The interior of the Shell Capsule enveloped his body perfectly. Aozuki Keisho sank into the black cushioning while gazing up at the connection panel on the ceiling. Twenty-three years old. Deep navy eyes, black short hair with bangs swept diagonally across his forehead. His frame was slender, muscular but not bulky. He lay shirtless in black slacks, and on his left wrist, a strange blue pattern glowed faintly. Even Keisho himself didn't know what it was. "Well then." He confirmed the setup. The digital wristband device fitted to his fingertips slowly illuminated red. (Full-dive VR, huh. I wonder if this actually works.) Curiosity and doubt crossed through his chest. As a hacker, Keisho doubted every system. It was an occupational hazard. But this Shell Capsule alone—he couldn't possibly grasp its internal structure with his own technical knowledge. Nexus Corporation's latest technology. Everything was locked inside a black box. "Connection initiated." The system voice announced mechanically. His vision turned pure white. He couldn't see anything. Couldn't hear anything. He couldn't even sense his own body. Only Keisho's consciousness floated in that white void. It was a sensation he couldn't describe as either fear or excitement. And then—— "—!" His vision returned. Light flooded in. A city built from white stone. Medieval fantasy-style buildings lined the streets. The sky was blue, the clouds white. Wind brushed across Keisho's face. Its coldness was no different from reality. (Everything... is real...) Looking down at his feet, he stood on white stone pavement. Around him, dozens of player-like figures stood motionless and dazed. All wore the bewildered expressions of those freshly transferred. In the city's center, a massive fountain emitted a pale blue-white glow. The Transfer Fountain. Light reflected on its surface rippled rhythmically. Keisho found himself captivated by its beauty for a moment. (Arcadia, then.) According to the game's opening explanation, this was the first safe zone. A place where PK—player killing—was impossible. At least that much seemed trustworthy. But then it happened. Semi-transparent windows unfolded before his eyes, one after another. [[STATUS SCREEN]] [[SKILL TREE]] [[INVENTORY]] [[QUEST LIST]] [[GAME SETTINGS]] Text filled the windows completely. Keisho reflexively tried to check each one. But scrolling revealed no end in sight. (Do I have to read all of this?) His analytical hacker instincts activated. He tried to prioritize the most critical information. But the sheer volume was overwhelming—he didn't know where to start. Then. The most critical notification appeared in a red frame. [[WARNING]] [[DEATH FEEDBACK SPECIFICATION: In-game death equals real-world death]] [[SAFETY SYSTEMS DISABLED]] [[ESTABLISH SURVIVAL STRATEGY]] "...What?" The word escaped his lips involuntarily. The other players around him had similarly frozen. Several were panicking, tapping and shaking the windows. One woman had gone pale and dropped to her knees. (Death, then.) Keisho's brain began analyzing the situation at high speed. This was an experiment. A form of consciousness transfer experiment by Nexus Corporation. It didn't take long to reach that conclusion. No ordinary game would have specifications like this. Terms of service violation. Legal violation. Yet here it was—— (We're test subjects.) Cold realization settled in his chest. But Keisho didn't waver. His analytical nature kept emotion at bay. His consciousness switched to the practical question: "How do I respond?" Organize the information. First, grasp the basic rules of this game. Next, find the exit conditions. To do that, he'd need to locate system vulnerabilities. Using his hacker skills—— "Hey." Someone's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up. On the far side of the Transfer Fountain stood a female player. Long hair gleaming silver. Deep blue eyes. Equipment in white tones—light and mobile. Pale skin, refined features. But what stood out most was her presence. While other players panicked and descended into chaos, she remained calm. More than that—there was an air of composure as she observed the surrounding confusion. (Does she know something?) Keisho began observing her unconsciously. He pretended to struggle with the windows while his gaze remained fixed on her. She seemed to be dealing with the information windows too, but her finger movements showed no hesitation. As if she already understood this system. Then. She suddenly looked up. Their eyes met. In that instant, she smiled—a mischievous, impish smile. That smile was filled with curiosity directed at Keisho. She raised her hand in a light wave. Not a greeting, but a provocative gesture. Keisho reflexively looked away. (What was that...) He felt something surge in his chest. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation. Rather, his interest had been piqued. That female player might be something special. But there was no time to investigate. Keisho took a deep breath. "Survival first." He muttered while extracting the minimum operational knowledge from the windows. He accessed the skill tree and confirmed his starting skills. This was a sword and sorcery fantasy world. The job Keisho had chosen was "warrior with hacker-level intellect." Such a job didn't actually exist, but by combining "physical swordsmanship" and "system analysis" skills, he'd created something close. Opening his inventory, he found a black coat and a starter short sword. Keisho equipped them both. The weight, the texture—everything felt real. "So this is... the weapon that protects my life." He gripped the sword's hilt and felt its weight. He really would have to defeat enemies with this. He really would die without it. The distinction between reality and game blurred. No—the distinction had already vanished. This was another reality. Looking around, other players were gradually beginning to move. Some headed toward the city center, others disappeared into side streets. From panic to action. That was survival instinct. "Information gathering. I can't begin without understanding this game's rules." Keisho steeled his resolve and started walking. As he traversed the white stone pavement, he mapped the city's structure in his mind. Not a single path, but multiple intersecting alleys. The city's total size. Its population. The number of NPCs. The safe zone's boundaries. The subjects for analysis were infinite. In the street bathed in sunset, Aozuki Keisho walked alone. At that moment, he glanced back once toward the Transfer Fountain. The silver-haired female player was no longer visible. But her smile lingered strangely in his mind. (Who is she?) The question remained unanswered, lodged in his chest. Something would happen tomorrow. There would be new encounters in this city. Only that premonition felt certain. With that thought, Keisho stepped into an alley leading toward the city center. An inn sign glowed in the evening sun. His first night in the game world passed in silence.