Zaro leaned back in his gaming chair, the worn padding creaking like a rusty door hinge in a horror game. Another day in the mines had left him with the kind of muscle fatigue that made Elden Ring boss fights feel relaxing. His tiny apartment barely had room for his VR setup, but it was worth eating ramen for dinner if it meant escaping into Blade Era every night.

The hyper realistic VR MMORPG was his only reprieve from endless shifts mining Mithril. Well, that and drowning his sorrows at Of Drink and Pickaxe, a tavern whose name was way more creative than its watered-down ale.

Tonight, though, even Blade Era seemed determined to speed run his misery. Three hours grinding the Sulfur Caves, hoping the gods would bless him with a rare drop from the Lava Salamanders. His inventory was full of vendor trash when the server hiccuped like a drunk giant.

A message flashed across his vision: Server instability detected.

His vision blurred. The familiar sounds of crackling flames and hissing monsters faded to silence, replaced by a loading screen that definitely wasn't part of the normal game interface.

Extracting user data. Compiling parameters. Initializing transfer. Welcome to reality 2.0.

A blinding flash of white light seared his retinas like someone had cranked his graphics settings to supernova. When his vision cleared, he wasn't staring at pixelated cave walls anymore. The cave surrounding him now had ray tracing that would make a 4090 GPU weep.

Zaro reached out to touch the rough, moss-covered wall. His fingers sank into the cool, damp surface with a level of tactile feedback no VR glove could match. This was either the most immersive game update ever or he had just been isekaied harder than a light novel protagonist.

His heart hammered against his ribs like it was trying to speedrun a cardiac event. A cold sweat prickled his skin as the reality of his situation sank in like a critical hit to the psyche. "What in the hell is going on?" His voice echoed through the cavern, the acoustics way too realistic for comfort.

He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to will himself back into his gaming chair, back to the familiar comfort of his cramped apartment. He took a deep breath, trying to feel the weight of his headset, the pressure against his temples. But there was nothing there. Instead, he felt a dampness on his skin, a slight cooling wind that whispered through the cave, carrying the scent of damp earth and something ancient, something unknown.

He strained to hear the familiar sounds of his gaming room: the hum of his computer, the flickering neon sign of his usual watering hole, casting shadows across his window. But there was only silence, broken only by the drip, drip, drip… hopefully, of water from the cave ceiling.

For a moment, panic threatened to overwhelm him. His heart pounded like a full drum solo, thumping every BPM a drum set could produce. He wiped the fresh sweat off his head, took a deep breath, and forced himself to focus.

Maybe that old x-box trick will work?

"System? Log out? Hello?" He called out, his voice echoing in the cavern, a desperate plea for answers.

Silence. Only the drops of water from the cave ceiling answered him.

Basic sensory input calibrated. Initiating system integration.

The metallic voice in his head sounded like a GPS navigator that had achieved sentience but kept the same emotional range as a spoon. It definitely wasn't the usual Blade Era system message tone.

Initialization complete. Welcome User Zaro to the Akashic System.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Analyzing user parameters...

Zaro race: human. Class: Peasant.

HP: 70.

Mana: 0.

Level: 1.

Attributes: Strength 7. Agility 3. Intelligence 8. Vitality 8. Stamina 8.

Basic analysis complete. Overall assessment: Pathetic.

Notification: User heart rate elevated. Emotional response detected.

"Hey!" Zaro protested, feeling personally attacked by an AI. "I'll have you know I'm a level 32 Warrior in Blade Era. I once soloed a mini-boss. Sure, it was massively under-leveled and probably bugged, but still."

Processing previous gaming experience. Data corrupted. Full analysis delayed until level 15.

Welcome to Atheria. Beginning basic tutorial.

Analyzing surroundings. Detecting trace amounts of Aetherium. Recommended action: Extract nearby resources.

Tutorial quest added: Extract Aetherium crystal.

Reward: System functionality increase.

"Aetherium?" Zaro squinted at the pulsing blue crystal embedded in the wall. It looked like someone had crossbred a mana crystal with an RGB gaming setup. A holographic display materialized, showing resource details and extraction methods that would make a Minecraft player jealous.

Basic analysis: Aetherium is a highly concentrated form of magical energy. Essential for system functions and user progression. Current extraction chance 98%.

Zaro reached for the crystal, half expecting a quick time event prompt. Instead, his fingers brushed the surface and energy surged through him like chugging three energy drinks at once. He gasped but held firm, determined to complete this tutorial quest properly. The crystal practically melted into his touch, its energy flooding his system.

*Tutorial quest completed. *

Reward obtained: System core activated.

New notification: User Zaro has been chosen.

Class selection unlocked.

A massive menu materialized, displaying more class options than a Korean MMO cash shop. Traditional classes like Warrior and Mage sat alongside exotic options like Necromancer and Soul Weaver. Purple text indicated rare classes while gold text highlighted legendary ones.

System notification: Analyzing user potential.

Error detected: Unable to determine optimal class.

*Override initiated. *

Legendary class options unlocked.

Zaro scrolled through choices that would make a min-maxer weep. Iron Fist, Hulkamaniac, Master of Arms – each one more overpowered than the last. Then he spotted it. A class shrouded in shadow, its description more mysterious than his dating profile.

Voidwalker: A rare and enigmatic class that draws power from the void. Abilities and limitations unknown.

His cursor hovered over the option. In Blade Era, he always played it safe. Standard warrior build, meta talent choices, optimal rotation. But this wasn't a game anymore. Or if it was, it was running on hardware way beyond his pay grade.

Sometimes you have to throw the meta out the window and go for style points.

Voidwalker selected.

Warning: Class has high difficulty rating.

Confirm selection?

Zaro grinned. Time to act like a true gamer. "Selection confirmed."

Black energy swirled around him like he had aggroed every shadow effect in a ten-mile radius. The power pulled at him, a sensation like being dragged into an endless abyss. Then it was over.

Class assigned: Voidwalker.

Basic skills unlocked.

Void Sense acquired.

Shadow Step acquired.

Void Bolt acquired.

System analysis: Base survival chance 2%.

Applying compensation buffs.

New survival chance 20%.

System note: Still not great.

Updated attributes

Level: 1.

Class: Voidwalker.

HP: 100.

MP: 100.

Strength: 9. (Average human benchmark 10.)

Agility: 5.

Intelligence: 10.

Vitality: 10.

Stamina: 10.

Zaro examined his hands, half expecting some dramatic transformation cutscene. They looked the same, but energy tingled through his veins like his blood had been replaced with carbonated void stuff.

Congratulations User Zaro. Basic tutorial complete. Primary objective updated: Survive.

The system voice faded, leaving him alone in the cave with his new powers and a survival chance that would make a Dark Souls player nervous.

"Well," he muttered, forcing confidence into his voice. "At least it's better odds than my usual raid attempts."

The cave felt different now. His enhanced vision pierced shadows that would have given ray tracing fits. Every sound, from skittering creatures to whistling wind, came through in surround sound quality that would make an audiophile weep.

He was lost, alone, and definitely under-leveled for whatever came next. But for the first time since he started mining Mithril, Zaro felt alive. He had a purpose beyond grinding dailies. He had been chosen, though for what remained more mysterious than premium currency conversion rates.

A grim smile spread across his face. Time to see what this new reality had in store for its newest Voidwalker. Hopefully, it had better drop rates than those damn Lava Salamanders.

Tutorial area complete.

Chapter 1 unlocked.

Good luck User.

Try not to die.