345: Angry Newbie: 10/29/2057 (Mon) 20:11:18 ID: EVA2014Srd
"I'm really good at taking down apostles!"
346: Adventurer: 10/29/2057 20:12:31 ID: DigiCalat201
"Hey, I heard that going to Arcadia will bring you happiness!"
347: Adventurer: 10/29/2057 20:13:52 ID:Adl6Ms10r
"Does anyone have information on the apostles? I'm thinking of tackling the Angel Quest, but details are hard to come by..."
348: Depuko: 10/29/2057 20:14:33 ID:Dpbl16Slv
"For the Angel Quest, you have to start with the 'Apostle of Beginnings.'"
349: Adventurer: 10/29/2057 20:16:10 ID:bb86brz2kT
"So is the Angel Quest basically a series of interconnected quests?"
350: Adventurer: 10/29/2057 20:16:45 ID:K1llEr412
"Wow, you've got that information fast!?"
351: Adventurer: 10/29/2057 20:17:56 ID:gI11z2DHr
"What's that info you just mentioned?! This is the first I've heard of it!"
352: Depuko: 10/29/2057 20:18:33 ID:Dpbl16Slv
"By the way, the 'Apostle of Beginnings' is a dragon."
353: Adventurer: 10/29/2057 20:19:09 ID:sUo5tONan0t
**The Dragon has Arrived!**
**354: Adventurer #1**: 2057/10/29 (Mon) 20:19:21 ID: S10bUn119
**It's here!** ヽ(∀゜ )人(゜∀゜)人( ゜∀)ノ **The Dragon!!!**
**355: Adventurer #2**: 2057/10/29 (Mon) 20:19:56 ID: gI11z2DHr
**A dragon?!** There's no way this opponent is lacking in challenge!!
**356: Angry Rookie**: 2057/10/29 (Mon) 20:20:18 ID: EVA2014Srd
**Don't run! Don't run! Don't run!**
**"Haaah!!"**
I swung my sword at the charging, horned rabbit—**the Horn Rabbit**—that leapt at me, measuring about one meter tall.
As I felt the strength leave my body, a small surge of power flowed into my sword.
**Slash!**
My blade cleanly cut through the Horn Rabbit's head.
With its skull split open, the rabbit collapsed, blood pooling around it as it breathed its last.
But I had no time to linger over the kill.
Taking advantage of my momentary distraction, another Horn Rabbit leaped at me from the side.
I sidestepped to avoid it, simultaneously swinging my sword in a horizontal arc.
**"Kyaah!"**
The struck Horn Rabbit bled from its stomach, rolling on the ground as it struggled to regain its footing.
I raised my sword again without giving my opponent a moment's respite, visualizing my intent and channeling force into the blade. I felt a surge of energy flowing through me, enhancing the sword's power just slightly. I brought the sword crashing down onto the Horn Rabbit's head, killing it instantly.
"Haah."
Even after taking down the Horn Rabbit, I remained vigilant, checking for any signs of a counterattack before I took a breath. We were with Trinity, our beginner guide, engaged in combat with monsters in the Zaus Forest, located south of the royal capital, Elemia.
"Impressive! You're doing great; you're really utilizing your combat skills," Trinity praised. "Even basic techniques can be difficult for beginners from another world to master."
Combat techniques, or "skills," are essential moves commonly found in VRMMOs. Even though AIWOn has stripped away all game-like elements, it still offers some playful features. I heard from Trinity that mastering the right mindset for battle, along with various sword techniques, was key to fighting effectively, primarily through skills and magic.
The skill I just used is called "Slash," a basic sword technique that consumes magic to enhance the sword's power slightly—something anyone can learn. There are also techniques for spears, axes, even fists and kicks. Naturally, mastering these skills requires significant practice.
"Is that so? The sensation of consuming magic feels a bit unfamiliar, but it's easy to use because there are similar techniques in other VRs."
"I don't really understand VR, but is it possible that Suzanne is something special?"
"If I'm amazing, then others must be even more so, right?" Yuki and the hardcore players are quite experienced with VRMMOs, so I doubt they struggle too much, even with AIWOn.
"Speaking of which, how was your first battle?"
"Well, let's say it was quite a mental challenge."
What emerged from the Horn Rabbit I just struck wasn't a blood effect; it was actual blood. It wasn't the sensation of cutting through polygons, but the feeling of slicing into flesh. Most strikingly, what remained after defeating it wasn't a drop item but an unmistakably lifeless body.
As real as VR can get, this felt eerily lifelike. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the experience had transcended the game and ventured into true reality. The tagline "A reality beyond reality" and "Another world of reality" holds true.
This serves as a reminder to stay vigilant. Approaching this as just a game will surely lead to a painful reality check.
"For people from another world, that's probably the case. I've heard that in those worlds, there's no conflict through force. It seems that most of them come here with a sense of playfulness."
"That's why many people panic when faced with life-and-death combat... it's understandable. For us, this world feels like a game. Even battles have just been about grinding for experience in previous VR experiences."
"So, you tried to throw us into combat right from the start?"
"Exactly. This is my way of guiding you. By initiating combat right away, I want you to commit to living in this world that balances heaven and earth."
I wholeheartedly support Trinity's approach. It's a necessary wake-up call for us, who have grown too accustomed to a peaceful existence.
"Now it's Ava's turn."
While I was fighting, Ava had been watching my battle alongside Trinity. I had taken the first turn to experience combat, allowing her to defer.
"I'm fine. Watching you fight has already been quite enlightening," she replied.
"You say that, but watching and actually participating feel totally different," I countered.
Ava has likely experienced a variety of VR environments through her work at a cyber security company, so she'd probably be fine with the VRMMO battles… But since this AIWOn differs from other VRMMOs, I was about to suggest she give it a try when she suddenly turned her gaze elsewhere and spoke up.
"Four life signs are approaching from the three o'clock direction," Ava said.
"What?! Wait! You can detect presences, Ava? Even though you're a beginner?!"
Trinity was taken aback by Ava's sudden skill, and I was just as surprised. No matter how many other VR experiences one has had, this level of ability shouldn't have followed.
"Well, this is just perfect. As Suzanne suggested, it's time for me to experience combat myself," Ava declared, drawing one of the two light blue swords hanging at her side. The sword's sheath and hilt were the same shade, and even the blade shimmered in a translucent light blue.
"Gruuulrrr..."
From the shadows emerged wolves with pale blue fur—exactly four, just as Ava had detected.
"We have werewolves... They usually don't come this far unless you venture deeper into the forest."
The troublesome part about fighting wolves is how they attack in packs. Considering they are powerful monsters, this made the situation particularly perilous. I reached for my sword to assist Ava, but she raised a hand to stop me, stepping forward with calm confidence.
"Come at me! Or are you just a bunch of cowards watching?"
With that provocation, the four werewolves lunged at her all at once.
"Ha!"
Ava swung her light blue sword in a swift arc, and the heads of two werewolves flew off. The remaining two, undeterred, charged at her, attempting to bite. But Ava gracefully dodged their jaws and maneuvered behind them.
With a downward swing of her sword, she sliced one werewolf in half, then swiftly lifted her sword to strike down the last remaining beast. Before I knew it, the battle was over in an instant.
"Hey... Ava, you're a beginner, right?"
"...That should be the case."
Ava's combat skills were so impressive that Trinity uttered her disbelief softly. I, too, was captivated by Ava's fighting prowess. Was it the sword blessed with magic that was extraordinary, or was it Ava's skill?
Ava, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, wiped the blood off her sword and sheathed it as she walked toward us.
"Well, Suzanne was right. There's a big difference between watching and doing. It feels so visceral, and the sensation of magic consumption is something I've never experienced in other VRs."
"And after finishing it all in the blink of an eye, that's your impression...?"
"That can only be explained by a difference in experience."
Ava smiled wryly, but I couldn't help but wonder how much time and how many VRs it took her to gain such experience...
"Well, at least I think this helped you understand a bit more about this world."
Trinity collected herself and resolved to fulfill her role as the guide. "So, can you two handle the stripping?"
Was she referring to the dismembering of monsters? Most modern people have never experienced anything like that. Even though these creatures resemble animals, it's hard to imagine being able to do something so gruesome.
"Right? Well, you can learn as we go, so I'll take care of this for now."
As Ava remained on alert for any approaching monsters, Trinity set to work stripping the Horned Rabbit and the Werewolf. I decided to stay nearby and observe the process.
However, with the raw intensity of battle and the gruesomeness of this dismembering, I found myself wondering why AIWOn was so popular. It seemed to have too many off-putting elements that would ordinarily discourage players, yet its popularity showed no sign of waning.
Could it be that this was an unprecedented VRMMO experience, and such realism only fueled its appeal? It felt like players preferred the challenge of intricate tasks, favoring hard work over ease and realism over game-like simplicity. It was a perplexing sensation to grasp.
While I contemplated this, Trinity silently continued her work. The spoils from this encounter included the Horned Rabbit's antlers and fur, the Werewolf's pelt, and meat from both creatures.
However, it was impossible to carry all six carcasses, so we decided to bleed out one Horn Rabbit and one Werewolf for the journey home. By the way, we planned to sell our spoils at a materials shop or something similar to turn them into cash. Although we could have kept the meat for ourselves, our cooking skills were unfortunately lacking, so we would end up selling it to a supplier or a restaurant.
"Now, if you're up for it, how about we do a bit more hunting?"
Since our guide was also helping with the transportation, Trinity had prepared a large leather backpack. Even after packing the two pieces of meat, antlers, and fur, there was still some space left. Since we had made the trip to the forest, Trinity suggested that we take advantage of it.
"I don't mind at all. What about you, Ava?"
"Well, it would be good to get a little more practice in combat, so I'm on board."
So, we decided to hunt a few more monsters on our way back to the capital.
"By the way, Ava, don't you have a magic item box or anything? If you did, we could bring back a lot more loot."
AIWOn focused on realism, so it didn't include the typical infinite storage item box found in other VRMMOs. This made transporting our spoils rather inconvenient.
"There is such a thing, but... item storage magic is a type of space-time magic, you know. So far, only one person has been confirmed to wield space-time magic."
"Are you talking about that space god, one of the Seven Kings, that you mentioned earlier?"
"Exactly. He's the only one who can use space magic, which makes the Ava Temp Storage spells practically unusable. There is a shadow magic called Shadow Gauge, but it has its limitations compared to Ava Temp Storage. Unfortunately, since it's dark magic, not many people use it."
It's common in games for dark magic to have a bad reputation, but it's not like there are no users at all. It won't hurt to remember it; I might give it a try when I have some free time.
◊ ◇ ◊ ◇ ◊
I hired a beginner's guide, thinking I was starting off well after seeing the reality of this world, but the truth was much harsher.