Full dive VR games had been around for a decade.

Naturally there were a few titles, eating the majority of the market share. One of those was the game I was playing, Abyss Diver.

As the name implied, it was a game where players descended into the depths of hell that was reimagined using materials from oldest religions like Hinduism to a more modern demonology like Ars Goetia.

The game was a soul-like MMORPG featuring permanent death. That meant if a player died they had to start over which only attracted hardcore gamers.

Unlike most people, I was still on my first run.

Despite being in beta, it was highly praised for its combat system and player build diversity. While some players said the story and lore existed, I was one of the majority who ignored them and enjoyed the action.

‘Let’s challenge 444th floor today before the maintenance.’

It was the first thought I had after waking up.

I ignored morning chores and hopped into a VR capsule, immediately logged into the game.

When I regained consciousness, the surroundings had become a burning land where it was impossible for humans to survive. In the middle of the field, there was a giant door made out of bone that connected to the next floor.

If one were to describe inspiration behind this floor, it was Raurava in Naraka’s hot hell or one of Dante’s hell circles. But since I already cleared this floor, there were no threats left.

As a totally normal male gamer, I played a female character.

It was a weird sensation at first, having 2 lumps on the upper body. But anyone would get used to it after hundreds of hours.

My character had a fairly modest size compared to others.

“You’re here, Ingrid.”

I turned towards the deep voice.

Two NPCs had waited for my arrival. One was a bulky topless man called Hans, a generic good looking barbarian. And another one was an elf swordswoman, Carol, who didn't speak much.

It wasn't like I wanted to team up with an NPC. After all, playing with other players is more fun, but I found that the deeper I went, the easier it was to have someone who followed orders perfectly.

Gamer ego was a thing, and I didn't want to lose my first run because of that.

“Let's go before the floor resets.”

The other two nodded.

When another player entered a floor, the floor would reset.

The 443rd floor was pretty deep ahead of other players. The likelihood of someone entering a floor was slim, but I didn't want to risk repeating this floor challenge.

“Guard up.”

We always stayed on guard before moving to another floor, but for every 11 floors, it would be a boss stage.

As Hans, who was a vanguard, opened the giant door, it revealed a dark red portal that leads to the next challenge.

On a silent count, we went quickly.

“Maintain formation!” 

As a scenery change, my eyes quickly moved left and right, gathering information.

‘Roughly 3,000 enemies, open-field’

It was better to assess the situation before reading a mission window.

444th Floor Objective: Kill Sitri

There was a giant winged leopard surrounded by countless headless naked men and women.

Although they looked human, they were demons under Sitri’s command.

“We will kite them.”

After hearing my word, NPC Carol moved up from the rear. 

The enemies didn't let us have time to breathe. All together, Sitri and its underlings charged in with high speed.

The headless bodies crawled on four legs as if a beast without caring about how their bodies were burnt by a scorching ground, or how their movement tore the muscles and broke the bones. The monsters’ bodies kept regenerating. 

It was terrifying.

However it wasn't the first time I saw this kind of monster.

<Eyes of Probabilities>

After activating the skill, countless numbers appeared in my sight. Ranging from 0 to 100, on an enemy’s finger, the boss monster, ground, or even on myself.

These numbers represent the odds of outcomes, however, they didn't tell what exactly were the occurrences.

‘Tsk. Their movements are erratic. It’s really hard to process the information.’

“Move towards 4 o'clock. Thinning the number.”

The headless were a lot faster than Sitri, so we had a few minutes to reduce enemy numbers before the difficulty increased.

‘Let’s play high speed chess, Sitri!’

I smiled while looking at Sitri that was flying in the crimson sky.