Endless Evolution as a Centipede in a Game-Like World

[Initialization complete! Compatibility check complete. Congratulations, you are compatible with the world of Vesperia. Would you like to enter Vesperia now?] [Y/N]

My eyes widened in surprise as I stared at the blue holographic screen floating just a few inches in front of my face.

Going to that world was the last thing I wanted to do, but I fucked up. I royally fucked up.

What happened, you ask?

The reason I am willing to risk life and limb to travel to another world: well, this strapping young man ’accidentally’ got his childhood friend pregnant.

Not only are the two of us too young to care for a child, but we are also flat broke. I lived in a small one-bedroom apartment that hardly had enough space to accommodate me, much less anyone else. My parents still pay my rent.

I dropped out of college a few months ago to start a career as a writer, but with the world the way it is today, it was a bad idea.

No one appreciated storytelling anymore, especially since our world was failing. Temperatures would rise and fall within the drop of a hat. Natural disasters would appear out of nowhere and destroy entire cities and settlements. Meteorite showers were a daily occurrence in some parts of the world.

Even the air itself was slowly poisoning us. For a long time, it was believed that the world would end without anything we could do about it. That was until a new world was discovered.

A dimension, to be exact, one that sits parallel to ours. This world was called Vesperia, and it was often described as being similar to a game.

It was in this world where humans gained the necessary resources needed to survive our doom. With the aid of magic crystals and dungeon cores, we could create force fields to protect our cities from meteorites and other natural disasters.

We could adjust the air quality with magic and even control the temperatures. With the powers gained from this world, the human race went from powerless to basically gods. Those who went and survived were able to change their lives for the better.

Access to this world requires a special chip to be implanted into your brain. From there, it will be decided whether you are compatible to enter Vesperia. If you aren’t compatible and you try to enter, then it will result in death. My chip was surgically implanted just today.

Vesperia offers an expansive world for all its players. The world features kingdoms, empires, guilds and even dungeons. There are over a hundred different races and more to be discovered. Currently, there are over 600 active players on this world and only 6.7% of the world has been discovered.

"Hmm... Do you plan to stand there all day daydreaming?"

Prying my eyes from the screen in front of me, I was greeted with a new sight. A girl with blonde hair that looked as if someone had melted down gold and weaved it into fine strands. Like a graceful stream, her hair flowed down to her waist as her bright pink eyes stared at me with a mixture of emotions.

My childhood friend, Amelia. She was only a year younger than me, making her 19 years old. She wore a yellow sundress that highlighted her curves and boots that reached all the way up to her knees.

She carried two shopping bags in her hand as she walked over to our small kitchen. Placing the bags on the kitchen counter, she frowned and crossed her arms. But even with a frown on her face and glaring eyes, her cute facing and gorgeous figure was undeniable.

"Have you come to your senses yet?"

"Not just yet." I responded.

Her frown deepened, almost threatening.

Seeing how close she is to the kitchen knife, maybe it’s not a good idea to piss her since she has been moody lately.

"Going to Vesperia is dangerous. Many have gone and never came back."

"We need money, Amelia," I tried to explain once again. "Especially now that you’re expecting."

"Maybe we could both get a job."

I shook my head.

"It’s still not safe. The air in this part of the city is polluted. The barrier covering us is cheap, so a meteor could easily make its way through. I’ve been thinking, and I don’t want to raise a child here. It’s only if we have enough money that we can move."

"Tsk! You don’t have any idea how dangerous what you’re attempting is. Most people never make it back alive. They die in the most horrible ways with their family never knowing what really happened to them, so just stop. You, You just want to run off and leave me all alone but fine go ahead." she snapped.

So that’s what she thinks. Giving it some thought, it may seem that way. Hearing that she was pregnant and then announcing that I wanted to go to Vesperia sounded as if I was trying to escape her.

Amelia and I were just friends, and our relationship had never extended past that point. Not until last week when she showed up at my apartment. She had an argument with her parents and ran away from home. One thing led to another, and now we’re here.

She must’ve thought that my true plan was to run away from her. But that wasn’t true.

I understood the risk of going to Vesperia and saw this as the best choice for us. If I managed to gain a powerful class, or magic or even just a rare bloodline then there would be countless guilds lining up to recruit me.

Their benefit packages would allow us to move to somewhere better. And even if I didn’t get any of those from going to Vesperia, as long as I worked hard and collected enough mana cores, I could sell them and gain money.

On the other hand, if I stayed here, the chances of me landing a job that paid enough to support us was slim to none, and without money and power, I wouldn’t be able to protect them.

I had heard stories of what happens to people who entered Vesperia and never came back. I was scared out of my wits, but I knew this was something I had to do.

Approaching the trembling Amelia, who looked to be on the verge of tears, I embraced her in a hug.

Honestly, I was expecting a slap to the face but her body seemed to melt in my arms. I attributed it to the fact that she was vulnerable right now.

"I’m actually terrified of going."

"You are?"

"Of course I am. You should know more than anyone; I’m the most cowardly man you’ll ever meet."

A soft chuckle escaped her.

"I’m scared too. I don’t even know how to cook. I can’t take care of a child? We really fucked up."

I rubbed my hand through her hair to comfort her.

"We’ll figure it out," I assured her.

"Don’t go."

"I’ll come back."

"I don’t believe you. Everyone always leaves."

"I have 2 reasons to return alive."

Her hands tightened on my shirt to the point where I could feel her nails digging into my flesh.

"Then you better come back alive."

Hearing that, a small smile appeared on my face, but then Amelia quickly followed up.

"But there is one condition you must follow."

Hmm?

"What is it?"

"You must let me know every time before you login."

"Sounds fair. In that case, I’m planning to login tonight. Just for a few hours, I promise. I’ll log out after I get a feel for the place."

"If you’re not back by tomorrow morning, I’ll make sure your outside body suffers."

"Eh! What exactly do you mean by suffer?"

Amelia’s lips curved upward into a teasing smile.

"Come back on time, and you won’t have to find out."

Suddenly, I felt a small chill crawl up my spine.

I have to come back alive! Even if I have to swim through molten lava to return here!

I knew how spiteful she could be. While in Vesperia, my real body would still be here, so I knew she wasn’t bluffing.

After we agreed, Amelia decided to make dinner so I didn’t enter Vesperia hungry. She wasn’t much of a cook, and honestly, I couldn’t tell what the heck I was eating, but still, I wolfed it down anyway. I quickly went back to my room, after to lie in bed while Amelia went to take a shower.

Now that I was comfortable, I could now focus on the screen in front of me.

[Initialization complete! Compatibility check complete. Congratulations, you are compatible with the world of Vesperia. Would you like to enter Vesperia?] [Y/N]

Taking a deep breath, I clicked yes. Immediately, the world around me began to fizzle out and become pixelated, as if it was being destroyed and rebuilt. Combined with this, I could also hear what sounded like static.

The world around me soon changed completely.