|Prologue - Harry Potter and the Beta Test|

"Ten seconds remaining..."

Distracted by the announcement, the sharp grey edge of an ax chipped Harry's shoulder. He saw the thin line in the corner of his vision shrink slightly. That line—his HP bar—was a visual look at how close he was to death. He still had more than 80 percent of his maximum health remaining, so he wasn't worried.

Before the enemy's ax could begin its motion again, Harry darted backward to put some distance between them. He took a deep breath, even though his virtual "body" in this world required no oxygen.

The 'enemy' before him—a red humanoid creature with a bulky body, large tail, and rabbit-like ears—was not only inhuman, but it also wasn't even truly alive. The creature was an AI program observing his fighting style, learning his habits, and sharpening its reactions moment by moment. It was a mass of digital data that could be rebuilt by the system endlessly, no matter how many times he killed it.

Still, the instant that this individual creature died, that information would be reset rather than carried over to the next trooper to spawn in the area.

So in a sense, it was alive. It was a unique individual, one of a kind.

"nine seconds..."

The creature—a level 6 monster called a «Ruin Kobold Trooper»—exposed the fangs in its jaw and roared. Harry held out his sword in a straight line, chest high. The trooper lunged forward. Its ax swung for Harry's throat in a sharp, brilliant orange curve through the air.

But Harry knew it was coming.

"eight seconds..."

Keeping his distance was the plan, daring the enemy AI to attack. The ax blade passed just inches from his face. Harry ducked, pressing up against the trooper's stomach. He slashed his sword sideways, the glowing blue blade slicing through the skin of the creature's underbelly, spraying beams of crimson light in place of blood.

He wasn't done.

"seven seconds..."

The system automatically assisted Harry's attack, chaining into the next attack faster than he could move on his own.

"six seconds..."

That was the advantage of using a «Sword Skill» instead of attacking by himself. When a player used a «Sword Skill» in the game and allowed the system to take over, the game would automatically complete the skill at a speed that was impossible for a player to achieve outside the game.

"five seconds..."

Harry's sword glowed with a fierce blue light as it carved through the trooper's torso. His blade slashed right, cutting across the trooper's chest again. He spun his whole body, using the momentum to drive his third strike even deeper into the enemy's core.

"four seconds..."

"Urarrgh!" The kobold roared in rage and fear, swinging its ax down hard.

But Harry's combo wasn't finished. His sword shot diagonally up and left, the blade completing its arc by striking directly into the trooper's heart, its critical point.

This four-part combination attack, «Horizontal Square», left glowing blue lines in the air around Harry.

"three seconds..."

The brilliant light reflecting off the walls of the labyrinth faded, and at the same time, the HP bar floating above the «Ruin Kobold Trooper» vanished without a trace. With a final scream, the red creature stumbled backward, froze at a weird angle—and exploded into a shower of polygons, like breaking glass. The fragments hung in the air for a second before dissipating into nothingness.

A small window in the center of Harry's view popped up, listing the experience points and item rewards.

"two seconds..."

Harry lowered his sword. The fight had barely challenged him. He glanced at his own HP bar, noting the minor damage he'd taken earlier. It was hardly worth using a potion to restore.

"one second..."

Just as he was about to sheathe his sword and move on to the next area, a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once spoke, filling the virtual space with its presence.

"This concludes your game session," the disembodied voice announced.

The labyrinth around Harry began to dissolve. Solid stone walls melted like wax as the world around him vanished in a brilliant white light that engulfed everything in sight.

"The full game will commence on August 6th at 1:00 PM. We'd like to thank our beta testers for their cooperation. Look forward to the official launch!"

Harry listened to the same speech the system gave every time you logged out of a game session before a deep resonant sound cut through the brilliant glow—a bell tolling.

Then he was back in the real world.

One moment, he was standing in a sea of white light; the next, his eyes were blinking open, staring up at the familiar sight of Dudley's room at 4 Privet Drive. The transition was instant, jarring. His mind struggled to process the shift from digital warrior to flesh-and-blood teenager. He didn't move for a few minutes, allowing his senses to recalibrate until he could feel the soft pressure of the mattress beneath him and the slight chill of the room on his skin.

A small window appeared in the corner of his vision—a habit from hours in the game—before he blinked it away, remembering where he was. No more HP bars. No more reward notifications. Just the quiet of his room and the soft whirr of his computer.

Slowly, he sat up and removed his NerveGear—the device on his head that covered his face and sent all his senses into the virtual world. The high-tech helmet was heavier than it looked but that didn't bother him at all. He set it next to him on the bed and his eyes drifted to the digital clock on his nightstand.

3:45 PM.

He'd been in the game for over six hours.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

Aunt Petunia's shrill voice snapped through the door.

Harry groaned and slid off Dudley's bed, his legs still feeling oddly disconnected from his body. The transition from the virtual avatar Dudley created to his lanky frame always took a moment to adjust to.

He opened the door and Dudley's massive frame filled the doorway. His breath was already labored from the short trip upstairs. "Move it, freak," Dudley snapped, barging forward.

Before Harry could step aside, Dudley's shoulder crashed into him, slamming him sideways into the wall with a dull thud. His cousin didn't even glance back, his fat fingers clutching at the NerveGear resting on the bed. He snatched up the VR helmet and plopped down on his bed, the springs creaking in protest.

Harry grimaced, rubbing his shoulder where he had hit the wall. "Did you do what I asked?" Dudley demanded, his piggy eyes gleaming with excitement.

Ask? Harry wondered as Dudley fumbled with the NerveGear, his pudgy fingers struggling with the straps. Dudley never really "asked" for things. He demanded. Harry should know. He was often the one Dudley was demanding things from. Earlier that morning. Dudley had stormed into the room, throwing his weight around as he "asked" Harry to use his beta access to level up his character. Something Dudley was too lazy to do himself.

Before Harry could answer, a sharp voice cut through the hallway.

"Harry!"

Aunt Petunia.

Harry turned to see his thin, bony aunt standing just outside the doorway, arms folded tightly against her chest.

"Answer him!" she snapped, her long neck craning to peer inside the room. Her thin lips were pressed together in their usual expression of disapproval whenever she looked at Harry.

Harry knew there was no point in explaining the mechanics of the game to Aunt Petunia. She wouldn't understand. She barely understood how a computer worked, let alone the difference between experience points, enemy spawns, or skill progression. Trying to explain the first about leveling up Dudley's character or gathering the materials his cousin had demanded would confuse her. She wouldn't know what a «Ruin Kobold Trooper» was, why the materials they dropped were valuable, or how Harry had spent hours grinding for experience points that would be wiped clean when the full game launched anyway.

So, he just nodded.

"Yes," Harry said simply. "I did what he asked."

Dudley grinned, already lowering the NerveGear over his head. "About time," he muttered, eager to dive in.

Aunt Petunia gave Harry one last scrutinizing look, as if trying to determine whether he was lying, then sniffed dismissively. Finding none that she could recognize, she gave a curt nod.

"Good. Now come help with dinner. Vernon will be home soon, and there are potatoes to peel," she said curtly before turning on her heel and disappearing down the hallway.

Harry rubbed his sore elbow and followed her to the kitchen. It was odd, he thought, how quickly the tables had turned when he returned to reality. In Aincrad, he was a skilled swordsman, respected by the NPCs and other beta testers.

Behind him, Harry heard Dudley shout the command to activate the system.

"Link start!"