The year was 20??.

  With the groundbreaking advancement of neural full-dive technology, virtual reality massively multiplayer online games (VRMMOs) entered an unprecedented golden age. Game companies worldwide eagerly capitalized on this boom, flooding the market with countless new VRMMO titles.

  However, amidst the tidal wave of games, only a select few managed to survive. Most faded into obscurity, forgotten by players, or had their services terminated prematurely for various reasons.

  Among those few resilient survivors was a game called New Realm Online—or NRO.

  NRO distinguished itself significantly from its contemporaries. Unlike traditional fantasy RPGs dominating the VRMMO landscape, NRO embraced a bold fusion of fantasy and cyberpunk elements.

  This innovative hybrid concept, meticulously crafted with exceptional attention to detail, captured the imagination of gamers, quickly cultivating a dedicated fanbase from its initial launch.

  Due to its unique appeal and immersive world-building, NRO thrived where others faltered, rapidly becoming not only one of the longest-running VRMMOs but also an incredibly lucrative franchise.

  Three years after the official release, on the very anniversary of its launch, I, Kenzaki Ren, stepped into the virtual world of NRO for the very first time.

  -Bang! Bang! Bang!

  Clear gunshots rang out near the hunting grounds surrounding New Potomac City—the starting city and main hub.

  "Alright, guess that's enough for today."

  I was spending my time hunting the classic low-level monsters, the Brown Snails, near the outskirts of the hunting grounds.

  NRO’s class system was divided into four main archetypes—Slayer, Magician, Fighter, and Gunner—with each archetype further split into four or five specialized subclasses.

  Of these, the Gunner archetype was known for high average damage output but notoriously lacked in defense, making it one of the harder playstyles to master.

  Simply put, it was the textbook definition of a glass cannon.

  And among Gunners, my chosen class, Blitz, was famous for its particularly steep difficulty curve.

  The reason Blitz was considered so difficult mainly came down to its armor type.

  The NRO’s equipment could broadly be divided into three categories: weapons, armor, and accessories. Accessories were widely shared across classes, meaning the real strategic choices usually revolved around selecting the right weapons and armor.

  Blitz's issue was its awkward choice of armor. Among NRO's armor types—cloth, leather, light armor, heavy armor, and plate armor—Blitz specialized in light armor.

  Light armor was characterized by its balanced distribution between health and evasion stats. At first glance, this seemed ideal—not just for beginners, but even for experienced players looking for versatility. However, precisely because of this balanced nature, Blitz players struggled to find parties for raids or dungeon runs.

  Teams looking for swift, agility-focused play typically recruited classes using cloth or leather armor, while those needing robust tanking capabilities naturally opted for classes using heavy or plate armor. As a result, classes like Blitz, stuck in the middle ground, were often overlooked.

  To make matters worse, the class design of Blitz further amplified these drawbacks.

  Blitz primarily relied on a PDW as its main weapon, supplemented by a modified pistol and special drone as secondary equipment.

  At first glance, it might seem stylish and versatile. But in practice, managing these weapons quickly became cumbersome.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Players had to juggle rapid weapon-switching mechanics, carefully distribute skill points among various abilities, and constantly strategize their equipment choices.

  In short, it was overly complicated.

  The one saving grace was the PDW as the primary weapon. Without it, Blitz might genuinely have become a class nobody ever bothered playing.

  Nevertheless, the reason I chose Blitz was simple—it was the class that drew me into NRO in the first place.

  Back in high school, an eye-catching Blitz advertisement at the subway station immediately captured my interest, sparking my fascination with NRO. After graduating and entering college, I spent my hard-saved money on a full-dive device along with the game itself.

  As I organized my inventory, reflecting that without that ad I might have never experienced NRO, I suddenly found myself teleported to the city plaza.

  Aside from me, tens of thousands of players filled the central plaza of New Potomac City.

  They were likely teleported here abruptly, just like I was, interrupted from whatever they'd been doing.

  As the massive crowd stirred in confusion, a giant screen appeared overhead, illuminating the sky.

  Moments later, a window labeled [GM] opened on the screen.

  "Greetings, everyone. First, I apologize for summoning you all here so suddenly. Allow me to get straight to the point:

  You must clear this game."

  The distorted male voice echoed throughout the server, causing murmurs of disbelief to ripple among the players, myself included.

  "Check your status windows. You’ll notice the logout button is gone. Rest assured, this is no glitch. You’re trapped here, and the only way out is to complete all floors of the underground dungeon."

  And when I opened my status window to check, the logout button had indeed vanished. The voice then delivered an even more shocking revelation.

  "Your HP is now linked directly to your bodies in the real world. If you die here, your real self dies too. And before you ask, removing your device forcibly will lead to the same fate.

  You might wonder why I’m doing this. Unfortunately, I can’t reveal that just yet—at least, not now. All you need to know is that this matter is far from simple. Good luck."

  As the voice faded, the players around me erupted into a mix of despair and outrage.

  Some had already resigned themselves to their fate, while others shouted in furious disbelief.

  With my mind swirling in confusion, I turned away from the chaotic plaza and began to run.

  How long had I been running? Gradually, as my chaotic thoughts began to settle, I forced myself to think clearly again.

  "Alright... First, I need to assess the situation. The GM wouldn’t have said all that without reason."

  I tried my best to remain calm, but my mind was still overwhelmed. After all, I had clearly seen the logout button vanish from the status window with my own eyes.

  Determined, I reopened my status window, hoping to find some kind of announcement or explanation.

  And when I opened it—

  "Wait...what?"

  The logout button, which had definitely been missing just moments ago, had reappeared.

  "What’s going on here? Was the GM just bluffing?"

  Yet, a single thought quickly took control of my mind: I had to get out, now, while I still could.

  "To hell with it. If I've got a chance, I might as well take the gamble."

  Without another moment’s hesitation, I pressed the button—giving no thought to where this decision might lead me.

  As soon as the logout procedure completed, I quickly took off the device.

  My vision, gradually adjusting to the darkness, revealed my room—

  "Wait, where is this?"

  This wasn't my room. Instead, I found myself in some kind of laboratory. When I opened the door and stepped outside, a massive, featureless chamber awaited me, with no visible exit.

  Suddenly, a woman's voice echoed through speakers embedded in the walls.

  [Kenzaki Ren, you’re finally awake.]

  "Hey! Where the hell am I? Why isn’t this my room?!"

  [Calm down. Listen to me first. We've extracted you because we need you.]

  "FUCK YOU! OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW!"

  -Zap!

  My entire body seized up as if struck by a taser. Unable to resist, I collapsed helplessly onto the cold floor.

  [Relax for now. I'll explain everything soon enough.]

  I thought I had escaped from hell—but an even deeper abyss awaited me.