Chapter 3

"Welcome, chosen players!" exclaimed the strange creature.

He has a normal human body, clean white skin, and a handsome appearance. His hair is bright red, and he has white horns on top of his head. The man's ears resembled those of elves in fantasy films.

"My name is Gordon, and I'm the first-floor administrator. Everyone here has been chosen to play a fate-changing game in the world of elevators."

Gordon performed a graceful half-bow. His clothes were all white and appeared to be so large that they touched the ground.

"Can you tell me where this is?"

"Are we in heaven now?"

People began questioning each other and causing a commotion. Gordon stomped one foot. Everyone shrieked in terror as they heard the roar and felt the earthquake.

"Please, calm down! I'll go over the game's rules."

Everyone remained silent. The vibrations on the ground also went away.

"To begin the mission, you will each be given one hundred gold coins. You can spend the gold coins to purchase items that will aid you in completing the mission. You won't be able to buy anything else once the mission begins."

"Mr. Gordon, do we all have to play this game?" asked a beautiful blonde girl who drew men's attention, Zach included.

"It is indeed late. My wife is at home waiting for me."

"I'd like to return home as well. So, what exactly is this?"

"If you want to get out of here, you have to finish the mission," Gordon replied calmly.

"You brought us here so casually, I'm going to call the cops!"

There was yet another uproar. Gordon, on the other hand, maintained his calm and a straight face. Gordon doesn't seem to care what others think.

"I'll give you five minutes to do your shopping."

People who were complaining eventually stopped talking. In front of Zach and everyone else, a holographic screen appears. The number of his gold coins and several other symbols were written on the screen.

Zach attempts to activate the shop symbol. Then there's a list of items with prices.

Zach chose a few items after much consideration. A knife that has not been leveled costs 50 gold coins, mineral water 10 gold coins, food 15 gold coins, and a lighter 12 gold coins.

[Your transaction was successful. Do you want to purchase additional items?]

"This is probably enough. There are still 13 gold coins available."

[No.]

[You can pick up the items in the equipment warehouse. To eject an item, press the item on the screen. To return to this screen after closing it, say the word 'open menu.']

[Closed.]

When Zach pressed that word, the elevator walls that surrounded him vanished. So are other people's.

"The purchasing period has come to an end. I'll go over the mission and rules."

Some protesters continued to walk closer to the crowd. Zach was in the very back. Exactly, behind the lovely blonde girl earlier.

"You will be given 24 hours to complete your..."

"What? 24 hours? Come on!" cut a player.

"This is a violation of human rights!" exclaimed another.

"Please calm down everyone and listen to me!" Gordon insisted.

Gordon's black pupils had turned bright red. The people remained silent in fear of the strange creature in front of them.

"Your mission on the first floor is to survive and find as many gold coins as you can in 24 hours. You can gather resources in the forest, grow crops, and trade whatever you find for gold coins. If you collect at least 500 gold coins, your mission is considered successful."

The lovely girl raised her hand and inquired, "Where can we sell those things?"

"You will find a city behind the forest. And the gold coins you receive from selling can be exchanged for money in your world in the currency of your choice.]

"Is it true?" Zach accidentally yelled. His reaction was similar to the other players.

"It is after you have completed the mission completion conditions. Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

"How do you get out before 24 hours? I mean, I'm glad if I got the money in this place, but one day is too long!" One participant expressed his displeasure.

"Don't worry, a day here is equal to twenty-four minutes in your world. If you leave before the timer goes off, you will be disqualified and will not be able to ride this elevator again."

"Okay, the game begins now! Please make plans, collaborate with other players, or... it's up to you! Have fun playing and see you soon!"

Gordon vanished into thin air.

'If this isn't a dream, I'm going to find as many gold coins as I can and get revenge on everyone who has insulted me!'

***

While the other players formed groups, Zach, who was not very good at socializing, immediately walked toward the forest alone.

Within the forest, there were only large trees. When Zach touches a tree trunk, a notification hologram screen appears in front of him.

[Teak tree, one cubic meter costs 300 gold coins.]

"Wow! Approximately how much if exchanged for real money?"

Zach snorted in annoyance. He regretted not buying a chainsaw for 70 gold coins. He also decided to look for other resources that could be obtained easily.

[Berry fruit, costs 10 gold coins.]

Zach picked up the berries one by one. The resources he collected couldn't be put into a equipment warehouse. Zach finally stuffed the berries into his jacket pocket.

[White sheep, costs 150 gold coins.]

[Mushrooms, costs 25 gold coins.]

"I have to sell these berries first."

After an hour of walking, Zach finally found a town. It doesn't look like a modern city. The buildings are old western style.

Zach finds a place that sells fruit. He walked towards the shop.

His Adam's apple went up and down swallowing saliva when a beautiful woman in sexy clothes in front of him offered two red apples as red as Zach's face.

"Welcome, sir. I am Cherry the fruit seller. Would you like some apples, sir?" The female non-player character or NPC fiddled with the apple in front of her big breast and blinked one eye.

'Damn, his voice is so melodious! And what's with that pose? She wants to sell apples or her breast?'

"I-I'll sell the berries, Miss." Zach broke out in a cold sweat.

"Please put it in this box." Cherry tapped the scales in front of her miniskirt.

Once again Zach was stunned by the NPC's behavior. He deliberately took a long time to remove the berries from the pocket.

Cherry weighed the berries. "700 grams in total, I will give you 7 gold coins."

"Huh? Why only 7 gold coins, Miss? I saw the price was 10 gold coins."

"The berries cost 10 gold coins per kilogram, sir."

Despite the grumbling, Zach took the gold coin anyway. Then put it into the gold coin storage.

[You added 7 gold coins.]

[You have a total of 20 gold coins.]

"Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?"

"No, thank you."

Zach walked away leaving Cherry. If he continued to see her, he would run out of time to enjoy her flirtatiousness.

'How smart they are. Using dirty methods so that the players feel comfortable in the market.'

***

The menu screen shows the remaining time of 6 hours. Zach had only earned 379 gold coins during this time.

Zach was going to buy a saw, but the trees were too big to cut alone. And he was too shy to communicate with other players.

After finishing the food and drink, Zach continued his journey. He circled in the forest, choosing a safe location without other players around.

A white rabbit with red eyes suddenly jumps in front of Zach.

"Shit!" Zach cursed.

"Here you are!" Zach chased the rabbit.

The rabbit finally disappeared without a trace. Take Zach to a new place he has never seen before.

"Where is this?"

The atmosphere of the area was different from other places. Gloomy and a little dark.

A large cave was in front of him. His intuition told him to step forward but his guts weren't that great.

After hesitating for a while, he decided to take a step. After all, he will not die in this world that may only be a dream, he thought.

"So dark!" Zach's voice echoes off the cave walls.

Feelings of doubt and fear tempt him again. He was about to turn around before his eyes caught a small glint deep inside.