MMORPG: Surviving a Death Game with a Glitched System

’I doubt I’m the only player, right?’

Despite the absence of light in the world Ash found himself in, he could see just fine.

Yet, seeing his surroundings didn’t exactly help him decipher anything. He was standing on what appeared to be a massive black cloud with flowing blue streams gently whirling about the space. A space seemingly untouched by gravity.

As Ash’s eyes drifted, he noted a myriad of motionless creatures suspended around. Some were beasts the likes of which he’d never seen before, while others seemed to be typical fantasy races even he recognized.

There were elves, dark elves, humans, giant humans, small humans, and other various humanoid creatures. Each new group he saw possessed traits more and more distant from what he considered human. By the time he’d scoured all the suspended beings, he counted sixteen different varieties.

’And there are five of each.’

While Ash couldn’t work out any line of reasoning for the predicament he was in, he could easily figure out it was no coincidence.

Ash’s eyes drifted to the four closest to him. The only group without five.

’I’m your fifth then, am I?’

The four closest to him were all mostly humanoid. Save for the two large horns protruding from each of their heads, their tails, clawed feet and hands, and sparse colored scales covered their vital regions poking out from under their tunics.

Tilting his head down, Ash began inspecting his own body; his scaly body, which was just like those four. He even wore the same brown tunic and sandals. Plus, he did feel the existence of an appendage sticking out from his back.

"The letter did say I would become Champion of the Dragonkin..."

Considering that, his current form made sense. Well, as much sense as he could currently make.

’But...’

"Are they all players as well?"

’If so, why am I the only one awake?’

Just as Ash thought that, he heard the mystical voice speak again, its words followed by a transient screen.

[System integration failed]

’Huh?’

Ash didn’t exactly know what that meant, but something failing didn’t exactly sound good. Not to mention...

"Failed? Something... failed?"

His expression contorted slightly upon hearing that damnable word. That damnable word he never wanted to hear cast upon him again in his life.

But as annoyed as he was upon hearing it, the situation was too strange for him to waste energy on anger and annoyance. That point was soon aided by the voice speaking again.

[Retrying system integration...]

[System integration initializing]

[...]

[System integration failed]

"Hmph."

[Retrying system integration...]

[System integration initializing]

Clicking his tongue, Ash began to listen to the symphony of failure while trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do next.

As he pondered that, another Dragonkin, a woman with purple hair, stirred. She weakly blinked her eyes open. Then, a moment later, she vanished. A chain reaction quickly followed. One after another, all of the creatures began to wake up before immediately disappearing.

The pattern continuing until Ash was left all alone.

"The hell is going on...?"

Then, the system spoke in his mind again.

[System integration failed]

’Ah... is that it?’

"I don’t think I’m supposed to be here at all."

Rite of Ruin was a game...

A strange game that seemed to have kidnapped Ash. Not simply trapping his consciousness, but truly transmigrating him from Earth.

Following that idea, he was likely in the process of being transmigrated into the game...

"Am I stuck in a loading screen of sorts?"

Is that what was happening? Like his hardware was struggling to download the data?

[Retrying system integration...]

[System integration initializing]

[...]

’I wonder if it’s a game-like world, or a worldlike game...’

[System integration failed]

’Seriously?’

[Retrying system integration...]

[...]

"So... I’m being forced to play a game... and then I get stuck on the loading screen?"

’Should I even be surprised?’

Again and again, Ash listened to the system’s messages while inspecting for any clues that may have been hidden within this fold of existence; at least, ’Fold of Existence’ was the only way Ash felt he could properly describe this area.

Yet, even as countless minutes passed, nothing new served as his saving grace.

Sighing, Ash stopped aimlessly walking around and sat on the misty black ground as he waited for something to change — having to find an awkward balance due to the scaly tail.

Still, nothing did...

[System integration failed]

He continued to hear the same messages over and over.

"Don’t games have something you can do during this time? Like a tutorial?"

[Would you like to start the tutorial?]

Ash raised his eyebrow, then looked up at the new screen in front of him. Without hesitation, he said:

"Yes."

[Retrying system integration...]

[System integration initializing]

[System integration error detected]

[Error]

[Error]

[Commencing tutorial! Good luck, Ashley Grave!]

Ash sighed again upon hearing the conflicting messages the system began to sing.

’This game... is trash.’

However, something was definitely happening.

Ash’s body felt like it was rising as his perception began to twist and distort. Before he could entirely process it, he’d exited from the Fold of Existence back into reality.

’This reality is most definitely not Earth...’

Ash clutched his head and nearly fell to his knees as he looked around his new location: a small coliseum of sorts. Its only exits were four locked iron-barred gates. Though it wasn’t the archaic architecture or some mystical creature that drew him to that conclusion, but rather that general knowledge of the world and his situation was currently flooding his mind.

It seemed he was right to assume he’d been transmigrated alongside others. And it seemed that in a month’s time, several million more would follow. Moreover, he also learned his purpose as well as how to return home. He also learned that death meant death... no resurrection existed in this game’s world.

"Ah, damn..."

A wild smile stretched across his face.

"I take it back... this game sounds awesome."

[The tutorial will begin in 5 minutes!]

[Select your starting skill!]

Stretching, Ash used the new knowledge he had just gained to prepare to face the first trial of the tutorial.

Firstly, selecting his initial skill and inspecting his status.

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