Daemon rushed into the house, his heart pounding with a mix of frustration and disappointment. He flung his backpack into the hallway and darted into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Collapsing onto his bed, Daemon picked up his phone and opened the W******p app. He scrolled through his high school group messages, searching for something to distract himself from the overwhelming emotions he felt.

"Mitsuri: Bro, send me the photos we took at the party today."

"Shou: Okay, bro, I'm sending it. Just give me a second."

"Shou: There you go:"

Daemon's gaze fell upon the photos, and a wave of sadness washed over him. In the first picture, Mitsuri and Yui were captured in a passionate kiss. Daemon zoomed in, his eyes drawn to the background.

A few girls were engrossed in a karaoke session, while most of the guys were engrossed in arcade games. They all seemed to be having a great time.

In the second photo, the girls playfully lifted each other on their shoulders, striking poses for the camera.

The third photo depicted the entire class, with the boys crouching on the ground and the girls standing and teasing one another. They appeared to be genuinely enjoying each other's company.

A tear escaped Daemon's eye, landing on his pillow and dispersing into smaller droplets. He reached under his bed and retrieved the VR headset, trying to muster a smile.

"I've been waiting for this for so long! Here I come!"

The much-anticipated Escapia, the first VRMMORPG, had finally been released, and Daemon's excitement hadn't waned. As he prepared to immerse himself in the game, he found solace in the idea of a virtual world where friendships were forged through epic adventures.

Daemon's imaginary friends chimed in with encouragement as he clicked the "Start" button.

"Now, what should I choose? Hmm... Oh, a DPS-based blademaster class. It's a bit generic, but it looks cool."

In an instant, Daemon was transported to a lush field. He surveyed his surroundings, glancing at the map's label: [Main Floor: Starter's Point].

As he beheld this virtual world, Daemon felt a glimmer of his sadness receding. The grassy terrain sprawled out before him, sheep grazing and bleating merrily. Above, tall trees swayed gently, hosting a symphony of birdsong. Daemon plucked a stone from the ground and tossed it toward a group of birds, relishing their startled flight to another tree.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

Opening his inventory, Daemon marveled at his virtual avatar's likeness. His short, straight black hair, brown eyes, lips, chin, and body mirrored his real-life appearance, with only the absence of brand logos on his red jacket and black trousers setting them apart.

Everything felt just right, an accurate representation of himself.

He bent down and plucked a dandelion from the ground, securing it as an item in his inventory.

[Item Obtained: 1x Dandelion]

A smile graced Daemon's face, and he couldn't contain his excitement.

"This game is awesome! Nothing can stop me now!"

However, his moment of elation was abruptly interrupted when he turned and glanced in the opposite direction.

On the horizon, a village came into view, complete with wheat fields, quaint houses, and NPCs with yellow exclamation marks hovering above their heads.

"Oh, no. A village theme and cliché NPCs with exclamation marks. Please don't let this be another grindy MMO," Daemon muttered, inhaling deeply as he approached the quest-giving NPC.

"Alright, let's talk to this NPC, complete these quests, and finally start fighting--"

Thirty minutes had passed, and Daemon found himself gathering wood for NPCs.

He couldn't help but sigh with frustration and disappointment. As he made his way back to the NPC, he encountered another player, Lockheart, whose name caught his attention.

"What an edgy name," Daemon thought, silently acknowledging the irony considering his own loner tendencies.

Observing Lockheart, he saw a tall girl with long purple hair, light blue eyes, and a fit physique.

"What is such a beautiful girl doing in this Neetland?" he wondered.

Lockheart greeted Daemon, initiating a conversation.

"Hey, what's up?"

Daemon replied wearily, "Hey, I'm... okay, I guess. Just grinding away for what feels like forever."

"Yeah, I get it. Want to chat while we auto-quest? It'll save time," Lockheart suggested.

Daemon's excitement surged. Finally, he had someone to talk to after months of isolation. He believed that Lockheart would understand and appreciate his perspective, developed through extensive introspection.

"Sure, what could go wrong?" Daemon agreed, eager to engage in a debate.

An hour later, Daemon and Lockheart found themselves embroiled in an argument.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALL WOMEN ARE EMOTIONLESS GOLD DIGGERS? AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED TO THEM!" Lockheart exclaimed, caught off guard by Daemon's controversial statement.

Daemon, taken aback by the intensity of her response, stammered, "Well, they all rejected me, so..."

"And how did we end up here? We only met an hour ago..." Lockheart questioned, her tone laced with confusion.

"I just wanted to have a debate..."

"That's not debating, Daemon. That's being an incel. And maybe, just maybe, you could be wrong," Lockheart retorted, her words laced with a hint of exasperation.

"Well, if you didn't like my 'debatable' opinion, why didn't you just leave the party?" Daemon whined, feeling a sense of rejection similar to his real-life experiences.

"Because we're auto-questing, and despite everything, you're leading these quests quite well. I'm simply following along and occasionally clicking 'accept.' I appreciate that, but it doesn't mean I agree with you, weirdo!" Lockheart explained, her frustration evident.

Daemon couldn't help but complain to himself, his thoughts swirling with the memory of the photos Mitsuri had sent.

"I thought I would be accepted, even in this world..."

Stamping his foot in frustration, Daemon recalled, "I thought we could become friends... I thought things would be different here..."

Confused, Lockheart questioned Daemon, noticing his tears. "Are you crying right now?"

She looked at him with a mix of surprise and curiosity, attempting to understand the emotional breakdown of this newfound acquaintance.

Gathering himself, Daemon wiped away his tears. "Oh, okay. So, we're done here. We finally completed all the daily quests. So, um... you know..."

Lockheart interrupted his mumbling, urging him to speak clearly. "Stop mumbling and just ask me."

Summoning the last ounce of courage, Daemon asked hesitantly, "Would you like to teleport to the Forest and hunt some wolves with me? I want to level up together..."

Unbeknownst to him, this invitation resembled a virtual date for MMO enthusiasts.

Lockheart rolled her eyes, seemingly amused by the situation. "Well, I'd love to, but I have a real life, you know?"

"Yeah, right..." Daemon replied, his disappointment palpable.

"Anyway, I'm logging out now. See you later, I guess..." Lockheart said, attempting to log out, but the button appeared blank, refusing to respond.

"Uh, Daemon, I can't log out..." Lockheart admitted, her voice tinged with concern.

Daemon chuckled, thinking it was a simple error. "Are you serious? Just press the log out button and—"

Daemon clicked the "log out" button himself, only to realize his smile had vanished.

Wait a minute... I CAN'T LOG OUT EITHER!

In an instant, Daemon and Lockheart found themselves teleported back to the starting point of the game, surrounded by thousands of panicked players.

Lockheart glared at Daemon accusingly. "Goddammit, Daemon! Why did you teleport us here?"

"I didn't do anything!" Daemon exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear.

"Then who—" Before Lockheart could finish her sentence, a voice message resounded throughout the area.

"Hi, everyone! Kuudere Dev here. I'm the official developer of this game. Some of you may remember me from the Kuudere Chalice Simulator, which unfortunately got canceled after 25 years of delay. But let's not dwell on that. I've muted all of you because I have an important announcement to make. You've probably noticed that you can't log out of the game. Well, that's because I've trapped you all here after my patrons abandoned me..."

Lockheart, Daemon, and the rest of the players stared at the developer in horror and panic. Lockheart attempted to scream, but no sound escaped her lips. Daemon trembled, contemplating the implications of being trapped in this game.

"At least I'll have a better life now," Daemon thought, a flicker of hope quickly extinguished as he realized that being trapped here would only reinforce his outcast status.

As the reality sank in, Kuudere Dev continued with a sinister giggle, relishing the chaos he had unleashed.

"Oh, by the way, let me explain the rules. You won't be able to leave the game unless you complete it. If you die in the game, you die in real life. Removing the VR headset prematurely will result in a deadly signal. And no memes about Kuudere Chalice Simulator, or you'll meet a swift demise. In safe zones, players can only attack enemies, not each other. However, in unsafe zones, it's a free-for-all, where everyone can attack and loot each other's items."

The crowd's panic intensified as the realization dawned upon them that they could harm one another for personal gain.

Dev cleared his throat, preparing to address the chaos. "Any questions?"

As the developer unmuted the players, chaos ensued once again, drowning out any coherent inquiries. Amidst the commotion, Daemon desperately cried out, hoping to escape this nightmarish situation.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE! PLEASE!"

Kuudere Dev muted everyone again, reveling in the chaos he had created.

"Fantastic! Now, let me explain how you're going to complete this game."

Daemon's gaze shifted to Lockheart, his eyes filled with horror. Lockheart, wiping away her tears, displayed the remnants of her once-neat purple hair.

Panic-stricken, Daemon feared that Lockheart would abandon their team, leaving him alone once again. In a world where unity was paramount, Daemon was terrified of being left behind.

With a wicked giggle, Kuudere Dev continued, "As you level up, you'll unlock new floors, each with its own boss. Participating in boss events and surviving will reward you with in-game benefits. The player who deals the final blow to a boss receives an additional valuable reward. Defeating these bosses grants access to the next floor. However, reaching the final floor won't be easy. It's rumored to be an insurmountable challenge. Good luck, players!"

As the message concluded, the players were left to grapple with the dire reality of their situation. Daemon's hands shook uncontrollably, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination.

Locked in this virtual world, forced to fight for their lives, Daemon and Lockheart stood side by side, realizing that they were now each other's only hope for survival.

"We have to stick together, Lockheart," Daemon said, his voice wavering. "If we're going to make it through this, we'll need each other."

Lockheart looked at him, her eyes reflecting a mix of uncertainty and resolve. "I guess we don't have a choice, do we?"

And with that agreement, Daemon and Lockheart forged an unlikely alliance, their journey in this virtual world now intertwined with the desperate hope of finding a way back to reality and defeating the game that had become their cruel prison.