Undisclosed Location.

5:50 p.m. Monday, 6th April 2043.

The sun had begun its slow descent by the time the tour ended. The exposition trip took the gamers through the facility, which they realized was large enough to fit a town. The facility was divided into four major sectors and one minor sector. In order, they were: Residential, Research, Learning, Restricted, and finally Entertainment. The building placements were not strict, and it was common to find some residential buildings in the research and learning sectors and vice-versa.

Unlike the rest, the restricted section was cut off from the remaining sectors by an exaggeratedly tall concrete wall that shunned all visitors.

The buildings and structures under the recreational sector were scattered around, and thus could not be deemed a significant sector of its own. It seemed the creators of the compound did not want its inhabitants feeling overly pressured by work, so they had included various recreational facilities, such as a small amusement park, game stores, libraries, and several others.

During the tour, some of the participants inquired about their exact location. Yukino revealed they were still in Japan, but she was not at liberty to give out their precise location. Also, all correspondence with the outside world required the company's approval. This revelation caused a heavy cloud to be cast over the group. Although they had agreed to come here knowing the circumstances, who knew how long it would be until they began to miss their family and friends?

Yukino sensed the shifting mood and quickly announced the participants' starting monthly salary to be ¥150,000 to a cacophony of loud cheers. Many of the participants were handpicked from gaming studios where they labored to trade in-game currency for real-life money. Most months, they would be happy if they made a profit of a few thousand yen, yet they were going to earn salaryman level remunerations for gaming!

How could they not be excited!?

The most crucial information Yukino repeatedly stressed during the tour was the importance of the smartphones. To say it was their lifeline would not be too much of a stretch: it contained relevant information regarding events and announcements in the facility, was their sole means of communication, and acted as their ID for both human personnel and security systems.

Suzuki ran over all the information in his head as he laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, noticing the absence of a single sword. It was strange how the drawing he once saw as familiar and calming now filled him with a sense of dread.

A buzz shook Suzuki out of his head. He picked up the smartphone and sighed as he read the announcement. The game was to start at 6:00 p.m. as advertised, and it was expected that the participants should be plugged into the Virtual Drive by 5:55 p.m. as it would leave enough time for system calibrations. Suzuki glanced at the time at the top corner of the screen and realized it was already 5:50 p.m.

Suzuki stood at a crossroad. He had two choices: participate or not. If he chose to play the game, he would be going back on his decision to quit gaming for an extended period. Suzuki did not hate gaming, but so much of the past three years had been spent in the virtual world, he'd barely had time to be himself. Suzuki had no illusions. Should he choose to join the game, his time as 'Suzuki' would once again be severely reduced, replaced by whatever persona he decided to play.

However, what was the other choice? Not participate? First, Suzuki had no guarantee the company would actually release him. Even if Genaco chose to allow him to return home, what would he be returning to? A school system he barely tolerated, fighting on the streets, and parents who would sell him off at a moment's notice. Wait, that last part already happened.

Suzuki turned to look at the silent, Full-Body Virtual Drive waiting patiently to be used. It bore him no animosity, but similarly held no love for him. It existed to be used until its worth had been entirely squeezed out, at which stage it would be tossed away and replaced with a newer, better model, forever forgotten among layers of trash.

"We are not so unlike each other," Suzuki whispered to his silent companion. After a moment of deliberation, Suzuki surrendered to the urge in his bones and got out of bed. He pulled off his shirt and climbed into the Virtual Drive. One of the Full-Body Virtual Drive's most significant selling points was its ability to extend playtimes by providing gamers' bodies with the necessary nutrition they required while they played. The nutrients were administered to the body via IV needles. Hence, gamers were advised to take off their top before using the capsule.

Suzuki lay down in the capsule, secretly impressed by how cozy it was. Genaco clearly did not skimp out on quality. The capsule's hatch closed over him with a hissing sound. Suzuki expected this, so he did not panic. A small device that looked like a headband settled on Suzuki's forehead. A small screen extended from the headband and covered his vision.

The Virtual Drive slowly came to life with a soft hum as light scanned Suzuki's body and stored the information in its memory. This would ensure that no one would be able to hack into Suzuki's account. A light 'ping' next to his ear signaled the end of the scanning and a message window opened up in front of him:

Suzuki hesitated for a brief second, then shook his head and chose yes. He braced himself for the sucking feeling that was sure to follow. Despite the countless number of dives he'd experienced, Suzuki still could not get used to the feeling of entering the virtual world. It felt like someone had strapped his consciousness to the Millennium Falcon as it blasted through space at light speed.

In the short seconds that followed, he created a new account, inputted his personal data, and chose the single file in the system's memory labeled L.N.E.exe. The light faded out as Suzuki came to a halt, feet landing softly on a white paneled floor. Suzuki flexed his fingers, glad to finally be able to feel his body again, and scanned his surroundings.

Everything was white. The floor, the walls, the ceiling...even the strange conical machine at the room's center. The device looked like it was made from stacking donuts of continually increasing diameter on top each other. Within the 'donut' cone sat a young lady with bright blue hair.

"Come closer, Mato Suzuki," the lady said, motioning to Suzuki with a petite hand. She had Japanese features, but her accent was foreign. English maybe? Or American?

Suzuki approached her, devoid of hesitation. He knew her purpose. She was a program designed to welcome every gamer into the world and teach them the basics they needed to survive. A mini tutorial of sorts, if you would.

"Welcome to Live No Evil, Mato Suzuki," the guide greeted, with a bright smile. "You are one of the thousands logged on to participate in this game's opening event."

'Opening event, huh?' Suzuki inwardly thought. The creators of this game really aimed to please. Well, he had not started the first game until over a year past its release. He could not be sure the previous game did not have an opening event.

"For the next five minutes, I shall provide basic knowledge on the game to get you started, as well as a few rules." The guide paused to make sure Suzuki followed. "Any questions?"

"I have none," Suzuki replied. He suddenly felt a light breeze on his chest and looked down only to realize he was shirtless. For some reason, he did not feel embarrassed though. The girl's soulless tone, which seemed faked or programmed, might have had something to do with that.

"Then I shall proceed. Live No Evil is set in a rapidly developing world which you shall be an integral part of. Unlike most massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), in this world, every action you take has consequences, as every living thing follows one unbreakable rule: One Life. You will be allowed several avatars which can be obtained in-game, but every avatar will be deleted once dead."

"And the player?" asked Suzuki with a hint of mirth in his eyes.

"They will be unharmed," the guide reassured. "However, they shall be forced to create a new persona or use an already existing one if they wish to continue the game."

Suzuki breathed a mock sigh of relief that was immediately replaced with a stark realization. Death! The possibility of actual death would completely change the dynamics of an MMORPG. In theory, it was the least practical thing to be applied to a game as it would induce rage and quitting among many players.

On the other hand, it meant those who played regardless were die-hard players who absolutely loved the game and possessed a certain stubbornness or pride. The corners of Suzuki's lips curled upwards without his notice.

"The residents of the lands you will be visiting also possess one life and a consciousness of their own. As a result, the term 'NPC' is banned, and the degree of punishment if you use it is dependent on the region.

"The number of skills you can learn is limited only to your imagination, so experiment as much as you can. As stated previously, your actions affect the world directly. For example, assassinating a king would throw his kingdom into chaos, killing a child would cause the parent to grieve, and clearing out a hunting zone will render the animals there extinct. It would be wise to think before you act in this game," she said.

Suzuki trembled with excitement, but he forced himself to keep it together. He really wanted to play the game now.

"What is the time difference?" Suzuki asked.

In the previous game, time flowed a lot quicker than in reality, which was the reason Razznik had been able to acquire all the skills he had. It was an imbalance that made the lifeless and jobless much stronger than the average player.

"Three weeks here is equivalent to a week in your world."

"Smart." The difference was large enough to give players ample playing time but not so much that those who 'had a life' were terribly disadvantaged.

"Basics cleared. You will learn the rest on your own," the guide said as a screen materialized in front of her. On display were two armies in the midst of a chaotic battle. The sight of free-flowing blood mixed with the anguished, lifeless eyes of the defeated made him shiver.

"A coalition formed from all races living on the continent of Destia is in the midst of a decisive war against the daeben empire, Markoth," the guide explained as Suzuki watched the skirmish. "Markoth sought to control the continent through the use of Dark Arts and war machines obtained through enslaving the dwarven race. Rebels from around the continent fought against the daeben empire for years, leading to this final battle to decide the ultimate victor."

"Don't tell me," Suzuki muttered as he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his left hand in anticipation.

"Yes, you and everyone logged on at this time will be participating in this war. This brings us to our next phase. Please study the merits of each character type before choosing."

Suzuki carefully examined the pros and cons of each racial type. Humans were the most balanced characters and did not have any significant deficiencies or boosts. Their advantage laid in the fact they could train in any ability they wanted without fear. Other small advantages included the mordic's minor resistance to cold, the mertian's resistance to heat, the cerulian's innate charisma, and the masonian's inherent charm. The nords, as their name suggested, were tall and buff. Their default faces were those of western Caucasians. The mertians were lean but muscular with dark complexions. The cerulians were smaller and lither than the mertians and resembled a Japanese man. The Masonians were beautiful and slim, clearly taking after Koreans.

Suzuki skipped past the human race. He'd already played a human in King's Journey. He wanted to try something new. Out of curiosity, Suzuki checked the beast-man races. He clicked on it, but then shut it down a second later. The options were just too blinding. Suzuki never realized just how many types of dogs and cats existed in the world until that moment. The possibility of a hybrid between a beast-man and other races also existed. Suzuki had no doubt that the furries of the world would spend at least an hour deciding what breed they wanted. The beast-men possessed enhanced senses, improved vision, and heightened instincts but found magic extremely challenging.

Suzuki shook his head and finally examined the elven races. First, the wisben were a group of tree-huggers. Their affinity with the forest and their primary ranged fighting style gave them bonuses to horticulture, beast taming and dexterity. Unfortunately, like all of their elven brethren, they did not gain strength as quickly as other races did. Their bodies were not built that way.

The halben were commonly known as magic scholars. They were isolationists who studied ancient tomes and practiced magic. Their affinity with the elements granted them a boost to their mana, wisdom, and intellect. Unfortunately, because of their attitude, they were not well liked outside of their race. Their charisma and charm thus suffered penalties.

Suzuki switched to the daeben and did a double take. He had to reread the description before he could believe he saw what he saw. The daeben certainly lived up to their reputation as the bad guys. They were collectively hated by all the races, resulting in significant penalties to their charisma and charm. They also suffered penalties to their mana and magic attack power due to the backlash of the runes they used to empower themselves during the war. It was not all doom and gloom though. The daeben had a boost when learning art-related crafts like sculpting or painting. They also received a boost to runic manipulation.

Suzuki had already made his decision a long time ago, but reading the descriptions only made him more assured of his choice. He selected the daeben race with a confident gaze. He had always been a rebel and non-conformist. What better way to start this off than to join the evil and hated side?

"Are you certain?" the guide asked.

Suzuki nodded his head in confirmation, and he smiled in amazement as his body morphed to a slightly skinnier build, his ears grew out, and his hair exploded into a dark, spiky waterfall. Even his clothing changed. Light wove across his chest, forming a blue shirt; his pants darkened to black, and his shoes turned into leather boots; and finally, a dark mantle settled over his shoulders.

"Choose your weapon," the guide said as an assortment of weapons appeared on the ground in front of him. Several weapons were laid out before him, but Suzuki settled on a simple shortsword and some daggers, which he holstered to his belt. It was only the opening event. He was not even sure he would get to keep the weapon so why bother.

"The last thing I shall teach you about is your status window. Wave your hand like this," the guide said, swiping downwards with her right hand. "Please keep in mind that residents are aware of the existence of your system window and will sometimes ask to check its contents."

Suzuki copied the motion, and sure enough, a list of options opened up. He checked the options and noticed the log out button. Years of watching movies and anime with people trapped in virtual limbo had made him wary.

Suzuki's window contained several commands, including his equipment, status, skills, and several more. It was set up like a traditional role-playing game (RPG), and he was glad for its familiarity. He closed the window and noticed that his view had changed. A life bar was placed on the top left corner of his vision with a small, empty, greyed-out space before the green bar.

"You can change your view by using the screen command, which will revert between your current view and a normal one. Note, you will not be able to see your status and that of others while in the normal state," said the guide.

"Ah, I see," replied Suzuki as he closed the window.

"That concludes the tutorial," the guide said with a smile. "Are you satisfied with all your settings?"

"Yes," Suzuki confirmed. He guessed his time must be up, meaning the game should be starting sometime soon.

"Any last questions?"

"Your name?" Suzuki asked.

"M-my name?" the guide stammered, flustered by his request. Apparently, it was not one she had been expecting.

"Yeah," Suzuki said. "It feels wrong to leave without knowing your name."

"I'm called Rika," the guide said with a dazzling smile. "Of all the adventurers, you are the only one to ask of my name. Thank you."

"No worries," Suzuki replied. "I should be the one thanking you. I mean, you helped me out so much."

"It is my job," Rika replied, but her bright smile outshone the cold words. "Have you decided on what name you shall bear in this world?"

"Hakite... er, no, Kashi. Yes, Kashi," Suzuki decided.

"Kashi? Unique name. What does it mean?"

"It takes the ka from kaku, meaning hidden, and combines it with the word shi, meaning death," Suzuki answered.

"Do you want a family name, or do you wish to stick with just the one name?"

"I'll stick with the one."

"Very well. Kashi of the daeben, I wish you success in your adventures."

"See you later, Rika," Kashi said as the room slowly dissipated into mist.

"Till we meet again," she replied and faded away with the room.

Looking down, Kashi saw the battle from the screen in the tutorial room playing out. Rage, agony, and pain from the soldiers formed a familiar beat that brought a wide grin to his face. Kashi looked to his sides and noticed several people similarly suspended in mid-air and watching the battle. Strangely, while hundreds of players hovered over the coalition, it seemed, for the moment at least, he was the only person crazy enough to pick the daeben's side. Kashi's gaze hardened as a translucent yellow sphere encased him then crashed down to the earth. It shattered on impact but left him unscathed.

A system window popped up in front of Kashi and introduced him to the world of blood and tears.

Simple. Easy. Straightforward.

Kashi took a deep breath, taking in the familiar aroma of blood, sweat, and steel – scents he loved and lived for. A sickening grin on his face, the daeben unsheathed his sword and slowly dragged it across the earth. He took a step forward, then another. Gradually, he increased his pace to a light jog, gaining speed as he got closer to the battle.

With a bloodcurdling yell, Kashi sprinted into the fray and lobbed off the head of a beast-man with the very first swing of his sword.