Light Novel Volume 1/Synopsis

Below is the long summary of Light Novel Volume 1 of the *Demons' Crest* light novel series.

## Chapter 1

11-year-old Yuuma entered the Caliculus of his free will to enjoy a VRMMO-RPG set in the virtual world. The Caliculus is a capsule-type FullDive machine that gives virtual body sensations to the person that accommodates it and reads motor commands output from the brain.

As he touched the curved surface, a lever shaped like a car's door handle caught his fingers. Yuuma could hear someone yelling outside, but it couldn't be that far away, as the capsule was soundproofed. He decided not to open the lid for his friend's safety. Yuuma's classmates at ALTAIR were taken to a playroom filled with capsules of the same design as the one he was sitting on. There were more than twenty capsules within his visible sight range, but most had their lids open or partially open. Some available capsules were severely damaged, but none appeared to be broken or missing.

Yuuma stood on the edge of the Caliculus and looked around, but no one was in sight. He decided to climb the ramp that led to the capsule of his sister, Sawa, so he could at least try to open her capsule. As he reached the top of the ramp, Yuuma heard some damp sounds and turned his body to the left. Someone was standing at the end of the passageway ten meters away.

Watamaki Sumika was cute, clever, kind, and even the model for a particular publisher's fashion magazine. Nearly all the elementary school boys would have been instantly charmed by Sumika's beauty and starstruck when she stood before them. Yuuma did not have any ambitions to become her boyfriend like most of his peers, but rather to keep a physical and emotional distance and appreciate her company.

Yuuma couldn't see her face as she stood in the aisle of the playroom, but he knew it was Sumika by the way her black high-socks made a 'pitter' sound. He also noticed that the lighting was turned off and the 'Qlest' attached to his left hand. The Quest, a thin film-like device run by biopotential, never ran out of power. Yuuma didn't even remember turning it off himself.

The Qlest activated, and the night-vision correction feature of his eye-lens was automatically turned on. As if responding to his call, Sumika took another step forward and entered the emergency light. Yuuma suddenly remembered everything during the world's first FullDive VRMMORPG 'Actual Magic' test-play.

## Chapter 2

Yuuma's consciousness was separated from the body via the Caliculus, and it was impossible to hit the inside of the capsule with his limbs. As a result, he had to remove his psychological limiters and move as hard as possible, mushing himself to the limit of his given athletic ability. In 'Actual Magic,' the world was just as detailed as the real world, but Yuuma couldn't believe it was made of digital data.

Yuuma should have equipped metal armor like Konken instead of unreliable leather armor, but it was Yuuma who chose to be the rearguard. He cannot complain about it now. Fear welled up inside Yuuma again, and he instinctively protected his stomach with his left hand. By doing so, he would not be able to use the magic he had just learned.

Konken's two-handed sword brought the rabbit to death, and it fled to the spot where Yuuma was waiting. While running as fast as he could, Yuuma had to chant the four spells he had memorized without getting stuck. He tripped over a stone, fell on his first attempt, and was a bit too careful on his second, letting the prey escape.

First, he chanted the 'element word,' and a dark bluish-purple orb of light appeared in front of his left hand, spreading out to his fingers. He then chanted two 'shape words' and created a ball of light with sharp claws growing out of it. The distance between them closed to less than 3m, and Yuuma's phantom hand was aiming for the rabbit as it was trying to grab it. With a 'Boing!' sound, the rabbit's body turned into bluish smoke and disappeared.

Yuuma was standing next to his best friend Konken when he heard a voice behind him saying, "The success rate, was about half~". He turned around to see his twin sister Sawa and childhood friend Nagi approaching them with a monster card in their hands. When Yuuma held up the purple card with his left hand, the two girls looked on with great interest.