After being pulled into the holographic door that appeared in his room, Banri found himself in a forest. He was sitting under a tree, hearing the chirping of birds in the sky, and when he looked up, he saw the bright blue sky and the intense sunlight.
He touched his thighs, legs, down to his feet. He was shocked to feel his legs—because before, they were numb and without sensation. So, from sitting on the grass under the big tree, he slowly stood up.
To his surprise, he was able to stand. His knees and legs trembled with shock, unable to believe that he could stand now. He began to take small steps. He almost stumbled, and he walked unsteadily, slowly.
Because he had been paralyzed for a decade, it seemed he had forgotten how to walk, so he moved like a baby learning to walk for the first time. After a few minutes, he started getting the hang of it, and he couldn't help but smile with joy at the sensation.
He began jumping up and down in excitement and ran through the forest, shouting with overwhelming happiness.
"At last, I am free!" Banri shouted as he ran, feeling his legs and feet. He wasn't wearing slippers or shoes; he was still in his pajamas.
Whatever he was wearing in his room was the same outfit he had when he entered the game.
**[First quest: kill 10 forest monster limes]**
Banri suddenly stopped when the letters and words appeared in front of him like a hologram. Then, they quickly vanished.
"What? Forest monster limes? Monsters made of limes?" Banri muttered to himself in confusion. He stopped and looked around the forest. He didn't notice anything unusual, and the surroundings were peaceful. But he felt a sense of unease.
Banri was shocked when large limes with monstrous faces, sharp teeth, wide eyes, and tentacles suddenly fell from the towering trees. They quickly charged toward him.
**[To clear the quest, you need to kill at least 10 Forest Monster Slimes!]**
The words appeared again in front of him like a hologram.
"W-what? B-but how? I don't have any equipment or weapons against these lime monsters!" Banri exclaimed in panic, and he could only think of one thing to do—run. While the Lime Monsters chased him from behind.
To his astonishment, Banri found himself running faster than he had ever imagined—like the wind.
He was surprised at his newfound speed, even faster than when he was an athlete before he was paralyzed. It was as if he had gained a strange power that made him incredibly fast.
Banri almost flew through the forest because of his speed, which he could barely control. He slid down a sloping part of the forest, realizing too late that the ground wasn't flat. He shut his eyes in fear.
He screamed as he slid quickly and rolled down until he reached the lower part. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on flat land with green grass and flowers around.
When he looked back up, he saw that he had come from the upper part of the forest.
To him, the layout and place in the game seemed weird. He jumped back in surprise when more Monster Limes leaped down toward him.
Despite his body aching from the fall and tumbling down from the forest, he had no choice but to run again.
He reached the middle of the plains and was amazed and surprised to see many players fighting and killing Monster Slimes. He thought they probably had the same quest.
He was startled when a player threw a spear at him. Banri's eyes widened; he thought it was the end for him, but the spear flew past him, and when he turned, he saw that it had hit a Monster Lime that was dangerously close to his back.
"Dude, that was close..." the player said to him, quickly approaching the Monster Lime behind him and pulling the spear out of it. As soon as the player retrieved the spear, the Monster Lime turned to ash.
It dropped a leaf, which immediately floated toward the player's body and disappeared. From all the RPG games Banri had played, he knew what that meant—the lime was dropping materials, which went into the player's bag or storage space.
"Thanks, man," Banri said after the player saved him.
"How many more Monster Limes do you need to kill?" the player asked him.
"Honestly, I haven't killed any Monster Limes yet because I don't have any equipment."
"Really? Well, I'm almost done with my quest—I only need one more to make it ten Monster Limes."
"Where did you get that spear?" Banri asked.
"To be honest, in this game, you have to be a bit sneaky to win. I just stole it, haha," the player said, laughing.
"W-what? You can steal equipment in this game? That doesn't sound good. So, players' equipment isn't safe?" Banri replied in disbelief, dodging the attacking Monster Limes while the player helped him until the player completed his quest.
"I'm done with my quest, just waiting for the next one—this is fun. Good luck to you," the player said sarcastically and arrogantly.
"Hey, is there any other way to get equipment besides stealing from other players?" Banri asked as the player was about to leave.
"I heard from another player earlier that you can get equipment in a swamp."
A swamp is a place like a forest, but with muddy ground and shallow water. There are also trees and aquatic plants there.
"I went there and waited for players fighting fierce monsters in the swamp. The monsters there drop equipment. And since I have a steal card, I stole the equipment they got from the monsters there," the player explained.
"Steal card?" Banri asked, puzzled.
"Yes, I have a steal card. The game's developer is clever because, although players can steal from each other, you can't just steal whenever you want. You need a steal card, and you can buy it from the black market in the capital of Grimland. If you don't have a steal card, you can't steal equipment from other players."
What the player said made Banri think. He had never played an RPG game where players could steal equipment, let alone a game with a black market. This made the game more interesting to him.
"I don't need a steal card. Just tell me where I can find that swamp with monsters and mobs that drop equipment," Banri pleaded with the player.
"Alright, fine. I feel sorry for you. It's in the western area; you'll pass through three more forests. Just keep going west through that dense area over there, and you'll reach the swamp. But be careful of the fierce monsters—or if I were you, I'd just give up," the player replied arrogantly.
"I'm Ponio, by the way. I'm heading out," the player introduced himself.
"Banri," Banri introduced himself in return.
"Hopefully, I'll see you in the next levels," Ponio said, laughing with a hint of disdain, as if he was convinced that Banri wouldn't make it to the next level.
And Ponio left, walking away calmly, while Banri realized that once you completed the first quest of killing ten Monster Limes, the Monster Limes around you wouldn't attack anymore.
So as Ponio walked away, he wasn't attacked by the limes.
Banri found the player Ponio impressive, as he seemed to know a lot about the game. Ponio was also well-dressed, as if he had already acquired armor and boots that surely boosted his stats as a player.
Banri glanced at himself and realized he had nothing on his feet and was still just wearing pajamas.
Meanwhile, Banri was still struggling to dodge the Monster Limes. Many players around were still fighting and completing the quest with the Monster Limes. Banri decided to use his newfound ability—his incredible speed.
He quickly ran west, heading to the swamp to get equipment from the monsters there.
When Banri entered the first forest he needed to pass through to reach the swamp, he was surprised to find that when he looked back, the Monster Limes chasing him could no longer get close.
He realized that there was a boundary to how far the Monster Limes could go.
Once they were outside the area where the Monster Limes resided, they no longer had the ability to step into places beyond their territory.
He continued his journey, feeling the sting in his feet from the sharp grass and jagged rocks he stepped on.
But he ignored the pain and kept walking. To speed up, he started running, using his swiftness to quickly reach the swamp.
He passed through the second and third forests, encountering several players who seemed to be heading to the swamp as well.
At last, Banri reached the swamp, where the muddy water reached up to his shins. There were water lilies and other aquatic plants around. A few players were fighting the mobs or monsters that inhabited the swamp.