With fifteen minutes left on the countdown to the new players' arrival, a young man who had just picked up a package from the gatehouse at work was holding the box and calling his family.
There was nothing strange about the scene, but what he was saying on the phone was a little strange.
"Mom, don't worry. I've confirmed that Dad really hasn't been cheating or fooling around behind your back.
Really!
He's just playing a game. You know, the thing he wears on his head when he lies in bed every night? Right, it's not some 'massage device.' And this isn't a scam, either. Don't worry. I'll be able to join the same game as him soon.
I'll definitely talk Dad into coming home!
I promise!
But you have to promise not to stop him from going fishing and stuff in the future. He's under enough pressure already."
After a long bout of coaxing, he finally calmed his frantic mother on the other end of the call. Then, like a thief, he slipped back into his office. Seeing that the time was almost up, he quickly opened the package, leaned back in his chair and adjusted himself into a comfortable position, then lowered the black, "unbranded" helmet onto his head.
Ding! Biometric scan complete! "True Otherworld" exclusive hardware binding complete. Based on your game ID and testing application sequence, you will receive access to "True Otherworld" in two minutes.
The countdown will now begin!
Please take a deep breath and prepare to enter a fully realistic game. Make sure you are able to fulfill your responsibilities as a "tester."
A line of text popped up on the quasi-VR interface of the black, motorcycle-helmet-like game device, making the young man who had just received the helmet blink.
He had locked