The young man sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the massive, pearlescent VR Capsule that now dominated his tiny, cluttered apartment. It hummed with a soft, promising energy, a stark contrast to the dusty silence of his NEET existence.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmtFvG45lS
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7FvarFlgy
“Alright… this is it. The great escape,” he muttered to the empty room, running a hand through his unkempt hair. “Two billion people can’t be wrong. Or maybe they can. Who cares? It’s gotta be better than this.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnz7r888J7
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMJnuutZoZ
He’d blown the last of his savings on this thing. The game itself, *Illusion Tree*, was a one-time purchase. The real cost was the capsule—the only hardware advanced enough to deliver the promised “second reality.” No subscriptions, no microtransactions. Just… a new life.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRpVbLZFLU
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9qz6jG4QV
With a deep breath, he climbed inside. The gel-filled contours molded to his body with a sigh. A holographic interface flickered to life before his eyes.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡju7pT1bQma
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTiQM19k0g
[Welcome to Illusion Tree. Please state your player name.]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdLMsffJz1
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2mjfFmIhy
He’d practiced this. “Eon. Eon Moonlicht.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42qcj8mhXt
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCf8IrXW67P
[Confirm character name: Eon Moonlicht?]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk89ZfToHkS
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xKq96vOZN
“Confirm.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6z6xq2ELqp
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEzki13GNu
[Initialization complete. Connecting to the World Tree. Enjoy your new life.]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6JOYUdBIV
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxBYqE0mPm
The hum of the capsule faded, replaced by an absolute, silent white.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJoHPjSl1B
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hPHVxCazW
A voice, ancient and resonant, filled the void. It wasn't heard; it was *felt*, vibrating in his very soul.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6gPSV78Jw
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDxOVJKU8v
From the chaos of the primordial code, twelve deities emerged. They forged the World Tree, Illusion Tree, from dreams and logic. Each god poured their essence into an Orb, a fragment of ultimate power. But ambition shattered their unity. A divine war raged, scattering the Orbs and their divine weapons to the farthest roots and highest branches of the Tree. Now, only echoes of the gods remain, and mortals tread the paths they forged. Your journey begins at the end of their story. Your choices will write the next.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5I7ky8cJq
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0qqrPlQIs
The white dissolved into a breathtaking, golden space. Before him stood a being of impossible beauty, her wings not of feather, but of crystallized light. Her voice was like a symphony. “Welcome, soul. I am your guide to genesis. To step upon the path, you must first choose your first identity. Who will you be in this world?”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk66PjvNsQI
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUqmhrjgfN
A colossal, shimmering menu materialized, listing thousands of classes: Dragon Knight, Arcane Weaver, Shadow Dancer, Rune Smith, Celestial Bard… the list seemed infinite.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmfd1yZLU1
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeblI3SD15h
“The timer begins now,” the angelic guide said gently. “Choose wisely, for your beginning shapes your journey.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaFzKXMrs2
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixJ7OF9uG9
A clock appeared above her head. [00:59]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8I00T5rEM
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAqKSdPyv8
Eon’s heart hammered against his ribs. The pressure was immense. Every class glowed with potential, a promise of power and purpose. But he remembered the video, buried deep in the algorithm,340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNcod5cZT7
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJCGd6sM2x
titled “Three Things I’d Do if I Started Over Again | Illusion Tree.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU14yTJELwj
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRjuUhefrP
The third point, delivered by a calm, masked avatar, was seared into his memory.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf15xOzJUV
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSblF8Bs6N
“Do not choose a class. Let the timer run out.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAlPsCoMvJ
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIbAzpZI49
The comments were a torrent of rage.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCQC6zKsHP
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hMV5VF3Km
SCAM!340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5iLe6fDjdU
I tried this and it ruined my account!340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7syumUYBmV
Waste of time, you spawn with NOTHING!340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp930ItxFFG
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6YfkdwSdd
Yet, the uploader never responded, never defended themselves. The mystery of it, the sheer contrarian absurdity, called to Eon. His entire life had been about having nothing and making nothing of it. Why should a game be different?340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55GF6szYt4
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdoEkzi3on
“I… choose nothing,” Eon said, his voice firmer than he felt.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDZOMHiNs6
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMui1iW2Fn
The angel’s serene smile didn’t falter, but the light around her flickered almost imperceptibly. “Nothing? That is not a path available on the menu, traveler.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBtt16PakF
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NQVZhvrw5
“I know. I’m not picking anything. I’ll wait.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjITjTAgg7P
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuY67FFg14
The timer ticked down. [00:45]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRG6cZVjEGR
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMmZAfa5tR
“This is most unwise,” she urged, her melodic voice gaining a sharp edge. “To refuse a class is to refuse the very foundation of this world. You will be granted no starting weapon, no armor, not even the most basic skill like <Appraise> or <Sprint>. You will be less than a newborn. You will be… a void.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi5Opz42DL
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CHMpkldNb
“I’m used to it,” Eon retorted, a defensive smirk on his face. “Isn’t this supposed to be a real second life? In real life, you don’t get to pick ‘Dragon Tamer’ as a starting class. You figure it out.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJw9qHRz4W
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pXax304Cx
[00:30]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHRAbdG8ob
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvss1UoHZdO
“This is not your world!” she insisted, her composure cracking for the first time. A divine frustration leaked into her tone. “It has rules! You are not ‘figuring it out,’ you are wilfully crippling yourself! Why would you do this? What possible logic drives you?”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqz8khCrit
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSk1rCDI48
“Let’s call it an experiment.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4x0AGkPUJ
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6ODwBjQmn
[00:15]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMqcgAlvQL
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7mGwdX4vQ
“It is folly!” The space around them shuddered. “You tread a road of pure anguish. The wilds will devour you. Other players will scorn you. The world itself will not acknowledge you! This is not a brave challenge; it is a surrender before you have even begun!”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYdR1ZRbfn
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9zEvgoyos
“Then I surrender,” Eon said, meeting her glowing gaze. “But I’ll do it on my terms.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnQXLIvopd
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpT2MrVpRfU
[00:03… 00:02… 00:01…]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRjF9PzLrf
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2rEQDOApQ
The magnificent menu shattered into motes of light. The angel’s form seemed to dim. The disappointment on her face was profoundly, unsettlingly real.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡML9Pq6k0wR
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUYheKBDaL
“So be it, Eon Moonlicht. You enter the world as a paradox. A blank page. May your story be worth the pain of its writing.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfR9dRjz4f
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CevyGnKtu
The golden chamber imploded into a vortex of color and sound.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfORlppmuzV
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbm5waZdvb
Sensation returned all at once. The smell of damp earth and baking bread. The feel of a warm breeze on his skin. The sound of a bustling crowd and chirping birds. Eon blinked, his eyes adjusting to the vivid sunlight of a perfect fantasy village square. He looked down at himself. Rough-spun tunic, soft linen pants, bare feet. Absolutely, utterly ordinary.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNEzjNwGxU
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5tO45ZPTS
A notification hung in his vision, transparent and mocking:340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdL3WfIVbg
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2umH9Bgvep
[ Class: None ]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQiaAX47lz
[ Equipped: None ]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVqC1DLp1z6
[ Skills: None ]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6Z2YCw6qA
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBLpnpHulo
“Well,” he whispered to himself, wiggling his toes in the grass. “Here goes nothing.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWikjNuUfw
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCIsJTyR7O
The starting village, Haven’s Reach, was flooded with new players, all clad in their starting gear. Leather armor, simple robes, Initiiate’s staves. Eon, in his peasant clothes, stood out like a sore thumb.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFq3mGofIe
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOh1LGJ9ySq
“Hey, you there!” a boisterous young man in chainmail called out, clanking over. “You just pop in? What’d you roll? I went Guardian. Gonna be an unkillable tank!” He thumped his chest plate.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLiVdU8icV
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqF1eomsZfN
“Uh, I didn’t… roll anything,” Eon said.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUVhgLcos3
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63HiJ8ayEc
The Guardian’s smile faded. “What do you mean? Everyone picks a class.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsF86jJfaK
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYLwkuXP26
“I didn’t. I waited out the timer.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnm2Mol8yC8
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTzYUaj1yi
A nearby Archer, stringing her bow, burst out laughing. “You did what? Oh, man, I heard about that! There’s some stupid rumor on the forums. You actually fell for it?”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsPup0C9hc
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlsBVSfwem
The Guardian stared in pure disbelief. “But… why? You have no gear. No skills. You’re literally a level-zero NPC.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqwcOG3cNf
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfk1VwSedj
Their conversation attracted a small crowd. A Mage in blue robes sneered. “Look at this! A true noob! I didn’t think they actually existed.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cNuAxxNCC
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6W0OnnlEL
“Hey, buddy,” the Archer said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “You know you’re basically just XP for the tutorial slimes, right? They’re gonna have to respawn you so many times your brain will get dizzy.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuEmGC7rZag
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXTYmjOxqr
The crowd erupted in laughter. Eon tried to push past them, his face heating up.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7MirGbJfE
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9avUasHQS
“Wait, wait, don’t go!” the Guardian said, stepping in front of him. “I’m feeling charitable. I’ll mentor you. First lesson! How to punch air!” He demonstrated with a slow, exaggerated punch. More laughter.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡescQxSrtqs
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2Bw44ouoL
“Second lesson!” the Archer chimed in. “How to run away crying! It’s gonna be your most-used skill!”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9z2SAzUgA
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRyaYSnUTw
Eon shoved past them, their jeers following him. “Thanks for the offer! I’ll manage!”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscaIuioSv2
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVk5539JsP9
He made his way to a small equipment stall run by a grizzled NPC smith. “Excuse me,” Eon said. “I’d like to buy a knife. The cheapest one you have.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4czg4HQval
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmkisr4hdnW
The smith looked him up and down, his brow furrowed. “You’re new. What’s your class, lad? Gatherer? Skinner? I’ve got good starter knives for both.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yotr1gjIV
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdByl3NQVdi
“I… don’t have a class.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36JzdSgYq9
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBcptbb2mF
The NPC’s friendly demeanor vanished instantly. He scowled. “No class? Then I’ve got nothing for you. Can’t have untrained fools waving sharp metal around. You’ll poke your eye out, or worse, someone else’s. Move along. You’re scaring off proper customers.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nijZd4Px0
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHnTw1cgAN
From behind him, a player buying a sword chuckled. “Even the AI knows you’re a lost cause, man. Give it up.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhUPyNVFMd
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsebryyQjT5
Defeated, Eon moved to a potion vendor, an elderly woman with a kind face. Maybe she’d take pity.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSnWysgOr8
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpmccmD2hu
“Hello, dearie. A healing potion for the road? Only a few copper.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0hjx5vMfh
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlsR0Cuts9
“I’d like one, but I don’t have any money. Or a class.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIGsiqG2YW
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzZPVTU8s5
The woman’s kind eyes narrowed. “No class? Then I cannot, in good conscience, sell you a potion. Without the <Potion Lore> skill granted by a class, you might misdose. You could poison yourself! The liability! Shoo, now. Come back when you’ve found your purpose.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcRsE3nP0w
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTWcBSHlVM
The final humiliation came at the village inn. The common room was packed with players celebrating their new beginnings. Eon slipped in, hoping to just listen and learn.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLX7NcGpyz
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwTSoyx5Qj
A hush fell over part of the room. Then a loud, mocking voice rang out. “Well, well, look what the cat dragged in! Or should I say, what *didn’t* drag anything in! It’s Mr. No-Class himself!”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20zBbJH6DU
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMg28FSesrV
A barrel-chested Warrior stood up, raising a tankard. “A toast! To the biggest idiot in Haven’s Reach! May your respawns be quick and your failures be entertaining!”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6txMLlumzM
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiVb2vkVLq
The room roared with approval. Another player yelled, “What’s your build, man? Is it ‘Optimist’ or ‘Masochist’?”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaEBmn2vUp
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBObzAa5xb
“Maybe he’s roleplaying a village idiot! Hey, do a trick! Can you eat mud?”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CtLGDv1RP
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZg4pP6q0vC
Eon turned on his heel and marched out, the sound of their laughter feeling like physical blows against his back. He didn’t stop until he passed through the village’s main gate, the guard NPC simply shaking his head in pity.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaZcTwM2V3
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsriSzdCGK
The sun was warmer outside the walls. The grass was greener. The air was free of their mockery. Before him, a wide, peaceful meadow stretched out. And there, bouncing aimlessly, was a small, gelatinous, green Slime. The most basic of basic monsters.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyqcW9JwsN
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJUtFGE2oT
It was the only thing in this world that wasn’t laughing at him.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMeAe9FvGK
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gvqnhnwvE
“Okay,” Eon breathed, his heart starting to pound not with embarrassment, but with anticipation. “Just you and me.”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5sU2freKZ
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhItNMKrVF
He approached cautiously. The slime noticed him, gave a cheerful little wobble, and hopped forward. Eon lunged, swinging a wild punch. His fist sank into its cool, jelly-like body with a soft *squelch*. It didn’t hurt it much, but the impact stung his knuckles.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEP438gvdYu
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIwKvvJXlg
The slime retaliated, launching itself and smacking into his leg. It felt like being hit with a wet bag of sand—not deadly, but surprisingly solid and painful.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cf6lXvpqH
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgPLSRqsBF
“Yowch! Okay, you little jerk!”340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOF7LQqEQ5
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡha1ckrtlKo
This wasn’t a quick game fight. This was a clumsy, gritty, undignified scrap. He couldn’t just press a button for a skill. He had to actually move, dodge, and swing. He kicked at it, his bare foot connecting with the same squelching sensation. He overbalanced and fell onto his backside in the grass.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrFdayO2cI
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZO28a1A2B
The slime hopped onto his chest. He grabbed it with both hands, the substance oozing between his fingers, and with a grunt of effort, he ripped it in two. The two halves quivered for a moment before dissolving into a faint, shimmering mist.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTtqcJa6Rt
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm251MIOOI
A warmth flowed into him. A transparent, grey text appeared in his vision, simple and profound.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviTYvyhhl3
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDqUlIaKxy
[Strength +1]340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Gkd6RV07C
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLZBzCU9PL
Eon lay there in the grass, chest heaving, covered in faintly glowing slime residue. He started to laugh, a real, breathless, incredulous laugh that echoed in the quiet field.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30NymAlHeh
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsmPr2PxId
He had nothing. No class, no skills, no gear, no respect.340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYf0twJw5Ae
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpsFHsCRKo
But he had one single point of Strength that he had earned all by himself. And for the first time in a long time, that felt like everything.
340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5jka3X5Sb
and then Add to home screen.