War of Kingdoms… the new hyper-realistic VR online game, according to everything announced in recent months, is set in a technological/medieval and magical era.
With monsters, gods, journeys, kingdoms, and adventures... a game that should be rated 12 stars—and I'm not exaggerating—expectations are insanely high.
From what I've been able to gather, it's been developed with everything: adventure, action, drama, suspense, horror, romance, adult content, and more.
All of that was made possible thanks to the fact that twenty years ago, the world's biggest gaming companies were acquired by Shimamoto Mitsuki, a Japanese businessman and game developer, alongside Choi Wonyoung, a Korean programmer and developer.
Under their leadership, they founded the biggest company in the entire gaming industry: Arcade.
According to a statement made by the president a few weeks ago, this gem of entertainment for geeks, nerds, gamers, and anyone who loves great games, took seven years to develop.
They've enhanced and rewritten the entire game's lore in every possible way... and now, we're just 15 days away from its global launch, widely hyped as the game of the century.
But this morning, thanks to the Dreifus International Group and my connections with Arcade, I managed to get the VR gear and headset before the official release.
(I'm not ashamed of being rich. I'm ashamed of being the son of a bastard like my father. Still... I've waited long enough for this.)
Hehehe... kekeke... hahahaha... now I'm going to be the very first player in this game.
[Connecting to server]
[Please wait…]
[Processing…]
[Welcome to War of Kingdoms]
[Create your character]
(According to the official Arcade guide I researched, your appearance, build, and race affect your starting stats. No way I'm using my real appearance—it'd be suicide. My character needs to be tall, toned, dark hair, red eyes… human species.)
[Processing… Character created]
[Please assign a name]
(A name, huh? I'll go with…Erling fon Valent.)
[Name assigned]
[You have received a special option to select your job.]
(Tempting as it is to be an adventurer… I want to be a Hero.)
[You've selected Hero, Legendary Rank Class A]
[Processing… Welcome User #1]
[As the first user of War of Kingdoms, you've received a Unique Special Reward]
[Please wait…]
[Reward Assigned: System Window]
(What? Like an enhanced status window or something?)
[You'll now be transported to a random location. Continue? Yes/No]
Yes.
[Welcome to the continent of Aurotia. Please enjoy your experience.]
(Whoa… this is incredible. These graphics are on another level.)
(Hold on, let's check the rewards.)
Player Status Window:
Name: Erling fon Valent
Race: Human
Titles: None
Level: 1
Vitality: 112/112
Mana: 1000/1000
Unique Trait: First User
Job: Hero (A Rank)
Class: None
Subclass: None
Strength: 15
Agility: 12
Speed: 13
Vision: 8
Endurance: 9
Intelligence: 4
Wisdom: 6
Adaptability: 8
Luck: 10
Charm: 14
Available Points: 0
Abilities: System Window (Ex)
[See More /]
(I got scammed... what the hell is this? This is just the same basic status window as any other RPG. Sigh... Well, my stats aren't too bad. For level 1, I'm pretty strong. Whatever, time to go slay some Goblins to grind some XP.)
A while later…
[You have died. Respawning…]
Later still…
[You have died. Respawning…]
A few more times…
[You have died. Respawning…]
Again…
[You have died. Respawning…]
***
Arcade HQ – Dallas, Texas – Programming & Support Dept.
Everything was quiet on the monitors, until suddenly:
[First User Online]
The worker on duty froze at the alert. Immediately, he called in the department head, Mr. Evans Taylor. When Taylor saw the alert, he turned to the employee and said:
Taylor: "Calm down, Martínez… this user is very important to Arcade. Also, the top brass in Korea approved this."
Martínez: "What? Just like that? But… won't this affect the League?"
Taylor: "I know, but it wasn't just anyone—it was President Shimamoto himself who authorized it."
Martínez: "Why?"
Taylor: "I don't know. I was only told someone named Erling would reach out, and to accept his request."
Martínez: "Who the hell is Erling?"
Taylor: "I did some digging… apparently he's known as 'Loser-Gold' or 'the worst gamer ever'... that's what they call him."
Martínez: "Then why let him be the first user?"
Taylor: "Maybe to make sure nobody else gets the first-user reward."
Martínez: "What would they gain from that?"
Taylor: "Think, Martínez… This way, the competition stays fair for the pros. That reward becomes useless in Erling's hands, since he's a notorious spender and noob."
Martínez: "Got it, boss."
Taylor: "Back to work, Martínez."
Martínez: "Right away, Mr. Taylor."
Taylor stared at the monitor and muttered:
Taylor: "It's sad to be handed something you'll never understand how to use, Erling... This is like giving a treasure map to a baby."
***
After several failed attempts, I realized it: I'm so used to playing on PC that my essential tremor kicks in—even in VR.
(I guess my subconscious still thinks it's real… anyway, my thoughts on the game?)
Perfect realism, jaw-dropping graphics… if someone told me I was in another world, I'd believe them.
But honestly? This game is bullshit. Way harder than I expected. How the hell am I supposed to level up when a damn Goblin is that savage? And Slimes? They're supposed to be easy, but no—those transparent little blobs are so acidic they kill me on contact.
Sigh… at least I discovered that my First User reward—System Window—is super convenient.
System Window:
Maps Options: Locations / Places / Kingdoms / Events / Missions / [More]
Info Options: Reports / Bounties / Informants / Kingdoms / State Affairs / [More]
Real Estate Options: Properties / Land / Locations / Titles / [More]
Code Options: Runes / Secrets / Codes / Rituals / Languages / [More]
System Store: Items / Potions / Equipment / Weapons / Skills / Classes / [More]
Electronic Bank: Accounts / Exchange / Conversion / [More]
NPC Log Options: Appearance / Level / Name / Kingdom / Species / Title / [More]
Target Locator: Species / Items / Coordinates / Ranking / [More]
Game Lines: Timeline / Order / Plots / Developments / Arcs / Scenarios / [More]
Internet Connection: Search / Sites / Social Media / Forums / [More]
Cloud: Save / Access / [More]
System Settings: General Options / [More]
(Man, they were super generous with this. Hold up… the store section—)
System Store: Items / Potions / Equipment / Weapons / Skills / Classes / Special Offers
(Damn… there are tons of Legendary and Mythical-grade items. And classes and skills too, but—whoa, those prices are insane. Sigh… oh well, there's nothing money can't buy. Wait, what's this?)
Real Estate Options: Properties / Land / Locations / Titles / Affiliation / Rank
(T-this is crazy… I can buy titles, land, and property in the game. That's seriously awesome. Though these are way more expensive than the shop items… Sigh… but worth it.)
(Wait—those bastards found out who I am… the youngest son of the great tycoon Zack Dreifus. Well, I've been more exposed since turning 25. Whatever, if it's about money, I just need to convert real cash to in-game currency. Let's hit the e-bank…)
(Alright, I think I'm good for now. Ugh... crap, I think I spent like 3 straight days inside the game—wait... 15 hours?? That's wild.)
(No wonder I feel this exhausted. Sigh… time to log out.)
[Logging out…][Session ended]
I got up from bed, took off the VR headset, and stretched:
"Aaargh, I really need to start working out."
I didn't realize it, but someone else was in the room—my personal assistant (or butler/babysitter, honestly). A middle-aged man, tall and lean, with bronzed skin. His black hair was peppered with grays, light green eyes, and a short beard.
I flinched when I saw him and quickly greeted him:
"Oh, hey Bernard, looking sharp today."
Bernard: "Good day, young master. As I've always said, a man must maintain his elegance at all times."
"Whatever you say, Bernard. Could you call my father for me?"
Bernard: "Right away, young master."
10 minutes later:
Bernard: "Young Brian, your father says he's very busy."
"Just get to the point and tell him to transfer 12 billion dollars to my account."
Bernard: "He asks, why so much?"
"Tell him it's for a project… no, better—say it's an investment. That should work."
Bernard: "Understood... it seems he agreed, young master. Now, what will you do with it?"
"Something important, Bernard. But that's for tomorrow. I need rest."
Bernard: "Very well, young master. Good night."
The next day:
[Logged back in]System Window → E-Bank → Options → Exchange[Enter Account…][Account Verified…][You have exchanged $10.6 billion for silver coins][Calculating exchange rate… Please wait][You now have 212 billion silver coins]
"Damn, that's wild! Looks like the rate is $1 = 20 silver coins… This should be enough to buy everything I want."
System Store: → Items / Weapons / Equipment
✅ White Dragon's Divine Armor (Mythical S-Grade)+900 STR / +900 END / +900 SPD / +900 AGI / +900 ADPDurability: 9999/9999Cost: 90 million silver coins→ Purchased
✅ God of War's Helmet (Mythical S-Grade)+10,000 HP / +900 VSNDurability: 99999/99999Cost: 900 million silver coins→ Purchased
✅ Sword of Destruction (Legendary A+ Grade)+900 STR / +900 VSN / +800% DMGDurability: 9999/9999Cost: 90 million silver coins→ Purchased
✅ Boots of the Thunder God (Legendary AA+ Grade)+999 SPD / +999 AGI / +999 WIS / +999 INTDurability: 9999/9999Cost: 900 million silver coins→ Purchased
[Purchases completed successfully]
"Now I'm locked and loaded. Just one more thing left to buy…"