Chapter 2

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"Though I do feel like I was talked into this somehow..."

In the previously barren room, a PC that seemed out of place due to its large size was now set up, along with a reclining chair-type VR machine.

It was a high-end PC and the most powerful VR machine I could afford within my budget.

While it cost a considerable amount to gather these, I had saved all the money I earned as an assistant instructor and instructor, so there was no problem with the purchase.

Well, hoarding money has no meaning, and it's good to splurge once in a while.

By the way, Asuka had two copies of the software for some reason. It seems she had planned to get me involved from the beginning.

"Well, since I've already spent the money, it would be a loss to back out now. Let's just start, shall we?"

The PC was already powered on, the VR software installed, and the VR machine connected.

I locked the door and completed the preparations.

I sat in the VR machine and activated it with the switch on the armrest.

At the same time, a headgear-type display descended from above and was fitted to my head, and the PC screen appeared.

"Alright... *Magica Technica* start."

"Starting process. Please wait a moment."

The VR-compatible software was launched by voice recognition, and the VR machine began to activate.

Soon, the startup process was complete, and with a sensation similar to fainting, where all my senses faded away, my vision went black.

"---Welcome to *Magica Technica*. Initial setup will begin."

But that only lasted a moment.

My vision quickly returned, and what I saw were ring-shaped lights floating around and a floating mass of light in front of me.

The floating spherical light seemed to be explaining things to me.

Well, I might as well listen to what it has to say.

Asuka explained a lot, but to be honest, I didn't understand much, so it's better to listen as I go along.

"Please register your character name."

"Character name? Ah, Asuka said something about 'no real names, right?'"

I thought I had that much common sense even without being told.

Well, it's fine to choose something casual. As long as it's not a hard-to-pronounce or strange name, there shouldn't be a problem.

So, how about I go with something that sounds like our family name, befitting the head of the household?

"Character name is *Quon*."

"Registering character name *Quon*. Is this correct?"

I typed it into the semi-transparent keyboard floating in mid-air and decided on my name.

I confirmed the message with Enter, and my avatar's name was set to *Quon*.

Then, the floating light suddenly started to move in a circle, and at its center, an avatar enveloped in light appeared.

As I gazed at the silhouette that was gradually taking shape, the announcement sounded again.

"Registering your avatar's appearance. Would you like to use your real body data?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

Rather, it wouldn't make sense otherwise.

If there was a discrepancy with my real body, it would lose its purpose for using it in battle.

In response to my words, the light rotated even faster.

And in the next moment, a figure of myself in a black bodysuit-like outfit appeared in front of me.

It seems the results of the scan I had done beforehand were accurately reflected.

"Hmm, that's precise... It was worth doing the detailed scan."

"After selecting your race, you will set your avatar's detailed settings. Please select your race."

"Race, huh."

In front of me, images and brief descriptions of each race appeared.

There were six types: Human, Beastman, Forestman, Earth Spirit, Demon, and Dwarf.

Additionally, for Beastmen, there seemed to be multiple types of animals.

It seems that no matter which one I choose, I can still fight, but—

"First, I'll rule out any race that adds height, weight, or extra parts. That leaves Human or Demon."

Humans are versatile, but can be seen as jacks-of-all-trades, while Demons have high stats but come with some penalties.

Well, if I'm going to control it as my own body, it's better to choose Human.

That way, I can use my body more naturally.

If I choose Human, the avatar displayed earlier will appear in front of me without any changes.

However, it would be a bit boring if there were no changes at all.

—Just as I thought that, the announcement sounded again.

"Please set your avatar's appearance."

"Appearance... Well, I don't need to change my body, but I might as well change my hair and eyes. Asuka also said something about changing my appearance."

After some thought, I operated the hair and eye settings in the avatar control section.

I let my short hair grow out into a ponytail-like style and changed my eyes to a deep blue.

With just these changes, I'm sure I wouldn't be recognized as myself.

With the appearance set, the next step is—

"Please select your skills. You can choose one weapon skill, one magic skill, and five other skills."

"Skills, huh."

That's the problem.

In this game *Magica Technica*, all players choose a weapon and magic at the beginning.

This is true even if you choose a melee weapon.

The main weapon and magic, and the magic-infused combat techniques that combine them.

With these, players fight in this world.

However, the concept of magic, which doesn't exist in reality, was difficult for me to understand.

"Fire or wind coming out of a sword? That's not swordsmanship..."

Moreover, it seems that the magic-infused combat techniques start moving your body automatically the moment you activate them.

It's hard to make sense of it. I'd rather just swing a sword myself.

"Well, let's choose a sword for the weapon..."

In the weapon skill section, I selected *Sword: Lv.1* from the dropdown menu.

Skills have levels, and they increase as you use them, with their power also increasing.

Well, there shouldn't be a problem with the weapon. What I need to think about is the magic.

"Magic... Well, it would be strange not to use it... How about non-combat magic?"

However, healing and support magic are included in elemental magic, and using such magic doesn't suit my nature.

Magic that can be used in magic-infused combat techniques but has its own uses.

It feels like I'm challenging the game system head-on, but I'll look for such magic.

—There, one magic caught my eye.

"Hmm, *Enhancement Magic*... Magic to enhance weapons and armor."

Unlike *Enchantment Magic*, which adds special effects to crafted items, this magic only enhances the performance of weapons and armor on the spot.

With this, there won't be any unnecessary movements that interfere with my actions during combat.

If the sword just becomes sharper, there shouldn't be a problem.

"Then, magic will be *Enhancement Magic: Lv.1*... and the rest will be other skills."

Then, I frowned in annoyance.

There are just too many skills.

There are over a hundred skills that can be learned at this stage, and even more during the game.

Well, I can worry about the latter as I play, but I have no idea what to choose now.

"Ah, right..."

First, I need to think about how I want to play the game.

Of course, I'll just cut down enemies with a sword. And I'll do it with my own techniques and body.

So, I don't need skills that automatically dodge or step aside. I'll handle it myself.

Therefore, I want skills that temporarily increase attack power or allow me to heal myself.

The former isn't urgent since I have *Enhancement Magic*, but the latter is definitely needed.

"Five skill slots... one for attack, two for healing? I don't want to have too many cards in my hand at the beginning."

However, there are almost no initial healing options.

Basically, the only one available is *Holy Attribute Magic* for healing, which I can't choose since I selected *Enhancement Magic*.

After looking through the skill list, I chose *HP Auto Recovery* and *MP Auto Recovery*.

■ *HP Auto Recovery*: Healing Passive Skill

Recovers HP gradually when it is below the maximum.

Recovery occurs every ten seconds, and the amount depends on the skill level.

■ *MP Auto Recovery*: Healing Passive Skill

Recovers MP gradually when it is below the maximum.

Recovery occurs every ten seconds, and the amount depends on the skill level.

Activating skills one by one seems difficult at first.

Skills that activate automatically without any action are quite convenient.

"For attack, I'll choose something similar... I remember she said not to choose stat-boosting skills, right?"

Apparently, the increase in stats is not significant, and it would take up skill slots, making it difficult to choose them early on.

Since the game has only been out for a little over a week, I don't think the early stages have progressed much... but I'll follow her advice.

However, there are not many always-active skills.

"Hmm... Is this it?"

I found a skill called *Dead Point Strike*.

■ *Dead Point Strike*: Support Passive Skill

Increases damage to enemy weak points.

The increase in damage depends on the skill level.

In simple terms, it's a skill that increases damage to enemy weak points.

In this game, all enemies have biological weak points.

In other words, if you pierce their head or heart, they will die.

Well, there are some exceptions like undead and non-living beings, but cutting off the head is a clear way to kill them.

Even if you can't cut it off, hitting these biological weak points causes significant damage—this skill further increases that damage.

"Well, I just need to aim for the weak points and cut. I can dodge or deflect attacks as needed."

There were also skills like *Parry* and *Block*, but I don't need them since I can handle them myself.

Now, what else should I choose—while thinking about this and scrolling through the skill slots, I noticed a *Random* option at the bottom.

*Random* means it will randomly select a skill from this list, right?

"I didn't hear about this... Ah, will it answer if I ask?"

"Yes, I'm always ready to answer questions."

"Whoa!? You're not just a generic system message, are you?"

"I am a simple AI to assist with character creation. Do you have a question about skills?"

It seems I can ask questions here.

While I wish I had asked a few things earlier, I decided to ask about the *Random* option I just discovered.

"What's this *Random* option at the bottom of the list?"

"A random skill will be selected from the list. Additionally, as a bonus, rare skills not on this list may also be included in the random selection."

"Interesting, so there's a chance to get skills not on this list... Can I learn the skills on this list later?"

"Yes, you can learn skills by spending skill points."

So, it's not a one-time decision.

If that's the case, it's fine to take a bit of a gamble.

With that in mind, I set the remaining two slots to *Random*.

This should fill all five skill slots.

"Is this selection correct?"

"Yeah, this is fine."

"Please confirm one last time."

With that voice, a window displaying my status appeared in front of me.

It showed all the information I had set, without any errors.

■ Avatar Name: Quon

■ Gender: Male

■ Race: Human

■ Status

STR: 10

VIT: 10

INT: 10

MND: 10

AGI: 10

DEX: 10

■ Skills

Weapon Skill: *Sword: Lv.1*

Magic Skill: *Enhancement Magic: Lv.1*

Set Skills: *Dead Point Strike: Lv.1*

*HP Auto Recovery: Lv.1*

*MP Auto Recovery: Lv.1*

*Random*

*Random*

Sub Skills: None

It seems that sub skills are skills that are not equipped.

Initially, only five skills can be equipped, and the number of slots increases through quests and level-ups.

Skills that overflow from the skill slots will be moved to the sub skill slots.

Well, since I only have five now, it doesn't matter.

"I've confirmed, the status is fine."

"Understood. Would you like to start logging into *Magica Technica* now?"

"Yeah, please."

"Confirmation received. May your journey be blessed—have a good trip."

In the calm, almost motherly tone, I couldn't help but smile.

Then, the surroundings turned white, and I closed my eyes due to the brightness.