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. It was a sleek interface unlike anything he had used before.
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. The familiar logo pulsed with a soft light.
"It's finally here," he whispered a small smile starting on his face. 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. The progress bar filled with speed.
Adam watched the line that showed how much was done. His excitement got bigger with every second that passed. He could almost feel the virtual world beckoning.
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 transition was seamless almost unnerving.
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.
Millions of distant suns twinkled around him.
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. The detail was astonishing.
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. Forests were dark green patches deserts were vast swathes of orange.
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. The scale was awe-inspiring.
Adam just stared. He felt amazed. His heart was beating fast because of how cool it was.
"This is incredible," he said very quietly his voice barely audible.
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 was not. The sensory input was almost overwhelming.
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 was not 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. The voice was melodious and calm.
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. The wave of nostalgia was strong.
He quickly pushed away those memories. He had a goal now. He knew what he needed to do and he was not going to let remembering the past stop him.
This was not about reliving old glories it was about forging a new future.
"I'd like to login with my previous account," Adam said firmly. His voice was full of determination. He knew he did not want to start over. His old character was his foundation.
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. All those hours of grinding could not be wasted.
The blue figure nodded a little. Then it just vanished.
Poof! It was gone.
Adam blinked surprised. This was not how it happened the first time he started the game. The process was different.
Back then he was a new player. He did not 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. The system recognized his past efforts.
"This did not happen the first time," he thought. "But I also did not try logging in with my old computer account. I made a new one with the VR later." Maybe that was why it was different.
His previous VR experience had been a fresh start.
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. Its voice was resonant and deep.
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. They were etched into his memory.
He spoke clearly. "Username: AlphaBoss169." He paused. "Password: ********." He did not hesitate.
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 allowing the words to sink in.
"As a special prize for this we are giving you a unique Gift." The words hung in the air.
Adam's eyes got big. He was shocked. "A… unique Gift?" he said his voice showing he did not really believe it. This was completely unexpected.
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 or those with incredible luck. To just be given one? Adam could not believe how lucky he was. This was beyond anything he had hoped for.
Before he could ask anything a blue window popped up in front of him. Its sides were glowing faintly. It appeared with a soft chime.
Adam stopped looking at the golden figure and read the message in the window. His eyes scanned the text quickly.
[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. His finger pressed the virtual button.
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. Streams of red gold and blue light erupted upwards.
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 spectacle was dazzling.
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." The commendation felt good.
Another window appeared right after the fireworks stopped. It replaced the fireworks window. This one was more formal.
[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. The name itself sounded powerful.
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. It was whispered about in hushed tones on old forums.
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. Its voice confirmed the rumors.
"It gives you powers that normal players just do not have. You can use special commands and tools that can change the world around you." The implications were staggering.
The figure sounded a little more serious now. "Use these powers wisely Player AlphaBoss169." A note of caution entered its tone.
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. This was game-changing literally.
The Administrator class was a huge deal. It meant he was not just playing the game anymore. He could make things happen, change things. He could influence the very fabric of this virtual reality.
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. His ambitions soared.
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. The universe seemed to stretch out before him full of possibilities.
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 would make his life different from the one he had lived before.
The game was on.