Nexgenesis: The System's Sin and Sovereignty

Nexus Entry

“Haaa…”

With the metallic box of the best Link gear one could find in the entire city, I entered our shabby studio house on the third floor of a rundown complex.

—Click.

“I’m back.” Slowly closing the old wooden door behind me, making sure it didn’t produce that eerie noise, I stepped inside, slipped off my shoes, and moved with gentle footsteps. 

The old wooden floor often creaked if stepped on incorrectly, so I had to be careful; it was already late, and Mum must be sleeping right now.

And I was right…

“Mum.”

In this studio apartment, a small section of which was divided by paper doors, Mum was sleeping out in the hall even though it was typically cold here. A window with broken glass sat on the other side, letting the winds keep this place cool.

—Swiiiiiiiiiiiish…

‘And even after telling her again and again, she keeps sleeping out here so that I can be in that small section, the only place in this damn house that’s comparatively warmer.’

She is stubborn. And once again, she has a fever.

“You don’t listen to me, Mum.”

She was sleeping, her breaths heavy, her body temperature visibly high, with the thin blanket covering only half her body. Her feet were exposed, and just touching them showed how difficult it must be for her to fight this simple illness.

‘She never takes any medicine, claiming natural herbs and rest are more than enough to train her immune system against little things like these.’

She only had a basic high school education, so it was difficult for her to get a decent job without family support. Yet, she still worked various legal and proper jobs to get this place all on her own, and then, even after that person was gone, she took care of me alone.

‘Well, she says she used to have a close friend who had to go away before I was born, but I don’t know anything about that.’

I have only seen her taking care of me, alone, with the same smile on her pretty face that she has now, fighting this bad fever. 

I know she is strong. Very strong.

‘And that gives me strength.’

Carefully picking up her frail body along with the thin mattress and small blanket, I carried her to the side room. 

Then, I turned on the old heater for a while to warm the room, and when it was warm enough, I turned it off. 

‘The batteries this model uses are rechargeable, but the power needed to charge them isn’t something I can get in this house.’

But this much should be enough for now.

“Good night, Mum.”

“Night… sweety…”

Placing a different blanket, the one she usually leaves for me, over her, along with a cool wet cloth on her forehead, I left the sleeping beauty behind and returned to the main room. 

Finally, I looked at the metallic box sitting in the corner.

“Now then, shall we start?” 

[MAK-12], one of the top portable Link Gear models created by [Hyperlink XII], the leading tech company of the current age.

“A new-gen tech with a market price of 12,990,999 Credits. Something I never, ever, ever thought I would be holding with my own hands.”

But fate plays weird tricks sometimes. 

‘It could have been a simple walk like every other day, but that girl crashed into me, and I ended up listening to the conversation between the father-daughter duo.’

I never would have thought I’d meet the Governor of this city this way, and that the ‘token’ he got for his upset daughter, the same thing she threw away in anger, would end up with me.

“But now, after all that has happened, just because I couldn’t accept this thing as a gift from him… I am broke now. And in neck-deep debt.”

I have been saving money to buy a Link Gear with whatever I get after doing all my work each day, each month. 

It’s been a few years since I convinced mum to stop working and just rest. She has done enough for me until now. More than enough, truthfully.

“Let’s pay her back, with this.”

The Governor gave me his personal number, a card, and this box after taking all the money I had left in my savings account. 

I have to pay him the full price of this gear within one year, or else, according to the contract we signed, I will have to work for him.

‘This one meeting changed many things for me… but, I still consider this monetary debt better than being indebted to anyone for anything else.’

This is just a business transaction where both parties are getting something precious. Though, I never imagined my own value would be considered the same as this great piece of equipment.

‘I am a simple person, have been, and want to stay a normal person. I just want her to be out of this slum-like, rundown place.’

Someone as amazing as her deserves a better place, a better environment, better food, and cleaner water.

“Alright.” Placing the metallic box before me, I sat down, wrapping the small blanket around myself. The night was cold today.

—Swiiiiiiish~.

The winds just made it worse. 

‘But this is not the worst environment we have experienced.’

The base of the box was cubic while the upper part was prismatic. It was shiny, but aside from one single glowing button, its surface was sleek and cool-looking.

—Click.

I clicked the one button on the lightweight box, and the entire prismatic upper part began shining with various colorful lights.

—Ooooooooong!

Then, as if dominoes were falling, the triangular parts on the upper side of the box folded inside one another, revealing the interior, which contained three distinct compartments.

[Ding!]

A golden holographic display popped up right afterward, hovering above the box, listing the guidelines, the way to use the device, as well as all the necessary details one needed to know before operating this Link Gear.

“Hmm…”

I enjoy reading, so since I had decided to skip my night work anyway, I took an hour and a half to read every single word. 

The experience of moving the holographic display for the first time with a touch of my finger was quite satisfying. 

‘It was even more satisfying to experience this in reality before diving into any Otherworld.’

And though they had used some complex vocabulary, everything was pretty easy to understand.

“So this is the epitome of modern nanotechnology, huh?”

The first compartment held a white crescent band, similar to a normal headband that young girls wear. The second contained six extra batteries, each one enough to last at least a month of extended use. And in the last compartment, there was a special syringe containing nano chips that one must inject into their body.

“Here goes nothing, then.”

The mechanical syringe was pretty easy to use; I only had to place it around one of my main nerves and press a button. According to the instructions, I would have to wait for twelve minutes after that.

“Hmm.”

I followed the instructions and pressed the button as a weird sensation spread throughout my body. 

I felt the very, very small nanobots spreading inside my body, but then, the sensation vanished. 

There was no blood where the mechanical syringe had been placed, making it seem more ethereal in person. 

Then, as I waited, I thought about the money that I needed to pay back for this thing. 

There are various currencies in this world, much like how it used to be. However, now, everything operates on Credits, the main currency used by almost everyone in not only this world but in the Otherworlds as well.

Earning is easier in the other worlds… though, you still have to grind your way through those things. 

“Is it time yet?”

There certainly are tens and hundreds of Otherworlds and game companies with large user bases, but only one stands out among them. 

That singular virtual reality has held the title of [Second Reality] for a little more than a year now.

‘It has been a hit since the moment it was launched nearly two years ago. It boasts a concurrent user base of over six hundred million simultaneous users, and is the best way for anyone like me, who has no experience with Otherworlds, to start their unique journey.’

[Nexgenesis Online].

The game that came out of nowhere, took over the entire world, the economy, and has even become the center of political power. 

It is where I will start what I have been longing for. What I wanted to do for the longest time. And what will undoubtedly become a path to my betterment… but before that.

“Hasn’t it been fifteen minutes already? What’s taking it so long?” The nano chips should have finished scanning by now, and the Link gear should have lit up with a blue—.

“Oh! Looks like it’s done.”

It took a little longer, but the blue line on the headband-like Link Gear was finally up!

“Nice! Then now…”

First, placing the Link Gear on the back of my head, confirming its positioning and checking its stillness, finally, fucking finally, I double-tapped on the left side with my restless heart.

<User detection complete.>

<Please proceed to link the Link gear with Bio-Identity.>

“Confirm identity registration.”

Those mechanical voices rang in my head, and in the very next moment, I felt my consciousness slowly fading away…

<Bio-Identity registration complete.>

<ID: Ray Anne, [Rank:E] citizen of [Tier-6] city: Flowover has been registered in the central virtual database.>

<Product ID: 120008199EZK3 has been linked with ID: Ray Anne.>

<All accounts linked with identity have been registered successfully.>

<Entering the virtual account...>

Just like suddenly falling asleep after being overly exhausted, I lost my vision, my focus, and my connection with reality, and then… was transported to a special virtual space that belonged only to me.

A place much more attractive… than any I had imagined it to be.