Chapter 2 (1/2)

As I regained consciousness, I found myself in a placed the looked like an entrance.

While I was absentmindedly standing there, a window suddenly popped up in front of me asking me to input my personal data.

Seems like the first thing that showed up was the login window.

I entered the ID and password that I made a while ago and proceeded to the next step.

「Proceeding to scan body data」

A digital voice that came from somewhere instructed me to wait where I was.

…Suddenly, the sense of reality started to come back to me.

Going from a state that was close to having a dream to something closer to reality.

…Ooh…There are no words to describe this kind of feeling.

I started to move my hands and legs like the guide was telling me to and it also answered the questions I had.

It doesn’t feel any different from moving a real body.

After saying 「 Yes 」at the last verification window, it entered a slightly long procedure.

「Adjustments completed. We’ll proceed to perform the avatar’s settings.」

A window appeared in front of me again.

It seems like next was the customization window.

Medium build and black hair with a hairstyle where the bangs partially covered the eyes.

In the window, there were options you could click on.

Doing so would bring up the modifiable data.

Though, the only things that you could change were the skin color, hair color and the existence of tattoos.

「There’s not many options…oh well, it just makes things easier.」

It seems that in order to bring a sense of comfort and realism they don’t tamper with the player’s physique and bone structure.

For example, if you were to play with a physique that’s far from your real self, once you went back to reality you would have issues moving your body properly.

Another example would be that during an experiment, the subject was doing movements that would be physically impossible for a human being and after the experiment, the muscle fibers in his arm went 「BAM!」 and got ruptured…that’s so scary.

Though it does seem like the retail version has some limiters set on them.

Basically, if you want to play, your avatar should be close or identical to your physical appearance in order to move properly.

…In the old days it must have been really problematic if your personal information got out.

Even if just by changing your hair color would change the impression one person gives.

With the net bills currently passed these days, the percentage of criminals caught by the police has been rising.

You could say that it’s gotten easier to retrace the steps performed by said criminals.

Anonymous bulletin boards are still rather active, but I believe the cases where people slander and flame others have become scarce.

That’s why people that reveal who they are in social networks have been increasing and the people that are opposed to the idea has been decreasing.

Even someone like Miyu who used to say things like 「Even then!」 and hid her face, has made a promise with me to play a VR game these days.

「Hmm…」

If there were more options, it would be nice to go as a muscular middle-aged man, but that’s no longer possible unless you play non-VR games.

I also don’t think I want to change my hair color or the color of my skin…tattoos won’t look good on me either, like that, I kept proceeding without making changes.

A robe that will conceal my figure, a mask that will hide my face and so on…for now, I’ll just take what I can get.

With that, I finished checking everything.

In the end, I had to enter a name…OK, guess this should be good enough.

「With this, you have completed all the initial settings. Welcome to Trailblazer!」

With those last words from the electronic voice, my eyes were enveloped by the light again.

Just as I was thinking that…a rural village appeared before my eyes.

When I looked around me, I saw people that looked like players doing the same thing as me and moving around awkwardly while confirming their surroundings.

It might be because it’s launch day, there was a number of people that didn’t fit the rural scenery.

I took off the robe and mask because they were in the way and placed them in the inventory, which was attached to the waist in the form of a pouch. The robe and mask turned into light and were absorbed by it.

But, where is Miyu?

「Kya! Geez, why are there so many people!」

From the crowd of people, a chestnut colored hair woman came out and fell down.

Why isn’t anyone helping her?

I made my way through the players and reached her.

「Are you OK?」

「Th-Thank you…you are different from the other visitors」

「Visitors?」

Hearing her words I noticed something.

Above the woman’s head, the name Claris was shown in white letters.

While the names of the other players were displayed in blue letters.

As expected, this person…is a NPC.

But, the fact that she stood up when I offered help and I was able to feel her body temperature, makes this feel weird.

「We call people who came out from the gate that. They are also called that in the legends」

「I see…sorry for asking so many questions, but what’s this legend you speak of?」

「When the southern skies turn crimson, the gate to the outer world will open. If those people are not stopped, the world will undergo great change…such a legend exists in this country. I never thought that the gate would appear in such a remote village though」

「I see…」

It seems like players are treated as beings that came from another world.

When I looked behind me, I saw a gate emitting a mysterious crimson light in the air.

So we came out from there…if it was this kind of setting, it’s true that it was an unexpected event.

We are these many people after all.

So basically, Claris-san came to check on the gate, but a crowd of people suddenly appeared and she couldn’t get out, something like that?

After that, I exchanged some words with Claris-san and we split up.

It seems like this village is called 「Altrowa Village」, seems like she manages a second-hand shop inside the village.

As thanks she wants to give me a discount so she told me to go to her shop later, after advertising her shop and providing me with a customer service smile, she left.

Now that I think about it, it felt like I was talking to a normal person…they are incredible, these day’s AIs.

「Hey!」

While I was in a daze, a female with long silver hair and dark skin that I had no recollection of, approached me while waving her hand.

Who is she greeting?

I only took a glance, but she gave the aura of a beautiful woman, if the person she was greeting was a man, I’d feel envious.

「Hey, Wataru! Why are you ignoring me!」

The person whose arm she grabbed…was me!?

Not knowing who this person was, I stared at her for a while.

Oh? This face…and this voice…!

「Wait, you are Miyu!? What’s with that hair and that skin color!? When I saw you from a distance I couldn’t tell who it was！」

「Umu. It was a good opportunity, so I went and reversed the colors! How is it? Does it suit me!?」

「Rather than suiting you…」

To begin with, Miyu was fair skinned and with long black hair. With her looks and body, you could say that among Japanese people she was distinctly beautiful.

Now that she had reversed those colors…right, she was like that.

That race that appears in fantasy works.

「You kind of look like a dark elf」

「I thought so too. If there is an accessory that makes your ears long, I plan to use it」

「Ah…I see…」

Even though it shouldn’t really suit her because of her Japanese features…I guess it’s the advantage of being beautiful.

In my case, the beginner equipment looks like western style light clothes and they don’t really suit me.

Makes me look like a peasant and weak at that.

「So, Miyu-」