The Dream Pod opened, and Noah stepped out after regaining consciousness. He stretched his limbs and gazed at the technological marvel before him.
"I feel refreshed. This thing is better than a bed."
Noah put on his usual clothes. A green hoodie with white stripes and similar running shoes. Paired with black tech wear pants. It was time to look for a dojo where he could learn proper swordsmanship.
Finding the right dojo was difficult. Teaching how to fight with a sword became a popular job not long after Eternal Dreams was released. A lot of old swordmasters were forced to close their dojos as a result.
However, Noah was lucky since there was an old dojo still operating a few hundred steps away from his home. It was a rundown wooden building with a traditional streak. Noah knocked on the door, and a bony old man opened it.
"What'ya want, kid? I'm not going to teach you anything. You're one of them Eternal Dream boys, aren't ya?
"Uhh."
Noah was taken aback by the sudden outburst and the way the presumed owner of this building talked to him.
"I have money if that makes you change your mind."
*Bang!*
The old man slammed the door. Leaving Noah with no other choice but to come back later. He knew that the mysterious owner wouldn't let him join, but he wanted to try before trying his tricks.
For now, he wandered back to his home, and it was time to study the dummy world record. Finding a video about the record was not hard, however, the record itself was disappointing. The video was about a tactic that only the Assassin class could use.
First, they grabbed the only stick available in the training ground and used it as a secondary weapon. Then they killed the dummy with their dagger. As the dummy started to rematerialize, they used the stick to deliver another fatal attack.
This is how they could kill a dummy in under a second. The Assassin class was the only class capable of doing this, given their higher dexterity. Noah closed his laptop with a sigh.
He had to find another way if he wanted to break the current world record. Either get enough status points to level up his dexterity or find a bug. Finding a bug inside Eternal Dreams was said to be impossible.
Even the method that the current record holder used was a proper part of the game. For now, Noah decided to start training. He did a few push-ups, sit-ups, and stretches before calling it quits.
"I think I'm going to die."
It was worth noting that Noah was only interested in games. Whatever else he did in his life was solely because it helped him get better at gaming. Working out was not entirely alien to him, as he used to train so he could get good at normal virtual reality games.
However, that was a long time ago. The current Noah was a stick, a weakling who barely ate anything healthy. He sprawled across the floor and remained there for a good ten minutes before getting back the strength to do something.
It was time to visit the dojo and try again.
*KNOCK, KNOCK*
Noah banged at the door, knowing that the old owner would come to see what caused the commotion.
"Oh, it is just ya again? I already said I'm not interested in all that nonsense. Go find someone else if you want to learn the sword to play games."
The old man was about to close the door when Noah took a step forward to stop him.
"What do ya think ya doing?"
"Wait a minute. I have an offer. Take this first before you close the door. Read it and tell me what you think. I promise that I will stop bothering you once you refuse me after reading the whole thing."
The old man stared at Noah, then took a look at the contract the boy just handed to him.
"This thing, are ya serious? I'm not going to hold back."
"I'm one hundred percent serious about this."
The contract stipulated that Noah was not allowed to quit training in the dojo even after he stopped playing Eternal Dreams. It forced him to learn swordsmanship for a minimum of ten years.
In case the contract was breached in any way, Noah was to go to prison for at least ten years, depending on the seriousness of the breach. It was a faulty contract that no sane human would take.
Noah didn't add anything related to money on purpose. He knew that the old man wanted to find someone serious about training.
"You're right. Eternal Dreams is just a game. People play it for fun, but there are others who are serious about it. It is their job, and their life. Inside the game is a second reality, where players fight with swords."
"I might not have trained in the sword if Eternal Dreams didn't exist, but now that I'm playing it seriously, swordsmanship will become part of my routine."
"Ya brat, come inside."
The old man signed the contract, and Noah was forced to become his student. It was time to learn how to wield a sword.
"Take off ya shoes before entering the dojo. I'll make you lick off the dirt."
Noah did as he was told and stepped inside the dojo barefoot. It was a simple, rather big room, with natural light and a wooden floor. There were different swords hung on the wall. Most of them are katanas.
In the middle of the dojo was a girl sweeping the wooden floor. Around the same age as Noah. She seemed to be absorbed in her world. Her long black hair fell over the spotless black and white hakama.
Noah stared at her. It was the first time he was mesmerized by a girl of his age. The girl stared back at him after noticing his gaze. There was a gentle smile on her face. The serene aura around her charmed Noah.
"I'm sorry. The floor... got dirty."