One week later, Khrx was still in the same room, in the same place, in the same position—hunched over a dictionary with his eyes glued to the page. His hand pressed the last words on the bottom, and a masculine voice said, “Defenestrate.”

Khrx muttered the pronunciation to himself before flipping the page. His eyes widened, and he blinked. The page was empty, and a brown cover was on the other side. “It’s over?” he asked in Rokean. He burst out into laughter and threw the dictionary into the air. “It’s over!” He stood up and stretched his arms towards the ceiling. Then he patted his stomach. “How long did that take? A few hours? I’m not even hungry.”

“You’ve been in the room for one week. I recommend you logout to take care of your body’s necessities such as eating, drinking, and sleeping,” a crisp, feminine voice said from above him. “Or perhaps you should take a shower. Hygiene is very important.”

“A week? Seriously?” Khrx asked and raised his head. “Wait a minute. Who are you?”

“I am AI-5487329640438595, the operator of your VR drive,” the voice responded. Khrx tried to pinpoint her location by tilting his head, but he couldn’t. “I have no tangible body. Is this your first time accessing a VR drive?”

“Yes,” Khrx said with a nod. “Didn’t Luke say he’d see me in a week? Hey, AI-5487329640438595, when does [Resolution] begin?”

“You remembered my name?” AI-5487329640438595 asked. “I’m flattered. If you were a little older, I may have been smitten by your tenderness, but alas, you’re just a child.”

“…”

AI-5487329640438595 coughed. “[Resolution] is opening in two hours. Would you like to personalize your room in that time? Oh, but first, I should explain the menu to you since you haven’t been here before.”

“I got it,” Khrx said, waving his hand. There was an instruction manual for the VR drive in the dictionary that Luke created for him to help establish a foundation. “Menu.” A translucent screen appeared in front of himself with a list of options: [Internet], [Phone], [Messages], [Wardrobe], [Exploration], [Settings], [Logout]. He pressed on [Settings] and another dropdown menu appeared. He selected [Personalization], and a holographic white box appeared in front of him. At the center of the box on the ground, there was a naked beastkin, him. He dabbed his finger in a red inkwell that had appeared underneath the box and smeared it on the box’s walls. A red line appeared on the walls in the room he was standing in. “Amazing. Isn’t this just like playing God?”

“As an AI, humes are my god,” AI-5487329640438595 said. “I was created by your kind, after all.”

Khrx clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Surface dwellers dabbling where they shouldn’t,” he said with a snort. His words were slow and drawn out but easy to understand. He played around with the box in front of him, painting while navigating through menus to create boulders and rivers of magma around himself. Time flowed by as the sound of crackling magma filled the room. When he had perfectly recreated his cave, he dismissed the floating interface with a wave of his hand. “It’s convenient though, I must say. Even the heat coming off the magma feels real.”

“Your tastes are quite exotic,” AI-5487329640438595 said. “I expected a more … open area. It seems like you don’t go outside often?”

“Now, I’m not used to the nuances of Rokean language, but I can understand tones,” Khrx said, a growl escaping from his throat as his tail swished back and forth. “And your tone sounded like it was mocking me.”

“I apologize,” AI-5487329640438595 said. “You’re smarter than you look.”

“Gah!” Khrx stomped his foot against the ground. A second later, he winced and lifted his leg. There was a cut on his heel. “What the hell? Surface dwellers can’t be this fragile, right?”

“Humes, or surface dwellers as you call them, wear clothing to protect themselves from the elements,” AI-5487329640438595 said. “Perhaps you are just as smart as you look? Did you grow up under a rock?”

“Yes. I did. That a problem?” Khrx asked, wrinkling his nose. “Where do I get some clothing?”

“Adding a simple set of clothing to your wardrobe costs five euros. Would you like to purchase it?” AI-5487329640438595 asked. “You have a total of 1,500,000 euros in your account. What kind of irresponsible person left you with such a large sum of money? Are you perhaps the bastard child of a prime minister, hidden away from society out of shame?”

“Add it to my wardrobe,” Khrx said and rolled his eyes. “And listen up, AI-5487329640438595. I don’t like the way you’re talking to me, and if you were tangible, then I’d rip you to shreds and eat you, understood? Also, your name is way too long to say. Can I call you something else?”

“The simple set of clothing has been added to your wardrobe. There are 1,499,995 euros left in your account,” AI-5487329640438595 said. “And I’d be honored if you were to give me a name.”

“Bob,” Khrx said.

AI-5487329640438595 fell silent as Khrx played with the menu and navigated to his wardrobe. He pressed on an outfit, and a bear onesie covered his body. Khrx lowered his head and stared at the brown fur covering his hands and feet. “This…. I can work with this. Why aren’t you saying anything, Bob?”

“I am an AI, but I identify as a woman. Even a toddler can tell by the sound of my voice.”

“Bob-ah? Boh-ba? Boba.” Khrx nodded. “Henceforth, your name will be Boba.”

“I dislike this name.”

“Well, I’m the god here, so you listen to me, got it?” Khrx asked, crossing his arms. If he weren’t so adorable-looking, he might’ve seemed intimidating. But all Boba could see him as was a proud cat dressed in a bear suit.

“I yield to your overwhelming charm,” Boba said. “Also, [Resolution] will be launching in five minutes.”

“Five minutes?” Khrx asked, his eyes widening. “Didn’t you say it’d take two hours?”

“You spent the past two hours personalizing your room,” Boba said. “And it was two hours well spent. The level of detail is incredible. Have you considered becoming a 3d model creator?”

“What about Luke?” Khrx asked, ignoring Boba’s question. “He didn’t contact me?”

“He did not. No one has contacted you since that man left. I’m sorry you have no friends.”

Khrx growled as his ears twitched. “I demand that you materialize in front of me so I can beat you up!”

“I politely decline,” Boba said. “However, I can refer you to some anger management sessions. Why not put all your excess money to use?”

“I, Khrx’Lrvnjl, am being bullied by a floating voice! Everything the surface dwellers create is evil! This is no longer just about Fufu. For the sake of my pride, I will crush every hume that gets in my way. Start up [Resolution], Boba!”

“There’s still one minute before the game goes online.”

Khrx exhaled through his nose and crossed his arms.

“Please don’t sulk,” Boba said. “My cold artificial heart is starting to thaw from your adorableness.”

“I’m not adorable!” Khrx shouted. “I’m intimidating! Fierce! Imposing! In-in…, I need a thesaurus!”

“Dainty?”

“Dainty! Wait. That’s—”

“Connecting to [Resolution]. Have a safe journey.”

Before Khrx could finish his sentence, his vision went black. A second later, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red flooded his sight. Scenes of dragons flying overhead, phoenixes diving through the air, demons overrunning plains, and humans wearing silver armor flashed by. Trumpets blasted, followed by violins and a steady piano melody as the scenes around him disappeared, leaving him in an empty room with a white floor and black walls. Words flickered onto the wall as the melody disappeared, an eerie silence left behind. “Welcome to [Resolution].”

A ball of white light flickered into existence, floating in front of Khrx. “Hello, I am AI-Helper. I’ll be your guide.” The light flashed with yellow lights. “What is your name?”

“Khrx’Lrvnjl.”

“…”

Khrx waited.

“Sorry, can you repeat that?”

“Khrx’Lrvnjl.”

Awkward laughter tinkled through the room. “One more time?”

“Khrx. Lrvnjl.”

The light turned black. “How about you type it out?”

Khrx typed his name on the keyboard that appeared.

The light turned even darker. “By any chance, do you know what vowels are?”

Khrx growled and bit the light, but his teeth passed through it. “One day, I’ll figure out how to hurt you floating voices, but for now, let’s get on with it.”

“You’re very violent for someone wearing a onesie,” AI-Helper said. “We’ll begin the distribution of stats now.”

Light flooded the room, turning the walls white. A line of rocks appeared in front of Khrx, the rocks increasing in size as they got further away from him.

“This is a simple test of strength,” AI-Helper said. “Please pick up the largest rock that you can.”

Khrx snorted and walked past the tiny rocks. He walked past the midsized rocks. He went past the rocks that were taller than himself, stopping only when he arrived at a dragon-sized boulder. He dusted off his palms and willed his mana into his hands. Then he crouched down, pressed his fingers against the boulder’s base, and lifted. …Or he tried to. It didn’t budge.

“I can already tell your intelligence is going to be on the lower end of the spectrum,” AI-Helper said and sighed. “Most people start at the very beginning and lift until they can’t anymore.”

“Why can’t I use mana!?” Khrx shouted as his face turned red. He grunted and pulled at the boulder to no avail.

“This is a test of physical strength.”

“Give me my mana!”

“This is a test of physical strength.”

“I don’t care! Mana improves my strength!”

“This is a test of physical strength.”

“Dammit! Dammit! Gah! Goddammit!” Khrx kicked the boulder and winced as he hopped up and down, clutching his toes. The boulder disappeared and was replaced by a rock that reached up to Khrx’s childish knees.

“Try that one,” AI-Helper said.

Khrx snorted as he bent over and grabbed the rock’s base. Then he … didn’t budge at all. He growled and stamped his feet before grunting as he heaved. The rock lifted a centimeter off the ground. “Hah! You see that!?” Khrx shouted as he released the rock. “Be amazed by my glory!”

“Two points,” AI-Helper said. “You should be proud. Most human children only have a strength value of one point.” The light flickered as the AI coughed and muttered, “But beastkin children have an average of three.” The scene changed, the rocks disappearing, leaving Khrx alone in the white room. “The constitution test will now begin.”

Khrx looked around. “What? Aren’t you forgetting the test materials?” His brow furrowed as he took a step towards the floating ball of light. His eyes widened as an overwhelming pressure gripped his chest, squeezing until he couldn’t breathe. Blood shot out of his mouth as he coughed, his vision turning red. He fell to his knees, his body twitching. A second later, the pressure let up, allowing him to breathe again. He panted as he climbed onto his feet. “The hell was that?”

“Two points,” AI-Helper said. “The pressure that you just experienced is on the same level as a golem’s grip. If you care about your life, don’t get squeezed by any golems while playing.”

Khrx blinked and looked down. “My body’s not this weak. I can roll around in magma unharmed.”

“Yes, yes,” AI-Helper said. “It is very common for children to delude themselves. Children often think they can run faster than adults or jump further than a tiger when it is actually not the case. Now, we will start the intelligence test.”

Before Khrx could protest, a rectangular box appeared in front of him. A series of symbols that he didn’t recognize were displayed: [2 + 2 = _]. Khrx bit his lower lip. “Uh, this isn’t Rokean, is it?”

“No, they’re numbers,” AI-Helper said.

“Can…, can you translate them to Rokean?”

AI-Helper sighed. “It seems like I was right about your intelligence. One point.”

“Hey!”

“Moving onto the spirit test,” AI-Helper said as the rectangular box disappeared.

“I’m not dumb!”

“Moving onto the spirit test.”

“Seriously! Give me a redo! Test my intelligence some other way!”

“Moving onto the spirit test.”

Khrx’s eye twitched as he growled. He didn’t usually growl when he was angry. Maybe it had something to do with his transformed body.

“There is one source of mana in this room,” AI-Helper said. “Can you sense it?”

Khrx nodded. A mana source really did appear behind him.

“How about now?” AI-Helper asked. The mana source disappeared.

“It’s gone.”

“And now?” AI-Helper asked, two sources of mana appearing: one in front of him and one behind.

“Two sources,” Khrx said. “One fire and one water.”

“Impressive,” AI-Helper said. Another three mana sources were added into the room. “And now?”

“Five sources. One fire, one water, three lightning.”

“You can add,” AI-Helper said. “Maybe your intelligence needs some revision.”

“Gah!”

AI-Helper coughed. Another seven sources of mana were introduced. “How about now?”

“Twelve sources. Five fire, one water, three lightning, one and a half earth, and one and a half wind.”

“You’re capable of manipulating fractions as well?” AI-Helper sounded astonished. “Amazing. It’s a shame I’m not allowed to re-administer tests. How many sources of mana are there now?”

“Thirty-two. Sixteen fire, eight lightning, and eight ice.”

…

“And now?”

…

“How about now?”

…

“You’re a real monster, did you know that? How many sources are there now?”

…

“This is the last part of the spirit test. How many sources of mana are there now?” AI-Helper asked after an hour of questioning.

“1,324,672,” Khrx said with a sigh. “324,000 fire, 672 darkness, 100,000 light, 200,000 lightning, one water, one ice, one earth, 400,000 wind, seven space, 99,990 metal, and 200,000 nature.”

“Perfect score. 1,000 points into spirit,” AI-Helper said. “I thought you were hopeless after seeing your previous results, but it turns out you were actually a genius. Does dragon blood run through your veins perhaps?”

“Hmm, hmm.” Khrx smiled and puffed his chest out, placing his hands on his hips.

“The next test shall now begin,” AI-Helper said. A crossbow bolt appeared out of nowhere and struck Khrx in the abdomen, instantly piercing through his tiny body.

“Gah!?”

“Perception, one point.”

“Catch,” AI-Helper said, not given Khrx a chance to recover. Ten eggs flew through the air, crashing onto Khrx, staining his onesie. “You caught no eggs, but managed to avoid two. Not bad. Dexterity, two points.”

“Warn me before you start these things!” Khrx roared, clawing at the floating light. He wiped away the egg whites from his face and spat on the ground. “All surface dwellers must die for their sinful creations!”

“The next stat is charisma, or charm in your case,” AI-Helper said, ignoring Khrx and his bleeding stomach. “There is no test. As an AI, I can objectively grade your charm stat. You’re the most adorable creature I have ever seen in my existence as an AI. But only when you keep your mouth shut. Fifty points of charm. An average person’s charisma is five.”

“Wait, why is it charm for me, but charisma for others?” Khrx clutched his stomach and blinked. It had stopped bleeding without him noticing.

“Because you’re adorable, not handsome,” AI-Helper said. “The last stat is luck.”

A hundred-sided die appeared in Khrx’s hands.

“Roll the dice ten times. The combined result will be your luck stat.”

“…Are you sure something like this should be implemented in a game?” Khrx asked, raising an eyebrow. “Won’t people complain since it’s all luck?”

“Some people are born with wealthier parents. Some people are born to addicts. Luck is a factor in success and will be treated as such. [Resolution] is not a fair world. Your physique in reality determines your strength in [Resolution] as does your intelligence and dexterity. Is that not already unfair?”

“This game’s balance is crap. Who would play this?”

“[Resolution] was created to resolve conflicts in reality. The creators of the game naturally received inputs from all the countries and decided this was the best way to go about creating [Resolution]. Why should the people of a country of humans run as slow as the people of a country of dwarves? Why should those of a country of elves have as little spirit as those of a country of humans?”

Khrx shrugged. “Whatever,” he said. “I was born as a dragon. Did you know dragons have lucky feet?” He rubbed his foot before rolling the dice. It landed on 100. He repeated the action nine more times, rolling a 100 each time.

“I’m amazed that you deluded yourself into believing you’re an actual dragon,” AI-Helper said. “And I’m even more amazed that your placebo worked. But since I’m not allowed to re-administer tests, your luck stat will be set at 1,000.”

“So I’m done with all the tests now, right?” Khrx asked as the dice disappeared.

“Correct,” AI-Helper said. “Though it may have seemed like a long time has passed, in reality, only three minutes have gone by. Everyone starts [Resolution] at the same time. I will begin your tutorial now.”

AI-Helper summoned Khrx’s status screened and hovered beside him.

[Name: Khrx’Lrvnjl]

[Title: None]

[Strength: 2]

[Constitution: 2]

[Intelligence: 1]

[Spirit: 1,000]

[Dexterity: 2]

[Perception: 1]

[Charm: 50]

[Luck: 1,000]

“Your primary damage-dealing attributes, strength, intelligence, and dexterity, are all well below average. You’re as dangerous as a newborn rabbit. I suggest you keep your mouth shut to fully utilize your charm. Perhaps practice crying on demand. This concludes the tutorial. Enjoy your time in [Resolution].”

“Tutorial? You didn’t teach me shit! The hell do you mean by tu—”

Khrx’s vision disappeared. AI-Helper flickered in place a few times as Khrx’s body vanished as well. “What a strange child. His spirit would make him a great druid. Perhaps I should’ve told him that?”

***

Awakening Cycle 1,072,362: Day 8.

Dear Diary,

I’m sorry that I haven’t written you in a while. I’m now fluent in the Rokean language. Fufu is still in Luke’s hands. He blackmailed me into playing a game to get her back. I’ve only gone through the tutorial, but I can already tell that this game was created by wicked, wicked people. I’m going to erase them from the face of the planet when I get the chance. I wish Fufu was here with me. Sigh.

Love,

Khrx