As I made my way towards the main gate building, I caught sight of Elizabeth, who was accompanied by four individuals on the periphery of my vision. One of them seed familiar—the person with whom Elizabeth had engaged in friendly banter during our first class. Taking a deep breath, I overca my bubbling social anxiety about eting strangers and approached them cautiously, determined to be as polite as possible.
"I hope I didn't make you guys wait?" I said apologetically as Elizabeth saw approaching.
If I had known they were already here, I would've co a bit earlier. I spent my ti at the library waiting for the allotted ti since I didn't want to stand in the main gate building for minutes doing nothing.
"Oh, no, no! We just arrived earlier than expected," Elizabeth vehently protested.
That makes sense. It was only 3:25 the last ti I checked.
"I can't believe you managed to recruit another mber so quickly," the familiar boy exclaid.
"Well, with Liz around, it's not entirely unexpected," a calm and feminine voice responded.
"Oh, I apologize for not introducing everyone sooner. Katherine, these are my friends. We all co from the sa high school," Elizabeth explained, gesturing towards the group.
Elizabeth proceeded to introduce her friends to one by one, being mindful not to overwhelm .
"This is Lenna, my best friend," she announced.
Lenna, who stood shorter than , had long brown hair styled in a side bun. Her face exuded a warm and down-to-earth aura. She greeted with a friendly smile, acknowledging my presence in a relaxed manner.
Elizabeth continued with the introductions, pointing to the next person. "And this is Beny, the support player in our team."
Beny appeared to be a shy-looking boy with glasses and neatly cut hair. There was an endearing quality about him, like a little puppy that one would want to protect. Protect from whom, though?
"H-Hello..." the ek boy greeted.
"A pleasure," I replied disarmingly.
"This one is Rol," she pointed to the guy from earlier in our first class with whom she was bickering.
"Nice to et you, Katherine. I heard about you from Liz. Don't worry, I'm pretty skilled. If you have on your team, I'll be sure to carry you," he declared confidently, emphasizing his point by thumping his fist against his chest.
Are you a gorilla trying to show off or sothing? I wondered to myself.
Although he sure seems confident in his skills. Is he really that good? The question popped into my mind while rembering his earlier statent concerning Zetta.
"Nice to et you too," I replied politely while giving him an acknowledging nod.
Elizabeth continued with the introductions. "The chubby guy over there is Reynolds," she stated.
Reynolds, a portly guy slightly shorter than , had wavy, short-cut hair. He greeted with a friendly smile, his gentle deanor contrasting with his plump figure.
"Nice to et you, Miss Katherine," Reynolds greeted warmly, his friendly tone and kind expression putting at ease.
I pondered for a mont before asking. "Don't we have too many players?"
In Champions of Andartha (CoA), a team match typically consists of four players on each side, totaling eight players in-ga. The team composition can vary, but the most popular and well-balanced setup is having two supports and two carries. Carries are Champions who focus on dealing damage and eliminating the enemy team. They typically have a damage-oriented build and are crucial in dealing significant damage. On the other hand, supports have a more comprehensive range of roles, including healers, crowd controllers, tanks, buffers, and debuffers, among others. Their primary objective is to support the carries by either enabling them to deal more damage or hindering the enemy team from doing so.
"Oh, that's alright. Lenna isn't really a player and is just here to watch our ga. And Reynolds ntioned that he wants you to be able to join, so he won't be playing either," Elizabeth explained.
"Anything for you, Miss Katherine," Raynold said with a gentlemanly smile.
I forced a smile in response, unsure of how to reply to his remark. It caught off guard, leaving slightly speechless.
Elizabeth, noticing my reaction, walked beside and leaned closer to whisper in my ear, "Just ignore him. He's always like that whenever he sees a beautiful face."
"I... I see," I stamred, still taken aback by the unexpected complint.
So, he's a real-life example of a simp, huh?
"June ntioned that his team is already there, waiting for us. Are you ready to go?" Elizabeth asked.
"...Alright, lead the way," I responded politely.
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this. This would be my first ga in a long while, more than two years, to be exact. Thankfully, I still play single-player VR gas as a pasti, so hopefully, my skills haven't rusted that much.
--------------------------
As we chatted along the way, we arrived at the VR cafe after a short 5-minute walk. The establishnt was housed in a modern comrcial building, boasting a sleek and futuristic design.
Stepping into the VR cafe, I noticed that the interior was dimly lit, creating an atmosphere enhanced by the vibrant glow of green, blue, and red lines that adorned the walls and ceilings. These lines provided a futuristic touch and added to the ambiance of the space. The majority of the VR pods were occupied, with only a few vacant spots available. I noticed the staff also sanitizing the pod after a user finished playing which is a huge plus.
My attention was also drawn to the televisions hanging from the ceiling, replaying professional gas, predominantly of CoA, along with a few other gas that I didn't recognize. It was my first ti inside a VR cafe, and I found myself captivated by the lively atmosphere it exuded. Lost in my observations, I realized that Elizabeth had already made her way to the counter.
"Hey, Anna! Is June already here?" Elizabeth inquired of the woman behind the counter.
The lady was surrounded by nurous mini computer screens displaying CCTV footage, providing a comprehensive view of the VR pods throughout the establishnt.
"Oh, Liz! He's already waiting for you guys on the 3rd floor. Your reserved pods can be found in the room on your right after taking the stairs. The pods are numbered 315 to 318," the lady behind the counter politely explained.
"Thank you!" Elizabeth responded gratefully. "Let's go, guys."
With Elizabeth leading the way, we made our way upstairs to a spacious room. I noticed another set of approximately 20 VR pods, each with ample space between them. The room was bustling with other custors, all eager to enjoy their virtual reality experiences. As we approached the unused pods, I caught sight of a man standing in the corner, waiting for us.
"Took you long enough. I thought your team chickened out, Liz," the man taunted, his clean-shaven head and muscular physique giving him the appearance of soone who belonged in a gym.
"We arrived here as early as we could, June. Unlike you, we have classes, you know? And who's afraid of who? We completely crushed you in our last betting match," Elizabeth retorted with confidence.
"You were just lucky that ti. Our team play has improved since then, so don't expect it to go your way. Plus, we have a new player joining us today," June responded smugly.
Elizabeth turned to June and asked, "Is your entire team already here?"
"They're actually playing already. They got bored waiting for you to show up. Anyway, are we sticking to the sa rules as last ti?" June inquired.
"No bets this ti, just a normal match. And we also have a new teammate from our university," Elizabeth stated, signaling towards .
"Oh, so you managed to coerce another mber to join your team? Well, it's no surprise considering your ddleso personality," June teased.
"Hmph, I am not THAT ddleso... right?" Elizabeth looked at , as if expecting to deny the notion.
I shrugged nonchalantly, playing along. "You are, though."
June burst into laughter at my response, finding the exchange amusing, while Elizabeth pouted in playful protest.
"Hahaha, alright then, let's play with no bets. But the loser still has to cover the cost of the VR pod usage," June proposed.
"Fine, just don't regret it after we defeat your team," Elizabeth conceded, accepting the terms.
With the stakes finalized, June headed towards his VR pod.
"D-don't we get to warm up first?" Beny chid after June left.
"Don't be too scared. The enemy will be barely enough as a warm-up," Rol reassured us.
Elizabeth, accustod to Rol's overconfidence, took charge and instructed the rest of us. "You guys go ahead and create a lobby. I'll lend Katherine one of my accounts."
We each settled into our respective VR pods, and I made my way to pod #318, which was located furthest from the entrance. As I entered the pod and closed the door behind , a wave of nostalgia washed over . It has been a while.... too long since I last played CoA.
"Add on VR chat and I'll send you the userna and password to one of my accounts. I already told you my info, right?"
I nodded in confirmation.
"Also, don't worry too much about winning or losing. Just focus on the ga and have fun," she advised, flashing a bright smile.
What a kind person, I needed the reassurance with being already this nervous about playing. Well, I doubt we will lose anyway considering that they already beat the enemy team in their last bout. I'm not that useless that joining them would drag the team down even if I haven't played in a while... probably.
"Are you certain it's alright for to use your account?" I expressed my conflicted feelings.
"Absolutely! I rarely use it myself these days since I tend to play as a carry. You do know how to play support, right?" Elizabeth asked, seeking confirmation.
I nodded in affirmation. While I hadn't actively played the support role before, I had enough experience facing off against support players to understand their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the dos and don'ts of playing support.
"And don't worry, our height and body sizes are similar, so you won't feel any dissonance when controlling my character," she reassured .
Dissonance, huh? It seems she is referring to the concept of real body versus virtual body dissonance. This occurs when there is a stark difference between the proportions of your physical body and the avatar you create in the virtual world. As a result, your movents can feel awkward and delayed, hindering your ability to perform at your best. That's why beginner's guides often emphasize the importance of using a full body scan when creating a character. By doing so, your avatar can be more closely coordinated with your actual body.
Interestingly, despite the hundreds and thousands of guides telling people not to do it, many players still choose avatars that don't align with their own bodies, such as males creating female characters and vice versa then regretting it later on in higher levels of gaplay. Honestly, I can't understand why they would place themselves in such a huge disadvantage.
"Alright, I'll log in now," I declared, stepping into the open VR pod and pressing the button to close the door. The faint scent of detergent filled my senses, indicating that the pod had been thoroughly cleaned and well-maintained. Within seconds, a robotic female voice echoed through the pod.
Please put on the nerve gear*
Obliging, I grabbed the nerve gear placed in the middle of the pod. This is the main feature of the VR pod, the nerve gear. The nerve gear sends fake electromagnetic signals to your head at a frequency unique to the brain. Then the nerve gear produces artificial waves to stimulate the brain to provide artificial senses for the virtual reality that you experience... or sothing like that, I'm not a neurologist so don't know the complete details but that's the gist of what I read in passing interest.
Though I sotis have the irrational fear that there is so kind of overblown conspiracy device that will fry your brain to mush if you die on a ga thanks to an ani I watched when I was a bit younger. But the VR pod had been studied and cleared of any dangers and there are no reported cases of anyone's brain getting fried so that helps a bit in assuaging my irrational fear.
Vital signs green, ntal state green, emotional state green, preparing for virtual dive*
Loading 26%..... loading 59%..... loading 100% complete. Initiating full dive*
In a split second, all of my senses seemingly disappeared, leaving in a state of emptiness. However, just as quickly, my senses returned, as if they had never left. I found myself in a virtual space filled with beautifully aligned planets, an artistic backdrop that could be customized according to the user's preference, akin to the background of a desktop computer.
"Show all apps," I requested, and a list of cubes materialized before .
Instantly, I realized my mistake. The number of apps was overwhelming, with a multitude of gas, social dia platforms, networks, and various other unfamiliar options. There were over 50 installed apps, while I only utilized less than half of them on my own VR pod. Realizing this, I decided to rely on the search function rather than manually opening each app.
"Search and open VR ssenger," I commanded, and the VR system acknowledged my request, opening the ssenger for . I sent a private ssage to the account that Elizabeth had provided earlier, and after a short while, a red notification ping appeared at the edge of my vision. It signaled Elizabeth's acceptance of my friend request, along with a ssage containing the userna and password for her account. I morized the login details and proceeded to open Champions of Andartha, ready to dive into the virtual world of the ga.
In an instant, I found myself transported to a serene plain, with the magnificent statue of Andartha, the goddess, standing before . The statue exuded an air of tranquility, as its closed eyes and majestic presence emanated a sense of awe and reverence. It was a masterpiece, so otherworldly and captivating that no matter how many tis I encountered it, I couldn't help but be filled with a deep sense of wonder.
After the initial awe-inspiring mont, the ga prompted to enter the userna and password for Elizabeth's secondary account. Without hesitation, I entered the provided credentials, and as I logged in, a character with the in-ga na of Beth appeared on the screen. The character's body proportions mirrored Elizabeth's, adorned with a robe befitting a cleric-type character, and featuring her distinctively beautiful facial features.
So, it seed that Elizabeth had utilized a face scan to accurately replicate her own facial features onto her 3D avatar. Personally, I hesitated to use such a feature. While a body scan could be manageable, the idea of strangers seeing a realistic 3D version of my face in an online ga felt uncomfortable. Though she did say that she streams so I guess it's not an issue for her. I guess strears are built differently in the confidence departnt, huh?
Without further delay, I pressed the 'Start' button, and the ga began to load.
Loading.....
Loading.....
Loading complete!
Suddenly, a refreshing scent of fresh air filled my senses, and the hustle and bustle of the town ca into view. As I strolled through the familiar surroundings, a wave of nostalgia washed over . If my mory serves right, this was the port town of los, typically accessible in the later stages of the ga. It made sense that Elizabeth's max-level character would be here. This town held nurous mories for , particularly a quest that proved too challenging for my sister involving a skilled NPC. In the end, I took on the quest and defeated the NPC on her behalf... my sister. My heart suddenly dropped as a profound sense of sadness unexpectedly overwheld .
Warning: ntal and emotional state fluctuating*
Player is Advised to take a break*
I dismissed the notification. Calm down. I took a breath and tried to calm myself. I forced all the thoughts outside my head and cleared my mind. I need a distraction.
Redirecting my attention to my inventory, I noticed that Elizabeth's character possessed a purple armor set along with a matching purple weapon. This indicated that her equipnt was of a higher rarity, as the strength of a set is directly linked to its rarity level. In the ga, white represents normal items, blue is rare, purple is epic, gold is mythic, and red signifies the highest grade of a legendary item. Pro players usually have all legend gears and weapons but you won't know unless they show you their gears. But for a pro player, showing your gear is a huge taboo cause if it was sohow leaked, their enemy will surely know their strengths and weaknesses based on their stat build and resistances.
Her weapon is called Staff of Resolute Thorns. This particular weapon enhances the effects of healing skills and had its unique weapon skill.
Weapon skills were crucial elents that often determined the outco of battles, making higher-tier weapons more valuable than armor sets. In the hands of skilled players, certain weapon skills could even change the course of a battle entirely. The power of high-tier weapons underscored the importance of having a skilled blacksmith on any professional team since they were instruntal in crafting and enhancing these strong weapons.
Thorn burst: Conjures small thorns that impede the enemy's movents.
Cooldown: 21 seconds.
Cost: 50 mp
The weapon seed potent enough for a purple-tier item, although it paled in comparison to the power of red-tier weapons. However, it had the advantage of a relatively fast cooldown compared to other purple-tier weapons, and it didn't require channeling to be effective.
Next, I examined Elizabeth's character stats.
To say that her build was peculiar would be an understatent. It appeared to be a hybrid of dexterity and intelligence, a combination that seed indecisive and inconsistent. It seed as if she initially aid to be a support mage but later changed her focus to becoming a DPS carry, resulting in a confused and ineffective stat priority. In short, her build was subpar, bordering on being completely ineffective. It beca clear why she had created another account; this one seed to reflect her early gaplay mistakes and lack of experience. While such mistakes may not be crucial for casual players, this type of inadequate build would prove disastrous in competitive gaplay. That is also probably why she easily lent it to . It feels like I've been scamd! Give back my gratitude!
Well, let's look on the bright side - considering my previous playstyle as a DPS carry, this hybrid build still suits fine. Although I may not have the sa level of damage as a fully specialized DPS build, I can still utilize support skills. In other words, I beco a versatile Jack-of-all-trades character without a specific specialization.
I proceeded to check the ga settings. The auto translator was enabled, but the voice changer option was turned off. It seems that she likes to use her real voice quite often even in the ga. Strears really are built differently.
While customizing the settings to my preference a sudden notification popped up.
Player Lizbeth has invited you to a PVP lobby. Would you like to accept?
I accepted the invitation.
Notice: you will be teleported to another location. So quests or dungeons may fail if teleported, do you want to continue?
"Yes."
Suddenly, I found myself teleported to a new location within the ga. As the surroundings ca into focus, I was greeted by the image of a charmingly beautiful girl. Her appearance mirrored that of my current avatar, with a face identical to mine. She was adorned in a beautifully crafted set, resembling that of a decorative royal knight. Given the unique style of the armor, it was evident that it had been crafted by another player rather than acquired through in-ga ans.
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