Just a few years after the development and proliferation of neural interface technology, the video game industry had finally succeeded at bringing us a genre of online games known as VRMMORPGs—virtual reality experiences powered by a total sensory immersion device known as the Full Dive System. And now, I was holding a copy of the most advanced of these games.
“It finally arrived! I’ve got Blade Skill Online!”
My heart leaped at the sight of the fantasy art on the game’s case. This was my ticket to escaping from a life of misfortune!
From the moment I was born, I’d had the worst luck ever. Getting pooped on by a bird while walking to school was practically a given. Whenever I’d leave an umbrella outside a store, mine and mine alone would get swiped. I’d even come close to failing my high school entrance exam because of a sudden bout of diarrhea.
I’d tried to break the curse by praying at shrines, but no amount of clapping my hands and bowing before the gods had made the slightest difference. By the time I’d reached my second year of high school, I was ready to give up and accept that I’d always be plagued by bad luck.
That is, until I realized something: My bad luck wouldn’t matter in a virtual world!
VR games were the pinnacle of modern technology. No matter how unlucky I was, it wasn’t going to matter in a digital world governed by probabilities and computation.
What’s more, Blade Skill Online actually determined luck using a player stat! Although the game’s official launch was happening today, I’d already learned a lot about it by reading an online guide written during the beta test, so I knew that pouring all my points into the luck stat would guarantee me good fortune!
Oh! Looks like it’s almost time for the servers to open!
I put the game’s disc into my computer, put on my wired VR headset...and with that, I was all geared up and ready to enter the game world. This pricey little arrangement had set me back 100,000 yen—every yen of which I’d earned working myself half to death with part-time jobs in the run-up to BSO’s launch.
“Don’t need to pee! And I’m hydrated! Let’s do this... Dive On!”
The moment I spoke the keyword to start up the Full Dive System, everything faded to black.
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I opened my eyes and found myself in an empty white space, and a fairy fluttered into view.
“Hello and welcome! This is the character creation room!”
“Um, who are you?”
“Me? I’m Navi, the guide fairy! I was created to assist everyone with their adventures!”
Ooh! It understands me? Oh, that’s right. The guide mentioned this.
BSO’s NPCs could hold basic conversations because they were all powered by the latest in AI tech. But this was no time to marvel at the wonders of modern technology—now that I was in the game, I was ready to rise to its challenges. I was going to hit the ground running, and that meant getting character creation over with quickly!
“Let’s start making my character, Navi.”
“You got it! First off, please enter the name you’d like to use!”
A translucent keyboard appeared in front of me. A username? Hmm... Well, my name’s Yuri...
“I’ll stick with my real name!” I said as I typed.
“Yuri it is! Next, please choose your class, weapon, and skills!”
The keyboard vanished and three windows appeared in its place. The first was full of class options like “fighter” and “mage.” The second was a list of weapons filled with dozens of options like one-handed sword, staff, and sickle and chain. It even listed scissors. Who’d choose scissors? A hair stylist?
Lastly, there was a skills window packed with over a hundred options. No way I’m reading through all this! There are way too many!
“Is something wrong, Yuri? If you need some time to think, I don’t mind waiting!”
“No need for that. I already decided what class and weapon to use when I read the online guide.”
I had a carefree in-game life beyond the reach of bad luck awaiting me—I wasn’t about to put it at risk by making dumb choices! I was going to play it safe with the weapon and class that had been most popular during the beta test. Together, they formed a combo that players largely agreed was best.
“For my class, gimme summoner, and I’ll take the bow for my weapon!”
“Wowzers. Summoner and bow? Don’t see that often! But all right!” Navi gave me a cute little salute.
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Huh...? Isn’t everyone using those?
According to the guide, summoner and bow had been all the rage during the beta test. Summoners had the power to bend fearsome monsters to their will, while the bow was a common favorite that could take down fighters from a distance. Maybe the beta testers wanted to try out something new for the official launch...? That’s probably all it is.
“Now if you could state your skills please, Yuri! You can pick up to three!”
Oh, that’s right. I should be thinking about my skills! I never settled on these... Well, if I’m gonna dump all my points into luck, then this, this, and this ought to work!
“Okay, Navi. Gimme Last Stand, Fatal Strike, and Luck Boost.”
“You got it!”
My thinking was real simple. If my HP dropped to 0, Last Stand would give me a small chance to keep going with a sliver of health. Meanwhile, Fatal Strike would give me a small chance to deal double damage. And of course, those small chances would grow bigger the higher my luck stat was—which is where Luck Boost, which gave me ten percent extra luck, would swoop in and make me untouchable! These three were perfect choices for someone planning a pure luck build.
There’s no stopping me now. Mwah ha ha!
“Okay, Yuri, next you’ve got 100 attribute points to—”
I didn’t even let her finish. “Dump ’em all into luck!” No doubt about it! My whole motivation for playing is to get a chance at a carefree life!
Here’s how my build turned out:
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Name: Yuri
Level: 1
Class: Summoner
Weapon: Bow
Attributes: Strength: 0 / Defense: 0 / Magic: 0 / Agility: 0 / Luck: 100+10
Skills: Luck Boost, Last Stand, Fatal Strike
Just look at all those 0s next to that 110! This is peak min-maxing! Casuals are probably gonna put 20 points into each stat, so I’ll be five times luckier than all of them! And there’s no way anyone can catch me now since we only get 10 attribute points per level! I chuckled as I imagined the fun times ahead. Heh heh heh. With these stats, I’m gonna be living that easy life I’ve been dreaming of.
“Just one more step!” Navi said. “How would you like your character to look, Yuri? We have to use your real face as a base since that’s what’s best for players’ mental states, but we can tweak it until you’re barely recognizable!”
Oh, I get to change my looks?! I’d better make sure I get this right!
Hmm... My real face is a little feminine, but I could try reworking it into something manly! And I’ve gotta do something about my baggy eyes. Bad luck’s got me looking dead inside!
“You could try your luck with the randomizer!” Navi suggested. “It still starts out from your real face, but you never know how it might change! It could even turn you into a total hunk!”
Ooh, a randomizer? That sounds fun! I’d never have taken a chance like this in real life, but now that I had five times the luck of the average man, there was nothing to hold me back.
“Hit me with the randomizer, Navi!”
“You got it! Look forward to seeing how it turns out when you get down into town! Well then, Yuri, please enjoy Blade Skill Online—a world of hope, dreams, and combat!”
For a moment, I saw Navi vigorously waving me goodbye, and then a blinding white light enveloped me.