Unlimited

Chapter 2

Elion rubbed his aching elbow as he struggled out of the compacted earth that had halted his fall. Entering the portal had accelerated his speed, stars flashing past him like lights in a never-ending tunnel, until he eventually slowed down and landed in the middle of a vast field.

Blinded by the bright daylight, Elion examined his surroundings, taken aback by the sheer number of players in this area. More than five thousand people ran around, shouting in countless different languages, creating a chaotic discord that numbed Elion's senses. Scattered around the trampled field were several rudimentary training pitches where the players wielded weapons and used spells against training dummies. He glanced down, realizing that he was wearing farmer clothes, and his character looked the same as in the lounge.

Suddenly a portal opened above him, interrupting his thoughts. This must be another player, Elion quickly realized and jumped out of his landing zone just before a sturdy man rushed out of the portal, elegantly landing on his feet.

He must have some experience with the alternate reality maybe I should connect with him, Elion figured.

"Hello, that was a pretty smooth landing," he greeted the tall, muscular, blond man who now scanned him from head to toe. Then the man's face contorted with anger, and he aggressively grabbed for Elion's forearm.

"Give me your account if you don't want to get in trouble, freshling", the man hissed menacingly. However, Elion, relying on his fast reflexes, skillfully dodged the attack and pondered about the motives of the man.

At 30 years old, Elion belonged to one of the youngest groups in society. Many people despised the new generations, accusing them of stealing their resources and space. Breakthroughs in medicine and nanomedicine had dramatically increased life expectancy in recent centuries leading to a highly overpopulated Earth. The frequent nature catastrophes and climate problems were reduced enormously by the inventions of the last centuries but did not help either.

Still, he had a right to life, and the man had no reason to disrespect him!

Elion quickly realized that the guy wanted to profit from his early buyer bonuses. They were not limited to the bracelet he still wore but included even better benefits like a free account that otherwise would cost a monthly subscription fee.

I probably can calm him down when I use the right psychological trigger words but why take the risk? Avoiding this confrontation and ignoring this macho is probably the best thing to do.

The whole thought process took him a fraction of a second since his mind was trained as far as it could go without the help of an ai. Not answering the still raging man, he turned away.

So, what can I do at this place? It is probably a tutorial, so where does it start?, Elion thought wriggling though the crowd around him.

"Hey, you poor wimp! I will find you in real life and kill your family!" the man shouted aggressively while Elion put more distance between them. He had no time for this airhead, who could search long for his family. The angry screams drowned out in the noise of the crowd as Elion visualized the baffled face of the man at the realization that Elion was an orphan.

Jostling though the crowd he wrinkled his nose – it smelled like farm and sweat, not the most welcoming scent. He tried to scan the field around him and could hardly focus, because of the constant touches of the other players.

I need to stay watchful, he thought as he saved a rough representation of the field in his mind. It was gigantic and besides his limited view he spotted three points of interest. A small cottage in the middle of the field, a huge black stone with a diameter and height of around 20 meters farther east, and an enormous tree that reached beyond the clouds behind a small creek.