First Blood

- Reality Plane: Earth -

(Hina's Perspective)

The doorbell rang.

But I didn't want to answer.

I knew who it was. Mother, or father. It was one of the two - or, perhaps, on rare occasions, both at once.

It was currently 7:30 PM. Around an hour since I lost my precious little brother, Igarashi Kaze. For this reason, I didn't want to do anything right now. I just knelt on the floor in despair, my mind utterly broken.

The doorbell rang again.

This time, I slowly forced myself to get up. I knew I couldn't remain in a trance forever. I dragged myself downstairs and opened the door.

"Hina, what took you so long?" my mother asked, walking inside. "Wait... Hina, what's wrong?"

My father, who happened to arrive home at the same time, slipped inside directly after. "Er... Hina? This isn't like you. What happened?

The two of them looked at me with worry. But I could not meet their eyes. After all, how could I? It was I who made my brother disappear. If only I didn't unplug that helmet... no, if only I didn't buy that AR set for him...

I gritted my teeth, but under the compassionate gazes of my parents, I couldn't stop the tears from flooding out of my eyes. I had already cried once earlier, right after Kaze-kun had dematerialized into billions of tiny shards of light before my very eyes.

And now, I was crying again, over the same matter.

"H-Hina!" my mother embraced me tightly, not bothering to wash her hands or anything of the sort. "Why are you crying? What happened? Where's Kaze?"

"Mom... Dad... Kaze-kun is... Kaze-kun is-" I wanted to say the words, but I couldn't.

My father bent down and looked up into my eyes. "Go on, Hina. You can tell us anything, and everything. We are your family. Now... what happened?"

"I... I don't know..." I cried. "Kaze-kun was playing on his AR set I bought him when I finished cooking dinner... so I went up to call him. He couldn't hear me while inside the game, so... I tried forcefully powering off the helmet by u-unplugging it..."

"And? What happened after?" my mother inquired, wiping the tears off my face gently with her hand even as more poured out of my eyes.

"He... disappeared. K-Kaze-kun, he... disappeared!" I yelled, unable to hold my emotions back any longer. "H-Help me, mom, dad... h-how do I bring him back?"

"W-What? H-Hold on, you're saying... he disappeared after you unplugged his helmet?"

I nodded frantically while sobbing. "Sniff... what do I do..."

"I've never heard of something like this happening before, even in all my years working as a news reporter..." my father murmured, furrowing his brows in stress. He appeared to be panicking as well - I could tell from the sweat on his forehead - but he did not show it.

He was my parent, after all. If even he freaked out, who would be there to comfort me?

"Don't worry, Hina," my father continued. "I have an interview scheduled with Ascentech, the developers of AR technology, tomorrow. I will certainly find some answers."

"R-Really?" I asked.

He smiled gently. "Of course, Hina. When have I ever lied to you?"

I couldn't bring myself to smile back in return, but I was genuinely happy.

Happy that perhaps... there was a way to see the person I held most dear to me in the world once more.

*****

- Reality Plane: Ascension -

(Kaze's Perspective)

I went to Xiyang village's east gate and met the two guards who were stationed at it.

"Excuse me," I called out politely. "Do you, by any chance, know the directions on how to get to Tianyin City? I was told by a blacksmith to come ask you."

"Ah, Ming Yi, huh? That bastard, always pushing more work onto us..." one of the two guards chuckled, but despite his vulgar language, he didn't seem all that displeased. "Well, you're already here, so it's not like we can turn you away... or can we?"

"Stop teasing the poor kid," the other guard reprimanded, then turned to me with a serious expression. "To reach Tianyin City, you have to just keep going down the mountain after exiting out of this gate."

"Mountain?"

"Yes. You see, Xiyang village here is built on the peak of a mountain called Mount Valgan. This mountain is a sacred place. Throughout history, many 'newcomers' who didn't know anything about this world were summoned here out of the blue."

"Every a thousand years, something like that happens," the first guard said "For that reason, this mountain, and Xiyang village, actually became quite well-known across Ascentia. Tianyin was built a little further down the mountain, since the space up here at the peak didn't allow for the construction of a big city."

Many 'newcomers', huh... that must be A.R.X.A. at work again, inviting people from other reality planes into this one. All for the sake of her entertainment.

"Anyway, if you're trying to reach Tianyin, it's not too far away. But... I would advise against doing so now," one of the guards said, clearing his throat.

"Hm? Why?" I asked.

"Recently, a pack of wild Magic Beasts native to the area has turned hostile for whatever reason."

"Normally, they're docile and won't attack people unless provoked, but... recently, we've gotten word that several people traveling between our village and Tianyin City have been assaulted by them," the other guard added. "So, unless you're confident, I suggest just staying here until the situation has been handled."

"And how long will that take?"

"That... I don't know."

"Exactly. I'm in a hurry, so I can't afford to wait," I replied. "I can make it to Tianyin City. I'm confident."

No the hell I'm not! But in order to get stronger in video games like these, you have to fight.

The two guards looked at me skeptically, but sighed in resignation. "Fine. Just remember though, we warned you."

I nodded, and they let me through the gates.

*****

The path downwards was a bit hard to see since it was nighttime, but it was still visible.

Since I was barefoot and only had a pair of poor-quality sandals on, I was kind of scared of how long these things would last. Just hearing them scrape against the rough gravel of the path beneath me was disquieting.

I opened up my System and went to the Inventory tab. Clicking on the dagger I had bought from Ming Yi, I equipped it and closed up my System. I didn't bother talking to A.R.X.A.

I had a question for her, but I could ask that later.

Just now, I had told the guards I was 'confident'. That was a complete lie. I was Level 1 still, weak and powerless. This was, however, the first main quest, speaking in video game terms.

This plot, this story... it's all perfectly designed. I've said this before, but this world really does fit perfectly in line with a video game. I can see why A.R.X.A. decided to introduce this reality plane to ours under the guise of an ARMMORPG.

Whether all of this was just a coincidence or A.R.X.A. manipulating things behind the scenes to create all these situations, I didn't know. Both possibilities were impressive, though in different ways.

Anyway, with my dagger in hand, I continued traversing the rough path heading downwards.

But then, I heard the faint rustling of a bush close by.

I immediately stopped walking. Trees and bushes were all around me - in fact, it could be said that I was in a forest...on top of an extremely tall mountain. Looks like the geological concept of timberlines did not exist in this world.

I had no doubt I heard something just now. However, in this dense forest, combined with the darkness of night, I couldn't see anything clearly.

Then, suddenly, a shadow leaped out of a bush to my right. I immediately turned and raised my dagger in front of me to protect myself, but it was too late.

I was tackled onto the stone-cold ground, my bare skin scraping painfully against the gravel. My dagger was knocked out of my hand because I didn't have a firm enough grip on it, being completely new to this.

"Ngh-!"

I tried fighting back, but alas, my STR stat was 0. Since I had my physical body with me, it would've been nice if I did some karate or something back in my old reality plane since that would've given me a headstart, but unfortunately, I didn't.

I tried holding the mysterious entity back with my two hands, now weaponless, but things were starting to look delicious for the boar, and not-so-delicious for me.

Now that the beast who had tackled me was so close to my face, its seemingly crazy purple eyes boring into my own, I could see what it was. A wild boar. A hologram then appeared right in between the beast's snout and my face, telling me what exactly it was.

[NEW SPECIES ENTRY]

[Name: Sickleboar]

[Type: Magic Beast (Mammal)]

[Weakness: Fire]

[Resistance: None]

[Description: Sickleboars are a type of Magic Beast in the Mammal subcategory. They are weak to attacks that use fire in some way, and do not have any kind of special resistance. Their movements are extremely predictable, making them an easy opponent once you memorize their attack patterns.]

I winced in disgust from the boar's sticky saliva dripping onto my face. At this rate, my muscles wouldn't hold. Then, the hologram switched to a new panel. It read:

[COMBAT TUTORIAL-]

... Are you goddamned serious?! I'm on the verge of getting molested and eaten by a wild boar, and you give me a combat tutorial at now of all times?!

I mean, sure, the guards warned me, but how am I supposed to get stronger without fighting?

I twisted my head, and spotted my dagger, lying a few inches beside my right foot. If I could just...

I gritted my teeth and attempted to reach the dagger with my foot, all while using my arm strength to keep the boar from killing me.

C'mon... just a little bit more...!

My foot edged slowly towards the dagger's handle, millimeter by millimeter. Until at last, just when I was nearing my limits, both in my arms' strength and my leg's stretching capabilities...

There! Got it!

In one swift motion, I flicked my foot upwards, and the force kicked the dagger towards my head. I could now reach it with my hand, if I just reached for it...

Okay, Kaze... all you gotta do now is hold the boar back with one hand, just for one millisecond...

Gritting my teeth and hardening my resolve, I let go of the boar with my right hand. My left arm threatened to break from the weight of the sickleboar, but my other one was now free. I picked up the dagger that was laying beside my body, and-

"Tch!"

-Thrust it into the boar's side with as much force as I could muster up. The boar froze, and I summoned all the power I had left in me to push the boar off my body, taking advantage of the dagger I had just stabbed deeply into its hide.

I slowly got back up to my feet, panting. The sickleboar moved a little, but couldn't even flip itself over. It remained on one side, my dagger sticking out of its body on top victoriously.

[Finish it.] A familiar yet certainly not familial voice said. It was cold, emotionless, and utterly mechanical.

"What? A.R.X.A....?" I murmured uncertainly, still trying to catch my breath.

[It is not dead yet. Finish it.]

"Huh? But... it's already pretty much dead anyway... what's the point?"

[Certainly, this is just a boar. It cannot do much... is what you are thinking, correct?]

"Uh... yeah?"

[But consider this. Would you still be able to say the same if this was not a boar on the verge of death in front of you, but instead a half-dead powerful enemy?]

"That..."

[You know full well that if you let this enemy go, they will return one day. And when they do... they will not show you mercy the same way you showed them.]

"..." I fell silent. Contemplating.

[This is not the same reality you have lived in until now. Face the truth. Now... kill the boar.]

I looked over to the sickleboar, and felt a slight twinge of pity in my heart, even though it had just been trying to kill me moments earlier.

I understood what A.R.X.A. was trying to tell me. This sickleboar may not be a powerful enemy I will encounter in the future, but the theory was the same. If I were to defeat an adversary but not finish them off, there was a high chance they would return to face off against me again.

Even if I defeated him for the second time, there was no telling how many times they would come back, since they knew I would never actually kill them for good. And one of those times... they would be the one to emerge victorious.

At that time, they would not let me go free so I could challenge them again.

This world was cruel. I realized that. Despite how fantasy-like and beautiful this reality seemed to me, a person from the heavily industrial Earth, killing and death was also an inevitable factor of it.

Nothing in existence was perfect, after all - there was always a flaw, a downside, hidden somewhere beneath the seemingly faultless surface.

I walked over to the sickleboar, my mind set and decision made. I wrapped my fingers around the dagger that I had plunged deeply into its body moments earlier and hesitated. But the words of A.R.X.A. whispered through my mind once more.

[Finish it.]

I tightened my grip on the handle of my weapon. Funnily enough, even though this was the safe end of the dagger, I felt as though I was holding onto the cold, sharp steel part of it instead.

Closing my eyes, in one swift motion, I pulled the dagger out of the sickleboar's body.