The inside of the pod generated a world around me, looking very detailed but clearly artificial. I appeared in our great city, inside the Ascendant Games headquarters, and I made my way downstairs and outside.

  Unlike in reality, a stone podium stood in the courtyard of the office high-rise. Everything was far lusher, greener, and more saturated than in real life, just enough to make it more appealing.

  I shifted my body back and forth and flexed the incredibly strong muscles in my legs—because I don’t skip leg day—and walked toward the podium. The haptic suit and the program responded, displaying my avatar from multiple angles.

  Unlike the sea of nobodies who’d logged in for the launch ceremony, my avatar looked exactly like me, down to my physique and my tailored suit. After all, you can’t improve upon perfection—my single scar notwithstanding. Removing that was the only change I made.

  I already held the Keystone in my hand; Brandon had programmed it that way so I wouldn’t have to waste time finding it. It glinted light blue, a color somewhere between a sapphire and a diamond, but definitely something that didn’t exist as a real gemstone outside this world—at least, not yet.

  “Brando, make a note: create special edition model Keystones to sell as physical merch, possibly from Plastrex,” I said aloud, knowing none of the audience could hear me yet. My words wouldn’t register until I spoke into the microphone on the podium. “These losers will eat it up. We’ll make another $10-12 million just on those.”

  Brandon didn’t respond, but I knew he’d gotten the message. He was Brandon, after all.

  Then, with the full and potent Erik Shaw charm I’d cultivated over the last two-and-a-half decades, I stopped at the podium and spoke into the digital microphone.

  “The wait is over, friends. You’ve bought the prepasses, you’ve waited patiently, and you’ve crafted your avatar using our character creator’s literally endless options… and now, thanks to Ascendant Games, the AllVerse is here.

  “With over one thousand of your favorite IPs combined into a single complete game, the AllVerse is UGE—the Ultimate Gaming Experience. The names may have changed, the details may have been rearranged, but I assure you, all games are better in the AllVerse.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  I held up the Keystone, and it shone like a brilliant blue torch, even despite the artificial sunlight radiating overhead.

  “As soon as I insert the Keystone into this podium, the AllVerse goes live, initiating the Launch Day Tournament. There will be loot drops, rewards, achievements, and challenges only available to Launch Day participants. Our dedicated AI, Lucretia, will constantly update the game with bug fixes, patches, and even more new IPs over time.”

  I beamed at the ocean of avatars gathered before me. Each of them represented a stupid amount of money, and that didn’t include what they’d inevitably spend on in-game purchases and upgrades in the coming days, months, and years.

  This was as close to a license to print money as anyone could ever get. How could I not smile?

  As I prepared to conclude my address, I noticed a number in the corner of my interface. It had been ticking steadily upward the whole time I’d been in the game, but I’d mostly ignored it. But when I saw it shift from 1.299 to 1.3 billion, I felt a new rush of excitement.

  Over 1.3 billion users had logged into the AllVerse. Even more than Brandon had told me. Incredible.

  Now I could definitely afford that sixth vacation home. Maybe Aruba…

  “This is the end-all of gaming,” I continued, letting the thrill of unparalleled success filter into my voice. “This is the end-all of entertainment. Let the epitaph of this generation read, ‘Entertained to Death.’”

  I inserted the Keystone into its slot in the podium, which latched onto it with four mandible-like talons. It recessed into the podium, and its light blue glow transferred to the podium itself. Then a flash of that same blue light spread outward, rippling throughout the entirety of the AllVerse and disappearing beyond the digital horizon.

  From now on, Lucretia would govern the whole network independently. And not a moment too soon—the sooner this was done, the sooner I could return to my real life and get out of this high-tech sarcophagus.

  Then the entire reality digitized, like playing an old DVD someone had used as a dinner plate. It had been clearly artificial before, but our artists and designers had worked hard to make sure it didn’t look too fake. Now the world had reverted to a low-res display.

  Is that normal? Maybe Brando just needs to tweak some of the settings, or—

  ZAP.

  A shock ran through my body, like the familiar jolt from when I’d first donned the suit, only much harsher and still intensifying. “Ah! What was that?”

  My head buzzed, my body seized, and the digital reality pixelated even further. Before I could open my mouth again, electricity ratcheted up and down my spine, and I blacked out.

  Rickshaw Riot chapters will be posted every weekday. If you don't want to wait, follow us on Patreon:

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  break--Royal Road. They call us the Critical Hitters.

  Dungeon Crawler Carl Audio Immersion Tunnel for Soundbooth Theater, and he's the lead writer for the Dungeon Crawler Carl Role Playing Game.