Around him, the players continued arguing fervently, completely captivated by the system announcent.
It would probably beco a milestone difficult to forget for the following weeks.
But even so, Gabriel only felt tired. Deep within his mind, he could feel his bones suffering from a heavy exhaustion.
He knew that kind of exhaustion. When events surpassed the limits of one’s mind, living several days within a single night... The voices still had not faded from his thoughts, along with the ruin and the blood.
All the recent events he had experienced continued replaying inside his head. Circling endlessly. He decided not to remain connected much longer, because he needed to breathe and sleep.
He felt like he would go insane if this continued.
He quickly opened the nu.
LOG OUT
The vibrant world vanished.
---
He awoke heavily upon the uncomfortable bed in his apartnt.
The neural helt still partially covered his face while the artificial light from outside passed through the cracked window.
The city was still there. Cold, gray, and imnse.
For a few seconds, he remained lying down while staring at the poorly maintained ceiling. His room was silent, isolated from the outside world.
Gabriel slowly raised one hand before his eyes. It remained human, nothing had changed. But inside himself, he knew it... His perception was beginning to change.
A door had opened within him. He shifted his gaze toward the neural helt.
That defective piece of black-market trash had just changed his life. The idea was so absurd it almost seed funny, but it was reality.
But his thoughts quickly turned toward more complicated questions he had decided to ignore... What would happen now?
His life until that mont had been simple. Unpleasant, miserable, but simple. He had to work every day, eat if he was lucky, sleep, and survive.
His life had beco a cycle endlessly repeating itself.
But now there was an opportunity, so real it felt fake. It was not so corporate advertisent fantasy or a cheap dream sold to the masses.
It was a genuine opportunity to rise.
To leave Lower Neo-Atlas behind.
To stop being another forgotten bastard among millions.
His eyes slowly began to close. Exhaustion eventually defeated every other emotion, and for the first ti in a very long while, he was able to sleep peacefully.
---
By the ti he finally woke again, it was already late.
"Shit, again..."
He quickly sat up.
The apartnt remained dark, but the lights outside had shifted in tone. That ant he had slept for several hours, and his stomach imdiately ached. He was hungry, with a deep emptiness twisting inside his stomach.
Gabriel grimaced.
He had not eaten since the previous day, but that was nothing new. He had grown up hungry, and over ti had learned how to ignore it or convincingly pretend otherwise.
He had to search for his wrinkled standard uniform. It was black and cheap, with the company logo shining over the chest.
DeliverX.
The largest automated delivery company in Lower Neo-Atlas.
Or, as every courier called it:
"The poor crusher."
Gabriel grabbed the cap included with the uniform, with the word "SMILE" printed in huge yellow letters.
He had to smile when he rembered that he literally could not smile inside the ga.
Then he left the apartnt.
---
The outside air slled of rot and decay.
Miles of vehicles traveled through the inner levels of the city while police drones floated between gigantic advertising screens.
Gabriel descended the tal stairs toward the courier station. It was crowded with exhausted young people waiting for their automated assignnts.
It was a silent environnt. The sa exhaustion was reflected in everyone’s expression.
The system quickly recognized his identification.
COURIER XYZ-aaa5150.
STATUS: ACTIVE.
A compartnt automatically opened. Inside rested his foldable scooter.
It was extrely useful, with its slim fra and technology. It was covered in scratches since it had been subsidized by the company for its "star employees."
As he unfolded it, the small vehicle emitted an electric hum. Only a few seconds later, the first order arrived.
---
The day passed quickly. Too quickly.
Gabriel traveled through narrow streets and overlapping districts while the scooter weaved through traffic with practiced experience.
His first delivery was at a deteriorated apartnt in Sector A9.
The door slowly opened and an extrely thin old man appeared on the other side. There was an obvious problem with his hands as he struggled to hold the credit chip while trembling.
"S-sorry... my hands..."
Gabriel calmly shook his head.
"No problem."
The old man took nearly an entire minute to complete the transfer. The apartnt behind him was practically empty, with only a chair, a bed, and dication.
Gabriel received the paynt and quickly left.
His second delivery of the day was nearby.
A woman opened the door with completely unfocused eyes. Behind her lingered a faint purple smoke that still had not dissipated.
He recognized it imdiately. Cheap recreational narcotics.
The woman could barely remain standing.
"M-my food...?"
Gabriel handed over the package without saying much.
She did not even seem aware of where she was.
The third delivery was at a clinic. That was worse.
Dozens of people of all ages sat waiting silently beneath sickly white lights.
They wore dical bracelets around their wrists. All of them were patients, waiting for treatnt that often never arrived.
Gabriel avoided looking too closely. He hated clinics, and had learned to do so long ago.
Because people here did not die dramatically.
They simply faded away slowly.
The day continued being consud order after order. The streets kept multiplying endlessly.
And while he worked, Gabriel could not stop thinking about everything. The quest, vampirism, the ruin.
Sadly, all of it felt more real than the city itself.
That was the most terrifying part.
---
Eventually, he took a break near the city’s abandoned railway tracks.
He sat atop a rusted tal structure while opening a package of synthetic food.
The sll was not appetizing, and the texture was worse.
Gabriel chewed slowly while observing the gigantic urban landscape before him.
The lights never rested. Millions of people participating in the sa system.
He pulled out his personal device and opened The Heaven Above All forums.
It was absolute chaos. People were theorizing about the most important phenonon of the past weeks.
So threads were especially popular, ranging from how to unlock unique missions to detailed explanations about what it all could an.
There were even crazier theories, like the unknown player being part of the staff.
Gabriel read silently while eating. Many tis he wanted to laugh, while other tis it was simply too hilarious.
So well-known clans were already offering absurd rewards for information.
Gabriel read between the lines. He had definitely done the right thing by hiding everything.
Then he received a video call. The na made him smile ntally.
He accepted the call, and two identical faces imdiately appeared on the screen.
"Gabriel!" shouted the first the mont he appeared.
"You damn corpse, did you see the thing about the unique mission?!"
That was Kael. Extrely loud and impulsive, incapable of remaining silent for more than ten seconds.
The other twin stood behind him drinking an energy beverage.
"Ignore him. He’s been acting erratic for hours."
That was Noel, much calr and more sarcastic. Permanently exhausted by existence.
Gabriel let out a small laugh.
"Yeah. I’d be worried if he wasn’t."
"It’s insane!" Kael practically jumped in front of the cara.
"They’re saying it could be a legendary class from so quest chain!"
"Or an extrely lucky guy. Which is probably more realistic," Noel replied.
Kael snorted.
"You always ruin the fun."
They idly talked for several more minutes. About simple everyday things, factory treatnt, and horrible deliveries.
Nothing truly important, yet Gabriel still enjoyed the conversation imnsely.
Because he perfectly understood what they were doing: distracting themselves.
Everyone was tired of their own lives. They needed so kind of stimulation to keep going.
The call ended shortly afterward.
Gabriel remained seated while observing the city.
And then an uncomfortable realization appeared within his mind... The world had always been divided between those who had opportunities and those born too far below.
Lower Neo-Atlas was filled with diligent, intelligent, and decent people.
But none of that mattered, because the system had never been designed for them to rise.
But inside the ga, the rules were different.
And if they truly were different...
Then Gabriel was willing to take advantage of them.
No matter the cost.
---
By the ti he finally returned to his apartnt, dusk was approaching.
His body ached, and the outside environnt was incredibly hostile. ntally, he was exhausted.
But sothing inside him remained awake.
The expectation of becoming even stronger.
Gabriel slowly opened the door to his small dark room. The neural helt still rested upon the bed.
The device’s dim red light softly blinked within the darkness.
A smile slowly grew across his face.
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