Server Lost -1 Prologue:『Sekai No Kyū』

Earth had lost its charm. It's oceans are polluted, the sky is constantly covered in grey clouds, acid rain was the norm. There were very few natural wonders left in the world, and those that remained were often cordoned off from the common people.

Greenery was plastic. Trees, glorified umbrellas. Flavored nutrient paste took the pleasantness out of the Culinary World. With this game, people could remember what life once was before the fall of the worldwide ecosystem.

The Game World made by its creators, was a xerox clone of Primeval Earth, prior to mankind's perversion of the surface! Players were the pioneers! They discovered the world and its many secrets. Dungeons sprawled across the planes, entered by sacrificing items and vouchers for increased difficulty depending on the quality of the object used.

Soon enough Kingdoms began to grow steadily, bringing about the first of many World Event Patches. This realm was born to grow around the players and their choices, the developers were practically sadom.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.ts. They'd receive pain, and give it back, expecting even more in return!

Races were separated into three categories: Humanoid, Heteromorphic and Administrative. Regular players only had access to the first two categories. The first that was Humanoid consisted of mostly Humans, Elves and Drow along with various other famous species derived from popular otherworldly tales such as Fae and Orcs.

On the other hand the Heteromorphic category consisted of mainly nonhumans and monstrous beings who had more than one form, the most popular being Demons and Angels. These beings had nine to ten life-stages as they came in multiple forms. They were known for having more racial cla.s.ses than the humanoid races.

Depending on how many stages each race had, would ultimately predetermine the number of levels each racial cla.s.s would have. For instance an Angel has nine stages following the Medieval Angelology, which caused each cla.s.s to have a maximum level of Eleven instead of Ten.

Even then, the highest base level a player could reach was One Hundred. The excess levels gained from the odd numbered racial cla.s.s were transformed into a unique skillset or custom magic spells.

The Administrative races were widely unknown to the common players, they were more like an urban legend amongst those who had never seen them. These races blend in with the background of the world This lead to many a.s.suming the 'immortal' animal props were developers spying on the players!

There were over one hundred starting races for beginning players to use and later on, they'd be able to purchase items or acquire items through quests to later change their race.

Ten thousand unlock-able occupation and professional sub-cla.s.ses, over one thousand primary cla.s.ses which ranged from Fundamental to Evolutionary.

Players could have unlimited Occupational sub-cla.s.ses, which gives them access to various skills, as long a they're related to one of the twenty primary cla.s.ses they can have at one time.

Professional Sub-cla.s.ses were acquired by talking to Null Characters, completing quests, observing particular items, completing a certain action or reading a skill book. These were mainly production and construction cla.s.ses.

Appearances and character builds never looked alike unless it was the aim of a player to do so.

There was a large amount of allocated data to the game which dictated pretty much all the visual and non-visual attributes of the world itself. Using the built-in customization tool and other related skills, players would be able to alter the settings and semblance of things owned by them, including their own appearances.

Custom effects, easy-made programming, the game was made to cater to anyone with a creative soul and an adventurous spirit. Original items were tailored to perfection, whilst there was still the ma.s.s produced items such as iron swords and regular gear, these too could be modified to some extent.

The more details added to an item, material or other things such as pets and AI, the stronger it is.

To cater to those whom played the game without customizing things on their own, the game published several data packages for free or premium use. This allowed generic production of items, allowing entire guilds to share their creations with the rest of their members, making them uniform.

When killing a creature, monster or otherwise, the body turns into soot colored smoke. Afterward items related to the monster would appear in the slayer's inventory, along with purple gems used to exchange for money or in long-term enchantment practices.

...

As the world continued to develop around the players, it was becoming less and less likely that they'd go a day without seeing another person. Millions of people were playing the game by the first anniversary of release.

The number people continued to grow unchecked, however it was clear that multiple accounts and multiple characters weren't able to do be done, not easily through the game.

To enter one's account, it requires a retinal scan. The moment the headset is taken off, the player is logged out, with or without penalties depending if they were in combat or not.

Players were often punished for exploiting known glitches, though a handful of them are paid to find them. The Developers were well known for their vigilance and hardly ever allowed anyone to escape their sight. Especially with their little immortals they played as, hiding in the background.

It was believed that even the Developers made AI that were capable of detecting cheating, exploiters and various other things. Thankfully due to how they orchestrated the creation of the game, automated player character bots were an impossibility.

Someone would literally have to be hired to play as their sole character in order to sell off-site services rather than having a bot repet.i.tively flood the chat with the information. Or let alone grind monsters without actually playing.

It was a true play by hand game..

This Ma.s.sively Multiplayer Roleplaying Sandbox Virtual Reality Game had endless exploration, scouring the entire world, including its bottomless oceans and more. There were even other magical realms added by numerous expansion packs which brought new races, items, skills and occupations.

It has been five years since the beginning of the game and it has grown far beyond the imagination of the developers had ever fathomed.

The community built itself, sporty and not so sporty individuals have made themselves known. Guilds stood high above entire cities. Player Player Killer Guilds have formed to combat the growing number of PKers, dedicating their high leveled members to protecting and teaching the lower leveled.

The most famous PKKer Guild was known as Solvent 52 which resided inside of a ma.s.sive Citadel on the j.a.panese Tokyo Server. Their renown comes from killing legions of Player Killers and helping beginners level up.

It was run by a council of Six Angelic Players, whom often roleplay when interacting with outsiders and even amongst friends. There was one player in particular on that council who was famous amongst the female players for being an english speaking Foreigner who was almost always online who had been coined the "Sleeping Chaperone," as well as the "Stoic Angel of Death" and even "The All-Consumer."

This man was a faceless virtual world celebrity.

Often he would fall asleep while escorting players in his parties, using the auto-pilot and auto-engagement systems to protect the party.

Known as Sephir, his true name is Jack Graham, a traumatized young man who's future had been stripped from his grasp when he was crippled in an incident which in turn took his sister's life.

He is paid by the developer and manufacturer community for helping lower level players, advertising new gear from recent patches. He'd also get further involved in order to acquire various other miscellaneous ways of officially earning money.

Oddly enough, he even tutored students who play the game in writing and speaking English and even basic coding. Because of this, it would allow more freedoms when programming AI or visual effects without the Easy-Programming application, which allowed for advanced options.

The one deep seeded secret he had, him being hospitalized, disabled from the waist down was something he guarded from the general public.

So, he used the game to escape and deny reality.

Alternatively choosing a collection of information and data as his true life, where he could walk and even fly at will without the aid of anyone else. Something he could cling to, to enjoy.

That was all until one day, he chose to help an amateur party of three players with a mid-level dungeon grind-run. The world he helped build, the people who supported him, they all disappeared behind two words, 'Server Lost,' followed by a blinding bright blue light that engulfed them in a warm sensation!

As the light faded, the warmth was replaced by a damp and cold breeze. They were in the center of a Dungeon Lobby, a sacrificial altar at their feet and behind the party. An open crevice they had come through along the wall, peering out toward an alien starry sky.

The outside world… Is not what it was before.