Vorpal Bunny and Fortress Uncle – Ch. 01 Ep. 01

Episode 01 – Welcome to FrontierPlanet

“Welcome to the world of FrontierPlanet.

“You are currently on the Reclamation Command Ship Amaterasu, anchored in geostationary orbit of the frontier planet Izanami.

“After undergoing a brief orientation, you will be moved to the Vanguard Base Susanoo located on the surface.

“Now, please start by entering your personal information.“

The command bridge was of pure white. From floor to ceiling, everything I could lay my eyes on was made of a pure white metal. On the walls, various types of imposing unmanned consoles flashed rapidly. And outside the windows was the vastness of space that would make any man question his own existence. The massive ocean-filled star right below us reminded me of Earth.

I had woken up in one of the many sleep capsules that were lined up on the bridge.

This was the world of the newly released VRMMORPG FrontierPlanet.

“Right. First, my name.”

I obeyed the robotic voice and reached for the translucent display that appeared in front of me.

“Let’s see… I’ll go with Ledge”

A nickname inspired by my real name. Simple, but it sort of fit the current mood.
From what I have heard, an unique ID is given to each player so that it does not really matter if several players have the same nickname.

After confirming my input, the display transitioned to the next screen.

“Next comes the type of airframe.”

I guess we could say that it’s what other games call “Race”. In FrontierPlanet, the player embodies an autonomous-type mechanical doll charged with the Reclamation of the frontier planet Izanami. There are four types of airframe:

Type Humanoid: a figurine-like model and the most average one in terms of performance.

Type Lycanthrope: a soft-eared one with sharp senses.

Type Fairy: a petite airframe that gets a bonus to special skills called “Arts”.

Type Golem: a large-build airframe with incredible strength.

“Each one has their own strength and weakness… Makes you want to go with the safest choice…”

And so, I ended up choosing the Humanoid type airframe. Yes, you can call me average. The Jack of all trades. Master of none.

“Now, onto the next… Ah, the starting equipment and items.”

From what I gathered from the next screen, it seemed like you were handed out a bunch of items at the start of the game. The main selling point of the VRMMORPG FrontierPlanet was the overwhelming freedom you could have.

However, with great freedom comes great confusion and, to prevent the player from total disorientation, it looked like one would be granted a certain number of items acting as guides. 

“The Warrior’s Pack, the Mage’s Pack, the Crafter’s Pack… Hm… None of them really clicks…”

I looked at the content of some of the packs and tilted my head. No pack seemed to match the playstyle I was aiming for.

“Man, I wanna go on a trip. Explore the world…”

Travel. That’s right, I want to travel.

Another main selling point of FrontierPlanet: the gorgeous graphics. I just wanted to experience the majestic landscapes that transcend reality. To be frank, I did not really care about this whole “Reclamation” business.

“Hmm, what should I do…”

“Oh, what’s this?” As I scrolled through the packs and mumbled in frustration, the last one caught my attention.

“The Survivalist’s Pack. Let’s see… Apart from the shared items, there’s a backpack, a lantern and a portable stove.” 

Well, a nice selection overall. Evidently, that set was made for players like me.

High on the prospect of wandering the various lands with my soon-to-be acquired Survivalist’s Pack, I utterly ignored the description written in the corner and confirmed my choice.

“Personal information confirmed. Welcome, Ledge. Thank you for joining the Izanami Reclamation Unit.

“The preparation of the descent pod will be complete in three minutes. Please board the pod and fasten your securing belt.“

Prompted by the robotic voice, I entered the huge pod enshrined in the middle of the command bridge. The interior of the pod was designed simply with only a seat, a lever and a belt.

“Please wait until the preparations for the descent are over.“

In this case, the preparation referred to the waiting time left until the servers’ grand opening. 

FrontierPlanet is a new title that was just released today. In just a few minutes, the players would be diving headfirst onto Izanami.

“Man, I’m getting nervous.”

I know, I was too old to be this excited about a game and yet, gazing upon this new land, I could not help but to think about the beautiful scenery waiting to be discovered.

“We can take screenshots, right? I kinda want to open a blog and upload them there.”

The countdown went on.

The minutes changed to seconds, and the different instruments inside the pods began to shake their needles.

“10 seconds until launch…

“5 seconds…

“We will be praying for your success, Ledge.“

On cue with the robotic voice, the pod dropped from the command bridge into outer space.

“Yikes?!”

Now free from the narrow command bridge, my field of vision suddenly unwrapped. Propelled in the dense blackness of space by a small jet engine,

I could spot many of the other pods falling toward the blue star below,　their numerous white tails resembling a meteor shower.

“So this is what the Command Ship Amaterasu looks like…”

Looking up, I spotted the gigantic ship in charge of the Reclamation operation. From now on, the ship would act as a sort of control tower for the whole Reclamation Unit. 

As I lowered my head a bit, the pod glided dangerously close to a cube-shaped object. “And this has to be Tsukuyomi. The satellite unit overseeing communications.”

There, right below Amaterasu and flying about were countless man-made satellites. Not only were they in charge of the communications between the ground and Amaterasu, but they were also tasked with the survey of the surface.

“Adiabatic compression detected.

“Atmospheric entry sequence initiated.“

The whole pod started to wiggle, and I could see the other players’ pods turning red-hot from the atmospheric entry.

Once we pierced the atmosphere, we were greeted by the never-ending sky of Izanami.

The descent to the planet was smooth so far.

“We should be seeing it soon.”

The surface was approaching rapidly, and as the scenery slowly unfolded below, I held my breath.

On this far-reaching continent, a vast expanse of highland grasslands spread from the coast, enveloping the Vanguard Base Susanoo. Surrounded by a steel barrier, the extensive town was responsible for the replenishment and the maintenance of the Reclamation Unit.

Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. These three entities are supposedly called the Three Pillars of Heaven.

“Hmm…?” Even excited as I was, I could not help but feel a slight discomfort.

“Isn’t the town getting farther away?”

The pods were supposed to get us to Susanoo. Peering at the other pods, they were indeed heading straight for the town. For some reason, only mine seemed to be going slightly off course.

“What the… Why?! What’s happening?!”

Looking closely, some of the other pods were starting to drift away too, breaking the previous parallel lines.

What’s the meaning of this? If you don’t get us to the Town of the Beginning, then how do you expect us to begin things…  

Confused as I was, the sudden ringing of the console’s alarm pulled me back from my thoughts. At the same time, a bright red light went on, and I knew things were going to happen quickly in the next few moments.

“No but seriously, what’s happening?!”

There was nothing I could do except flail my arms and my head in total confusion. Ignoring my struggle, the pod was getting closer and closer to the ground.

The view that expanded right below me was not of the safe and peaceful town called Susanoo, but of a thick and luxuriant forest.

“W-wait. Oh god, wait!”

“Emergency escape system, activated.“

Then came a BOOM.

I was strapped to the seat and violently thrown into the air from the now broken pod.

“Woaaaah!”

Bewilderment and confusion filled my world. No matter how hard I flailed around, gravity was already working full force and easily pulled me right into the heart of the gloomy forest.

Tips

◇Command Ship Amaterasu

A super dreadnought-class spaceship reinforced with a special high-durability synthetic metal capable of cruising deep space. Amaterasu was sent by Izanagi, a group of highly civilized planets, as one of the Three Pillars of Heaven that would lead the Izanami Investigation and Reclamation Unit. 

Takamagahara, its main computing system, is mounted in the center of Amaterasu. The ship has the capacity to store and transport ten of thousands of autonomous-type mechanical dolls as well as Tsukuyomi, the satellite unit overseeing communications, and the seed of Susanoo, the Vanguard Base.

Currently anchored on a satellite in geostationary orbit of Izanami, Amaterasu is responsible for developing a Reclamation policy and issuing missions to the pioneering Unit.

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