"Then come on!" Joe signaled. "That's all you know?!"
"You have no idea how much money I have!"
Maggie struggled to prove her words were more than just rhetoric, performing a complex series of button and lever movements on the controller in her hand. The on-screen character responds to these prompts by performing combinations of high and low attacks. However, while certainly impressive, Joe's perfectly timed input completely deflected the attack, leaving his character completely unscathed. He then immediately countered, which Maggie countered, dealing the last bit of damage she needed to win the round.
"Player 2 wins!" the game commentator announced.
"Oh, come on!" Joe screamed at the screen. "How is this fair?!"
"You know you're not good enough for me, but you keep challenging me," Maggie said proudly. "It is very cute."
"R
gh! We’ll see! I’m going to turn the tables and make you swallow those words!”
Although the score was in his opponent's favor, this was a best-of-five match. So Joe certainly has a theoretical chance of winning. However, looking at how badly he was beaten in both rounds, his actual odds of claiming victory are minuscule. Of course, he refused to admit defeat until the bitter end. He's been playing Road Warrior 7 at a competitive level for the past two months, so he can't let this newbie who showed up just five days ago beat him. His pride as a player, a man, and a person lies on this line.
The start of the third round was no different from the previous rounds. Maggie goes on the offensive, forcing Joe to defend himself while trying to find a way through. In terms of skill and execution, this girl clearly has the upper hand. It's incredibly easy to press a series of buttons at just the right time, and her reaction times are so fast that nothing can surprise her. However, Joe had two things she didn't have - experience and strategy.
He noticed that Magi also relied on two quick combos because they were so efficient. She also seized every opportunity to fight back that came her way. In short, she is predictable. In addition, the girl could not tell whether one of Joe's moves was a fake move, and she was fascinated by every move he made. These flaws provide Joe with just the opportunity to fight back.
He withstood her combos, goading her into parrying an improbable attack, and then attacking before her character could recover. This keeps happening over the next 90 seconds as he methodically grinds Maggie's health bar down to zero. No matter how good her reflexes or timing is, there's no point if she can't do anything after blowing a move. Granted, she could have rewritten the game's code using the "magic touch" method, but that's cheating. Maggie could not have violated the rules of a contest in which she voluntarily agreed to participate.
"Player 1 wins! Perfect!"
So, the announcers of the match enthusiastically declared that Joe had won without a single clean hit.
"Yes, baby!" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air. "What do you think of me?"
Yet when he turned to look at Maggie, there was no twinge of emotion on her face. Just pure, undiluted, incredible focus. The man quickly controlled his enthusiasm and devoted himself to the game. It was obvious that his opponent had had enough of idleness and was going to do whatever it took to compete with him. It's a scary prospect indeed, considering what lies beneath the beautiful exterior.
"Player 1 wins! Perfect!"
However, nothing has changed. No matter how fast or accurate Maggie is, she's still limited by the medium she's fighting in. That said, Joe's ability to adapt to and overcome such formidable mechanical skills is remarkable in its own right. Of course, there are many others who can do this. He lives on a planet with 17 billion unemployed people who have nothing to do but hang out in virtual reality. Granted, only a handful of them spent their time playing Road Warrior 7, but there are still 80,000 people above Joe on the planetary ranking ladder. He was far from the best, but he certainly felt like he was when he was announced for the final round.
"Phew!" He finally relaxed. "That's so tiring." You fought a big fight for a newbie. "
"I give up," Maggie sighed heavily. "The medium known as video games still holds many secrets."
"So. Want to do it again?"
The girl blinked for a moment before answering.
"Curious. While I'm undoubtedly troubled by my loss, I find myself looking forward to the rematch with enthusiasm. What a strange emotional paradox."
It seemed like a small thing, but it was the first time she had felt like this, and the feeling itself was indescribably refreshing.
“That’s the magic of a well-designed video game,” Joe laughs. “You can lose badly and still have a great time.”
"I'm starting to understand why you're the way you are, Joe Mulligan."
In fact, many of the man's eccentric behaviors can be attributed to his upbringing. Between the state taking care of all his basic needs and the vast array of virtual media provided, it's not surprising that Joe's sense of self-preservation is so underdeveloped. He'd never faced any significant adversity, so he couldn't realize it until it was too late. At least that's what Maggie thought. She's by no means an expert on human psychology or behavioral patterns, but she's not called an "observer" for nothing.
After Maggie loses the rematch, Joe decides to shake things up before her bad mood tears a hole in the universe. He has a pretty large library of games of all genres. His girlfriend clearly appreciates the variety of mechanics, story, and art style the game offers. She'd tried them all at least once. From the masterpiece of Stealy Wheely Automobiley 6 to Huff Huff's Nut-a
An absolute dumpster fire of d-Speggle puzzles, they each have their own unique thing. The last line in particular made Maggie aware of a seemingly innocuous topic.
"Joe, do you know this thing called a Spiegel?"
"Huh? Ah, that thing? I loved it as a kid, but I guess I stopped liking it when I grew up."
"What is it made of?"
"I assume there's fruit concentrate in there?" Not entirely sure, but I can order some if you'd like. "
"Of course I do."
"Okay, give me a minute."
Joe stood up from his favorite bean bag and headed to the refrigerator. While ordering the condiments that Maggie was accidentally interested in, he quickly and skillfully operated the touch screen above. Of course, he doesn't necessarily need to do all of this. This is a virtual world and he can operate several menus from his seat. However, the V-Life platform is more than just a means of entertainment.
While it started out that way, countless people like Joe actually lived in it. It's the only practical way for them to experience what it's like to have a spacious home with real furniture. That's why they fill their private digital homes with all kinds of technologically unnecessary junk, like superfluous game consoles and pointless refrigerators. Small things like moving around, pressing buttons, and carrying dishes are considered mild entertainment, so residents of virtual worlds go out of their way to do them.
"Oh, wow. Hi, Maggie?" Joe called from across the room. Apparently, Speggle comes in several flavors. Do you want Nana, Peach Sickle, Honey or Starberry?”
"Sta
be
y sounds appealing," she replied, without taking her eyes off the game screen.
The guy tapped the refrigerator display a few more times, and a white tube appeared in front of him with the words "Sta" in weird pink letters.
be
y Speggle”.
"Do you want it on a sandwich or something?"
"This is allowed."
Also, don't forget to make an extra effort to dodge the boss's Curry Beam. The animation doesn't match the clickbox!"
"Your advice is unnecessary, but I appreciate it."
She continues her horse-and-carriage challenge while Joe assembles the aforementioned sandwiches. Granted, calling it that gives too much credit to his creation. It was literally just a slice of toast with some unidentifiable pink goo spread on it and a few spoonfuls of baked beans on top. He made himself another one, put them on separate plates, and walked back to Maggie just in time to see the cartoon character she was controlling turn into a bowl of curry.
"It's most unpleasant," she might have said with a pout. "I would very much like those responsible for this abominable digital product to be found and thoroughly educated on the importance of quality assurance."
"I know what that feels like. Half the galaxy feels the same. This game is so bad that it even bankrupted the company that made Speggle. These things are impossible to find outside of V-Life."
"Is this an extinct flavor?"
"I guess that's a good way to put it," Joe shrugged, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Hey. It's also a relief. I forgot how cheap this thing is."
Maggie found it a little funny because he clearly didn't like the product, but that didn't stop him from chewing, swallowing, and then taking another bite. Then she glanced at her share, when a strange realization hit her.
"Joe. I want to experience real food."
"Yeah, I heard you. That's rubbish. I'd better go get a nice stew."
"You misunderstood. I meant non-virtual food."
"Uh...okay?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Did my request confuse you?"
"A little bit. You know V-Life's food simulation is 99.6% accurate to real life, right?"
"This 0.4% difference is very important to me, as well as the aspects that the creators of this virtual world ignored in the eating process."
In fact, according to Maggie, the digital reinvention of food is rather superficial. The texture, aroma, consistency and taste are all there, enough to trick the brain into believing it's eating real food. However, in this girl-shaped cosmic entity, this is not enough. She wanted to feel the chemicals in her saliva starting the digestive process, or the sensation of her body extracting trace amounts of energy from biological matter.
"Sorry, Maggie, but I really can't afford real food right now," Joe winced. "Spent most of my pocket money this month on matchmaking, remember?" I'll be out of money for at least another two weeks. "
"This is terrible news, isn't it?" She looked at him with an almost worried expression.
"Huh? I mean, it's not great, but I'm not going to die because I don't have any money."
“Doesn’t your body need food you can’t afford to buy?”
"Oh, it does matter. It's just that the pod will help me handle these things while I'm here."
"You did mention this before, but I need to elaborate. What do your pods feed you?"
"It's called '
ot-goop'. I know this sounds silly, but this has basically been my main diet my whole life. "
Noot-Goop is a synthetic protein paste that contains all the nutrients, vitamins and water the average person needs to survive. Its main drawback is that humans can't agree on how to season it, so it's scientifically made to be as bland as possible. This doesn't matter since it's usually administered through a feeding tube and physical sensation is suppressed by VR pods.
"Don't you need to pay for this kind of thing?" she asked.
"No. It's basically free."
In fact, V-Life’s subscription fee includes a stable supply of
ot - goop, but Joe doesn't consider it an expense because part of his pocket money automatically pays for it.
"Also, how come you know money but not food?" It was Qiao's turn to ask.
"Any sentient civilization would inevitably develop the concept of money as a measure of an individual's contribution to society. Conversely, not all living things need nutrition in the same way that humans do."
"Yeah, right. Well, unless you can conjure a few hundred pounds for us, I really can't treat you to anything."
"this is very simple."
"Wait, really?"
"I noticed that your currency is digital. In case you haven't noticed, I'm very good at manipulating this kind of thing."
"Yes, but... isn't this stealing?"
By definition, theft is the unlawful taking of property. No property in this case, Joe. "
"Hmm. Never thought about it, but my account balance is just a number on a server somewhere, isn't it?"
"The truth of the matter is much more complicated, but that's basically true."
"Well, I believe that," he shrugged. "But let's not go too far. We only need 200 today."
Maggie's eyes flashed for a few seconds, indicating that she was racking her brains.
"nailed it."
Joe checked his balance and found it was two hundred pounds heavier than before.
"Okay. Well, let's go! It's time for me to stretch my legs anyway. My pod gets really angry when it detects muscle atrophy."
The appropriate command was called and Joe returned to his pod with Maggie leaning against him, his new normal. The girl climbed out without hesitation, but the boy stayed so that Pod could change into his slightly smelly clothes. Wear his favorite Ret
After oStyle™ a white T-shirt and jeans, he stepped out to do some stretching, making sure to give the mechanical Queen Elizabeth II photo a little wave in the process. Afterward, he talked about a little concern he had about his companion's appearance.
"So, um, Maggie. Why are you still wearing that robe?"
"There's no reason for me to stop using it."
"Well, can you help me change into something else?"
"That's allowed. Do you have anything special in mind?"
"Yes, really."
Then the red and gold fabric twisted, swirled, and darkened as it reshaped itself in a way that Joe thought would look good. "More specifically, it was a plain gothic dress. Pitch black all over, with long sleeves and an ankle-length skirt that accentuated her clunky leather boots. Except for the pointless bare shoulders and thigh-high slit on the right side. Outside, Maggie's smooth, pale skin was barely exposed. He wasn't sure where he'd seen this particular dress before, but it certainly looked familiar. Importantly, it looked much nicer than that gaudy robe. , at least in his mind. Considering he was Maggie's loyal guide, his opinion was the only one she cared about.
Dave-156, the pair's first trip to the big city since Joe brought Maggie to his apartment. Because the skyscrapers are so tall and the spaces between them are filled with countless holographic billboards, it's impossible to know if the sun is out. It's common for citizens to go their entire lives without knowing what a real sun kiss feels like. Few of them particularly care. Joe certainly didn't like it, and Maggie didn't like the bright lights, so their attention was entirely focused on the dining experience that was about to come.
The first obstacle is that Joe is not sure where to find a restaurant or diner. All he knew was the bar he went to sometimes with friends, but he thought it might not be the right place. Luckily, he had gotten used to scanning the sea of ads around him and quickly found a place called Bolt's Burgers. It was more of a fully automatic grill than a restaurant, but food was food, and Maggie wanted to eat it. So they bought a hamburger and devoured it.
Their next few stops were a cupcake vendor, a roasted nut stand, and a fresh fruit stand. The latter two are very expensive because they brag about being organic rather than artificially grown. It doesn’t matter that they are expensive, though. Joe had a feeling Maggie would want to try a variety of things as usual, which was why he wanted two hundred pounds. Considering that his usual monthly allowance after fees and taxes was only £50, he figured that would be enough to satisfy the girl's temporary curiosity.
The magic money was spent when Joe paid for Maggie's Starberry ice cream, his 27th of the day. They had walked a long way and his legs were a little tired, so he chose to sit down on a bench by the side of the road. He definitely felt something squishing underneath his butt as he did so, but he wasn't worried because the pod would take care of him when he got back. As for Maggie, she stood contentedly beside him, gently licking her frozen treat.
"So, do you like food from this dimension?"
"Once again I am in awe of human creativity. I don't believe I am capable of creating so many pointless distractions."
"Ah, don't say that. I'm sure you can be very creative if you let it."
"Your confidence is endearing, but misguided. Since I've been here, I've done nothing but observe, imitate, and manipulate. Creation requires imagination, which is one of the least developed methods at my disposal .”
"Oh. That's... kind of sad. Who knows? If you hang around us humans long enough, maybe you'll learn a thing or two."
"That's my hope too."
"Um...wait, what did we just say?" He looked up at Maggie in confusion.
"This dimension is food."
"Yeah, right. Have you decided on your favorite food combination?"
"Yes. Candy. Especially the starberry derivatives."
"Is there any special reason?"
"Sugar has a pleasant flavor and is high in calories. Plus, starberries have the word 'star' in their name."
"What...what does this have to do with anything?" He shook his head without knowing anything.
"It's fun to pretend they taste like stars."
"Hit the ball. Yeah."
Joe instinctively held back a laugh at this unexpectedly endearing answer, but on second thought, Maggie wasn't the kind of person to get angry over such a small thing.
"Are there any other flavors you like?"
"Yes. Meat. Especially organic meat."
"Why is this?"
"I can feel traces of residual psychic energy from the formerly living organism. Pain, mostly."
"Ah...well, how does that taste?"
"...a little spicy."
