Chapter 1 "Tutorial"

"H---huh?" The boy, startled by the sign, suddenly appeared before him.

He tried to put his hand on it, only for it to go through.

"I guess this is what the whole fad is all about, huh? All of this looks really real! No wonder this kind of place is always packed with people 24/7."

While the boy spoke, another menu popped up.

"Please input your name."

"Name, huh? Hmm..." The boy wondered for a while before he finally moved his fingers.

"I guess I'll go with this name then." He input his name on the given menu.

"Please adjust the sensitivity for a better experience of your gameplay. We recommend putting around 40% where the user could still feel the sensation of playing the game while experiencing the immersion."

"40%? I should put it on 100% as a man, no?" The boy smiled smugly before he slid the bar entirely to the right.

"WARNING! WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THE SENSITIVITY TO GO ABOVE 75%, AS IT WAS TESTED IN BETA SOME OF THE PLAYERS HAD THEIR NERVES DAMAGED, WHILE THE OTHERS HAD THEIR MENTAL SCARRED."

"It's not like I will be playing this game tomorrow again... I will just try and do whatever I can to the best of it this game has to offer." The boy muttered while confirming his choice.

"WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY FURTHER DAMAGE. IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL OR DEVELOPING GHOST  IN REAL LIFE, PLEASE VISIT THE ALLOCATED DOCTOR WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER WITH, YOU---"

"Bla bla bla... Please just take me to the game; it's not like I have all day just to read all this warning." The boy said while touching the blue menu once again, ignoring the warnings.

"As we prepare you for the Ashen World, would you custo---"

"Oh, God! Please just take me to the game! Why would I waste another hour on ruining this image of my body that I worked hard with for the past few years!" The boy yelled while touching each blue menu that kept popping up.

"Please enjoy your stay User#60576890"

"Finally... Eh? Wait... WHAT KIND OF NAME IS THAT?! WAIT WAIT WAI---" The boy screamed as his consciousness transferred to another place.

---[WELCOME TO ASHEN FANTASY ONLINE]---

The once blue navy waiting room changed into a scenery filled with red, lava flowing, spiky rocks surrounding the place, and the sounds of distorted grunts accompanied by howls echo throughout...

"What kind of place is this!? Where did I even get thrown into? I thought this was supposed to be a game where they offer a second life living in a world filled with fantasy aspects? SO WHY AM I GETTING THROWN INTO HELL?!" The boy panicked.

As the boy screamed, he could not ignore the shrine made of skulls standing around 500 meters apart in front of him.

What stands before him and the shrine is an ominous bridge constructed from red bricks with bones and skulls of whatever creatures are scattered along the way.

"If I ever played any game, tell me that ain't the most obvious destination where the game is pointing for me to go..." The boy said as he looked into the skull shrine by the end of the bridge.

The boy took a step forward, two steps... Few steps... Before finally, a fiery creature of Hell appeared out of nowhere...

"What is that?" The boy muttered.

A status window pops out as he focuses on the creature that appeared before him.

Hellish Grunt

·        Lv: 15

·        Str: 20

·        Dex: 13

·        Con: 18

·        Int: 2

·        Wis: 1

·        Cha: 1

"Level 15?! Isn't this supposed to be a tutorial or some sort? WHAT KIND OF GAME IS THIS?!" The boy muttered angrily while stomping the ground beneath him.

"Calm down... If the tutorial is like this, it won't be a surprise if they actually made my level and stats high to trample these tutorial mobs." He tried to assure himself.

"Umm... How do I check my stats? Status Window."

A blue window appeared before him.

User#60576890

v  Lvl: 1|Job: None

v  Str: 5

v  Dex: 5

v  Con: 5

v  Int: 5

v  Wis: 5

v  Cha: 5

"You must be ****** kidding me..." Desperation spread on his face.

"Ah well, Dad said there would always be a fight in life that no matter what happens, you would still need to stand up for yourself." The boy warms himself up.

"Even if it means the odds are stacked against you."

The boy approached the Hellish Grunt while observing his behavior and figuring out how he would attack.

The Hellish Grunt is way bigger than the boy himself. If the boy stands around 155 cm, then the mob before him towered him around 180-190 cm tall.

A red skin filled with scars, tattered clothes covering its body, teeth protruding out of its mouth, and a deathly gaze filled with murderous intent.

It carries an axe as big as half of the boy's body itself.

"If we take into account its stats, then it would probably be slow and dumb, but it would pack a punch. If I am nimble enough while fighting it, I have a minuscule chance of winning." The boy mumbles.

"Here I go!" The boy sneakily approached the Hellish Grunt.

The Hellish Grunt had its vision fixed on the direction where the boy was coming from, the other side of the bridge.

While the boy moved, he noticed that no matter how much he moved, the mob won't notice him as long as he stayed low.

Perhaps this is the effect of his low stats, or maybe he would react to how the boy moved once he reached a certain part near the Hellish Grunt.

Exploiting the fact fully well, the boy passed through the Hellish Grunt and circled around its back. It stands still with its vision, still fixated on the direction where the boy once was.

The boy formed a fist, assumed a stance, and then gave it an uppercut from the back right to the groin.

Using the height difference well, the boy managed to deal a massive blow as he saw the Hellish Grunt drop to the floor, squirming and dropping its axe.

*Critical Hit!*

"I knew it! There is no way they would design a mob like this with something similar to a skirt covering your groin if there is nothing to cover!" The boy proudly said.

Without wasting the chance, he rushed for the axe and picked it up with all his might.

"BECAUSE THE DIFFERENCE OF THE EQUIPMENT AND THE US---"

Without heeding further notice, the boy swings the axe toward the Hellish Grunt's neck.

*Critical Hit!*

"ROARGGGHH!" The Hellish Grunt screamed as the axe hit its neck.

Lacking the power to decapitate it fully, the boy swung it again just enough to see the Hellish Grunt stop screaming in agony.

Strangely enough, there is no blood to be seen from the corpse of the Hellish Grunt, only showing slowly the corpse dissipates into black ashes.

"What the... I was scared of nothing... Is this all I had to face?" The boy said smugly.

As the boy walks toward the shrine, he hears grunts and rattling noises.

The once-empty bridge slowly filled with more than just a mob... As if Hell itself rewards the boy for defeating the first mob.

"Bloody Hell... Isn't this too cruel..." The boy said as despair consumed him.