One night, Kaede Kishimoto sat in front of a new video game box that her friend Yuki Honjou had convinced her to get. The game, Fantasy World Online, was a popular virtual reality massively multiplayer online (VRMMO) game that required a special console to play.

Kaede owned the console, but it had been collecting dust in her closet. The thing she bought out on a whim.

"I'm not really into playing games, and I always do whatever Yuki says..." The game looks fun though maybe it's not bad to try it out. 

Kaede sighed as she gazed at the box art of the game. 

The cover showed several characters holding swords and staff, adorned with a colorful logo that read:

A VRMMO game like this was all the rage these days. Even Kaede owned the VR-Dive console required to play them, although she hadn't used it much. In the modern world, Virtual reality has many uses. Like being able to go to a live concert without going out of you’re house. Or experiencing new stuff, especially in Virtual reality games.

*Ring!* Chime from Kaede’s smartphone suddenly startle her jumping from her bed. She fell from her bead face first and the thud is quite loud.

“Ouch… My forehead hurts…”

Kaede picks up the phone and answers. “Are you enjoying the new game we buy?” On the other side of the phone is Yuki.

“Well, I’m waiting for you… I don’t know anything about the gaming world. When are you going to log in?”

“S-Sorry… I can’t play with you for a while. You see, I have a failing grade last exam. I have a supplementary exam incoming. I really apologize. Don’t worry the start-up is easy. I placed a detailed instructions on your desk. You can do it… I have to go my dad might come to check if I’m studying. Bye, bye…”

“Wait! Wait!”

Kaede was anxious but before she made a sentence Yuki hung up.

Checking the note she her desk like Yuki said Kaede make a dejected sigh. She has a feeling that she is doing something against her free will.

She never has any interest in games at all. But doing something new and experiencing new things. Is something that her life is lacking.

Four years ago, Kaede lost her family in a car accident. Her mother is a careers woman and her father was an Executive of a tech company. She is very well off compared to other kids. But this wealth is what makes her feel like an outsider.

In kindergarten, “Is it okay to join them?” She asked herself as a kid.

And as a kid that failed to socialize, Kaede Kishimoto end up being alone.

After losing her parents, Kaede was left alone. Weirdly no emotions pop up from her heart. Even how much she nags her mind there are no good memories of her parents being with her at all.

Everything her parents own was given to Kaede. But since she is still underage she cannot touch all the millions of money she has yet. But monthly she is given a huge sum of allowance to support herself.

Suddenly, there are relatives coming to their mansion. But all of the are ignored by Kaede. She doesn’t really care… Obviously, those are just money sharks who came to sponge some money from her. She is not stupid enough to believe their sugar-coated words.

To run away from them. Kaede cut her long beautiful silky hair and move to another other town and buy a humble home. Starting her new life and she immediately make a new friend entering high school named Yuki Honjou.

The loneliness is lifted a bit. This new experience is helping Kaede out and she knows it.

Yuki had been convinced that Kaede would play the game, and Kaede didn't want to disappoint her friend, so she decided to give it a try.

"Might as well... I guess I'll be running the basic setup."

Kaede dusted off the console and pressed on.

With that in mind, Kaede started the game up. Following Yuki's instructions, she easily completed the initial setup for Fantasy World Online.

"Whew... I guess that's it."

She was ready to dive into virtual reality.

It had been a while since Kaede had experienced this sensation. Laying down on her bed, she closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she was inside the game.

But first, she had something left to do.

"First name? Hmm... I don't really know what to put. I guess I'll go with my real name then."

Kaede types her name.

The panel hovering in front of her changed, prompting her to choose her starting equipment.

"Greatsword and one-handed sword... Maces and staves. I'm not really great at games. I don't have any idea. Using multiple magic as a mage is cool, but I'm not that bright in understanding such a complicated magic system."

Kaede flicked through more options until she found one that seemed perfect for her.

"Sword? This looks like the most basic one and it's said to be easy in difficulty. It has decent damage compared to other weapons. But if I train hard, I might become a great sword user. Just kidding..."

Even though she said that Kaede was serious about choosing a weapon class, as it couldn't be changed after making one. This moment is important since this decision will set the path for what she could do in the game.

At this moment she didn’t know that she can change class and equipment inside the game.

“Hmmm, What should I pick… There is a description.”

Kaede clicked the sword icon and a text panel appeared in front of her eyes.

Sword: Ideally a weapon for beginners. The Sword dealt with damage and wasn’t that heavy giving the player mobility. (depends on the build.)

Great sword: The player equipped with this weapon will gain an incredible amount of attack. In exchange, her swinging wasn’t as fast as the sword wielder. The movement of the wielder also reduces to 50%. (depends on the build.)

“I have a great attack but I lost my mobility… Depends on the build means… I can optimize my status so that I can wield certain weapons with ease.”

Bow: A high dealing damage from long range. Not something to recommend to beginners. Aiming in extremely long distances is for advanced players. Also, bowing in close combat is not an ideal situation.

Staff: For experts in the game or to have an understanding of the magic system of the game. The magic skill system is a very…

Kaede stopped reading because she sense that it was going to be very complicated. She doesn’t want it. I mean who wants a complicated start?

Convinced by the description text, Kaede finalized her starting gear selection. She chose the sword because it was the most common weapon among players and granted a boost to her strength.

Plus, she also wanted to impress Yuki and feel like a cool hero wielding a sword.

"Next is my stat points... I guess, I better put them all into my STR…”

She grinned and continued to press the (+) button adding points to her STR.

Kaede, being innocent and a little naive, poured all her points into strength. Other stats like VIT, INT, AGI, and DEX are left to zero. There are other special statuses but that will be explained next time.

This was a very one-sided build, put bluntly, she was min-maxing her stats. Sword already grants her some Strenght boost but after pouring more skill points on her strength. Her attack skyrocketed.

Because she doesn’t really know anything she didn’t look at it and ignores it.

Putting no points on vitality only exacerbated that shortfall. Plus, since she was ignoring agility, she wouldn't receive any speed boost, meaning she could only move as fast as she did in real life.

And how many people could honestly claim that they naturally moved faster than a charging beast?

“Oh… I can’t adjust my height? I wanted to be taller.”

Kaede’s height is about 145 cm. She also has a slim figure, and with that lovely appearance and stature, she was secretly being liked at school, but Kaede had no way of knowing that. Height was her complex, but it seems that changing the body, height, and weight is different from the real world originally, you cannot play very well so it couldn’t be helped.

"Then, it’s okay with this…”

Kaede’s body was enveloped with light.

The next time she opened her eyes, that was the vibrant castle town’s square.

“Here it should be… I see, Status!”

Calling the name “Status”. A transparent panel emerges in front of Kaede. The panel includes her current status in the game.

Name: Kaede

Level: 1

HP: 40/40

MP: 12/12

STR: 100 (+30)

VIT: 0 (+10)

AGI: 0

DEX: 0

INT: 0

Equipements: Novice armor (+10 VIT)

Weapon: Novice sword

Skills: None

“STR is attack power, right? If I’m correct… Looks like I’ve done it?”

With more points in STR, that means I can deal huge damage to my enemy. As much as possible I want to finish the battle as much as possible. I don’t like violence after all. She thought.

Even Kaede, who doesn’t play a lot of games, guessed that having zeros lined up on your status isn’t good. Even if she looked at her life until now, more things weren’t good than if they were zero.

What Kaede noticed after checking her status one by one, was that her VIT could only, somehow, give her some little protection, but having no INT, she was unable to use magic for a while. I had no AGI and also didn’t have DEX.

“I feel like I washed up… I got excited and put all my skill points into my attack. What should I do? Yuki is not here to tutor me.”

Kaede was groaning and after a few minutes of thinking, the idea she came up with was to go fight monsters one time for the time being. If it can't work, then it cannot be helped.

At that time I’ll do it once more.

Kaede thought and looked up at the clear blue sky optimistically.

“I should go out of the town… Yes, let’s go out!”

Excitedly she goes out. But once she started walking. She notices something different. Kaede thought that everyone around her was moving so fast toward the outside of the town.

“Are people walking so fast?! I feel like I’m an old granny compared to them.”

The effect of having no AGI is what she’s experiencing right now.

Having no AGI equal to her max moving speed is like when she was walking in real life. Other players put points on their agility that’s why they all seem to be moving a lot faster than Kaede.

Kaede is not particularly athletic at her best. Honestly, she is a slow runner, if it wasn’t for her petite and cute appearance she is a launching stock in the class. Goodness, she is cute, so her silly action appears to be very cute too.

Her sword is not that heavy, but decent. Her armor is just a thing of dull-looking clothes. She is looking pathetic, trying her best to move as fast as she can.

The players around her took a glance at her, saying,

“Look at that cute girl.”

“So cute… A middle schooler?”

Kaede doesn’t really like being called cute. She thinks she is being overlooked because of her height. Her family has a great cute appearance, but they seem to be cursed to stay in a small frame. Something she really feels insecure about.

But still, without being discouraged by that. She walked and tried her best to reach the gate leading to the outside of the town.

Even on the outside of the town, although not as many as inside, there were people. If she fought there, there would be at least one who might witness her.

“I don’t want to look uncool and lame… I’ll go a little more until I make it to the gate. Go a little more distant…”

Just like that, Kaede walked to the forest outside the town. It took some time but she made it.

Looking around the forest, she noticed that there were no people in it. Maybe it’s because it's nighttime already in real life.

The night and day cycle is not included in the game. Some places always have the sun and some locations on the map with the moon shining. In starting town. The scenery is always clear on sunny days and peaceful looking. No matter what time Kaede logs in. She wouldn’t see the town starting in the nighttime.

“Yosh! It’s okay if it’s here… Mister monster, you can come from whatever you want! I, the great Kaede will defeat you.”

It’s unknown if it reacted to Kaede’s voice, but a white slime appeared before her eyes. It jumps out from the bushes. The white slime then charges toward Kaede at a good speed.

Does anyone who has the max speed of walking in real life dodge a tackle of slime? The answer is no.

“I’m sorry!”

It’s unknown what part Kaede was apologizing for, but when Kaede instinctively pulled her sword, she said that.

The slime attacks with its soft body on Kaede's belly.

“It doesn’t hurt… It’s like a soft plushie being pushed on me… It doesn’t hurt at all. I didn’t expect this. Fufufu… How's that, mister slime, my abs are sturdy as a rock.”

Being full of herself, Kaede just stands while the slime continues to tackle her.

The white slime that attacked her is a rare white slime monster that only occurs in 0.00001%. It’s legendary and only a few people know about it. The white slime has no attack damage but it will give players huge experience points.

This is the first time Kaede feels like she is stronger than anything in her entire life. She enjoys the feeling.

“Just do your best… Fufufufu…”

The slime was relentlessly charging again and again. “Fufufufu” and Kaede, who received that while laughing.

For some reason, Kaede enjoys the moment without knowing. The battle lasted for an hour straight. An ordinary player will never have enough temper to wait for that long. But Kaede is a special case.

“Come on, come here… make a lot of effort to make your mother who gave birth to you proud! Don’t give up white slime!”

Kaede provoked the white slime a lot. After enjoying the moment, Kaede became bored and looked at the slime coldly.

(Skill acquired: Provoke.)

“What is this? Provoke a skill to pull the monster toward the user?”

The slime continuously attacks her, but Kaede, after one hour, doesn’t care that much anymore.

(Provoke requirements: Provoking a monster in one hour.)

It’s a secret skill created by the game developer and ever since the game was established five years ago, no one has ever got the skill. This is the first time this miracle has ever happened.

“This takes too much time… Time to end this.”

Kaede attacks the slime and slices it in half. The slime then turned into shining particles and disappeared. It disappeared without a  trace.

“Mister Slime, this is the cruelty of the world. Some people are born stronger than you.”

Kaede said not because she was evil or anything. She just says those words because she is into violent manga and anime these days. She just wants to be cool.

(Your level has risen to level 5)

“Looks like I can cut it in one clean hit. Also, that slime is weird. It gives me lots of experience points. If I found many of them, I'll level up and impress Yuki. Hahahaha! It's decided!”

Kaede said and gripped her sword. And go on hunting.

From slimes to little insects and some small wolf monsters. She defeated them without any ease.

Her STR 130 is too much for monsters living in a forest full of low-level monsters. All monsters just after receiving one hit of Kaede’s blade disappear in light particles.

She is an absolute monster. But the catch was simple. She couldn’t walk around to hunt them. Just if she walked, her stamina would be decreased and she wouldn’t be able to move for a while.

That’s why she just stands in the middle of the forest using her provoking skill and pulls the monster toward her direction. And once the monster goes into her attacking zone. She slashes them immediately with her insane attack damage.

A tactic that she doesn’t really think about. But her strategy is at a genius level.

“Hahahahahahaha! This power! This power! I feel really good! Come here you useless weak monsters. Let me give you your final moment! Hahahaha!”

Kaede yelled high up in a sinister tone with a big wide smile as if she is the villain of some kind of anime.

While she laughs and enjoys the killing. Some players saw her and started to think how weird she is. They then decided to leave her alone and not make contact with her.