Chapter One

*Welcome to NexReality.*

The familiar robotic female voice rang in his ear as the darkness cleared.

"I can't believe I'm back here."

It all felt like a fresh start, yet everything was familiar. From the voice of the beginners in-game tutorial guide, to the large blank white screen in front of him.

"This is indeed a new beginning." Lionel Phillips muttered to himself.

At this moment he was but a white blob that looked like a floating cloud amidst a plain white world of nothingness. The screen in front of him changed, showing a range of different avatars to choose from.

"Let's start by choosing your in game avatar player." The in-game tutorial guide voiced again as the screen displayed several options.

"This isn't just my second time in the game, but my second life as well. I won't make the same mistakes I made in my past life."

Lionel recalled the moment of his death, killed brutally at the hands of assassins sent by his own step brother, he would never forget the look in Kaleb's eyes as he watched him fall to his death.

As kids Lionel and Kaleb had done everything together, but as time went by, they grew apart.

The Phillips family were the wealthiest and most influential in the continent, it all boiled down to who could be the successor of Harold Phillips multi-million dollar company between his two sons.

Due to their past relationships, Lionel let his guard down with his brother, and that was Kaleb's opening to strike.

Lionel could never forget the bitter taste of his own step brother's betrayal.

"I'm sorry brother, it's either you or me. One of us has to go!" Lionel had been laying in a small pool of his own blood after he'd been attacked by assassins in the dead of night.

He'd glanced up to see his brother's face, the person he trusted with his life.

"Kaleb..." He'd began but choked on a mouthful of blood unable to continue speaking.

The biggest technology company DarkRealm Studios had just released a new VR game and in the span of six months, it blew up in the whole world.

DarkRealm Studios was a company worth trillions of dollars, despite the game gaining massive popularity upon launch, it attracted even more attention when the mysterious founder of the company released this announcement.

"NexReality is not just a game, it is a depiction of another universe in which lies countless special treasures. Hidden within this vast world is a special treasure called the (Golden Orb) and I am delighted to announce, that whosoever finds this treasure, individual or team...shall receive fifty percent stock shares of DarkRealm studios. However I must warn you, the path to attaining this treasure is laden with countless peril. That being said, may the hunt begin."

No one knew why the founder who'd been a mysterious man for years suddenly made this announcement, it was rumored that no one had ever seen his face before or knew what he looked like, however this single announcement took the world by storm.

It became a big window for multiple businesses coveting the promised shares of DarkRealm studios. Countless huge companies all around the world began creating a team of players to play the game, each seeking the single treasure that would get them whooping fifty percent shares of DarkRealm studios company. And among those business men, was inevitably Harold Phillips.

It was a set race between his two sons, who would be his successor, that would be determined by whoever found the treasure first.

"This is just a game Kaleb, no matter what happens, we'll always be brothers."

"Of course Lione, not even a silly game can tear us apart, we'll always be brothers."

However, in this moment as he felt his own life slipping away from him, Lionel felt the betrayal eating deeper at his heart, more painfully than the deep cuts he'd sustained from the attack.

Kaleb had crouched down on the floor looking down at him, "Now that you're on your way to hell, let me send you off with a few things." Kaleb's voice reduced to a whisper, "I was the one who paid the Elite warriors guild to abandon you in dark pit when you went to fight the double headed wolf right before you found the treasure. It was all my plan, we both know you're the smart one between us Lione, I had no doubts you would find the (Golden Orb) before me, so when you joined a guild I paid them off, they reported everything you did to me in the game and that was how I knew of your progress, as the first player to ever find the greatest clue about where the (Golden Orb) could be found, you were already a few steps ahead of others, you trusted them, left your back open because you thought you had a team who would protect you," Kaleb chuckled derisively then continued, "And that was your biggest mistake. I killed you in the game Lione, and even in reality, I'll have the pleasure of watching you die."

It was a one shot thing in the game of NexReality, the minute one died in the game, it was game over for that certain player. There was never a second life, never a second chance, one's profile would be completely deleted, and due to the copy of a person's DNA retained in the game application, a player who'd been killed can never go back to play the game again.

Harold Phillips had given his two sons the quest to separately search for the treasure in the game, and both of them had created separate teams. Lionel could never have expected that Kaleb had played such a trick. He'd trusted him.

It had taken Lionel three years to find the first clue, and two more years to finally find where he was certain he'd get the treasure. Five whole years of playing the game, only to be betrayed by his team, left to be torn apart by the highest grade beast in the game, his avatar died and it had been game over for him in NexReality.

Lionel's bloodshot eyes had looked into Kaleb's, "Why...?" He managed to mutter holding in the pain from his bleeding stomach where he'd been shot by the assassins.

The smile on Kaleb's face disappeared as he stood up on his feet, "Because it can only be me and not you brother. I will inherit father's fortune, and along with that, the fifty percent shares of DarkRealm studios, I'll become the most powerful and successful man in the whole continent, in the whole world, but that would only happen if you were out of the picture."

At that moment, Kaleb pointed his gun to Lionel's head with a grim expression, "Goodbye brother."

"Boom!"

Everything had gone dark in an instant, until he finally saw light again.

Perhaps it was fate that had ordained his return, giving him a second chance to try again, but he'd found himself transported five years back to where everything started. Back to the very day his father had sent them both into the game on this quest.

It wasn't just his second chance at life, but a second shot at success in NexReality.

In his past life he had been weakened by his familial bond to Kaleb that he never saw the betrayal. But right before his death when his whole life flashed before his eyes he'd asked himself.

'Was it all worth it?'

All his life he'd worked to gain recognition from his own father who'd betrayed his mother by marrying another woman leading her to take her own life in despair. He'd grown up serving the man who'd been the cause of his mother's death, and now he was dying for that same man.

'Was it all worth it?'

'No, it wasn't worth it at all.'

In this life, this was his own quest, he would find the treasure, not for his father but for himself.

If it was wealth and power that made a man, in this lifetime he would become the most powerful man not just in the whole continent but in the whole world.

And attaining the shares of NexReality was just the first step.

*****

"Please choose your avatar, player."

The in-game guide voice cut Lionel off from his long train of thought. His vision focused on the white screen once more.

Lionel looked at the several avatar options on the screen.

The avatars of different races like, human, elves, fairies, dwarves, orcs, sirens, shifters, and cyborgs.

Each race had it's own special abilities along with a set of weaknesses as well.

In his past life, Lionel had chosen the most popular and most expensive race that cost the most in-game coins to purchase, which were the cyborgs.

They had the shape of a human but the body covered in steel armor, having the most maxed intelligence yet no emotions at all, the race also came with lots of special equipments which made it the most expensive in-game purchase to make.

However, having experienced his last life, Lionel knew that choosing the cyborg avatar again would be a huge mistake.

The screen displayed all the avatars and the amount of coins used to unlock them, with only the human race being the free option.

Lionel didn't think too long before making his decision, "I pick the human race."

*Initializing request*

*Request successful. Player has successfully selected the human race*

*Proceed to customize your avatar*

The world seemed to shift and Lionel who'd been just a cloudy blob a second ago suddenly changed into a human body, with a bald head and blank looking eyes.

Flexing his limbs Lionel confirmed that he could use his body, then he proceeded to customize his avatar.

If anyone came to know that a player had actually willingly chosen to use a human avatar, they would most likely think him the stupidest person and conclude that he would be killed right at the beginner town before even fully entering the game, but having experienced the game in his past life, he knew that choosing a human avatar was the best decision he could ever make.

Swiping the screen Lionel put together ordinary looking features on the avatar before he completed the process.

*Customization complete. Please proceed to name your avatar.*

In his past life Lionel had named his avatar using the default name of his father's recruits in the game. However in this lifetime, he no longer wanted to be his father's puppet.

Lionel typed in his avatar name on the wide screen before him.

'BlackLion001'

*Checking for name availability.*

*Congratulations BlackLion001 on successfully creating your avatar. Player will now be transported to the beginner town.*

Lionel's eyes shone with determination as he took in a sharp breath.

"Let the game begin."