What is this?! It's a terrible game!
902: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:01:41 ID: HkOj33sSn
What happened?
903: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:02:10 ID: nzo3IxtI73
That's harsh, calling it a terrible game right off the bat.
904: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:03:59 ID: Bs8610hrk
It was my first time playing AIWOn. I went into the forest to fight and died instantly?! I tried to restart the game, but it wouldn't launch! How is this not a terrible game?!
905: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:05:25 ID: dRrry9ull
Ah, classic! lol
906: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:05:55 ID: F91zDB100
It's a common trap for beginners.
907: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:06:42 ID: dd9cc44o
Did 904 really not heed Alice's advice?
908: Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:07:29 ID: AkjAlssft1
You can't treat this game like any other.
909: Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:09:10 ID: nzo3IxtI73
"This is VR, but not VR," by Alice.
Indeed, this is not a game.
910: Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:10:41 ID: HkOj33sSn
Right? It's more like an adventure in another world.
911: Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:12:59 ID: Bs8610hrk
How was I supposed to know that?!
I mean, losing your character means you can't play for a whole month? What's up with that!
912: Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:13:42 ID: dd9cc44o
In AIWOn, there are no resurrection spells, so if you die, you can't come back.
It seems that even in another world, life is limited to one.
913: Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:14:25 ID: dRrry9ull
Not being able to play for a month might mean they want you to value life more.
914: Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:16:41 ID: HkOj33sSn
"By the way, it's useless to try with other accounts. For some reason, you can only play with one avatar, even if you have multiple accounts."
915: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:17:29 ID: AkjAlssft1
"Really!? No way!"
916: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:18:55 ID: F91zDB100
"I didn't know that..."
917: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:19:10 ID: nzo3IxtI73
"What kind of principle causes that...?"
918: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:20:59 ID: Bs8610hrk
"Isn't this game terrible...? I can't believe so many people are into it."
919: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:22:29 ID: AkjAlssft1
"When you get hooked, it's a whole different level, haha."
920: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:23:41 ID: HkOj33sSn
"Well, there's actually a lot of fun waiting beyond that beginner trap."
921: Anonymous Adventurer: 2058/03/09 (Sat) 12:25:59 ID: Bs8610hrk
"...This is still a terrible game, isn't it?"
"I land in the character creation field of Alive In World Online."
Before me stood a woman dressed in a simple yet pure white dress, her long black hair styled into twin tails.
"Welcome to Alive in World Online. I am Alice, the goddess of the world you are about to enter, the realm that balances heaven and earth—Angelion World," she said, smiling at me.
The goddess Alice before me seemed to be the AI in charge of character creation.
"You will now create your avatar to descend into Angelion World," she continued.
"Got it... though I could stick with this look," I replied.
In the character creation field, my appearance mirrored that of my home avatar from my private space. Home avatars are typically customized to protect personal information while navigating the VR world through the global network. Some professionals even buy and sell cleverly tailored avatars.
For me, the hassle of customization wasn't worth it, so I simply scanned my real self and used that as my home avatar.
This meant that my appearance in the AIWOn character creation field was exactly as I looked in the real world.
"Is it acceptable to keep your real-world appearance? There's a risk—your personal information could be identified," Alice warned.
"Ah, that's fine. It's actually more advantageous for me if you recognize me."
At first, I considered creating a more elaborate character as part of the charm of character creation, but I quickly changed my mind. My goal is to search for and rescue Yuki, not to enjoy AIWOn. So, instead of actively searching, I decided to take a different approach by adopting a real-world appearance that would draw attention.
Of course, there's the concern about revealing personal information—commonly referred to as "real-world exposure"—but honestly, it wouldn't affect me at all. In fact, if my real-world exposure brings to light my true purpose for playing AIWOn and helps spread the word about Arcadia Corporation's plans, that would be even better.
"If you say so, then I will start with that appearance. Now, I will send you into Angeline World."
The goddess Alice began to conjure a magic circle at my feet, signaling that I was ready to go once my appearance was set.
"Don't I have to decide on a name or something?"
"You don't need to decide that here. In Angeline World, you can go by any name you wish. Whether you use your real name, a pseudonym, impersonate someone else, or even have multiple names, it's entirely up to you."
Oh, typically, one would enjoy creating a cool or overly dramatic character name as part of the experience, but it seems that won't be the case in AIWOn.
The world you're about to enter, Angelin World, is a realm that is "VR yet not VR." If you lump it together with other VRMMOs, you're bound to face serious consequences. First and foremost, adjust your understanding of this place. Alive In World Online is a different reality altogether. Life and death here are given the same weight as in the real world. You will embark on another life in Angelin World.
In Alive In World Online, everything is free. You can choose to act with justice or commit evil deeds; you can create or destroy—all actions are yours to decide. Feel free to follow your own desires.
May your new reality be blessed with the freedom to weave a legend that will unfold from here on out.
In that moment, a light erupted from the magical circle at my feet, casting the surroundings into a blinding white.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
—March 18, Year AL 103—
When I regained my senses, I found myself in a small room with only wooden walls and no windows. There was just a door in front of me. Hmm, so this is inside AIWOn?
At that moment, my body was clad in a linen outfit with a leather breastplate, and a one-handed sword hung at my waist. The gear felt distinctly like that of a beginner in a fantasy setting.
"Open system menu."
As I tried to summon the system menu, a window materialized right before my eyes.
The system menu displayed only the log-off button and the current date and time for both the real world and AIWOn, with no other information in sight. Notably, time flows at 1.5 times the normal speed in the AIWOn world, which is why both sets of times are shown on the menu.
"I'm definitely inside AIWOn. But looking at this menu... it feels incredibly bland." In the Alive In World Online realm, all numerical displays like HP/MP and status indicators have been eliminated. There's no Ava tembox, no skills—essentially, the menu feels pointless.
"Well, it doesn't matter. I need to explore this world a bit to find Yuki." I couldn't stay in this tiny room forever, so I stepped out through the door.
Outside, a long corridor stretched out before me, lined with ten doors—five on each side. The door I just exited was one of them. Most likely, the rooms behind these doors serve as summoning chambers from the real world to AIWOn. At the end of the corridor stood a more ornate door. Beyond it lay the world of AIWOn—the world that supports heaven and earth, Angelin World...
I opened the door. Inside, benches were evenly arranged on both sides, and at the front sat an altar with a cross adorned with a circle above it.
At first glance, it looked like a church.
"Thank you for coming here. We, the inhabitants of this world who support heaven and earth, welcome you, the players from the other world of Terrasard."
The one addressing me was a man in his thirties, dressed like a priest.
"I am Marius, the priest of the Alice Church."
"Alice Church...?"
"Yes, this is the Alice Church, and it also serves as a facility to welcome otherworldly players."
Alice—was he referring to the goddess Alice from the character creation field? The goddess Alice sends, and followers of the Alice Church welcome. I see, that's the setup.
"You have gained a new body from Goddess Alice, and you can live as you wish in this world that supports heaven and earth. Of course, this is under the condition that you follow the laws of this world. For now, I recommend hiring a guide to help you learn more about this realm."
"What do you mean by a guide?"
"A guide is someone who provides various briefings to first-time visitors from other worlds, helping them navigate as beginner players."
Hmm, so it's like a tutorial in a game?
"Good morning, Father!" A girl around fourteen years old entered through the main door, interrupting our conversation.
With chestnut semi-long hair, she wore thick long sleeves, trousers, and a leather chest plate much like mine. A rope hung from her waist, with a short sword attached, barely noticeable.
"Ah, just in time, Trinity. This is the newcomer from another world I was telling you about. Trinity, he just arrived."
"Wow! I'm feeling lucky! To have a guest show up so soon after arriving at the church!"
"Hey there! I'm Trinity, your beginner guide. Nice to meet you!"
"A girl is your guide...?" I expected someone with a decent amount of experience, maybe an adult, but a small girl like her? Wait, is the age of adulthood lower in this world? Does that mean Trinity qualifies as an adult?
"Hey! Don't underestimate me! I may look young, but I'm a certified guide from the Guild. Don't mix me up with some shady guides out there!"
I didn't mean to imply that, but do such people actually exist in this world?
"Don't worry, newcomer. Despite appearances, she's a capable guide," the priest reassured. "Trinity, I'm counting on you now."
"Got it!" she cheerfully responded, and the priest disappeared into the back room, leaving her in charge.
"Well then, esteemed otherworlder, shall we go?"
"Ah, just a moment. Actually, another person is supposed to join us, someone who supports the very fabric of this world. We're supposed to meet here at this church, right?"
"Oh? Is that so? That person is also a beginner, I take it? If that's the case, we'll wait. Personally, I'm glad to see more customers—it means more profit for me!"
Ah, I see. For her, this isn't just a free service. Hiring a guide likely costs her quite a bit. Well, it's certainly better to know something than to be left in the dark. I can think of it as purchasing information.
...Interesting, this feeling does lean more towards the realm of isekai than a typical VRMMO.
By the way, the guide fee is 10 gold coins—equivalent to 1 copper coin it seems. We need to pay an upfront amount of 1 gold—just one small copper coin.
As we were discussing this, Amy emerged through the door I had come from.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting!"
Trinity and I froze at the sight of Amy. Though she stood at the same height as in the real world—about 160 cm—with black hair tied in a ponytail, her outfit was something entirely different. She wore a long black coat and a pleated skirt, adorned with black armor decorated with gold lines. The armor draped over her as if it were a skirt, covering her from all angles.
The gauntlets and shin guards were black, and the entire outfit was a dark ensemble. The only splash of color came from the two swords hanging at my waist, one light blue and the other deep blue.