Hayato slipped on his virtual reality headset, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he reentered the world of Virtual World Awakening (VWA). However, instead of using his old account, Hayato decided to create a new one. Paranoia still gripped him, remnants of the events that had driven him away from the game.
"They can't find me," he thought, as he carefully navigated the character creation menu. This time, Hayato was more cautious than ever. He not only selected a different class—a hunter—but also chose a new alias. "This should work. A versatile class, good for leveling quickly and staying under the radar," he reasoned.
His fingers hesitated over the keyboard before typing in his new name: Yamikari. It felt distant from his old identity, untraceable. "Yamikari," he repeated in his mind. "No one will recognize me." It wasn’t just about the class anymore—it was about erasing his past and moving forward unseen.
As the world of VWA materialized around him, Hayato found himself standing in the bustling desert city of Khamsin. The sun blazed down, and the city was alive with activity—players bartering at market stalls, recruiters shouting for new guild members, and merchants advertising their wares. It was a chaotic blend of voices and colors, a stark contrast to the quiet, controlled environment of the farm he had just left.
The desert heat bore down on him, and the sand shifted under his feet as he moved through the crowded streets. He felt a strange mix of nostalgia and unease—nostalgia for the game that had once been his sanctuary, and unease at the unfamiliarity of this new start.
"Perfect," Hayato muttered to himself as he spotted a recruiter standing near the edge of the market square, calling out for new members. He approached, his mind already calculating the benefits of joining a guild—faster leveling, better resources, more information.
“Looking for new members!” the recruiter, a muscular warrior with a broad smile, called out.
“I’d like to join your guild,” Hayato responded, masking his anxiety with confidence. I could use the guild to progress faster. If they stop being useful, I’ll move on, he thought, his paranoia still gnawing at him.
The recruiter glanced at Hayato, taking in his appearance and noticing his level. “Level 1? Shouldn’t you level up a bit first?” His tone was skeptical, but not dismissive.
“I’m better than I look,” Hayato replied, keeping his voice steady.
The recruiter smirked. “Confident, I like that. But talk is cheap. Let’s head to the duel area and see if you’re as good as you say.”
Hayato followed the recruiter to the nearby duel arena, a circular pit surrounded by a low wall. The recruiter selected his weapon—a lance, a long, deadly weapon that was new to Hayato. "A lancer," Hayato thought, recalling that this class had been introduced after the first artifact event. "I've never fought one, but it shouldn’t be a problem."
In the duel area, Hayato drew his short sword, the weapon feeling heavy and awkward in his hand. "Isn’t this supposed to be light? It’s way heavier than my artifact… Fine, I can handle this," he reassured himself, though doubt was already creeping in.
Sweat beaded on Hayato’s forehead as he readied himself. The recruiter charged without hesitation, the lance flashing forward with blinding speed. Hayato’s mind raced, but his body was a step too slow. The lance struck before he could react, and he was knocked to the ground, defeated in an instant.
"What?!" Hayato gasped, staring up at the sky, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.
“Sorry, kid, but you’re pretty bad… What a waste of time,” the lancer scoffed before walking away, leaving Hayato lying in the sand.
“Wait!” Hayato called out, but the lancer didn’t even glance back.
Hayato struggled to his feet, his pride wounded deeper than any blow he’d taken in the game. "Have I really gotten this bad? Did I forget how to play?" he muttered, his confidence shaken.
Determined not to be discouraged, Hayato sought out another guild. Before long, he found himself facing off against another opponent, this time a fighter—a class Hayato had never seen before.
"This class must have been introduced after I quit... But this time will be different," Hayato thought, steeling himself. "Fighters use gauntlets, their range should be much shorter. I’m going to win this."
But as the fighter closed in, Hayato misjudged the reach of his short sword. His attack missed, and the fighter quickly countered, knocking Hayato to the ground once again.
For the second time, Hayato found himself lying defeated in the dust. The fighter looked down at him, a smirk on his face. “Start with the basics, kid. If you try hard, maybe you’ll become average,” he taunted before walking away, leaving Hayato seething with frustration.
"Joining a guild is harder than I thought," Hayato realized as he wandered through the duel area, his mind replaying the defeats over and over. "I can’t believe how weak I’ve become."
In the distance, Hayato noticed a commotion around the largest arena. A long line had formed, and his curiosity piqued, Hayato approached the end of the line and asked, “What’s this line for?”
A random player replied, “This is the recruitment test for the top guild, Tempest. They’re letting players face off against one of their members to see if they qualify.”
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Hayato’s gaze hardened at the mention of Tempest. "Interesting…" he muttered, his anger from the defeats fueling a new determination.
He joined the line, determination burning in his chest. "This might be my way in. I’ll destroy them from the inside," he vowed, his resolve firming with each passing moment.
As the line moved forward, Hayato watched as group after group of players was rejected. They were sent in groups of five, but no one made it past the initial test. Finally, it was Hayato’s turn to enter the arena.
Just as the test was about to begin, a familiar figure made an appearance—TAKASH1, the top player in the game. The crowd murmured in excitement as TAKASH1 approached the Tempest member in charge of the recruitment, his presence commanding attention.
“Can I do the evaluations?” TAKASH1 asked casually.
“No,” InuTora replied curtly.
“Huh? Why not?” TAKASH1 protested, his tone light but persistent.
“Because every time you do the evaluations, no one is good enough, and we end up with no recruits,” InuTora explained with a sigh, clearly exasperated.
“I’ll go easy this time.”
“You said that last time.”
“But this time is different.”
“You said that last time, too,” InuTora grumbled, but TAKASH1 ignored him, jumping over the fence into the arena.
“I’ll handle the evaluations from here on out. Whoever’s ready, step into the arena!” TAKASH1 announced, his voice carrying across the crowd.
InuTora scowled, muttering, “You’re going to ignore me, huh?”
As TAKASH1 took his place in the arena, most of the players in line began to back out.
“It’s the top player doing the evaluation. No chance,” one player muttered as he left.
“I’m out,” another agreed, following suit.
TAKASH1 looked disappointed as more players left the line. “Come on, guys! Don’t give up on me!” he pleaded, putting on a pitiful face, but still, most of the line dispersed, leaving only a few determined souls, including Hayato.
InuTora, growing exasperated, called out, “Anyone who lands a hit on this idiot passes!” he added the last part in a low voice, clearly annoyed.
With this challenge issued, some players returned to the line, their hope rekindled.
TAKASH1 looked back at InuTora. “Isn’t that a bit harsh? I’m not sure I can go easy on them now.”
InuTora grinned, “Well, you wanted to evaluate them. Good luck, evaluator!” He then turned to the other guild members, muttering, “Look at those idiots, thinking they can just land a hit and pass.”
Ten challengers, including Hayato, entered the arena. TAKASH1 drew a wooden sword—the weakest weapon in the game—and didn’t bother with a shield.
“Wooden sword and no shield? I can pass this,” one challenger boasted.
“Don’t underestimate him! This bastard is better than he looks,” InuTora warned, his voice dropping as he insulted TAKASH1.
“Begin!” InuTora shouted.
An assassin charged forward immediately. “The spot’s mine!” the assassin declared, but TAKASH1 dispatched him effortlessly, eliminating him before he even realized what had happened.
“I warned you…” InuTora sighed. “Remember, you don’t have to win, just land a hit. Work together, and you might take down this moron,” he muttered again.
TAKASH1 called out, “Aren’t we in the same guild? Feels like you’re rooting for them.”
“Of course not,” InuTora responded dismissively.
Two warriors, a swordsman, and another assassin attacked TAKASH1 together.
“That’s it, take him down!” InuTora cheered sarcastically, making no effort to hide his annoyance.
TAKASH1 blocked the warriors’ attacks and dodged the others, but he didn’t eliminate them right away. Meanwhile, Hayato circled the arena, looking for an opening. Despite TAKASH1 being occupied, his eyes never left Hayato, tracking his movements carefully.
"He leaves no openings," Hayato observed, frustration building.
Realizing the others weren’t skilled enough to create a distraction, Hayato sat down on the sand, staring at TAKASH1. "These guys aren’t skilled enough to even provide a distraction. His attention is all on me," Hayato thought. TAKASH1 had instinctively recognized Hayato as the biggest threat in the arena, even though he hadn’t yet attacked.
Eventually, TAKASH1 defeated the others, leaving only Hayato. InuTora shook his head in disappointment. “What a letdown. No one could defeat this jerk.”
TAKASH1 looked at Hayato. “So, what will you do? Are you going to give up?”
Hayato stood up, brushed the sand off his clothes, and then charged at TAKASH1. As soon as he was within range, TAKASH1 made a downward slash, but Hayato jumped back, dodging it. He quickly countered with an attack aimed at TAKASH1’s head, but TAKASH1 easily evaded it.
“Oh!” InuTora exclaimed, impressed that someone had finally managed to dodge TAKASH1’s attack.
Hayato focused on mobility, circling TAKASH1 and striking while on the move. TAKASH1 only needed to walk, calmly blocking each of Hayato’s attacks. Occasionally, TAKASH1 would strike back, but Hayato always managed to dodge.
TAKASH1 finally grew tired of the game. “I don’t mind this little dance, but it’s time to end this.”
Hayato nodded, “You’re right.”
Hayato made a low sweep with his sword, causing sand to fly into the air, obscuring their vision—just like Kurogiri had tried against him. Hayato used the cover of the sand to move to TAKASH1’s right side, aiming for the side that wasn’t holding a sword. TAKASH1 stood still, waiting to see what Hayato would do next. As soon as Hayato’s sword emerged from the sand, TAKASH1 saw it and effortlessly spun his body, avoiding the attack.
Hayato was shocked by how effortlessly TAKASH1 dodged his move. "This strategy seemed so much more effective when Kurogiri used it against me," Hayato thought, realizing the difference in skill. He jumped back, recomposing himself, and charged again. But this time, TAKASH1 stepped forward just before Hayato could strike, closing the distance rapidly—the first time he had moved quickly against Hayato.
“You fought well,” TAKASH1 said before delivering the finishing blow.
InuTora sighed, “Expected result… and no one passed… again…”
After his defeat, Hayato left the arena, seething with anger. A group of Tempest guild members surrounded TAKASH1, praising his skills. InuTora, however, wasn’t as impressed.
“Thanks for ruining the recruitment, moron. Now we don’t have any new members. Really great job, top marks,” InuTora said sarcastically.
“Take it easy on me… Wait,” TAKASH1 said, suddenly looking around as if searching for something.
“Where is he?” TAKASH1 asked.
“The hunter?” InuTora replied.
“Yes.”
“He left right after you defeated him.”
“Ah… What a shame. I wanted to recruit him. He had a lot of potential. If you find him, let me know. Our guild needs players like him,” TAKASH1 said, disappointment in his voice.
“Okay, recruitment ruiner,” InuTora muttered.
“Can you please stop calling me that?” TAKASH1 sighed.
Hayato, still fuming, faced the harsh reality. "I can’t beat anyone. All my plans failed. I couldn’t even join a guild, and I lost to that guy. Maybe I should go back and level up, relearn how to play? My gear is still pretty bad… No, wait… This time, I’ll do whatever it takes to get my revenge. The only thing I can’t allow this time is giving up."
As Hayato left the arena, he noticed a mage passing by, heading toward the vast desert. She was level 22 and appeared to have some valuable items. "She has some expensive gear. Whatever she drops, I can sell and buy something better for myself. Mage items are always pricey," Hayato thought as he began to follow her.