A few days ago, a game called Legacy finally came out. I'd been waiting for weeks, ever since it was advertised. It's supposed to be a VR game, the type where you play as a game character with a class in a fantasy world. And now, after begging my parents for a headset, I finally got the game.

"Dad got me the game today. Got any tips for a beginner?" I text my brother. He got the game a little earlier than me, so he's already made an account and stuff.

"Just ask NPCs. They can answer questions for you." he texts back. He doesn't really talk or text much since he's got school, or so he says.

I head towards the school bus and rush home, hiding my smile underneath my hood, or else people will think I'm nuts. Checking the time: I got three hours to play. I rush to my room and grab the brand-new VR headset, putting it on and waiting for it to load.

------NEW USER LOGGING IN--------PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT---------------

Please Type In Your Name:

Hmm. This game requires a "name", meaning you can't type something in with a bunch of numbers like a username or something. So what should I put?

If I put some random name I'll probably forget it later or something, but I also don't want to put my real name because like...privacy and shit.

Umm...how about Daru? It's like a shorter version of my name anyway, so it should be easy to remember, right?

-------LOADING---------WELCOME TO THE TUTORIAL--------

"Welcome to the tutorial." I hear a monotone robot-like voice in front of me. I look at my surroundings. I'm in a large, mostly empty white room, with the only thing inside being a floating metallic orb a few meters in front of me.

"Please select a weapon." The noise doesn't seem to be coming from the drone, but rather, all around me, like some kind of built-in speaker inside the walls.

On the wall in front of me, a rack with different weapons appears. There's a sword, a spear, a stick with spikes on one of the ends, a regular looking stick, a small sword, a pair of knuckles, and a bow. Each of them looks like it's made out of wood, with no metallic or shiny qualities.

So how does this work? Do I just pick up a weapon and the rest disappear or something? I pick the sword up first and a blue box pops up, with the name and a few numbers below it. To the side of it, another blue rectangle asks me if I want to take the sword. I select the NO option and continue browsing.

The sword and spear are kind of heavy and don't feel very balanced. The dagger's range is a little too small and doesn't look very sharp... The knuckles are a little tempting, but I get the feeling they'd probably break easily. And the bow only comes with a few arrows, which appear in a small quiver on the side. So in the end, I take the stick, which is apparently a staff. And hey, throwing fireballs and shit doesn't sound too bad.

The rack disappears, leaving the staff in my right hand.

Acquired Beginner's Wooden Staff(C) Beginner's Wooden Staff (C): +1 ATK, +2 INT.

Before I can get a good look at the two messages that come up, the voice continues on.

"In this game, items will have rarities, which in order from lowest to highest are Common(C), Uncommon(UC), Semi-Rare(SR), Rare(R), Epic(E), Legendary(L), Demi-God(D), and God(G). Items may or may not also have stats, which influence your overall power. The current stats are Attack(ATK), Intelligence(INT), Defense(DEF), Agility(AGI), Dexterity(DEX), Wisdom(WIS), Vitality(VIT), Endurance(END), Vitality(VIT), and Luck(LUCK). Your stats can be influenced by various things, including skills and items, and as you level up you will be able to earn SP or status points. However, you cannot place points into LUCK."

The drone flies to the side. Suddenly, at the front of the room, two wooden soldiers appear. They're both at around the same height as me, and they look kinda like oversized puppets.

"Now use your staff to attack these training dummies." I walk up, holding the stick like a baseball bat, and swing. The dummy sways left and right before falling backward, crashing to the ground. I then swing my staff like a tennis backhand into the side of the other mannequin, sending it toppling to the floor.

Learned Staff Mastery(C) Lvl 1 Staff Mastery(C) Lvl 1: Damage dealt with a staff increases with the level of this skill.

You sure this thing counts as a staff? It feels even weaker than a frigging baseball bat. And I'm talking about the plastic ones that you get for little kids on their birthdays.

To be fair, this probably isn't what it's supposed to be used for though. I mean, it's not like I've ever heard of a wizard just going yolo with their staff on their enemies.

The mannequins magically get off the floor, an invisible force helping them stand.

"Congratulations, Daru, you have learned your first skill. Skills will show off your proficiency and help you perform actions. They follow the rarity system that items also use, and can be learned through skill tomes, elements, and by repeatedly doing actions. Skill Tomes drop off of monsters, while elements are learned through Element Tomes, which drop off Boss Monsters. Both types of tomes are considerably rare, with element tomes being rarer than skill tomes."

Okay, so basically there are skill books and shit. Also element book things, which let you use elements, I guess. So if I get one of those, does that mean I become like a firebender or some shit?

The drone paints a face on the dummies and they come to life. One bends down onto its knees, its legs shortening, changing form into a wooden horse, around waist-height. The other assumes a boxing stance, the ends of its arms, or "hands," not that it really has any, forming "fists".

The horse raises its front legs in the air before charging forward. I lift my foot back and kick it in the face, raising its body in the air before swinging my staff like a hammer, smashing it downwards on the horse's head into the ground. It makes a thunking sound, almost as if it's hollow on the inside.

Somehow, the horse stays down. And now my foot fricking hurts like hell.

---Guh!

Dammit, when the hell did that guy get behind me?

I double over as a wooden fist finds its way into my gut.

---Motherfu-

The dummy strikes again, this time going for my shoulder. Why does it hurt so damn much?

Ah, fuck it. I am not losing to a goddamn mannequin.

I stand up, swinging as hard as I can into the dummy's side. It loses balance, wobbling on its right leg. One more smash brings it down on the ground. I step on it, bashing it over and over again with the staff until it ceases to move.

The boxer and horse turn into dust as a row of blue screens pop up in front of me.

"Now then, please choose a class," the voice says, in that completely monotone voice. I bet you were laughing at my sorry ass just now, weren't you?

I look at the choices: Warrior, Mage, Archer, Rogue, Crafter, Fighter, Buffer. Obviously, I need to take mage. None of the other classes use a staff except for Buffer, which I guess is something like Healer or Priest, and I don't feel like being a damn supporter.

Class has been changed to Mage

"Skills relating to your class will receive a boost. In the case of your class, any kind of "spell" and Staff Mastery(C) will receive a boost."

I pull up Staff Mastery. Somehow, beating the crap out of those wooden dummies got it to Lvl 2.

Staff Mastery(C) Lvl 2: Damage dealt with a staff increases with the level of this skill. Has a 6% chance to Stun the target for 5 seconds.

"Stun is a status effect that can affect you and others and does as the name says. Other status effects include, but are not limited to: Charmed, Poisoned, Paralyzed, Burned, Frozen, Bound, Sleeping, Hungry."

What is this pokemon shit?

"As one of the status effects is Hungry, there is a hunger system. You will need to eat food within the game to avoid the negative status effects that pop up if you get too hungry."

Oh, so does this mean we gotta cook for ourselves or something?

"Within this game, you will need money to buy items. The currency in this game is Zil, with different rankings. The ranks are Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and White Gold. For reference, 100 CZ = 1 BZ, 100BZ = 1SZ, and so on."

Okay, I get the other ones, but what the hell is white gold? What if it just looks like silver or something?

"If you want to see your status, say "status". If you want to see your skills or elements, say "Skills". And if you want to see your balance, say "Bank".

The orb pauses, flittering about as the room begins to disappear. Weird lights begin flashing as the walls crumble, revealing a dusty road with green grass growing around it.

"Thank you for listening, and create your legacy!"

The white room completely disappears and I find myself on the outskirts of what appears to be a bustling town.

A rucksack and several articles of clothing appear on the ground in front of me, along with another blue box.

Acquired Leather Chestplate(C), Leather Pants(C), Leather Boots(C), Dismantling Knife(C) 10 Hard Bread(C), Backpack(C), 50 CZ

Looking down, all I have is a loincloth on... I quickly put on the armor it gave me so I don't get arrested for public indecency. They're not too tight, which is good.

I look inside the bag, in which I find bread wrapped in paper and a knife with a sheath.

Checking my status, this shows up:

Name: Daru

Lvl 1

Class: Mage

EXP: 0/100

HP: 18/20

MP: 15/15

ATK: 6 (+1)

INT: 7 (+2)

DEX: 5

END: 5

DEF: 8 (+3)

VIT: 5

AGI: 6 (+1)

WIS: 5

LUCK: 10

SP: 0

Wow. Is this why it hurt so damn much? Out of all of these, LUCK is my highest stat.

A plain lies to the left of me while a forest lies to the right. Where should I go?

I think I'll head off to the left. After all, it'll be easier to see enemies on an open field, right?

-----------------------------------------------

Deep in the plains, sounds can be heard. The sounds of nature: insects being smashed into gooey bits, bones breaking as rabbits are trampled upon, the cries of animals as their bodies are torn to shreds, and the laughter of a somewhat deranged child as he does these things.

A lightning bolt comes out of nowhere and strikes the guy. Hordes of monsters pile upon his body, stabbing him until he dies.

I don't think I want to go over there now. What kind of beginner town has lightning randomly striking people in the plains? I don't think I can enter this place anyway, mainly because of this... invisible wall blocking me.

The town gets bigger as I get closer. Large cobblestone walls and guards stationed around the town protect it from any dangers. A metal gate opens up, letting me in.

It looks like your standard fantasy world town, with no cars, pollution, skyscrapers, and instead cobblestone streets with large buildings and shops. I stand at a place which appears to be the town square, with a large water fountain and a statue of some person in the middle of it nearby.

I wander through the town, looking at the various sights. Some parts of the town are old, with cracked bricks and wooden signs, while others have cleaner shops with clear blue windows and metallic roofs. It's also pretty fricking busy, with tons of people that look like players because they're wearing the same crap I'm wearing. Some of them do have other crap though, like hoods and masks, but it doesn't really vary much from there.

And oh yeah, why the hell is like almost everyone carrying a sword?

After walking around for a bit, I have a good mental map of the town: To the north are fields with a pathway through them, south is where I entered from, west is the plains and east is the forest.

I just checked the fucking time. I spent a fucking hour walking around the town.

By the way, it turns out I can't logout in the town. When I said "Logout" this came up:

You cannot log out here. Find a safe zone to logout in. Examples include inns, hotels, etc.

There's no way hotels are free, which means I'll have to earn some money. Sure, the tutorial gave me some, but I gotta find a job. I wonder if this counts as child labor...

I walk up to one of the guards. I mean, they should know, right?

---Hey, excuse me, do you know where I can get a job?

"Hmmm...you one of those travelers, boy?"

---What do you mean by traveler?

Is that what players are called here? So like, the NPCs don't know they are NPCs and stuff. Okay.

"Like those folks over there," the guard says, pointing to the mass of players. "This town suddenly got an influx of 'em today, and they're all from some weird country where they all wear the same clothes."

Oh, so that's why.

---Yeah, I guess you could say I'm one of them.

"Alrighty, well then, you'll need to head off to the guild first. I don't know what's with your country, but you're going to need some identification to travel, ya know."

---Okay, so could you give me directions to the guild?

"What, do you not have those either in your country? It's real big, with a sign with a sword and shield on it outside. Just walk around until you find it. It shouldn't be too hard, even for you folks, since it's pretty close to here. You can't miss it."

I thank the guard and walk off. Finally, on the eastern side of the square, I find a large building mainly made of stone and metal. Outside the building is a sign with what appears to be a poorly drawn circle with an X drawn over it. It's close enough, so I walk in. The building is spacious, with several tables and chairs, along with a staircase leading upward to a second floor and a counter with a person behind it.

The receptionist greets me as I walk up to the counter.

"Hello, how can I help you?" He says with a smile.

---I'm here to join the guild, please.

He reaches down, opening up a drawer, and pulls out a tan-colored piece of paper.

"Okay, just sign with your fingerprint, and you'll be part of the guild." He hands over a little ink square.

As soon as my finger touches the paper, it changes, in a flash of light, into the form of a small plastic-like card.

Acquired Guild Card(C)

"This is your guild card. It serves as an ID and displays your rank. Beginners start at F, which is your rank. The ranks from lowest to highest are F, E, D, C, B, A, and S. The difference between the ranks increases over time, but can vary. An S-Rank can be the same level as a B or C Rank, so it depends. To increase your rank, you need to complete guild quests, which are simply requests for a number of things. By increasing your rank, your fame will increase and you may unlock secret privileges as you travel around the world. Please note that this only happens for certain quests. Rewards for completing quests can vary considerably, but you will usually get either materials or money."

He slides the card over to me.

"Monsters are also classified in the same way. Outside of the ranks, there are 3 other classes of monsters. If the monster has no rank, it's a normal monster, meaning it's just an animal and is generally not hostile towards humans. If the monster has the Boss rank, it's a boss monster, meaning that it's generally one rank above monsters like it and can drop element tomes. And if the monster has the unique rank, that means it's a unique monster and the only one of its kind alive. In general, unique monsters are boss monsters, so if you see one, run."

Okay, so the standard ranking system. Wait, hold up.

---How can I figure out their ranks?

"Oh, so you're a complete beginner. There's a skill called Examine that will let you do so. I'd take an easier quest first before you try fighting a monster if you don't have the skill."

On the wall next to the counter stands the quest board. I look at the quests carefully before thinking. If I go to the plains I get struck by lightning, and if I go to the forest I might get ambushed. Thus I take the safest option: herb collection.

The quest simply states to gather 5 stalks of a plant called Heartgrass. The description is apparently that the herb has heart-shaped leaves, and can be found in the fields to the north.

I leave the guild and head north to the fields. Several people can be seen picking herbs, with others just resting underneath large trees.

Right away, I find one. It looks like clover, which makes sense because clover has heart-shaped leaves. The only difference is that it's a lot bigger, and I gotta pull it up by the roots. It's a little hard distinguishing it from normal grasses, but it doesn't take very long

Learned Examine(C) Lvl 1 Examine(C) Lvl 1: Allows you to examine the target. Chances of failing depend on the skill level. Chances of failing are 100% if the target is a higher level than the user.

Okay, so this is the Examine skill. Seems pretty straightforward.

I test my new skill right away on one of the stalks.

Heartgrass(C): Material used for making potions. Distinguishing features include heart-shaped leaves.

I stow the materials into my pack and keep on collecting. Good thing I have lots of space.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the guild, I turn in the quest along with 5 stalks, giving me 5 CZ and leaving me with around 24 more stalks of Heartgrass. I also picked up some... questionable things, mostly poisonous...

So what now? Well, since it's a fantasy world, I want to make cool shit, okay.

And one of those cool things happens to be potions.

The receptionist is pretty nice. They gave me directions to the various buildings of the town, like an inn, a library, and a shop with a sign that has an upside-down lightbulb shape on it.

I talk to the shopkeeper there and he takes out a couple of things: a mortar and pestle, a small stove, a pot, and a number of glass vials.

To make potions you have to grind up the materials then boil it with some water. This may be a fantasy world but they gotta keep some things realistic, so you need containers for the resulting potion.

It ends up costing me 35 CZ in total. On the bright side, I got to spam Examine a bunch of times, bringing the level up to 3.

Now it's time to go make some potions. I head back to the fields, where I take out the tools underneath a tree. The oven lights automatically when you turn it on, so I take some water from a nearby pond and place it in the pot. I grind up the herbs and chuck them in the pot, taking a twig and stirring occasionally. After 2 minutes it looks considerably thicker, so I pour it into one of the vials and the resulting thing is:

Acquired Low Quality Health Potion(C): Restores 10% HP.

Wow, this... isn't 10% like 2 HP? I probably should have expected this. It's a beginner town after all.

If I add more will the result become better? I take double the amount from before and the result is:

Acquired Poison(C): Deals 10 damage.

...Well, it didn't specify what kind of potion it was used for...

Whatever. I'll just make--actually no, it's time to experiment with that other shit.

I take some purplish mushrooms and grind them up. A dark, almost black juice oozes out of them and I dump that into the pot with some water. A weird smell starts coming out of the boiling pot and I put the lid on. It feels like I'm making some kind of evil potion.

The resulting crap is:

Acquired Paralyzing Poison(C): Deals 7 damage and applies the Paralyze Debuff for 1 minute.

Seriously, what is this crap doing in a beginner town?

I've got like 10 minutes left before my parents get home...

Once I finish making 3 more health potions, another blue box comes up, but I wave it away quickly.

Learned Potion-Making(C) Lvl 1

I run back into the town, head to the inn that the receptionist referred me to, and pay the fee before logging out. It's pretty cheap, but I'll need to get more funds soon.

Taking off the headset, I hide it under my bed and open up a textbook just as a car pulls into the driveway.