First Lesson

"Yeah I do," I replied, trying to maintain a measure of caution in my tone.

"Ha! Of course you do," he exclaimed boisterously, punctuating his words with a chuckle. "But seriously, why a katana?"

I paused to consider his question, unsure how to answer. I had simply gravitated towards the weapon when presented with the option, drawn by its sleek and deadly appearance.

"I'm no expert," I admitted, feeling a pang of self-doubt. "I just thought it looked cool."

He scrutinized me for a moment, squinting his eyes as if searching for something. "You're not secretly a master swordsman, are you?" he quipped, a sly grin creeping onto his face. "Because let me tell you, I picked an axe and now it's in pieces."

"And that's a problem because?"

"Because you're stuck with the weapon you chose," he explained with a shrug, as if it were obvious.

Well, well, I hoped I hadn't made a grave error in my choice, but the katana did seem like a reliable option...that is, if it wasn't going to be pitted against something like a goddamn war hammer.

"Does this thing rust?" I inquired, my caution slowly dissipating. As I spoke, I raised my katana, studying it intently.

"In the starter area, it won't."

The starter area. That must have been the location we were currently in, maybe even including the dreary, prison-like structure from before.

"Is this your first time...playing?"

I hesitated before admitting, "Well, I guess."

"Hm, want to join my party then?"

My curiosity piqued, I took a moment to consider his offer. My hand was growing weary from clutching the katana, so I shifted the grip to my left hand.

"I want an explanation of this party system first," I replied, not wanting to blindly accept his invitation.

He let out an exasperated sigh, his expression conveying a hint of annoyance. "So, to put it simply, a party is not like something you can create easily. It's more like an alliance, I guess. The party must consist of at least ten people. I'm already in one with exactly ten people, including myself."

I frowned, still not entirely clear on how the system worked.

"That's not explaining the system itself," I pointed out.

He relented, beginning to elucidate.

"Pretty much, it's nothing like a game. You just meet up with other players, fight together, and share the loot if you want. The benefit of forming a party is that your chances of dying are lower, since you don't make enemies with other players."

"Is that all?"

"It may not seem like much to you, but every player in this game is your enemy," he clarified with a serious tone. "However, I'm not willing on having enemies. That's why I'm eager to form a party with you right away."

I found the party system in this game to be quite odd. Fighting together and sharing the loot was entirely optional. The real essence of the party system was to avoid making enemies.

"Oh well, we're about to reach the fifteen minutes time limit."

"Wait, what do you mean by time limit?"

"For goodness sake, you're a complete novice," he exclaimed loudly. "If we continue to converse and linger for more than fifteen minutes, one of us will die."

"Why?" I replied, not really surprised, as dying in game…must be normal, I think.

"Just join my party already!" he implored, growing impatient.

"I don't really want to."

"Why not?"

"I have no intention of staying in this game. I don't really like it," I explained.

"Ah, I see. In that case, can I have your katana?"

I was a little bit surprised by his request. I was under the impression that players could only wield their own weapons. Nonetheless, I offered him my katana, extending my left arm as he reached for it.

My eyes flickered as he reached for my katana. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should trust him with my weapon.

But then again, what did it matter? I had no intention of playing this game again anyway.

With a resigned sigh, I extended my left arm towards him, the katana gripped tightly in my hand. He reached out and took it from me, his fingers curling around the hilt. I could feel the weight of the weapon leaving my grasp.

He examined the blade for a moment, his eyes darting over the sleek curve of the steel.

"Well, thanks for the katana," he said, grinning at me.

"Yeah, see you later then." I replied. "So how do you leave this game?"

"But I'm afraid we won't be seeing each other around."

I was taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice quavering slightly.

His grip on the katana tightened as he slowly lifted it to his waist.

"You leave this game by..." he trailed off, his eyes glinting with malice. "-dying."

Before I could react, he charged towards me with the katana. I tried to move, but my body felt heavy and unresponsive. Panic started to rise within me, but I refused to let it consume me. As he swung the katana from the right, I managed to crouch and evade his attack.

But he was quick to follow up with his mistake, as his both hands now gripping the handle of the katana after I dodged his attack before.

I tried to punch his jaw from below, but my aim was off and my fist missed its target.

His head moved to the left as my punch missed its mark. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to anticipate his next move.

With both hands in the katana, he continued to pursue me with deadly intent. I stepped backward, narrowly avoiding the blade as it sliced through the air like a hot knife through paper.

The blade whistled through the air towards me.

As I kept dodging his attacks by moving backwards, I suddenly felt something on my foot. I took a step back to dodge his slash and stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

When I looked down, I saw a rotting corpse that had somehow managed to get under my foot and made me lose my balance.