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 j.a.panese, 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 past life after reincarnation, but it was still too early to say anything. There wasn’t anything on my stomach that would make me think I had been stabbed. Should I logout and call a GM? However, I couldn’t access my inventory, so even if there was an abnormality, I was helpless.
“I’m, fine.”
When I expressed my thoughts, Grace’s expression became cloudy again. In order to rea.s.sure her, I smiled at her. Grace was a servant of the house of Count Gartner. She was a.s.signed to my room and was one of the few allies I had.
“Hey, hey, Theodore. Are you alright?”
My step-brother Byron said with a grin and a laugh. Next to Byron was his younger brother tagalong, Daryl. Ah, I remembered. Somebody threw me into the waterway. It was probably one of these guys. They kept me company today, saying that they would help carry the bags since I was shopping. I had brought along Grace as my servant. Maybe she was ashamed of me.
One way or another, the idiotic duo Byron and Daryl had come to tease me. Byron was the hateful, eldest son of the Gartner House. The one who had spoken to me was the second son. I was a child of Count Gartner’s mistress. Although I was taken into the Gartner House because my mother had died from an illness, my step-brothers and I never hit it off with each other. Since those guys treated me like nothing since the beginning, it was impossible for us to get along with each other.
In BFO…when making a character, the character’s origin was thoroughly established and could be adjusted. When doing the characterization of a character, you were able to change the initial stat values. This had no effect on the Game’s adjustment of the character’s origin, and although you were free to Role Play if you wanted to in the Game…This current situation wasn’t even Role Play. It was undeniably reality.
If it had become a reality for me, whose creator was Kirishima Kagehisa, I just wanted to say “Don’t imagine it you guys”…well…it was their own business. It might even be said that my reality was becoming another part of me. Since Theodore was inclined to spend his childhood seeking power, he became a Magician…this was the way that Kagehisa had thought in regards to how he had adjusted the initial stats.
‘Well, what should I do now?’ Magic collected in my hands, condensing and swirling around as I thought about it.
“You can’t even swim. You’re becoming a burden for the Gartner house. Try not to get embarra.s.sed about it.”
Daryl said. This family disliked every inch of me. They were bullies. As for me, I didn’t give a s.h.i.t about them. Although I had been quiet, with my head down, until just a few minutes ago, I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t feel any need to endure it.
“…Right back at you. Even if you forgot how to swim, you would still float to the surface since you’re just a fat piece of meat.”
“Ah?”
Daryl’s face distorted and blushed. Had I never retaliated before? Byron also frowned.
“…Hey. Theodore. Do you understand the position you’re in?”
It was because they constantly nagged at me every day that I always got beaten for no reason. I was at the bottom of the hierarchy in the Gartner House. I was a mistress’s child and had a small body, and although I hadn’t been able to act freely at all, there was no need to endure it anymore. If I thought about it calmly, apart from my dad, who didn’t hate me, there were very few who would forgive me instead of being violent. If it weren’t for dad, I wouldn’t have been called to the house.
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d…”
I pointed at Byron’s feet, who was trying to leave…and released a novice wind spell, Air Bullet, getting the drop on him.
“!!”
The ground was blasted open with wind bullets. Byron’s eyes opened wide and he stopped moving.
“…b.a.s.t.a.r.d, since when did you learn magic…”
Perhaps it was “Just now”, if it was previously unnoticed. It’s totally from BFO. Theodore was able to use magic because the knowledge that Kirishima Kagehisa had acquired was intact. Although the amount of magic was small, it wasn’t a problem to cast novice spells with chants. As for Byron, he only had the confidence to mock people while humming a tune because of his pride in becoming an apprentice knight. The pvp experience of a player was too different.
“If you start being quiet now, I think you’ll be able to get along with me.”
When I said that, Byron distorted his vicious face. It was better to clearly establish a power relationship with these guys.
“Theodore! You’re being c.o.c.ky just because you learned how to use a little bit of magic!”
Although it seemed that Byron understood to a certain extent, it was apparently still too early for Daryl to understand a power relationship. I picked up a stone and threw it their way. Grace, who was next to me, tried to leave before I threw the stone but she didn’t need to worry about it. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, then spat at Daryl.
“Beat it.”
Although I had casted an Air Bullet earlier, this time I adjusted it so I wouldn’t lose focus. Rather than a Wind Bullet, it probably felt like a Wall of Storms. I shot the stone that I had thrown earlier at Daryl and, just like that, he flew back and dropped into the waterway. This much wasn’t troubling. The sounds of screams and water resounded.
“Daryl!”
Fumu. Just like the image, I guess. I pointed at Daryl, who was struggling in the waterway, with my thumb and looked sideways at Byron as I gripped onto him and said:
“Now it’s your turn to help out, Byron. My cute, little brother.”
“…I’ll remember this?”
“Go quickly. It’s fine for you to not get involved, Grace. Byron, if you dare to order someone from the Count to come here, I’ll throw you into the waterway.”
Byron ground his teeth before dodging me and flying into the water with a splash that resounded in the streets. Well, that was the way it should be when a grudge was returned. From here on, in order to live comfortably in the future, I had no choice but to change the behavior of those stupid brothers. Still, I’m already sorry that we are living together. I wonder what I should do now. I think it’s a waste of time to rot away in such an upright area.