Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 1: It Begins

Iruma, Saitama Prefecture,

Japan.

05:45 a.m. Monday, 6th April 2043.

Within a dimly lit room, Mato Suzuki took off his Virtual Gear helmet and looked at the familiar painting on his ceiling. A pair of crossed swords stabbed into the soil overlooking a vast forest range. The blades gleamed imposingly as they caught the rays of a setting sun.

"I see. It's over, huh?" Suzuki muttered with a sigh. He closed his eyes and gave the pre-programmed command. "Erase."

Suzuki opened his eyes three seconds later, and as expected, only one sword remained. Suzuki sighed and got off the bed, dark eyes dim with dread toward the new day. Less than five seconds out, and he already regretted his decision to quit King's Journey. However, there wasn't much he could have done as the situation was out of his hands.

Razznik's final battle marked the end of King's Journey.

Genaco Incorporated, the company behind King's Journey, was closing its servers at 7:00 a.m. in preparation for a new game they tagged Live No Evil, which would launch later in the day at 6:00 p.m.

"TV on," Suzuki ordered, and the 40" flat screen mounted on the opposite wall turned on. As always, it was tuned to G1, the prime gaming channel network in the world. Suzuki always found it funny how these network channels kept managing to crawl back to life despite the odds. Two decades ago, television networks found themselves at risk of extinction as ratings steadily declined. Millennials just did not resonate with their content, preferring the ease of watching videos on a streaming site.

Sports channels were the only channels that managed to keep high ratings. Other channels frantically searched for a way to catch up or at least cut a slice of the digital market for themselves. It was at this time that someone took notice of gaming's ever-increasing demand on video streaming sites and the seemingly unstoppable growth and success of esports.

The network companies suddenly had a crazy idea. Why not create a few channels dedicated to this little market, to see what happens? No one expected the resounding success that followed. Rabid fans happily bought subscriptions to the different networks to support the progress of their favorite esports teams. In response to this unprecedented move, the networks began to promote even more gaming content.

Drama and movie channels showcased staged stories within games, complete with voice actors. Sports channels fought over exclusivity for different esports, and some channels went as far as to dedicate everything to gaming content alone.

Genaco Inc's gaming channel, G1, used to be 'just one of the channels.' However, as fate would have it, its total exclusivity over King's Journey, the world's first ever virtual game, after its release, launched its status to the number one gaming channel overnight. The gaming channel made stars out of dozens of gamers and changed the public's perception of gamers as a whole.

Gaming was no longer a career path to be scoffed at. Little children in kindergarten often put down 'Professional Gamer' as their career choice.

Suzuki walked over to a treadmill located next to the entrance door and started his morning run.

"I've got to say, Tomeo-chan, that fight was i-i-i-incredible! I got goosebumps! Look, look at the goosebumps!"

"Chills! I got chills, Naosuke-kun! I thought my life was over when Razznik glared at me!"

"Ah, I know what you mean! But, Tomeo-chan, you did die though."

"Huhuhuhu, Naosuke-kun you scrub. Everybody died, but I made sure to punch him once!"