Martial Online.

Chapter 3: Servers Online

Jesse pushed the wheel of the wheelchair forward as he moved down the sidewalk. The weather was rather warm, with a clear blue sky and a scorching sun hovering high above.

Shortly afterwards, he arrived at the bustling store. It was an electronic store, and many customers left the store with boxes of VR helmets in hand.

Jesse rolled towards the door, and luckily it was an automated door, allowing him to enter the store without any hiccups. He looked across the store's aisles and found the place where VR helmets were sold.

However, many customers left that aisle with disappointed expressions.

Jesse had a bad feeling and quickly wheeled to the aisle, and after arriving at the shelves, he saw that there was no VR helmet for sale. They were already sold out.

At that moment, the store clerk came to the shelves and placed a sign, saying that a new shipment of VR helmets would arrive the day after tomorrow. It made many customers upset because the servers would go online tomorrow morning.

Jesse left the store without buying anything and headed in another direction.

'I can always wait for the day after tomorrow.' Jesse thought about it, but then came across an ordinary convenience store. There was a VR helmet sign next to the door. 'They are also selling them? I guess it's good for business. I wonder if they have any left.'

He entered the store through automated doors and saw that there were many customers with VR helmet boxes on hand, waiting their turn on the counter.

Jesse quickly wheeled towards the small aisle and saw that there were only three VR helmet boxes left. He heard the store's automated doors opening behind him, meaning more and more people were coming to buy them.

He quickly wheeled towards the boxes and grabbed one of them. He looked at the price tag, and it was the same price as announced.

However, the box was rather crudely packed, with no protective wrapping or anything else.

At first, Jesse thought about getting another one, but a pair of young men had already arrived at the aisle and grabbed the remaining VR helmets.

Jesse looked at the VR helmet box in his hand and placed it on his lap. Then he wheeled towards the store's counter, and after waiting for close to five minutes, it was his turn to pay for his.

After the store clerk scanned the VR helmet box, Jesse paid the right amount and then took the box back before leaving the store.

Jesse glanced at the cloudless sky and then turned his gaze back to the VR helmet. He then looked around the street and decided to call for a taxi. He didn't feel comfortable returning home like this. He was easy prey for thieves.

After dialing the taxi, he waited in the shade till the taxi arrived.

...

The following morning.

Jesse woke up groggily and sat on the bed's edge. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already 9:30 a.m. He had slept for about five hours, but he felt tired and weak from lack of sleep.

The pain kept me awake.

He looked towards the corner of his room, where the wheelchair was.

'I should be able to make it there.' Jesse looked at his legs and carefully stood up. His legs shook and he looked like he could be blown over by a single gush of wind.

Slowly, he started moving his legs until he arrived at the door. He carefully opened the door and went to the bathroom. He was careful not to hit his toes on the corner of the door.

After washing his teeth, emptying his bladder, and washing his face, he slowly returned to his room.

As he opened the door to his room, he heard the distant voices of his family members in the kitchen. He didn't go to eat breakfast and instead returned to his room.

He carefully sat back on the bed and rubbed his painful legs.

'I guess that is my limit today...' Jesse sighed and rolled the wheelchair closer in case he needed to go somewhere else.

'A few more hours till the servers open. I wonder what people are saying.' Jesse laid on the bed and glanced at the bedside table that had a VR helmet box on top, then pulled out his phone and checked the forum.

'They are excited as always.' Jesse thought, and one post got his attention. 'Creation of dojos/fighting schools. Oh, one player can create their own fighting style and then create his own dojo to teach it to others.

'So it is basically this game's guild system from those medieval VR games. Instead of having an actual guild, players can create and join these schools... That is pretty cool.

'However, is it easy to create your own fighting style? It seems difficult. I guess the game won't be overflowing with these schools, which is good, I think.'

Jesse rolled down further and saw another interesting post.

'Learning and creating skills. It is possible to learn skills from different NPC fighting schools. However, the player has to actually learn the skill; they won't magically learn it.

'To learn a skill, the player has to reach 100% completion. The easiest way is to have an NPC teach the skill, or just follow the instructions on the skill and then try to learn it till the completion rate reaches 100%...

'Creating skills is far more difficult. The game has to register your skill as a valid move, and it can't be any stronger than the player's level. Therefore, creating your own fighting style is definitely hard...

'Learning higher level skills is also incredibly hard...'

Jesse thought that the game sounded quite complex and difficult, meaning there might be a high skill ceiling. He didn't mind, since he thought it was more exciting that way.

In a sense, the game was simple, with only a few classes available, but the skills and fighting styles made the game very complex.

Jesse closed the phone and looked at the ceiling. His lips curled slightly into a smile—he rarely smiled these days.

'It indeed sounds amazing. I just wonder if the game is as realistic as they say. I wish it was...'

He closed his eyes and waited in comfortable silence.

He heard the downstairs door opening, voices disappearing, and then the car's engine humming until it also disappeared.

Jesse opened his eyes and knew that his little sister and parents had left. His little sister left for school and his parents for work. It was often like this when he was left alone.

The doctors suggested that he not be left alone because of his condition, as one mistake might kill him.

Jesse didn't mind, as he never left his bed when he was alone in a home because he still valued his life.

He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

After a few hours, the alarm went off, and Jesse woke up to the irritating sound.

He groggily checked the time, and it was exactly the time of server's opening.

'The servers must be online...' Jesse grabbed his VR helmet box, unboxed it, and took out a white VR helmet with a golden visor. It looked elegant and expensive.

After placing it around his head, he pressed a small button on the side of the VR helmet and took a comfortable position on the bed.

He closed his eyes, and when he next opened his eyes, he was standing in the middle of an empty white expanse.