A New World, an immersive game experience

Waking up, Eldrian was greeted again by multiple tubes flowing into his body, three to be exact. Not in rush to stand up, he simply looked around first. Confirming that he was still in the room where Joren had led him to. He also saw a button placed on the nightstand where the headset had been when he logged on. 

Press when you are back, said a note next to the button. Eldrian did as it instructed and waited. Taking that time to think over what had happened and what he needed to do now.

So many things! He realized this after some simple thought processing. In the game, he had too many things to do, some of which were urgent while others could naturally wait. Here in reality he was also going to have a great deal of stuff to sort out. Most of which was certain to be urgent.

He did not look forwards to the contracts coming his way, but he could not give up what he had just used. Even with just one night being playable, he had been able to actually accomplish so much more. He did not wish to return to his commune and playing only during the night (IRL).

He had no idea what would have happened if he could not travel at night with Vivian, certainly, they may have managed the same. But things could also have gone bad to, just as much as it could have gone well. Eldrain preferred the risks they had taken, even though a Night Terror was far more fearsome than he had thought it would be. Two would have certainly been the end of them. 

Eldrian still had his studies, causing a part of him to want to head back to the simpler life. Countering this was the fact that he had missed most of this week's classes. He had probably also missed one of the class tests, and maybe even the other and his practical if it was already Thursday. Eldrian was unsure what day it was now. He knew how long he was out, yet he could not remember when it all started. 

The more he thought of his studies, the more depressed Eldrian became. Sorry sis. I don't think I will be able to keep our agreement.  He sighed as he realized there was no way he would manage to get over 60 for everything. Heck, he did not even think he would be able to pass everything at this rate. Not without giving up on the game. 

There was no way he would simply place the game lower than his studies. That would only lead to him never becoming strong enough to protect those he wanted to protect. While now it was only Vivian, Eldrian had no doubt that he would get close to more NPCs again. He did not wish to let more friends die.

After a few minutes, the door slid open and Gengxin entered. Seeing Gengxin's white hair somehow brought Eldrian's thoughts to rest and calmed him down. 

"Can you not be so reckless?" Gengxin asked through a sigh as soon as he entered. "I had to rush to install all these drips. Do you know that I am actually not allowed to do this!"

"Sorry..." Eldrian replied softly as he looked at Gengxin who was busy taking out all the tubes from his arms.  He could not help but overhead Gengxin's mumblings. "You are going to turn my last hairs white too... Why did she have to give me this job..."

Eldrian knew that this was not meant meanly, rather it raised his curiosity. Mostly about what hair the old man in front of him had that wasn't white. Only slightly about who this 'she' was, he felt certain he would soon get the answer to this.

"There! Now let's go get something to eat. You can't live off of these drips alone."

Eldrian nodded and thanked the old man, climbing out of the bed he could feel his body was sore and tired. He almost fell on his first few steps, his legs shaky and unstable. Once he got used to this and actually started walking, a massive headache assaulted him. A grumbling stomach adding to his discomforts as he followed Gengxin. 

This time Eldrian actually took some of his time to marvel at the sleek modern design of the building. Though they did not walk far, as a cafeteria was just below the floor where Eldrian's room was. The cafeteria was actually full of people who were all in either suits, or formal lab wear.

The suit commonly a main black type, with some white to add contrast. Here and there a really attention-grabbing suit with shocking colors would enter Eldrian's sight. The formal lab wear was mostly white, but instead of being loose-fitting, it was formfitting. 

Eldrian's discomforts  did not go away until he wolfed down his first plate. Asking for a second even before his tea managed to become cold enough to drink.

"Don't be so reckless! Eating so much, so quickly, will cause your stomach to become upset!" Gengxin again mumbled under his breath, "Did your parents not teach you manners?"

This caused Eldrian to feel slightly ashamed, but only slightly. Still, he minded his elder's words and ate the second helping slowly along with his tea.

"Good, now that you don't have a grumbling stomach, you should be able to focus better. How urgently do you need to get back to the game?"

"I... I am not too sure, I asked the guards at the camp to take care of my body if I do not return in time. So I believe I have an hour before they set off, and then, well, it will depend if the guard actually does take care of my body. He should, Vivian is also there..."

"Don't say your body. It sounds really weird. We call it an avatar, so call it that." Gengxin said as soon as Eldrian finished.

"Alright..." Eldrian blushed slightly as he realized how weird it sounded to ask someone to take care of your body. It made no sense in normal context, and in the other, it caused Eldrian's face to heat up.

"Since we have some time, let me explain how things are going to work. That lady you met yesterday, she is from central. Part of management. She came down to ensure we handle your case correctly."

Eldrian had questions already, but he felt they would be answered if he simply waited for Gengxin to finish. Thus he simply nodded to show that he was following. 

"Due to the uniqueness of your case, we have placed it high on our priority list. I will be responsible for maintaining your health while you are here. Unfortunately, we cannot allow you to continue playing the game unless you are under supervision. The risks are just too high."

This made Eldrian's choice of continuing to study or not much easier. But Gengxin's next words again confounded this.

"We know that you are a student currently, and we assume you would want to continue your studies. However, we want your help in figuring things out right now. So we have devised a few proposals for you." Eldrian simply nodded again to show that Gengxin should continue.

"The first is simple, you quit your studies, and instead we offer you a position here."

"How secure is it?" Eldrian could not help but need to ask this.

"Very. We will take you in as a game tester in this case. But if you wish to go for this, you will have to stay with us. The rest of your life will be tied to Miracle Corporation. I do not recommend this option."

Eldrian was confused when he heard Gengxin say this, feeling that this was a really bad way to sell option one. "What are the others?"

"The others are much safer and I advise you to pick one of them. The first is that you continue both your studies and gaming. We will make an arrangement with your university to allow you to work online, and even make arrangements to give you extendments should something critical happen in the game."

This sounded quite ideal to Eldrian. Though even with arrangements he was not sure if he would actually manage to balance his two lives. He had come to realize that no matter how he tried, something will lose out when balancing things. It was not a matter of if, but rather of when.

"The other is you put your studies back for now. We take you in as a game tester, until the time comes where you are no longer able to play. Either because the game world is ultimately scrapped, or because you wish to leave. In this option, we will arrange for you to continue your studies at that time. All costs will also be carried by us for your seconds try at studying."

"That sounds really good. What is the catch?" Eldrian asked, feeling that a full bursary without strings of working after his studies sounded too strange. 

"There isn't really any. Though, if I am to be honest. This will lead to your life starting later. You will miss out on your prime years of learning, as well as the prime years to get into a company. This is actually a honey-flavored trap."

"What?" Eldrian could not understand Gengxin, the offer sounded perfect to him. 

"Don't get me wrong, this offer is perfect if you only play the game for a year or two. But if you play for ten or so, then you won't be able to fit into the white-collar life."

This explanation helped Eldrian understand and think more deeply about his choices. He felt this was too big for him to decide on his own, yet he did not have anyone he could really ask for advice. Most of those close to him did not feel games could be a good life, and explaining to them how this was not just about playing; would take a great deal of time.