For some reason, Zen felt as if he’d slept for a very long time. While he was somewhat stiff, he felt more rested than he ever remembered. The mattress beneath him was also soft and smooth. Did his bed sheets ever feel this smooth? Wasn’t it itchy and scratchy after so many washes that it looked more like a rag?
Bolting upright, Zen snapped back to reality. That’s right! After that speech, they were transported into the VR game where only a hundred would live.
“If I made it, that means four hundred have died…”
The number of deaths seemed weightless to Zen. After all, he didn’t see their bodies. People were born to die, and they die every day. These four hundred were just unlucky, and Zen didn’t spend too much time thinking about it. Now that he was within the top hundred who made it, he shouldn’t throw this chance away. There was much to be done.
First, he needed information.
The room was roughly the same size as Zen’s old shithole of an apartment that he died in. However, it had way better facilities even if they were only considered basic to pampered rich young masters and mistresses. Zen looked around and found that it was sparsely furnished. The room had a bed, a built-in wardrobe and a small bathroom with a shower stall. There were two sets of pyjamas in the wardrobe, two bathrobes, two towels, several gym towels, and four training uniforms. He had a pair of indoor slippers and a pair of sports shoes for the gym by the door. That was everything.
“I suppose there isn’t much to be expected from a rank 100 privilege. Not even a table or a chair in the room, I guess this is really bare basics. What would rank 1 have? I’m curious now.”
The wardrobe door flickered and lit up, scaring Zen. It took him a while to realise this was a smart glass that acted as a news panel. How handy! As expected, the school had really nice facilities.
The panel was easy to use, and Zen found himself running through his personal mailbox with the Godfather’s welcome message. In the message, Zen learned that the microchip in his neck had more functions than zapping people.
“Open interface!”
As soon as the voice was registered, a holographic screen appeared, and Zen jumped. There were no projectors, where was this coming from? How mysterious.
He didn’t ponder over it for too long. The school was free to keep its secrets. Zen only wanted to know more about the ranking system as he was ranked dead last. What could he do with this rank? Also, his virtual wallet only had 200 credits. Zen didn’t know the school’s pricing system, so 200 credits could be either a lot or very little.
“Let’s see… ranking! Oh? I have a character profile as well? I’ll check that later.”
===
[Ranking]
Rankings can be earned based on contributions and achievements during events, updated weekly. For a schedule of tentative events, you can check the calendar tab.
Ranking tiers:
Class A: Rank 1 to 10
Class B: Rank 11 - 20
Class C: Rank 21 - 50
Class D: Rank 51 - 75
Class E: Rank 76 - 100
Please note that in-game sponsored items can only be equipped by the corresponding class or lower.
Credits will be given at the end of every event based on the ranks. The rates are calculated based on this formula [(101 - rank number)*100 credits]. The minimum credit earned is 100, and the maximum credit earned per event is 10,000.
Ranking Benefits:
Class A - Suite Room, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym, Laundromat, Pool, Advanced gym, Games room, Private dojo, Shooting range, Library access, Room service
Class B - Studio Apartment, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym, Laundromat, Pool, Advanced gym, Games room, Private dojo, Shooting range
Class C - Deluxe Room, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym, Laundromat, Pool, Advanced gym, Games room
Class D - Standard room, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym, Laundromat, Pool
Class E - Basic room, Cafeteria, Garden, Basic gym
===
Zen looked at the facilities and sighed. He wasn’t going to complain about how much luxury the higher rankings enjoyed. As he was, he had to hand wash his clothes because he didn’t have access to the laundromat. That was probably the only annoying thing.
“Let’s aim for rank 75 and above in the next event,” Zen was resolved until he checked the calendar.
“You can’t be serious… right?”
Initially, Zen thought that it would be yet another VR death game. However, the next event was odd.
===
Next Event in 3 Days!
Event: Egg Hunt
Details: Find as many hidden virtual eggs around the academy. The student with the most points wins!
===
Seeking games? Also, he had to wait for three days before he could get a ranking adjustment. How does one train themselves in the art of egg hunting? There wasn’t much Zen could do, and his stomach protested.
“One last thing before we go. I should probably place my orders for the sponsors in the next event. Let’s see what options I have.”
Under the tab of order, Zen found three categories. The first category was an order for family equipment sponsors. Zen didn’t know if the Taro family would send him anything. Still, he decided to try his luck anyway and requested his VR game headset and all his games to be shipped over. He didn’t think he would need it when he arrived, but now, Zen knew that this was his best alternative without access to the games room.
The next category was an order for unique items for the Egg Hunt. Zen knew that his actions were monitored by the world even now. He had to choose wisely if he wanted a better advantage. His current Class was E, and there weren’t many options. The civilians could pass a vote and Zen didn’t know if they would be interested in someone ranked the dead last.
===
Egg Encyclopaedia - A book about all the different kinds of eggs and their characteristics.
Game Arena Map - The mini-map function allows you to locate any moving enemies within a 10-meter radius. Does not help to find any eggs.
Egg Tray - Can hold up to 10 eggs and will not break. Eggs in the egg tray cannot be destroyed or stolen. The same cannot be said about the egg tray.
===
With only three items in Class E, Zen sighed. The game arena map was useless. Even if he knew that the enemy was within 10 meters of him, there was nothing he could do. Zen’s body was still weak and scrawny. He wouldn’t be able to outrun anyone or defeat anyone.
The Egg Tray seemed like good insurance against sabotage, but again, there was a 10 egg limitation, and the tray could be stolen. With Zen’s current abilities, he couldn’t fully utilise it even if given that item.
Putting in his order for the Egg Encyclopaedia, Zen decided to check the last category.
“200 credits for a fucking sandwich and 150 credits for a can of cola?! Is the academy trying to starve me to death?!”
Ping! Zen checked his notification.
[The Godfather thinks that this is a good suggestion. You have been awarded 100 credits.]
Zen paled. Starving to death just after escaping death narrowly in the VR battle royale? It wasn’t even a funny joke!
With a protesting stomach, Zen decided to leave his room in search of the cafeteria.
Zen wanted to cry. The invigilator at the cafeteria taking meal orders looked like he ate children for breakfast. Initially, Zen wanted to ask if there was a way he could have a discount. Even if he drank tap water and risked a stomachache, the 300 credits will only last him one meal.The cheapest food item was that ugly tuna and cheese sandwich slapped together by some other invigilator. It costs 200 credits. The can of cola was the most affordable drink item, and it costs 150 credits. A regular set meal costs 500 credits. This was going to be impossible. Anyone ranked 90 and below wouldn’t be able to afford to eat with the skyrocket prices!“Uh… do you have any leftovers I can have?” Zen grinned awkwardly at the stone-faced invigilator who observed him with a cold, calculating look.“No leftovers. If you cannot pay, go away.”Zen made a face. “Possible to get a discount? I’m on a very tight budget here?&r
There were some real monsters in this school. Zen found out that not everyone had accurate rankings. The more famous individuals didn’t show their full potential in the starting game. It was a wise decision, and those individuals were the ones Sasha advised Zen to stay clear off. They were simply too dangerous to handle.“They’re usually within the top 20 for the benefits. Class A and Class B are very far from our reach, even for me. If you see them coming close, run away. Immediately. Understand?”Zen nodded. So far, Sasha told him about the three scariest students in the academy. The first was “Death Princess” who was currently ranked 5. The second was a crazy psychopath, better known as the “Terrorist”, who ranked 11. The third was a blind and effeminate man with the nickname “Seer”, ironically. He was ranked 9.“Do you have their character profiles card?” he asked, and Sasha shook her he
Nobody who saw the Seer smile ever lived to talk about it. Yet, as unbelievable as it was, Liu Feng was seated beside Sasha with a very contented look as Zen took his order. The sniper almost fainted when Zen didn’t immediately do as told. Instead, he demanded something in exchange.“My character profile card? Sure. I have nothing to hide so you can see it first.”===Name: Liu Feng (Wind) “Seer”Age: 18Abilities: Bone CrushingCredits: 9,200Items: NARank: 9===Zen raised a brow. “Bone crushing? What kind of skill is that?”Then, he paled. The title of “Seer” and rank 9 belonged to one of the three monsters in the academy that Sasha told him to be wary of before they came to the kitchen. Why was one of the three terrors acting like a coy kitten, sipping on oolong tea before him?Liu Feng was surprised to know that someone in this academy didn&
“An omerta is a verbal promise similar to the “Oath” ability of a Godfather. However, it usually takes three people or more to make an omerta valid. Assuming that you and the Seer are the parties involved in the vow, I’m going to be the observer of this vow. The vow can only be rendered invalid in one of two ways. The first is if there is a mutual agreement to nullify it, and the second is to kill the observers before taking actions. You usually make a vow and state a sacrifice if you break the vow.”Liu Feng was more interested in Zen now. The child grew up as the third young master of the Taro family. Why did he not know about the omerta? The Taro family must be hiding a lot of secrets. In that case, they must have really sent Zen to this school, hoping for his death.“I’ll start. Liu Feng, second heir to the Lau Triad Family, vow to take Zen Taro under my protection from this moment forth. If the omerta is broken, I will cut
After a quick shower, Zen crashed onto his bed. He was exhausted after a long day, and the adrenaline was finally wearing out. Several years ago, Zen wanted to open his own restaurant. To think that his dream would finally be fulfilled in the least likely places! He fed a total of fifty people because, after a while, the word got around and even the invigilators wanted in even though they did not have character profile cards to show. Instead, they traded a meal for some of their interesting stories or tips for better survival odds. Zen had never felt more grateful for his civilian upbringing.“Let’s see, I have 600 credits to spend. I don’t want to waste it all on any character profiles. Besides, my big brother and big sister should know most things about the other participants even if I don’t. I need to review my game highlight clip before anyone else’s!”Logging into the system, Zen entered the home lobby of the VR game. It was hig
How did he get into this situation? For the first time in his life as an unwanted young master and a civilian, Zen was rubbing shoulders with many famous and important people.Death Princess Akiko was seated in his room with his newly made big brother and sister. The room was far too small to accommodate all four people, so the boys decided to take the floor while the ladies sat on the bed.The Death Princess looked nothing like what Zen imagined her to be. Compared to his big sister, she looked like a very demure and fragile doll. Sasha had a fierce look in her cold blue eyes, and it wasn’t difficult to believe she was a killer. However, the Death Princess, who had a higher body count under her name, didn’t look like she belonged to the underworld.Zen stared at the Death princess for a very long time, and Akiko did the same. Akiko Kanzaki… the name was very much Japanese like his. However, Zen had mixed blood in him, giving him a lighter hai
Zen took a deep breath and closed his eyes.“The Godfather is my idol! The Godfather is my dream! The Godfather is my only sponsor, and I don’t need any training equipment! I am Zen from no particular family. My hobbies include cooking and gaming. To the families from the Round Table who sent my sponsorship contracts, I hereby reject your offers.”As soon as Zen said that, he heard the sound of a new notification.[The Godfather is very pleased with your bold declaration of war against the Round Table! You have been awarded 1,000 credits.][You have received a unique title “Enemy of The Round Table”. You can check it out in the Character Profile tab.]===Name: ZenTitle: Enemy of The Round TableAge: 15Abilities: Gaming & CookingCredits: 1,700Items: NARank: 100===Zen wanted to cry. The title really was there! What’s more, he wasn’t ab
When Zen went through the virtual binding contract that Liu Feng discussed with Akiko, he didn’t know what to think. After slaving his whole life trying to pay bills, Zen didn’t believe that anyone would value him this much.===Job ContractProposed by: AkikoWitness: Liu FengJob Title: External AdvisorDuties:Game strategy planning for new dungeon floorsEvent strategy for primary party membersCooking meals for primary party membersPayment:20% of regular dungeon dropsThird pick for boss dungeon dropsFirst pick for event dropsBenefits:Guild protectionParty protectionAlliance and Non-aggression pactResource sharing with primary party members===Zen read through the job contract generated by the system and tilted his head to one side.“Primary party? Guild?”Sasha grinned and po