This is not my book
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Small Village Tridente – Chapter 001
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She was bad at talking to people.
If it were in an online game then she would be able to talk with others easily, she thought. So she started to challenge other people in online tabletop games, but even then, Mari wasn't even able to greet them in chat.
Today as well, she would silently and indifferently play mahjong or poker. Being incapable of talking or even greeting, on the boards she was given a nickname like Silent Mary.
Sigh, I want to cure my social awkwardness… make a friend, and talk happily with each other…
Inside my mind, let's try talking about that! Let's try out this topic! Even though I do simulations like that, when I want to try it out, the words don't come out.
But, this really can't go on, can it…?
Thinking that I should try out a new online game, I picked up the game magazine on top of the study desk.
For some time, the popularity of MMOs disappeared, but since the birth of VRMMOs, people have become charmed by its worlds, and the amount of users has exploded in numbers.
A world where you shoot guns on a battlefield. Or a fantasy world of swords and magic. There's even a weird game where you become an animal and hunt other players in the middle of a savannah.
And among them, the one that caught my interest was NEXT WORLD (aka: NW). A VRMMO Fantasy World with an incredibly extensive map that can not be compared to the games up until now.
I don't understand the specific details, but it's a VRMMORPG that will be released next week. It looks like there's a lot of hype towards it, and the reason for that is that, if you apply for it, you will be able to get an exclusive NW VR set for free.
Even though VR has already become widespread in society, there are still plenty of people who haven't got their hands on a VR set. More so for a student like me; it's not something I can get easily since it's expensive. And after being told that it would be given away freely, people would definitely pay attention.
「Maybe I should try this out…」
I've already experienced a normal non-VR MMO, but I haven't tried out a VR MMO. Someone like me who doesn't own a VR set is obviously going to give in to the sweet temptation of a free giveaway…
Furthermore, because I'm going to start something, a new game is easier to get into compared to an already existing game.
I pre-registered to the game, applied for the VR set, and waited for the release date.
ーOne Week Laterー
The boring lessons have ended, and it'll finally be after school. It's the release day of NW. I immediately prepared my things and left the classroom.
And, there was a crowd of people.
「Again...」, I released a sigh.
Whether it's after school or during a break, a boy from the neighboring classroom, a student of this school, a handsome boy nicknamed 『School Prince』 by the students, is always surrounded by a crowd.
I think his name Shao Xin
「Shao Xi-san After school, wanna play with us?」
「Sorry~! But I really need to go home~☆」
Everyday, the hallways are like this. I
t's hard to get through.
And someone like me who can't say「please let me pass」, can only turn and go the other way.
However, the school Prince who'd noticed me,
「Everyone~! There is someone who is troubled so can you open up the way~☆」
Their eyes gathered on me. Honestly, it would've been better if I had detoured without them noticing me, but I couldn't ignore their goodwill, so I bowed my head a little and walked past quickly.
A built figure, excellent grades, athletic ability, and on top of all that, attentiveness and consideration… That boy , I wonder if he's really a human like me.
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After quickly returning home, I received the package that'd arrived and opened it immediately.
Even though the main game is already free-to-play, the VR set was also given away for free... They've been exceedingly generous, but I haven't experienced VR so rather than questioning it, the excitement I felt from wanting to try out the VRMMO won out, and unable to endure it, I setup the VR set.
The DL of the game finished, and the installation was completed.
On the user registration screen, I put in my personal number and password, and finished the settings.
A personal number is a set of numbers that is assigned to each person, and when a game asks for it during registration, it's to prevent illegal use and the creation of multiple or sub accounts.
There were a lot of people making sub accounts to troll or insult others, but due to the MMO personal number system, it's become less chaotic compared to other places.
「O-okay… Log in!」
When I logged in, the first thing that appeared was the Character Customization screen.
There are various settings, so it looks like it might take a while with just the character creation.
「I might as well make it cute, I guess?」
Eyes, mouth, nose, contours. Even though I wanted to make someone different from my real self, for some reason I ended up choosing parts similar to the real me.
Thinking of wanting to change oneself and on the other hand, not wanting to deny one's current self. A feeling like that.
The hair is the same as my RL hair, almost black and semi-long. Teal eyes, and a height of 158 cm. The chest is neither large nor small. It seems that there are no job or race selection settings.
After the character creation was complete, the world of NEXT WORLD finally appeared...
ー!
I'm speechless.
Mountains, seas, and skies spread out in front of me.
It's just as beautiful as the real world.
No, I think it might be even more beautiful than reality.
Wait a minute? We don't start in a town!?
I wonder why I was thrown out into the middle of the plains. I didn't read the guide book, did I...
Even if I just stay still here, nothing is going to happen. So for now, I'll walk around and explore.
And now that I think about it, I don't have a weapon… I wonder how I can get one? If I were to meet an enemy in this situation…
The bad feeling I had was on the mark. Right in front of me, a monster appeared!
It's a big mouse the size of a cat. I don't have any weapons, so I hold up my fists. But, even if I throw a punch, I can't hit it without squatting.
In that case, a kick! So I kicked the mouse as if I were kicking a soccer ball, sending it upwards.
MARI ATTACKED → MOUSE CAT RECIEVED 7 DAMAGE
However, while being kicked up, the mouse changed its position in the air and I received a counterattack. A green breath from its mouth!?
MOUSE CAT USED [Poison Breath] → MARI IS POISONED
Unprepared, I was showered in the breath, and my field of vision became warped.
It looks like it deals poison damage over time and also has an effect that blocks your vision. My HP continued to decrease, and my vision became so distorted that I couldn't see the monster.
The mouse continued to attack me… If this goes on, it's game over… just as I had that thought,
「I won't let you die~!」
a cold icy voice echoed, a dull blow resounded, and the attacks I received from the mouse stopped. Apparently, the mouse was defeated.
「Are you alright? Your HP decreased by quite a bit.」
Due to the poison effect warping my vision, I can't see what the person looks like but, judging from the voice, it sounds like it might be a man probably…
「That's right! The one I picked up earlier, this antidote grass… …Well? Did it work?」
And so my vision returned, and I was able to clearly see with my own eyes the man that had saved me.
Shaggy hair, piercing eyes, fit proportions, very sexy and cool… except thick branch in his hand.
A branch.?
「Hmm? …Ah, this? When I started the game, I was thrown into a wide plain. And since I didn't have anything, I picked it up as a replacement for a weapon. The antidote grass too, I picked it up at that time. It worked, didn't it?」
I nodded.
I wanted to say「thank you very much」but, before I knew it, I was in front of a person, and the words wouldn't come out.
「Ara? Is there something wrong with the voice function?」
I was flapping my mouth open and closed, while he looked at me worriedly.
「While exploring randomly, I saw your figure, and since you're the first person I've met since I logged into the game, I thought that it might be some kind of fate, so I just had to help you.」
What a good person… for someone like me, he even used up a precious medicine…
I, also want to become strong and kind like this person.
I want to return the favor to this person.
I need to be, brave…
「U-um… Please be my friend!」
ーーThose were the very first words that I spoke in this world.
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Chapter 1 END