Chapter 422: Grand opening

Waking up, Eldrian looked around at the room with a strange feeling. The fanciness of it all made it feel alien to him. Like he didn't belong. Even after staying here for the past few days. 

He had moved in before anyone else, the other players were all going to come today. The feeling of knowing that he was going to finally meet those he had fought with for quite a while was a strange one. Part of him felt like he knew who they were, and another part felt like he had no idea. 

But this didn't distract Eldrian much. He was more curious about the grand opening and what on earth that was going to be like. He just knew he was instructed to go and meet the others in a specific part of the stadium.

'The view is also...' Eldrian shook his head as he realized that they had been given very specific rooms. Their view was limited to the stadium and the living area of Miracle's site. Certainly the best view possible for the finalists, but Eldrian felt certain that wasn't the reason why they were only given rooms on one side of the building. 

Leaving the room that was more a suite, Eldrian decided to go for a jog. Running past the others as they arrived. Most teams were scattered throughout their country and thus not really a cohesive team. For many, it was the first time meeting up IRL. 

As such, they simply nodded at each other in passing, with few trying to introduce themselves. At least not just yet, they first wanted to learn who were their teammates. Not randomly introduce themselves to potential rivals. 

Naturally, there would always be one or two who went out of their way trying to get to know everyone. This was more so the case for the individual finalists. The four going about immediately trying to make some friends.

Eldrian returned two hours later, the top floor empty and quiet despite the fact that most have arrived by now. 'Right, the immersion chair. I guess everyone just had to try them out.' Eldrian mumbled as he changed and headed down to the stadium. 

It was packed with people lining up to go in and join the rest of the crowd. While the notice had been short, most who were invested in the game were massively interested in visiting the home office of the company that had made it. The opportunity wasn't an easy one to come by due to how strict Miracle's visitations were. 

Luckily, the finalist needn't stand in line. Eldrian simply moved past them and handed his ID card to the security guard. Moving inside he took a good look around at this part of Miracle which he had never been allowed into before. The stadium took up most of the space with the sides filled with vendors. Forming a V shape toward the stadium's entrance. 

Most of the vendors were selling food or drinks. But some were selling game merchandise, though there wasn't much of that just yet. A few opportunistic entrepreneurs had seen the potential, this championship was going to determine whether they were smart and one step ahead, or not. 

Outside of these, the stalls closest to the stadium entrance were Miracle's. Displaying the third version of the headset as well as the immersion chairs. Allowing those who had come, to try them out and also ask about things they had questions on. The hottest topic being the cabins.

Eldrian ignored most of what was going on and instead just got himself a bite to eat and something to drink before finding a comfortable spot to wait in. 

An hour later they were finally allowed inside the stadium, and it was at this time that the finalists were supposed to meet up. Heading to where the instructions told him, Eldrian entered what appeared like a changing room where he saw two other people waiting for him. 

"Erik!" Eldrian shouted and greeted his friend before turning to the lady with a questioning look. 

"This is Judith. Judith this is Eldrian," Erik said, introducing the two. Eldrian left wondering how such a massive difference could be possible. 

Judith was dressed in a long formal dress which was a massive contrast to her normal barbarian outfit. In fact, the formal dress itself felt like it was over the top. Yet, looking at Erik who was dressed in a similar neat formal manner, Eldrian became uncertain. 

"Was there some kind of dress code?"

"No, but I guess most would try to look their best for their first time on TV." Erik replied, leaving Eldrian scratting his head as he tried to recall this bit of information. 

'TV, really? When did I miss that?' Shrugging, Eldrian didn't care too much. It wasn't like he was badly dressed. He was just not as formal and fancy as his friends, and this stayed true as the others joined them in their 'changing' room. 

It was quite shocking to Eldrian how close the girls' appearances were to their in-game avatars. Elizabeth in fact looked 100% like herself in the game, a strange thing to see. Judith had changed her hair in the game, in reality, she had dark brown hair not red. That and the lack of scars were the biggest discrepancies. 

Therdul naturally was not a dwarf, and in fact, his normal appearance was quite nice. He had a neatly kept beard and short black hair.

"Hello! Hello, hello. How are you all doing?" A friendly female voice echoed through the air and interrupted the players who were introducing themselves and getting to know each other. 

"We hope everyone found their way here comfortably. As you all know, the semi-finals are going to be held tomorrow, and the finals two days after. Today, we want to introduce to you all the best players as well as showcase some of the more shocking parts of A New World."

"Let us start with a grand opening first. Please turn your attention to the central screen."

At the same time as this was said a guide came to lead the finalists to their viewing boxes. From inside they could see the entire stadium. 

In the center of the room was a massive open stage. And the voice's instructions made no sense as there was no central screen. That was until the entire floor suddenly lit up and a hologram came to life. 

Showing the first moments of many players into the game, their first rush into the wild, and their abrupt deaths. Then, it moves to the first quests, to the kingdoms falling. And to the kingdoms fighting back. 

It didn't stay on any particular sight for too long, yet the method in which it was shown them was simply amazing. It didn't just showcase the players' path, it also showed the wonderful landscapes that had been hidden from everyone till now. 

It showed the amazing beasts waiting to be hunted or tames, it showed just how massive this world truly was. Heck, at one point it even showed just how small a kingdom was.

Focusing first on the players, zooming out to show the city, then to show the kingdom. Then the surrounding kingdoms, the empire. The scale was simply mindblowing, and more so were some of the sights. Some of the landscapes stood proud even from such a height.