Markus Blake, a young man living in his parents' basement, was playing his favorite VR game, Dawn's Field the number one VR MMORPG.
He had been playing for years, grinding tirelessly until he became one of the top ten players in the entire game.
Currently, he was in the middle of a high-stakes tournament, facing off against his longtime rival: one_piece_fan.
Their battle had been long and intense, filled with constant back and forth. Markus dodged each of one_piece_fan's strikes, weaving through every slash with expert proficiency.
Meanwhile, one_piece_fan parried all of Markus's attacks, then suddenly thrust his sword forward, stabbing him in the abdomen. Markus's HP plummeted to 23/2045.
He leapt back, trying to put some distance between them.
"You're good, one_piece_fan, but not good enough."
one_piece_fan smirked and flipped him off. "Stop trying to act cool, you trash-ass bot."
He dashed forward, sword in hand, aiming to finish the fight.
Mark panicked, hurriedly opening his inventory and pulling out his final trump card.
"Parry this, you filthy casual."
BANG!
Mark pulled out a Glock 15 and shot one_piece_fan in the chest. His HP dropped instantly to 0/10,000.
As one_piece_fan collapsed, he screamed, "Wait! You cheated! How did you get a gun?!"
Mark burst out laughing uncontrollably, slapping his knee and rolling in the dirt.
"Mods, bitch!"
one_piece_fan screamed as his character's body faded away.
"Fuck you, cheater! I'll make sure you get banned!"
Mark giggled as he walked away. "Yeah, sure, you do that. I'll just make another account, genius. I'm not afraid to start over."
He stepped out of the tournament arena, feeling proud. His dragon leather trench coat fluttered in the wind.
Ding!
A screen appeared in front of him, floating with a strange message. At first, he assumed it was the reward for defeating one_peice_fan, but instead it read:
____________________________
You have defeated the current strongest player.
Your reward will be to be isekai'd to another world.
Do you accept?
[ Yes ] [ No ]
____________________________
Mark blinked, confused. He felt like someone was playing a prank.
"This has to be a joke… but I'll play along."
He clicked [Yes], expecting to either be banned by the moderators or teleported into a monster pit with all his equipment stripped.
But instead, his VR headset shut down.
"Wait—no, no, no! Was that a virus?! Crap! I can't afford another one of these headsets!"
Mark yanked off his headset, hoping he could salvage it… only to find himself still standing in the same tournament arena.
Except now… it felt real.
He looked around, his heart racing, half-convinced he was hallucinating. Dropping to his knees, he touched the marble floor.
It was cold to the touch—solid. Just like real marble.
His hands moved to his cloak. He gripped the fur around the collar.
It felt real. Soft. Fuzzy.
"…Okay, those brownies I ate earlier had to be edibles."
He still couldn't believe it. The idea that he was actually inside the game was ridiculous.
Honestly, he'd have an easier time believing he was just high.
Then, another screen blinked into existence.
Ding!
[ You have been uploaded to the game world.
Good luck on your new life.
Don't waste it. ]
The screen faded out, leaving Mark stunned.
He rubbed his head. "Wait… is this place actually real? There's no way. I must be dreaming or something."
He pinched himself.
"Ouch…"
But nothing changed.
"Well, if this is a dream, it's way more vivid than I expected. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts."
Mark dashed out of the arena into the city, sprinting past carriages carrying magic items and potions. Beastmen and elves lined the cobbled streets, chatting about the tournament and other events.
Everything looked and sounded real.
As he made his way deeper into the bustling city, a girl's voice called out from behind.
"Master Rosefield! Wait....wait a second!"
He stopped in his tracks.
Rosefield?
That was his in-game name: Jackson Rosefield.
He turned to see a white-haired girl clad in silver armor running toward him. Her long hair shimmered under the sun, and her eyes sparkled with determination.
Mark recognized her instantly.
She was the companion he had purchased in-game to help with grinding and completing quests.
"Master, are you heading to the guild? Or are you going to the tournament to destroy the pride of the filthy monkeys that stand in your way?"
Mark jolted slightly. He hadn't expected her to talk like that. He was expecting a cute, polite voice—not this.
Then he remembered: he'd modeled her personality after a certain unhinged anime character.
"I'm just going to the guild to get some quests done, Gypsy."
He glanced at her face, which was lit up with joy, eyes practically glowing as she gave one of her most outrageous replies.
"But Master, I thought you said guild quests are only for idiots who don't know how to fight for shit?"
Mark chuckled and winked. He couldn't believe he actually said that once. It must've been back when he had just reached SSS-Rank. Yeah, the power had definitely gotten to his head at that point.
"Yeah, they are. But even a genius like me has to show these idiots what a real adventurer looks like every now and then."
Gypsy's face lit up even more, her silver armor gleaming under the sunlight.
"You're right, Master! let's show these Bitches what we're made of!"
Mark nodded, but his face turned red with every word that came out of her mouth.
"Man, she's so cringe when you actually hear her talk out loud…" he thought.
The two of them made their way to the guild, Gypsy happily skipping beside him, completely delighted to go on another adventure with her beloved Master.
The two reached the guild