Prologue
VR was completely prospering around this time. The market was swept by popular VR games that had finally reached a level of reliability and simplicity in immersion.
These games were high in demand, regardless of whether or not they were for gamers. There were a variety of games including real time combat nations with Fighters and Brawlers, sports that are easy to enjoy for patients and the elderly, recreational and family activities that can be done between parent and child, and so much more. With this, the genre received a diverse user base.
A popular type of VR in particular were MMOs. The combination of a VR and an MMO was highly addictive. Even if you compare it to other genres of VR, it would be the first one that would stand out.
At any rate, the virtual world was rather vast. This made it fine for those who wanted to enjoy a slow life within the virtual world, or even go exploring. It was most likely that the genre would be receiving a wide range of users for this reason.
Your avatar in the virtual world is created based on your preferences. It’s fun to play with other players using a character that’s built the way you like. It’s something that can’t be enjoyed elsewhere.
I am obsessed with the VRMMO 『Break Force Online』like many other people. BFO is a fantasy world with the orthodox use of swords and magic setup, but it’s also attractive to various players due to its wide variety of occupations, equipment, martial arts and magic. My avatar, Theodore, is a Battle Mage that solely specializes in close combat magic.
After returning home, I triumphantly equipped my headset and turned the power on.
I was immediately notified of a security alert. It was a warning that there were people inside of the Private Area. Eh? People?
It was one of the functions of the VR headset that had informed me. It would monitor my surroundings, and inform me of any abnormalities while I was logged into the game. Some of the things it would show were, for example, an indication of hunger or a change in body temperature. It even detected cases of intrusions within the Private Area I created, in order to prevent thefts and mischief.
“–Eh.”
When I activated the external monitor with my headset to check my surroundings, I saw that a man had come out of the closet. I locked eyes with him. I think this was an unfortunate event for the both of us. If I had been alerted after logging in…I would have been unable to move my body and maybe the thief would have ignored me when he ran. However, despite the headset being on, I had let out a voice and moved my body, and he had unfortunately noticed me. Certainly–according to what one of my university friends said, burglaries happened often in the neighborhood. The man was holding a kitchen knife and had a look of determination on his face. I had been lying down so I could log in, and he lunged towards me while I was in such a vulnerable position.
“You’re joking, aren’t you–!?”
When I saw the appearance of the man, I quickly concluded that he wanted to make any eyewitnesses disappear. As for me, I thought I was strong enough to resist. If he didn’t want to show his face like that, he should have put on a ski mask. Although he reflexively aimed at my neck, he ended up stabbing a different place. A hot impact ran through the right side of my body. The man pressed the login switch on the headgear and the sensation quickly faded away from my body.
–What I felt first was the feeling of my body being held. My whole body was numb and I was unable to lift a finger. I had no sense of which direction was up or down, and the scenery rapidly changed as I tried to confirm my surroundings. I didn’t know what was what. Suddenly, I was in water and drowning. My eyes rolled up in agony, since I could not swim or breath, and the scenery that had been moving at high speed suddenly stopped. My arm was grabbed and my body was pulled up. There was a tight feeling on my back. After I was pulled up from the water, I was laid down somewhere. Although I understood what was happening, I did not understand why it was happening.
“Theodore-sama, please hang in there! Theodore-sama!”
A beautiful, blond woman opened her thin eyes…Grace saw my face and seemed relieved. I looked around as I slightly leaned forward. I appeared to be at the town in the territory of Count Gartner. Grace’s hair and clothing were wet, so she had probably rescued me from the waterway. There were also unfamiliar adults around who might have also helped me. What on earth is happening? Am I logged into BFO? Is this an event? No, wait. What’s a Login, and what’s an Event? Am I not Theodore?
I was confused. I think I saw the memory of someone in a distant world while drowning, and now I am somewhere inside the game. I was called Kagehisa Kirishima, and I remember being a Japanese, I think? More precisely, I, as Theodore, am conflicting with a 一〇-year old memory. I didn’t understand the cause. It seemed that I had remembered my