Chapter 1

Note: The virtual world that will be used here will not be Aincrad but rather a world of my own creation.

It was just a matter of time before virtual gaming overtook and made obsolete online gaming on computers. The development of the Nervegear ensured that virtual gaming became the next fad, turning your dreams into a reality and allowed you to live a second live in the virtual world with your own body, your consciousness.

Unfortunately, the distribution of Nervegear in Southeast Asia was slow in coming, with the infamous Sword Art Online incident making the headlines of every newspaper around the world. It was unthinkable that the inventor of the Nervegear, Kayaba Akihiko, would be the one responsible for the many deaths that occurred in-game.

Also let us not forget that it was five years after that Nervegear eventually arrived on the shores of Southeast Asia, with gaming powerhouses like the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to name a few each getting 100,000 copies thanks in part to China's ability to mass produce said equipment and because of the fact that gamers in Southeast Asia are a competitive bunch.

They sold out the gears within 3 hours of arrival, causing a shortage and forcing game stores to frantically place more orders. The realm of VMMO gaming has expanded and now many similar servers are sprouting around the world.

And thus, the story begins in a city to the south of the Philippines, where an ordinary teenager, whose passion for gaming exceeds that of his schooling, will forge a legend that will forever be remembered by those who fought by his side.

It was a bright, sunny morning in the city, with droves of people going about their own business, always being mindful of the many traffic and walking signs that dotted the city.

There is also the occasional driver who disregards the rules and gets fined, the fine itself rumored to be used as pocket money by the traffic aides.

The city was bustling with life, the neon signs glowing, the jeepney's doing their rounds, taxi drivers taking their passengers from one destination to the next, the occasional arrival of a passenger plane from outside the Philippines.

But it is not the focus of the story for we now turn our attention from the city to our protagonist, who is your average high school boy. He had black, spiky hair and chocolate brown eyes. He wore black-framed glasses and a silver cross medallion dangled on his neck. He was dressed in a blue and white cotton uniform, with the emblem of Annea Academy on the right pocket on his chest, a blue paladin wielding a lance and a shield and wore khaki pants paired with worn black leather shoes.

What made him stand out however was his intelligence which led to him being acknowledged as the smartest person in school, he was the envy and idol of many, not to mention the fact that he had this charming disposition which also made him a chick magnet, which led to some of the boys declaring war on him due to his ability to attract 'the chicks' of the school.

Annea Academy is one of the premier schools in the city, with a high standard of education and its facilities top notch. The unfortunate thing is that the tuition fee runs in the thousands of pesos, which for most middle class families will prompt strict budgeting of their incomes.

It was a four-story building with 12 classrooms for the high school section alone. It occupied an area equal to four football fields formed into a square, with an indoor swimming pool, a gym, an auditorium, a basketball court, a soccer field and a track field.

In one of the classrooms we see a boy seated to the far left near the windows. Said boy sighed as he listened to a lecture in his math class, his teacher incessantly droning about her lesson, with most of his classmates falling asleep. On his left his friend Carl was scribbling on his notebook, no doubt ignoring the lecture and on his right is his childhood friend Clarise, who, aside from him, was also listening to the lecture.

The boy checked his watch. It read 3:20 pm. He turned towards the window, admiring the sight of people scurrying about, dogs running around and cars passing by blaring their horns. His thoughts turned to the Nervegear gaming system that he bought on his 14th birthday using his savings.

"Man, I can't wait to try it when I get home," he muttered. "I hope the gameworld is different from the Japanese version since they allowed custom modifications to be done."

As he his gaze focused outside the window his childhood friend Clarise saw him looking outside, no doubt thinking about the new game he bought from a DataGames store in AM mall.

Clarise is what you would describe as normal. Normal looks. Normal clothes. Normal personality with her only significant feature being the more athletic of the two. She had long, flowing brown hair that reached down to her waist with black colored eyes. She wore a white and blue cotton blouse, with a blue skirt that reached down to her knees paired with black bunny shoes and white socks.

"You're still addicted to games huh Art," she commented. "I just hope that you know your priorities."

She said the last statement to herself, hoping that he will know the meaning of balance. Her gaze then went back to the blackboard, listening intently to the teachers lecture.

And the bell rang, signifying the end of another day. The teacher gave students their assignment, a 10 number question in simplifying polynomials, before dismissing them.

The students shuffled their things inside their bags and said their goodbyes to one another. Art himself rose from his seat, slung his bag on his right arm and walked out the room, his focus still on the game.

"Hey Art! Wait for me!" Clarise called out to him. Art stopped near the door and waited, allowing her to catch up. "Seriously! You've been thinking about the game since morning."

"I can't help it you know? I have this excitement inside of me that I can't describe in words," he said excitedly, "and this is the first virtual mmo in the Philippines so it will be a historical moment in Philippine gaming history."

"Okay, okay, just calm down. I know how you feel and I understand but don't make it an excuse to skip on your studies," she lectured him. "Sure, you always get first honors every year but do not sacrifice it for the sake of your gaming time."

"Aww…come on! You don't have faith in me?" he asked in mock hurt. "I thought we were friends?"

"Har, har. Very funny genius. Be thankful that someone at least makes the effort to wake you up early in the morning," she said with a sarcastic tone. "God knows how bad your sleeping habits are and I'm not exaggerating."

Art just waved his hand in response to her statement. "Hey! Come on, it's not that bad…I think?"

Clarise face palmed because of his denseness when it came to this issue. "Fine, fine. I won't bother you with regards to your sleeping habits, but make sure you get lots of sleep okay?" she said this in a kind motherly tone.

He just nodded his head in response and both made their way to the exit, where they started talking about school, books and the occasional news story. The rest of the walk was spent in silence.

When they reached Art's home, they both said their goodbyes to one another, with Art quickly unlocking the gate to his home and sprinting upstairs to his room. When he arrived in his room there laid on his bed the Nervegear with its Blackbox (the program) below his desk near the bed.

He turned on the Blackbox, grabbed the Nervegear from his bed, and placed it on his head. A humming sound indicated the success of the program in reading his mind.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," he said in a cocky tone. "Link Start."

He felt his consciousness fading in the real world, being read and transferred by the server to the virtual world. He saw a multitude of colors as his consciousness was sucked in the vacuum of space. He eventually reached an empty space, devoid of objects.

Slowly, a screen appeared begin displayed as a hologram of sorts. He saw that it was the character creation menu.

Eager to get into the game quickly, he decided to use his own name as the name of his avatar and choosing the swordsman class out of the four classes to choose from: Swordsman, Mage, Archer and Healer.

In-game name: Art

Class: Swordsman

Satisfied, he clicked the confirm button. The screen vanished in a ball of light, with the empty space eventually revealing the game world. It was a world with rolling green plains, tall mountain peaks and tranquil oceans. Eventually, the empty space gradually unfurled itself, and suddenly he realized that he was in the starting city of Davon.

With a smirk, he said "Let's get started shall we?" and ran to the exit of the city, towards the training fields. Thus, it was the beginning of a legend, one where a single boy will change the face of this virtual world.

Art didn't read the white piece of paper that appeared in his inventory with these words written upon it:

A world full of endless possibilities.

A world where you only get one chance to live.

A world where you can be anyone you ever wanted.

A world where you can escape from the harsh reality.

A world where fame and fortune await those who dare.

A world where swords and magic co-exist with one another.

A world filled with different creatures and cultures.

This is the world of myth. The home of legends and monsters. The home of the Gods.

So I welcome all players to my world.

Welcome to Myth Art Online.

Character Stats:

Name: Arc

Class: Swordsman

LV: 1

HP: 10

MP: 40

STR: 2

AGI: 6

INT: 24

DEX: 5

LUK: 9

SKILLS: N/A