Reality overload Chapter 2: START

Read chapter 2 of Reality overload by Namizou on NovelPedia.

As we walked into what was now the game room, we saw the pods for the first time—and holy hell, they were massive. They dominated the room, leaving just enough space to squeeze between them. "Whoa, that's some futuristic-looking gaming equipment." My jaw practically hit the floor. Two sleek black pods sat in the center, their tops open like fighter jet cockpits. Inside was a chair... well, not really a chair—more like a sci‑fi recliner sculpted for maximum cool factor. The material was soft, cool to the touch, and clearly designed for comfort. As my hand brushed the fabric, soft yellow lights flickered on, and the pod responded with a series of clicks and whirrs like it was waking up just for me. "WOW... this is fancy. I didn't expect it to be this nice," I said, grinning like a kid on Christmas. "Pretty cool, huh, sis?" I asked. "Uhh... yeah, they look really well made," she said, still staring. BING "Ah, hang on, I got a text from Lucas." I checked my phone. "Looks like we're late to the party. Lucas, Riley, and Nate already logged on." A voice message followed. "Hey bro, we're on, waiting in the starter area. Hurry the hell up—we wanna party up when you get in. But if I know you, you'll nitpick your avatar for an hour... Anyway, we're here waiting." The message cut off. Me and, Lucas have been friends since grade school. Always getting into fights together. That's how we met Nate,and his sister Riley, by beating up some bullies that were messing with them. I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. So we stepped in, the four of us inseparable since then. Our brotherhood+ my sister and Riley, as strong today as it was then. I fired back: (Hey, just 'cause I take pride in my appearance unlike a certain asshat doesn't mean anything. Delivery issues. We're late. Sit tight—I'll be in soon.) I hurried over to Charlie. "Ok, check it out, Char. All you gotta do is lay down in the recliner and relax. Handles here and here." Her eyes followed every gesture like she was prepping for a space mission. "And this is the hatch release. Emergency exit button. Boom—top pops open." "Also, when the lid's closed, it's temperature controlled. No sweaty wake‑up grossness." "What do you think? Easy, right? Close the lid, go to sleep, play the game." "Yeah, kid, get outta here," she said, pushing my face away. "Alright." I clapped my hands. "Lucas said they'd wait in the starter village. I'll meet you there~~~." I hopped into my pod and slammed the lid shut in one dramatic motion, leaving Charlie alone. ʅ（ ◞ ‿ ◟ ）ʃ I settled into the recliner as the pod hummed to life. [Registering new user. Please wait one moment.] The mechanical voice boomed through the silence, making me jump. [Registration complete. Would you like to play Divine Law Online?] Ehhh... yes? Instantly, a wave of dizziness hit me—floaty, weightless. I didn't even remember closing my eyes. Suddenly, I was standing in a white void. I turned around—and the entire space GLITCHED. HUH!?!? A flash of a burning modern city—gone in an instant. "What the hell was that!!" Then— "Welcome to Divine Law Online!" "AHHHHHHHH!!!!" ｡ﾟ(ﾟ'Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ I spun around. An angel—an actual angel—stood behind me. Why is everything jump‑scaring me today!? "I am Nel. I will be your guide for character creation..." A system interface popped up. NAME KRIS PINEES AGE: 18 HEIGHT: 169 cm WEIGHT: 59.9 kg GENDER: F YES NO I slammed YES. "Wait, Lucas said I'd take forever? I'll show him. Default looks. Elf warrior mage. Done." Accept accept accept. The angel nodded approvingly. "Everything is in order, Miss Kris. Please enjoy your new life in DOL!" "Miss?!" Dread crawled up my spine—then everything flashed white. When I opened my eyes, I was under a huge tree. Birds chirped, leaves rustled, sunlight filtered through the branches like some fantasy postcard. The whole world felt alive—warm breeze, distant chatter, clop‑clop of a carriage, kids laughing. I stood up, taking it all in—then froze. Something heavy tug