Chapter 1

Thanks to everyone, the first volume of the Famitsu Bunko book series is now on sale.

It includes new content, so I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Was it a dream or an illusion? When I realized it, I was in the "Ruins of the Beginning."

There was no warning. The scene that came into my view was something I would rarely see in Japan.

The surroundings were a vast grassland with tall grass. In the indigo sky, seven moons of different colors shone, and the air that caressed my cheeks was clearly different from what I was used to.

However, I was not confused by being suddenly thrown into this place. That was because the scene before my eyes was familiar.

Not in reality, but in the movie of a smartphone app game.

Before I could even think about why, a shock shook my brain. The scene before me was that vivid.

Seven pillars, intricately carved, arranged in a circle.

In the center, surrounded by the pillars, was a magic circle that exuded a needlessly heavy atmosphere and was needlessly complex.

One of the maps in the smartphone RPG, "Abyss Calling."

The "Ruins of the Beginning," where players—summoners—visit after completing the tutorial.

A scene that users of the game should be sick of seeing, yet I was shedding tears like a torrent.

Was it a dream or an illusion? Had I gone mad?

I couldn't understand the situation at all. The only thing I knew was that this scene was something I had been seeking tirelessly.

I looked down at my attire.

It was the last outfit I remembered: a black jacket and jeans. Fortunately, I was dressed to go outside, so there shouldn't be any hindrance to my movements. Since I had been indoors, I was wearing slippers instead of shoes, but it was better than being naked, which was a possibility.

But now, even that didn't matter.

I pulled my jacket collar up against the cold wind. Tears streamed down my cheeks. The overwhelming sense of reality. All five senses—sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste—were telling me that this was real.

I understood it surprisingly smoothly. It was impossible. Entering a game, no matter how much of a hardcore player I was for "Abyss Calling," it was absolutely impossible...

"Abyss Calling... How ridiculous..."

I tried to deny it with words, but it was meaningless.

With seven moons floating in the sky, this was clearly not Japan, and the dice had already been cast. Gradually, my mind began to calm down as time passed.

I wiped away my tears and searched my pockets. A few small, hard pebbles touched my fingertips. Just as I was about to grab them, I suddenly heard a voice.

"Huh...? W-Where am I...?"

There was no one there a moment ago. I quickly looked in the direction of the voice.

A girl was standing there. She had black hair and black eyes, and was wearing a black blazer and skirt, looking like a student. She was probably in the same situation as me, looking around anxiously.

Indeed, she wasn't there a moment ago, but since I had also been suddenly brought here, it wasn't strange. In fact, it was already strange to be in such a place, so there was no point in thinking about it.

I gripped the pebbles and decided to call out to the girl.

"Abyss Calling" is a multiplayer online RPG for smartphones. Of course, players are not alone.

While it can be played solo, players can also become friends and cooperate to progress the game, or even compete against each other.

However, competition requires mutual consent, and the game is designed to promote friendly and enjoyable gameplay, so players are generally considered allies.

Cooperation can make the game easier to progress and allow for the exchange of information. Also, since there were no signs of a familiar, she was likely a new player like me.

I confirmed that there was no one else around and called out to the girl. She seemed to not have noticed me, and jumped in surprise.

"W-What...?"

She was clearly startled, her eyes wide open, and she let out meaningless words.

Upon closer inspection, she was quite beautiful. She was probably a few years younger than me, and if we had been in the same class during school, she would have undoubtedly been an idol.

I found it troublesome, so I waited for her to calm down without saying anything, arms crossed.

When her voice stopped, I introduced myself. There were probably more important things to talk about, but I wanted to summon a familiar as soon as possible.

"Nice to meet you. My name is... Blogger. What's your name?"

I hesitated for a moment about using my real name, but decided to use my in-game handle. Given the current situation, it was already outside the realm of common sense, but it's still a good idea not to give out your real name to strangers on the internet.

The girl froze for a moment at my words, then frantically looked around. After confirming that there was no one else, she opened her lips.

"Um... Where are we...?"

This scene is clearly the "Ruins of the Beginning"! The tutorial movie is known for its high quality and cannot be skipped, so most players should remember it. The seven moons and seven pillars are simple but not easily forgotten.

But that didn't matter now. I ignored her question and asked again.

"What's your name?"

"I was at home just a moment ago..."

"What's your name?"

"...Ao... Aoba, my name is Nanashino Aoba."

She answered, trembling.

Nanashino Aoba.

It sounded like a real name. But that couldn't be. Even elementary school students know not to give out their real names on the internet. Well, this isn't the internet, but as long as I have a name to call her, it's fine.

I tried to smile calmly to avoid making her too wary and asked the skittish Nanashino Aoba.

"Okay, Nanashino. I know this might be rude, but it's important... Do you have any cash?"

"Um?"

Incidentally, I didn't have any. My pockets only contained five small pebbles.

Nanashino was about to say she had been at home when she suddenly found herself here, but I was in the same situation. And normally, you wouldn't carry a wallet if you were at home. My last memory in Japan was coming back from a convenience store and throwing my wallet and smartphone on the table.

Nanashino hesitantly stuck her hand into her skirt pocket and slowly pulled it out.

She slowly opened her palm. There were five small gems.

A golden, glowing stone. Nanashino whispered, looking apologetic.

"That's all... I have."

"I see. I have the same thing."

I took out the stone I had grabbed from my pocket. The transparent, golden stone glowed mystically under the moonlight.

A familiar sight to any "Abyss Calling" player.

—Magic Stones.

The game "Abyss Calling" cannot start without these. The magic stones given to players at the beginning of the game are special, but they have the same shape as regular magic stones.

I was disappointed.

Nanashino's gaze at the magic stones was clearly not that of someone who knew about them. I had already suspected as much since she didn't know where we were, but it seemed she was not a player of "Abyss Calling."

Then, she must be an NPC. No, from what she said, she was in the same situation as me.

I took a deep breath and carefully chose my words.

"Nanashino, do you know the game 'Abyss Calling'?"

"...Yes... I know the name. But I've never played it..."

Nanashino answered in a small voice, looking puzzled.

As expected. Nanashino was not a player.

She was probably in her late teens. "Abyss Calling" swept through Japan three years ago.

At the time, it was said that half the population was playing "Abyss Calling," a game with an astonishingly high user base.

Given her age, it would have been strange if she hadn't played it—no, it would have been strange if she had. "Abyss Calling" was so popular that news reported that even the smartphones themselves were sold out due to the demand for playing the game.

Noticing my gaze, Nanashino explained.

"Um... I wasn't allowed to have a smartphone..."

"Ah, I see. That must have been tough."

But at that moment, I had already lost interest in Nanashino.

While not yet certain, the lack of game knowledge suggested that she would not be very useful in this world.

I ended the conversation and turned back to the seven pillars in the "Ruins of the Beginning."

The seven pillars correspond to the various races that can be summoned from the netherworld. However, you cannot choose what you summon.

As I was about to head towards the center of the pillars, jingling the magic stones in my palm, Nanashino called out in a panic.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

"What? We're done talking."

Nanashino looked shocked.

A teenage girl alone in an unfamiliar place. I understood her fear, but I couldn't help her. She needed to be independent.

Realizing I had lost interest in her, Nanashino hesitated for a moment, then looked down at the stones and said,

"Um... What... is 'Abyss Calling'?"

This was a difficult question.

I stopped and thought for a moment. I was a player of "Abyss Calling." At the time, the player density in Japan was so high that you could hit a player with a stone. But if asked what "Abyss Calling" was, the answer would be clear.

I held the special magic stone I received after completing the tutorial—a "Guaranteed Rare Familiar Summoning Stone"—and answered in one word.

"A pay-to-win game."

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a game called "Abyss Calling."

It was a smartphone app game that swept through Japan. It could also be played on a PC, but most people played it on buses and trains.

In a nutshell, it was a pay-to-win game. It had various features like a story, gameplay, cute illustrations, and voice actors, but if you asked someone who had played it to describe the game in one word, they would definitely say "pay-to-win."

"Abyss Calling" was an RPG.

A game where you defeat monsters and progress through dungeons.

Players became summoners and used summoning magic to call forth various "familiars" from the netherworld—angels, demons, dragons, and more—and use and raise them to progress the story.

Familiar summoning could only be done once when you registered as a user.

The summoning target was random, so it was purely a matter of luck. Most people ended up with a familiar that was neither useful nor harmful.

There were three paths for those with a weak familiar from the start.

Continue the game with the weak familiar, delete the game and re-register as a user to redo the tedious tutorial and try summoning again, known as "reset and reroll," or

Collect more magic stones and use them to summon again.

Summoning required a certain number of magic stones.

There were various ways to obtain magic stones, but the quickest was with real money. Magic stones could be bought with real-world currency.

One magic stone cost 100 yen. Five magic stones for 500 yen for one summon. The results were up to chance, known only to the gods and the developers. Whether you thought it was expensive or cheap was a matter of personal opinion.

It was what is commonly known as a "gacha."

So far, this was a typical story for a social game, but "Abyss Calling" surpassed other similar games in several ways.

Whispers of probability manipulation by the developers!

A rare and unique greed sensor, and a game balance that required payment!

The audacity to openly call themselves the netherworld!

Unnecessary and excessive updates to keep players paying!

The ultimate money-making system that plunged millions of users into despair, sparked a social phenomenon, and even led to new laws, ultimately being shut down by the government.

That was "Abyss Calling." A game that was undeniably a piece of crap.

And I, a hardcore pay-to-win user of such a game, found myself in a world eerily similar to "Abyss Calling." It must have been fate.