บท 83: Strange Beginning (I)
<Kiyro>
July 16, 2054. 7:54pm.
(5 hours later since the force ejection of the game of Growth.)
Kiyro stretched his aching muscles. He finally felt relaxed and energized. He quickly jogged around the block, releasing his pent-up stress and the pain from sitting too long on the chair. The harsh summer heat had lessened throughout the day, and he was already sweating bullets from the heat. Usually, he would lay down while playing the game, but laying down for too long made his body feel like mush and, at times, cramp up. Rummaging through his sweatpants, he pulled out his key.
Opening the door, he heard his sister call out from the kitchen. "Kiyro. I left your mail on the dinner table." Instead, she was searching for a strawberry smoothie in the refrigerator and creating a bit of ruckus. He wondered what she was doing that made her make so much noise.
"Thanks," Kiyro closed the door behind him and began to take off his shoe. He tapped it a couple of times on the mat and easily pulled it off.
Walking towards the dining table, he noticed a small brown box and a white letter underneath it.
"Sis, who's this from?" Kiyro curiously examined the box.
"I'm not sure. It just came in an hour ago before you left."
"Really?" He picked up the package. Written neatly in black ink was the Yami Hikari company logo with his name and address. A tiny fingerprint size Embryo logo was posted in the middle and lightly faded into the background.
"Yami Hikari? I don't remember getting anything from them." He turned it over once more.
Pulling a switchblade from his pocket, he ripped it quickly across the line. It was a fluid motion that was done so neatly that one could not tell if it was cut open or not. He opened the small box and noticed a single white postcard with a small leather pouch. Picking up the postcard with his long fingers, he flipped it around. On it neatly written in all caps in black ink was one line: Read with Alive Gear on.
"A hidden message?"
He pulled down his Alive Gear on his head and turned it on. A soft buzzing sound could be heard as it blinked on. The usual sound of the classic theme song of Growth played. When he looked down at the paper, a message appeared automatically.
Dear Mr. Koga,
We are sorry to inform you that you have not passed the qualification to join the playtesters. Your level requirement has not reached the qualified requirement. Since the end of the Hidden quest in the world of Noriene is completed, the test is over. Thank you for your interest and support. I hope you have a wonderful day, and a small gift has been sent to your avatar's inbox.
Sincerely,
Yami Hikari
Kiyro's face fell with disappointment and loss. All this time, he worked hard to get to 149, where he ended up. He thought the testing period was still going on the whole time but ending when the Hidden quest finished was completely unexpected.
He clicked off the message and peeved.
"I shouldn't have taken such a chance." His voice was full of anguish at the loss of time he had spent. He sighed and straightened himself. "The past is the past. There is nothing I can do but to continue forward."
Reassuring himself, Kiyro shook it off and knew he couldn't stay in a mellow mood. He had a couple of backup plans that he had thought of. During the past week, he searched for possible places we're hiring in his spare time.
A loud ping sound could be heard, and another message appeared before he turned off his Alive Gear.
Welcome to the bearer of a Seed.
The final stage of the Hidden Quest: Alpha Division shall begin its final phase. In the box, there are a special set of stones that you must place in designated areas. A map will be sent to you shortly. Please follow the instructions. The time limit to finish this quest is one week. After that, the rewards and failures are high. Please remember you have the choice to continue or end this quest at the end. Please think carefully, for you are not obligated to do this.
Please wait for a moment…..
Loading….
A seed has sprouted its first roots.
As the bearer of the Seed, the long-awaited time has finally come for the Seed to grow. The first roots have taken hold and will continue growing over time. Do not be afraid, for you have taken a different path than the rest of the world.
"Seed? Is it talking about that Seed that I had gotten from my job? Why is it activating now?" Kiyro wondered. He had forgotten he still had the Seed a while ago. For it to sprout now, he wondered where this was going.
Real World Hidden Quest: Alpha Divisions
Special type: Individual quests
The curse is still in effect in the world of Norine, but the effect has lessened to the point where it does not bother the people's everyday lives. Find the curse and dispel it in the real world. A map will be sent to you electronically, and a bag of rune stones has been delivered. Place the stones in a designated area. Do not lose the stones, or your quest is forfeited. The players cannot enter the server until the quests are completed. You can share this quest with other friends to complete the quest together.
Time limit: one week
Difficulty level: C
Reward: money or an item.
Would you like to take on the quest? You are not obligated to take on the quest. If you choose no, there is a waiting period until the quest is completed to enter into the server.
Kiyro thought for a moment and decided to take on the quest. The possibility of him gaining something more urged him forward. Especially the reward being money made him curious about what kind of quest it could be.
"Yes," he stated. But, he wondered what it would be.
The quest has been inputted into your real-life quest slot. This quest will be a number one priority in completing the quest.
Total Individual quests that need to be completed: 3333 worldwide. 120/3333 completed at this time.
"3333 quests?" He stared at the message in shock. "This is going to take longer than I expected." It was one thing to finish one quest, but 3333 quests in under a week were impossible. He walked towards his bedroom and stepped into the bathroom.
"But how are 120 already completed? It's only been about five hours since people were booted off." He racked his brain for answers. Then, in the next few minutes, the number that stated 120/3333 changed to 123/3333.
"123?"
Kiyro placed the Alive gear on the bathroom sink and entered the shower. The hissing sound of the hot shower pounded on his back, relieving his aching muscles. Hot steam quickly filled the bathroom, making it slightly difficult to breathe, but he did not mind it.
"So, does that mean I'm not the only one doing this quest?" He scrubbed himself clean with a loofah. His toned muscles were slightly tanned from the summer sun, and he wished they were back to his normal color. He did not fully understand what was going on with the game company.
He remembered that the game of Growth would be an interaction between the real world, and now a quest has appeared that was played in real-time. He reached over to grab a white towel and stepped out of the shower with a towel in hand.
It was the fastest shower he had ever taken in a while. He was curious about this new quest and did not want to stay too long. Usually, he would stay in for an hour, but today was an exception.
With his boxers and t-shirt, he made his way toward the computer. Small puddles trailed behind him as he made his way across.
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