The cool-looking VR set sat on the desk. It made a soft noise when Adam turned it on. He sat at his desk and put on the headset, the part that went over his eyes and ears. He also put on the gloves that came with it. Everything fit well, like it was made just for him.
His hands were shaking a little. He felt a lot of excitement and also a little scared about what was coming. He had waited for this moment for a really, really long time. All the hard work, the money he saved, leaving his home – it was all for this exact time.
This VR set was very new and fancy. It was way better than the older, big ones he used later in his past life. This one was supposed to feel like you were really there, in the game. Adam couldn't wait to see if people were right about how amazing it was.
"Let's do this," Adam said softly. His voice sounded calm, even though his heart was beating super fast. He took a deep breath to try and feel less nervous. This wasn't just any game. This was Row Online, the game that had been a very big deal in his life before. It was the game that everyone knew later.
He had spent many, many hours in the game's virtual world when he played the first version. He made friends, fought bad guys, and did things he thought were impossible. He made his game character stronger and better.
But that was in the past life. Now, he was going back into that world, but right at the beginning, at the important time. He wasn't totally sure what would happen. Would it feel the same, or totally different because this was a new version of the game?
The VR system started up. Adam's view suddenly changed to show a cool-looking computer screen in front of him. It looked like it was from the future. The pictures were very clear, the colors were bright, and things moved smoothly.
He quickly moved through the menus, looking for the game called Row Online. He stopped breathing for a second when he saw the game's picture appear on the screen. The game's name was glowing brightly.
It felt like the game was calling him, telling him to come back into its world.
"It's finally here," he whispered, a small smile starting on his face. He felt a rush of happiness. He didn't wait at all. He told the VR system to install the game. It installed really fast, much quicker than on his old computer. The game was ready in just a few minutes.
Adam watched the line that showed how much was done. His excitement got bigger with every second that passed.
When the game was finished installing, Adam chose the game and pressed a button like hitting 'Enter'. The room around him quickly faded away. Then, it was like he was picked up and moved. He was suddenly inside the virtual world.
The darkness he was in disappeared. Now, everywhere he looked, there were stars. He felt like he was floating in the empty space outside of planets.
Below him, a little far away but getting bigger, a beautiful planet showed up. It was huge and looked amazing. Big clouds were swirling around it. It looked like a real planet you might see in space.
As he got closer, he could see the giant parts of the planet – tall mountains, huge pieces of land, shiny blue oceans, and lots of islands scattered around.
It was a breathtaking sight. Adam had seen this picture when he started the old game, but it was still amazing. How big the world was, how spread out. Adam felt small but also full of wonder, like seeing something new and incredible for the first time in a long time.
Adam just stared. He felt amazed. His heart was beating fast because of how cool it was. "This is incredible," he said very quietly.
He reached out his hand slowly, like he wanted to touch the planet that was floating there. But his hand just went through the picture. It reminded him that he was in a game, in a fake world. But it felt so real that it was easy to forget it wasn't.
Suddenly, a blue shape appeared in front of him. It looked kind of see-through, like clear blue jelly. It was a game character that wasn't controlled by a person. It looked like a small human child, but its body was glowing blue, like it was made of calm fire. Its voice was soft but sounded important.
"Welcome to Row Online," the blue figure said. Its glowing blue eyes looked right at Adam.
Hearing those words made Adam remember a lot. He remembered starting this game for the first time years ago, in his old life. He remembered being excited and thinking about all the adventures he would have.
He quickly pushed away those memories. He had a goal now. He knew what he needed to do, and he wasn't going to let remembering the past stop him.
"I'd like to login with my previous account," Adam said firmly. His voice was full of determination. He knew he didn't want to start over.
He had spent years getting his character strong and good in the first version of the game. He had worked hard to get strong and find things. He was set on bringing that progress into this new version.
The blue figure nodded a little. Then, it just vanished. Poof! It was gone. Adam blinked, surprised. This wasn't how it happened the first time he started the game.
Back then, he was a new player. He didn't have any history or things he did in the game before. But now, he was coming back, trying to log in like he had played before. It seemed like the game, even this new version, knew he had played before.
"This didn't happen the first time," he thought. "But I also didn't try logging in with my old computer account. I made a new one with the VR later." Maybe that's why it was different.
Before he could think about it too much, another figure appeared in front of him. This one was much bigger than the blue one, almost as tall as Adam. Like the first one, it looked like a human, but it was made of glowing gold parts. Its eyes sparkled like melting gold and made it look very powerful, like someone in charge.
"Please give us the details of your previous account," the golden figure said. It sounded polite but firm, like a grown-up talking.
Adam stopped for a moment. He was surprised by how big and important this figure looked. He quickly got his thoughts together. He remembered his old player name and password.
He spoke clearly. "Username: AlphaBoss169." He paused. "Password: ********."
The golden figure closed its shiny eyes for a second. It looked like it was checking the information. It was quiet. Then, its eyes opened, and it smiled.
"Congratulations," it said. It sounded happy for him. "We checked the account details. You are the only player who finished all the main quests and completed our previous version of the game." The golden figure waited a second.
"As a special prize for this, we are giving you a unique Gift."
Adam's eyes got big. He was shocked. "A… unique Gift?" he said, his voice showing he didn't really believe it.
He had heard talk about special classes in the game, ones that were very rare. Players would talk about them like legends. They were usually only for the very best players. To just be given one? Adam couldn't believe how lucky he was.
Before he could ask anything, a blue window popped up in front of him. Its sides were glowing faintly.
Adam stopped looking at the golden figure and read the message in the window.
[Congratulations!
You finished the game's last version!
You are getting a special gift because of this!]
At the bottom of the window, there was a glowing picture of a gift box. It pulsed softly, like it was waiting for him. Adam reached out his hand. His hand in the glove moved over the picture for a moment. Then he clicked it.
Lots of bright colors and shapes started in front of his eyes. The gift box opened. Colorful fireworks shot out of it. They filled the space around him with bright lights.
Adam just watched, amazed. The fireworks were beautiful, making the dark space look bright and colorful.
Each one exploding was more pretty than the one before. It felt like a big party just for him, a good reward for someone who had done so much in the old game.
The golden figure made a sound like clapping its hands together. The sound echoed a little. "Very well done, Player AlphaBoss169," it said again. Its voice was kind and praising him. "You showed that you are a real master of Row Online in the first version. You were the best."
Another window appeared, right after the fireworks stopped. It replaced the fireworks window.
[Congratulations, Player AlphaBoss169!
You now have the unique class: Administrator.]
Adam just stared at the words on the screen. His mind was spinning. "Administrator?" he said quietly. He felt a lot of things at once – very excited, wanting to know everything, and proud of what he had done.
He had only heard about the Administrator class in maybe one or two rumors. People said it was a class that gave the player unbelievable power and control over the game world. It was a class no one else seemed to have.
The golden figure smiled again. Its golden eyes seemed to shine with approval. "The Administrator class is indeed a rare and powerful one," it explained to Adam.
"It gives you powers that normal players just don't have. You can use special commands and tools that can change the world around you."
The figure sounded a little more serious now. "Use these powers wisely, Player AlphaBoss169."
Adam nodded. His mind was still trying to understand it all. He knew he was a good player, but this was way more than that.
The Administrator class was a huge deal. It meant he wasn't just playing the game anymore. He could make things happen, change things.
He knew this would open up chances he had never even thought about before when he decided to come back in time. This new power could make his plan to succeed in Row Online even bigger and better than he hoped.
Adam standing there. He was in the middle of the bright, colorful virtual space. The golden figure was still in front of him. A new adventure, one that was now even more important and amazing than he first thought, was waiting for him to start.
He closed his hands into fists inside the VR gloves. The feeling of the game world felt real and made his strong feeling even stronger. He was ready to take on this new power and really change his future. He would make his life different from the one he had lived before.