Depraved Veracity

'That Rhuzerv means my account ID, huh.'

Setting that thought aside for now, I turned back to Noir. She said, "Very well, student Luo. Follow me. We have important procedures to initiate for your integration at Vaughan Academy."

With a nod, I followed behind her—Oh, before that, I was now dressed in an academy uniform with a red-black tone that matched Noir's military uniform. The one I was wearing was much simpler, though.

As we walked down the long hallway, my attention was drawn elsewhere. Not to the walls lined with holographic displays showcasing various aspects of academy life and achievements—that was too commonplace. Instead, I couldn't help but look up at the ceiling, which featured its own painting. It looked like... a dragon-slaying story? Given that this game mixed both sci-fi and fantasy elements, it was unique to see dragons that might later be countered with nukes (if such "nukes" were even available in this game).

"Hey, isn't it—"

My sightseeing was interrupted by a voice that felt quite close. With a slight glance, I saw two female students whispering together, their bodies pressed against each other. From their outfits and excessive accessories, it was clear they were players.

This meant I played the same global server as VR:Scanner was sold to the public.

As for their whispers? They weren't directed at me, so I didn't focus on them. I was a newbie, after all; who would notice me? Their whispers and attention were clearly directed at my guide.

Talk but no action. It was puzzling that those players didn't dare to engage with Noir. Since this game emphasizes relationships, I'd heard that the NPCs here were responsive and could even become friends. I knew they idolized her, especially with how their eyes followed her—walking, then stopping to make eye contact. The crowd grew larger and larger...

'Ah, I sense trouble.'

If I stayed too close to Noir or made it evident that she was my guide, I could imagine being labeled "the newbie taken care of by the leader" and then bombarded with questions from people interested in this NPC. Uh, no thanks. I wasn't keen on being the center of attention.

'Why did I get a leader as a guide, anyway? I thought it would be an ordinary one like others.'

I slowed my pace to put some distance between us. Thankfully, Noir had a long-range sense. If a player was outside its radar, an NPC would usually stop until the player caught up. Also, why was she so well-liked? Tsk. Too lazy to join the forum to read players' rants just to find out such trivial...

But as I lingered at the back, other players' gazes turned—Nope! Sorry, you saw nothing. I shifted a little... a bit more... then moved to the side and pretended to adjust my stance. Moved softly. Steady. My presence faded into the background amidst the crowd. When those people looked for a new focal point, they found none in me; I was blending into the sidelines.

A new face appeared when VR:Scanner was no longer produced, attracting attention, too, huh? It was understandable; I was probably the only newbie in "World: The Origin."

So, as Noir entered a room, I took advantage of the opportunity to execute my escape plan: maneuver through the shifting groups of people. Blend into the background. Move. Become just another face in the crowd. Enter. I slipped inside.

And the door closed behind me just three seconds after Noir.

'Clear!'

My guide turned to face me, her mouth opening as if ready to explain something. But I interrupted her by saying, "Let's be friends."

This invitation wasn't sudden. Based on the interaction just now—and the limited data available on the internet—it appeared that only a few people could befriend the leaders, or perhaps they were complicated to find in the first place. This was evident from the lack of their illustrations on Wikia.

Having a connection with a high-status NPC would be advantageous. But the players' tendency to keep their distance when they encountered Noir suggested there was a cost for taking the wrong steps to communicate with her, possibly resulting in being unable to talk to or even meet her again. As a result, they avoided interacting with her altogether.

And I, in my "newbie" condition, could take a bold move to test this. I had no status to lose. The system shouldn't ban or penalize me if something went wrong.

But it turned out the system had anticipated this...

Ding!

Right. That bright red notification popped up after I said "friend," like a slap in the face—I couldn't outsmart the system to cheat my way to what I wanted.

And Noir, with her usual expressionless face, inclined her head slightly. "Did you say something?"

'Uh, yeah, plan failed.'

I immediately shook my head.

Noir seemed to accept my response without further question, her focus returning to the task as she gestured to go deeper inside the room. "This way, please."

With each step inside the room, the dim blue lighting grew brighter. When I arrived at the center, I saw a chamber with circuitry designs on the walls and a soft blue glow. Above this area's center was a transparent holographic globe encircled by a smaller one—perhaps the room's light source—making the entire space virtually blue-white.

"This is the scanning room." Noir's voice echoed slightly in the expansive space. "Here, we will create your Heart Core."

At the center of the room—right below the giant globe—stood a pedestal, and hovering above it were two translucent orbs that blinked with a gentle glow. Noir motioned for me to stand in front of it. As I did, the orbs aligned themselves with my head and heart.

A beam of light emanated from the orbs, scanning my body from top to bottom. As their light passed over me, I felt a tingling sensation (not unpleasant, but strange). Perhaps this sensation was more akin to a mild electric shock? But rather than being painful, it was tingly and radiated throughout my body.

Once the scanning was complete, the orbs merged into a single sphere. It hovered over Noir before cracking open like an egg, revealing a smaller, denser core that fell into her outstretched hand.

She then presented it to me.

When I received it—Whoa! Small but heavy! The size, shape, and weight reminded me of a shot-put ball. Though, the texture was glassy with galactic twilight within.

"That is your Heart Core," Noir said, "the essence of your being within Vaughan Academy."

A system notification popped up before me, seemingly backing up what she had just said.

Intrigued, I tapped the notification twice with my index finger; it expanded to reveal a series of sub-menus: [Status], [Inventory], [Quest], [Map], and more. Although the layout was identical to many games I had played, the Heart Core connection was entirely new. In other games, the User Interface (UI) appeared automatically after login because they were primarily system-based, not like this (tied to a specific item).

I glanced at Noir, who nodded, likely encouraging me to explore the interface further. I tapped the [Status] icon, and a detailed breakdown of my character's abilities appeared. Numbers and bars indicating my health, fatigue, and other attributes adjusted in real-time.

Not only that. The HUD (Head-Up-Display) finally sprung up around my previously empty field of vision, making me slightly distracted that I was actually in the game world.

Appeared a status bar above Noir's head, too, with the level showing [???]. It made me curious... whether her level was that high to be unreadable or if her level would always be above whatever existed in the game to not have a fixed representation.

Ah, I became hungry to manipulate the game's very foundations, including being her friend, like understanding the underlying algorithms. Finding patterns and uncovering hidden mechanics or exploits? Of course, I wasn't thinking this way because I wanted a little trickery—although that was among my reasons—but considering that I, the only newbie in this game, would definitely experience my own set of obstacles as the weakest player.

I had to find ways to survive.

'Oh, how nostalgic, trying to survive, no matter how...'

Snap!

The sound of Noir's fingers flicking brought me back to focus on her again. And there was a full-wall screen right at the back of the room. It flickered to life, displaying an array of statistics and data. My stats, to be exact.

"Your abilities here are a reflection of your potential. Your development in various skills, adaptability, and strategic thinking will contribute to your growth; please take note of that when you want to raise your current poor status."

That was what she said and what was on the screen...

...my status was still poor.

I didn't expect Noir to say this bluntly—Oh, well... what did you expect from an AI? On the one hand, her words made me notice that "raise" wasn't just limited to this virtual space; it also required development in the real world.

For example, if I had an A-level grade (in the real world), my Grade status, which was currently full of Fs, could swiftly improve to an A. However, if I didn't improve my abilities in the real world any longer after that, my game status would be stuck at Grade A forever.

I concluded this because I heard that VR:Scanner collaborates with the health sector, encouraging players to stabilize their wellness both digitally and in reality. Also, the helmet itself was about empowerment and healing. With their NeuroVerse system, NeoGen created a game where players could engage in mental exercises that, over time, train their minds to control various bodily functions.

This was why VR:Scanner became highly sought-after; not only as a medium of entertainment, this helmet could help restore the nervous system that had been paralyzed with the help of stimuli in the digital world. Hence, everything started from [F] to ensure a fair start for everyone, including those with disabilities, to ensure they could compete with others and their progress could be tracked well.

"Now," Noir turned to face me, and my eyes shifted to glance at her as well, "it is time to choose your Class."

Then, in front of the massive screen, four tube devices emerged from the floor, each with a concave section in the center where I believed the Heart Core was meant to be placed. The whizzing sound of the ascending tubes stopped, followed by holographic screens emerging on each pillar.

I walked closer and saw that each screen displayed writings in different colors and explanations.

From each, I had previously researched specifics (Skills, potentials, and so on) to make things easier for me in situations like this... to be exact, to fulfill my curiosity (I already said I want to play this game myself, right?).

So I put my Heart Core into a tube, and the galaxy whirls on my crystal orb turned blue glitter.

Yes, I decided to choose the tricky Class.

Catalyst.

D.N.A.

Good day, it's me again!
I just wanted to let you know that, during this month, I'm trying to publish this story at least one chapter a day. This is so you can quickly get an overall idea of what the story is about, helping you decide whether to continue following it or to drop it (if it's not to your taste). Once this is over, I plan to publish on Fridays and Saturdays/Sundays (twice a week) to maintain quality.

I hope you don't mind it, but if you have suggestions on which days are best for releasing the chapter, please let me know! ^^)/