[ Your pseudonym is Verd. ]
“…”
In that moment, my mind went blank.
Logically, it seemed right to prohibit such a pseudonym, but shortly after, I realized it was nothing but a foolish thought.
‘…No one would think of using it as a pseudonym, right?’
There was really no need to ban it.
“Cancel, restart, reset…”
In a rush, I blurted out commands.
“Start anew, start again…”
But again, there was no chance to reset the pseudonym. I had no choice but to go with it.
[ You are now officially entering the virtual society. ]
[ The virtual society is based on a massive illusion framework. ]
[ Please disable illusion resistance. ]
ssssssssss─
Once all resistance was removed, my mind felt hazy, and I sensed my soul slipping away from my body.
‘The Black Tower is indeed very interested in illusion series.’
The chaos Teddy had called forth was also based on illusion series magic. This virtual society looked like a world created from a gigantic illusion magic.
Perhaps the one who accomplished this was…
‘The previous Black Tower Master.’
After gathering information here, I resolved to meet the previous Black Tower Master immediately. Surely, she would have a wealth of useful information.
A moment later, my soul landed in some waiting room.
[ This is the virtual society, ‘Black World.’ ]
[ The Black World is evaluating your constitution. ]
─Constitution: Low-level Mage.
“Low-level?”
I muttered in disbelief.
Perhaps due to my excessively complicated constitution, the Black World’s system deemed me merely a jumbled-up low-level mage.
[ Your constitution is unusual. ]
[ An error has been detected… ]
[ Modifying to ordinary constitution. ]
Now I was treated as an outright error. It was quite disheartening.
[ If you have an invitation code, please enter it. ]
Ah, I did have an invitation code.
─Master, here’s the invitation code I’m giving you.
─You absolutely need to enter it! You must!
As I infused mana, the input completed automatically.
[ Authentication confirmed. ]
[ Both you and the inviter have obtained 100 points. ]
“Score?”
Why on earth does a score even exist?
But the next moment, I quickly found out the answer.
[ Job Selection ]
1. Warrior (10 points)
2. Archer (10 points)
3. Bard (30 points)
4. ….
[ Appearance Selection ]
1. Sharp Nose (50 points)
2. Sleek Eyes (50 points)
3. Full Lips (50 points)
[ Race Selection ]
1. Human (10 points)
2. Demon (10 points)
3. Elf (10 points)
4. ….
[ Please complete your selection within 10 minutes. ]
‘It’s like being reborn.’
In keeping with the intent of the virtual society, in this Black World, I could set every part of myself.
Job, appearance, race…. However, each selection consumed points. The more extravagant the appearance and job, the more points were required.
Thus, I had no choice but to deliberate once more.
‘What truly is the best option?’
My purpose in visiting here was to gather information.
…Right, blending in with the mages enjoying the Black World and collecting intel was my goal. Given the unprecedented situation of having already adopted the Emperor’s name as my pseudonym, I needed to at least configure my job and appearance properly to make it easier to ask questions.
“Haah.”
It was truly perplexing.
Choosing a desirable appearance made the job look paltry, while setting a decent job made the appearance look somewhat unappealing… Balancing it was indeed ruthless.
Then, at some moment.
[ 10 minutes have exceeded. ]
[ Your identity will be generated randomly. ]
“Hmm?”
With a white light, my consciousness faded.
…
…
…
…
…
…
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a room with a mirror.
“…”
I first checked my appearance.
“…Why so normal?”
Average height, not ugly but not handsome either; this was my identity in the Black World.
While I marveled at the meticulous illusion magic, someone called out to me.
“Ah, Master!”
I turned to see a girl who had opened the door and appeared, looking lavish.
Pink hair, vibrant makeup, star-shaped stickers under her eyes, and a sparkling outfit…
“It’s me, your disciple Seina. When the inviter logs in, I get notified, so I hurried right over!”
“…What’s that appearance?”
“Oh, this is…”
Seina scratched her head awkwardly.
“Actually, I dreamed of being a singer. Since this isn’t reality but a virtual society, I’m active as a singer here… Hahaha…”
Once she finished her answer, her eyes sparkled.
“So, what’s your job, Master?”
“My job is…”
I quietly surveyed my surroundings.
What would my job be? I was curious myself, having chosen randomly due to not selecting in time.
[ Your job: Idle ]
Idle, huh… even in a virtual society…
“Idle, huh?”
“…Um?”
Seina’s shoulders twitched slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh… Um… Idle? Why idle…?”
Seina looked quite distressed.
“Having the job of idle feels… how should I put it… it seems very blatant, and incredibly debauched and lazy.”
“I didn’t get to choose in time, so here we are.”
“You mentioned wanting to acquire vivid information from the Magic Towers excluding the Imperial Tower, right? With the idle job, people are likely to ignore you.”
She sighed deeply.
“Ugh… I was hoping for a manager-like role. You, being a regular manager to me, a popular singer; such a thrilling romance the world just won’t allow…”
“…”
What kind of roleplay was she dreaming of?
“Anyway, since this is a place where people interact as well, those with fantastic appearances or good jobs are immensely popular.”
Seina examined my face closely.
“Your identity appears far less attractive compared to the original Master… And what about your techniques? What techniques do you have?”
I searched through the notification window to check my techniques.
Exactly three.
“Play, Sleep, Relax.”
“…”
Seina gulped hard, staring at me as if she beheld something truly hopeless.
“…No other techniques?”
“None.”
“Oh…”
A brief admiration seemed laden with unspoken words. Her expression indicated she had never seen a failure this profound.
Then she shook her head vigorously.
“It’s fine. Master, I’ll lead you well here. I’m quite well-known as a singer. You won’t believe how many fans I have!”
“Really?”
“Of course! Look at how much time I’ve invested in this virtual world! I’ve made sure to always look pretty—”
“…Yeah, yeah.”
It seemed Seina had been quite lonely.
With only herself being young in the Blue Tower, she had no friends, constantly feeling the weight of her position as a senior member, always needing to act with gravitas, and being too busy to go out and have fun…
In the end, she did nothing but this every day.
“First, let’s explore, shall we?”
“Let’s do that.”
“Don’t get lost; should I hold your hand?”
“No, thanks.”
As I strolled around with Seina, I was astonished at the sheer number of identities residing within the ‘Black World.’ There were truly more than I had imagined.
People gambling, adventurers huddled together discussing something… it was a true world.
“Everyone seems to be having fun.”
“It’s comfortable.”
Seina beamed.
“It’s much simpler than training in reality, and if you have a point in appearance, you can change it anytime… That’s why it’s so popular. The Black Tower earns an insane amount of revenue from this each year.”
By the time we finished exploring the village, curiosity glinted in Seina’s eyes.
“Oh, right! What’s your pseudonym, Master?”
“…Pseudonym?”
“Yes! Your pseudonym! Let’s add each other as friends!”
Countless sparkling gazes were directed at me.
In truth, I had planned to gather intel and never log back in, but Seina somehow believed I would consistently enjoy the Black World with her.
[ Seina has sent a friend request. ]
Acceptance.
And a moment later…
“Now, what’s your pseudonym~?”
Seina’s actions suddenly halted.
“Uh…”
Her blue eyes slowly widened.
“Wait, wait…”
Soon, her face turned as pale as a corpse.
After a while, once Seina regained her composure…
We moved our feet to some training ground.
“Master, why on earth…?”
Seina muttered in a trance-like state.
“Both the job and appearance can be changed later for double the points, but the pseudonym can’t be changed… Why did you choose such a name?”
Did she feel some kind of fear? She was trembling all the way to her chin, her teeth chattering.
“It’s a miracle you’re not being permanently banned! An idle job, nicknamed His Majesty the Emperor… even the worst identities in the Black World don’t sink this low.”
Seina’s explanation was straightforward.
In a society operated by anonymous identities, it seemed there were some bad apples, but they were permanently banned as soon as they were caught by the administration.
“Ughhhh…”
Seina clutched her throbbing head and sighed deeply, then pointed to a wooden dummy.
“Master, we truly have no choice but to try this.”
“What method?”
“This dummy records the damage inflicted upon it, and a real-time ranking is maintained. Unless you stand out here, you’ll get kicked out wherever you go.”
Indeed, a sort of ranking list was present.
[ 1st Place, Scatter and Wind 103,403 ]
[ 2nd Place, FireFire 99,343 ]
[ 3rd Place, …. ]
“Since the calculation is based on the highest damage from three hits, let’s consider the first as just practice. Please cast a light spell.”
“Okay.”
I lightly conjured ice.
Yet, the process was astonishingly smooth.
‘Is it because my constitution has been corrected to normal?’
Unlike reality, there was absolutely no obstructive feeling.
The ice spear flew lightly and struck the dummy.
And then.
BAMMMMMM─!
It completely shattered the dummy.
BOOM─! BAMMMMMMM─!
Not only the intended dummy but the ice scattered in all directions, smashing everything nearby.
“…”
“…”
We stared blankly at the spectacle.
[ Damage ranking has been updated. ]
[ Congratulations. You are now ranked 1st overall. ]
“…1st overall, huh?”
There was no response.
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