Estimated reading time: 4–5 minutes
Chapter 1
In a run-down six-tatami one-room apartment, the only light comes from a small light bulb.
A man lying on the bed slowly sits up.
「Tch! Dammit!」
Cursing, the man takes off the helmet-shaped machine on his head and tosses it onto the bed.
His name is Taida Isamu, a 35-year-old part-timer.
He’s in a bad mood after being player-killed for the third time today in a VRMMO.
「Hah… I can’t take this anymore.」
Spitting that out, he falls back onto the bed and stares at the ceiling.
(It was the only thing I lived for…)
No friends, no girlfriend.
His only relatives, his parents, passed away a few years ago, leaving him truly alone.
On top of that, at his part-time job at a convenience store, he not only fails to fit in, but endures daily gossip from coworkers over a decade younger than him.
What gave his life meaning amidst all this was VRMMOs, which became practical two years ago.
Already a gaming enthusiast, Isamu casually purchased one and became so absorbed in this next-generation gaming that he forgot to eat and sleep.
But now, even that has started to feel boring.
The reason is simple.
So-called 「successful people in real life」 have all started playing the game.
The currently popular VRMMOs mainly use software that reproduces one’s real-life appearance in the game.
In a virtual space just like reality, being able to converse with one’s real appearance has given the games a role as communication tools.
For that reason, the winners in life, originally far removed from gaming, began playing VRMMOs and eventually became the main demographic.
So what happens then?
Isamu, forced to play solo due to his loneliness, naturally becomes the one being hunted.
Of course, this could be solved by interacting with other players in-game, but he obviously lacks those communication skills.
Day after day of playing only to be killed, the experience points and in-game currency he desperately saved become nothing.
It’s no wonder he finds it boring.
「Hah…」
As time passes and his anger subsides, a sense of emptiness washes over him instead.
To distract himself from that emptiness, Isamu picks up his smartphone to check some online news sites.
「Huh? …Hey, seriously?!」
There’s one email notification.
It says 「Dream Fantasy Beta Test Winner Announcement」.
Dream Fantasy is a new title that instantly became a hot topic when two of Japan’s leading game makers joined hands.
Applications for its beta test were held just the other day, and of course Isamu applied.
Various sources predicted 「the odds are no less than 1 in 10,000」, so he thought there was no way he’d win, but he somehow miraculously got selected.
(But, well…)
His rising excitement is short-lived.
For Isamu, today’s VRMMOs are just a tool for accumulating stress.
Even if he learns to enjoy the game through the beta test, once it officially launches, he’ll just end up being one-sidedly hunted again anyway.
「Ah, maybe…!」
Just as he was about to give up on VRMMOs altogether, Isamu had a realization.
He checks the email contents to see if it’s possible.
「Hah… Well, I guess that’s how it is.」
Isamu sighs.
He had considered whether he could carry over the levels, stats, items, etc. acquired in the beta test to the official release.
If so, he could start the game at an advantage and be the one hunting the successful people in real life.
But things don’t go as he hopes.
To ensure fairness, there’s a note stating 「Data cannot be carried over to the official release」.
「No, wait…?」
Though momentarily discouraged, Isamu finds hope.
Even if numerical data can’t carry over, knowledge and experience can.
If he tries out various things in the beta test and finds efficient leveling methods, he can get a head start.
After a while, he’ll be overwhelmed by numbers and go back to being the hunted, but for a few days he should have the upper hand.
Thinking this, Isamu makes an eerie grin.
(I’ll make them understand how I feel!)
Hunting newbies on release day.
With that impure motive, Isamu begins downloading the beta version.
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