Vol. 1 Chapter 1 - Arca Activation

After finishing work yesterday, I was busy with chores such as hanging laundry indoors while welcoming delivery workers into my home for installation.

 

I vaguely remember sitting on the sofa after closing the door and seeing off the delivery workers happily accepting the canned coffee always kept in the fridge.

 

“It’s been a while since I slept in a suit…”

 

I can at least be grateful that I didn’t sleep with my glasses on.

 

Changing out of the suit I was wearing into a comfortable shirt and pants, I then turn my attention to the capsule occupying a prominent place in the room.

 

It’s a reasonable size considering it can fit one person, but it takes up quite a bit of space, possibly due to being equivalent to a bed in size and even taller.

 

Although I’m renting a slightly spacious 1LDK room, it still feels cramped.

 

“It feels like it’s been ages since I played games… I wonder how they’re doing.”

 

Suddenly, memories of the friends I used to play games with during university come to mind, but they’re mostly memories of drinking and having fun.

 

When we first got jobs, we kept in touch for the first few months, but now we’ve grown distant.

 

Feeling a little lonely, I turn on the TV, and it happens to be a news program discussing the release of Arca, so I decide to watch it.

 

“The highly anticipated release of Arca is coming soon. Have you purchased it?”

 

“I did! With the official announcement mentioning features like game recording and streaming, I thought it might be useful for studying and practice…”

 

“Haha, you always stumble over your words when you get excited. I bought it too. My wife seems interested too, so we’re discussing playing together, adjusting our schedules.”

 

Listening to the lively conversation between a young female caster and a middle-aged male caster, I stand in the kitchen to have my meal.

 

Although I think it’s been a while since I had a proper meal, I still want to keep it simple, so I check the ingredients I bought.

 

In the chiller drawer of the fridge, there’s bacon, and on the door, there are two eggs. Finding a half-used onion, and seeing rice in the freezer, I decide to make fried rice.

 

I put the frozen rice in the microwave and press the defrost button, then put a frying pan on the stove and finely chop the onion efficiently.

 

“I should have taken a shower before doing this…”

 

As I cook, various thoughts come to mind, and my murmuring increases.

 

While stir-frying the chopped ingredients, seasoning lightly, I hear a sound from the microwave and, being careful not to burn myself, take out the rice and drop it onto the ingredients in the pan.

 

I mix the ingredients and rice with a spatula, then add beaten eggs and lightly stir-fry until cooked before serving it on a plate.

 

Placing a spoon beside it on the table, I check the clock and realize there’s about an hour left until I can connect, so I decide to eat quickly and sit down.

 

“Let’s eat…”

 

I say a grace before eating, even though I’m alone, then scoop up the fried rice with a spoon and eat silently.

 

The fried rice is just the right balance of flavors, neither too bland nor too strong.

 

As I eat, I absentmindedly pick up my smartphone and open Arca’s official website.

 

Players are required to undergo a body scan first, and based on the data read there, a character resembling themselves is created.

 

Although you can’t customize your character’s height or face, facilities are available in each town where you can change your character’s hairstyle or apply facial paint, so there’s no shortage of attention-grabbing options.

 

Furthermore, to ensure that minors play responsibly, gender changes and the like are not allowed, and you need to apply for age verification beforehand to play.

 

“Thanks for the meal… I should take a shower.”

 

After washing the dishes, I head straight to the bathroom, quickly undress, and take a shower.

 

After washing my hair and body, I put on my clothes again, then check the clock to find that it’s ten minutes before the connection starts.

 

Since the body scan also takes time, I approach the capsule, and as I touch the cover, the machine starts up with a sound, and the surface of the cover lights up along the shape, reading the structure of my hand.

 

“So this is what it means that only the user can handle the capsule… It feels like they’ve taken thorough measures against hackers.”

 

With in-game currency being treatable as cash, there are various other features to prevent data breaches.

 

While thinking that the company side claims to have everything under control, I look inside the open cover to find a structure resembling a makeshift bed. Upon checking the feel of the mattress, it’s as luxurious and elastic as those used in high-end hotels.

 

It’s definitely worth the price, or at least, it seems fine to use it as a bed… not that I would, of course.

 

As I put on the gear that seems like a combination of sunglasses and a headset, instructions for using the capsule appear before me along with the startup sound. However, it seems like all I need to do is lie down while wearing this gear.

 

“Whoa… as I thought, this feels amazing to lie down on… I could fall asleep right away…”

 

As I enter the capsule and lie down, the cover automatically closes. The transparent cover turns into blackout mode, blocking out external light, and a heavy startup sound rings out, followed by explanatory text appearing and a voice playing through the headset.

 

“Welcome!!

 

We will now begin the body scan.

 

If you feel any discomfort, please request to stop.

 

※ If you encounter any issues, please contact our main office, and we will conduct the scan using a different method and register you again. ※”

 

A strong light, similar to when a copy machine reads a sheet of paper, is emitted as one process finishes, accompanied by machine sounds. Then, different colored lights are emitted and directed at the body.

 

Thinking that it might have been better to enter naked, a message later appears advising to always wear clothing while using the capsule.

 

While listening to the sounds emitted by the machine and being cautious not to move much, the sound suddenly stops. The words “Scan Complete” appear before me, along with a countdown timer to the release date a bit below.

 

Despite feeling a strange sense of tension, it might be the first time my heart is pounding so fast, especially when nearing the final 5 seconds of the countdown, I take a slow deep breath.

 

“Arca… activate.”

 

“We have confirmed the activation command.

 

The Ark welcomes your boarding wholeheartedly.”

 

With those words, I suddenly feel my consciousness being drawn in, and for just a brief moment, I lose awareness.