Reincarnated in a VRMMO: I'll be the strongest

"——Come on."

　......

"Hey. ...wake up."

　What's going on…?

　Who's talking…?

"Hey… wake up…"

"..."

　When I opened my eyes, a girl who looked about elementary school age was looking down at me from right next to me.

"Come on… You shouldn't be sleeping in a place like this…"

"..."

I sat up abruptly and looked around.

"...? What's going on?"

"Where… am I…?"

"Huh…?"

An unfamiliar room. People I'd never seen before. A scene I didn't recognize.

　That was the scene that greeted me when I woke up.

"Wh-what's wrong…?"

"..."

"H-hey… you've been acting weird since a little while ago…?"

My head feels fuzzy.

…Actually, who is this girl?

"Wait, who are you?"

"Huh…?"

"Where am I? I don't remember leaving this room."

"I-I don't… understand what you're saying…"

The girl in front of me is still confused.

But I press on regardless.

"What's your name? Where are you from?"

"Come on… what's gotten into you all of a sudden…? Are you still half-asleep…?"

"No, I'm not half-asleep. I really don't remember anything."

"It's me… It's Reese…"

The girl who introduced herself as Reese had the build of an elementary school student and was dressed in ragged clothes.

Her clothes were worn out and frayed in places, looking well-worn.

Her hair was a mess, and it certainly couldn't be called pretty.

"Hey. What's really going on…? Zest…-kun…"

"…What?"

What did she just say?

"Huh? What's wrong…?"

"Listen. Is that 'Zest' my name?"

"Of course it is… You always call me that, don't you…

　The name Zest.

I definitely recognize that.

It's the character name I gave to a character in a certain game.

Ark Ravage Online.

Commonly known as ARO.

It's one of the most popular VRMMOs out there.

I'm hooked on ARO too, and I've been playing it for years now.

　I'm so into it that people call me a "game addict."

And I named the character I use "Zest."

Does that mean I'm inside the game the world of ARO?

When did I log in?

No, that's not it.

I'm not inside the game.

Because there's no HP bar.

　In the game world, HP and MP bars are displayed within my field of view by default.

There are also UI elements like item shortcuts and in-game time displayed.

In other words, you can tell at a glance that you're inside the game.

But right now, I can't see any of that.

Or is it just a glitch?

I try calling up the menu screen, but…

"...Huh. Nothing comes up."

"?"

So, does that mean this really is the real world...?

...But there's something off about it, isn't there?

I glance down at my feet.

"...What the...."

"Wh-what's wrong?"

What's going on here?

I'm wearing clothes I've never seen before.

　The girl in front of me they're just as dirty as Reese's.

They look well-worn too, with holes here and there.

I don't remember ever wearing such ragged clothes?

I try standing up…

"Ugh…"

"A-are you okay!?"

I almost stumble right away.

　What is this body…?

It feels like I've slipped into someone else's body.

"Hey, Reese. Is there a mirror?"

"Um… it's over there."

"Over there, huh."

I walk in the direction Reese pointed.

Looking closely, the room wasn't very clean either.

It looked so old, like it was at least 50 years old.

　When I reached the mirror, I immediately peered into it.

"Just as I thought…"

What I saw there was a handsome young man with silver hair and chiseled features.

"No doubt about it. This is the world of ARO."

The reflection showed the figure of Zest the character I had created.

"But something feels slightly off…?"

It was definitely the character I'd created, but I felt the details were different.

The biggest difference was his height.

I was sure I'd made him taller, but he'd shrunk a bit.

He was about the height of a middle schooler.

Was that why I almost stumbled when I stood up earlier?

It might be more accurate to say I'd been rejuvenated.

"...I'm starting to remember little by little."

I'm gradually recalling what happened before I woke up.

"That's right. I'm pretty sure I used the Reincarnation System."

The Reincarnation System.

It's a system available only to characters who have reached the level cap.

It resets your level and stats, letting you start over from Level 1.

However, you can carry over your acquired skills and items.

　There are several benefits to reincarnation.

The biggest benefit is that you receive a permanent bonus to your stats.

Once you reach the level cap, your stats stop increasing.

After that, the only way to boost them is through items and equipment.

That's where the Reincarnation System comes in.

Your stats are reset once, but after that, you start receiving additional bonuses to your stats.

　What's more, these bonuses are permanent and never disappear.

That's the mechanism that lets you get even stronger.

So, I guess I was trying to use that reincarnation system.

A confirmation window popped up, and I selected "Yes."

Then everything went pitch black…

......

　――I have no memory of what happened after that.

When I woke up, everything was just as it had been before.

"So… does that mean I reincarnated?"

But there are a lot of things that don't add up.

I didn't hear anything about being transported to a place like this, and there shouldn't have been a feature where the character's appearance changes.

I've never equipped these ragged clothes I'm wearing, either.

　The biggest difference is... it feels... too real.

I've been thinking about this for a while now, but my senses are strangely sharp.

ARO is a groundbreaking VRMMO that replicates the five senses, but it has its limits.

Pain perception, in particular, is restricted.

　Otherwise, things would get out of hand when you take damage.

Without those limits, even though it's just a game world, you'd end up experiencing pain intense enough to knock you out.

I try pinching my cheek.

"...Ow, that hurts."

No way.

There's no way the sense of pain could be reproduced this accurately.

"That's ridiculous…"

…Could this be it?

"This should do it!"

This time, I try banging my head against the wall.

"Ow!"

It hurts like hell!

I instinctively crouch down right where I am.

"If this isn't a dream… does that mean I'm really in the world of an ARO game?"

It seems I've been reincarnated into a game world…