What Plan?

When users first entered Simular, they were placed in their base avatar forms. These forms lacked any additions of artificial enhancements including cybernetics, bionics, and even already-performed medical procedures. Only one enhancement the user deemed necessary for their simulated travels was allowed. Other than that, it was a biological version of themselves that was entirely based on their own genetic code. An insightful look into how they could’ve turned out to be without society’s technological interventions.

These were the measures the developers took to truly establish a fresh start—a new life for users without any of the mistakes and successes they had made before. Of course, the real reason was much more contemptible. It was to gain more profit by reselling simulated products within Simular itself. If they wished to look and perform a certain way, perhaps like their real world counterparts, they’d have to buy upgrades. If they wished to look entirely different, they’d still have to buy upgrades. But the reality of this meant one thing—

Valkyrie could have her sight back.

For the time being, she’d have her two functional eyes back. One of which would retain the Razen upgrade. She wouldn’t suffer from any depth perception or blind spots while she was in the simulation. And this outcome alone opened up a few more avenues for earning the bills.

Most authorized earnings through Simular were made from the Simulon Games. This was a collection of virtual games that had regular tournaments with significant prize pools. Unfortunately, the money was given in simuls—Simular’s personal currency. To transfer the funds back out into the real world, it had to go through taxation and a negative exchange rate. But Coach had told her he had a plan…

“So what’s the plan?” Val peered across the empty space that was supposed to have been Simular. Coach had mentioned that the assets hadn’t yet been loaded in, but she didn’t really care about that. She was simply ecstatic that she had gotten back her sight in her left eye.

“What plan?” Coach mumbled.

“I thought you had one.”

“For what, lass?” He sounded a little irritated.

“For money! Obviously.”

“Oh.” He paused as if he had just realized. “Well, let’s get through the tutorial first.”

“Tutorial? Like a video game?”

A figure dressed in a simple, white dress interrupted their conversation. “Hi! Welcome to Simular! My name is Genny and I’d like to introduce you to…” She droned on, but Val and Coach immediately stopped listening.

Val glanced over at Coach. “So, do all the NPCs sound like that? I thought they were supposed to be more… What’s the word? Natural sounding? Not overly enthusiastic?”

“I’m not sure myself, lass. All I heard was the devs didn’t spend much time on ‘em because they thought it was a waste of funds.”

“Wow. With all that money, still a bunch of greedy assholes. That’s why I never wanted to pay to come here.”

She looked around. It was still all just shades of gray. Like the insides of an old charcoal painting just without any of the details. There was no end or beginning in sight. No doors or windows. If the entire simulation was going to be like this, she planned to leave immediately. Well, maybe she’d give it one more shot. She liked having both her eyes still operating.

The white-dressed figure finally stopped with her lecture. Her unheard monologues still echoed across the endless corridor. And after an awkward amount of seconds, she spoke with a grandiosity that wasn’t present in her speech before—

“Welcome to Virgin Thermopylae! The city of a trillion suns…” She opened a door from nowhere and gracefully gestured them in.

The coach went in first. This wasn’t his first rodeo. Then soon after, Val followed. And when she saw what was on the other side, she was stunned into silence.

The airspace above her was filled to the brim with a chaotic mess of visual stimuli. Neosynth bands aggressively blasted their music on giant, hovering islands; large, detailed holographic adverts presented their latest gadgets like scenes from an action film; and hyperpods zipped past her eyes faster than she could ever perceive. And while floating, animated brand deals dotted the pearlescent, diamond skies above, hordes of strangers flocked through the concrete jungle streets of Virgin Thermopylae.

This was more than an imitation of reality. It was like a blast of fantasy and sci-fi emulsified together into a vibrant concoction of futuristic beauty. This was way more than what they had advertised as “a little more spice.”

“What’re you gawkin’ at? Let’s go.”

“This is just—wow…”

“Thought you hated corporate, lass.”

“I do. It’s just… I don’t hate this.”

“Well, enough dilly-dallying.” He lightly whacked her on the leg. “C’mon. We don’t got all day.” He handed her a small, handheld device. It looked like a key fob.

“What’s this supposed to be?”

“A teleporter.”

“Teleporter? Like in one of those sci-fi movies? Am I going to just”—she motioned erratically with her hands—“poof away?”

“It’s Simular. What did you expect?”

“I actually expected it to be more realistic.”

Coach laughed. “I did too. But look at that. Flying restaurants.” He winked. “Just like real life, ain’t it?”

She wondered if this was what video games were like nowadays. She never had the chance to play them when she was younger. “So where are we going?” she asked.

“The Coach Lounge.” He held up the teleporter. “Press the button and think the words. I gave you access, so I’m sure it’ll work.”

“Coach Lounge?”

“Now don’t be making fun of the name, lass. It’s my dream home.”

“I didn’t.”

“We’ll talk more there.” He pressed the button and immediately vanished.

“Wow.” He really had just poofed out of existence. “Okay. Here goes…” She took a deep breath. Coach Lounge. She pressed the button. And before she could even blink, she was there—a minimalist shack with a nice, cozy view of a tropical beach.

Suddenly, dizziness came over her, but she managed to catch herself before she stumbled. The scenery change seemed to have had a belated effect on her stomach. She shook the unease off. She’d have to get used to this.

Coach was already waiting inside, rummaging through some worn-out, cardboard containers.

She took another look around. Other than the shack, the place seemed a little empty. “Your dream home is to live on a deserted island?” she joked. “There’s like… nothing here.”

“Told you not to judge.” He pulled out a motorcycle jacket and a pair of dark, tinted sunglasses. “Here.” He handed over a pair. “Your disguise.”

“Disguise? It’s just sunglasses. And why do I need a disguise?”

“It’s better than nothing, Val. You really wanna tell the world? That you’re the girl who just lost a massive darn fight a few days ago?”

She furrowed her brows. Those memories were still fresh in her mind.

“Relax. It’s unnecessary publicity. Just a headache to deal with.”

“Okay.” She hesitantly put on the glasses. “What now? What’s the plan?”

“Plan? To make lots of money!”

She raised an eye. “That’s it? That’s your plan?”

“Well, I found a few games that would best suit ya. There’s Roscoerama and… Blackjack International.”

“Blackjack?! You want me to play blackjack? I don’t even know the rules!”

“Ah, you’ll be fine.” He casually waved her off. “It’s really not that hard.”

“Why is blackjack even taking place in here? It’s just a card game. Can’t you play that outside?”

“Well, I think it’s probably cheaper for transportation. Ah, I don’t honestly know. Is it that important? You still have one of your Razens, don’t you? That’s all that matters.”

“Okay, sure.” She rolled her eyes. “When are they taking place then? I need time to practice.”

“Ah, right.” Coach gave an ominously wry grin. “Both are taking place on the same day. Isn’t that great, lass? No need to be waiting around.”

“Okay…” She didn’t like when he grinned like that. “And when is that?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?!”