Chapter 1: First Log-in
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It was only by chance that I, Kano Kenji became interested in this game. I originally preferred tabletop RPGs to computer RPGs. MMORPGs themselves did not appeal to me at all.

I saw a game called "Gate of Amitilicia Online" on the Internet by chance and was looking for beta testers. I was about to let it slide, thinking that another MMO was on its way, when my eyes caught a sentence that read, " Stimulate all five senses" and "Freedom = imagination = infinity".

Upon closer inspection, I found that the game was a VR game that lets you play as if you exist in the game world. Instead of following the avatar’s back through the screen, you can act as an authentic member of the world from the avatar’s point of view.

Naturally, there are restrictions imposed by the system, but the system seemed to offer considerably more freedom than conventional MMOs. This is akin to TRPGs, in which actions expand based on ideas, and if such a game exists, I would definitely like to try it.

I failed the tester recruitment with flying colors, however. The disappointment I felt at that time was honestly unbelievable, even for me. That’s how high my expectations were. 

Beta test, hurry and finish it. Hurry and release the regular version. Time passed as I wished for such things every day.

  The regular version went on sale a week ago and is already up and running. I also got the regular version at the same time as the reservation started, and just waited for the day of the start.

However, I could not log in on the first day because of a sudden out-of-prefecture training. I responded to the supervisor, who ordered the training with a superficial smile and cursed in my heart. I was immersed in my work, knowing that it was my fate as a member of a society that I would have to do what I had to do.

Finally, the moment to play arrived. When I got home, I took off my suit, started up my PC, and installed “GAO,” which I had collected from the game store. I use the time until completion to get my chores done.

Installation and chores done, I put on my VR gear and lay down on my bed.

After entering the ID and password and logging in, it will switch to the avatar creation screen.

Now, what to do? Before I started, I enjoyed imagining many things, but when it came time to create, I got nervous. After all, I was creating a character that would become my alter ego. I could not create more than one character. If I wanted to make a new one, I would have to delete the one I had been using. I had to be very careful.

The human figure, which looks like a mannequin, is standing in front of me. This is the avatar. The first step is to decide on a name.

Real names are out of the question. In a Western-style fantasy world, I don’t believe it would be tight enough. So I tried to think of a Western-style name, but it just didn’t feel right. The only names that come to mind are common ones, and I am sure there are many players with the same name. I thought about renaming myself a bit, but I thought “Kenji” would be too much like “Ken” ......, so there’s no way to play around with it. ...... No, I could translate “fist” into English and call myself “Fist” or “Phisto”....... ....."There are no players with duplicate names. Are you sure you want to decide?" I received a confirmation. I decided that this was okay.

The next step is to create the appearance. It is possible to call up and select samples of parts, but it is also possible to reflect the image as it appears, apparently. It is also possible to change the details of the selected sample with the image. When I imagined an appropriate cartoon character as a test, the body in front of me transformed. It was not just as it was, but corrected as if the imagined character were a live-action version of the original. No, I wouldn't use it at any price, as you can imagine. 

The image of the element was reset and returned to the mannequin state. Well, let’s decide in order then.

Hair color and skin color vary. Skin color was within the bounds of common sense, and no hair color was impossible for a human being. The hair could be pink or green. Which one shall I choose? Hair is gold ...... No, that’s not artistic. There is also the combination with skin color....... Hmm, brown skin. ...... Try combining this with black hair....... Oh, that looks good. Let’s choose a haircut from a random sample. Not too short, not too long. I’ll go with this one, tweak a few things here and there, and see how it turns out.

Next is eye color. Hmm, you can make them different colors on the left and right. Can you do odd eyes? But I think it's too ambitious. I think I'll make them both black.

The body size is a bit over 170, which is based on realism, since it would be too big. The default body shape is the same as the actual body shape. How should we change it from here? I don't intend to make the body obese or skinny, so should I keep the body as it is in real life? Let's narrow it down a bit and start with ....... In real life, I'd be a bit more chubby.

Can we keep the default face shape? Now we can tweak the eyes, eyebrows, nose, and mouth. Do this like this: ...... Yeah, it's better than average, but it's about as good looking as you can get.

Last check on the overall picture. Is this enough to create the appearance?

The next step is skill selection, and.

In a nutshell, I have a set style of play, so I gain the skills I need to do it. I don't think about which skills are strong or weak, useful or useless. It is a composition for my enjoyment.

​​Because of that, I picked up the skills I had decided to take.

Hand-to-hand: Skill in bare-handed fighting

Spirit Magic: Skill to control spirit magic

Cooking: food preparation skills

Agility Enhancement: Skill to enhance agility

Food processing: skills in processing food ingredients

Farsightedness: the skill to see things at a distance

Night vision: the skill of seeing things in the dark

Concealing: the skill to hide oneself

Animal Knowledge: Skills to gain knowledge about animals

Plant knowledge: Skills to gain knowledge about plants

That's good enough. I'm not planning on going for strength in the game at this point. The main thing I have wanted to do since I learned that the game appeals to the five senses is to "taste" .

I want to eat the food in the game. I want to cook it myself. It would be possible to recreate real dishes in the game. It would be fun to find and eat unknown ingredients. Of course, there will be risks involved in obtaining them, and some of them may kill you if you eat them (in the game, that is). That's what I want to enjoy.

I intend to seek some level of combativeness for food procurement, and if there are events, etc., I plan to take an active part in them. However, my basic plan is to eat and walk around, and if possible, I will also try my luck at creating dishes. I am not thinking of setting up a restaurant and doing business at this point. Someday I plan to gain my land, build a house, raise crops and livestock there, and go on adventures from time to time to secure unknown foodstuffs, living a kind of self-sufficient life. Since it is impossible to build a house with farmland while maintaining the current level of civilization in real life, it would be pleasant to at least dream about it here.

Avatar creation is complete. All that remains is to tweak the detailed settings and complete the configuration. Then a message appeared in front of me.

“The freedom in this world is unlimited, and most of the actions that players desire can be performed.

However, of course, what is possible is not necessarily ‘what is allowed in this world’ or ‘what it is okay to do’.

 Players are free to do whatever they want in this world.

However, whatever happens as a result, please remember that the responsibility lies entirely with the players.

 Please act entirely at your own risk. We are not responsible for any consequences that may result from your actions, either to yourself or to other players.”

I know this message. Most people who play GAO know this message, even those who don’t play GAO. It is because it has been on the top page of the official website of this game since a short while after they launched it.

We judge what we may do and what we may not do, and we act accordingly. It is common sense.  It's not something you need to be reminded of every time.

Unfortunately, however, there are people who cannot do such a natural thing. This is probably a warning to such people.

There is a question, though. If there are things that should not be done, why not put restrictions on them in the system from the beginning?

 For example, the game implements the act of PK, in which a player attacks another player. In the real world, this act would include everything from assault to murder, and in real life, it would obviously be wrong to do. However, the system allows it.

How should we judge this? Simply put, one would think that if the system permits the act, there is nothing wrong with doing it. And yet you make a deliberate effort, both in real life and here, to nail it down: PK is possible, but is it a worthwhile thing to do? If you did it, would you get away with it without penalty, and if it had only been implemented since the beta, you would have known the consequences by now, but PK seems to have built in from the regular version, and PK is already happening. It is known that it is known, but what happens as a result of PKing remains unknown.

Well, back to the point, this sentence does not affect me as a matter of fact. I will not have a problem if I act with the same ethical standards in a game as in real life.

Of course, there's also the possibility that real-life ethics don't apply in the game. The point is not to commit crimes or cause trouble for others. It should be the same in any world.

Scroll down the message and you will see ‘Only those who agree to the above can proceed. “Do you agree?" The words “Yes” and ``No” come to mind after the sentence ``Yes, I am”. Without hesitation, I chose “Yes”.

I hope all players are 'human beings' of reason and conscience."

The last sentence displayed. Without reading too much into it, it seems to be a reminder to act as a decent human being who can conform to society.

Then the message fades away, and a light in the distance gradually approaches. The glare of the light made me close my eyes and–

When I opened my eyes, I saw a new world.

The hustle and bustle that fills the streets of this old-fashioned, Western-style town. People passing by are clad in armor, many of them carrying weapons.

 A breeze caressing my cheek. A smell that tickles my nose. The unusual air.

"Wow. ......."

Those were the first words that spontaneously spilled out when I stepped into this world.

It's a game, but it doesn't feel like a game. There is another reality, and all five senses are appealing to the viewer.

I can't help but feel excited about the many things that are about to happen and that I will be involved in. However, the first thing to do is.

Eat!

Since that's why I'm here, I want to eat a variety of foods that exist in this world first. It doesn't have to be something unique to this world. I want to taste it first.

We are in the central square of Einfast, the first city to appear for those who log in for the first time. It is quite large, and the avatars are moving around.

"Shucks, ...... where am I supposed to go?"

The city itself seems quite large. I activate the map, but only a part of the square is open. This is a specification that only allows you to open places you’ve been, so you’ll have to fill in the blanks by taking a walk, eventually.

"Excuse me."

Deciding it was too early to ask, he approached a nearby avatar.

"Hmm, what is it?"

 The man who responded was a small, fat man who looked to be in his mid-thirties.

"Do you know of any good places around here that sell food?"

"Food, you say? ...... Is it the food? ...... Or is it the ingredients?"

"Uh, ...... either way."

After thinking about it, I answer yes. I would like to eat the food and make it myself. I want to know where to find a cook store, but I also want to know where to get the ingredients.

"Yes, I suppose so. I guess the market over there would be good for food."

 The man then points in a certain direction.

"You can sometimes find bargains at street stalls, but the most reliable place to look is the market. You can find most things there. And for food, there are food stalls, but stores are concentrated on the main street there."

And now he pointed me in another direction.

"Do you have any recommendations?"

 

"Well, ...... there's been some talk lately about a restaurant that seems to have recently been opened by an outsider....... ...... What was the name of the place?"

 "What?" I couldn't help but blurt out. This man said 'outsider'. The words 'outsider' and 'aliens' are used to refer to players in this world, but the fact that he doesn't use the word 'player' suggests that this man is an NPC. His words and actions were so natural that I just assumed he was a PC. I don't know what kind of technology is used, but it must be amazing. AI?

 This is interesting. Unless they are very distinctive, PCs and NPCs do not seem to be distinguishable by appearance alone. Well, unarmed avatars are probably NPCs at first.

 In fact, there is a way to distinguish between PCs and NPCs in the system. Simply turn on the marker display in the settings. Then a marker will appear above your head to show that you are an NPC.

I had that feature turned off. And will not turn it on again. This is so much more realistic. I don't think of it as a game object, just in terms of what it says and does. It's an individual, right there. As a table topper, this is definitely more to my liking.

"Sorry, I can't remember where."

"No, thank you."

I thanked him and turned my attention first to the market.

But a store opened by someone outside of ......, huh? One week since the start and already there have been so many of those stiffs. I wonder how much it costs to open a store. I wonder how much it will cost to buy the land. I wonder how hard they had to work to earn it. Or did they charge for it?

Well, that's it. First, the food.

I walk to the market first, as the man said earlier.

Even as I was doing this, I was hearing calls for parties and advice on strategies. It has already been one week since the start of the project. Even if you are not an expert in the game, you probably have a reasonable grasp of the world and are enjoying yourself. GAO has an information board on its official website, so if I use it well, I will get more information about the game. I’m sure I can make up for the delay.

However, I'm not really interested in the strategy itself, so I can go check the information I need when I need it.

Now, after passing through the plaza, I came to an even wider street. The number of people passing by has increased, and the street is full of activity.

Checking the surroundings, there are some signs out there that may help guide me to the major facilities.

 So the market is that way. And if that is the armory street, then there must be a lot of stores selling armory just as the letters say. I wonder if there is an arena if I go that way. ...... Oh, I see it. It's a small structure, but it looks like the Colosseum in Rome. Maybe I'll go there later. Hmm, a honey town? I wonder if honey is a specialty of this town. I like sweets. I'll check it out later.

I can’t help it, I’m getting distracted. But I’m going to do what I set out to do. First, food.

 I was making my way to the marketplace, scurrying around the streets like a country bumpkin, but my feet naturally stopped.

“This, this smell is ......”

Yes, it was the smell that stopped me in my tracks. I knew immediately where it was coming from. There was a stall at the end of the street where a bearded man was grilling something. I didn’t know what it was.

Before I knew it, my feet were heading for the food stall.

"Oh, come here!"

"Oh, gee, what's this you're grilling?"

What was being grilled was something like a bird's leg. Pointing at it, I asked.

"This? These are chicken legs."

 Chickens, huh? Chickens are birds that exist in real life, but are chickens in this world any different?

As I was thinking about this, a window opened in front of me.

Chicken (?????) (species): a common food bird. Various species exist.

I see, so this triggered the [Animal Knowledge] skill. But this seems incomplete. I got a description of the chickens, but there is some information left unsaid. Either way, it's probably not a species I know, but I'm curious.

"And what species?"

 I'll ask him if it's no good. Then, I found out …

“Listen and be amazed, it’s Tiokris. It’s delicious.”

He said with his nose up in the air. I'm not sure what's so great about it.

That's when I thought.

 Tiokris chicken: a common food bird. A high-class species of chicken. The meat tastes great, but the eggs are not so tasty.

 and window information updated.

 Quality and other information have since been updated now that the types are known. Did the additional information reduce the difficulty of judging knowledge and successfully re-determine it? ...... No. Is that what knowledge skills are for in this world in the first place? ......

It seems that gathering information in this way will bring us closer to more complete information on the parts that are not clear. As they say, it is a shame to ask too many questions, so I will keep on asking about what I don't know whenever I have the chance.

Well, we'll examine this area later: ......

"Hey, buddy, how much is this?"

" 1  piece for 70 pedia."

  The unit of currency in this world is the pedia. The amount in my possession at present is 10,000 pedia. Now, buying is no problem, but is this really expensive or cheap? I casually looked at the other stalls and saw a stall selling fruit. There I saw a familiar fruit. It looks like an apple in real life. A window came up again, this time telling me it was an apple. This must be the [botanical knowledge] one.

 And the apples were 5 pedia each. Hmmm, I thought back to the actual market price. If it had been apples, the price would have been around 150 yen for a pack of three apples at the supermarket. Then, one pedia would be about 10 yen, and this chicken would cost about 700 yen.

It may seem expensive, but that's about the price of a beef skewer at a festival food stall. Chicken is said to be one of the most expensive products in the world. And since the skill of the chef has already been proven, there can be no doubt about it. High-grade chicken meat costs 700 yen. It seems like a cheap deal when you think about it.

"I'll take one."

""Aye, you got it!"!"

 He decides immediately and orders. At the same time as he shouted, he scooped the leg of the bird that was being grilled over charcoal with a fork. He placed it on a large leaf and presented it to me. I take out 70 pedia from my pocket, hand it to him, and receive the meat.

 Holding the meat with the ends wrapped in leaves, I decided to enjoy the smell first. The smell, like a teriyaki chicken in real life, whets the appetite. When I feel the spit in my mouth, it is as if I am being urged to devour the meat as soon as possible.

"Then I'll take ......."

 Muttering, I bit into the meat with a gulp and chewed it to shreds. The smell of the sweet and spicy sauce, which was both sweet and savory, pierced my nose. Juices overflowed from the tender meat and filled my mouth. The more I chewed, the sweeter the meat became.

 "Yummy. ......."

 It was unquestionably delicious. I have never had such delicious chicken. I am very disappointed that it is an ingredient that does not exist in the real world. I'm not sure if the real, high quality chicken is as good as this, though.

 

"Ha ha ha, how do you like it, buddy?"

"I love it! I've never had such good chicken in my life, mister!"

"Oh, yeah, right! I'm glad you enjoyed your meal so much, as well!"

The good-natured man laughed.

"Well, I'm usually available here, so come by anytime."

"Oh, I'll definitely be back!"

 I really wanted to eat a few more, but I held back. After all, there was still more food to be had.

 What should I try next? After checking the surrounding restaurants, I move from the spot.

 That day, I never reached the market and ended up just eating and walking around.

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