Chapter 1: Candide, or Optimism, by Voltaire

September 15, 2652 – 377 Days Before Judgment Day

It was a beautiful day inside the Columbus Server with endless blue skies, lush grassy fields, and the gentle warmth of an artificial sun. Located on the Great Plains just outside of the City of New Haven, a hunting party of three were currently engaged in combat with one of the rare monsters of the region, a Giant Tiger.

“Okay, okay! Back! Back!” shouted Aaron #2274. Aaron was the party leader, a towering and well-built man wearing a full suit of plate armor. He was also wielding a large and seemingly impractical sword but it made perfect sense to the denizens inside the Columbus Server. Aaron was a B-ranked hunter trying to earn enough EXP (Experience Points), acquire enough rare drops (Trophies) and Zeni (In-game currency) to qualify for the A-rank challenger promotion.

The Giant Tiger then started its attack animation and unleashed a giant swipe, which the party easily avoided by scattering. After the attack pattern was over, everyone got back in position.

“I’m running low on HEAT ammo. I’m switching to AP rounds,” said Riley #1167. Riley was a bluenette with medium-length cerulean blue hair tied back with a hair pin. She was a C-ranked gunner and the party’s main DPS. For whatever reason, her class wasn’t allowed to wear plate armor so instead, she was rocking a white camisole, denim shorts, and lace-up boots, which seemed to provide a similar level of protection. Her main weapon was a magazine-fed anti-materiel rifle while her sidearms were a pair of revolvers which were holstered on sides of her belt.

“That’ll reset your buffs. I can ult. Do you want me to ult?” Lucius #223 asked. Lucius was bespectacled man with long, silver hair. Officially, he was a C-ranked cleric but he looked like a handsome Victorian butler. His weapon of choice was a jewel-encrusted scepter and he was the party’s support.

“For ammo? Nah, he’s still a kitty. We have time; he doesn’t stun yet. Just gimme a sec to change my loadout and recast,” said Riley.

“All right, I’ll draw its aggro,” said Aaron before he rushed in to engage the monster.

The simulation was so perfect. Every sensation one could experience on a warm summer’s day or the heat of battle was present with the exception of pain and fatigue because those settings could be toggled off. To be able to run, move, strike, and command the full strength and vitality of a youthful and healthy human body. It truly was a beautiful day.

“All right, I’m up!” Riley shouted just before she took aim and started delivering round after round of pure ballistic fury.

The battle went well and eventually, the Giant Tiger was whittled down to it’s last HP bar and final form. With a great roar, the Giant Tiger gained a whole bunch of buffs and became immune to most status effects.

“You know, I’ve never really understood why bosses change forms and get stronger as the battle goes on,” Lucius remarked. “Doesn’t really make sense if you think about. I mean, if I were in a fight for my life, I’d go full out the moment the battle started. Why wait? It’s like they don’t even want to win.”

“Yeah, that never made much sense to me either,” Riley uttered in agreement.

“I think the game designers made it that way so that there’s more variety in combat so that boss fights become more dynamic and challenging rather than some lore-based logic,” said Aaron.

“Is that what your textbook said?” Riley asked.

“...Yeah,” Aaron quietly admitted.

When Aaron was a child, he dreamed of higher pursuits. He worked hard and studied but ultimately, his aptitude wasn’t high enough and he did not qualify for higher education and therefore could obtain neither credentials nor employment in a post-labor society. Education you see, is not a magic bullet for structural unemployment. There are only so many intellectuals that the world needs whether they be scientists, researchers, or engineers before adding more is pointless due to diminishing returns. In fact, the situation gets worse when you add in worker competition and over-saturation resulting in real wage collapse. In a world where labor is unnecessary as machines have taken over all the production, average humans like Aaron have no upward mobility and are consigned to remain inside the Columbus Server because apparently, the Columbus Arcology has no need for people like him beyond securing his genetic material as a random factor for long-term population stability.

“Well, I guess that answers that,” Riley said with a nonchalant shrug. “There’s a reason why some people are game designers and I’m not. Personally, I think we should just be grateful that we get to play this game at all.”

Though the Columbus Server was capable of hosting a multitude of different games and virtual environments, the most popular and enduring by far was Butterfly’s Dream, an MMORPG with over 100 years of history, continual development, and active support. Butterfly’s Dream was so prominent that it was the default game whenever someone loaded into Deep Dive. It was also the game that these three were currently playing, along with almost 200,000 others that resided within the Columbus Arcology.

“Are you still reading textbooks? Like, Real World ones?” Lucius asked.

“Uh-huh! Suuure does!” Riley expressed playfully. “Biggest nerd I know. He was reading one yesterday. What was it again? Something-something materials engineering?”

“Supercomputing and the Limitations of Materials Engineering,” Aaron replied. Then, he swung his blade and dealt a critical blow to the Giant Tiger. “Crazy stuff.”

“But why?” Lucius asked with confusion. “Real World knowledge is useless here.”

“I know it is and I know it’s pointless. It’s just… I don’t know how to explain it. It just feels important to me,” Aaron replied.

“That’s because you’re a nerd,” said Riley before she popped her ult and started rapid-firing at the monster. “Shame you weren’t born earlier. If you were born a few centuries ago, you could’ve probably stopped The Fall from happening.”

“I’m flattered that you think that, but I’m not even smart enough to get into college – I don’t see how I could’ve changed anything. Besides, knowledge was never the problem. It was the lack of collective will to do anything and powerful institutions prioritizing profit over sustainability. Back off, he’s charging,” Aaron said as the three scattered to avoid the Giant Tiger’s attack.

“How would you have done it?” Riley asked. “If you could design bosses, I mean.”

“Hmm,” Aaron interjected. “I’d probably keep the pattern changes but lower the damage scaling and then balance that out by adding an exhaustion mechanic which makes you perform worse as the battle drags on. That way, things are still dynamic but it’s not the boss getting stronger, it’s you who’s getting weaker.”

“Ooo write that down!” Riley said supportively. “Put a message into the suggestion box. Who knows? You might even get a perk from the devs!”

“Nah. They probably have a million better ideas,” said Aaron.

“I think it’s a cool idea,” said Lucius.

“You think?” asked Aaron.

“Bro. That’s what I just said,” Riley deadpanned.

“I know, but it’s different – he’s more objective. Listen, you’re my bestie and I love you but our friendship has made you stupid,” Aaron explained.

“Uh-huh. Yeah. That feels really good,” Lucius remarked sarcastically.

Aaron turned to Lucius and said, “Obviously you’re my bestie too but you’re like, 75% meaner than her by default.”

“Unbelievable. I offer you unconditional love and support and my opinion means less to you because I don’t treat you like crap?” Riley expressed bitterly.

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of this characterization either,” Lucius offered in protest.

“Dude, shut up. At least he listens to you!” Riley retorted.

“Why are you getting mad at me?” Lucius shot back.

Riley blinked in confusion and then turned to face Aaron. “You know, he’s right! This is all your fault!”

“Okay, fine! I’m sorry! But guys – focus!” Aaron shouted as the three returned their attention to the task at hand.

After a few more rounds of Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Moe, the tiger got caught and its death heralded rewards aplenty. Huddled around the pile of residual drops, the squad squatted down as they discussed how things should be divided.

“All right, so we’ll split the money three-ways. The Giant Tiger pelt (A Trophy) and all the EXP is mine because… well, I need that and that’s why we’re here but I don’t mind the two of you splitting the rest of the crafting materials,” said Aaron. “Sound good?”

“I’m good with that,” said Lucius.

“Ditto. And you’re still treating us to ramen, right?” Riley asked.

“Yeah, of course. I promised,” said Aaron.

“Cool,” said Riley before she sprung to her feet. “There’s a new place that just opened and its super expensive.”

Aaron frowned disapprovingly and asked, “You know I’m trying to save money, right?”

“I know, but that’s your problem, not mine,” Riley said nonchalantly before turning around and leading the way.