Bren Tchan was more excited than none other on the night of Synergy's release. This virtual reality game had received the most hype out of any thus far. The developer was unknown and there was no marketing done, so he'd only stumbled upon it by luck. There weren't many who knew of the game, but anyone who did *knew* this would be the game to define the new age of VR.

As a lucky beta player one year prior, he formulated a plan to gather experience points faster than anyone.

First, they'd complete a nearby dungeon. After that, the real plan began.

Again, by luck, he'd stumbled across an area near his spawn point known as a "Fixed Field". There were numerous settings to customize this place, and one of them was the key to this strategy.

It was simple: Lure players into the Fixed Field and kill them. Ordinarily, if a player died in the wild, they would drop one level's worth of XP, one item, and half the coins in their pouch. If you killed a player, you would also lose a hidden stat known as "Karma". Killing many players or losing enough Karma would make you a "Red Player", and this brought its own set of disadvantages.

In a Fixed Field, after changing some settings around, they would not lose Karma for killing players. On top of this, they could make someone fall back to level 1 with one death and harvest all their XP. They would also drop all of their items *and* coins.

In other words, if they could trick players into entering the Fixed Field, it was the most efficient method of grinding!

*>BrenT: What do you guys think?*

On a messaging app called Concord, Bren shared this plan with "The Coalition" - a group of him and six of his friends.

*>Allux: It's good.*

*>Molotova: Ha, let's blow 'em up!*

*>Liuzhi: I don't have anything better.*

*>Kenshi: As long as we're stronger than everyone we fight, I don't see a problem.*

*>Adverse: That's what I was going to say. What if we find someone who can beat us?*

*>Rizako: ...*

One of his friends, Adverse, raised a valid point. This strategy was a double-edged sword - if they died instead, they would be the ones receiving the Fixed Field's penalties.

*>BrenT: That's practically impossible.*

Bren had already taken this into consideration.

The most popular game on Etmos in the current day was Virtual Martial Arts, or VMA for short. Before Synergy, VMA was the greatest full-dive software on the market. Everything it had done was on the forefront of full-dive.

Full-range bodily motion. Superhuman abilities that weaved seamlessly with one's movement. Accurate anatomy and hitboxes, as well as complete sensory input.

But Synergy had all of this, and more.

Bren and his friends were extremely talented VMA players. The highest rank was "black belt", and all of them were in this echelon. Since Synergy contained all of the aforementioned features, the group of seven wouldn't have a hard time adjusting. Their VMA skill would even carry over, and their combat ability would be leagues above ordinary players. 

With their teamwork, it would take an insanely high ranked group of VMA players to take them out. High-ranked players were high-ranked for a reason; they were extremely uncommon. If everyone was high-ranked, no one would be. The black belt echelon comprised of the top 1% of ranked VMA players. Most players were casual, so the ratio of black belts to total players was actually even less than 1:100.

If they ran into a group of players that was better than them... they could only curse their luck.

Most people weren't privy to this info. Ranked matchmaking would only place you with and against players of similar rank, so it was easy to forget about rest of the player population.

The overly-caution Adverse acquiesced when he heard this.

*>BrenT: Great. Meet me in the Uval Hamlet.*

 

---

 

Ten minutes before midnight, Bren booted up his Vbian-01 helmet and prepared to log in. Anxiously, he opened Concord.

*>BrenT: I can't calm down. Is everyone ready?*

*>Allux: Yes. Everyone's got their models and voice mods prepared, too.*

*>BrenT: Perfect.*

*>Molotova: Yep, yep! Let's slaughter some noobs!*

...

 

*>10 seconds before the world of Synergy opens to the public!*

...

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

*>Welcome to Synergy!*

 

"Welcome to Synergy! I am Lemieux," said a white-dressed fairy that materialized in front of him. "I will guide you as you begin your journey in this world. Think of me as a tutorial bot!"

Bren grit his teeth and rushed through the starter screen as fast as he could. The faster they could get out there, the more easily they could execute this plan.

The seven of them spawned together in the center of Uval.

"Holy shit! This is a VR game?"

"For real! Everything looks incredible!"

...

Though Bren was somewhat in a hurry, he empathized with his friends' awe at the scenery and allowed them to gawk; this experience was more realistic than even he had expected. Though the surroundings were bland with vast plains on the right and shabby buildings on the left, the level of sensory realism was unprecedented. It was even greater than the beta's.

Bren dished out some orders as the group finally calmed down.

"First order of business is to hit level 1 ASAP," he said.

Low-level quests in starter hamlets were numerous and simple. The goal of most were to acclimate one with their new body. As VMA black belts, though, The Coalition quickly hit level 1 with no problems.

After purchasing some essentials from the frontier shop, they dashed into the wild.

"This way."

Bren guided The Coalition to a nearby low-level dungeon.

They completed it with ease. Most of the monsters were inanimate objects that had gained sentience, and they were all incredibly weak. Even the boss was easy - it was just a big slime that had more dangerous jump attacks than normal ones.

But the dungeon was worth it. The "XP per hour" they received was much greater than it would have been outside. On top of that, they received cash and items as well.

*>Name: BrenT*

*>Level: 3*

*>Name: Allux*

*>Level: 3*

*>Name: Molotova*

*>Level: 3*

...

The Coalition were now all level 3. Bren was quite satisfied with their progress in under an hour.

Now, it was time for their plan's second phase.

"Alright, this place is kind of tricky. Do you see these two trees? If you don't walk between them, you can't reach the Fixed Field."

"What?"

The two trees Bren pointed to were uniquely shaped if observed closely, but nothing else about them seemed special. It seemed like a strange entry point, but The Coalition followed his orders.

Before long, the atmosphere shifted.

"What the hell..."

Even the VMA black belts were slightly creeped out by the purple haze and vine-laden trees. They gasped when the grand gates appeared before them.

"These engravings..."

The handiwork of the metal sculptor was fantastic. The phoenixes of black metal were highly detailed down to every last feather. Even their eyes seemed to gleam with intelligence.

Bren cleared his throat to interrupt his clanmates' fascinated stupor once more.

"Alright... So, Ken and Tova. Do you two remember *exactly* how we got here?"

"Yeah, yeah. We just gotta walk through those two trees, right?"

"'Course I do. Who do you think I am?"

"Perfect. I'll entrust the two of you with this - go wild! Find as many players as you can!"

"Thank you! Oh, won't you PLEASE come with me~?"

"Tova, shut up..."

Molotova's change in tone caused the rest of the party to grimace, but no one could deny her acting talent. If she found anyone, she was guaranteed to be able to bring them back. Kenshi's bright personality made him easy to get along with as well - these two were the ultimate player lures!

And so the hunt began.

A group of three, four, and even five met their demise upon meeting The Coalition. Killing all of these players under the rigged settings of the Fixed Field allowed the five players that'd camped in the cemetery to reach level 5, while Molotova and Kenshi reached level 4.

The loot wasn't to be taken lightly, either.

"... That's a hell of a lot of Cinnamon Buns..."

The group of five had even purchased two of these healing items for each.

"What kind of person buys 10 Cinnamon Buns right away?"

"I don't know. Some sweet tooth they've got."

"That's a nice way to put it. I'd call it a sugar addiction."

The group continued to banter with each successful hunt; it was smooth sailing. The lighthearted atmosphere contrasted their gloomy surroundings.

At this point, Molotova had hit level 5. Now, only Kenshi was still level 4. Once they'd killed one more group of players, he'd hit 5 as well. After that, it'd be time for them to move on to the next phase of the game: entering a Village.

*>Kenshi: Guys... I don't want to kill these last two.*

*>BrenT: Why? You're almost at 5. We're booking it to Ecling Village next.*

*>Kenshi: Yeah, but...*

*>BrenT: But what? This isn't like you.*

*Kenshi: ... Nevermind.*

Kenshi always loved to act in a flashy manner, so his hesitation was undoubtedly uncharacteristic. However, he wasn't deviating from the plan.

Before long, Kenshi arrived with his two victims in tow.

"We're here."

The two girls' eye-catching avatars were impossible to miss.

*>Molotova: Ha! Don't tell me you fell for some avatars!*

*>Kenshi: No... that's not...*

The girl with the blue-white avatar timidly glanced around.

"Big Bro Ken... Who's that?"

*>BrenT: Alright, get rid of them quickly. Let's get a move on.*

*>Kenshi: ...*

"Sorry, Abandoned Snow."

Before the two girls could react, countless attacks assaulted them.

"What- Ugh, why did we trust you!"

The girl with the bright red avatar instantly understood they'd been tricked. And just like the color of her clothes, the anger tainted Hearth Ember's words a palpable red.

*-25* 

*-20* 

*-10* 

*-44* 

...

2 seconds. That was all it took for six level 5 players and one level 4 player two wipe out two level 3 players. And it was commendable that they even held on that long. If Kenshi had properly acted, it would have been over even sooner.

A message popped up on his HUD. 

 

*>System message: Level up!*

*>Name: Kenshi*

*>Level: 4 -> 5 (+1)*

... 

 

He blankly stared at it along with the white particles his avatar absorbed.

*>BrenT: Don't be sorry for them. I know it feels real, but they'll respawn just like in any other game.*

Kenshi stared at the ground in silence for several more seconds before finally picking up the two girls' useful drops.

He sighed.

"... Yeah, let's go."

"Hahahaha, look at this loser! He's in loooove~"

"Tova, shut the fuck up!"

Unwilling to deal with his party's antics, Kenshi left the cemetery alone. He leaned on the stone walls and dejectedly looked at the ground. Why hadn't he let them go? He could have easily found someone else to farm.

Kenshi shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts. He was level 5 now, and like Bren said, there was no real harm done to the two girls. They'd respawn normally. Everything was fine. He just needed a moment away from the annoying Molotova.

After cooling his head, Kenshi finally looked up... to see something unexpected in front of him.

Leaning against a tree about 10 metron away was a girl with maroon hair and piercing blue-green eyes. Just like the two girls he'd just encountered, this avatar was beautifully customized. Beautiful, and... uncaged. Her gaze clearly conveyed hostility.

Fae Sol was Level 6. It was higher than anyone in their party so far... but it wasn't going to be a problem since stats gained per level were extremely small. If one disregarded equipment, there was practically no difference between level 5 and level 6.

But why did he feel a strange sense of foreboding? Her crosshair-like irises were trained on him like a sniper observing their target.

Intrigued, Kenshi stepped towards her.

A patch of dirt immediately sprayed in front of him.

Startled, he stumbled back into the stone wall. He looked down to find a pellet embedded in the ground. When he looked back up, it was clear that Fae Sol had fired a golden-colored slingshot weapon. She'd drawn it so quickly that Kenshi failed to react.

"Stay there. I'll talk to all of you at once."

"Uh... Okay..."

Kenshi wasn't sure what to do. His usual decisive nature had vanished... in front of a seemingly unthreatening girl? He looked at her again. Her build was tiny, and she was quite a bit shorter than him. Was he going to be done in by a girl? Or was it a boy pretending to be a girl?

Whichever one it was, his fear was humiliating. He'd clearly forgotten that stature was nearly irrelevant in full-dive VR. Rage bubbled within him, but before he could make a move, the rest of the Coalition merrily strolled out of the cemetery. They clearly hadn't noticed an unwelcome guest nearby.

*PING*

A pellet weaved through the Coalition's bodies and ricocheted off a metal phoenix. The Coalition's merry banter suddenly ceased.

Immediately discerning Fae Sol's intentions as hostile, the Coalition geared to to fight. However...

"One second," Fae Sol haughtily said. Her attitude was so unexpected that Bren and co. forgot to attack. "Let's fight in there." She signaled towards the Fixed Field.

The Coalition looked at each other in confusion, and Molotova burst out laughing.

"Ha, you want to take us down one at a time? Are you stupid? Why would we give up our numbers advantage?"

Fae Sol's suggestion was actually smart if considered from her point of view. It was one versus seven, so she obviously had no chance of winning a straight fight. Her best chance was arranging a series of duels against the Coalition and taking them out one by one in the Fixed Field.

Fae Sol coldly narrowed her eyes, and her next words immediately shut Molotova up.

"No. I want all of your loot and XP. With those Field settings, you're prepared to lose everything as well, right? And don't worry about your precious numbers advantage. I'll fight all of you at once!"