The world around Rio pulsed faintly, as if the landscape itself breathed. A dry breeze brushed past him, carrying with it a strange metallic scent, like old iron and something… ancient. He stood frozen, eyes darting from one corner of this unsettling realm to another.
There was no login screen, no character setup, no graphics settings.
Just the world.
Raw.
Alive.
Waiting.
A faint hum resonated through the obsidian ground beneath his feet, causing faint ripples of crimson light to spread outward as though he were standing on the surface of liquid darkness. Rio swallowed and glanced at the floating interface again.
"Select Your Race."
The words hovered, shifting slightly as if reacting to his breathing.
Below it, holographic symbols flickered—each representing a race.
— LIST OF RACES —
Rio read each name carefully, the symbols beside them glowing faintly:
*HUMAN – "Bearers of Balance"
Balanced stats, adaptive, skill-based growth.
*ELF – "Children of the Etherwood"
High mana affinity, fast agility, frail bodies.
*DWARF – "Forged in Stonefire"
High defense, strong physical abilities, slow mobility.
*DEMON – "Fangs of the Underhollow"
High attack, blood magic, unstable health regeneration.
*SPIRIT – "Echoes of the Forgotten"
High speed, intangible abilities, weak physical form.
*REVENANT – "Death Reborn" (Locked)
A silhouette glowed faintly in crimson and bone-white.
*???? – (Name unreadable, glitching)
The final option flickered violently, the text distorting.
A cold chill traveled down Rio's back.
"A hidden race already? This game is something else…"
But before he could choose, the world around him shifted.
The Sky Cracks
A loud BOOM shook the ground. The crimson sky above him split open like glass under pressure. White light exploded from the crack, spilling downward in streams that twisted like serpents.
Rio instinctively shielded his eyes.
"W-What the—?!"
A voice—calm, genderless, and emotionless—echoed directly into his mind.
[SYSTEM… INITIALIZING.]
[USER DETECTED.]
[BINDING PROCESS… COMPLETE.]
Rio's heart pounded in his chest.
Binding?
What binding?
Before he could question it, the crack sealed itself, the sky repairing as if nothing had happened.
Rio let out a shaky breath.
"This has to be the most advanced VR I've ever seen… but I'm not even wearing a visor…"
He reached up, touching his face. No headset. No wires. No gloves.
Just… himself.
Standing inside a world too real to be a simulation.
The Tutorial NPC Appears
A faint shimmer in front of him caught his attention. A figure materialized—a woman carved from light, her form gradually solidifying. She wore long, flowing cloth that looked like silver smoke, her eyes glowing pale blue.
When she spoke, her voice echoed in harmonious layers:
"Welcome, traveler. You stand at the gateway of the Hollow."
Rio stiffened. "You're… the tutorial NPC?"
She tilted her head slightly, as though studying him.
"I am Elyria, the Guide of New Souls."
Her expression remained calm, but her eyes held an unsettling emptiness—too perfect, too still.
Elyria raised her hand. "To walk the Hollow is to risk more than your path. It is to risk your life—your real one."
Rio blinked.
"My real one? What is that supposed to mean?"
But Elyria did not answer the question directly.
Instead, she gestured toward the floating race menu.
"It is time to choose your soul's form."
Each race glowed gently, as though calling him.
Humans were balanced—safe.
Elves had magic, but fragile.
Dwarves were sturdy, reliable.
Demons… high damage, unstable.
Spirits… hard to master, fast.
Rio's eyes drifted to the locked race: Revenant.
Something in him stirred—an instinctive pull.
He reached toward it out of pure curiosity, but the moment his fingers touched the glowing symbol—
ACCESS DENIED
The message appeared sharply, flashing red.
Elyria's calm expression shifted for the first time—barely.
Her right eye flickered.
"That path is not for you," she said softly.
"Not yet."
Rio inhaled sharply.
Not yet?
That meant it was possible later.
He forced himself to focus.
He needed something versatile. Something that didn't require years of in-game mastery. Something… familiar.
His hand hovered, then tapped:
HUMAN – Confirm?
YES / NO
"…Yes," Rio whispered.
A burst of white light enveloped him, warm and weightless.
He felt his body shift slightly, as if a new energy settled inside his bones.
[RACE SELECTED: HUMAN]
[ADAPTIVE TRAIT ACTIVATED]
[BEGINNING TUTORIAL…]
Rio exhaled. "Okay… that wasn't so bad."
The Hollow Plains
The world around him shifted again—this time smoothly, like slipping from one dream into another. The sky brightened, the twisted architecture fading away.
He found himself standing on a wide, open field.
Tall grayish grass swayed under a soft breeze.
Far in the distance stood a massive stone gate—half-ruined, covered in strange runes.
Elyria gestured forward.
"This is the Hollow Plains, the first step for all new souls. Here, you will learn movement, combat basics, survival, and the truth behind Hollow Death Online."
Rio's brow furrowed. "What truth? Isn't this just a game?"
Elyria's eyes glowed faintly.
"All games have rules.
But this world has consequences."
She lifted her other hand, and a holographic window appeared:
[TUTORIAL OBJECTIVES]
Move
Interact
Open Inventory
Check Stats
Defeat a Hollow Beast
Reach the Gate of Ordeals
Rio stared in awe.
The interface felt smooth—responsive, almost sentient.
He walked forward, testing his steps.
The grass parted realistically beneath his feet.
The ground felt solid.
The wind was cold on his skin.
"This is insane… It feels like real life."
He crouched, grabbed a handful of dirt, and felt the coarse, gritty texture crumble between his fingers.
This wasn't VR.
This was something else entirely.
A Hollow Beast Appears
A low growl echoed across the plains.
Rio froze.
Something moved in the grass—a dark shape slithering slowly around him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Elyria's voice was calm.
"Prepare yourself."
From the tall grass emerged a creature—its body made of shadow, its eyes two glowing white slits. It resembled a wolf, but its outline flickered like corrupted pixels.
[HOLLOW BEAST – LV. 1]
HP: 60
SKILL: BITE
Rio stepped back. "Whoa—Wait—What am I supposed to do? I don't even have a weapon!"
Elyria waved her hand, and a small dagger appeared at his side.
[ITEM ACQUIRED: Rusted Training Dagger]
ATK +1
"Fight," she instructed.
Fight?
Rio had never fought anything outside of controller-based games.
The beast lunged.
Rio barely dodged, stumbling backward.
His heart hammered.
This wasn't just realistic.
This felt dangerously real.
He slashed wildly, the dagger scraping the creature's shadow form.
A small chunk of its HP dropped.
But the beast retaliated fast, knocking him to the ground.
Pain exploded across Rio's arm.
"OW—! That hurt! Why does it hurt?!"
Elyria's expression remained unmoved.
"In this world, pain is a reminder.
A consequence.
A warning."
The beast lunged again.
Rio gritted his teeth.
Adrenaline surged.
He dodged left, rolled forward, and plunged the dagger into the creature's glowing chest.
A sharp screech pierced the air—
Then the beast dissolved into smoke.
[YOU DEFEATED HOLLOW BEAST – LV. 1]
EXP +8
ITEM: Shadow Fragment x1
Rio collapsed to his knees, panting.
"That was… way too real."
Elyria approached, her voice softer.
"You survived. Not all new souls do."
Rio's blood ran cold.
"What do you mean—not all?"
THE GATE OF ORDEALS
Elyria pointed toward the massive ruined gate in the distance.
"That is your final destination for the tutorial. The Gate of Ordeals. Beyond it lies your true beginning."
Rio rose shakily, clutching the dagger.
As they walked toward the gate, Rio couldn't shake the unease growing inside him.
Something about this world… felt wrong.
Not just dangerous.
Not just immersive.
It felt alive.
Watching him.
Waiting for him.
He glanced at Elyria.
"Is this really just a game?"
Her glowing eyes locked onto his.
"Soon, the Game Master will tell you everything."
A chill spread down Rio's spine.
When they reached the foot of the massive gate, a deep bell tolled from within its ruins—loud enough to rattle the plains.
The sky dimmed.
The wind died.
A red fog seeped across the ground.
Elyria stepped back.
"The Game Master is coming."
Rio's heart pounded.
"W-What? For the tutorial?!"
BOOM.
The gates burst open.
A towering holographic figure emerged—cloaked in darkness, face hidden behind a cracked porcelain mask.
The Game Master.
His voice thundered across the Hollow:
"WELCOME, NEW SOULS—
TO THE BEGINNING OF YOUR DEATH."
Rio's breath hitched.
"This… this isn't normal…"
The Game Master continued:
"THE TUTORIAL IS COMPLETE.
THE REAL GAME BEGINS NOW."
The fog thickened.
The ground rumbled.
"AND FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD…
WHEN YOU DIE HERE—
YOU DIE OUT THERE."
Rio's eyes widened in horror.
"What… what did you just say?!"
The Game Master laughed.
A deep, hollow sound.
"WELCOME TO THE DEATH GAME."