Alternate Earth, Year 2042. Peaceful Era.
Great City of Lunden, Undercity.
Early mornings in the undercity never changed. The absence of fresh air is always the same, as it has been for years.
The air itself was foul and rotten; perhaps the only thing positive was the occasional glow of sunlight penetrating through the upper city.
"Damn Upper City dogs!" A man bit into his half-rotten apple with deliberate spite, glaring upward.
"Always dumping their trash on us."
"You know how they are, it is not like they care about us undercity," The bartender said, putting the wine glass filled with purple 'liquid', on the table.
Damien Clementine barely registered the commotion from downstairs. Seeing as he was currently sealed inside a cabin, playing [Forsaken].
This cabin was crude and messy. Gears and tubes hung outside in the open, followed by lines of questionable 'green' liquid running through each tube.
It is as though with the slightest touch, the whole thing would unravel itself.
However, for an undercity like Damien, just having the chance to use this cabin is already beyond what he could ask for.
Of course, this is not without a cost. After all, this cabin did not belong to him, merely a rented piece.
At this moment, someone walked through the door and headed toward Damien's cabin.
Knock. Knock.
"Wake up, boy, your time is up!" Tuman's gravelly voice pierced through the cabin's hum.
The scarred giant had to duck just to fit through the doorway, his massive frame filling the cramped space. When he straightened, his head nearly touched the ceiling.
Immediately, Damien's body shuddered.
The cabin's cracked glass opened as the green liquid in the tube began to boil.
"Couldn't you give me one more minute?!" Damien exclaimed, glaring at Tuman's with hate.
However, it was just a gesture.
Comparing his stature to this man, Damien was like a fly. Hell, even the palm of this man was half the size of Damien's malnourished body.
"Get out," Tuman said, seeing Damien still loitering around.
For a moment, Damien had a thought. But just as quickly as it came, it instantly ran off.
Pick a fight with him? He couldn't. Just the breeze from Tuman's movement alone made Damien unsteady on his feet.
Reluctantly, he wore a wry smile while exiting through the door obediently.
"I will, I will, big brother."
After he left, Damien still heard Tuman's voice.
"Don't forget to come back!"
As Damien walked down to the bar on the first floor, a few eyes darted at him. But no one walked up or spoke to him.
When Damien exited through the entrance, some couldn't help but ridicule the rugged, young man with black hair.
"What is up with him? Spending all that hard-earned cash to waste his time on that useless game." Someone said, snickering loudly as he sipped on the purple glass of drink.
Immediately, another chimed in.
"That cabin might be trash compared to those uppercity folks, but it ain't cheap. Who the hell would waste it on that antique game when you could…"
He paused, his eyes turning toward a voluptuous woman sitting at another table.
The people who heard him understood what he meant and began laughing.
"That's right! I heard there is a new private release simulation of Madame Theresa from the upper-city… There is rumors that her 'measurement' is quite accurate!"
Immediately, a crowd of men began to gathered around this person who spoke.
"Seriously? Give me the invite code!"
…
Damien walked down a narrow alleyway, heading toward an abandoned Silo deep in the outskirts of the undercity.
His posture was slow and hunched back, while his gaze constantly scanned the surroundings.
The alleyway of the undercity was a mess.
The scraps and tubes would poke through the buildings, not to mention that rustic and rotten stench in the air.
However, none of this made him flinch. He was busy thinking of how to make meets end for the rest of the week.
Just a couple hour of renting the cabin cost him enough ration to feed him for a week.
'Damn, do I have to starve again? But I was so close to beating that boss!' He regretfully exclaimed inwardly.
'If not for that… I would have save my cash, damn."
As Damien walked, his pupil lit up in the darkness like a cat.
He was accustomed to the environment of the undercity, with its lacking light as well as harsh conditions.
This was due to his upbringing.
Growing up, Damien lost his parent to the toxic fog of the undercity. Since then, he has always survived by himself.
Friends? He couldn't make many.
Perhaps it is due to his personality being unapproachable or unlikeable. But he could never grasp the heart of people.
Even among the undercity folks, he was an outcast beyond the outcast.
And like many undercity looking for a rush of dopamine, or an escape from solitude, they came to one place.
Virtual Reality.
One day, he stumbled across [Forsaken] and since then, it has became his only source of warmth and joy in life.
It gave him a purpose, a challenge, an experience that is beyond ordinary.
Unlike the dull life of constantly starving and struggling to scrape together a couple coins each week in order to survive. [Forsaken] was the light in the midst of endless darkness.
It was his mean beyond just an end.
Even at this moment, Damien remained intoxicated as the recall his experience in [Forsaken].
He thought about it, finding his life quite miserable and bleak. Compare to [Forsaken], life was dull and without shades.
Recalling Tuman sudden intrusion, he grew mildly irritated.
However, before his irritation could settle, a flashing light suddenly struck him.
'What the hell?!' He jumped back in shock.
Damien grew up walking in the dark corners of the undercity. Often sleeping and resting in places others wouldn't even considered pissing.
Due to this, the flashing light startled him greatly. Given a couple of seconds, he recovered his stance and opened his eyes.
'N-No way this is impossible! I must be hallucinating!'
It was a sight he never thought to see. A familiar screen which only existed in [Forsaken]!
This small message window petrified his mind and left him stunned. For a moment, he couldn't pick up his feet as his attention was spent on the notifications.
[Ding! Thank you for being our Rank 1 supporter. We hope that you have enjoyed the experience.]
[You are given a special reward for the descent of Forsaken.]
"What? Special reward? Descent of Forsaken?"
[Reward: Corrupted Divine Saint (Mythical Rank ★★★★★)
[Please be advised that the first descent will commence shortly.]
Before he could process anything, his vision dimmed.