Ban
"You know I don't understand much about these things, Anri... I've never tried them."
I commented in a calm voice as I watched my little sister touch those objects or console controllers, whatever they're called.
Anri
"No matter, big brother! I'll teach you. I want us to play this game together. You bought me the console, and I know it cost you a lot, so today, with the servers just opening, I want us to be a team."
She smiled widely, knowing I couldn't refuse such a sweet, childlike smile.
I sigh and sit next to her on the bed, quietly adjusting myself as I conjure these strange button-like objects.
Ban
Tell me... How do I use this?
My curiosity about these devices is notable, as I've never touched a console in my life, so I don't have time for that kind of thing.
Anri smiles widely and takes the other small device in her hands.
Anri
"It's very simple, brother!" Just plug this small device into your forehead and press the button. We'll enter the game immediately. But we have to wait; the servers haven't opened yet.
I nodded, understanding what he was saying. It seemed easy to use, although strange. Normally, when I saw people playing on consoles, they were pressing hundreds of buttons like crazy.
Ban
What's this game about? I'm not into this kind of thing. But I've seen too many news stories about it. It's called Bombing, right? Something like that...
She laughs in amusement as she takes a small box and shows it to me.
Anri
"No, nonsense, bro, it's called Red Fly 3. Everyone's been waiting for it because it promises to be the best open-world RPG with hundreds of realistic mechanics. Since it's in virtual reality, it's like being part of the world."
Ban
"Hmm, I see. Apparently, the banners and street advertising are really popular. It's exaggerated. Even someone like me, who lives under a rock, has seen that ad at least 25 times."
Ban
"Mmm, I see." Anri laughs softly and pats me on the back.
Anri
"Well, that's because the project has progressed since its inception, and while it wasn't very popular or interesting at first, over its 12 years of development, it's proven to be quite remarkable."
Anri stood up and walked over to the console. When she turned it on, the black screen displayed only the red and white Redfly logo while a counter ticked up.
"Look, look, big bro! That's the counter of people waiting for the server to go live." To participate, there are 275,440,002 million of us... I think the server is going to be overloaded.
Although I don't understand if this is good or bad, I just smiled. Seeing her happy is enough for me. Although that console and the game practically cost me a kidney and all my effort, the reward was the best. She looks very excited, staring at the console on the screen as if waiting for the time to run out to play.
Ban
"While we wait, I'll get something to drink and eat, okay?"
I asked my little sister as I got up from my seat and headed for the door.
Anri
*Yes, but come back quickly. I want you here when the server opens."
I nodded and walked down the hall to the kitchen. I don't consider myself the best brother, but I try my best to make her feel loved. I open the fridge, grab some chocolate chip cookies, and a carton of milk, and head to the bedroom.
Anri
"Quickly, Ban! Quickly, it's already started. Look! Look!" Her words were excited and practically a scream of excitement. I moved forward and sat next to her, watching the screen as it began with an introduction as if it were a movie.
Ban
"Are you sure this isn't a movie or something?" I don't get a response, and I turn to look at him. He seems enthralled with what he's seeing, so I just roll my eyes and smile, then turn to watch the cinematics of strange places and creatures on the screen.
Television
"Welcome to Redfly users. Today we have officially opened our servers to everyone around the world, with an excellent total of 306,255,010 players currently about to venture into this unique world full of adventures and dangers.
In this vast and vast world, there are hundreds of missions to complete, hundreds of enemies, and many new things for users interested in total immersion. This will be your new home. Welcome to the world of Red Fly 3."
The screen stopped showing those places and scenes and now goes blank with a message.
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Anri became excited. She took that strange button and connected it to her forehead while giving me the other one.
Anri
"Put it on your forehead, big brother! Let's go in, I want to have some fun." I placed the button attached to my head, which adheres like a sticker. She touched the button, and I followed her. Suddenly, everything went white. I saw nothing but absolute white, floating in a shimmering void.
Ban
"I'm floating... What is this? Is it weird, since this is virtual reality?" I moved my hands as I stared at the absolute white void surrounding me. But suddenly, I heard a voice in the void.
Codex Arsen
Welcome to RedFly official 3, my name is [Mac 23_Sb]. But you can simply call yourself Codex Arsen. I will welcome you to the lobby where you can interact with other users until each of you chooses the kingdom or town you wish to be transferred to. Now, please enter your username.
A screen appeared in front of me with the words <>
Ban
"My name... Well, I'm Ban, Ban Lennox..." Everything went silent for a few seconds, then the message disappeared.
Codex arsen
"Welcome, you're about to enter a vastly infinite world that randomly generates monster events and all kinds of content. For a better experience, here are our terms and conditions."
A window appeared in front of me with thousands of words, a total of 25 pages. My face was completely mocked.
Ban
"Hahaha... Who reads that stuff these days? If I start reading all that, I'll get there. I'll be 40, and I still have so much more to read." I ignored the terms and conditions page, clicking next. The entire screen distorted, and for a moment, I appeared in some kind of enormous Montana, overlooking a beautiful and colorful vast place.
Codex Arsen
"This world has hundreds of biomes, places where you'll encounter NPCs and also users just like you... I recommend knowing who you trust."
The place distorts more than once, sending me to different places like caverns with golden lights, floating worlds, and many areas until I end up in a different area. It seemed to be the center of some town. Thousands of people are wandering around, apparently users, all of them enchanted by all this. All of this makes me somewhat uncertain, but I can't deny that it's a beautiful place with traditionally shaped wooden houses and strange but beautiful flowers.
Ban
"This place is beautiful... I can see why so many people wanted to play this... I imagine it's some kind of escape from reality." I noticed something when I heard my name and quickly turned around, searching for the reason, and I quickly saw who it was.
Anri
"Big brother! Hehehe, did you manage to see the intro? I thought you'd get lost with all this."
Ban
"Well, it's not that it's been too difficult... But this... I feel strange about this place."
My little sister noticed my uncertainty and smiled.
Anri
"Don't worry, it's just a game, nothing bad can happen. Now, let's go. I'll teach you the basics. I'll be your tutorial in conversation. Then we should come back here."
Anri points to a counter in the sky that's descending. It's been 20 minutes and is still going down.
"When it reaches zero, we'll get one last warning, and then we can choose which city to go to, and I want us to choose together."
I smiled and, seeing her running, followed her with a smile. Even though this is something strange and new, I want to join her in this. But it feels so real that I find it uncomfortable.