current jovial mood and the assurance that Reya would be shocked was that all the items she asked for were given to her as excellent quality. At this point in the game, it was practically impossible for there to exist another person capable of achieving that. As for the plants he received in return, they might not be of excellent quality but they were high enough. With the other items mixed in, when he turns in the quests he should maintain a high grade overall.Like that, Kirou kept walking for roughly twenty minut
Kirou was currently standing outside of the Village Armory. Like his previous trip, he could hear the sounds of metal being hammered from behind the door. Unlike before, he didn't knock to gain Bladesmith's attention before he could enter. He just quietly snuck in and waited next to the door. Like that, he allowed another hour to pass before his presence was acknowledged.It was only after he had finished hammering that piece of metal into shape that he stopped working and turned around to greet Kirou. "Sorry for keeping you waiting, lad.""It's fine. After all, I'm the one who showed up while you were working." Kirou said this to Bladesmith as they both approached the resting area of the cottage."So, you have the materials you need to make that unique weapon of yours?" asked Bladesmith out of curiosity."In fact, I have. It's just that I'm going to need a bit of help in the creation process." Kirou
Kirou was currently walking around Elderwood Village. The conversation he had with Bladesmith got him thinking about a few things about his weapon master class. The fact that he would eventually have had to get the blacksmith subclass to get his own personalized weapons was surprising. That wasn't info he was privy to before starting the game. He understands why he would have had to do it in the long run, especially with all the weapon designs he has in mind, but he couldn't help but take note of this detail. Hell, the only reason he got it so early is due to him finding some common ground with Bladesmith from the start.'I guess this game isn't so simple as the game company's advertisements made it seem so far. I wonder what else I will stumble unto while playing this game.' Those were Kirou's thoughts as he was opened up his status menu. He's been receiving a reminder from the system for a while now so he decided to check it out.Name: Kir
Kirou was currently lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. It was currently five in the morning. Due to the gaming helmet putting his body into a state of rest while he played the game, his body felt quite refreshed. This, however, did nothing to alleviate the fatigue of his mind he felt from gaming the whole night so he was currently staring off into space.After spending a few more minutes like this, Kirou eventually got up and made a simple breakfast. After eating his fill and washing up, he did a set of stretches before leaving his apartment. Kirou ran a few miles before returning to his apartment, washed off the morning sweat, and got ready for work. It was after seven when he finally left the apartment for work.By the time Kirou got to work, it was already 8:30 and his shift started at 9. Kirou spent this time in a daze as well and it wasn't until his shift started that focus seemed to return to his