Chapter 3: A Joyful Gift
"Alright! The game finally begins!"
Having finished all preparations, the old man lay down on his bed, fingers trembling slightly with excitement as he switched on the headset.
As the countdown echoed in his ears, he closed his eyes—and ten seconds later, after a brief sensation of his consciousness being pulled away, he found himself standing in a world of virtual reality.
"So this is… virtual reality."
Before him stretched a wide, endless meadow. For a moment, he could only stand there, entranced.
"Excuse me, may I have a word?"
Several minutes passed while he was still absorbed in the scenery, until a timid voice called out from behind him.
Startled, the old man turned around—and found a figure in full plate armor, face hidden behind a helm, standing there like a knight from a storybook.
"Hello."
"Ah—yes, hello."
Greetings were the foundation of all human interaction. The old man offered a polite hello, and the knight returned it with the same courtesy. Despite the heavy armor, the voice was unexpectedly gentle.
Male or female, he couldn’t tell—but the polite manner of speech and proper greeting convinced him this was a good person.
"Ahem. Allow me to properly welcome you to the world of New World & New Life. I am Chris, your guide and navigator through the tutorial. May I ask for your name?"
After clearing their throat, Chris spoke again in a firmer, clearer tone, different from the shy one earlier.
Chris was a name that could belong to either gender, and combined with the deliberately ambiguous full-plate look, the old man couldn’t help but think they were aiming for that effect.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Jin. I look forward to your guidance."
He gave the name he had already prepared. In games where the protagonist had no set name, he always used this one. For him, it was familiar.
Polite speech came naturally to him. Regardless of the other person’s age, he defaulted to speaking formally—especially on first meetings, or when dealing with clerks or staff.
A window appeared before him, displaying his name in katakana: ジン.
【Confirm Name: Jin YES・NO】
He tapped YES with his fingertip, and the window dissolved in a shimmer of light. The little VR touch made his heart leap with excitement.
Seeing that the confirmation was complete, Chris continued.
"Thank you. Now, Jin-san, during this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use the tools and skills necessary for living in this world. At the end, there will also be a combat section. Please note one exception: you can gain experience for existing skills, but you cannot newly acquire skills during the tutorial. The tutorial will proceed in quest format, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime."
Chris then stepped back, and a new window appeared before Jin.
【Tutorial ①: Check Your Inventory】…Open the Tools Menu and check your belongings.
"To open your inventory, either say ‘Tools Menu’ out loud, or strongly think about checking your belongings."
Following Chris’s advice, Jin tried it—and sure enough, the menu window appeared without issue.
Inside were two icons, simplified potion bottles in different colors.
When he tapped one, the item’s name appeared. Tapping again with the thought, I want to know the effect reveals more details:
【HP Recovery Potion (Small) … Restores 20 HP】
【MP Recovery Potion (Small) … Restores 20 MP】
"To close a window, either say ‘Close’ aloud or strongly think it. If you want to actually take items in or out, simply think about doing so, and a white disc-shaped gate will appear. Don’t worry—even items larger than the gate’s diameter can pass through it. Inventory can only be checked from the Tools Menu, but actual access to items can be handled via the gate, so use both accordingly."
Jin focused hard, and a glowing white disc appeared before him. He reached in and pulled out a potion. Whoa… like storage magic or space magic. So cool. He couldn’t hide his delight.
【Tutorial ①: Check Your Inventory … Clear. Reward: HP Recovery Potion (Small)】
It seemed that clearing tutorials earned rewards.
"Congratulations. As you can see, each time you clear a tutorial step, you’ll receive a reward. Please keep it up. Here is your prize."
"Thank you very much, I’ll accept it."
Jin took the potion from Chris, stored it in the gate, closed the Tools Menu, and moved on to the next tutorial.
【Tutorial ②: Check Your Equipment】…Open the Equipment Menu and check your gear.
Just as before, he thought about checking his equipment, and a new window appeared.
His current gear was:
【Sturdy Shirt … Made of durable fabric, high quality. Defense +1】
【Sturdy Pants … Made of durable fabric, high quality. Defense +1】
【Sturdy Shoes … Made of durable leather, high quality. No special effects】
【Sturdy Bag … Made of durable leather, high quality. No special effects】
No armor. No weapon. The sight left Jin feeling a little lonely.
"Since you don’t have any Job Skills, Jin-san, you don’t receive any weapons or armor. If you did, you would have been given gear suited to your skills."
That was the first time he’d heard the term Job Skill, leaving him puzzled.
Noticing, Chris explained further.
"You weren’t aware? Among Ability Skills, there’s a category called Job Skills. They are practically essential if you want to wield weapons, cast magic, or craft items. To put it simply, they’re divided into three broad types: physical attack skills that end in ～術 (jutsu), such as 〔Swordsmanship〕(Kenjutsu), magical attack skills that end in ～魔法 (mahou), such as 〔Fire Magic〕(Himahou), and production skills such as 〔Smithing〕 or 〔Tailoring〕. The detailed descriptions mention this, but…"
So the technical skills Jin had been thinking about earlier were Job Skills.
But since he had practically no spare points, he hadn’t really considered them—and figured he could imagine their function well enough without checking the details.
"Please don’t worry. Even without Job Skills, you can still perform normal attacks. And as a relief measure, I can at least provide you with this."
Chris’s apologetic-sounding voice accompanied the item they handed over:
【Wooden Sword … A sword made from sturdy wood. ATK +5】
"Normally, weapons available at this stage would have around +8 attack power, so this one’s a bit weaker. I hope you can forgive that."
"…"
"…Is something the matter?"
Seeing Jin stare silently at the weapon, Chris asked nervously.
The wooden sword resembled the kind of bokken you’d find at a Kyoto souvenir shop—except straighter, with two blades pressed back-to-back into a single piece. The blade was about a meter long, while the grip was extended, allowing both one-handed and two-handed use.
The blade itself was wooden, but the guard and grip were reinforced with metal. The handle was wrapped in a leather-like material for better grip. Down the center of the blade ran a broad groove, serving both as a weight reduction and a simple design flourish. Even the guard and pommel carried understated decoration.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was far from the "cheap wooden sword” the name suggested. It was solid, reliable craftsmanship.
And the reason Jin had frozen while staring at it was simple—
He was moved.
"…Would it be alright if I try swinging it?"
"Eh—ah, yes, of course."
With permission granted, Jin recalled the kendo classes he’d had back in high school and gave the sword a few light swings.
He’d swung a bamboo shinai before, but this was the first time he’d ever wielded a real weapon, even if it was made of wood.
Each time he raised and brought it down, the weight of the blade pressed firmly into his hands.
And here, in this VR world, he had the physique of an eighteen-year-old. Unlike reality, where his aged body would’ve run out of breath almost immediately, here he could move as freely as he wished. He held back his joy with the composure of age, but had he been even a little younger, he probably would have run around cheering.
After all, no matter how old you get, weapons always stir something in a man’s heart.
And so, what stood there now was simply a young man, grinning ear to ear as he swung his sword.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ll take good care of this sword. Thank you."
"No, no, think nothing of it. I’m just glad to see you so pleased."
Finishing his practice swings, Jin offered both apology and gratitude. He couldn’t see Chris’s face behind the full helm, but somehow, he felt they were smiling.
For just a moment, Jin wondered if Chris was an AI or a real human operator. But he brushed the thought aside as Chris spoke again.
"Now then, let’s continue. Please check your equipment screen again."
Following the instruction, Jin opened the menu and saw that the sword had already been registered in his equipment slot. Which made sense—after swinging it around so much, it would have been strange if it wasn’t equipped.
"This time, you equipped the sword naturally. As with the inventory, most things will auto-register if you imagine them clearly. With practice, you’ll be able to equip gear or use items with the same ease you just did. Weapons and items are straightforward, so you’ll get the hang of it quickly."
Chris’s phrasing—weapons and items—made Jin wonder if armor was more troublesome. He vaguely recalled hearing that full plate armor like Chris’s took a lot of time to put on.
"For armor, like the full plate I’m wearing, equipping can indeed take significant time and effort. You can do it manually from scratch, of course, but it’s a lot of trouble. That’s why we recommend using the Preset Equipment Registration feature. With it, you can switch instantly."
Checking the menu, Jin found a section labeled Preset Equipment. It already had his sturdy shirt, pants, shoes, and bag registered—everything except the wooden sword.
"Now, please say ‘Change’ aloud."
As soon as Jin spoke the word, the sword in his hand vanished. He panicked for an instant, but quickly checked the inventory and confirmed the wooden sword had returned there.
"That was the system swapping to your preset gear. Since the wooden sword wasn’t registered, it was sent back to your inventory. Now, either imagine registering it to Preset A, or drag and drop it in manually."
Trying the drag-and-drop method, Jin successfully registered the weapon. When he said "Change" again, the sword appeared at his waist, properly equipped.
"Preset weapons will usually default to being carried at your hip, but if you imagine holding it, you can equip it in your hands right away. At the moment, you only have Preset A, but more slots can be added. For example, registering a ‘no gear’ preset will let you instantly change into casual wear—convenient for resting at an inn. There are many possible uses, so make good use of it."
"…That really is convenient," Jin thought.
It was a smart balance between realism and playability. Depending on how it was used, though, it could be frighteningly effective. For example, open with long-range magic in mage gear, then swap to warrior gear for close combat once the enemy approaches.
For pure gameplay efficiency, this "Change" system should be exploited to the fullest. But if one wanted to role-play realistically in the VR world, perhaps it was better to restrict it to things like outfit changes.
For now, Jin decided to hold off judgment and just keep it in mind.
【Tutorial ②: Check Your Equipment … Clear】 Reward: MP Recovery Potion (Small)
"Congratulations. As you may have noticed, as long as your imagination is clear, you can freely change keywords, reposition menus or gates, or even customize in detail. For example, you can sort items into folders by type, or create new windows that gather only your most-used items. It all depends on your imagination, Jin-san."
Some players would want maximum efficiency and convenience, while others would prefer to chase immersion and realism. Since this was a single-player game, the choice was left entirely to the player.
For Jin, whose top priority was enjoying this virtual world, the flexibility of this system was nothing short of a blessing.
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