Chapter 1

Congratulations! Book Release! The third volume of the latest series is scheduled to be released on August 30, 2016!

I was running out of breath in a desolate rural area. I chose a narrow path, shook off my pursuers, and slipped into a shack, holding my breath. My remaining magic power was less than 10%. My protection was also running low. I was in a real bind.

"Damn, you monsters!"

I had fought the strongest enemy and was both physically and mentally exhausted. I had gathered people, lured them to a favorable location, set traps, and ended up in a draw. I felt like crying.

I had inflicted fatal wounds on the enemy... but I had lost my most important friend in this state. My vision blurred with tears.

No, I absolutely refuse to accept such an ending. There's no point in winning without Kuna. She had just started to smile, and now this! What kind of strongest magician am I in this state!

"I'll start over. Even if it takes me decades to get here again."

This world is a game. You can't save, but you can start a new game.

It's been 28 days since I entered the game from reality. I need to return to reality in a few hours. When I return to reality, I'll start over from the beginning, aiming for the best ending this time.

The game I'm playing is a single-player VR-RPG called Ilrande.

It's a typical medieval fantasy action RPG with monsters.

However, it has several overwhelming differences compared to other games.

"Magic Creation"

As I leaned against the wall and muttered, a virtual window appeared in my head. Countless lines of text were running through the window.

This is the game's biggest feature: programming magic using an original language.

To break the current situation with the little magic power I have left, I need a high-power magic with low consumption. I don't have an optimal magic in my inventory, so I'll create one on the spot.

"A good method has come up. Hmm, it's an improved version of a method I created three months ago."

Magic development is carried out with the cooperation of tens of thousands of people. Although it's a single-player game, the exchange of information and sharing of developed magic is active. You can chat, and if you upload the magic you've developed to the database, anyone can share it.

"Yeah, it's much easier to use. The guy who tweaked this has a good sense. The developer is... Haru. I didn't realize there was such an approach."

I muttered while reading the magic formula of the method.

A method is like a component.

For example, there are magic spells to create fire arrows and fire swords.

Breaking down their processes, they look like this:

Fire arrows: 1. Create flames 2. Form the shape of an arrow 3. Release from the hand

Fire sword: 1. Create flames 2. Form the shape of a sword 3. Fix the shape of the sword

Fire arrows and fire swords. Rather than creating both from scratch, if you extract and complete the process of creating flames, which is common to both, you can develop from step 2 for both spells, and it will be convenient when creating new spells in the future.

Most of the frequently used ones are developed as methods by each player and registered in the game's database. There's data showing that a certain aiming method is used in 90% of automatic aiming spells.

"Yeah, this can be used as is. All that's left is to combine it with my favorite one."

The magic in the database is published in an open-source (disclosed magic formula) state, so if there's a good one, other players will quickly improve it. This cycle refines the magic.

In extreme terms, you don't have to write magic formulas from scratch; you can create as many original spells as you want by combining methods.

But that's not very artistic.

"All that's left is coding."

I started tweaking the makeshift original spell created by combining methods.

What is required of a method is versatility. Therefore, there is inevitably some waste. By cutting this waste and specializing it for a new spell, the performance level is raised.

As planned, a spell that produces overwhelming destruction with minimal magic consumption was completed.

"So you were hiding here!! You traitor! For just one woman, you would destroy this world!!"

A crowd of enemies in silver mail kicked down the shack. There must be about twenty of them. They are a knight squad sent to hunt me down in my weakened state. There are many of them, but none are top-notch. At best, they are a collection of rank 3s.

I smiled and held my hand out in front of me.

"To me, the world is Kuna. [Spatial Destruction]"

I used the spell I had just completed. The magic formula ran through my head, and the calculation began, accessing the world's laws.

A rule higher than physical phenomena was temporarily recognized by the world, and the magic was activated.

The space itself was forcibly distorted and released. The backlash from the space's repair generated an immense amount of energy, and the aftereffects blew everything around away.

The scene in front of me turned white.

"Yeah, this can be used. The problem is that it can't be controlled at all in principle. Still, the destructive power relative to the magic consumption is remarkable. It will definitely become popular."

The enemies were completely erased, not even a speck of dust remaining. The ground was deeply gouged, and buildings two houses away had disappeared.

An alarm sounded in my head.

Time's up... a warning of forced logout.

I gently closed my eyes and opened the menu screen.

There were only three items.

a. Logout b. Database Access c. Communication

There were no status, equipment window, or party screen.

This action RPG doesn't have much that looks like a game.

Levels do exist.

However, you can't save. If you're cut, blood comes out and you feel pain. Aging erodes the body. If you die, it's over.

You can eat and have sex.

In other words, it's a reality where magic works. That's the kind of world it is.

I pressed a. Logout and left this world.

◇

I woke up.

I got up from the VR machine, which looked like a coffin.

A VR machine is a device that directly connects the five senses to a PC, giving the user the feeling of being inside the PC.

Now, almost every household has one. I looked at the clock.

"11:59 PM. As usual, just in time. If there were no restrictions, I would have stayed longer."

VR-RPG Ilrande is the only game in the world that has achieved a time acceleration function.

For every hour, you can spend a week in the game.

However, the game itself has a protection, allowing you to play only from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM, a four-hour window.

"I need to get back there and start over. This time, I have to make Kuna happy and see her smile."

I've been playing Ilrande every day for six years, which translates to 168 years spent in that world. I've experienced death several times and started over from the beginning.

"If only I had the same body in this world as I do there."

Life in Ilrande is easier to succeed in than reality. Unlike in reality, I was born as a homunculus with genius-level talent, and the two things that promise success in life are the player-made magic, which is modestly speaking, centuries ahead of the Ilrande world standard.

Thanks to this, there are endless players who seriously want to spend their entire lives playing in the world of Ilrande.

As I was thinking about this, a system sound came from the VR machine.

A virtual screen was projected in the air. What was displayed there was...

"Notice of Ilrande Service Termination?"

I turned pale and clenched my fists.

I want to continue playing Ilrande. I need to start over and save Kuna!

"No, I can't lose Ilrande! This can't be the end. I won't accept it!!"

Don't take my world and Kuna away. I shouted desperately.

Did my prayers reach someone? A system sound came from the VR machine, and another screen floated up.

"If you accept two conditions, I will invite you to Ilrande in a new game state. The conditions are..."

I read each word slowly and aloud.

"1. There will be no time limit, but once you return to reality, you will never be able to return to Ilrande. 2. There is no new game. If you die, you will be forcibly logged out."

I curled the corners of my lips.

That's fine. I'll grab happiness there with Kuna.

"Make your choice. 1. Go to Ilrande 2. Stay in this world. However, be careful. From here on, it's reality. It's not a game."

I chose 1. Go to Ilrande without hesitation.

"Understood. It's not a game. I'll be waiting for you in the real Ilrande, my hero."

And my consciousness began to fade.