Prologue - Polaris Dark

  Yes, this is the game that appeared from no where, taking out all opposing game corporations as well as other entertainment enterprises. It caused a major hit sensation within the gaming community, cinema businesses, and other non-entertainment sectors. Ascendancy, not the first nor the most expensive Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (VRMMORPG), had something that other games of the genre and category did not have: Free Reign.

  Some games had you chose a class at the beginning, others reduced your options to choose abilities by strictly limiting the choices for each class. Ascendancy, on the other hand,. could be summed up with three words: it did not.

  To put it simply, Ascendancy is a fantasy, open-world RPG (Role Playing Game) that does not follow mainstream ideology. Instead, you dive into the game headfirst with nothing but some basic support. With no profession, class or starter skills, you make your way to the top from the very bottom. You acquire a profession (class) in game while traveling around the world, completing quests and exploring dungeons. The harder you work to find a good profession, the better chance you'll actually get something worthwhile.

  This game is so complex that it broke the world record for realism and diversity within the first three days of gaming. Given that all the VRMMORPG use the same kind of technology, the RE Dive Capsule really puts the rest of the games to shame.

  Real Emotion Inc. developed this game as well as the Full-Dive Capsule for over ten years, making it one of the longest games to be developed in the history of entertainment and gaming. This greatly interested the rest of the world and when it was finally released, the storm of people buying was stifling... ...no, that's not the correct word. It was pure, hell, murder. So many people in Asia bought the game it ran out of copies in a day or two, prompting more and more development and production just to satisfy the supply and demand. Soon after, the rest of the world got in on the action and sales skyrocketed so fast, it broke the record of the highest sales increase within a month of the release.

  Since then, a lot of girls and women started getting interested due to the complexity of the system and that it was not just a single play style; not all about fighting, not all about romance, not all about mystery and the rest of the genres. It was a virtual reality made for diversity, not limiting the game to combat but other forms of advancement.

  I was not one of the people who bought the game early on. Actually, I was "forcefully" given the dive capsule and game. Strangely, the serial number of the RE Full Dive Capsule I received is the same as the Real Emotion Inc. CEO Kisaragi Sakumo's birth date. I dismissed this as a coincidence but left it inside my memory as an afterthought.

  My classmates, Nonomiya Kaori and Yamato Shizuka, are avid VR gamers that were also lucky beta testers for this game. These two gamer girls are actually a part of the top five hundred players in the world rankings, going by the in game names of "xDreamFairyx" for Kaori, and "GrandSylphie" for Yamato Shizuka. The two of them holds the world ranking of 325 and 324 respectively, making them famous and well known throughout the world.

  It was a school thing really; the institution we are taught at is prestigious for its technological development research as well as traditional arts of Japan. Due to some unfathomable reason, all three of my instructors wanted to teach their classes in the game and had paid for all processing fees and game purchase for the students of their classes. Maybe it's something to do with being able to use magic to teach quantum physics to create light shows as examples. Maybe it's the ability to do live practice of gutting fish and cooking dishes without actually using real materials since the game mimics even the difficulty of making real food. Although the time to make the food is reduced, it is still much the same as reality.

  Well then, here I am creating my very first character in a game just for to attend class. I do not have many classes this term, with only three courses that run every week for a single day, I guess I'll actually be bored enough to play something like this. Well, it's still the holidays right now so I guess I'll play around for a while and get use to this VR world. From what I have heard and seen on the game forums, I noted that all of the players hated three particular professions.

  Turns out, they hated those professions enough to warn new players not to pick those them if they come across them. Those "hated" professions are the alchemist, the summoner and the spirit healer. There were several people who tried becoming one of these professions before and they all ended up deleting their character after a while and restarting their progress.

  According to the analysis done by experienced players, it is too difficult level up the alchemist and the reagents often cost way too much to be efficient moneymakers. The alchemist just takes up too much money buying and creating potions that do not even heal enough or recover enough mana. Even the stores that sell basic supplies have potions that recover more than user-made alchemy potions.

  Summoners are able to summon monsters and creatures that help their summoner before disappearing after the summoner is finished with what he or she wants to do. However, the problem arises here is that the summoned monsters and creatures are only a fraction the strength of the summoner and this leads the the problem of battle strength when the creature dies (de-summoned) and leaves the summoner defenseless. And then the summoner soon follows their summons to the grave.

  The spirit healer took the worst hit out of the three "useless" professions. It seems to be a rather weak variation of the priest and healer classes; their healing spells and support magic do not have nearly as much effect than the two mentioned support classes and most of the spells they use require too much mana (or MP) to be efficient. This makes them have a harder time finding parties due to the priests and healers taking the spots as efficient and good support characters.

  Every time the message window appears in this blank character creation space, a rather mature female voice is heard as well, relaying out the message.

  Well, let's see what we have here then...

  "Alright, I'm ready to begin Aida-san"

  "Yukiara"

  Four models of each available race appear in front of me, allowing me to look at each race's physical attributes so that I can pick what I like best. The models are all female as I am a girl, which does not allow me to change genders to male in game. So only the default starter races are available right now. This makes wonder what the players are doing in Ascendancy, not even discovering and unlocking a new race in the past year the game was released.

  While browsing through the figures, I rotate the models around and look at each with a critical eye. Stopping at the human female with long red hair and sparkling green eyes, I ask Aida, the character creation AI, a question.

  "Please tell me the specific advantages and disadvantages of each available race. Include the physical appearance attributes as well."

  Yes, even physical appearance has an effect in the game. Especially when there is the mature content that is unlocked if you wished for it to once you are in the age of majority. In 2027, Japan had changed the age of majority again, moving up by one year so that it reaches 19. It was changed from 20 to 18 in the summer of 2015, but apparently, there was some conflict afterwards and so the government compromised, putting the age of majority in the middle.

  The model of the red-haired human female, wearing brown leather armor, boots and pants, unsheathed a sword from the left side with her right hand and spun once before slashing out, posing for a moment before returning the sword to it sheath before going back to her resting stance. I then turn to the female elf model. The elf was gorgeous, with her very long blonde hair trailing down to her waist, hands on her hips while smiling forward. Her sapphire blue eyes makes her look regal and determined to take on the world.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The blonde haired Lana Elf model takes out a wooden bow from behind her back and notches an arrow from her quiver that is also strapped to her back. The elf wears forest green battle gear with brown boots, making her look even more natural in a forest setting. She pulls back the bow and shoots the arrow upwards before replacing the bow back behind her and return to the resting stance. The arrow fired disappears a moment later.

  Walking over to the short, slightly pudgy female model, it is clear that this is the model that represents the dwarven race. I note the dark brown hair that is tied into two braids, hanging freely down the sides of the model's face as well as the sharp, slightly squinting brown eyes that seem to make the grin on the dwarven model's face look like she is smiling deviously.

  "Hm... I would like to skip over the Dwarven race since I'm pretty sure I know what they're strengths and weaknesses are. However, the two races that you've explained to me already have differences that are quite unique to this game. I will listen and read about the dwarves anyways to double-check."

  The brown-haired dwarven model brings up the large warhammer she is holding and lets out a deep, but feminine yell, swinging it with a mighty blow and then slamming the head on top the ground, creating a booming sound. The female dwarf model gets back into her resting stance, the shining silver plate-mail, leggings, greaves and gauntlets she is wearing clinking and clanking as the pieces hit each other slightly.

  I nod speculatively and finally turn to the last model that is quite similar to the humans.. The last race model is definitely a physical-type race with all that muscle and that large stature. This model is tall, muscular and very intimidating, with a mess of dark brown hair that hangs near the middle of the back and stormy grey eyes set on a face that was frowning slightly, this is definitely the one unique game races known as the Karok, a race of humanoids that are by average taller and built larger than the rest of the races.

  The Karok woman, wearing a heavy grey breastplate that does not cover the stomach area, armored short pants and metal greaves of the same dark grey color, slammed the character creation floor with a huge and heavy iron battle staff three times without changing her expression and then returned to the resting stance.

  Thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of the races I decided to make a request to see if something else was possible.

  "Aida-san, is it possible to request for a race pick that includes a few of the locked races?"

  The female voice that speaks out sounds a bit amused when she speaks of the "strange" coincidence of the serial number.

  I thought for a short moment and then nodded.

  "As long as there is a chance for something else, then that is fine."

  A light square appears on the floor behind myself and shuffle through a huge variety of female race models before slowing down after a moment of quick changing. As the picker slowed down, I noted a lot of demi-humans in the picker and even a draconian before the picker comes to a stop at a small, slender humanoid female with mysterious long white hair, a couple of bangs framing her small, perfect face. Her beautiful red eyes shine with an understanding light, mirroring my own pair of blue eyes. This female model was human enough, if not for the furry ears on top of her head and most interestingly, nine white tails swaying behind her to and fro in an hypnotizing manner. The model is wearing a sort of extravagant Japanese shrine maiden uniform.

  Already drawn in to the bewitching eyes of this race's model, I ask about this mysterious looking nine-tailed fox girl.

  "Interesting, something that has to be discovered by myself. I like it. Yes, I'll pick this race."

  "Confirmed."

  "I will stay as I look in human form."

  I have long, silky black hair that flows down to my back along with sharply contrasting cornflower blue eyes that frames a small, fragile-looking face. Most of the students in the school that have seen me seems to compare me to a character in a light novel. Apparently, I look similar to Shiba Miyuki from Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. The teachers and professors here that read light novels also seem to be amused that I look similar to Shiba Miyuki and my first name is also Miyuki.

  I would change my rather petite height to a taller avatar, but it may get awkward to play as someone with a different height. Height differences in VR and the real world can sometimes cause one's body and mind to forget which is which and mix up the neuron signals temporarily. This would cause the body to move awkwardly, as if it is not use to moving. So I guess I'll just remain as I am at 155cm (or 5'1").

  "In the race's normal form, I would like it so that the color of my hair, tails and fox ears to be the same white as the model."

  "I will remain in human form."

  I can see the data surrounding me and "explode" into a flash of light, giving the "me" in this virtual room the abilities and stats of the race I have chosen.

  A couple small models of the major cities and towns show up along with some descriptions of each.

  I look around a bit more before deciding on the main starting point for most human players that wants a diversity of shops nearby.

  "I would like to start in the City of Arvenus please."

  Well, it can't hurt to go through something that could potential aid you in the long run.

  "Okay, I wish to go through the tutorial."

  I focus on my transformation ability first to prepare for the tutorial and find myself glow a warm white color before my hair turns to a snow white color. Furry fox ears appear on top of my head as well as I halt the appearance of the tails to just one single swaying fox tail. I already feel stronger in the form as I feel energy well up and course through my body, giving me a boost of confidence to take on the tutorial.

  The rather nondescript black world of the character creation area lights up and blinds me.

  {{Non-Proof Read Version}}