《Midgard (Lit-RPG Progression)》 Midgard Launches January 1st, 2072, the 6th model of Nexus¡¯s full body VR technology ¨C VIgard ¨C launches. And unlike the five models before, finally, full human sensation could be achieved in the virtual world. Simultaneously, one could take control of a VR body and perfectly control it with their minds. In other words, it was a gamer¡¯s wet dream. No gaming console had ever reached such a level of success before, and within six months the console reached 1 billion sales. And that was before the price cut. Within a year, 35% of humanity owned a VIgard, and the company¡¯s board became like royalty. There were only 2 problems with the VIgard. It was nearly impossible to program games for it. That hasn¡¯t changed even to this day. While it hasn¡¯t stopped some of the most determined gamers from trying to mod or create new worlds, none of them can even come close to matching the released games. The first of which was Typiskgard, a recreation of our planet in VR to the best of the abilities technology could provide. While it was astounding, and popular, it was nothing compared to what was released next. January 1st, 2073, 1 full year after the release of the system and its companion game Typiskgard, Romgard released. Romgard, a space exploration game ¨C which while unfortunately limited to only 1 solar system ¨C still astounded those who wished to travel through space. The advanced science on display and the freedom of exploring several planets, terraforming them, space stations and space pirates, cemented Nexus as the company of the future. And now there¡¯s Midgard, the most mysterious of the games, which has yet to even be launched. The 2nd problem was that every player would only receive three lives in both games currently out. And worse yet, the facial recognition software of the VIgard would prevent you from logging in on somebody else''s account or purchasing a new system and using it yourself. PKing became a crime punishable in the real-world, and the economies of Romgard and Typiskgard were so strong that their currencies were considered more reliable than the American dollar. Even in spite of these shortcomings, VIgard stands unmatched at the pinnacle of technology. The launch of Midgard will be the biggest, most important day of many gamers'' lives, including my own. - - - - - - - - I mindlessly scroll through news on my laptop, ignoring my advanced programming professor. Every article is about Midgard. The developers have been exceptionally stingy with information, which is to be expected. Nexus is leagues ahead of any other tech company in every regard, including security, there hasn¡¯t been a single leak. The only information available has been Or, that¡¯s what everybody else thinks. I smirk, glancing at the countdown on the top right of my screen. Only 45 more minutes until Midgard will be surprise released. But seriously, their security is top notch. Even with the tens of thousands of dollars I spent on equipment, my friend who works there, and a team of us working together, the only thing we could get out of it was when the game was going to be released. Why would they surprise release it? I close my eyes, getting lost in thought. Even outside of their security being top notch, they haven¡¯t even shared much information about the game. In the two interviews Ki Atama had, he only dropped two pieces of information. That this was the last game he would make for the system, and that he didn¡¯t think anybody would be able to beat the game. That¡¯s so cryptic, why would that be the information he gives out? And why make a game if you don¡¯t think anybody will be able to beat it? And why would he surprise release a game like that? If we assume he¡¯s- ¡°Betsuki!¡± My eyes flash open, and I snap back to reality. ¡°Help me¡­Please!¡± Sukine clasps her hands together while begging me. I snort, and push off my desk to roll closer to her station. She¡¯s tried running a basic code on python, one of the most archaic coding platforms. It¡¯s considered mandatory to have mastered it, most students grasp it around intermediate coding and then start tackling the advanced concepts of coding. But Sukine is an interesting case. ¡°After one battle in my game, every stat gets maxed out? How! And where in the code did that even happen? Why doesn¡¯t it tell me where!¡± She complains, slamming her head quietly against the desk. I glance over her code game. She¡¯s been working on it all semester, and she needs it to graduate with us this year. She¡¯s an expert with Nexus¡¯s software, she even has an internship lined up there¡­assuming she can graduate. But her foundations? ¡°You didn¡¯t properly separate your combat system from your leveling system,¡± I explain while adding a few additional lines, ¡°Your leveling system defines the maximum as 999 for each stat. Since your combat system states that upon leveling up each attribute is increased not by a fixed amount, but to improve itself by a random integer between 1-5, it randomly picks one of the numbers and applies it instantly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s supposed to happen though, why does it add hundreds?!¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Because Python sucks,¡± I respond with a sympathetic smirk, finishing my edits to her code. ¡°Since it applies it instantly, the code reruns, and that new value which has already been improved by leveling up is improved again instantly, dozens if not hundreds of times, until it maxes out.¡± ¡°Why do we have to learn Python, anyways?¡± Sukine pouts, leaning backwards in her chair in defeat. She¡¯s gradually falling closer and closer to the floor, and only her eyes barely remain above desk-height. ¡°Sukine!¡± The professor catches us not paying attention, and calls her out. Fortunately, he doesn¡¯t notice me, so I push myself and my chair back over to my computer. 30 more minutes until Midgard releases. That still feels like an eternity. I sigh, and lazily watch Sukine, who¡¯s now been called up to the front of the class and has been asked to solve a coding problem on the board. It¡¯s pretty complicated, dealing with how Nexus¡¯s system interacts with the central nervous system of the human body and rewires inputs from the brain to the game. But, this is Nexus¡¯s system, not Python. Before I can pull out my phone, she¡¯s solved it. ¡°Betsu-Betsu~!¡± I look around with a blush on my face, making sure nobody can see the embarrassing text my sister sent me. I¡¯m safe, so I open it up, ¡°Betsu-Betsu~! Are you still coming home over the weekend? Tama misses you a ton! And¡­Mom and Dad don¡¯t let me get away with slacking off at all since college applications are due soon, so I¡¯d looove if you can come back and distract them lol¡± I look back at the timer. I had mentioned the possibility of coming back over the weekend¡­But with Midgard coming out, I want to spend as much time as possible during the formation of the leaderboard online. It¡¯s a little curt, but, ¡°It¡¯s a sink or swim world little sis. Do your best!¡± Immediately, she responds, ¡°YOU SUCK, YOU KNOW THAT?!?! YOU FUCKING FUCK, I HOPE YOU FIND A WAY TO CODE YOURSELF SOME BITCHES, YOU-¡± she continues to give me a string of very compelling compliments. ¡°Love you too?¡± ¡°Clearly, you don¡¯t, but whatever I guess, love you back or something *^*¡± I¡¯m distracted from my sister by movement around me. Class is dismissed. My heart leaps, I jump from my seat. There was nothing else for me to do today other than get home and log in to my VIgard. I hastily shove my laptop and notebooks back into my backpack and rush for the doors. Sukine beats me out the door by a matter of milliseconds, and the two of us book it back to our suite. Our roommates should have everything set up for us, so the only things we had left to do were to log in and game out. ¡°You finished the python project?¡± I ask her, making sure she¡¯ll have no distractions so she can fully focus on Midgard with us. ¡°More like you did, but yes, there aren¡¯t any huge bugs and it should get me up to a C.¡± ¡°Up to?¡± ¡°More importantly, Haruno and Haruhi have the VIgards set up?¡± I nod, our dating suitemates might be insufferable sometimes, but they were reliable. And sent me photographic evidence earlier. ¡°I¡¯ve still gotta know, how did you find out about this?¡± ¡°...Me and Haruno unlocked it, I told you,¡± I lie to her, but it¡¯s better than telling her we used her internship with Nexus to hack into their system. ¡°But if they really did send that information out to the top 100 players of Romgard, there¡¯s no way somebody wouldn¡¯t have leaked it, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I have no choice but to distract her. She¡¯s too sharp for her own good, but we don¡¯t have time to properly convince her. Midgard launches in five minutes, and we still need to climb four flights of stairs to our suite. We exchange a confident nod and head to the stairs. We reach the top, breathing heavily and drenched with sweat. The elevator picked the worst week to undergo maintenance. ¡°Sukine¡­Stand up, we¡¯re so close. We only have¡­two minutes left.¡± ¡°You idiot,¡± she begins, reaching down to me and pulling my arm to no avail, ¡°You¡¯re the one¡­who needs to stand up¡­!¡± ¡°Sukine!! Betsuki! Hurry up!¡± Haruno opens our suite door and shouts at us. He rushes over, and helps Sukine carry me inside. We don¡¯t even exchange greetings with him or Haruhi. We shove ourselves into our VIgard pods. They¡¯re not required, but recommended. We apply the rubber suction cups to our temples, lay down, and pull down the helmets. I remember the first time I entered VR, because every single time the same tingling excitement courses through my stomach. I exclaim, ¡°VIgard, ON!!¡± = = = = = = [Welcome back, Betsuki.] The system greets me, the white text being the only thing I can see in the sensory deprivation chamber known as the main menu of the VIgard. [What world do you want to explore?] Its voice is impossible to narrow down to a gender, but I can swear it sounds more like a little boy than an adult male. With a thought, the system brings me to the game select menu. > Typiskgard > Romgard > Back I stare at it unblinkingly. Pretty easy to do since you don¡¯t have eyelids in the main menu. Only 42 seconds pass, which I know because of the stupid timer in the top right that¡¯s counting down to Midgard¡¯s release, but every second feels like a century. But finally, it appears. > Midgard My Avatar [Congratulations! As the first player to join world Midgard, you have unlocked a bonus gift!] [Bonus gift will be added to inventory.] [Congratulations! As the first player to join world Midgard, you have unlocked a bonus title!] [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ will be added.] [Congratulations! As the first player to join world Midgard, you have unlocked a bonus skill!] [Skill ¡®LOCKED¡¯ will be added.] Immediately, Midgard treats me well. The system¡¯s notifications are almost too good to believe. I was the very first player to join Midgard. It paid off to hack into Nexus, even if it was only for the countdown clock. I¡¯m starting this race with a head start! ¡°System, where am I?¡± I call out to the void. Though, since I don¡¯t have a body I guess I don¡¯t have vocal chords either, so it¡¯s more appropriate to say I thought it loudly. [You¡¯re in the avatar creation screen for Midgard. To begin, please select a username for other players to recognize in the game.] An empty text box shows up in front of me, or in front of my perception of the world. I stare at it blankly. Everybody always made fun of me for using ¡®Betsu-Betsu¡¯ as my username, and even my sister who never played VR knew about it now. So, I might as well rebrand. I fill the box in with a name, and the system echoes it back to me. [Your chosen username is: Kazesoku. Is this correct?] > Yes > No I select yes. Immediately a spotlight falls on me. I¡¯ve been given a body, with pure white skin and a smooth plastic texture. A placeholder model. I glance around, and see six creatures around me also with spotlights on them. Each one has a label and basic description above it when I focus on it. I go through them in order. [Human {Recommended}: Humans are the species with the highest population in Midgard. They face no discrimination on any floor or level. They have equal aptitude for all forms of combat and all skills. They are the most balanced race to start with, and can support any style of play.] [Elf: Elves are the species with the second highest population in Midgard. They face discrimination on floors or levels run by Dark-Elves. They have aptitude for long range weaponry and stealth. They do not have aptitude for heavy weaponry or defence.] [Dark-Elf: Dark-Elves are the species most prone to war in Midgard. They face discrimination in any floor or level save for those run by Vampires or Dark-Elves. They have an aptitude for magic. They do not have an aptitude for physical combat.] [Vampire {Not Recommended}: Vampires are the least populated species in Midgard. They face discrimination in all floors and levels save for those run by Vampires. They have an aptitude for stealth and enchantments. They do not have an aptitude for magic or sunlight. WARNING: This species suffers massive debuffs when in open sunlight, debuffs when partially exposed, and slight debuffs when slightly exposed.] [Dwarf: Dwarves are the greatest blacksmiths in Midgard. They face discrimination on floors and levels run by Elves. They have an aptitude for heavy weaponry and defense. They do not have an aptitude for long ranged weaponry or stealth.] [Beast-Kin: Beast-Kin are the strongest of the races in Midgard, but they cannot use magic as a consequence. They face discrimination on all floors and levels. They have an aptitude for heavy weaponry and close quarters combat. They do not have an aptitude for magic or enchantments]If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Oh? It¡¯s a fantasy game? It sounds like it might be an RPG! And it has recommendations for the players too? I wonder if that¡¯s tailored to the system¡¯s knowledge of each person¡¯s style of play, or if it¡¯s universal. Either way, I confidently make my selection. I always love a challenge. [Error.] [Because of your title, you must select Race: Human.] Oh, how annoying. I got locked into a human because of a title I earned before the game even started? It better be worth it. With a sigh, I turn back to the basic human model and select it. I¡¯m expecting to be given a character creation screen, as there was in Romgard. Instead, the system informs me: [Administrator has locked character creation and modification screen. Your randomly created character model is being applied now.] The first thing that loads is my head, and now with an actual pair of eyeballs I can watch my body form. A shimmering blue code extends down from my neck, and leaves my body in its wake. I look at my body, which is loaded with a preset outfit. I¡¯m wearing a navy blue leather tunic, with a cream colored undershirt. There¡¯s a black belt which has a brown scabbard holding a short sword and a pouch, through which the Nexus system intuitively gives me the understanding that¡¯s how I access my inventory. I have cream colored pants and heavy hiking boots. ¡°System, go into 3rd person perspective.¡± [Error. Action has been locked by the administrator. Would you like a mirror to observe your face?] Locked again? What¡¯s Ki Atama playing at? Did he put the game out before the servers and system was ready for it? But he¡¯s brilliant, he single handedly pushed VR technology decades if not centuries forward, there¡¯s no way he would have miscalculated this badly¡­Unless he¡¯s trying to enhance immersion in this game. By disallowing 3rd person perspective, he could be forcing the players to treat the world more genuinely and feel more connected with their avatar. Fine, I hold my hand out and acquiesce to the system, a mirror forming in front of me. Let¡¯s hope I didn¡¯t get saddled with anything awful. ¡°Eh?!¡± I¡¯m way more attractive. My jawline is angular, my skin is still smooth and light, my cheekbones are pronounced but my face isn¡¯t square. Although my eyes are a boring brown, my hair is an eye-catching bright turquoise blue. Everything about my face, my nose, my eyebrows, my lips, they¡¯re all strikingly handsome. I could already see this face plastered all over social media, people wondering who I was. A smile tugs on my lips, and I find out while watching my reflection that even when I smile I still look great. ¡°...Sweet.¡± [Character model generation complete. Allocate stats.] [Player Profile: {Kazesoku} Title: Gilgamesh Lv. 1 - 0/100 EXP HP: 100/100 ST: 100/100 MP: 100/100 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 1 Intelligence: 1 Presence: 1 Skills: LOCKED, You have 5 Stat Points to distribute.] 5 Stat Points? Just enough to get each core stat to level 2 if I wanted. And as the most balanced species, there might not be a whole heck of a lot of purpose in trying to min-max¡­But at the end of the day, I¡¯m a gamer. Everything into Dexterity. [Error. During Character Creation, the maximum level core stats can be raised to is 3. Dexterity has been raised to Lv. 3.] ¡­The system isn¡¯t letting me get away with anything, is it? Fine. I guess I¡¯ll have to think a little more. Being a purely physical fighter, investing into strength and constitution, might not be a good idea this early one. Especially since the beast-kin race was geared towards physical stats anyways. But I can¡¯t afford to let my hit points be low enough that I¡¯ll be taken out in one shot. I have to put 1 point into constitution. And I¡¯m stuck with the human race anyways, so I might as well learn magic. Plus¡­It¡¯s magic! I¡¯m a nerd, of course I want to be able to cast spells! I put the rest of my points into intelligence. My dexterity and intelligence are both at 3, my constitution is at 2, but presence and strength are both still at 1. [Character creation complete. Loading into the world.] That¡¯s it? What about my class? I guess I¡¯ll unlock it during the course of the game. A progress bar appears in front of me, the loading bar to put me into the game. But since I have some time, I reach into my pouch and access my inventory. My username is at the top, followed by my finances. Underneath is a 6 by 5 grid, with 3 of the 30 slots filled. [{Kazesoku} Inventory: 1G 5S 5BC 10C > Bonus Gift > Beginner Short Sword > Health Potions (x5)] My bonus gift is still wrapped? I select the item. [Congratulations! Your bonus gift is: Urdr¡¯s Tear. Item description: A crystalized tear of the ancient god Urdr. This tear will activate once upon the owner¡¯s wish after the owner has died, and allow them to take one more action before their death.] First Blood [Congratulations! Your bonus gift is: Urdr¡¯s Tear. Item description: A crystalized tear of the ancient god Urdr. This tear will activate once upon the owner¡¯s wish after the owner has died, and allow them to take one more action before their death.] I grin to myself, thinking about what a jackpot of a gift this is. We only get three lives in these games, getting the chance to take another action after death? That¡¯s mutually assured destruction if anybody tries to come after me. This is brilliant! [Load successful! Welcome to Midgard!] The realm of darkness around me dissolves into blue code. A blinding light obstructs my vision, teleporting me into the server. = = = = = = I¡¯m in a massive colosseum. A blue sky stretches above me, pristine sandstone forms the walls that enclose the arena of sand I stand in. Dozens of other players are here, various races and builds, but we have enough room that we¡¯re each given dozens of meters of space to ourselves. I can tell they¡¯re other players because of the usernames over each of their heads. I snicker, my eyes narrowing in and observing one player whose username is ¡®Ballsdeep69¡¯. Gamers never change. In the brief time it¡¯s taken me to get a grasp on my environment, the dozens of players in the colosseum have grown to hundreds, each new player loading in with a sparkle of blue code. Sukine, Haruhi, and Haruno should all be loading in fairly soon too, I should let them know where to meet me. I open my menu with a thought, and glance through it. It¡¯s different from Romgard¡¯s menu¡­I¡¯m going to explore it. The 1st tab is ¡®Player Profile¡¯. When it¡¯s selected, it shows me my stats, skills, titles, current condition, level, and stat points. Same as in character creation. Though, I don¡¯t have any stat points¡­Could I have saved them for now? No, I had to spend them to complete character creation. The 2nd tab is ¡®Inventory¡¯. Why would they have an inventory tab and allow you to access your inventory through the pouch on my belt? They¡¯re identical to each other. I select a gold coin from my inventory tab, and it materializes in front of me falling to the floor. I pick it back up and get a good look at it. It¡¯s a plain gold coin, with the face of some person I don¡¯t know on it and text across the top that reads ¡°Hope¡±. I reach into my pouch with my other hand, and access a silver coin. This time, it shows up in my hand as I pull my hand from the pouch. A small difference, but when using your pouch an item shows up in your hands as opposed to being summoned forth. Maybe I can also use this to act like an NPC? My username would give me away though. Thankfully the next tab, ¡®options¡¯, might help me there. In it I see lots of options, with almost all of them turned on. It looks like I can toggle on system notification, customize the inventory color, and achieve lots of small cosmetic changes about the game from here. Bingo. I toggle off the ¡®display username¡¯ option. The 4th tab is ¡®friends list¡¯. I open it and find it empty. Damn. I¡¯m getting called out by a video game. Sukine and the others should be in here though, so I guess the friends list resets between this game and the other two. I¡¯ll still be able to meet with them, we accounted for that possibility and have a code phrase we¡¯ll tell each other to identify ourselves. ¡°If the blue bird sings ¨C that means the episode of Naruto is over.¡± I remember Haruno laughing uproariously when Sukine came up with that. The 5th tab is ¡®logout¡¯, which I have no intention to do, so I close the menu and check the surroundings again. The hundreds of people have grown to thousands. It¡¯s getting crowded¡­Right as I think about leaving, an announcement echoes around the colosseum, ¡°Please wait for the game to launch. Midgard will begin once 100,000 players load in,¡± as it speaks, a giant tab opens up above us that reads ¡®12,398/100,000¡¯, and the number is rapidly rising. ¡°You may log out if you want, but your place in cue will be lost.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Guess I have to wait another couple minutes for the map to open. The colosseum has gotten pretty packed¡­Wait, people have started spawning into the stands now too? To fit 100,000 of us, I guess that makes sense. I feel a presence directly behind me, and my dexterity stat takes over. I immediately tilt my body to the left, a blade passing through where my ribs were just moments ago. Even with my reaction speed, it grazes me, leaving a streak of neon red overtop of my clothes where the attack hit. I turn with my momentum and stare at the attacker. [-5 HP] [145/150 HP] Thanks, system, for obstructing my view. A female elf, username ¡®Kiraki¡¯. She¡¯s smiling maliciously, ¡°Wow, you dodged that? Quick, aren¡¯t you?¡± I wordlessly draw my own blade, taking the opportunity while she talks to turn off system notifications for when I take damage. I can see my health bar when in combat anyways, but I can¡¯t feel any pain in this game. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I coldly ask her. We only get three lives in these games, and given how different this one was so far, even that wasn¡¯t a given. ¡°What? Don¡¯t be so sensitive! I¡¯m getting used to the combat system,¡± she grunts and slashes at me again. Our blades collide, sending sparks between us, ¡°Besides, this is a colosseum! Aren¡¯t they made for conflict?¡± She remarks while pressing her attack, pushing me back. She must have put her last point into strength. ¡°It¡¯s a crime to PK,¡± I remind her, warding off her attacks as best I can. She¡¯s getting out of breath. My point in constitution gave me higher stamina, she can¡¯t win a war of attrition. ¡°Not. In. Midgard! Yet!¡± She exclaims, breathing heavily already. She¡¯s putting her full force into each blow, trying her best to get past my guard. But Midgard is a perfect game for me. I did kendo for 12 years. She¡¯s hopelessly outclassed. I have the time to afford a glance around. The colosseum is filled to the brim by this point, but even still everybody¡¯s made a circle for the two of us. Doesn¡¯t look like anybody plans on helping either. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± I relent, turning my attention back to her fully. She heaves a sloppy blow downwards, the accuracy and speed of her earlier attacks gone completely. I angle my blade while stepping forward, deflecting her strike and closing any distance between us. ¡°It¡¯s not a crime yet,¡± I whisper, slicing her neck and sheathing my sword at the same moment. [Player {Kiraki} defeated! +500 EXP!] [Level up!] [Skill ¡®Swordsmanship¡¯ unlocked!] [Level up!] [Skill ¡®Evasive (Passive)¡¯ unlocked!] [Title: ¡®Cain¡¯ unlocked!] She dissolves into blue code, which drifts upwards. I follow it with my eyes, and see that the count reached over 100,000. Midgard has started, and I just committed the first PK. But she was right. It wasn¡¯t a crime yet, and she¡¯ll just respawn¡­With a grudge against me. Maybe I should thank her. I leveled up twice, I¡¯m starting the game with another advantage! ¡°Wow! Nice moves!¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°We should friend each other, what¡¯s your username?¡± People all start talking at once, no longer afraid to approach me since the fight is over. None of them seem to hold it against me that I PK¡¯d her. I guess they all saw her attacking me, and knew I did it in self-defence. But just as suddenly as they had started talking, their voices fall silent. A silence spreads across the entire colosseum actually, and I receive the notification: [Player voices have been silenced by {Administrator Ki} during announcement] Kis Announcement Ki? As in Ki Atama, the creator of VIgard and the CEO of Nexus? The greatest programmer and technician the world has ever seen? I can barely contain my excitement at the prospect of hearing from him. An avatar slowly begins forming above the colosseum. The sky turns a dark shade of orange, and a giant man wearing a flowing golden robe loads in front of the sky. His face is covered by a hood, but there¡¯s no mistaking he¡¯s the god of this world. No, not just the god of this world, the gods of Romgard, Typiskgard, and this world. My personal hero, Ki Atama. But the atmosphere is¡­off. I know he muted us, but the silence is still erie, and his avatar that watches us is far from reassuring. The hood covering his face is unnerving, and the sky changing color feels unnecessary. Why would he do such a thing? [Congratulations on joining Midgard.] He speaks through the system. Why? His avatar is right here, isn¡¯t it? Unless¡­of course, he¡¯s trying to hide his avatar''s voice. He wants to play with us, and doesn¡¯t want us to recognize him. [I would like to first tell you all something that may come off as rather shocking. Midgard, despite it being the newest launched game for my system, will only have you players currently online until it is beaten. You 100,000 have an amazing opportunity in front of you. Not only are you the only ones with access to this game, but you are also the only ones who can beat it. And I highly encourage you to beat the game. There are 2 reasons I encourage this. Firstly, and you will all be excited to hear this, the player who beats this game will take over as CEO of Nexus.] He pauses, giving us time to process what he means by that. I need time. I could become the CEO of Nexus? Just by beating this game? I¡­I have to be the one who wins. Ki Atama was the reason I got into programming at all, and now I have the opportunity to take his job from him by beating his greatest game? No wonder he said he doubted anybody would be able to beat it, he must have made it borderline impossible¡­But he didn¡¯t account for me! I¡¯m going to win but¡­Something still isn¡¯t adding up. [I would next like to inform you of the second reason I encourage you to beat the game. None of you will be able to logout until the game is beaten. As of now, there is no way for you to logout of the game, nor is there a way for anybody from the outside world to interfere.] My stomach drops. Immediately I check the logout feature of the game, which was there just minutes ago when I went through the menu. It¡¯s still there! He¡¯s lying, he¡¯s making some sick joke. But, I might as well log out just to check. I¡­I can¡¯t log out. My heart starts racing. There¡¯s no way. The log out button dissolved as soon as I selected it. It¡¯s gone. I can¡¯t¡­I seriously can¡¯t log out? I¡¯m stuck in this game? This game he told us in interviews was nearly impossible to beat, that we didn¡¯t have any information on? What about my family? My sister? My friends. My friends are in here with me. It just became that much more important we find each other. [I¡¯m aware that might not be enough motivation, so I have added one more feature. As with all other games, you will all have two respawns before you die and permanently pass away in game. To increase your immersion in the game, and to treat it as your new world, after your third and permanent death in game, you will die in real life. Attempts to turn off the game, or remove the VIgard from the user, will result in permanent death.] ¡­This can¡¯t be real. This goes against every law around VR technology. One of the most fundamental safeties required by Nexus was that their games couldn¡¯t actually affect you in real life! This can¡¯t affect my real body, it can¡¯t! But¡­It could be the same principle as why we can¡¯t log out. The VIgard system channels the electrical signals from the brain to the system through the temple¡¯s connector. Forcibly disconnecting from VR from an external source would cause permanent brain damage, if you managed to survive in the first place. If when we die in the game, he¡¯s programmed it so that our VIgard permanently disconnects us from our body, he could be telling the truth. No¡­He is. He¡¯s telling the truth. I¡¯m trapped in Midgard. This is my world now. [I would like to take one second before the game starts, and thank Kazesoku]Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡­What. What?! ME!?! I see my avatar¡¯s face plastered on the sky, along with my username. Why is he thanking me?! [He¡¯s my very first hero, the one who¡¯s been with me since the beginning. Gilgamesh. And he is also the first murderer, the first player to kill another player. But don¡¯t worry Kazesoku, I¡¯ll clear your rewards and punishment system before letting you all out.] I can feel the eyes of those around me narrow in. They know it¡¯s me. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of eyes stare at me with vitriolic hatred. He¡¯s making it sound like I knew this was going to happen, like I approve of it and that¡¯s why I killed Kiraki. The other players are registering that. They can¡¯t take out their frustration on Ki, he¡¯s godly in this world. So¡­They¡¯re directing it towards me. [There are 100 floors in Midgard. The 1st floor, that you are all currently on, is a tutorial floor. And of course, once you¡¯ve cleared the 100th floor, you earn the right to beat the game. After that, the rest is for you to discover! Enjoy my world, level up, and win your freedom. Win my position. Now¡­Let the game begin!] Ki¡¯s character model shatters into shards of rainbow, dissolving againt the orange sky. Soon after, the sky returns to its normal blue hue, and as if to mock our horrible situation the sky is beautiful. We, the 100,000 players now trapped in Midgard, are left alone in the colosseum with one notification. [The world is now open. Good luck!] ¡°Kazesoku!¡± A man screams out, drawing his sword and pointing it at me. His blade shakes, his face is contorted in rage, ¡°You¡­What¡¯s going on! Why did you do this to us?!¡± Me? He¡¯s blaming me for this? What an idiot. I¡¯m just as unaware as- [{Administrator Ki} is forcibly teleporting you] ¡°Haha¡­¡± I can¡¯t help but laugh at how hopeless this situation just became. Really? I¡¯m being teleported now? When everybody mistrusts me anyways? ¡°Hahaha!¡± It¡¯s funny. It really is. What could I do to explain this to them, that I¡¯m not involved in this? ¡°You¡­Why!?¡± A girl calls out to me, her voice giving out. I can hear distant screaming, the 100,000 people in the colosseum are going to panic. ¡°Calm down! Everybody just calm down!¡± Another girl shouts, jumping to my defence. I regard her. She stands between me and a growing crowd of angry players. Her caramel hair is straight, and falls like silk to her shoulders. I can barely see her face, just her side-profile as she stands like a bodyguard for me. But she doesn¡¯t seem to have a good handle on the game, her username is still visible over her head. {Seika_}But as I look out to the crowd, and they begin jeering and shouting at me, I know she¡¯s outnumbered. I smile. My teleport is going to load in just a few more seconds. I can¡¯t save my reputation. Almost every player in the game is going to want to kill me. And being killed in this game means¡­They¡¯re going to try and kill me. They want me to die. I reach out and place a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder, I can¡¯t let her defend me. They¡¯ll only target her when I¡¯m gone. ¡°Everyone!!!¡± I shout, finding my voice shockingly powerful. [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ has been used to increase presence when addressing other players.] [Congratulations! Bonus point has been added to ¡®Presence¡¯ Stat!] Convenient. I need to use the next seconds wisely. ¡°First,¡± I shove the girl away, ¡°Who the hell even are you?!¡± I exclaim. She looks back up at me with wide shocked eyes. I can¡¯t focus on her, or else I might lose my nerve. ¡°Secondly! I will fight-¡± [Teleportation completed] = = = = = = ¡°-For you!! I will beat¡­¡± The world around me has changed dramatically. I¡¯m in a field with knee height green grass. On the horizon to the left of me, a large city stands. I¡¯m willing to bet that¡¯s where the colosseum was. There are small dirt paths through the field I¡¯m in, but I don¡¯t stand in any of them. To the right on the horizon is a forest, both ahead and behind me there¡¯s nothing but plains as far as the eye can see. ¡°I¡¯m screwed,¡± I finish meekly, falling onto my butt in shock. I¡¯m trapped in this game, I¡¯m trapped in VR, every player in the game is going to want to kill me, and Ki Atama is the one to blame. Why did he teleport me right then? At the worst possible time? What could I do? What should I do? I need to find my friends. We need to form a guild. Together, we can clear this game. That¡¯s the answer. I hear a growl. I rise to my feet, and turn to face it. An enemy wolf has spawned, and snarls while pacing towards me. I draw my sword. It¡¯s not the wolf¡¯s fault, but it came across me at a bad time. I clench my grip on the blade, and walk towards the wolf. Its growl turns into a roar, and it charges forward. I dash forwards myself, my blade suddenly glowing golden as my swordsmanship skill activates. I stab forward as I meet the wolf, it opens its mouth to bite me. We meet for only a second, and I skid to a stop, turning around and facing the wolf. It doesn¡¯t even hit the ground, it just shatters into rainbow shards, dissolving into nothingness. [¡®Gray Wolf¡¯ defeated! +8 Exp!] ¡°A lone wolf¡­¡± I mumble, looking at where it used to be. I shake my head, dissuading any thoughts of working alone. That¡¯s a terrible idea in games like this, especially if we want to clear floors. Presumably there will be dungeons. Those are impossible alone. But¡­I can¡¯t meet up with my friends right now, can I? They¡¯re probably playing it smart, in public. I can¡¯t be seen in public. I¡¯ll need to wait for the world to get bigger, for there to be more floors. So¡­I look to the woods ahead of me. I can¡¯t stand still, so instead I¡¯ll move forward. The Key [Debuff Applied ¨C ¡®Exhaustion¡¯] It¡¯s been one week since Midgard launched. Long enough that everybody who was hoping that Ki was lying has been forced to accept reality. We really are going to have to beat this game if we ever want to leave, and now everybody knows it. I¡¯ve had to sleep in the forests, trying to make beds out of leaves and grass as best as I can. But sleeping on the ground where enemies spawn is too perilous, so I¡¯ve taken to sleeping in the trees. Even in the morning, the forest is so dense that the leaves stop light from filtering through. Or maybe it¡¯s the biome¡¯s effect. VR is advanced. Shockingly so. But as more time passes I grow to miss the real world more and more. The small differences in realities are always there, and always make me feel like I¡¯m in some sort of nightmare. There¡¯s this lack of depth to feeling in this world. My body doesn¡¯t feel like a body, it¡¯s an avatar. I can¡¯t give 110%, my muscles are just data. I can¡¯t feel food in my stomach, I can¡¯t dream, my HP bar and username are always in the top right of my screen. It¡¯s so close to being a game, the seeds of the best game I¡¯ve ever played are there. But it¡¯s far overshadowed by the desire for it to be over. One thing is for certain. My hair is a dead giveaway. Players are being cautious, or at least they were for the first couple days. Hunting troupes come, probably on quests from the NPCs in the city, and make their way through the forest, but they always come back to the city. Everytime the players see me though, swords are drawn. I¡¯ve yet to see anybody equip anything other than a sword or a bow, though I guess we¡¯re still on the 1st floor. Specialization might happen later on. I¡¯ve been working on a solution to my hair though, and although it¡¯s a little dumb, it might work. There¡¯s a small red fruit hidden in the forest, each one around the size of a blueberry. If I can gather enough of them, I can dye my hair and nobody should recognize me! I open my stat window, my new morning routine. [Player Profile: {Kazesoku} {Debuff - Exhaustion} Titles: Gilgamesh, Cain Lv. 7 - 1225/4200 EXP HP: 440/550 ST: 560/700 MP: 240/300 Strength: 2 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 5 Intelligence: 3 Presence: 2 Skills: LOCKED, Swordsmanship (E), Evasiveness (Passive), Tracking (F)] I discovered that active skills, like ¡®Swordsmanship¡¯ and ¡®Tracking¡¯ were graded, and by using them more you could level them up in tandem with your own level up. But ¡®Evasiveness¡¯ just seems to passively boost how hard it is for enemies to hit me. This debuff is really annoying, it prevents me from ever getting to my maximum health or stamina. I got it the first night I slept. Presumably if I made a better bed for myself I would be able to get rid of it, or if I slept in an inn. But thanks to my performance in the colosseum¡­That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve done reconnaissance, but I haven¡¯t been able to find the boss of the floor or any way to go up. The tallest structures are in the city, but none of them reach through to the sky or anything. There¡¯s no way to know where the boss is. Whatever. Today¡¯s the day I finish gathering enough fruit to dye my hair. I hop down from my tree, and jog through the forest. The forest is filled with enemies, higher level than the plains. Here the average level is 3-5. Rarely, a ¡®strong enemy¡¯ will spawn which is double the level of the average monster. But monsters scale differently to players, so even a level 10 monster has become something I can handle on my own quite easily. They also don¡¯t offer much experience, which has probably been shooting me in the foot. I can only imagine the quest rewards people have in the city. I can¡¯t afford to fall behind, I need to find those fruits! I activate tracking. ¡°Ahhh!¡± A girl screams. I skid to a stop, and look around. She¡¯s not far away, I can tell from her voice, ¡°Help me!! Somebody, anybody!¡± She cries. I tsk, and check my inventory. I only have 17 of the fruit. Will it be enough to hide my hair color? A loud roar shakes the nearby trees, and makes my mind up for me. I reach into my pouch and grab the berries, slamming them against my head and rubbing them into my hair while I dash towards the noises. I see her. She¡¯s young, probably not even out of high school yet. Her pink hair is set into twintails, but in spite of her size she¡¯s holding a massive greatsword. Or¡­I can only assume she uses it. It¡¯s embedded into a tree at the moment, opposite her, and an ogre stands between her and her weapon. The ogre is at least twice my height, has bumpy skin the color of snot, two teeth poking up out of its mouth, and wields a gargantuan wooden club the size of itself. It wears two pieces of clothing, a brown loincloth around its waist, and a necklack with a small key. The club is raised in the air, and is brought down on the girl with incredible force. The hunk of wood slams into the ground with a crash, the trees shaking and sending leaves falling from the ceiling. I made it in time, even as my breathing is haggard and my stamina bar is over half drained due to the strain I put on dashing, I hold the girl safe in my arms. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I ask offhandedly, looking instead at the ogre. It¡¯s level¡­15?! How did it spawn here?! It¡¯s over double my level! ¡°Y-Yes¡­Thanks to you,¡± she whispers, her voice and body trembling. I set her down, and analyze her. She¡¯s cute, with a button nose and sparse freckles across her face. And her green eyes are staring at me so passionately. I did just save her, she must be feeling a lot of gratitude. The ogre roars, preventing me from taking the time to relish my first positive social interaction in a week. ¡°Can you still wield your sword?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± She responds with a determined fire in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Momo,¡± she shares her player profile with me. [Player Profile: {Momoira} Title: N/A Lv. 4 - 176/2300 EXP HP: 74/200 ST: 20/150 MP: 100/100 Strength: 8 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 2 Intelligence: 1 Presence: 1 Skills: Swordsmanship (F), Heavy Blow] Holy glass cannon!! 8 strength? But she¡¯s only one hit from dying, especially to a monster like this. I grab her hand and retreat with her, as the ogre¡¯s club whizzes through the air where we once stood. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®Heavy Blow¡¯?¡± ¡°Ah! It¡¯s a skill great sword users unlock once you put 5 points into strength. It lets me convert as much stamina as I want into strength and unleash a massive strike!¡± ¡°What happens if you miss?¡± She points at her greatsword, which is buried to its hilt in a tree. ¡°I see.¡± I¡¯m trying to formulate a battle plan to deal with this monster. It might be smarter to just run away, and to cut our losses. It¡¯s slow, its movements are by no means quick, but the force of its club would take Momo out in one hit. Even with my HP, given the poor beginner armor I¡¯m still wearing and the degraded state of it, I don¡¯t know that I¡¯d survive a few hits. The ogre bellows, lifting the club with both hands. The club begins to glow with an ominous red aura. It¡¯s too far away to hit us though, what could it be trying to do? The ogre swings the club downward, and without moving I dash in front of Momo, using my body to shield her. The club crashes into the ground, shattering the earth and sending a plume of dust upwards. The entire forest trembles, and I hear hundreds of birds squawk while flying away. Momo and I are blown off our feet, and I get a notification from the system. [{Guardian Ogre} has used ¡®earth arena¡¯ magic! You are trapped in combat!] The dust settles. We¡¯re in a crater, the sun now filtering through thanks to dozens of fallen trees. There¡¯s a wall of earth and logs around the crater, and only the ogre and us are in here. ¡°...Have you lost a life before?¡± I ask Momo, drawing my sword. ¡°Yeah, at the colosseum massacre. Ah! But I still have one left!¡± ¡°...The colosseum massacre?¡± ¡°Look out!!¡± She cries, directing my attention back to the ogre. I swing my blade, clashing with the ogre¡¯s club. I stand no chance of overpowering it¡¯s swing, but by throwing all of my weight behind my defense I can barely redirect the club over my head. ¡°Momo! Get your greatsword! I¡¯ll distract the ogre, recover as much stamina as you can and use all of it to pierce through this thing¡¯s hide!¡± ¡°What?! And leave you alone with it?! Let¡¯s just run!¡± The ogre swings at me again, but this time I can jump back and avoid it. ¡°You saw the notification! It used magic, we¡¯re locked in combat with it. Besides, this is basic MMO strategy, you chose to put everything into offensive stats! You¡¯re our DPS! I¡¯ll be our tank.¡± She opens her mouth to argue with me. But instead of her voice, the ogre¡¯s bellow drowns her out. She shuts up and nods, rushing away from me to try and find her blade in the debris of the crater. I dive forward. I need to distract this thing as much as possible, if it gets one swing that even grazes Momo she¡¯s a goner, and she¡¯s our best bet at beating this thing. I¡¯m engaging in very reckless tactics, slashing at it between its swings, and dodging its lumbering attacks by a hair¡¯s breadth. What I can¡¯t avoid, I redirect. My breathing grows more and more haggard, but my arms and legs still move just as efficiently. This isn¡¯t real life. It¡¯s a game. As long as I have stamina left I can keep this up. And I have¡­135/700?! I¡¯m running out quickly. ¡°Momo!! How¡¯s your stamina?¡± ¡°I¡¯m back up to 80! Ah! And I¡¯ve got my sword!¡± The ogre swings directly down on me, its club diving towards my head. I raise my blade, and deflect the club to my right. But I miscalculated both its and my strength. It crashes through my blade, shattering the metal, and slams into my left arm. [Warning! Health has dropped below 10%!] It¡¯s a good thing this world doesn¡¯t calculate pain, or else I might have passed out on the spot. Even as it is, my body refuses to move. That blow drained me of nearly all my stamina, apparently I¡¯m in a stunned state. ¡°PUT EVERYTHING INTO IT MOMO!!!¡± I beg of the girl, watching as the ogre raises its club once more. Its shoulders shake a few times¡­it¡¯s laughing at me! ¡°Everything? But, if I do that, I won¡¯t-¡± ¡°EVERYTHING!!!¡± I shout at her, the ogre¡¯s club reaching the zenith of its arc. He¡¯s going to swing it down. I can¡¯t move out of the way either, I¡¯m still stunned. Come on¡­! ¡°NOW MOMO!!¡± [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ has been used to increase presence when addressing other players.] [Allies have received temporary buff!] ¡°HYA!!!¡± Momo leaps into the air, jumping clear over me. Her blade is clad in a blue aura, and she brings it down at the same time that the ogre swings its club. The two weapons clash for only a second, but for that second I think to myself that Momo might lose the clash. Neither weapon moves back. Then, I hear the ripping sound of wood being torn apart. Momo¡¯s sword slices downwards, and she moves further, slicing all the way through the club and slashing the ogre¡¯s body in half along the way. A glowing streak of red appears down the center of the ogre, and I see its HP gauge falling rapidly. Momo did exactly what she was supposed to. My stunned state is deactivated as well. Momo falls through the air, looking like a ragdoll. I leap and catch her again, checking her player profile again. She¡¯s at 0 stamina, and she¡¯s been knocked unconscious from the exertion. ¡°...Well done, Momo,¡± I compliment the sleeping girl, looking back to the ogre¡­whose HP is no longer falling. And it¡¯s not at 0. ¡°RAAAR,¡± its roar is filled with fury. There¡¯s still a line of red in the middle of it, although it¡¯s gradually closing. ¡°Sorry Momo,¡± I apologize as I drop her, trading her for the greatsword. I don¡¯t love this blade, I¡¯m not a fan of how it sits in my palms, and I don¡¯t have a high enough strength stat to properly wield it. But I can wield it, and I just need to deal the finishing blow. ¡°I¡¯m going to steal your kill!¡± I exclaim, thrusting her blade forward, stabbing the ogre through its stomach. [Title ¡®Cain¡¯ has been used to increase damage when killing a named enemy.] [Critical strike! Double damage will be applied!] The blade pierces through the ogre¡¯s flesh and sinks to the hilt. The ogre falls to its knees, and then shatters into blue code. [You have defeated {Guardian Ogre}! +2500 EXP] [¡®Tower Key¡¯ has been added to inventory!] [{Guardian Ogre} has been slain! Dungeon to the 2nd floor is now opening¡­] Trestar, the First City [{Guardian Ogre} has been slain! Dungeon to the 2nd floor is now opening¡­] The ground shakes. I get a bad feel, and I start backing up from the center of the crater. I look for Momo, and to my relief she¡¯s regained consciousness. In fact, checking her player profile which is still shared with me, she¡¯s leveled up. As a result of that, all of her stats have been recovered. She locks eyes with me, ¡°Did we win?¡± ¡°We won. But let¡¯s get out of the crater¡­I have a funny feeling-¡± I¡¯m cut off by a crashing noise. A massive tower sprouts from the ground of the crater, shooting upwards higher and higher all the way to the sky. Momo and I were inches away from its walls, and in shocked fear Momo instinctively jumped behind me. The tower continues to rise, until I¡¯m convinced it¡¯s pierced through the sky. And sure enough I get a notification when I observe the tower. [Dungeon ¡®Rapunzel¡¯s Tower¡¯ Maximum party size: 20 Required for entry: 1 party member must have ¡®Tower Key¡¯ item] ¡°...That. I had a funny feeling that was going to happen,¡± I mumble to Momo, who must have gotten the same notification as me when looking at the tower. ¡°Rapunzel¡¯s Tower¡­? And the Tower Key item. Where do you think we might be able to find that?¡± I hold my hand out and access the key through my inventory, summoning it in front of me. ¡°Oh! Nice! Did you get it from the ogre? Ah! Also! You haven¡¯t told me your name yet, who are you? Thank you so much for saving me, I would¡¯ve been down to my last life if not for you. Do you want to go back to Trestar together?¡± She just rambles, doesn¡¯t she? That¡¯s convenient, it gave me some more time to think about a new name. I can¡¯t share my profile with her, so I just say, ¡°Aoi. My name is Aoi. And yes, I¡¯d love to go back with you. I¡¯ve been¡­hunting in the woods pretty much since the announcement. I was at the very edge of the stands, so I ran as soon as the barrier was lifted, what¡¯s the colosseum massacre?¡± ¡°Oh! So, have you been keeping yourself in the loop on any of the guilds or anything then either?¡± I shake my head as the two of us climb over the logs around the edge of the crater, ¡°Ok! Then I¡¯ll just go through everything! Let me know if you already know some of this and I can skip past it!¡± = = = = = = = Momo and I approach the edge of the city, the massive beige walls getting closer and closer. My make-shift hair dye would only get me so far, and I had used half of my berries for it. But more pressing was processing everything Momo told me. Going in order made it easier to rationalize, even if Momo told it out of chronological order. After I was teleported out, some of the players thought that my words were encouragement for them to fight among themselves. One player killed another, and screamed about how much EXP he got, so suddenly it became a bloodbath. It¡¯s come to be called the colosseum massacre, and around 10,000 players ended up losing one of their lives before getting out. The city itself is a safe zone, which is why that number isn¡¯t higher. Outside of the colosseum and the red-light district, players can¡¯t harm each other in the city. The players who did murder others were marked with a red username, which is why in order to join a guild and when introducing yourself, it¡¯s become fairly standard practice to share your player profile¡­Which is really inconvenient for me. Fortunately, killing a player also leaves a mark on your wrist, which I lack. It must be because of Ki clearing my rewards and punishments tab before teleporting me from the colosseum. That¡¯s how Momo knew I wasn¡¯t a ¡®bad guy¡¯. How differently would she think if she knew I was the one who started the colosseum massacre? After that, the players began forming guilds. Different players teamed up for different means. The murders from the colosseum massacre teamed up and created the ¡®Thanatos¡¯ guild, stationed in the red-light district. There have been 4 other major guilds which have cropped up, but 1 stands among them all: ¡®The North Star¡¯ guild. It¡¯s reached the maximum number of players that can be in a guild, 20,000, and is the primary source of hope and has the goal of clearing the game. The other 3 guilds focus on one primary objective each. ¡®Treasure Trove¡¯ focuses on items. ¡®Private Eye¡¯ focuses on information about the game and other players. ¡®Aegean Shield¡¯ focuses on protecting players who got trapped in this game and are in reality too young to be trusted on their own. Apparently, there are hundreds of players under 13, and certain players over 13 who are just not mature enough to be on their own. There¡¯s a daily meeting between these 4 guilds to discuss what they¡¯ve learned and share information each day. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. That¡¯s where me and Momo are heading. She¡¯s a member of ¡®Aegean Shield¡¯, since she¡¯s only 17 herself. I guess I¡¯m only 19, so I¡¯m not too far off from that guild¡¯s demographic either¡­ ¡°Do you think they¡¯re going to reward us for finding the tower to the 2nd floor?¡± ¡°...Maybe,¡± I mumble back to her, still lost in thought. ¡°So¡­Aoi, what level are you? Since you don¡¯t want to share your profile,¡± she comments, pouting and puffing her cheeks in annoyance that I haven¡¯t shared it. ¡°Level 7.¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s pretty high level! What class are you? Ah! Wait! Have you done the class quest yet?¡± I shake my head, and Momo gasps, ¡°Woah! You got to level 7 without even picking a class? That¡¯s bonkers! We should do that since we have some time to kill!¡± She grabs my hand and drags me through the city gate. A massive archway of beige stone, with a giant oaken sign that reads ¡®Trestar¡¯ labeling this city. ¡°It¡¯s a really easy quest! It¡¯s literally just meeting with an NPC and telling them what class you want! Ah! Also! You should join our guild, you might be pretty strong but you¡¯re such an airhead! We¡¯d help show you the ropes of the game!¡± She¡¯s calling me an airhead? I¡¯m slightly insulted. I could probably help program a game like this in just a few years, and she needs to show me the ropes of the game? ¡°...I¡¯m not an airhead,¡± ¡°Ah! We should stop by the exchange vendor first! I have some monster drops from hunting, and I bet you do too! Oh! Also, we should-¡± Momo¡¯s just too energetic for me, and I find myself passively going with the flow. Trading my loot didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea though, most of the drops in my inventory were pretty useless. = = = = = = 4 hours later, and I¡¯m finally taking the class test. I kneel on a pillow in a wooden room, a fireplace in the middle of it. An old woman sits across from me, sipping on some tea. She¡¯s an NPC, the first one I¡¯ve seen. The NPCs of Typiskgard were pretty flat, and the NPCs of Romgard weren¡¯t much better. I wonder how the NPCs in Midgard are¡­ [{Fortune-Teller} offers you a quest! Quest ¡®Class Assignment¡¯! Do you accept?] I select the checkmark on the screen that pops up in front of me. The old lady looks at me with a grim face, ¡°Young hero, you have such a hard journey ahead of you. I do not envy you. But I will offer you what protection I can. Answer my questions true and honest¡­¡± she throws something into the flames, and smoke erupts forth. I can see nothing but the smoke, and the old lady narrates over it, ¡°Are you a warrior who seeks to fight with their strength? Their wit? Or their magic?¡± As she speaks the smoke shifts and transforms into different shapes. A sword, a bow, and a book. Interesting. But since I need to be a solo player because of my reputation in game¡­I need to stay balanced. I can¡¯t afford to sacrifice anything. ¡°I¡¯m a warrior who seeks to fight with all 3.¡± The shapes crash into each other, a new billow of smoke rising from the fire. ¡°How interesting¡­¡± the old lady murmurs, ¡°How do you intend to defeat your foes? With one critical strike, or death by a thousand paper cuts?¡± Again the smoke shifts, forming into a sword or a shield. I¡¯m tempted to select both again, but¡­ ¡°A critical strike.¡± The sword of smoke glows, and the shield poofs away. The fire flickers and sends forth a new plume of smoke. The questions go on in such a manner, asking me about my intentions with my power, what I plan to hunt, what my preferred weapon is, and various other questions. It reminds me of that ancient MMO Wizard101, and the questions it would ask you before assigning you a school of magic. Eventually the test comes to a close though, and the smoke fades. The fire has turned to nothing but a few embers, and the old lady reaches into them. She¡¯s unharmed by the heat, and pulls out a small pellet, handing it to me. ¡°You are¡­A Bounty Hunter.¡± [Class ¡®Bounty Hunter¡¯ assigned] [Quest ¡®Class Assignment¡¯ complete! +500 EXP!] [Level up!] [Skill ¡®Weapons Improvisor¡¯ (Passive) unlocked!] As soon as the last notification pops up, the old woman disappears completely. I rise, and inspect my new traits while heading out of the building to meet back up with Momo. [Class ¡®Bounty Hunter¡¯ - You are a fierce warrior! No matter what you put in your hands, you are able to use it to bring down even the greatest monster or most terrifying player! Equally adept with all forms of fighting, this class is able to specialize every 10 levels! Note: Skill Tree unlocked until Level 10.] [Skill ¡®Weapons Improvisor¡¯ (Passive) - You will be able to use all weapons with some level of proficiency, even if never seen before. You will also be able to use non-weapons as though they were weapons with efficiency.] Interesting. I¡¯ll still be able to specialize as I level up, meaning even though my class is a jack-of-all-trades, I should be able to spec it so that I can fight how I want at high levels. ¡°Aoi!¡± Momo calls out to me, waving her hand frantically. I look up, and see her standing next to two others from her guild. Or, from their white and red uniforms, I assume they¡¯re from her guild. ¡°The meeting¡¯s happening in 5 minutes!¡± First Friend Me, Momo, and 4 other share a cramped table in a tavern. ¡°Momo has an announcement for us, she said she found something most interesting while battling monsters in the forest,¡± a large man speaks. Given his white and red color palate, I assume he¡¯s the guild leader of Aegean Shield. A strong build, fierce and noble eyes, a square face, short brown hair brushed back, golden eyes¡­He looks like a tank. ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± another guild leader speaks up, licking her lips while staring at me. One of her black cat ears flickers, and her tail slowly stretches out from behind her, ¡°I thought I had a tab on most of the noteworthy players by now, but I haven¡¯t seen you before. Who are you?¡± She asks, leaning forward slightly. Her crimson eyes analyze me, and I¡¯m worried she can see right through me. I should have gotten a better disguise than just different colored hair before meeting them! ¡°More importantly, what loot did you get from the forest? Half of the parties we¡¯ve sent to the forest encountered Kazesoku and ran away with their tails between their legs,¡± another speaker. His ears are elongated, his hair platinum blonde and silky, and even though the game started a week ago he actually looks like he has some decent items. I can identify them as the leaders of Aegean Shield, Private Eye, and Treasure Trove respectively. That means he¡¯s¡­ ¡°Everybody. Calm down. It¡¯s rude to expect them to give us information without giving in return,¡± the leader of The North Star speaks. He¡¯s seemingly human. His hair is blood red and messily cut, but his icy blue eyes peer out through his bangs intimidatingly. He¡¯s not as big as the leader of Aegean Shield, but he¡¯s far more imposing. ¡°I¡¯m Yuto. This is Christopher,¡± he gestures to the leader of Aegean Shield, ¡°This is Bai-ko,¡± he gestures to the leader of Private Eye, ¡°And this is Gondolin. We¡¯re the leaders of the major guilds in Midgard, with the obvious exclusion of Thanatos. Would you mind introducing yourselves?¡± He¡¯s strong. As soon as he started speaking, the other guild leaders shut their mouths and watched him. I don¡¯t blame them, he¡¯s intimidating. The sheathed tachi he has in front of him on the table looks impressive, but more terrifying is that he seems like he knows how to actually use it. ¡°...I-¡± ¡°I¡¯m Momo!¡± Momo squeals, introducing herself with the brightest and most oblivious smile I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°I¡¯m 17, single, and a level 5 greatsword class! And this is Aoi! He saved me from an ogre in the woods! He¡¯s been hunting there by himself pretty much since the game started! He¡¯s so cool, he¡¯s not afraid of Kazesoku at all! In fact, he¡¯s been gone so long that he didn¡¯t even know-¡± ¡°I can introduce myself, Momo,¡± I cut her off, trying to keep my tone and expression steady. ¡°You¡¯ve been in the woods since the game started?¡± Bai-ko whispers, a dangerous smirk appearing on her face. She leans forward, her eyes glimmering with a predatory light, ¡°How interesting¡­No wonder I hadn¡¯t heard of you. But, you somehow look familiar. Why don¡¯t you share your player profile with me?¡± My throat tightens. She knows, she¡¯s on to me. Momo immediately gave away far too much information, and I¡¯ve been outed. Should I run right now? Abandon the meeting? Maybe I could meet up with the Thanatos guild somehow, and see if they¡¯d protect me¡­This is a safe space after all. They can¡¯t kill me here, even if they do know. But dammit Momo!! You had to throw me under the bus like that with your big mouth?! ¡°No,¡± Yuto speaks on my behalf, shaking his head, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that Bai-ko. You¡¯re not allowed to know the intricacies of every person¡¯s stats just so you can sell that information to the highest bidder. He can introduce himself, as he said. And I¡¯d like to meet him.¡± He nods to me, and I feel a weight lift from my shoulders. If I wasn¡¯t going to be the one who beats this game¡­I have a feeling he would. ¡°I¡¯m Aoi. Level 8. My stats and my class are my own. I wanted to level up as quickly as possible, and I spawned on the edge of the colosseum, so I ran for the forest as soon as the barrier was lifted.¡± ¡°Level 8?¡± Christopher asks incredulously, ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°He defeated a boss monster with Momo¡¯s help at level 8. Don¡¯t look down on him, Christopher. Levels aren¡¯t everything,¡± Yuto reprimands him gently, turning back to me and analyzing what he sees. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Momo and I found a dungeon after beating the monster,¡± I get us back on topic, hoping to distract them from any suspicion on me by talking about the game, ¡°¡®Rapunzel¡¯s Tower¡¯. Maximum group that can enter is only 20, and 1 player has to have the item ¡®Tower¡¯s key¡¯. Which, I have. It dropped from the ogre when I defeated it.¡± ¡°What?! I thought I beat the ogre with my attack!¡± I sigh, ¡°No, Momo, you passed out. The ogre was wounded but not dead, so I had to deliver the finishing blow.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­And this dungeon, was there anything else notable about it?¡± Bai-ko asks. ¡°We think it will lead us to the 2nd floor.¡± The guild leader''s attention is so sharp I feel like I¡¯m being diced by razor blades, but I continue, ¡°It¡¯s a large tower, so tall that it seems to pierce the sky. After beating the ogre the system told me the dungeon to the 2nd floor is opening. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence.¡± The guild leaders silently nod, processing the information. After some deliberation, Yuto speaks, ¡°The maximum entry is 20?¡± I nod to affirm his words, ¡°In that case there¡¯s no point staying here. We¡¯ll choose an elite force and raid it immediately. Any longer of everybody being trapped in this one city and the PKers guild will seem more and more appealing.¡± ¡°How are we going to decide who to select?¡± Christopher asks. It¡¯s a dumb question, we all look at Bai-ko, who gives a foxy grin in response. ¡°I suppose we can afford to arm a group of 20. We have some supplies¡­¡± Gondolin begins speaking. The group speaks amongst themselves, me and Momo becoming nothing more than decorative pieces. Or at least, so I thought. ¡°Aoi, give us the key,¡± Gondolin demands, holding out a gloved hand. I remain quiet, assuming incorrectly that one of the other guild leaders must be smart enough to tell him he¡¯s being a prick. But instead, they stay silent, leaving me to realize they do expect me to give them the key. ¡°No,¡± I give a flat refusal, ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯m going to be in the task force.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re level 8!¡± Christopher exclaims in outrage. ¡°I earned the key. I¡¯m going to raid the dungeon with you all.¡± Christopher opens his mouth, but Yuto speaks over him, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Aoi can join the raid party. We¡¯ll figure out the rest of the members ourselves. You two can leave now, sorry for keeping you for so long. Thank you for all you¡¯ve done! Come back to this building tomorrow, 08:00, and we¡¯ll raid.¡± The other guild members hold their tongues at Yuto¡¯s words, and Momo squeals while rising, ¡°Yes!! Understood! Thank you! Thank you all!¡± She bows repeatedly during her words, backing out of the room. She doesn¡¯t even realize I¡¯m not accompanying her. ¡°Can we help you?¡± Gondolin asks, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± I gesture to Bai-ko with my head, ¡°But she can.¡± ¡°Oh~?¡± She smiles sharply. = = = = = = ¡°You¡¯re looking for three players?¡± Bai-ko parrots back to me. The two of us found our way to a small room alone in the building. Dimly lit, but even in spite of the darkness her red eyes seem to glow. ¡°Sukine, Haruhi, and Haruno?¡± ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s only their real names. I¡¯m¡­not sure what their names are in the game.¡± Bai-ko sighs, leaning backwards against the wall apathetically, ¡°You¡¯re not the first person to request something like that. Our guild¡¯s overwhelmed with requests like that, and they¡¯re not easy to accomplish¡­¡± She trails off, the implication clear. She wants me to offer compensation. But I don¡¯t have anything I can trade for! ¡°I opened the dungeon to the 2nd floor. I earned the key. This is a small price to pay for that, no?¡± Bai-ko snickers to herself, ¡°Oh, how very noble of you, after that stunt you pulled at the start of the game.¡± My heart drops at her words. Does she¡­know? She can¡¯t, right? How could she know? ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Baiko opens her menu, and clicks a few buttons. A tab opens in front of my vision: [Username: {Bai-ko Ne~ko} wants to be friends. Accept? O Deny? X] ¡°That¡¯s my price,¡± she informs me, stepping close to me. Our eyes are inches apart, hers glistening like rubies as they seem to pierce through my own. ¡°Accept the request¡­¡®Aoi¡¯.¡± She leans even closer, her lips right next to my ear, ¡°And just so you know¡­I hope you are him. Nothing could be more valuable than having you on my friends list, not for me.¡± I stare at the tab, unable to make the decision. Do I trust her? ¡°The others don¡¯t know, by the way. But my eyes are special. Quirk of my class.¡± I tsk. She¡¯s just playing with me. She already knows, doesn¡¯t she? She just wants me to confirm her suspicions. ¡°You better be ethical with information,¡± I mumble, accepting her friend request. She sees the same message I do, I¡¯m confident of it. And instead of her smirk fading, it grows into a broad toothy grin. [Username: {Kazesoku} and Username: {Bai-ko Ne~ko} are now friends!]