PART ONE: Everyone plays the Game. When I say that, I mean literally everyone – mums, grandpas, annoying little sisters. Heck, I’m sure my cat would play if it was implanted. It’s been going on for as long as I can remember. In fact, there was never a time when I wasn’t implanted. These days, they stick it into you when you’re a baby. When you’re all small and wet and wriggling, freshly come into the world, a nurse comes and injects you with it. The Implant. It’s a small thing. If I reach my hand behind my neck and press in the middle, just below my hairline, I can feel it. The lump is about the size of a mosquito bite. It’s hard and firm. Through the Implant, you are hooked into the system at all times, which also lets you into the Game. It helps with a lot of other things too. Humans are supposed to be smarter with the Implant. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been without it.
Here I am going on and on and I haven’t even introduced myself. My names Mike. I’m sixteen years old and still at school. My favorite class would probably be computer science. Not to brag, but I’m a master of the most commonly used programming languages – Imperial, Z* and Scar. I also know a few of the good oldies too like Python and C++. That’s just for fun though. Those ones are seriously outdated now. I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t tell you that my mastery of programming didn’t have anything to do with the Game. I once heard that all the top players were also world class programmers. So of course I’ve spent hours and hours, every spare minute that I’m not in school or playing the Game learning how to program. For me and my best mate Julius, it’s a bit of an obsession. What is the Game you ask? Only the best thing to have ever happened. I’ve heard that once you closed your eyes for the night, you used to dream. Nowadays, with the help of the Implant, you can play the Game instead. In the Game you can be anyone you want to be. Most people don’t play the Game properly, and instead just do normal boring things that they would do outside of the game. Like go shopping, party, that kind of thing. Serious players like me know that that is a waste of time. The real point of the Game is to win. To win, you need to level up by going on quests. As you level up, more quests are available to you. Once you are the highest ranked player you become the Dragon Emperor. The Dragon Emperor is basically god within the game. He rules and controls. I also heard in real life he made the richest man alive. And the only way to become him is to kill him. Just in the game, of course. No real killing happens, though I think maybe some people would kill to become the Dragon Emperor.
Julius and I were talking about just how we’d kill him, if we were ever given the chance.
‘That won’t work.’ Julius said to me, as he lay stretched out on his back on my bedroom floor, staring at the ceiling. ‘I mean, it’s the Dragon Emperor. He’s got that title for a reason. There is no way you could just sneak up behind him and slit his throat with a dagger. He’s not that stupid.’
‘Well what would you suggest?’ I snapped.
‘I don’t know. Maybe I’d just follow him. Figure out where he hangs out. Once I know, then try to level up as fast as I can. I’d take him on later, once I have more XP.’
‘Yeah, right, like that would work. If I can’t sneak up on him, it’s unlikely you’d be able to follow him. Besides, if you wait too long, someone might kill him before you do and then knowing where the old Dragon Emperor used to be wouldn’t matter.’
‘Hmm I guess you’re right. What are you doing anyway?’ He asked, turning over onto his stomach to get a better look at me. I was sitting at my desk on my computer, typing code. Every now and then I stopped to think. I guess I had been a little short with Julius, because he kept wrecking my train of though.
‘Computer science homework? I thought it was easy, and that you would have done it in like ten seconds, but you’ve been at that for more than an hour.’
‘Nope, it’s something else I’ve been working on.’
‘What is it?’
‘I thought it would be interesting to know what everyone was in the game.’ I turned to Julius, grinning widely.
‘I don’t get it.’ He said, nonplussed.
‘I mean, at school besides your good friends, you don’t know what anyone is.’ I explained. ‘I thought it would be interesting if I could hack into the system, and set it up so that when I looked at someone, say at school, I would know their game title, and their experience level.’
‘Wow… do you really think you could do that?’
‘Yeah, I actually think I’m done. I’ve been working on it for months now, but I think I can do it. I just didn’t want to tell you because I thought it wouldn’t work. You want to give it a go? Just a few more minutes and I think I can set us both up.’
I continued typing. Julius sat up, fixing his gaze on the back of my head. After a few moments he gasped.
‘That’s so cool!’
I whipped around to face him. Above his head floated the words: Level 10, Novice. I grinned and let out a whoop of excitement.
‘What does mine say?’ I asked Julius.
‘Level 13, Novice.’
‘Sweet!’
We high fived each other.
‘I’m excited to see what everyone else at school has.’ Said Julius. ‘I bet you Zack was lying when he said he was level 50. Now we can know for sure!’
‘Yeah, I’m psyched for school too.’ I said, dreamily. Besides computer science class, I used to hate school. It was long and boring, and I was wasting time I could be spending in the Game. A week ago, that changed. A new girl had moved to our school, and I felt like my world had turned upside down. Jade Johnston was the cutest girl I had ever laid eyes on. She had long, straight brown hair, and big hazel eyes. She had the build of a runner, lean and fit. I’d never said a word to her, but I swore yesterday when I passed her in the hallway, she smiled at me. In short, she was perfect.
‘Did you hear me Mike? I said I’m going home now.’ Julius said, pulling me back to the present.
‘Oh yeah sorry man I was just thinking. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Yeah I think I know what you were thinking about. Or who’ Julius smirked. He grabbed his backpack from off the floor, and headed out. As soon as he was gone, I threw myself onto my bed, and closed my eyes.
PART TWO: That night in the Game, nothing major happened. I spent most of my time on a dumb quest looking for a magic hen that laid golden eggs. I didn’t find it, which meant I didn’t end up adding any points to my experience. I reminded myself that at least tomorrow would be a good day.
PART THREE: The next morning, I sat at the kitchen bench eating toast for breakfast. My little sister Hayley flounced past behind me, ruffling my hair. I turned to glare at her. Above her were the words: Level 3, Novice. I was pleased that although my sister was only two years younger than me, I had ten levels on her in the Game.
‘What are you smiling at?’ Hayley glowered. She had clearly intended on irritating me.
‘Nothing.’
I turned back to finish my toast. It started wolfing it down as quickly as I could. I was keen on getting to school and using my newfound knowledge.
‘Hey, slow down tiger.’ My mum put her hand on my shoulder as she passed into the kitchen to fix herself a cup of coffee. ‘If you eat too fast you might choke.’ I nodded and swallowed a particularly large chunk of toast. It scraped down my throat, making me cough and splutter.
‘You’re such an idiot.’ Remarked Hayley.
‘Shut up.’
‘Guys! Come on, we only just started the day, let’s start on a good note.’ Said mum.
I looked up at her. The floating words let me know she was level eleven in the game. I found that odd. People that don’t do quests usually peak about level seven. I guessed she’d had plenty of time to do a quest or two when she was younger.
‘Well, I’m heading off. Wouldn’t want to be late to school.’ I said, swinging my backpack over my shoulder and heading to the door. Despite almost choking myself on my breakfast in my rush to school, I was running late. When I was almost there my phone buzzed. I a message from Julius:
I’m at school now in first period. Got something to show you. You won’t believe this! COME QUICK!!!!!
I broke out into a run. It must have been big news if Julius felt the need to use all caps and five exclamation marks. I raced through the school doors and into the hall. I arrived outside the classroom door, panting from the effort. I took a moment to straighten up, and brush my hand through my hair. I know it was urgent, but Jade was in this class. I needed to walk in looking cool, not puffing and out of breath.
I opened the door. Julius sat near the back, and when he heard the door open, he started pointing frantically to someone sitting in the front row, diagonally across from him in the classroom. Words swam around in my vision. It was a bit overwhelming. There were around thirty kids in this class, all of whom had text above their heads stating their level and the fact that they were all novices. From what I could tell most ranged from levels two to five. Some had sixes or sevens. Because everyone was so close together that the text bunched confusingly. I made a mental note to find a way to fix this issue when I got home.
Julius, knowing I hadn’t figured out what he was saying, continued his frantic pointing.
What? I mouthed back at him.
‘Mike, you can sit down now.’ Mr Evans said crossly from the front of the room.
Everyone in the class swivelled in their chairs to look at me. My jaw dropped. There, in the front row was Jade. She looked as beautiful as ever, her hair tied in a ponytail that fell halfway down her back. She was wearing a pink and orange Aztec patterned sleeveless dress that offset her tanned skin perfectly. The right corner of her pink lips curved up slightly in the cutest little smile. But I didn’t notice any of those things, not really. What made me goggle at her, wide eyed like a fish, were the words clearly printed above her head:
Level 2893, Dragon Empress.
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