"Is everyone ready?" Roderick asked in a distance.

Aaron and his four teammates were transferred in a different capsule room, as well as making them wear some kind of special fabric.

"I don't like this," Lina said. "It's tight."

Well, they might not like it, but it was still pleasant to look at. This greyish white cloth felt different, and although tight, he doesn't feel anything wrong with it. In fact, running around in this thing might be better than normal clothing.

"We're good," Laurence said, his eyes already fixed on the capsule. "Are you sure we're gonna spawn in a safe spot?"

"Yeah," Roderick grinned. "Just remember to pick human race and--"

"We know, we know," Lina interrupted with a sigh. "Human race, Rebean Cemetery."

As Aaron entered the human-sized capsule, the others followed. He was excited, his heart beating faster than he ever was before. But it also contained a drop of anxiety, towards the unknown, where his life will be at risk. Before, he was obliged to sign a contract that, in short, if anything happens during the beta test, the company wouldn't be at fault. It also meant that, in the game, there won't be anyone to help him. However, being a Beta Tester allowed Aaron to get twice the normal salary from being an employee.

Of course, Aaron knew that, hence the reason why he signed the contract in the first place. Even Laurence didn't wait for the game to come out and just straight up signed himself the hard way. If someone like him was willing to risk his glorious future for the game, then Aaron, who has none, should feel ashamed of thinking of backing out at the last minute.

As Aaron lay down, he reached for the inhaler beside him. It covered the entirety of his mouth and nose, following it with a small stream of pure, white liquid with small streaks of electricity flowing in them. It wasn't enough to kill Aaron, but his fingers reacted when it was linked with the liquid. Thankfully, his consciousness was drifting away, slowly but surely.

Please select a race_

There was only one race available, with others locked out. Human, he thought.

Please select a weapon_

Interestingly, there are various types of weapons. A longsword, a shortsword, two daggers, an additional shield, halberd, axe, great axe, spear, pole, a staff, even a vine whip and chakram. But he doesn't have any specialty around these things, so he picked an axe instead. It seemed like picking a sword would be better, but it felt easier to move around with an axe, slightly lighter too.

It didn't take long before finishing all the requirements. There was something missing though, since this game wasn't an ordinary RPG. Thinking back, Roderick said that inventory and character management system does not exist, leaving Aaron the only option of the Status screen and Skill screen, on which cannot be changed in anyway, automatically. Learning how to use a sword skill? Find a teacher. Increasing stats? Grind.

Moving on, Aaron saw the invisible space spread in, leaving nothing but his consciousness. Though, it didn't take him long enough to feel the wind. First sense -- touch. Aaron felt the wind caressed his skin, softly. Then he heard something. Branches, cracking; crows, cawing.

Aaron was expecting a bright field of grass in a clear forest, but that wouldn't do in his case. He smelled something unpleasant, like some murky swamp and dead, rotting corpses. He opened his eyes.

In his sight was a cemetery -- the Rebean Cemetery, to be precise. The sun was up and high, shining brightly, but it couldn't break the creepy atmosphere surrounding the area. Aaron tried to get up but his back rose as if he just woke up and his movements sluggish to the point where he had to stretch for five minutes. But this was a fresh feeling, different from the place he lived in, different from the rest of the world. It seemed more... pure and mysterious.

Glancing down to his shirt, Aaron realized he only wore an old tunic and cheap shorts, making him look like a beggar. But there was something in his pocket. Shuffling his hand in, he felt five cold objects. Five silvers, he thought, since it was shining like a silver. Would this even be enough?

"Guys," Someone said. Aaron jumped in surprise. It was Laurence. "I think we should plan things out before we move on. Everybody present?"

"I'm here!" Lina said.

Aaron muttered, "Present."

Following it with Lisa's "What's next?" and Eric's "Can we hurry it up and get to Roderick at the city, ASAP?"

"Believe me Eric, I want that too, but," Laurence chuckled. "Let's make sure of some things at first. Check your starting items."

"I've five silvers and an axe," Aaron said.

"I got a map along with a pencil and a longsword," Laurence pondered. "What about you Lisa? That's a cool weapon."

"Five silvers and a war scythe." Lisa said.

Eric was about to speak up when Lina quickly pouted, "I've only got a bow and quiver and three silvers." She sighed.

"Mine's two daggers and a pouch of coppers. Don't know how many though, probably a hundred." Eric said, counting the number of coins he received.

"Okay," Laurence clapped his hands. "Gather up!"

Everyone already grouped up together and are going to discuss what they should do, when a sudden voice erupted at the top of their head. Hello! It said.

Eric was the first one to react. "Who are you?"

I'm Amy, just another staff who can guide you for the next couple of days.

"Great, tell us where to go."

Woah, there! In a hurry? Why don't you sit back and listen to my st--"

"Shh!" Eric whispered abruptly. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Aaron said, though quickly changing his mind. His eyes squinted. "Footsteps?"

Everyone quickly peered about. They were encircled creepily by a murky swamp and dead trees, mostly, but one stood out. A small church beside them, crows hanging on the rooftop with an old, destroyed bell and mossy roof tiles with sunlight passing through its holes. The church was screaming abandoned for itself, even with destroyed pew benches inside were being eaten by nature. "Indoors, quick!" Lisa commanded.

Aaron scurried off indoors, hid behind windows and peeked outside. Footsteps were getting closer and closer, but there were no signs of someone having a conversation. Unaware of a sudden meeting with strangers, his eyes panicked, but calmed down shortly after. This is a game, he thought. It's not real.

"What's that?" Laurence whispered, giving everyone the attention to the old, rusty cemetery gate.

"Eeew!" Lina covered her mouth.

There was a rotting corpse, stench blew by the wind, reaching Aaron's nose. It was a dead man, unrecognizable by its ghastly appearance. It wore a damaged armor while holding a shortsword tightly. The crows flocked against the corpse, probably planning to eat his body. However, it retaliated only with a gurgling sound coming out from its mouth, making the crows caw and fly away unknowingly.

"Amy," Eric said. "What the hell is happening? Isn't this supposed to be a safe area?"

I-I uhh... just stay put and don't panic, I'm contacting Roderick right now.

Eric's voice wasn't enough to reach the corpse, so they were still clear. Even though Aaron was confident they could take that thing alone, he can't be sure since it might have reinforcements, so no one has the courage to move. Not that they have to, anyway.

But, well, you can't escape bad luck.

And the corpse looked to his right, its eyes glistened red. "Aaargh..."

Aaron laughed dryly. "We're fucked, aren't we?"

Lisa broke a cold sweat. "Oh, tell me about it."