Zero Point MMORPG

"You have a week, or I'm hauling your ass out myself!"

That was the last sentence Takahiro heard hours before he reintegrated.

His life was a total wreck.

He had no other choice but to reintegrate into Zero Point.

Zero Point was a virtual reality MMO RPG. The so-called 'second life.'

A game so genius it would take over the entire world.

It was obviously no normal game.

Players permanently integrated their consciousness into it.

You could live a normal life, or train to become a hero inside of the near-infinite fantasy world of Zero Point.

Takahiro had never touched a single video game in his entire life.

He used to watch his brothers play, but books were always more of his strong suit.

Takahiro still decided to reintegrate.

He was desperate.

Most corporations used to charge thousands of dollars to integrate into Zero Point.

It eventually became free.

All you had to do was go to your local electronics store and ask an employee to reintegrate.

An offer like that sounded too good to be true.

"Get better for me mom."

A radiant beam of light struck Takahiro's head from the machine above.

His body fell onto the cold and dirty floor of the store. The employee overseeing his reintegration casually dragged the corpse away.

What's happening? Everything is so dark....

[Reintegration process started.]

[Reintegration process: 1%.]

Did it work?

[Reintegration process: 5%.]

Am I really in Zero Point?

[Reintegration process: 13%.]

I can't feel my body.

I can't see or hear anything.

[Reintegration process: 29%.]

[Reintegration process: 33%.]

God dammit....

[Reintegration process: 50%.]

Did I die - Is that it?

[Reintegration process: 57%.]

[Reintegration process: 64%.]

[Reintegration process: 81%.]

[Reintegration process: 90%.]

If only I got my life together...

[Reintegration process: 92%.]

If only...

[Reintegration process: 98%.]

If only I wasn't such a failure!

[Reintegration process: 99%.]

[Please create your avatar.]

Avatar?

[Please create your avatar.]

[Reintegration process: 100%.]

[Reintegration process completed.]

[Transferring to Tutorial Space...]

[Transferred.]

Takahiro appeared in the Tutorial Space.

His eyes slowly opened, taking in the white void around him.

Pure nothingness of a dimension.

Where the hell am I?

He looked around.

I thought Zero Point was supposed to be some cool fantasy world.

[Please test your avatar.]

"Who said that?"

[Please test your avatar.]

My avatar...

The one it asked me to create.

He felt around his body.

Unlike his appearance back on earth, Takahiro's new appearance was that of a tall and slim but somewhat muscular man.

His hair was dark and messy, accompanied by brown eyes.

Oh.... Right.

I just thought of this handsome guy I saw once at the grocery store.

[Avatar test completed.]

[Please test your movement.]

Takahiro took a few steps.

[Movement test completed.]

[Tutorial quest begun.]

[Speak the designated command word: HUD.]

"HUD?"

A floating game panel appeared Infront of him.

[Please get yourself situated with: HUD.]

Woah...

Seems like this is the inventory section. There's a also section for stats, shop and quests.

How do I...

The HUD automatically switched to the stats panel.

What the!? It switched by just me thinking about it?

[Level: 1.]

[HP: 100/100.]

[Stats displayed: Power (1) Senses (1) Mana (1) Health (1).]

[Title: N/A.]

Everything's at 1.

The section was switched to shop.

[Gold: 0.]

[Diamonds: 0.]

[Item Shop.]

[Weapon Shop.]

Not even worth looking through if I have 0 gold or diamonds...

[Quests Displayed...]

[N/A.]

No quests either.

[HUD Comfortability completed.]

[Tutorial Steps: 3/5.]

[Hit the dummy: 0/15.]

"Huh?"

A dummy fell from above, along with a wooden sword.

Takahiro slowly crouched down to pick up the weapon and inspect it.

He raised the blade...

And brought it down on the dummy's head.

[Hit the dummy: 1/15.]

This is all it wants me to do?

He grinned, before smacking the thing over and over.

"Hah! Hah! Hah!"

[Hit the dummy: 15/15.]

"Too easy."

[Block hits: 0/15.]

Block hits? From who?

Something moved from the corner of his eye.

Takahiro quickly turned, unable to block the incoming sword strike from the dummy.

The attack hit him clean in the stomach.

It can attack me!?

Reeling back its sword, the dummy prepared to launch another attack.

Here comes more-

Takahiro held his own sword up.

He successfully blocked it's next swing.

[Block hits: 1/15.]

14 more of these? You gotta be kidding me...

[Block hits: 2/15.]

[Block hits: 3/15.]

[Block hits: 4/15.]

I got this!

[Block hits: 5/15.]

[Block hits: 6/15.]

I feel like its attacks are getting stronger...

[Block hits: 7/15.]

And faster...

[Block hits: 8/15.]

And more agile!

[Block hits: 9/15.]

[Block hits: 10/15.]

[Block hits: 11/15.]

I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!

[Block hits: 12/15.]

It hurts!

[Block hits: 13/15.]

Shit! My blade is cracking!

[Block hits: 14/15.]

It's gonna break...

I'm screwed.

[Block hits: 15/15.]

The final attack caused Takahiro's wooden sword to shatter into multiple pieces.

"Wait-"

Both the dummy and his shattered blade disappear.

"I survived."

[Secret quest: Tutorial.]

[Completed.]

[Transferring to dungeon: Goblin Forest...]

"Hold on, I'm not ready!"

[Transferred.]