After the opening announcement, Dan found himself suspended in the endless void, unable to feel his body or determine which direction was up or down.
No matter where he looked, he couldn’t see a beginning or an end.
He simply floated about like a jellyfish.
"...Is this it?"
The developers had said that the transition into Grimm Play would be instantaneous. The neural interface would simply suppress the user’s awareness of their physical body before transferring their consciousness into the game.
But something about this felt different, somehow.
The strange sensation was difficult to explain. He couldn’t see nor feel anything, including his own heartbeat.
Panic briefly crept into his heart.
’Can I log out?’
The thought barely formed before another notification appeared.
[Consciousness transfer: Complete.]
Consciousness transfer?
That wasn’t terminology he’d seen in any of the official demonstrations. Before he could think about it further, another window appeared.
[Your character is currently being generated.]
Upon seeing this, Dan calmed down a bit.
’Oh. So this is just character generation?’
He remembered selecting [Human] before putting on the headset.
Apparently, the game had already registered his preference. Then again, Grimm Play was supposed to have an incredibly sophisticated character creation system.
Perhaps this was simply part of it.
’How long will this take? Wait, isn’t there supposed to be a modification function or something like that?’
According to the Game Developers, players weren’t required to use their real appearances. The Grimm Interface was capable of constructing an entirely new avatar based on the player’s preferences. Height. Weight. Hair. Eyes. Even minor details such as scars and freckles could supposedly be adjusted.
There were limits, of course.
The developers had made it clear that the system wouldn’t allow players to create something completely ridiculous. For example, no ten-foot-tall muscular giants, microscopic characters, or heads shaped like watermelons!
At least, not without discovering some extremely obscure method of bypassing the restrictions.
Dan had already spent several hours deciding what his character would look like.
Just a few differences here and there. Not that he was dissatisfied with his current appearance. In fact, he could be considered moderately handsome. But wouldn’t it be boring if he simply used his real appearance?
What was the point of entering a fantasy world if he couldn’t make a few adjustments?!
’Blue eyes would be cool, though.’
’Nah. Too cliché.’
Black hair? Obviously. Brown? Too ordinary. Silver? Absolutely not.
In the end, he had settled on dark hair, slightly sharper facial features, and a leaner physique.
’I’m looking forward to seeing the result.’
Unfortunately, there was one small problem.
He hadn’t actually been given the opportunity to create it!
Frowning, Dan stared blankly into the endless void.
’...Where the hell is the customization screen? No, what is this situation? This is getting ridiculous.’
The game was supposed to launch with a seamless character creation process. Normally, players would first be presented with a complete three-dimensional model of their avatar before being given access to hundreds of customization options.
Instead, Dan had been floating in a void for several minutes. He couldn’t even see his own body. It was as though he didn’t have a body at all!
’Wait. Do I actually have a body right now?’
At that thought, Dan’s expression gradually became serious.
He tried moving his arm again. Though he couldn’t feel it, nor see it. Yet somehow, he knew he was moving.
It was weird, odd and disorienting.
’...Creepy. It has to be some kind of loading process. Yeah, that has to be it. Likely millions of people logged in at once, and as a result, the server systems are being overwhelmed. So there’s no reason to panic. The game developers are already trying to solve the issue.’
There was no other explanation.
After all, Grimm Play was the most anticipated game in the year. Countless number of players had likely been waiting with their fingers hovering over the activation button, all ready to enter the moment the clock struck midnight.
It would be strange if the servers weren’t experiencing some problems.
Dan felt slightly more reassured.
Still, there was something bothering him: there was absolutely nothing here. There was nothing to do except stare at the empty space.
Just an endless, empty void.
Dan tried looking around again. Left. Right. Above. Below. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t even tell which direction he was facing.
’How long am I supposed to—’
Fortunately, it seemed he didn’t have to wait for long.
[’Character’ Generation: 100%]
[’Character’ successfully generated.]
"Oh? Finally! About time!"
He almost laughed from relief.
The window flickered before another line appeared.
[Prepare for Descent]
"...W-wha..."
Dan couldn’t even finish his utterance before he felt an overwhelming pull, and a second later, he started "falling."
There was no sensation of wind rushing past him, yet he could feel himself falling. His body had somehow lost all sense of orientation, leaving his instincts screaming that he was dropping at an impossible speed. It was as though an invisible hand of a giant had grabbed him and yanked downward.
If he were to describe this strange sensation, the closest comparison he could make was falling from a great height while simultaneously being dragged through some kind of weightless abyss.
He instinctively flailed his arms, desperately trying to grab onto something but there was nothing.
And he absolutely hated it!
He had never been one who liked roller coasters to begin with.
Even as a child, the sudden drops, violent turns, and sensation of his stomach being left behind had been enough to make him uncomfortable. He had always preferred having his feet firmly planted on solid ground.
And this was significantly worse than any roller coaster he’d ever been on!
At least roller coasters had safety harnesses or something like that!
"...Huh?"
Surprisingly, it didn’t last for long.
He blinked a couple of times and realized he wasn’t falling anymore. Or rather, the sensation of falling had disappeared.
Dan glanced around, still dumbstruck by the sudden development.
It seemed like he was in some kind of forest.
Tall trees surrounded him from every direction, intertwining overhead and blocking out most of the sky. Thick bushes and strange-looking plants covered the forest floor, while patches of sunlight occasionally slipped through the dense canopy above.
A gentle breeze passed through the air. Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped. It was a beautiful scene that melted away every lingering hint of doubt.
He had really entered the "Otherworldly Experience."
’...Wow. Is this the immersive feature the game developers teased about? It’s... Ah. I don’t even know what to say. The graphics alone are incredible!’
Dan slowly turned his head, taking in his surroundings.
Every detail was astonishing and none of it looked artificial. In fact, there wasn’t a single jagged edge or awkward animation. Everything moved naturally, as it should, as though the forest had existed long before he arrived.
Crouching down, Dan pressed his palm against the ground and felt the slightly damp soil. He could feel tiny grains of dirt sticking to his skin.
He picked up a small leaf.
It was soft wit its veins clearly visible. When he rubbed it between his fingers, he could even feel its delicate texture.
Dan stared at it for several seconds before slowly letting it fall.
A genuine smile spread across his face.
These mind-blowing discoveries were so immense that Dan completely forgot about the strange circumstances surrounding his arrival.
Dan couldn’t imagine what the rest of the world would look like!
’No wonder everyone was so obsessed with this game. I can already tell this is going to be excellent. Before that, let’s check out my information.’