From Game to Reality: Dawn of Systems

Completion

Nolan positioned himself against the wall, ready for the impending assault of the zombie he had spotted devouring a piece of flesh. The zombie's heightened senses detected the scent of fresh meat, causing it to abruptly abandon the decaying meat it was consuming and lunge towards Nolan. However, just as it was about to pounce on the corner where Nolan was hiding, it was suddenly struck with a powerful surge of green magical energy unleashed by Nolan.

The zombie stood motionless, however it's glowing red eyes continued to glare at Nolan hungrily, "Sorry pal, but it's time to turn human again." Nolan said casually as he walked into the reception hall of the airport where flight passengers were supposed to be seated. The zombie he'd just struck with his magic suddenly broke free attempting to lunge at Nolan once more but was stopped by another magical strike from Nolan, this time the force made it swing backwards as it hit a nearby wall.

The greens binding him seemed to seep into it's skin, the zombie let out a loud painful growl as the leafy magic melted into its bones, it's head swung back as if it was in deep pain until it suddenly crashed to the floor immobilized.

"Nice work Nolan, another one saved." Paul rushed into the hall along with another group of people wearing the Mystic Oasis safe haven uniform.

Reuben patted Nolan's back, while Maya flashed him a smile.

Two weeks had passed since he arrived at the level one world of players dimensions, yet with each passing day it all seemed more real than what he had initially taken it to be.

In the beginning he'd thought it would be fun, he'd just been plunged into a gaming world where would complete a mission and move on to the next world. However he was soon made to realize this world might be a game on the outside, but on the inside there were people, living breathing people who just wanted to take their world back from an epic plague.

Nolan had been taken back to the Mystic Oasis safe haven after they discovered what his powers could do, there he saw people living and striving to survive, people who'd learned to grow stronger just to stay alive.

Their world had been taken from them by an epic plague, and now it seemed it was up to him to help them take it back while completing his mission.

Clearing Blue city had immediately been shelved when the higher ups of the Mystic Oasis safe haven had discovered the powers Nolan possessed.

The scientist at the haven had run some tests on Nolan's powers, discovering some strange mutation ability within the grass he produced, a combination of chemicals they couldn't deduce yet apparently held the antidote to the virus.

To every mankind in Nexupia, Nolan had become the greatest asset.

"Is that the last of them?" Nolan asked slightly breathless, they'd arrived at the airport in orange city which was located close to the Mystic Oasis safe haven, there was only one of Nolan, and his ability was unique only to himself, hence he'd been assigned a large team who would help him capture the zombies while he used his abilities to cure them.

One strike wasn't enough to sink the mutation into their blood, unless Nolan dealt them a heavy strike. The mutating grass would seep into their blood detoxifying the virus.

"Yup, well done guys, the airport is officially cleared!" Reuben yelled to the team members triumphantly.

*Ding!

'566 zombies detoxified by mutation, 100 points gained.'

'Points added to mission progress!'

'8,420 zombies eliminated, 41,580 left to complete level one.'

Using his mutation to cure the virus gave him points rather when he'd directly kill them, which did add to his progress on the mission but a lot less than killing them did.

However ever since he'd seen the number of people in the safe haven and came to the realization that they were living breathing people as well, Nolan no longer had it in him to kill the zombies, instead he did everything he could to save them.

The zombies he'd used his mutation on were being kept in a secluded area inside the safe haven, a lot of them slowly showing signs of changing and healing, a few of them had even begun to speak.

Nolan stared at the notification he just received with a strange expression in his eyes then looked down at his hands.

He marveled at how he now possessed the power to save the world when he'd been an average nobody in his previous life.

The slowly recovering zombies were taken back to the safe haven through trucks. Since they were now on a mission to save as many zombies as they could, they didn't dare venture into the highly zombie infested parts of the cities, but took it slow, going to the less dense zombie areas, the remaining team would use their abilities to capture the zombies, while Nolan would use his ability to detoxify them gaining points for himself.

Nolan and the assigned team went on to clear a few areas near the safe haven, for the next couple of days.

The higher ups of Mystic Oasis safe haven sent this news to every other safe haven in Nexupia, having them come together seeing a solution to get back their world.

The scientists all came together for a project, collecting the special mutating element within Nolan's magic, they created antidote potions which are loaded into tranquilizer guns, making Nolan's job easier as they went on missions.

*Ding!

'16,280 zombies detoxified by mutation, host has received 1,580 points.'

'points added into mission progress.'

19,780 zombies eliminated, 30,220 left to complete mission one!'

***

"Sweet." Paul yelled ecstatically holding onto the PAX 22 tranquilizer riffle. His aims landed accurately into a zombies skull, the potion within seeping into the zombie, it fell immobile onto the floor, "You know Nolan, this is way more fun than blowing their brains out. When the plague first arrived, we were all trained to stop looking at them like human but dead flesh eating creatures who would happily have us for lunch and dinner if we don't fight for ourselves, so it was a kill or be killed kinda life we got used to, but now, seeing them as human beings who can still get another chance at life is way more fun, makes me feel a sense of accomplishment when I load up my riffle and take those shots, doesn't kill them, but instead makes them live, the feeling is indeed sweet."

"So much yapping Paul, how about you go assist Harry and the others clear that second street huh?" Maya came to join them where Nolan and Paul stood on the balconies of one of the houses in a small cities they were assigned to clear.

"No way, I'm taking a break." Paul stretched as he took a seat on a plush looking chair on the balcony letting out a satisfied sigh.

Maya watched the complicated look on Nolan's face for a few seconds before asking, "Something wrong Nolan?"

Nolan who seemed to be lost in thought returned to the present at Maya's question, "I was just thinking about what Paul said about the satisfaction of saving lives instead of taking them."

Maya looked down at the open streets where countless soldiers of the Mystic Oasis safe haven ran around shooting antidotes into the zombies. "It is indeed satisfying, you are hero Nolan, I bet you didn't know that when you were still hiding in blue city trying to survive."

He words made a certain thought cross Nolan's mind as he blurted it out subconsciously, "Could this be why I was placed into this world?"

Maya misunderstood the meaning of his words as she smiled "It could be, some of us are born into this world to be heroes who make an impact to other people's lives, this could be yours. Perhaps you were ridiculed for having unusual powers before, just like I once ridiculed you, turns out, you were destined for greatness."

'Destined for greatness.' Nolan thought to himself as Maya gave him a warm smile before walking away, he'd never really thought himself as someone destined for greatness.

All his life he'd lived in the real world like a programmed robot, he'd known all along what he needed to be and he could already picture his whole life ahead of him.

He'd graduate college, become a geologist, in his late thirties he'd find a woman, get married and have kids, the monotonously redundant life of an average human.

Greatness was a word far from what he would ever envision in himself.

And the feeling of having the power to make a huge difference was something immensely satisfying he'd never felt before. The satisfaction was even way beyond what he'd feel upon a level up while playing his favorite games.

"If greatness feels this satisfying, then that is what I shall be."

Time seemed to fly by as a month quickly flew by. On every mission Nolan had led they'd cleared countless shopping malls, airports, and even whole cities across Nexupia. The safe havens grew bigger, and the survivors became more human with each passing day.

The zombie infested world Nolan had been thrown into thrived and began to pick itself up again. With Nolan's limitless powers, they continued to create replications of the mutation in his powers, sending the antidotes far and wide in the whole continent. And more were being made everyday enough to get back the world they'd lost to the plague.

They treated Nolan like a king, one worthy of admiration. And as Nolan stood on the top of the hill watching the friends he'd come to make. Paul running after Maya as she helped the guys move some items into trucks, while Reuben stood instructing a few soldiers, he smiled just before the notification he'd been waiting for rang in his ears.

*Ding!

'65,980 zombies detoxified, host has received 32,000 points.'

'Points have been added to mission progress.'

'50,000 zombies eliminated. Quest issued: Eliminate 50,000 zombies.'

'Congratulations host, level one mission successfully accomplished!'

***

Immediately after that, Nolan felt a darkness overcome him entirely.

Outside in the game of player dimensions, a notification suddenly appeared across all the servers.

'Level one successfully cleared by player 115.'

And immediately that notification appeared, a new update to the game was added, the original level one of the game which was a zombie world completely disappeared and the new level one was replaced by a different world.

Players were baffled at the same time excited at the new development, they all wondered how it was possible for a player to clear the whole level of the game completely where there wouldn't be any more missions to complete so much so the level was replaced in an update.

Inside the tall 72 storey building of the Corewizards gaming company, the developers of the country's most famous game; Player dimensions. Inside the CEOs office.

A young handsome looking man who seemed to be in his late twenties was sitting behind the desk inside the pristine looking office.

He swiveled in his chair after viewing something in his computer turning to face the beautiful view of the city from the tall glass windows with a smirk upon his lips.

On the screen, the latest notification that just appeared in the game Player dimensions was showing.

The man's eyes seemed to glimmer with a cunning light as he spoke,

"So it has finally begun, the conqueror of the universe has been found."