Chapter 3: Clan Selection
Arthur blinked against the sudden, blinding whiteness. The pod he'd been in moments ago was gone, replaced by an all-white room devoid of any features except the smooth floor beneath his feet.
He was sure he wasn't outside, yet he could feel the cold air permeating the void. This was it. He was inside an authentic virtual world.
A holographic screen appeared before him, floating a few feet away. He approached it, hearing his shoes echo across the area. As he touched it, a series of holographic pages and scenes materialized before him.
The scenes depicted the characters, objects, and places within the world he would embark on. On the first page, it displayed various texts identifying the pod he was currently in. These things were already explained to him, so he skipped them.
The next page displayed a series of bulleted points titled "Important Notes."
Arthur skimmed through the list, each point raising new questions. It appeared hunger and thirst were real concerns within the simulation. Our bodies would feel exactly like we were outside the pod if we didn't give it its needed sustenance.
This was strange. Why would Elysian introduce something like this into the experiment?
Arthur continued to read that ignoring these warnings could lead to exhaustion and even dehydration, mirroring real-world consequences. Hygiene, too, seemed to be critical. Contracting an illness was possible if proper hygiene wasn't maintained.
This level of detail was unexpected.
The following points dealt with the world itself. Before reading that, something caught his eye: "Friendly Fire Enabled."
A brief explanation outlined the lack of restrictions on player interaction. He could team up with others, yes, but he could also attack them as if it were a player-versus-player scenario (or PVP).