Chapter 2 - Alpha Link System Initialized

“Test subject number 24. The subject lasted for two minutes and forty-five seconds after the administration of Valkyrie. Time of death: 4:22 AM.”

'I should be the only one at home. Who's talking?'

Drake opened his eyes, only to be blinded by light. The familiar hatch of his VR capsule was no longer there, instead, he was facing a white ceiling. The walls that surrounded him were also white and reminiscent of cold, hard metal. They felt like something straight out of science fiction. The room resembled an intensive care unit, and Drake lay atop a cold metal table, barrel-chested and wired to all sorts of machines. His back was freezing.

Drake noticed there was a group of people in white coats surrounding him, and they were looking at him as though they had seen a ghost.

'I thought I just accepted a levelling request? Where am I?'

«Ding!

Alpha Link System initialized. Host selected; Drake Michaelson of East View New Jersey. Welcome.»

«Ding!

Alpha Link System activated. Transferring unparalleled knowledge to Host.»

This mechanical voice came from his head, it was as if it was speaking to him telepathically. Suddenly, Drake felt as though a large amount of data was being transmitted into his mind, causing his head to throb painfully. The last thing he could remember was accepting a levelling assignment. He was creating a new character in the game 'Galaxy' when he seemingly started to smell burnt eggs.

“Quickly, let Ms Hila know! The test subject has come back to life!”

“Call the guards!”

As the researchers started a commotion, Drake realized that he could understand them, even though they were speaking in a language he had never heard before.

'Test subject'

'Back to life'

'Guards'

These terms unnerved him. Soon he could hear the sound of rushing footsteps coming from outside.

'Should I make a run for it or just lie still?' Drake decided on the former in a split second; he was not the kind of person to just lie around waiting. He abruptly sprang up, ripping the wires off him, and made a clumsy beeline for the door. The researchers did not attempt to stop him, instead, they backed off hastily to avoid being knocked into.

Crash!

He pushed his way out into a white corridor, only to be greeted by a dozen or so guards suited in black and armed with electric batons advancing upon him from both sides.

Drake gasped at the sight of the crest on their uniforms. It depicted half a plant.

'The Germinal Organization from Planet Aquamarine back in version of Galaxy? Weren't they eliminated?'

Suddenly, a guard swung his electric baton at Drake and Drake raised his hand to block it. The ensuing current caused his whole body to spasm in pain. It felt like his bones were about to split and his entire body turned numb.

'Is the pain calibration at 100%?'

Galaxy's pain calibration was restricted to a maximum of 40% because any higher setting could potentially cause nerve damage to players. The VR capsule was also supposed to monitor the player's vitals to prevent this, but it was currently malfunctioning.

'It's only been seven years and the capsule is having problems? Damn it! The repairman I paid three hundred dollars to a few ago told me that it would still be good for another six months! I want a refund!'

The guards yanked him up and took him to a small room where they locked him up alone in pitch-black darkness.

Drake grimaced in pain as he massaged his wrist. His head continued to throb as more information poured in.

«Impartation of unparalleled knowledge complete. The system welcomes Host to his new life as a Galaxy citizen.»

It took Drake a moment to reconcile the facts and make sense of what had happened to him.

'I have.. transmigrated into Galaxy?'

His eyes widened in amazement.

Galaxy was a fully immersive virtual reality game that ran servers worldwide and boasted a peak concurrent player count of almost sixty million.

The game was set in a vast universe with a world map and landscapes that were procedurally generated using the latest generation of quantum computers. The scale of its world was massive, and it was said to be able to run smoothly even with a billion concurrent players. There existed many organizations and companies that specialized in farming gold and running dungeons, and the best pieces of gear could even go for ridiculous prices of up to a million US dollars.

Being an extremely popular game, a good balance was of the utmost importance. While big spenders did have a certain advantage, it was not so unfair to the extent that it displeased the casual players. Maintaining competitiveness and improving skills were key factors towards the game balance, and Galaxy did a good job in these areas, facilitating its strong allure as an e-sport.

Although Drake did indeed make a living out of playing the game, the term 'professional gamer' didn't fit him quite well. He was instead, one of the despised power levelers and preferred to work solo.

Drake had been playing the game since its very inception, and through the numerous patches, he has made a name for himself. In the last annual and top 100 rankings, he placed 47th. He had what it took to try his hand at going pro, but what he enjoyed most about the game was the levelling experience.

“The Germinal Organization originates from one of the beginner planets new characters were sent back in version one of Galaxy: Planet Aquamarine,” mumbled Drake.

Before transmigrating, Galaxy had already been operating for over a decade. Version 1.0 was ancient history.

“Have I time travelled too?” Drake's expression darkened.

“Does that mean I won't be getting my three hundred dollars back?”

Sigh!

“Am I stupid? That's the least of my concerns!” Drake slapped himself.

His memories were still jumbled up, he could not recall anything about his original life.. not even his name. All that he could recall were details regarding this world, such as its present era. He was currently in the year 687 of this Galaxy calendar, a year behind the updated timeline.

In version one, three universal powers were upholding a peace that had lasted for ten thousand years since the exploration era. They were the Commonwealth of Light, the Crimson Dynasty, and the Arcane Church. The Silver Revolutionary Army had yet to be formed, the one responsible for the Supernatural Disaster was still fighting for dear life on some desolate planet, the World of Light had not come into existence, the civilization of the World Tree had not yet invaded from the beyond, and the Shattered Belt thay contained Planet Aquamarine was still budding inconspicuously along the fringes of the explored universe.

To ensure the game remained attractive, Galaxy borrowed and implemented ideas from its predecessors such as 'WoW', where each version update revolved around a disaster or some major event. While Drake enjoyed the game, now that he had transmigrated over.. doesn't this mean he will get to witness this disaster personally?.. Heck! He might even die for real.

“Get me out!”

While the Germinal Organization was a small fry compared to the interstellar powers introduced in later updates, to the currently powerless Drake, it was an entirely different story.

'Planet Aquamarine was modelled after Earth, and the Germinal Organization aims to overthrow this planet's government. If I'm not wrong, Valkyrie test subjects are brainwashed to serve as cannon fodder.'

The body he currently possessed had experienced a memory wipe. Apart from some general knowledge, all that remained were fragmented memories of captivity and experimentation. It seemed to be roughly twenty years old and bore a slight semblance to his original self. However, its state of health was as yet uncertain. He had heard the researchers mention that he had been injected with Valkyrie, one of Germinal's gene-altering drugs that was used to strengthen the body.. like the serum used on Captain America. Valkyrie test subjects had a survival rate of only 30%, but somehow this body had reacted positively to it.

Suddenly a ding notification rang in his head and a glowing line of blue text appeared before his eyes.

«Ding!

Gene-altering drug detected. Altering the drug to be suitable for the host complete.

+1 Endurance

You have learnt a new ability: Concentration

You have learnt a new ability: Low-level Willpower.»

“A system!” Drake jumped for joy.

«Name: Drake Michaelson

Race: Human/Carbon-based (Yellow)

Model: NPC (Countdown to version 1.0 launch: 358 days 11 hours 03 minutes)

Level: 1

Experience: 0

Main class: None Available

Sub-class: Civilian level 1 (0/50)

Strength: 2

Dexterity: 2

Endurance: 3

Intelligence: 3

Mystery: 1

Charm: 2

Luck: 1

Unassigned stats: 0

Energy 0 (level 0)

Energy Rank: 1~2

Grade: F (Mortal)

[System's remark: Piece of trash with a combat strength of 5; pick any NPC out from the streets and he will wipe the floor with you a hundred times! A hundred times!]

Health point: 23/30 (injured)

Stamina: 36/36

Abilities: Concentration (+10 to learning and crafting speed), low-level willpower (+3 resistance)

Skills: None

Talent points: 0

Class Talents: None

Influence: 0

Reputation: 0

Equipment: None

[System's conclusive remark: I suggest you get your ass and get to work. you have a long way to go if you desire to escape the torturous future ahead of you!]