Chapter 1: Heroic Yet Unfortunate


    The media online went into an uproar when the seven biggestpanies for VRMMORPG games closed the server of their main game and made a joint game together called Tribe Online, using the newly-created and best supeputer, Olympus.


    The joint project was so hyped that it became a worldwide topic in thest two weeks. Social media was filled with the game, bing the most anticipated game and event worldwide.


    Even the tv news kept broadcasting Tribe Online every day. Even today was not the exception.


    Shen was sitting on hisfy couch, watching the screen disying a woman in her prime interviewing a man in his mid-forties. The man was the Sky''s Director of China branch. The sky was the new name of the jointpany of the seven biggest gamepanies.


    The man became the most wanted man by the media because tomorrow morning was Tribe Online''s firstunch. It was just another boring interview, at least it was pretty boring for Shen.


    Even though it was boring, Shen let the tv on as he went to the kitchen. The kitchen and the living room were connected, he walked to the kitchen bar and took the te from the bar. It was just rice with chicken curry on top with a few slices of potato. A in and simple meal that fit with his taste.


    He sat back on the couch and put his feet on the table, getting on hisfy posture. Then he started to spoon up his first bite while listening to the interview.


    It was a basic interview, the female interviewer asked Director Deng the basic questions, like theunching preparation, the n for the China development, more into business questions rather than such as gamey.


    He soon lost interest in the show and focused more on his food. He finished the meal and went to the kitchen to put the te in the sink then he drank a ss of water before he went to the bathroom.


    As Shen came out of the bathroom, he had changed into sportswear with long pants. His apartment was that big but it looked decent, with a connected kitchen and living room, a bedroom with a shower room, and a bathroom outside.


    Shen went to his bedroom to retrieve his Orange phone and wireless earbuds. He checked the clock on the phone, it was fifteen minutes away from his usual evening jogging.


    He went back to hisfy couch and turned off the tv while humming his favorite song. People would be surprised that someone who lived in this small apartment had Orange. Orange was more expensive than the rent of this apartment, after all.


    Someone who had Orange would usually live in a decent apartment, at least, living in a better apartment than this one. But Shen could afford it despite his young age, he was twenty but an ex-runner athlete.


    He was the young prodigy runner that represented China in many international events. Running was basically his life until an incident where he broke one of his knees.


    It was a heroic yet unfortunate incident, he tried to save a drunk youngdy from being hit by the car. He saved thedy but he was a bitte to avoid the car. His right knee was hit by a car, the infuriating fact was the car did not bother to stop to help.


    It took him longer to reach the hospital that worsened his injury. Even after the surgery, his right foot could not be saved, and his heroic action ended his career.


    He was frustrated and depressed. Running was his life but that was not the reason, not because his life depended on it, but because of his mother''sst wish. On her deathbed, with tears and sickly condition, his mother told him that she wanted him to be the best runner in the world. Since that day, her mother''sst wish was his goal. He worked hard for it and managed to reach the height that he never thought he could reach before. But everything was over because of one incident.


    What upset him even more, the one who hit him was also a drunk man. It was ironic that two drunk people were the cause that ended his career. On top of that, the hit and run case was closed immediately because he heard the person who hit him was the official''s son.


    The culprit only got his driving license revoked. It was so ironic that a prodigy athlete''s career got ruined by the official''s son, but the culprit left scot-free. Of course, he gotpensation in return, ten million USD to close his mouth. He never touched the money since he earned a lot from thepetition, and he got an allowance from the government too.


    The first month was bleak and so depressing for him. However, his foreign friend rmended a game, Virtual Reality game. In this game, he could run like he normally did, it was just his speed was limited with something called an attribute. It was not something training could improve his running speed but constant grinding.


    Even though he could not be the best runner in the world, he still wanted to be the best runner even in the virtual reality game. With those thoughts in his mind, he bought thetest gaming capsule and yed Universe Online.


    That was the most popr game in China, mixing a genre of the game between western fantasy and eastern fantasy. He yed a Swordsman while focusing agility as his main attribute. His goal was to be the fastest in the game, after all.


    Remembering his past just made him upset, he yed his ylist and got up. He left his apartment, the five floors building for his usual jog. He could never run as fast as before, but he was still okay for a jog.


    His jogging route just followed the long river near his apartment, and he would run back. A casual jog was fine for him, but that could onlyst for ten to fifteen minutes. More than that, his knee would start to hurt. It was just like a bunch of needles pierced his knee.


    After ten minutes of running, he suddenly kept remembering about the ident two years ago for some reason. It pissed him off and he suddenly picked up his pace, he ran as fast as possible, and his knee immediately hurt. It was so painful that he immediately fell forward.


    "Urgh," he grunted in pain, it was so painful. The doctor in charge of his surgery kept telling him to not work his right foot too much or it would worsen the injury. But he just could not keep it and force himself to run.


    "Do you need help, young man?" A man''s voice entered his ear. Shen looked up, an uncle in his mid-forties was offering his hand to help with a kind smile stered on his face.