Dead Last

For some reason, Zen felt as if he'd slept for a very long time. While he was somewhat stiff, he felt more rested than he ever remembered. The mattress beneath him was also soft and smooth. Did his bed sheets ever feel this smooth? Wasn't it itchy and scratchy after so many washes that it looked more like a rag?

Bolting upright, Zen snapped back to reality. That's right! After that speech, they were transported into the VR game where only a hundred would live.

"If I made it, that means four hundred have died…"

The number of deaths seemed weightless to Zen. After all, he didn't see their bodies. People were born to die, and they die every day. These four hundred were just unlucky, and Zen didn't spend too much time thinking about it. Now that he was within the top hundred who made it, he shouldn't throw this chance away. There was much to be done.

First, he needed information.

The room was roughly the same size as Zen's old shithole of an apartment that he died in. However, it had way better facilities even if they were only considered basic to pampered rich young masters and mistresses. Zen looked around and found that it was sparsely furnished. The room had a bed, a built-in wardrobe and a small bathroom with a shower stall. There were two sets of pyjamas in the wardrobe, two bathrobes, two towels, several gym towels, and four training uniforms. He had a pair of indoor slippers and a pair of sports shoes for the gym by the door. That was everything.

"I suppose there isn't much to be expected from a rank 100 privilege. Not even a table or a chair in the room, I guess this is really bare basics. What would rank 1 have? I'm curious now."

The wardrobe door flickered and lit up, scaring Zen. It took him a while to realise this was a smart glass that acted as a news panel. How handy! As expected, the school had really nice facilities.

The panel was easy to use, and Zen found himself running through his personal mailbox with the Godfather's welcome message. In the message, Zen learned that the microchip in his neck had more functions than zapping people.

"Open interface!"

As soon as the voice was registered, a holographic screen appeared, and Zen jumped. There were no projectors, where was this coming from? How mysterious.

He didn't ponder over it for too long. The school was free to keep its secrets. Zen only wanted to know more about the ranking system as he was ranked dead last. What could he do with this rank? Also, his virtual wallet only had 200 credits. Zen didn't know the school's pricing system, so 200 credits could be either a lot or very little.

"Let's see… ranking! Oh? I have a character profile as well? I'll check that later."

===

[Ranking]

Rankings can be earned based on contributions and achievements during events, updated weekly. For a schedule of tentative events, you can check the calendar tab.

Ranking tiers:

Class A: Rank 1 to 10

Class B: Rank 11 - 20

Class C: Rank 21 - 50

Class D: Rank 51 - 75

Class E: Rank 76 - 100

Please note that in-game sponsored items can only be equipped by the corresponding class or lower.

Credits will be given at the end of every event based on the ranks. The rates are calculated based on this formula [(101 - rank number)*100 credits]. The minimum credit earned is 100, and the maximum credit earned per event is 10,000.

Ranking Benefits:

Class A - Suite Room, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym, Laundromat, Pool, Advanced gym, Games room, Private dojo, Shooting range, Library access, Room service

Class B - Studio Apartment, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym, Laundromat, Pool, Advanced gym, Games room, Private dojo, Shooting range

Class C - Deluxe Room, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym, Laundromat, Pool, Advanced gym, Games room

Class D - Standard room, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym, Laundromat, Pool

Class E - Basic room, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym

===

Zen looked at the facilities and sighed. He wasn't going to complain about how much luxury the higher rankings enjoyed. As he was, he had to hand wash his clothes because he didn't have access to the laundromat. That was probably the only annoying thing.

"Let's aim for rank 75 and above in the next event," Zen was resolved until he checked the calendar.

"You can't be serious… right?"

Initially, Zen thought that it would be yet another VR death game. However, the next event was odd.

===

Next Event in 3 Days!

Event: Egg Hunt

Details: Find as many hidden virtual eggs around the academy. The student with the most points wins!

===

Seeking games? Also, he had to wait for three days before he could get a ranking adjustment. How does one train themselves in the art of egg hunting? There wasn't much Zen could do, and his stomach protested.

"One last thing before we go. I should probably place my orders for the sponsors in the next event. Let's see what options I have."

Under the tab of order, Zen found three categories. The first category was an order for family equipment sponsors. Zen didn't know if the Taro family would send him anything. Still, he decided to try his luck anyway and requested his VR game headset and all his games to be shipped over. He didn't think he would need it when he arrived, but now, Zen knew that this was his best alternative without access to the games room.

The next category was an order for unique items for the Egg Hunt. Zen knew that his actions were monitored by the world even now. He had to choose wisely if he wanted a better advantage. His current Class was E, and there weren't many options. The civilians could pass a vote and Zen didn't know if they would be interested in someone ranked the dead last.

===

Egg Encyclopaedia - A book about all the different kinds of eggs and their characteristics.

Game Arena Map - The mini-map function allows you to locate any moving enemies within a 10-meter radius. Does not help to find any eggs.

Egg Tray - Can hold up to 10 eggs and will not break. Eggs in the egg tray cannot be destroyed or stolen. The same cannot be said about the egg tray.

===

With only three items in Class E, Zen sighed. The game arena map was useless. Even if he knew that the enemy was within 10 meters of him, there was nothing he could do. Zen's body was still weak and scrawny. He wouldn't be able to outrun anyone or defeat anyone.

The Egg Tray seemed like good insurance against sabotage, but again, there was a 10 egg limitation, and the tray could be stolen. With Zen's current abilities, he couldn't fully utilise it even if given that item.

Putting in his order for the Egg Encyclopaedia, Zen decided to check the last category.

"200 credits for a fucking sandwich and 150 credits for a can of cola?! Is the academy trying to starve me to death?!"

Ping! Zen checked his notification.

[The Godfather thinks that this is a good suggestion. You have been awarded 100 credits.]

Zen paled. Starving to death just after escaping death narrowly in the VR battle royale? It wasn't even a funny joke!

With a protesting stomach, Zen decided to leave his room in search of the cafeteria.