Legacy

Chapter 1

In 2XXX, something caused a big turmoil in the world. For his 40 years Old Zachary alias "Z" announced his retirement. Some may say that it's such a ridiculous young age for retirement but actually that was pretty old for him. Why? Because Zachary hadn't an ordinary work, he was a professional gamer.

Certainly, if he played an ordinary game, no one would care. But actually he was a player of the famous, no, the fabulous game called "EGO". That was the only complete virtual reality game known nowadays. To be frank that wasn't the only one but none could rival EGO. It was unique for being super realistic, so far that if someone called it a second world no one would ridicule him. EGO offered all sensation you would feel in the real world, not only that but the player could exert total freedom within the game. This game was so "real" that some people in the early days of the game died from trying to implement their conscience through the capsule. But that's a story of the early days of the "immersion capsule", now everyone know that conscience transfer is still impossible for humanity and that something like that may occur to the bug of the game which means those who succeeds would experience a second death within the maintenance.

What matter actually was that "Z" who was commonly called EGO god or the supreme one or the "top" decided to retire. This person got the most achievement within the game, he topped at the player ranking, won various international competition and he did so many incredible things that his presence got so much weight in the game that developers asked to create an NPC (Non-Player-Character) of him to not change dramatically the game history. It would be different if it was an ordinary game. But EGO was reputed for their AI (Artificial Intelligence), the NPC had intelligence and memory, they were exactly like real person (so far that some have suspected EGO's NPC were being played by actor), they had an ego.

Z could reach the position of emperor within the game. Which means an empire of billions of people would be left without a guide and above that Z had no successor on the throne. That would cause a great turmoil which would occur to an eternal war in the game. The developers explained that rewriting a single NPC memory took 9 days so ultimately those of billions of NPC would take decades if not century, and that the best way to keep up with Z absence was to completely rewrite the game itself.

In the end, Z declined the offer. He declared: "I have made my time and I left EGO with my mark, I want people to celebrate a new era without me hanging in the shadows of the new hero of the time." Everyone could understand what he just said: even if he leaved, people would continue to compare his achievement with those who will take the lead of the new era, they were bound to be overshadowed by him as he was the only one who could maintain the first place for 20 years. Z's influence was extended to both EGO and real world, his thought was the public thought.

So for the first time in history, EGO was updated. Obviously some people complained because the update meant the reset of levels, items, and affinity with NPC. They claimed that if an emperor was needed, Z or the players and developers should just point a new one so the NPC won't go mad, they would just have to create a false testament to deceive them. In fact that was a good idea but developers were afraid that it would become a political affair. EGO gained so much wealth and notoriety that E.C. group which created the game was globally respected; there were even Olympic Games within EGO. They were so notorious that EGO's principal creator, the greatest genius of this era Soa, had such enormous influence within the world that even America's President seemed like a small fish when compared to him. And so many ridiculous ideas flown but were all declined by developers.

Soa himself made an announcement himself to completely calm down things.

"EGO's pride is in the freeness of both players and NPC. It's unfortunate that some famous idiot has ruined it but it's a lesson for next time." He said with a calm smile not even chocked by the situation at all.

"Savage!" everyone had the same thought to Soa's words, he just treated the only person second to him in term of influence an "idiot".

**

In a luxurious room large of a huge 100 m2, a boy with long black hair, in his 20s, with a sharp nose and deep black eyes wearing simple yet looking luxurious clothes, Zara was sitting next to his father in a sofa. They just finished watching a sum up of the new EGO that would be released in one month and were talking about different stuff.

"Isn't it amazing as always?" the father asked.

"Yeah" (they completely erased you from it though) the boy swallowed back those words. Then he asked: "Why did you refuse the NPC offer again?"

"Isn't double scary?" the dad told while recalling old and creepy memories he had from the game where a doppelganger that copied his appearance escaped and did weird things in his name (face). A chill got down from his spine when he thinks about it. 

"And why should I lighten this guy's work?"he said in a low voice.

The boy got a little suspicious seeing his dad troubled expression while saying that.

"This guy?"

"Ohw nothing important."

"I will play the game."

"That's a nice thing but won't your mother kill me if she knew her little genius would waste his time playing a game."said with a joking tone.

Yes actually that boy was a genius. Skipping several classes, got a diploma in Sociology at the age of 15, in Physics at 16, and framed as the best young talent in the international martial art communion, he couldn't be anything but a special individual. His mother was really proud of him.

"She won't. I already took care of it"

His father often wonders from whose side his son got his character. He always ends up thinking that he's so lucky marrying his wife. Such insight and direct character wouldn't obviously come from him.

"Well if you say so, I won't stop you either then but why so suddenly? You never mentioned about playing the game before."

"Isn't it weird playing a game with their parents? And I already planned it since I am twelve."

The father felt his heart ache that his son didn't played because he did "I was the number one and the coolest player" was his thought; but he was flustered by another thing.

"What do you mean by you've prepared since you are twelve?"

"I studied martial arts and weapon to prepare for the battle in the game, I also studied sociology to learn how to get quest from NPC or to avoid User and I also studied the game Physics"

" Ohwww" his dad was stunned hearing all of these. "Avoid User? "Those words passed through the fathers mind for a second but he knew his son reserved character well and didn't ask more about it. *

"Certainly you didn't plan my retirement too right? Hehe" the father asked with a joking tone.

"Now that I'm 20 my condition is optimum to look for some independence, your retirement is well-timed"

The father ignored those words.

"I guess that you prepared well but how if I teach you some tricks for this remaining month it may not work in the new EGO but why not?"

"Okay!" he said with a child-smile.

That was Zara, he had the blood of the EGO god flowing in him, he would be taught by the top player himself and he has the best preparation possible to play? the game. 

***