Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or settings.

My hands trembled. The Headgear in my palms quivered along. Eating a spaghetti was a bad idea because my stomach grumbled for the number two.

"Hahhh, hoooo," I breathed.

Calm down, Kazuma. Calm down. Even though it's the first and the last attempt you will ever get, you have to calm down. Sigh, still nervous eh? You sure are a piece of work. Look. No, don't look at the Headgear. Look at your desk. Yes, look at the mountains. Go rest your palms on them.

I obeyed my mind and rested my palms on two breast mousepads.

"Hah~"

Thank you Chichi chan and Chikubi chan. I am now ready.

I took my hands off of Chichi chan and Chikubi chan, and held the Headgear. It slid onto my head with ease. As their comforting touch were still fresh, I activated the game.

"Ah, you're here! Why are you late!?"

As I felt the sense of floating, I opened my eyes. A cute girl with short, silver hair shot glares at me. Her purple eyes were filled with impatience.

"Sorry Chris. I…"

Her eyes turned jovial, and she said, "Hehe, just kidding! I just came as well."

I snorted at her prank.

Chris the Quicksilver. It's the title she received once she became one of the top rankers of the world's first VRMMO, The New World. She was equipped with mithril armor and a huge lance. They were all legendary artifacts everyone would drool over.

"What are you talking about? He's really late."

Surprised, I turned to the man. Brown hair on a handsome face; his brows were knitted together as his brown eyes stared at me through the opened visor.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I waited for you for a good twenty minutes."

"Klin, don't be so blunt." said Chris. "Besides, I really just came!"

Palm on face, he said, "Yeah you too. You're late too."

Klin, a knight in shining armor, our dependable shield. His plates were made of adamantites, the hardest of steel. His towering shield never fell, and his mace was unstoppable. His unwavering stature was the source of our unyielding spirit.

"Geez, don't be so stiff-necked about it," said Chris. "Take example of Emilia. She seems ok with a bit of tardiness."

We turned to our last party member. Redhead. Yes, she was a redhead. She was a symbol of bad luck and misfortune…it is for me, at least. She wore tight, black robe and a witch hat that matched very well with her hair. She held the staff, Macae. The rod was made out of Yggdrasil and the core out of a dragon's heart. She was capable of summoning the strongest of spell. Despite it, she was not well known due to her distaste of publicity.

As she received our stares, she turned to look at me with an unconcerned face, and I hurriedly escaped her eyes. Months of partying together wasn't enough to get me used to her.

"What are you talking about? You can see the annoyance in her eyes."

"Are you serious? Look at her lips, she is smiling."

Huh? All I saw was a stone face.

"Let's…go?"

"See? She's demanding to go. She's clearly tired of waiting."

"No…s-she just doesn't want to see us argue."

…I stared at Chris as did Klin. Chris refused to meet our eyes as she whistled.

"Sigh…heh," Klin chuckeld. "Anyone still need briefing?"

Chris and I looked at each other and giggled. We both shook our head.

He closed his visor and said, "Well then, let's go."

We turned to the ornate door. There was nothing in this stone cave but the marble slab. It stood tall with great splendor. As we came close, slowly, the door slid open. The grating noise reverberated throughout the cave as a wall of light was revealed. We went past the light, and the world changed.

*RUMBLE*

The thunders drummed my ears; the air heated my nostrils; the dark clouds poured down the ash; and the knight stood in the distance. Armored to the teeth, he was covered in pitch-black plates. His height of ten meters was enough to bate our breath.

"Gulp."

One chance…I've got only one chance…Hahh, hooo. Calm down, Kazuma. Stop trembling. You might hit your teammate if you tremble so muc- ARGH!

I glared at Chris, who just slapped my back.

"Relax, relax. I will make sure to protect you from any danger!" Chris showed off her sorry excuse of a biceps.

"Psh, who will protect who?" said Klin. "Just don't bother me too much." He went past us as he tapped our shoulders.

Wings stretched out of Chris' back-plate. The wings flapped, and she took to the air.

"Katou," said Chris. "Make sure not to hit the wrong person."

"You asking me? The best archer of the land? You're worrying too much."

Chris smiled and took height.

Klin stood on vanguard while Chris kept rising into the clouds. As I watched her rise, I felt the atmosphere change. I didn't bother to look for I knew it was Emilia. She must be chanting in silence, causing the air to tremble.

The black knight, the Demon King, raised his sword. Its length was two-third of his height. Flames erupted out of the blade.

"Hahp."

Holding my breath, I pulled the string, and the arrow was aimed at the black knight.

We've got only one chance but a chance I get to share with the best team…my best friends.

I released the string. The arrow flew straight to the Demon's helmet. Before it hit, my team took action. Klin ran up to the Demon; Chris fell from the clouds; and Emilia finished her chant.

Perfect. Everything is going according to plan. Now, Emilia will cast a spell to freeze the Demon King. Then, Klin and Chris will whoop his ass!

"[Explosion]!"

Explosion? Well, things don't always go according to plan. The flames may nullify any freezing magic.

*BOOOOM*

Nice! The explosion devoured Klin. Wait, it devoured who? Anyway! Look at Chris, she lost control of her flight in the ensuing storm! And fell to her death! All according to plan! Now, I will provide support fire for the dead Klin and Chris...

...

...AS IF!

W-W-W-What the actual flipping fuck!?

No amount of denial was capable of altering the situation. So I proceeded to the next stage. Glares ready, spit ready, and tongue ready, I turned to the culprit to barrage her with debilitating insults.

"Emilia…," my voice that started strong trailed off.

Why are you smiling? Why do you look so pleased? Y-You just killed off our teammat-

Emilia peered into me; her golden eyes were in a stir. They glowed in absolute fervor. Her twisted lips warped even further. And my spine was rocked in shivers...

"S-S-Stay away! D-Don't come near me!"

My screams fell on deaf ears. She hobbled, but each step were filled with undeniable will...the will to devour me.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEekk?"

The flames consumed Emilia...yippie! Oh wait-

The Demon's foot stood before me. Before I could even see its helmet, my vision fell and caught sight of my headless body. It was the last thing I saw before the world turned dark.

"FUCKING SHIT!"

I let out what was in my heart. Realizing that it was still dark, I screamed further into my pillow.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM."

It took a while to calm myself.

"Redheads…of course, it's the redhead! They're all crazy!"

As I heaved without cease, my eyes landed on the clock. It was five. For a peace of mind, I went to the desk.

"Hooooooo."

Thank you Chichi chan and Chikubi chan.

Sigh, that's it. Stop thinking about it. My hair might bleed if I hold it in any longer. Let's just go buy the game.

I trudged through the mess and got my bag. Before leaving, my eyes surveyed the room. Stacked up anime goods, junks and cup noodles, and the wardrobe that contained my long-unused school uniform…I was reminded of the reality.

I creeped through the corridor and down the stairs. The fresh air greeted me as I left the house. After breathing a relief, I went to the bus station. Walking down the aisle of farms, the Sun rose in the distance. The light revealed the farmers tending to their crops.

I wonder, will I ever get my life back on track? Look at them, they work hard at this hour. Yet, here I am out for games…but what's the point? Sure, I may go back to school and study nonstop. Then, what? Become a corporate slave? If I were to die in the end, why not just do what I want?

The disappointments of my family flashed in my head. I shook it off as I reached the station. Soon, the bus arrived. I went inside and took one of the plenty seats. My eyes caught onto the peach sky, but they refused to see it the second time. Not because it was too bright, but because it was too dark. The bus carried me away as I took no notice of the storm that would shake my life upside down.

Author's Note: This is actually the third rewrite. The first was my virgin work, and the second was too long (8.4k words...wow, I even spent a whole month on it). I think this prologue encaptures the vibe of this story very well. So yeah, welcome aboard and sail forth without cease!

P.S. Constructive criticisms are always welcomed. But of course, praises of my works are even more welcomed. If you shit talk without a good reason, I will include you into the story and ran you over with a tractor.

Notice: The art piece for this fanfic came from ErosPanda. You can look him up in Twitter, Instagram, Deviant Art, and Facebook.