Every year, 5 to 10 new VR Worlds are born… yes, only five–ten! This number may seem small, but considering the total list of VR Worlds, it is actually very large.
Creating a VR world is not something just anyone can do—it requires years of training, experience, and study.
Behind every VR world are VR tech experts who craft the internal environment, investors who ensure the project never runs out of resources, and physics experts who make sure everything feels realistic.
Even with all of them working together, releasing a VR world within a single year is impossible. At minimum, it takes two to three years.
And...
When a new VR World is ready to launch, the creators first inform the VR Authority. To test the new VR World, the authority selects its professional Divers team.
This team does not focus on the realism of the VR World but instead performs safety checks—ensuring there is no danger to the minds of ordinary Divers. After testing the world continuously for an entire month, if no mental issues arise, only then does the team forward it to the next stage.
That next stage is the public platform — WORLD DIVE NETWORK.
This platform is the hub of VR Worlds; in the last 55 years, every VR World ever created can be found on WD NET—no matter how terrible that VR World might be.
In simple terms, creating a new VR World requires immense time and effort from many people.
To ensure that this time and effort are not wasted, the government and VR technology authorities jointly established a mandatory rule:
— Whenever a new VR world is released, its name must be displayed in the sixth slot of every lobby for one week—
This rule was created to give new creators a fair chance to showcase their hard work and creations to the public, and to let public Divers decide whether they like the new VR World or not.
It was also a precautionary measure—so that when, one day, Divers grow tired of the five VR worlds that have ruled for the past twenty years and begin demanding something new, the system would already be prepared.
But unfortunately, so far, every VR world that has appeared in the sixth slot has failed badly. None of them received positive reviews. Divers noticed one common flaw among all of them—they were merely copying elements from the five reigning VR worlds.
Still, the rule was never changed.
If there are no new updates, only five options appear in everyone's personal lobby, as 99 percent of Divers continue to dive into those same five VR worlds.
However, whenever a new VR world is launched on —WORLD DIVE NETWORK—, a sixth slot appears on every lobby screen. Any Diver who wishes to enter can do so by using an Entry Pass.
While Lisa's gaze was fixed on Clara and, at the same time, her finger was moving toward the 5th slot, just as she was about to touch it, a brand-new virtual world appeared in the 6th slot within microseconds.
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"Sigh...."
Lisa placed her hand on the golden door's knob, but there wasn't even a hint of excitement on her face.
Her very first virtual adventure was about to begin in a new, unknown, trash-tier world.
Was this really the kind of experience she had been so excited for?
She knew the rule of the 6th slot—it was common knowledge.
It was her own mistake for touching the screen without paying attention, and she had been angry at herself ever since the 6th slot was selected.
" I'm giving this world a full negative experience rating " She vowed silently as she turned the knob.
"CLACK~!"
"Let's go,"
Lisa said, stepping through the door and Clara followed right behind her.
"SSHHUU—"
The moment they stepped through the door, a virtual portal opened within microseconds, and Lisa and Clara were pulled into it. There was no shock or panic on their faces—as if they already knew exactly what that portal was.
[ Welcome to the ASD World lobby ]
As soon as the two of them passed through the portal and arrived at the lobby of Apocalypse: Survive or Die, they were greeted by a 25-year-old, emotionless AI lady assistant.
"I don't need any explanation about your A-S-D world," Lisa said angrily. "Just give us the SEED quickly."
She knew the AI assistant was about to give a brief explanation of Apocalypse: Survive or Die, and she didn't want to hear anything about this trash new world. All she wanted was a refund for the entry passes.
If she got that, she would happily dive into the world she actually wanted and enjoy it as much as she liked.
[ Please forgive me… You are the very first DIVERS to enter ASD, and I strongly recommend that you fully understand ASD before DIVING. ]
The assistant rejected her request with a completely blank expression, as if she had practiced this response thousands of times.
"Listen," Lisa snapped, getting even more irritated, "I selected this world by mistake. I have zero interest in learning about this apocalypse or whatever history it has."
[ If you dive into ASD without knowing its history, your chances of survival will drop by 25 percent.]
"This bitch—" Lisa was about to lose control of her anger when Clara stepped in.
"We'll skip the explanation."
[ Very well… ]
The moment the AI assistant heard the word skip, a rule activated in her system—one that Clara had just used.
Diver Free Will Rule 5: If a DIVER does not wish to hear a world's explanation, they have the full right to skip it.
Lisa immediately felt angry at herself again. She knew about the Free Will Rules too, but in her rage, she had completely forgotten them.
Clara glanced at Lisa and gave her a faint smile, as if silently calling her an idiot.
Lisa glared at Clara, instantly understanding the meaning behind that smile.
"What?" Clara acted as if she didn't understand.
Lisa didn't say anything. She knew that if she spoke, Clara already had an answer ready—one that would only ruin her mood even more.
"Zzt—"
[Here are the Seeds.]
Suddenly, two green, rhombus-shaped objects appeared in front of them. A strange life-like energy was flowing out from them.
Both of them took the green Seeds into their hands and looked at each other.
"Ready?" Clara asked Lisa.
"Hm," Lisa replied softly, and both of them gently touched their chests at the same time.
The next moment, the Seeds shot straight into their chest area, as if they had finally found their home.
As soon as the green Seeds entered their bodies, changes began to occur. Their previously weak bodies slowly started to become stronger. It felt as if their earlier forms were just projections, and once the Seeds merged with them, those projections turned into solid, real forms.
"So this is how it feels when a Seed synchronizes… Powerful—something I've never felt before," Clara said, touching her body, looking completely satisfied.
"Yes… it's like an upgraded version of our original bodies," Lisa agreed, her expression also showing a hint of satisfaction.
"Let's check our upgraded bodies," Clara said, excitement clearly visible in her eyes.
"I'm already looking," Lisa replied, a step ahead of her.
Clara was slightly shocked—she hadn't expected Lisa to be this quick.
"Sigh…" Taking a long breath, she softly said,
"Open."
The moment she spoke, a screen appeared before her eyes, invisible to anyone else.
Name: Clara Toddler
Age: 16
Strength: 20
Speed: 19
Agility: 15
Skill: None
Seed Level: Level 1
"Hmm… it's the same as my original body," Clara thought while looking at the screen.
These results were displayed according to a person's real body. Even outside the virtual world, the stats would remain the same. Clara paid close attention to her physical fitness, and that was clearly reflected in what she saw.
She then glanced toward Lisa to check her friend's expression.
The moment she saw Lisa, Clara understood—she was really about to cry.
"Lis… what happened?" she asked very softly, as if speaking to a small child.
Lisa slowly turned her face toward Clara. Her expression truly looked like she was on the verge of tears. If Clara teased her at this moment, tears would definitely fall.
"Am I really this weak?"
"Yes…" Clara replied in a clear, straightforward voice.
"And lazy too."