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My mind was catching up to everything that had just happened. I died in a grilling accident on the 4th of July. A huge mortar landed in my grill, exploding in my face. 'I bet they had problems separating the ground beef and my exploded skull.' After the morose thought I looked at the menu infront of my eyes.

Choose race

Human, demi-human, heteromorph.

This choice was easy. Pointing my glowing all white hand at the third option a new list dropped.

• Angel

• Automaton

• Birdman

• Brain Eater

• Chaugnar

• Death Vine

• Demon

• Doppelgänger

• Dragon

• Dragonoid

• Dryad

• Dullahan

• Elemental

• Fairy

• Genie

• Ghost

• Gnator

• Golem

• Half-Elemental

• Half-Golem

• Herdroper

• Homunculus

• Insect

• Lycanthrope

• Medusa

• Myconid

• Naga

• Nephilim

• Plant

• Roper

• Skeleton

• Slime

• Treant

• Undead

• Vampire

• Zern

• Zombie

Over 30 years of dungeons and dragons experience was weighing on my shoulders for this decision. Anything undead is out automatically in my mind. Fire and holy magic are two big issues with those choices. I didn't want to have my form be gross as well. That took out slimes, and plant creatures. I also took out non-living beings as well so no automatons either.

• Angel

• Demon

• Doppelgänger

• Dragonoid

Angel and demon both sound awesome. But in the descriptions of each are karmic requirements that make me not want to commit. Doppelgängers have the unique ability to use any karmic items or gear without restrictions though. Dragonoid is on the list due to the ability to gain a dragon form but that is only at high levels and with many restrictions.

In D&D I have played many classes but in each of them I am in a party with others. Others can play different rolls depending on group dynamics and needs. Only one of these races exemplifies adaptability. If I would need rogue skills for a mission I could do it myself, if tanking damage is necessary that too. Spells, I'm your man. I may not be the best in it but there would be no situation that I couldn't counter. The choice was made I was going to be an egg head.

Selecting Doppelgänger I'm shown to a new menu. This showed my new character a clawed three fingered hand on each side and a white face with two indentations for eyes and another larger one for a mouth. There were some scale modifications I could move. I gave my self a tall and beefy body so I would me more intimidating then a wire frame whisp. I was 7 feet tall and looked like I weighed 300 pounds.

I selected finalize and saw the opening title [YGGDRASIL]. After the idyllic shots of each of the 9 worlds I was asked to select my starting world. I decided it was time to beat down some skelly bois and get to grinding.

Arriving in the center of Helheim I started following my basic rule 'If you don't know what you're supposed to do, do something.' This game had no instructions it was the embodiment of RPG. Don't know how to cook? Keep trying untill you can figure it out. That and it was pay to win.

I looked out into the distance and saw the start of the swamp from the hill I was on. The hill had a small inn that looked like midevil architecture and a cemetery with a human looking fella that seemed like a gravedigger. I went up to him getting used to my stride as a 7 foot monstrosity. I was wearing loose-fitting pair of pants and shirt that looked like they belonged on a prisoner in a Bethesda game. Coming up to him I was prompted with a text box as if the character was speaking to me but it continued on its path moseying around the graveyard. It reminded me of runescape honestly.

[Careful of the dead beyond the border wanderer. This here be the only safe place in these undead lands.]

I ran through a few prompts and found I could bring skulls back to this guy in exchange for currency. Figuring he was gonna do something along the lines of skulls for the skull throne. I decided to get out and get killing.

Stepping away from the town I saw my first target. A normal skeleton with a rusty iron sword hobbling through the marsh. Getting in a boxers stance I approach at a even pace. It notices me and turns red eyes in my direction. 'Sorry Momo' I think and watch it take a lumbering swing at me. I side step away dancing around my opponent and give it a straight jab in the face. [-5hp]. Sliding around it again I let its sword miss me and punch it again. Another prompt comes up and then I decide to do a kick. Hitting it square in the ribs the creature collapses. I look around my immediate area seeing no other threats at the moment I check the loot.

[Defeated skeleton: Skull, 2 gold] [Take all] [Enable auto loot]

Hitting enable on the auto loot feature I start grinding.

In between fights I keep thinking about what the next 12 years are going to be like. I am in the game. No log out function for me 100% immersion. When the cash shop comes online I will have unlimited funds. I'll be the biggest whale in this game. That might get me some sway if I get one of the items that let me talk to the developers. I have 12 years until the shut down and the new world starts. I will do everything I can to create the best start possible for myself and that means I have to be the master of Nazarick.

After my tenth skelly beatdown I received a notice that I leveled up. I saw that I had unlocked 3 classes called kickboxer, martial arts and brawler. I ignored those and added a level to my racial class Doppelgänger opening up more class skills. I continued to grind out 4 more levels and headed back to the town. I still haven't seen another player yet. Its likely because this world would not be popular to the average player.

While grinding I looted a rusted sword, shield and mace. I went to the NPC and traded 3 gold per 5 skulls. This added to the monetary drops made me feel like checking out the inn. Inside were 5 more NPCs a burly bald bartender a middle aged waitress, and three patrons. Each patron looked like a different archetype one a spellcaster in robes sitting in a corner with a book. Another the thief type with his hood up and shifty eyes sitting at the bar. The last, with a shield and sword slung on his back, a muscular brown haired bearded dwarf sitting at a table. My new racial skill let me save each as a possible shift form.

I sat down at a table triggering the waitress to start a text box. I was shown a trade menu and could pick food from and gear from their side and give gold or other objects from mine. I pick out a basic food rations since I see it recovers health slowly over time. I was careful and slow with my approach to beating up Momo's kin so I wasn't hurt.

I walked to each of the other NPCs and found each sold basic gear for their respective classes. A staff and robe from the wizard, light armor, a bow, arrows and daggers from the thief, and heavy armor and bigger weapons from the fighter. I could rent a room here at the inn to have a safe place to log out if I could. And the bartender dealt in rumors and sold miscellaneous gear for support classes.

Heading back to the grind I went nonstop untill I reached level 15. I this whole time which now that I think about it has been about 20+ hours of grinding due to the low level and spaced out nature of the skellys. Deciding to test the racial skills I change into the mage from the Inn. Looking identical to the elven wizard I procede to cast firebolt at the nearest skeleton and watch him turn to motes of light shortly after. His gear appears on me but I received none of the bonuses from being in that gear or using his staff.

I try out each of the different sets and decide to scout further as the human rogue with the bow equipped. The items may have mundane stats but they still work. I have a background in the military and have been bow hunting for turkey before so the skills that I am copying are not to foreign. I find and take out a zombie with a surprisingly easy headshot. Circling around the hill a bit further away I kill an undead boar and more zombies and skellys. I even found a few skelly archers.

I continue in this way only stopping in the town for food and mental rest for a week untill the cash shop opens. Just like real life this game is pay to win. Items like mana and health potions are there data crystals and quality of life items like inventory extensions after my 10th purchase of increasingly expensive extensions my inventory became infinite. I bought bundles and bundles of the mana potion due to knowing it would only be here untill the devs realize how hack it is. I bought hundreds of experience boosters and ton of in game currency packs.

Using an experience booster I dove back into grinding like my future depends on it and I'm absolutely sure it does.