Chapter 1: Mikaila

“Truly, this year has been a wonderful success and a major leap for mankind. This year alone, we were able to witness several scientific and technological breakthroughs. And finally, we have come to this point in time - the pinnacle of human creation!

Before this year has come to an end, we will see and experience the cream of the crop of 2031’s extraordinary products. By next week, December 31, 2031, at exactly 23:59 UTC+14, Utopian Fantasy will finally open its Portals for players all over the globe!

We know that some of you have waited long enough for this game. In fact, hundreds of millions have already pre-registered for the game’s launch. The game was initially scheduled to be released years ago. But due to unforeseen circumstances, it was delayed time and time again. Again, we deeply apologize for that.

But do not worry! The wait is over!

We will also assure you that your patience will be greatly compensated. Various features and in-game content that were not part of the initial roadmap are added to the game. Furthermore, a Game Event will immediately commence moments after the grand launch. This is our way of welcoming players.

We know that each one of you has its own reasons to play Utopian Fantasy. Most of you are engrossed in the Play-to-Earn system of the game. As we promised, this fantasy world will offer a chance for the players to earn money and even make a living out of the game. And for the casual players, Utopian Fantasy may be a chance to start a fresh new life.

Like what we endorsed, fairness and equality will be maintained in this game. All players will start from scratch in this fantasy world. No privileges nor VIP benefits will give you an advantage over the other players. Your progress will depend solely on your hard work, skills, and luck. Whatever your occupation and financial status in this real world, all of them will be irrelevant in the world of Utopian Fantasy.

All of us will start as equals in the fantasy world. Utopian Fantasy is ‘A FAIR GAME’, after all.

Utopian Fantasy will be available in all regions. People around the globe are welcome to join. So, if you’re not yet registered for the Grand Launch, there’s still a whole week for you to decide. We will guarantee that you will miss a lot if you decide not to participate - this is how confident we are in this wonderful creation of a game.

Again, we are very proud to announce the Grand Launch of Utopian Fantasy. On behalf of all the creators, sponsors, and developers of the game, we are very much thankful for the people’s patronage. Without the undying interest of the people, this game will not come to fruition.

To honor all of you. We, the entirety of the people involved in the creation of this game, will join you in your first steps in the world of Utopian Fantasy. We will also be present at the Grand Launch to welcome all of you inside the game.

Good day, and see you all at the Grand Launch!”

These are the exact words of the spokesperson of GlobalPlay (a famous gaming company) as he announced the Grand Launch of Utopian Fantasy in a live broadcast.

After the declaration ended, a round of applause was heard in the venue of the conference.

“You may now raise your questions,” the spokesperson announced afterward.

An interviewer stands up and immediately asks his questions,

“You said earlier that the Grand Launch will be global. My question is, will the launch be simultaneous regardless of the different time zones? If so, are you confident that the game can handle that many players entering the world all at the same time?”

The spokesperson answers,

“Utopian Fantasy is collaboratively developed by renowned and trusted companies. We are proud to say that the fantasy world is delicately crafted by top-class engineers and scientists from all over the globe. The game itself is not just “a game”. If I were to put it in layman's terms, the world of Utopian Fantasy is like a whole new dimension apart from this world we are living in. So, basically, Utopian Fantasy doesn’t use the “usual servers” that the other games are using. Once you enter through the Portals, you will be transferred to a realm that isn’t confined to the physical laws of this world.”

The interviewer is overwhelmed by the information the spokesperson had given. The spokesperson still continues,

“Different Local Sites are also scattered throughout every region of every nation, and each Local Site will have a minimum of 5 Main Portals. This will avoid the overcrowding of people. Receptionists are also assigned to assist players in each Site. When the time finally comes, the Main Portals in each Site will simultaneously open and by that time, players can then finally enter the world of Utopian Fantasy. And yes! The Main Portals will open simultaneously, so it’s better to research the time of the launch in your own time zones.”

“Uhm…. Okay? Thank you for the answer,” the first interviewer responded as he sat down on his respective seat.

Right after the first interviewer took his seat, another interviewer raised her hand.

“Yes?” the spokesperson asked to address the next interviewer.

The interviewer, then, began asking,

“Utopian Fantasy is endorsed as a Play-to-Earn game. Can you provide more information about how exactly players can earn from it? Also, how sure are you that everyone will be equally benefited by the system?”

A slight silence filled the area as the spokesperson tried to come up with a good response. Not long after, he finally answered,

“Sorry, but we refuse to answer the questions directly. We are aware that this broadcast doesn't reach the entirety of the people all over the world. Information given here will only benefit the ones who are currently watching the telecast. It is against our virtue of maintaining the “fairness” of the game. Therefore, details will only be explained during the Launch by the assigned Personnel.”

It seems like people are not satisfied by the given answer. But the interviewer accepted it anyway. She sat down on her seat and took some notes in her journal.

“Any more questions?”

Murmuring and chattering of the audience continue. Nobody is paying attention to the spokesperson anymore. Eventually, the spokesperson declares,

“Well, I guess this is the conclusion of this live conference. Have a good day and we’ll see you at the Grand Launch”

Just before the spokesperson can walk down from the stage, a man wearing a casual outfit suddenly shouts from the audience,

“Wait! I still have questions for you!”

A noticeable change of atmosphere can be felt in the venue. The spokesperson glances at his higher-ups as if he was asking for approval to entertain the mysterious man.

The higher-ups accepted.

The spokesperson walked back to the microphone.

“Please proceed to your questions,” he said.

“You said that the game is like a new separate world, am I right?”

“Yes.”

“So it means - players will have to use their real bodies to play the game, correct?”

“Indeed.”

“Then how the hell can you ensure the security of all the people playing the game? Is this fantasy world you are endorsing perfectly safe? How about the contents of this world?”

The tension in the area rose but the mysterious man continued his inquiries,

“You are not giving us enough information, all we are hearing are just vague explanations and unelaborated statements. Why aren’t you transparent about ……… issues ………. the delay…… and ………”

“.............................”

……..

……..

The live broadcast is suddenly interrupted.

......

“Huh? What happened?”

A young lady whispered to herself when the live broadcast she was watching suddenly stopped playing.

She stands up from her seat and walks towards the door of her room.

“Mom? Could you please check the Wi-Fi? The internet is unstable again,” she shouted across the house from the door of her room.

“What are you talking about!? The internet is fine!” her mother shouted back.

The lady closes the door and goes back to her seat. She, then, reloads the browser on her laptop to check if the broadcast has returned.

“Weird,” she mumbled.

The internet seems fine but the broadcast is still not playing. Later on, message notifications pop out from her group chatbox. When she opened the chatbox, tons of messages bombarded the group chat.

“Is it me, or is the live broadcast really cut off?” a user asked.

“Same, I thought I’m the only one,” another replied.

“Oh, I thought it’s because of my internet again.”

“So, it was really interrupted?”

The lady continues scrolling through the chatbox. Messages keep popping. A while later, a user, who seems to be a friend of the lady, opened up a topic in the group chat,

“Hey? What are your thoughts about the live broadcast? The game looks promising, isn’t it?”

“Seems fishy to me,” another user replied.

The recent reply received lots of downvotes from the users in the group chat.

“Why do you say so?” another counter-replied.

“Well, it’s just me and my skepticism. The game just feels off for me - considering that we still have unanswered questions about the game, and the developers are not open about the issues they’re facing.”

“Come on, can we just give them a chance? What can go wrong? The game was developed by big companies and backed up by trusted names. They will ruin their reputations if the game turns out to be a shitfest,” another user pointed out.

The lady’s friend added,

“And besides, if what they’re saying is true, the game may be an additional source of money. It can even benefit us!”

“Speaking of money…”

Suddenly, a notification alerted the lady. She was tagged in the conversation.

“Mikaila! You need money for the next semester, right? I think this is your opportunity,” the friend messaged as she called out the lady.

The lady starts to type on her laptop to respond to the tagged message,”

“I don’t know. I think it’s not for me.”

“What do you mean?” the lady’s friend asked.

“You know that I’m not good with video games.”

“Oh come on! I know you can do it! You’re Mikaila! The Mikaila I know is very adaptive and a fast learner! She can work through everything and she will do her best to be good at something!”

“Okay, enough with the flattery words. But seriously, I doubt I can do this. I mean, it’s been ages since I last played a game. And if I remember correctly, the last time I played was on a console, and you know very well that console games are very obsolete nowadays,” the lady replied to her friend.

“Well, if that’s your decision I respect it. Just always remember that we’re here to support you!”

“Thanks”

The conversation continues.

Minutes later, someone knocked on the door of the lady’s room,

“Dinner’s ready! Go to the dining room immediately before the cat steals your food!”

“Yes, Mom! Just a minute!” the lady replied.

She typed on her laptop to bid her farewell to her friends. She, then, proceeds to their dining room.

When she came to the dining room, the meal was already prepared on the table. Her mother is washing the dishes in the nearby sink.

 She sits on the chair of the dining table and she prepares to eat.

“Hey, Mom! Let’s eat,” she offered to her mother.

“Can’t you see that I’m already washing the dishes?” the mother replied irritably.

“Oh, sorry. I just thought you might want to eat again.”

“Thanks, but no.”

The lady starts to eat after that. Silence fills the air while the lady is eating and the only sounds that can be heard are the clanking of the utensils on the plate and the splashing of water in the sink.

The silence breaks when the mother starts to talk,

“Do you know about the upcoming game? News about it is circulating throughout the town. Everywhere I go, people can’t stop talking about that game. I think it’s called ‘Fantastic World’, or something.”

“It’s Utopian Fantasy, Mom. And yes. I heard about it. In fact, I was watching the game’s live conference a while ago until the broadcast was suddenly interrupted. That’s why I asked you to check the Wi-Fi,” the lady replied.

“I heard you can earn money from it?

“The game company said so, but I ………”

“Have you registered already?” the mother abruptly asked just before the lady could finish her sentence.

“I’m actually having second thoughts about it,” the lady answered.

“What’s stopping you? If I were you and I know that it can give me money, I would never hesitate to join! Instead of just wasting your time staring at your laptop the whole day every day, why don’t you start researching that ‘Utopian thingy’ and find out how to register!?” the mother asserted.

“Mom, how many times should I tell you that I’m not wasting time. I’m doing a freelancing job,” the lady tried to explain calmly.

“Job? Are you even earning from what you’re doing? If it’s true, where’s the money? You weren’t able to give me any money since you started that so-called job! You had your first payout last month, what did you do!? You spent all of it to buy that useless laptop!”

The lady is silenced, but anger is visible in her expression. She tries her best to calm down.

The mother sighs and continues nagging.

“If only you had applied to an actual full-time job, you would have been earning more money. Look at your cousins! They’re happy! Some of them are having families already! How about you? Aren’t you jealous? You are being left behind, Mikaila!”

“Mom, I bought that laptop because I need it for my part-time job and my next semester in college,”

“College-college. You already graduated from Senior High School! You are already qualified to have a respectable job!”

“Mom, I have my own dreams and goals. My cousins may have full-time jobs. But unlike them, I want to have a college degree, at least.”

“We are getting poor, Mikaila!” the mother exclaimed.

“We are already suffering and you’re still thinking about ambitions!? I have to open the cafeteria for extended hours just to pay our goddamn bills. Maybe sooner or later we would have to cancel our subscription to the internet and maybe sell some of our appliances. Well, who knows what will happen?” the mother continued.

Silence lingers in the air again. The mother is finally done washing the dishes.

“Wash your dishes after you’re done eating. I will go back and reopen the cafeteria. Hopefully, people will still visit even this late at night,” the mother ordered before leaving.

The young lady is left alone in the dining room.

After finishing her meal and washing the dishes, she returned to her room. She sat down at the front of her desk and stared blankly at her laptop. She starts to ruminate as she contemplates the conversation with her mother a while ago. Her mind is in chaos because she can’t make her decisions.

“Should I really register? But, I’m scared. I’m not knowledgeable about the current trends and technology in gaming. What if I mess everything up?” the young lady murmured to herself.

She goes back staring at her laptop again. Then, she notices the piling messages in their group chat. Still out of her mind, she scrolled the messages that she missed. She kept scrolling until she reached the last conversation with her friend.

She reread the compliments that her friend said to her a while ago. After rereading the past conversation, a spark of hope and confidence struck the lady. It seems like the flowery words of her friend brought her back to her senses.

A shine of hope can be seen in the lady’s eye,

“I have nothing to worry about…...” she said to herself.

“Because I am Mikaila! I can make everything work and I will always strive to be better!”