Chapter 2 Azimuth

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/Shuaa…/

/Splish splash…/

As Dale took a shower, he thought about his plans…

And without realizing it, he started to reminisce about his motivations and why he was doing this in the first place…

"Haa…" He breathed in as he felt the warm water fall on his face

'... I still can't believe Azimuth is finally going to be released… And I will be the first to play it… Even if just for 10 minutes…'

The words he had heard so many times before in many ads and from the words of his friends naturally came to his lips…

"The next game of the most successful Hyper Reality game company in the world… Elden Throne."

The history of Virtual reality goes back several decades into the early 21st century and keeps going even after several decades.

However, it only started to take over the world around 35 years ago when the first full dive gear was released to the public at an affordable price.

Being able to feel the wind on your skin, touch objects with your hands inside a game… It took the world by storm.

And that was when Elden Throne made its first appearance, taking the first step and releasing the first Full dive RPG, not yet an MMO at the time due to server problems and technological issues, but still something that took everyone by surprise.

Because at that time, virtual reality was still rather… Clunky, and the games made for it were also equally rough.

The feelings felt artificial, and many people compared it to the feeling you have when you are sleeping. You could feel the dream but you could also feel your bed… It was a rather bad experience.

Nevertheless, this technology was still highly sought after, especially in the movie industry which had a revitalization due to it.

At the time, movies and such forms of media were completely dwarfed by the ever-growing gaming industry, but now, movies could make you feel as if you were truly there…

This era lasted 10 years and many iterations of the Full dive gear were made for all kinds of things and niche practices, but they weren't that much more advanced and were simply slight evolutions of past nodels or specializations for an specific purpose.

But this was the time when Elden Throne showed its superiority as a company for the first time and introduced the Pod technology, allowing someone to fully immerse themselves into the game without outside interference.

No more dual feelings, now, you are fully inside the virtual reality. All senses were augmented, and some even said this was the pinnacle of this technology, that there was no way to improve upon it… They were very wrong.

Not only that, this new technology allowed people to play while sleeping without any consequences, which means that the Human total lifespan nearly increased by a third.

No more wasting ⅓ of your day with sleep, make use of that time and go play some games!

If that wasn't enough, this technology allowed for time dilation, meaning, you could experience 2-3 minutes in-game, but only one minute would pass in real-time…

To top it off, It was also at this time that they released their first MMO with a time dilation of 2 and it shook the world…

For the people of the time, they must've felt like they were watching aliens impart them with their technology due to how much of a gap there was between them and everything else at the market…

Being able to fight and do quests in a completely foreign world while feeling everything perfectly… Magic, Dragons, foreign people, and kingdoms…

This was when Virtual reality truly became a reality of its own. And Elden throne enjoyed its rule like a tyrant releasing many products and updates for their game while everyone else was left in the dust…

This era lasted 15 or so years due to the fact that in the last 2 years of it, their original game stopped being updated as Elden Throne announced their commercial end of this game, despite it still being very profitable.

Elden Throne was no mere company, they took great care of their game, releasing more patches and extra content than ever before.

Their business practices were considered ethical even if they profited through things like in-game monetization…

People accepted them, they were efficient, they delivered, they innovate… They were the kings of this Era, the ones that sat on the throne.

Still, that was considered a terrible business choice by many, why abandon the game when it seemed they were fully capable of supporting it?...

That caused a lot of conflict at the time…

But there was nothing that could be done as the company did not budge at all, they were oddly stubborn about it.

Dale was born right in the middle of this era, he played the first game almost every day as a child until it stopped being updated and was eventually left behind in the sea of games…

Sadly, Elden Throne did not release a new game and the company eventually went silent over time.

But Dale did not stop playing their game, he grew up hearing about this game, and even after this era ended a new technology was made, he still played it because the other games didn't feel nearly as real as this game…

The only exceptions were some combat games since he loved fighting, and a few…

COUGH! Inappropriate games…

Cut Dale some slack, not having maidens can do a man real bad…

The next era saw the rise of the so-called 'Neuron Pods', and they are currently the next-gen of pods on the market, allowing for absolute immersion. It was so perfect that 99/100 people wouldn't even realize they were inside virtual reality even after spending a day inside…

It works due to the discovery of the Neuryne Solution.

The new Pod models completely submerge their users in it, making them feel as if they are trapped inside a box with water…

It's obvious some people disliked this and there are many measures available to help people adapt to it.

Dale himself wasn't a fan of putting on a mask and slowly seeing his body be submerged in liquid and there was nothing he could do to escape it in case something bad happened…

Some advanced products even include medical facilities, allowing for body growth and care while you dive into virtual reality…

Imagine spending a few days in virtual reality, only to see that one day passed in real life and that your body was now stronger since the pod stimulated your muscles…

It was a no-brainer that this technology exploded… Although advanced pods with these features are expensive even after a few years…

It has been 5 years since this technology was made and so far, it has been considered the best in the world, with India being at the forefront of VR technology, followed by Russia, China, the US, Japan, and surprisingly enough, Brasil…

Until this year that is…

Elden Throne was back! And with another massive hit!

A new Pod machine, better and cheaper. It could go as far as to have a 4.1-time dilation. Not the best, but extremely good for its price.

In comparison, military-grade Pods are said to have up to a 5.0-time dilation, and some of the experimental prototypes currently shared with the public can go as far as a 5.7-time dilation.

And not only that, they announced their new game! And that it would run with a 3:1 time dilation in order to have everyone on the same page.

After all, most of the players cannot afford pods with such high time dilations, even if Elden Throne's pod was relatively cheaper than those in the same category, some families would still have a hard time buying one and maintaining it.

That was why Elden Throne released several pods with different features, but they all had as a base a 3.0-time dilation at the very least.

And to press it forward, a lot of advertisements and even Beta gameplay were given to the population, including footage of what the game's Beta looked like…

And Dale had been one of the lucky few to have participated in the Beta before its footage was released…

…

[Last year…]

One year ago, Dale was relaxing in his home during the new year when he received a sudden Email.

At first, he treated it as Bull or some sort of stupid scam, but one day later after he received the message, a lawyer actually went to his house to confirm his participation, and Dale almost crapped his pants.

He understood that it was real and that he was being invited to participate in the company's next game, Azimuth.

He didn't care about the rest, such as how they got his address, which was actually pretty simple due to the age of information…

What mattered was that he had been chosen from tens of thousands that still played the game to this day and even a few influential content makers…

He and 99 others.

That's right, only 100 were chosen… But still, the chances were rather big since, at the time he received the invitation, the game only had several ten thousand active players, with a few only being returnees that wanted some nostalgia like him, while a few were just people passing by to check the game that was once so acclaimed.

If we count the players that were just like him, playing the games for years for some reason, then it would be just a couple hundred.

So his chances were quite high even if we count the few slots that were given to influential Virtual Reality content makers…

Stupefied by the news, Dale got ready and almost locked his college period so he could enjoy the game to its fullest, but his parents didn't allow him and he was forced to go normally.

Even so, he had 2 weeks of vacation to play the game, and although the Beta would last over a month, that was enough for him to do everything he needed!

Perhaps even a bit more time, as usual, the first few weeks of University were pretty uneventful…

And now, one year after the Beta, Azimuth is being released to the public, and Dale already had a plan to get ahead of everyone, even if just for a few days…

No, that would be an understatement, Dale was already weeks ahead of everyone… And that was because he found out the 'truth'...

And he would seek it out!

/BANG!/

/BANG!/

//BANG!/

"DALE! GET OUT OF THE SHOWER!" Screamed his brother as he banged his hands on the door loudly

Dale slowly woke up from his imagination…

"... Stop being such an ass and calm down, we still have… over 2 and a half hours…" He said as he tapped on the wall, having a number pop up in the air

"BRO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I STILL NEED TO GET ONLINE AND TALK WITH MY GIRLFRIEND, AND YOU KNOW HOW SHE IS, 2 AND A HALF HOURS IS THE TIME I HAVE TO CONVINCE HER TO LEAVE ME ALONE FOR THE NEXT WEEK!"

He seemed desperate…

"So just be away from her man…"

But Dale stopped talking, understanding he had gone a bit beyond his boundaries.

Telling his brother to get away from his girlfriend? Like, come on…

"Man… I want to play the game in peace knowing I will be able to live after this weekend…" He said in a depressed tone

"..."

"If you are so desperate, then go take a shower elsewhere, there are 3 other showers in the house."

/Silence…/

"Guess you're right… I wasn't thinking straight. At least give me my towel…"

Dale rolled his eyes and opened the door, giving his brother a red towel.

Dale shook his head at his younger brother's stupidity and aggressiveness and went back to shower in peace.

"But he is right, enough showering, time to eat and get ready…"

"Close the valve, I'm getting off the bath." Dale said as he turned around, leaving the shower box

[Understood Dale] a smooth mechanical voice from above, it was the house AI

[Would you like me to play some music?]

"Why not?" He replied with a smile

/~Humming…~/

Like that, he enjoyed his last few minutes in the bathroom as he dried up his ass.

…

/Half an hour later…/

/Clack!/

"Done… Now to some testing…"

Dale was back in his Pod room, checking a few instruction manuals and making sure everything was fine and dandy before pressing the 'On' button.

/DING!/

[System Online]

Hearing the male mechanical voice, Dale shuddered as he was finally going to play it…

"Let's see the command list… So uh… Here and uh…"

"Start Mechanical check." He said smoothly

[DING]

[Mechanical check, in progress…]

[Structural stability… 100%]

[Attachable equipment stability… 100%]

[Electronics… 100%]

[Safety measures… 100%]

[Neuryne containers… 100%]

[Neuryne purity… 100%]

[...]

[Mechanical check has been completed, no abnormalities detected]

"Well that's expected, that guy should've tested it before me but it's better to do it before it's too late, if something happens there is still time for maintenance to arrive."

Following this, Dale checked several more systems and eventually booted the machine…

[Preparing… T-34 minutes until all systems are operational]

"Hmm… It sure takes a while for the Neuryne to flow…"

'But this is it… 34 minutes… I can't wait.'

Dale relaxed on the ground as he heard the machine operate, and after a while, he went to his bedroom to retrieve his cell phone and talk with his friends…

After all, they, just like him, were likely just getting ready to get in-game too.

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Notes

(Small timeline if you did not understand:)

-35 years ago, VR was made available commercially.

(Clunky, bad, dual feelings… Movie and other industries were revitalized)

First Full Dive RPG, not yet an MMO by Elden Throne, likely the best game for VR of its time.

For the next 10 years, there weren't many advancements in the technology… Until…

-25 years ago, Elden Throne reveals the POD technology.

This era would last 15 years.

(No more dual feelings, now, you are fully inside the virtual reality)

(No more wasting ⅓ of your day with sleep)

(First instance of time dilation)

(Elden Throne released its first MMO RPG with time dilation)

Dale was born around this time, and a big chunk of his early childhood was playing this MMO.

12 years ago, the game stopped being updated and players started to dip.

-10 years ago, Neuron Pods were introduced to the world allowing for absolute immersion.

(They were created due to the invention of the Neuryne Solution)

5 years ago, some Neuron Pods can come with extra features that directly interact with the body.

-Present time, new pod machine by Elden Throne, better and cheaper. It could go as far as to have a 4-1 time dilation. Not the best, but extremely good for its price.

At least, this is all we know.