The two-story building boasted a white exterior, featuring a triangular roof with a small chimney protruding through it. Two drainage pipes descended from the left and right sides of the roof, pouring cascades of water.
The ground floor comprised a living room, kitchen, cleaning closet, and a door leading to the backyard terrace. Upstairs, on the second floor, lay two bathrooms, three bedrooms, and a study room.
Adjacent to the metal gate, a sign proudly declared the residence as the “Kraham Family Residence.” The house was situated on Cavern Street, surrounded by similar-looking buildings in a humble neighborhood where middle-class families resided.
Using his left hand, Jesse opened the gate and maneuvered his wheelchair down the stone-tiled path toward the front door. Upon reaching the entrance, he fumbled in his pockets until he found his keys and unlocked the door.
After the wheels of the wheelchair rolled into the house, Jesse closed the door and locked it behind him.
Jesse sighed, used his left hand to push the wheelchair’s wheel, and headed straight towards the stairs. There was a wheelchair lift connected to the wall. It would help him ascend the stairs and reach the second floor, where his bedroom was.
After reaching the stairs, before he was able to hop onto the one-seater lift, a voice came from the living room.
“Food is ready.” A serious voice said. It belonged to a tired-looking man who was flipping through a newspaper. A table behind him bore cold food that had lost its steam.
“I am not hungry…” Jesse said to his father and hopped onto the one-seater.
“Hmph, as you wish.” His father, Terry Kraham, said and flipped to another page in the newspaper.
Jesse folded the wheelchair with his only remaining hand and placed it on top of his legs carefully. He then pressed a button on the machine that was connected to the wall. 𝗈𝑽xt.𝐜𝑶𝔪
The one-seater then started moving up the stairs, and soon it reached the second floor.
Jesse unfolded the wheelchair and hopped onto it.
He rolled towards the closest door and opened it, then entered the room.
He found a small table with a lamp on top of it, and he turned on its light. The room was almost empty except for a bed in one corner, which was unmade. There was one wardrobe that didn’t have a lot of clothes, and then his study desk from his school days.
His room was rather cold-looking, with empty walls and a ceiling.
There was a desk under the window from his school days. Upon the desk lay a solitary book, titled “Ambrose, the Immortal Man.”
Jesse rolled next to the bed, hopped onto his bed, and pushed the wheelchair gently to the corner of the room. He then laid down and took a deep breath.
After catching his breath, he took out his phone and opened it. The first image he saw was an old family picture of him, his parents, and his little sister.
They were all smiling, which was one of his most fond memories. However, as he grew older, his parents and his little sister became more cold.
Their financial situation wasn’t as good as a decade ago, and while it wasn’t Jesse’s fault, he felt like they blamed him for it. After all, his condition caused them to spend money.
Jesse sighed and entered a special forum on his phone. It was a forum for a soon-to-be-released VR game that was said to be like a second world—Martial Online.
There was a lot of excitement in the air as he browsed the forums. However, he was searching for a certain post that he had seen a while back.
Soon, he found it.
It was from a person who claimed to have been a Beta Tester. He was a famous VR player in older games.
Jesse skimmed past most of the post’s content, but he did read the most important parts.
“Martial Online feels so real that it makes all other VR games pale in comparison…
“I thought I was tricked and I had been knocked unconscious and transported to another continent, then tricked that I was actually inside a game—it was simply that magical…
“The biggest concern for many has been the pain sensors. Many thought that Martial Company was obsessed with making the game as realistic as possible, including the pain.
“However, no need to worry. There is a clear way to feel if you get hit by an attack. I got slashed by a sword across my chest, and instead of pain, I felt a numb sensation that was quite uncomfortable.
“There is also a way to lose limbs, but again, there is no pain, only that annoying numb sensation. Haha, I realized that Martial Company must have intentionally made that feeling annoying so that players would avoid getting hit, which is an excellent idea.
“In the end, I truly began fighting like my life was on the line, as I didn’t want to feel that sensation anymore, haha. Just thinking about it makes me smile.
“The game is so amazing that my words can’t explain it!”
Jesse thoughtfully left the forums and entered the video app. In there, he found in-game footage of Martial Online. He began watching in silence.
It was filmed in first-person view, and it showed how it would look if he were the one currently playing.
After the video ended, Jesse closed the phone and looked at the empty ceiling.
“Just how real can it actually be? I would pay anything if it would make me feel like an actual person…” Jesse glanced at his broken right wrist and painfully groaned. “Anything…”
Bang, the door opened with a loud slam.
A beautiful, long-haired young woman with tanned skin entered the room. She had heavy make-up on her face and wore a tight black dress that showed off her toned body.
“Holly, what the heck?” Jesse groaned in pain and tried to sit up.
“I need money; give it to me.” Holly said while munching on bubblegum.
“Money? What for?” Jesse asked after finally sitting up.
“None of your business. Just give me or I need to ask from mom.” Holly munched on the bubblegum and showed an annoying-looking smile.
“Argh…” Jesse glanced at his broken right wrist and nodded weakly. He took out his wallet, but before he was able to take anything out, Holly snatched it from his hands and took out a fifty money note.
“Thanks.” Holly tossed the wallet to the ground and left the room while slamming the door shut behind her.
Jesse took the wallet from the floor and glanced at its empty inside.
“That was my only spare money…” He sighed and laid back down. He covered his face. “If I buy the VR helmet and the game, I don’t have any extra money. Is it really worth it?”
At that moment, three faces popped up in his mind. The smirking little sister, disappointed father, and annoyed-looking mother.
“If it allows me to escape this shitty reality, I might as well.” Jesse sighed.
He decided to go tomorrow to purchase the VR helmet.