Chapter 1

Focus.

The first and only thought in my mind while fighting a [Frenzy Boar], a low level monster, just outside [Starting City].

It's not that this small furry mob was dangerous, no; it's just that I didn't want the recent occurrence to come into mind as I was in the middle of a fight. I wanted to block them for a while, as these lush green grasslands were out of the protection of the inner city.

Two hours have passed since the demon creator of this death game announced his frightening intentions; creating a world where only he could rule, a world only he controlled, in short, a fiendish way of putting real people into a virtual trap, a machination; like we were some kind of guinea pigs in a science experiment.

I still had it vivid in my memory. That single impression; seeing players falter and stumble; frightened… those actions taking form for a short while, and frantic, yet useless weeps rang across the huge plaza. The chaos was tremendous as many ran away while others just stood there, gazing at the sky where just a moment ago hundreds of red warning signs ran across the virtual sky and tinged the ground with blood-red color. The moment the creator of this world made the horrid announcement; if you die in the game, you die in real life.

At the extremely sudden event, I also stood there, for a while, grasping the situation.

Death didn't come into mind immediately; instead, I analyzed through my life in the real world: things that I left unfinished, family and friends, everything; the many probabilities of what could happen if I was gone. My heart pounded for many seconds, yet I managed to take control.

Calm… calm…

Reassuring myself that everything and everyone would be all right and could manage things while everyone and I were stuck inside this virtual trap, I went back to normal.

She´ll be ok, I know it! Everyone else too….

"…I'm sorry…"

Lamenting myself, I felt so stupid for putting on the machine that confined us in the first place: the [Nerve Gear].

But in these moments, grieving was not an option and all I could do was promise that I would be back to the real world; however, I knew that for now, THIS would be reality. I couldn't permit this world and its creator to bring me down, to change my will, my will to stay alive. I was calm, even relaxed as I kept thinking silently.

In that moment, I knew what I had to do; I ran; I ran as fast as I could towards the gate as I put my thoughts aside.

Out of all the 10,000 players gathered in the plaza, the majority were hardcore gamers. It was obvious, knowing the market; this was after all the most anticipated game in decades. I also knew because I wasn't one of them. Sure, I've played a couple of RPGs, not enough I would say, but I still leaned many things form them to be able to know what to do as my body ran towards the west fields outside of Starting City.

Leveling up; a simple premise in the world of gaming, but if people were to survive in this game, they would have to get stronger, not just in stats, but also mentally; and I was aiming for that.

A burst of energy and a trail of light shone on my sword, making it move almost by itself.

Slash!

My one-handed sword cut straight thru the boar's weak spot, who was charging straight for me. Its red eyes and large furry body dispersed instantly into tiny little pieces, as my sword skill [Slant] did its work. I got the hang of the sword skill a while ago, and previously when I read the guide.

Ten, fifteen, twenty of these enemies were defeated as I quickly and carelessly searched for more, even before the one I was fighting was even gone. After a couple of other fights, I had gained a few levels.

"Whooo!"

I let out a sigh, as a combination of feelings ran thru my soul; some anger, doubt, fear, desperation and even joy as I fell flat on the grassy surface. Breathing out heavily, I managed to control my breathing once again and clear my mind as I glanced at the amazing view of this mortal world.

The almost dark sky with a touch of purple-ish blue, no clouds and a great silvery moon were quite impressive, giving a harmonic spectacle. The large fields on the outer edges of the city with their grassy finish were lightly swaying with the wind. The trees moved gently and the lake at their feet was amazingly beautiful reflecting the night sky.

Feeling like I should stay for a while, the need to get out of here also reached me; after so much work, I decided to return to the city, satisfied with my progress. Beginning to stroll back, I saw few other players that were also at the fields, which was expected. They probably also knew that leveling was a priority in these moments, and that was very brave. I could still assume that the majority of the players were still in the city, hiding and trying to assimilate, no, trying to convince themselves that this wasn't real, that it was just a dream.

I couldn't blame them, heck; even I would've done the same thing if I hadn't cleared my mind of bad thoughts and if I hadn't gotten a burst of courage at the last second. In spite of all that, I felt bad, I wanted to help them, but right now, what could I do?

I gritted and clenched my fist, but it was useless. As I started walking back to the city, following the small stone path, there was an overwhelming view.

The sight was pretty amazing; so many players were hunting all at the same time in the vast space of these fields, ten times the amount of players that I saw before. There were so many of them, people with colorful, yet different clothes, and the basic starting equipment. And on their hands, multiple types of weapons, from swords, axes, spears etc.

But I knew it wouldn't last. And they also knew it. Even though there were plenty of monster spawns, it just wasn't enough. There wasn't a balance of players and monsters, and they would soon stop, taking time to re-spawn. It was logical, but there were still so many players coming and going, running and brandishing their weapons at the beasts.

This scenario could get out of hand, because players tend to be competitive and with the addition of what just happened a while ago, someone might get hurt sooner or later. That's why I hurried and followed the road towards the city. As soon as I saw the [INNER AREA] icon pop up, I felt tremendously relieved. Staying inside the systems prevention area, nothing can happen to a player.

"Now to find a room…"

Whispering, I looked across the central plaza, ignoring my thought about what had happened here earlier, as I walked towards the closest INN and requested a room. To my surprise (well not really, seeing that many would be hiding, it wasn't strange that most INNs would be full) there was no vacancy.

Taking a large breath, I gave a large sigh and thanked the NPC as I went INN by INN looking. It took a while to find a room, but as soon as I got it, I locked the door and fell face first on the bed.

Tash!

It just wasn't me; thousands would be in despair tonight. I now freely thought about the families of the thousands of humans trapped in this virtual prison.

213! That number of people died in just minutes!

I felt bad for the families of those deceased, no, for the families of every single person. I also thought about my family.

Have they been informed yet? Will they be right next to my body in the real world?

It was impossible to take thoughts like this out of my head, but I knew it was useless, as contact between the two worlds was now impossible; and out of all this, I knew that I also had to rest, as I wouldn't be of much use if wasn't in full shape.

This will be a long night.

I thought as I lay there, staring at the ceiling.