Hello, ladies and gentlemen, Spiceracksargent001 here, bringing you the next chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh Virtual: Enter the Element Reavers! Time for the story to truly get off the ground and for Cloud and Diana to take their first steps into the virtual world! Special props to Phoenix Champion for his shout-out to this story in his latest chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh Virtual: Alpha Gear Chronicles. Love your stories, dude, keep up the good work.

ELFI: As always, constructive criticism is welcomed and highly appreciated. Flamers will experience multi-spectrum ECM attacks directed at their comments.

Spice: y'know, I'm honestly surprised I haven't really been flamed at all in the time I've been part of this site, not that I'm complaining. I think it's a good thing. It either means my work is just that good, or my name just hasn't gotten much circulation. The latter would certainly be a bit of a damper on my mood, but meh. One last thing, well, two things, really, before we begin. One: I'm now opening this story to minor OC submissions. For anyone interested, go to Phoenix Champion's profile, he has a link there which will give you the guidelines to making your OC for the Data Life world, and it's what I'm using for making my OCs in this story. Two: Expect a joint chapter between Phoenix and I to come out when we both have our guilds established depicting a meeting/encounter between the Alpha Gear and Element Reavers Guilds. It won't be coming around for a while, but if you follow both this story and Alpha Gear Chronicles, you'll know when the time comes. So, without further ado, let's get started!

When I could see again after a blink, I found myself in a lightly forested area. Plenty of bushes and undergrowth, though, so still plenty of areas for Monsters to hide in.

Right, first thing's first. Pulling up my stats from my Bracer, which was green and shaped like a gale of wind, I saw that I was level 1 with 500 LP as a base, 50 Attack Points, and 50 Defense Points.

I also took a quick glimpse at my portrait to make sure it was right. Short, blonde hair that goes down to my shoulders with light grey highlights (I'm not actually greying, my hair is legit that color), green eyes, and lightly tanned skin. Yep, all good. I also noted that my attire consisted of a simple, green linen shirt and pants with footwraps.

"That's gonna get me if I don't find some armor," I muse before spotting a notice by my Defense Points.

'Reminder: A Player's Defense Points are always in an Active state'

"That actually does make me feel a little safer," I remark before drawing the one card in my Bracer's deck holder and looking at it with a smile.

"My attack and defense is still crap, though, so just as a precaution, come forth, Harpie's Brother," I call while putting the card on the Bracer, causing the Monster to appear next to me, though he was about a head taller than me. "Nice to see you again, old friend," I say with a smile.

Harpie's Brother did something that surprised me a bit. He smirked before pulling me into a bro hug, being mindful of that giant claw bracer on his right arm. I didn't question it, I just returned the hug with a smile. It really has been too long since I've played Yu-Gi-Oh.

After about a minute, the two of us broke the hug and shared a quick brofist. "Right, let's get moving," I say. "I don't know about you, but I'd rather not spend my first night here in the middle of a forest."

Harpie's Brother nodded motioned for me to lead the way.

~1 hour later~

Okay, mental note, just because a forest doesn't have that many trees in it does not mean that it's hard to get lost.

"Would've been nice to know beforehand that this free world map they give you is unbelievably vague, and that I have to buy local maps from nearby towns to clear it up faster," I grumble as I tried to consult my map to find a way out. "The only thing we can hope for is that we wander around enough that eventually we map out where the damn exit is."

Harpie's Brother put a hand on my shoulder reassuringly, making my smile softly at the gesture. He always was my most trusted card back when I played Yu-Gi-Oh. It's good to know that trust hasn't been misplaced. "Thanks for the support," I say with a grateful nod and continue forging ahead.

That was until a piercing howl filled the forest, making me stop in my tracks. "Well that can't be good," I noted as I clenched my fists, ready for a fight.

"It's just a measly wolf, nothing we can't handle together," a confident male voice said as Harpie's Brother readied his clawed bracer.

"Wait, did you just…?" I go to ask with a surprised look at Harpie's Brother, but shake my head, deciding it's a thought for another time, as a Silver Fang bursts out from a bush. I never really payed much attention to Monsters that weren't Wind Attribute, so I brought up my Bracer quickly to double-check its stats.

[Silver Fang]

[LP: 300]

[120 ATK/80 DEF]

'Alright, if I remember correctly from the tutorial, that means the Silver Fang has 40 Defense passively,' I noted mentally as the wolf lunged at me, only to get smacked down by a swipe of the Harpie Brother's clawed bracer, cutting down the beast's health by a staggering 140 LP.

"Nice shot," I said before taking advantage of the wolf's state by stomping on it repeatedly, which, sadly, only took off 10LP per hit, and I was only able to get in 3 strikes before I had to back up.

The wolf growled menacingly as it rose to its feet again, before trying to rush me again.

"Match my timing!" the voice said again before Harpie's Brother blindsided the wolf, grabbing it by the neck before flying into the air. After he cleared the trees, the humanoid avian threw the wolf at me as hard as he could. Quickly running the math, I intercepted the wolf with a rising spin kick that hit for 10LP and made the wolf recoil upwards and back a bit before Harpie's Brother executed a diving slash with his bracer, cutting down the last of the Silver Fang's LP, causing it to shatter like glass while three coins fell to the ground and a '+30 EXP' rose into the air from where the wild Monster was felled.

[For defeating your first monster you've obtained 1 Upgrade Point!]

"Okay, that was awesome," I said with a goofy grin at the combo attack Harpie's Brother and I had just pulled off.

Harpie's Brother chuckled and ruffled my hair, making me laugh a bit before pushing his arm off of my head. Sighing to relieve myself of some of the leftover adrenaline, I then brought up my Bracer and opened the Upgrades Menu.

- [Learn First Attribute Spell (Gust)]

- [Learn Utility Spell (Levitate)]

- [Learn Utility Spell (Warp)]

- [Learn Healing Spell (Mend)]

"Oh, decisions, decision…" I muse out loud, prompting Harpie's Brother to peer over my shoulder at my choices before looking at me.

"Go for the Attribute Spell," he says to me. "It'll give you more power in combat, and knowing you, I'm sure you can work the spell for defense just as easily as offense."

"Makes sense, plus Air is my favorite element," I reply before selecting the Attribute spell. Before I knew it, I felt like I had just crammed for a full hour in preparation for a test, making me grunt and lean on Harpie's Brother for support as my vision turned blurry and I felt like I was going to collapse.

When the sensation passed, I stood up and looked at my hands as the faint, emerald glow of magic power enveloped them. "Woah…" I whisper in awe. I then noticed a pop-up from my Bracer.

[You've learned your first Attribute Spell! The Power of these spells is dependent on your Attack Points. Spells of a matching element to your Attribute gain an extra +10 Attack Points, meaning that, currently, your Gust spell is used at 60 ATK. You can also increase the power of these spells by an additional +10 for every extra Upgrade Point you put into your base Spells]

"Okay, so levelling up my spells will be just as important as levelling up myself and my equipment," I muse while using my newfound Magic to bring the three gold coins to me with a gust of wind before hearing another Silver Fang's howl. It's near, but not directed at me, making me wonder who it could be after.

"Follow me," Harpie's Brother says, taking off in the direction the howl came from, with me following soon after.

After we reach where it came from, I blinked in surprise to see that a Silver Fang was currently staring down two women, one I recognized as Diana from the snow white hair, blue eyes and blue starter outfit, which was sleeveless and replaced the pants with a skirt. 'She did say she chose Water Attribute,' I remind myself before aiming my Bracer at the woman who was with her, whom I also noticed was carrying two crystalline shields that looked like snowflakes, one in each hand.

[Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier]

[LP: 400]

[170 ATK/90 DEF]

'If the monster's name is any indication, I'm guessing Diana ran a deck using these "Ice Barrier" monsters,' I note before watching as the battle unfolded.

The Dance Princess was a constant stream of motion, darting around the area and striking with such grace that I honestly felt like I was watching a ballet or something. All the while, Diana, who was given one of Dance Princess' shields, was playing lock-down on the Silver Fang, keeping it focused on her and negating its strikes with the 90 DEF boost from holding one of her monster's shields while setting it up for each of Dance Princess' attacks.

Three hits from the Spellcaster-type Monster later, and the Silver Fang shattered like glass, dropping three gold coins and 30 EXP for the pair and awarding Diana with her first Upgrade Point. I couldn't resist, I actually started clapping at the performance they put on.

"Who's - Cloud!" Diana says, startled, but with a smile after she'd whipped around and saw me standing there. "When did you get here?"

"Not long after that Silver Fang jumped you," I reply, stepping out of the brush, Harpie's Brother following close behind. "Sorry about not stepping in, but I was curious as to how you and your starter monster would do."

"Eh, it's fine," Diana says with a shrug, handing the shield back to Dance Princess before opening up her Upgrade Menu. "Let's see, Midnight's Boon, I'm going to pretend this next one doesn't exist, and Vampire's Fang, which do I want…?"

Curious, I peered over Diana's shoulder to see her Upgrade options as Dance Princess did the same opposite me.

- [Midnight's Boon]

- [Maggots' Mending (locks Vampire's Fang)]

- [Vampire's Fang (locks Maggots' Mending)]

Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier looked to Diana, obviously to make a suggestion, but I couldn't hear whatever she was saying at the moment. Diana looked at her and nodded, though, so she clearly agreed with whatever the suggestion was, before picking Vampire's Fang.

I'm not gonna lie, what followed was rather painful to watch, and I imagine it felt even worse for Diana since she was the one undergoing the transformation. The girl suddenly seized up before collapsing to the ground, clutching at her heart with a cry of pain. I honestly felt worried for Diana as she tried to stifle further cries of pain while she underwent the transformation, but something kept me rooted in place as her body was changed. I couldn't watch as the fangs grew in, but I did see her skin lose a little of its color.

When Diana finally stopped trying to bite back screams and instead started panting heavily, I deemed it safe to see if she was alright. "Diana? You okay?" I ask, worried as I help the girl struggle to her feet. Her skin also felt a bit colder than a normal person's body, guess that's something that'll happen more and more as she spends upgrade points now that she's a vampire.

"Y-yeah, I-I'm-I'm good," she stutters as she gets on her feet, though she's still leaning on me for support until she can stand properly, and it's now that I'm barely able to see the pearly-white fangs poking out from behind her lips. It was also at that point that Diana and I heard a ping from my Bracer and her own, which I only now noticed was blue and shaped like a bat's wing, indicating that our Bracers had registered us as friends. It was soon after that happened that several howls pierced the quiet, drawing the attention of Diana, myself, and our respective Monsters.

"More of 'em, inbound," Harpie's Brother says, readying his clawed bracer. "Seems like we merely dealt with the scouts, and now we get to face the pack."

That certainly got me on edge and Diana on her feet without support as five Silver Fangs jumped out of the bushes to confront us.

"Harpie's Brother and I can handle two apiece," Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier says, with me actually able to hear her now, confirming in my head that people registered as friends by their Bracers can hear each other's Monsters. "Think the two of you can handle one together?"

"I'm sure they can," Harpie's Brother quips as he takes a ready stance. "After all, with him at her side, their combined Attack is effectively 110 while he's using his magic."

I chuckle and shake my head before readying my magic as Diana takes a ready stance. "I know you just got done with your transformation, but I'm gonna have to ask that you keep the Silver Fang's attention," I say to my new battle partner. "I have my magic now, so I'll keep range and support you with my Gust spell. Since you took that Transformative, you might be able to heal any damage you take."

"I can't, not right now, anyway," Diana says, looking over the perks of her transformation. "Says here my Attack needs to beat their full Defense in order to heal using my new fangs."

"Right, so hopefully we level up from this so that I can learn some healing magic," I say as we brace ourselves for the fight. From the corner of my eye, I watched Harpie's Brother get the attention of two of the Silver Fangs by doing the traditional "come at me" gesture, while Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier created a… well, ice barrier, trapping another two Silver Fangs with her, leaving Diana and I to deal with the Silver Fang that was in the middle of the pack.

The Silver Fang decided that Diana was the easier target and made to pounce the recently-turned Vampiress, only for me to blow it back with a Gust, dealing 20LP damage to the Beast-type and sending it sprawling, giving Diana an opening to charge at the wolf and stomp on it twice for another 20 damage before having to back up as the wolf got back up, growling menacingly.

It was clear that this Silver Fang might be the pack's leader since it quickly changed its attention from Diana to me since, oh wait, the Spellcaster did more damage per hit than the Vampiress. Thinking quick, I cast Gust on Diana and myself, but I made an alteration to how the spell flowed to cause the winds to swirl around us. What all this would do I had no idea, but if I did it right, I just figured out a windshield, so hopefully it'll give us some measure of protection. This turned out to let the Silver Fang have a chance to try to pounce on me, probably trying to tear my face off.

Keyword being "try", as Diana quickly grabbed the wolf by the tail as it passed her and slammed it into the ground for 10 damage, dazing the beast and allowing me time to fire off 4 Gust spells like a burst of automatic fire for a total of 80 damage while Diana stomped on it 3 more times for 30 damage total before the wolf recovered from our assault. 'Okay, we've got it to just below half health, we can do this!' I think to myself as Diana and I regroup.

The Silver Fang growled before looking to its right, just in time for Harpie's Brother to cut down the second Silver Fang as he'd already dispatched the one. Looking to its left at the ice rink, it could hear the sounds of the Dance Princess' shouts as she was, likely, almost through with her two.

It clearly decided that avenging its pack took precedence over survival as it tried to pounce Diana and I and tear us limb from limb. I used Gust to give Diana wings of air as she met it mid-pounce with a flying kick, surprising us both as it ended up doing 70 and sent the wolf flying back to the ground.

I recovered first and fired off three more Gusts for a total of 60 damage and bringing the wolf down to its last legs as it stood up shakily before it tried to pounce us one last time, only for Diana to finish it off with a flip kick that took away the last 10 LP the Beast-type Monster had, making it shatter like glass, dropping 3 coins and 30 EXP for the both of us.

[You've leveled up!]

[+1 Upgrade Point, +100 LP, +10 ATK, +10 DEF]

I smiled and high-fived Diana at how well we did against the Silver Fang, Dance Princess' Ice Barrier melting soon after to show that she'd taken care of both of her Silver Fangs while Harpie's Brother presented me with 6 coins and a Silver Fang card.

"Thanks," I say, noticing that Dance Princess did the same with Diana. The two of us then look to the 3 coins that were dropped by the Silver Fang Diana and I had fought, then to each other.

"So, how do we wanna split the money from that one?" I ask, deciding to address the obvious problem while motioning to the 3 coins. "There are three coins, and only two of us."

"Hmm…" Diana hums, closing her eyes in thought for a bit before looking to me while holding up the Silver Fang that Dance Princess had given her. "How about I take the coins and you can have the Silver Fang Dance Princess gave me?"

"Works for me," I reply, taking the Silver Fang before Diana goes and collects the three coins. While she was doing that, I decided now would be a good time to pick up that healing spell, so I opened my Upgrade Menu and browsed my options to see which Attribute spells were unlocked before picking Mend from the list of available spells. Fortunately, I was better prepared for the sudden light-headedness that came from the rush of information as the knowledge of healing magic and how it worked flooded my mind while the power to use it did the same within my very soul. I still stumbled a bit from the sensations, though, and Diana was quick to rush to my side and support me as the feeling of dizziness wore off.

"What was that?" Diana asked, worry filling her voice.

"Just picked up some healing magic," I explain. "Something like this happened when I picked up my first attribute spell. It would seem that whenever a Spellcaster-type player learns a new spell, their mind and soul are flooded with information and power, respectively, to unlock the spell."

"Ah," Diana replies as I find my balance again and stand as she lets me go, before opening up her own upgrade menu and looking over her choices briefly before selecting Midnight's Boon. Like me, she was better prepared for what followed, but I returned the favor and supported her as she clutched at her heart again and I saw her skin lose more of its color, and she got a little colder to the touch.

"You alright?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm good," she says as she looks at the effects of gaining Midnight's Boon. "Okay, so with this I get an extra +20 attack and defense at night."

"We're gonna be making night runs a thing for us, I can tell," I quip before looking to Harpie's Brother. "Don't suppose you know a way out of here?"

"Yeah, I saw a town when I flew over the trees during our first encounter," Harpie's Brother says while motioning with his arm for the rest of us to follow. "Let's go. I'll take point."

Diana and I look to each other and nod as we start following him, Dance Princess bringing up the rear while idly spinning one of her snowflake shields with her finger like it was a hula hoop.

And that's the chapter. Next time, Cloud and Diana reach the village of beginnings and start gearing up for their future endeavors, and acquire two influential Monsters who'll be helping them out more diplomatically. Also, before anyone says anything, yes, I know that these first few chapters are largely similar to the chapters that have been released for Alpha Gear Chronicles. This is semi-intentional on my part as both stories have, for the most part, similar beginnings in how the main characters began their new lives in Virtual Reality.

Now, Phoenix has told me that Guilds in a Data Life virtual world needs 5 willing members to start up. With that in mind, I'll be bringing in 3 more personal OCs to form the core Guild. Cloud and Diana, obviously. I'll also be bringing in a Kitsune ninja eventually, and for the fourth member, I'm currently debating between a Pyro and Thunder-type, need to get as much elemental power as I can, after all. The fifth member I'm keeping a secret since I still need to work them out fully. For now, however, I have a chapter of Remnant's Skybound Striker to finish, as well as a Reading chapter to finish and another Reading fic I still need to start, so until next time, this is Spiceracksargent001: signing off.