A/N: It is not really the greatest novel. I've simply written it to vent out frustrations. If you like it, well and good. If you don't, please don't exactly hate me.

Chapter 1: Marcus Grey

[Year 2146, December 9]

LeoHeart City...

Modern high-tech mesmerizing cities could be seen scattered throughout the city. A layer of white snow covering the streets looked even more beautiful.

At least one cartoon-like robot was present on every street, cleaning the streets by picking up the garbage as well as serving the purpose of entertainment.

The citizens walked on the street while some rushed, getting late for their jobs filled with a tight schedule. But some also looked very carefree, enjoying the surroundings or getting busy on their devices.

Some were also looking at the 3D billboards and large screens with interest.

In front of one such screen was a young man with black hair and brown eyes, a hint of interest present on his face. One word was enough to describe him - Cute.

He was around 5'7, with a frail body and extremely pale skin. His skin was so pale that one would easily mistake him for a corpse whose blood was drained.

His name was Marcus Grey, a 17-year-old orphan. He belonged to one of the greatest families with a lot of influence in the real world, the Grey family.

He was being raised by his uncle and aunt, and as one would expect, he was treated very harshly.

With his condition that made his body extremely weak and fragile, it was hard to make a living.

At this moment, his eyes were fixated on the screen showing news.

"One of the most anticipated VRMMORPGs, Viking Online, is going to be released tomorrow," a middle-aged man said. Beside him were two reporters bombarding him with questions.

"Sir, we've heard that AI:Zero has been used in the game?"

"Indeed." The middle-aged man nodded with a prideful smile on his face. "The world's most powerful AI:Zero has been used to make this game. Even if one is using the lowest quality of VR pod and helmet, they still wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

He quickly took over the speaker and said in an exciting voice, "Tomorrow at 12 AM, Viking Online's servers will open! With over 450 million VR helmets and pods sold, I can already imagine the wonderful adventure that lies ahead."

"Fuu..." Marcus exhaled as he shifted his eyes from the screen and looked at his wristwatch. Tapping on the screen, his lips couldn't help but twitch as he looked at his bank account.

Balance: 55 UAD (United Alliance Dollar/New Dollar)

A wry smile appeared on his face as he looked at the number 55.

"Cup Noodles it is." Nodding his head energetically. As for the adventurous spirit invoked by the game? What was that? Could it be eaten? No, but cup noodles could be.

As he was walking away, he couldn't help but look at the store selling VR helmets.

[Viking Online - Bronze Grade VR Helmets, 150 UAD]

Pursuing his lips, he called texted his friend.

[You: Hey, could you lend me like 300 bucks? I promise to repay.]

[Liam: I gotcha bro]

Ding!

[300 UAD Transferred]

Seeing this Marcus couldn't help but smile. Out of all the people that he knew 90% of them hated him, at least he had a homie.

...

10 minutes later...

A short walk of ten minutes was more than enough to exhaust Marcus. Arriving in front of his neighborhood, he flashed his ID. The guards standing in front of the gate monotonously nodded, allowing Marcus to enter.

His eyes instinctively trailed off as he entered, looking at the mansions built everywhere. All these mansions had fences and gates for themselves, making this neighborhood look even more majestic and beautiful.

Walking for another five minutes, Marcus finally reached the mansion of his uncle. This mansion was the largest out of all others, with many cars parked within the gates.

A tall fence surrounded the mansion with a beautiful gate in the middle. There were two more bodyguards present in front of the door.

Immediately recognizing Marcus, they allowed him inside. The beautiful scenery beyond the gate did not have any effect on Marcus; instead, they seemed like pieces of land that emerged through his deepest and darkest nightmares.

His colorful world would always turn black and white when he entered the gate. The world beyond this gate was like a big prison, where like a prisoner he would have to follow everyone's orders, behave like a dog, be used as a punching bag so that his owners could release their frustration.

Without making his presence known, he discreetly entered the mansion. The servants working within paid him no heed. The interior of the mansion was just as beautiful as the exterior. A century tree was used for the insides.

Paintings adorned the wall, and the furniture looked like it was recently bought. There were, in total, the ground floor and the first floor.

He quickly walked up the stairs, reaching the first floor. By now, his breath had become ragged, pulling his exhausted body, he ignored all those large rooms. Finally, he spotted the room at the corner of the floor.

Opening its door, he entered the dusty environment. Many old pieces of furniture were present here.

With a sigh, he placed the VR helmet in a corner and then started cleaning the room. After cleaning it, he hid the helmet properly so that his cousins wouldn't find it, before sleeping on the old bed.

He, in fact, considered himself fortunate that he was able to sleep on a bed. When he first came to this household, he used to sleep in the cold bathtub.

[08:42 PM]

Seeing that he had nothing better to do, he quickly visited the official website of Viking Online.

The main reason he had joined this game was to earn money. Though it sounded insane, gamers were insane, especially the VR ones. Thus it was best to know everything beforehand.

After going through all the basic information provided by the company, he hopped on the internet and typed in the words [Viking Online VR pod, rent centers].

It was very hard to find vacant renting pods, but finally, after skimming through websites, Marcus found one.

This marked the beginning of his journey within Viking Online.