'Crack!'

[Target Hit! Distance from center: 0.4 centimeters.]

'Crack!'

[Target Hit! Distance from center: 0.1 centimeters.]

'Crack!'

[Target hit! Distance from center: 0.0 centimeters.]

I lowered the rifle to my side, three green lights blinking at the top of my view.

[Challenge complete. Final score: 2999/3000. Rating: S.]

The 'Ambush' logo filled my vision as the shooting range around me faded away, replaced by the game hub.

This was the world of Ambush, an FPS Strategy in Virtual Reality - not that the last element was a selling point anymore. Games that weren't in Full-Dive VR were far less popular nowadays, thanks to rapid advances that had made the technology both commonplace and affordable. Hundreds of millions of people were given access to virtual worlds with infinite possibility, so it was only natural that a tactical FPS would emerge.

And I stood at the top of it.

I walked down the main hall of the Hub, a massive lane that held all of the main game modes in Ambush. Despite the massive crowd that perpetually filled the Hub, I had no trouble progressing, as the swarm unconsciously parted at the sight of me. Or, rather, the badge on my chest. Contrasting my bland armor with a classic camo color scheme, a single golden sword was pinned to my lapel. It had a hook at the tip, however, turning it into a shining number 1.

The best player in the world.

It wasn't as if I was the best out of hundreds of millions of people - not everyone who bought a VR headset would play Ambush after all, far from it. But the player base was still significant, and my username had become well-known among them. Romula was a name that none would soon forget.

But despite that, I wasn't truly satisfied.

At first, the media had declared that a pro scene would immediately sprout from Ambush - the genre was a natural fit, after all. Back in the days of keyboard and mouse games, this proved to be the case time and time again. But a combination of the developers' apparent lack of interest and the fact that Ambush wasn't a top hit amongst games meant that that dream died very quickly. Having already spent hundreds of hours honing my skills, I didn't simply quit, but my first dream had already died.

I wasn't about to miss my chance again.

Walking into the shopping area of the Hub while continuing to ignore onlookers, I quickly moved over to a specific shopkeeper. The dialog box opened and I immediately purchased what I was looking for: [Global Announcement Voucher]. I didn't bother reading the description, as I already knew it by heart, I simply crushed the voucher and began typing my message on a keyboard that appeared in front of me.

"To the entire player base of Ambush. Despite my many regrets along the way, I thank you, all of you, deeply for the joy that playing this game together has brought me. Now, however, it is time for me to move on to greener pastures. Romula will be continuing her journey in Legend, so keep an eye out. GLHF to you all, and truly, GG."

I hit "Send", and not even bothering to wait for a response, I logged out.

**********************************************************

The headset slid smoothly off of my head, a few strands of my hair reluctantly letting go as it rose. Setting the headset on its charging station, I pushed myself out of my desk chair with a sigh. I grasped my right leg at the ankle and began stretching, waking muscles that had remained unused during my several hours in VR.

"Renata, get down here! It's time for dinner!"

"Coming, mom!"

I called back quickly, sighing as I finished stretching.

~She's not going to like my plans… best keep quiet for now.~

Shrugging to myself, I wandered out of my bedroom and down the stairs, a dull creaking in the wood matching my pace. The warm light of my living room greeted me, and through its doorway I could already see the dining room.

"Get in here, sis! Mom and Dad won't let us eat until you sit down!"

An anguished cry of my youngest sibling came from the dining room, and I smirked at his misfortune. In a matter of moments I slipped through the open doorway and had a seat. Plates of food had already been laid out, a hearty dinner scattered across the table. My smirk remained as I glanced at my younger brother.

"Dig in, pipsqueak."

"Hey!"

But despite his protests at my choice of name, he immediately began stuffing his face with food, so he couldn't have minded too much. The rest of us followed suit, though in a much more restrained fashion.

"Any news from Lina? She hasn't texted me today." I turned toward my mother, continuing to munch on a bread roll with warm butter slathered across the bottom half.

"Not yet, but she let us know a couple of days ago that she would be busy with work. We're not too worried."

I nodded in understanding, before moving on to the steak that sat on the plate before me. Lina was my elder sister at 22, fresh out of college and into the workforce. She was out in Los Angeles now, so we didn't meet face to face regularly, but she made sure to stay in contact.

My other two siblings, currently sitting across the table from me, were Leo and Celeste (Cel for short), my 10 year old brother and 13 year old sister respectively. Me being 16, the three of us were evenly spaced at almost exactly three years apart, so sibling clashes were common - though we had several of those even when it was just Lina, Cel, and I.

"Reni, what clubs are you doing this year? You said you weren't interested in cheer even though they tried to recruit you, so you must have something else planned." Cel piped up, having devoured most of her meal already. I scowled slightly, before nodding.

"You know they just scouted me because of my appearance, I don't actually have any friends on the cheer squad. I'd rather die." Chugging the rest of my glass of milk, I ignored the disapproving glance from my mother before continuing.

"I'll probably start up a Legend club, assuming it doesn't collapse in the next week."

~If only you knew what kind of 'club' I really meant…~

My mother spoke up, frowning slightly.

"You should join cheer or something else if you're asked, it could be good for you. You need something other than those video games of yours."

My father had been ignoring the whole conversation, happily tearing apart a massive steak, but he finally looked up at me.

"Your mother's right, squirt. You know I'll support you all the way in whatever you want to do, but new things here and there couldn't hurt."

I sighed. The two of them had never really understood the appeal of video games, even as the industry steadily expanded over the last few decades. Sports were fine in their eyes - but digital sports were weird, or pointless.

"I'll think about it." I sighed, gathering my dishes and putting them in the dishwasher before heading back upstairs.

**********************************************************

Legend. Perhaps the most mysterious and least advertised Triple-A game ever released. All that was known was that it was a VR MMORPG with a fantasy theme - beyond that, everything was hidden until its release. And yet, despite the total lack of information, the company behind it still managed to generate massive hype for the release. Tens if not hundreds of millions were eagerly awaiting the release - I was one of them. I glanced at my phone.

It would release in two minutes. I slipped on my headset, a pure white band that just covered my eyes. Collapsing into my desk chair, I powered on the system.

**********************************************************

[Legion Games release 'Legend' will become available in 1 minute, 37 seconds. Please wait.]

I tapped my avatar's foot in the virtual loading area, the floating symbol of Legend opposite me as I waited for the timer to count down. Formulating a plan was difficult when I had no idea at all what the situation in game would be, but I was trying to plan out a basic start regardless.

~Assuming a standard MMORPG setup, I need to try to rush the basic quests as quickly as possible to outpace the rush of random players. If I succeed at that, I can pull ahead and be in a good spot.~

[30 seconds.]

There was nothing more that could be done to prepare.

[20 seconds.]

I'd have to wing it.

[10 seconds.]

But I was ready.

[Launching Game.]

~It's time to become a legend.~