Chapter 2: Yumir AndHind

As I regained consciousness, I found myself in a place that looked like an entrance.

While I was absentmindedly standing there, a window suddenly popped up in front of me asking me to input my personal data.

Seems like the first thing that showed up was the login window.

I entered the ID and password that I made a while ago and proceeded to the next step.

「Proceeding to scan body data」

A digital voice that came from somewhere instructed me to wait where I was.

...Suddenly, the sense of reality started to come back to me.

Going from a state that was close to having a dream to something closer to reality.

...Ooh...There are no words to describe this kind of feeling.

I started to move my hands and legs like the guide was telling me to and it also answered the questions I had.

It doesn't feel any different from moving a real body.

After saying 「 Yes 」at the last verification window, it entered a slightly long procedure.

「Adjustments completed. We'll proceed to perform the avatar's settings.」

A window appeared in front of me again.

It seems like next was the customization window.

Medium build and black hair with a hairstyle where the bangs partially covered the eyes.

In the window, there were options you could click on.

Doing so would bring up the modifiable data.

Though, the only things that you could change were the skin color, hair color and the existence of tattoos.

「There's not many options...oh well, it just makes things easier.」

It seems that in order to bring a sense of comfort and realism they don't tamper with the player's physique and bone structure.

For example, if you were to play with a physique that's far from your real self, once you went back to reality you would have issues moving your body properly.

Another example would be that during an experiment, the subject was doing movements that would be physically impossible for a human being and after the experiment, the muscle fibers in his arm went 「BAM!」 and got ruptured...that's so scary.

Though it does seem like the retail version has some limiters set on them.

Basically, if you want to play, your avatar should be close or identical to your physical appearance in order to move properly.

...In the old days it must have been really problematic if your personal information got out.

Even if just by changing your hair color would change the impression one person gives.

With the net bills currently passed these days, the percentage of criminals caught by the police has been rising.

You could say that it's gotten easier to retrace the steps performed by said criminals.

Anonymous bulletin boards are still rather active, but I believe the cases where people slander and flame others have become scarce.

That's why people that reveal who they are in social networks have been increasing and the people that are opposed to the idea has been decreasing.

Even someone like Miyu who used to say things like 「Even then!」 and hid her face, has made a promise with me to play a VR game these days.

「Hmm...」

If there were more options, it would be nice to go as a muscular middle-aged man, but that's no longer possible unless you play non-VR games.

I also don't think I want to change my hair color or the color of my skin...tattoos won't look good on me either, like that, I kept proceeding without making changes.

A robe that will conceal my figure, a mask that will hide my face and so on...for now, I'll just take what I can get.

With that, I finished checking everything.

In the end, I had to enter a name...OK, guess this should be good enough.

「With this, you have completed all the initial settings. Welcome to Trailblazer!」

With those last words from the electronic voice, my eyes were enveloped by the light again.

Just as I was thinking that...a rural village appeared before my eyes.

When I looked around me, I saw people that looked like players doing the same thing as me and moving around awkwardly while confirming their surroundings.

It might be because it's launch day, there was a number of people that didn't fit the rural scenery.

I took off the robe and mask because they were in the way and placed them in the inventory, which was attached to the waist in the form of a pouch. The robe and mask turned into light and were absorbed by it.

But, where is Miyu?

「Kya! Geez, why are there so many people!」

From the crowd of people, a chestnut colored hair woman came out and fell down.

Why isn't anyone helping her?

I made my way through the players and reached her.

「Are you OK?」

「Th-Thank you...you are different from the other visitors」

「Visitors?」

Hearing her words I noticed something.

Above the woman's head, the name Claris was shown in white letters.

While the names of the other players were displayed in blue letters.

As expected, this person...is a NPC.

But, the fact that she stood up when I offered help and I was able to feel her body temperature, makes this feel weird.

「We call people who came out from the gate that. They are also called that in the legends」

「I see...sorry for asking so many questions, but what's this legend you speak of?」

「When the southern skies turn crimson, the gate to the outer world will open. If those people are not stopped, the world will undergo great change...such a legend exists in this country. I never thought that the gate would appear in such a remote village though」

「I see...」

It seems like players are treated as beings that came from another world.

When I looked behind me, I saw a gate emitting a mysterious crimson light in the air.

So we came out from there...if it was this kind of setting, it's true that it was an unexpected event.

We are these many people after all.

So basically, Claris-san came to check on the gate, but a crowd of people suddenly appeared and she couldn't get out, something like that?

After that, I exchanged some words with Claris-san and we split up.

It seems like this village is called 「Altrowa Village」, seems like she manages a second-hand shop inside the village.

As thanks she wants to give me a discount so she told me to go to her shop later, after advertising her shop and providing me with a customer service smile, she left.

Now that I think about it, it felt like I was talking to a normal person...they are incredible, these day's AIs.

「Hey!」

While I was in a daze, a female with long silver hair and dark skin that I had no recollection of, approached me while waving her hand.

Who is she greeting?

I only took a glance, but she gave the aura of a beautiful woman, if the person she was greeting was a man, I'd feel envious.

「Hey, Wataru! Why are you ignoring me!」

The person whose arm she grabbed...was me!?

Not knowing who this person was, I stared at her for a while.

Oh? This face...and this voice...!

「Wait, you are Miyu!? What's with that hair and that skin color!? When I saw you from a distance I couldn't tell who it was!」

「Umu. It was a good opportunity, so I went and reversed the colors! How is it? Does it suit me!?」

「Rather than suiting you...」

To begin with, Miyu was fair skinned and with long black hair. With her looks and body, you could say that among Japanese people she was distinctly beautiful.

Now that she had reversed those colors...right, she was like that.

That race that appears in fantasy works.

「You kind of look like a dark elf」

「I thought so too. If there is an accessory that makes your ears long, I plan to use it」

「Ah...I see...」

Even though it shouldn't really suit her because of her Japanese features...I guess it's the advantage of being beautiful.

In my case, the beginner equipment looks like western style light clothes and they don't really suit me.

Makes me look like a peasant and weak at that.

「So, Miyu-」

「Stop right there. That's no good」

「Hmm?」

「Calling me by my real name is prohibited. The great feeling of immersion will diminish if you do!」

Didn't you just call me with my real name a moment ago...? Even though it was to search for me.

Though, I guess it's some kind of manners.

「I see. In that case, what's your character name?」

「It's Yumir!」

「So you basically reversed your name and since the length was not long enough, you added a "R" at the end, huh...」

「How did you know!?」

I mean, it was too simple...your way of thinking.

It's also similar to a name of a giant in Norse mythology, but since it's her, she probably wasn't aiming for that...

Since it sounds good, I don't think it's that weird for her to choose that name.

「I settled on Hind」

「Hind? You mean that Russian att-」

「Not that helicopter! Why do we even know about that, both of us. The Hind with the simple meaning of being at the rear」

「Hey, don't tell me...」

「Because I'll just stay behind you」

「Hey!」

She looks dissatisfied.

However, renaming is impossible so Mi-...Yumir reluctantly consented.

Since there were too many people near the gate, we started to move away from there.

On the way, Yumir regained her spirit and pulled me towards the place that looked like the exit of the village.

「This way, Hind!」

「Wait wait. Where are we going?」

「Where...anyway, let's just go outside! I want to try fighting against some monsters!」

「Just like that...? Is that okay...?」

We haven't really made any preparations though.

A few minutes later.

In a place called Dondery forest, the clueless us had our HP depleted after receiving successive strikes.

Our opponent was a common one in games like this, a monster with the appearance of a giant bee.

We died peacefully and respawned in the village.

It was terrible...

「That's why I told you it was impossible bare handed!」

「T-that's right. Usually you would have a weapon...」

If you knew, why did you just charge in?

...Ah, it seems like an indicator has appeared in front of me.

During the time you are a beginner, there won't be any death penalties...Ah, I'm so glad.

However, this means there will be death penalties in the future...oh well, if there was nothing, the feeling of tension would be gone after all.

We sat down in the plaza that had comparatively fewer people than before and started to sort our information.

We confirmed various things, first off, it seems like when you open the status menu you can start the tutorial.

You'd normally do this...the only idiots that would just suddenly go outside were probably just us.

Doing so will let you decide on your beginner job, once you have made your choice, they'll give you a beginner weapon that fits the class you have chosen as a present.

Until level 10 you are free to change your job whenever you want, once you reach level 10 you'll have to make your final choice, the information provided went like that.

After having finished the tutorial, both of us were groaning at all the jobs that were lined up.

「...Alright, I'll become a knight!」

「Let's see, hmm...balanced in terms of offense and defense, once leveled up it can use magic swords and counters. Ah, like those heroes or magic knights from old games. It reminds you of those offline RPGs.」

「Isn't it cool!?」

「Well, isn't it fine?」

Being a dark elf, I'd think dark powers would be better though.

She always liked being flashy after all, this one.

That kind of thing doesn't suit me.

Since it's going as expected...if that's the case, naturally my role has already been decided.

「In that case, I'll be the rear guard. Shinto priest? This one」

「What!? You are not going to fight next to me!? And you call yourself a man!?」

「No, what's with that reasoning...men can't be rear guards? Besides, I've already said it, I'm Hind」

「I didn't mean it that way...stuff like combination sword skills! or combo skills! I wanted to do stuff like that with you!」

「Even though you already know I'm not that type of person. Just give up」

「Gununu...」

Nothing will change even if you act like that.

It's not like I'm completely confident in saying this, but I believe my reflexes are not that good.

When thinking about VR games, if you wanted to be a vanguard, I judged that not having good reflexes would dull your movements.

Actually, when we were fighting that bee, I was the one that got stabbed and died before Miyu.

Even if there's no difference in our stats, it showed that there was a big difference in our evasion and defense.

In that case, I'll choose the rear guard class Shinto priest to support Yumir once she goes to the front.

「Come on, Let's equip the weapon already and go try one more time. It seems like they have given us some items along with the equipment」

「Hmm, you are right. All of them have beginner attached to their names though...」

「So all of this can only be used until level 10, huh...so it basically means that you should remember the basics of the game until then」

Seems like the experience gain has been increased for one day too.

Looking at the things that appeared in my inventory, these are definitely stuff that they had prepared for launch day.

I took out the beginner wooden staff from my inventory and equipped it.

...Uwah, so lame!?

This, isn't this just a random branch that fell from a tree instead of a wooden staff?

If I were to speak honestly, it looked really dull.

At the end of the branch there's even a leaf attached to it...

If its performance is really good even while looking like this, it would make it something like a branch of Yggdrasil or the like.

「Hind...」

「What is it? wait, so you also got a wooden stick...」

「This is not being a knight...it's just as if I was a kid playing around...」

In Yumir's case, it was a thick stick around the same length as a sword, but their appearances were deceiving.

...Because they say they have infinite endurance, this wood must be made from some mysterious material.

In terms of offensive stats, the staff gives 5 points and the sword 10.

However, the staff increases magic attack by 5 points.

When I checked, being bare-handed at level 1 your attack would be 1 point, this is definitely much better than not having anything.

Hurry up and acquire some proper equipment, it gives the feeling that the developers are pressuring us to do that.

Well, instead of receiving some wonderful equipment right from the bat, I believe this will motivate us more and is a good thing.

「W-whatever. You are done preparing, right? In that case, let's go Hind!」

「Aren't we going join a random party?」

「I don't care! We are going with just the both of us!」

「Ah, wait just a moment!」

Yumir started to run at full speed.

I only have confidence in my stamina, but she's so fast that I think it'll be hard to keep up...!