Bankrupt Online

With that, Mark walked away, moving in the direction of the slums. Since he was now dressed like someone who belonged in the city, even though he still had his dirty skin and messy hair, no one confronted him. He could hear some mutters, but none of them were insults or were directed at him.

"Wow, this world is smack, just because I'm dressed differently, it's as if nobody recognizes me. Why, ain't I slum trash anymore?"

He thought, an irritated expression appearing on his face.

He decided to lower his head, still not sure about how things worked in the city. But till he reached his destination, he didn't receive any insults or ill words from the massive crowd that walked past him.

This time, they didn't keep their distance either, the new feeling of being enclosed by a massive crowd causing him to feel uneasy as he held his goods with a tightened grip, putting his other hand in his pocket and bowing his head.

He stopped after reaching one of the skyscrapers that stood in front of them while they exited the slums, taking in a deep breath and entering.

"I want to buy a room, please," he said to the receptionist. Since he appeared normal, he didn't have a problem checking in, and in less than ten minutes, he had gotten a room in his dream building.

The receptionist sent a guide with him to check out his room, showing him everything that was about it, as he was astonished by how his better life had kicked off, taking his time to study everything he could on the spot. After the guide had left, he rushed to sit down on the comfortable soft sofa, not even taking time to properly clean himself up.

He pulled out the bag with the VR game headpiece in it, which he left beside the glass table that stood in front of the sofa, with haste and spiking adrenaline fueled by his curiosity and interest.

The headpiece was one that covered the eyes, ears, and head. It had a silver coating and awkwardly had no openings on it, with the words B.K.O. inscribed on the undetachable headphone.

A puzzled expression appeared on Mark's face as he stared at it, not having a clue what to do next. After a few seconds of staring blankly at it, an idea popped up.

He removed the Styrofoam from the box and found a small instruction manual lying at the bottom of it. Knowing what it was, he picked it up and decided to read it to answer some of his questions about the game.

The manual was awkwardly small for such a complex game console, since he could comfortably fix it in his hand and only had inscriptions on one side.

Without giving it thought, he decided to read it.

---

(Bankrupt Online)

If users are wondering, this is the only component of the game console. When it's activated, it'll transport the consciousness of the user into the game. It's equipped with a dry cell battery that could last a hundred years if the game is not switched off.

USAGE

It's recommended to comfortably lay down on a bed or mattress or any other material of your preference. Put on the headpiece and click on the 'O' in the abbreviation B.K.O. inscribed at the side of the console. This will activate the game.

Have a nice time in the world of Bankrupt Online.

Mark had a puzzled expression on, since the manual was too brief and wasn't that informative. But not knowing what to do, he placed the paper back in the box and put the headpiece on, laying comfortably on his sofa as he clicked on the 'O'.

In an instant, he began to feel sleepy as his consciousness faded, falling into a comatose state in a matter of seconds.

---

Welcome to the world of Bankrupt Online.

A robotic voice sounded off in Mark's ear, causing him to open his eyes.

He found himself in an abyss, surrounded by nothing as not even the wind could be felt. He seemed to be standing on a transparent liquid that sent ripples as far as the eye could see when he moved his feet, making it seem like the abyss didn't have an ending.

All of a sudden, a transparent interface appeared in front of him, with the inscription 'NAME,' boldly written at its top, an insertion point flashing in a blue hue, with the option 'SAVE' glowing faintly at the bottom.

Even though he lived in the slums, he wasn't an illiterate. He clicked on the insertion point as what seemed to be a keyboard appeared perpendicular to the first interface, and in an instant, the name 'Greg' was automatically typed into the insertion space.

"Greg, why would I choose such a pitiful name?"

Mark said out loud with a funny tone, trying to goof off a little since he was alone.

Without wasting any time, he cleared the name, typing his in the space and muttering "better" afterward.

He clicked on the save icon, and the interface and the keyboard disappeared immediately. Before he could look up to the abyss once more, a humanoid figure appeared in front of him. Nothing could be made out of him since he was like a shadow.

Not having an expression of any kind, he asked:

"Do you want to keep this appearance in the world of Bankrupt Online?"

With a dark and cold voice, devoid of any emotion.

Mark nodded to his inquiry, later on replying with a 'yes,' as he thought the shadow couldn't see his nod.

"Then it shall be so."

It replied as Mark felt a tad different in an instant, but for some reason, he couldn't identify what had actually changed in him.

Without giving him time to analyze himself, the voice paced on.

"Log into a bank account or register one."

Mark felt amused for a second, seeing such a fantasy creature saying "bank account" with its emotionless tone but was distracted as another interface and keyboard appeared.

Since he came from the slums, he didn't think his ID would work, but he tried anyway, completing his registration in less than a minute.

{Registration Successful}

{B.K.O. system interface unlocked}

Another interface appeared, this one right in front of him as a ring with a green button on it appeared on his left middle finger.

"Let me give you some advice. In the world of Bankrupt Online, money is everything, and greed leads to downfall. Spent too much, and you come a slave to money, trapped within it's inescapable wall."

Without getting the chance to reply or thank the figure, the abyss disappeared, and Mark felt like he was being transported into a different plane.