The MMO

— Rin's message alert from ZAW Inc. about the virus

***The MMO*** (オンラインゲーム, *Onraingēmu*) is the pilot chapter of the light novel series, *Zenith: Across Worlds*. Written by Ogami Kenichi, it was released on August 15, 2014.

It introduced the first of the four main characters, Rayde.

## Official Synopsis

After having made a challenge with another player during her game play, Rin encounters unexpected trouble when she attempts to log-in again.

## Summary

In the virtual online gaming world of Zenith, the chapter opens in the middle of an argument between an experienced level twenty player, DarkAngel, and a new, inexperienced player, BlindNight341. The latter, who seemingly had been caught in a misunderstanding, is threatened by the veteran player and is challenged to a fight. Before DarkAngel can proceed, a girl player who had been walking by, RinFire, comes between them and takes his place in the duel, under the condition that she leave him alone if she were to win. DarkAngel agrees, adding that with her victory, she gains the right to clean out both her opponent's and the new player's inventory. They schedule the fight to be in two hours, and then separate.

RinFire101, or known in real life as Rin, logs off of the game and plans her strategy carefully, shaking off the fact that DarkAngel is leveled higher than her. She is soon interrupted by a notification from ZAW Inc., the makers of the game, which states that the game is suspended due to a virus. Noticing that the servers are still running, she continues to log back in anyway; after she answers several prompts, she is suddenly seized by paralysis and blacks out.

She wakes up in a blank void, where a holographic display is set up in front of her. More prompts appear on the screen, requiring her to make a new avatar. While she mostly recreates her character with the same Knight class, Strength subclass, Fantasy WPB type, appearance, abilities and weapons, she reluctantly forfeits her level nineteen for a level ten, as well as everything (excluding her weapons) in her inventory. She also changes her username and password, now naming herself with the username "Rayde". Finishing the customization, she blacks out once more. She wakes at last to find herself resting under the shade of a tree. However, as her senses come to, she realizes that she also dons armor for clothing and has a holographic menu that opens with a wave of the hand. Shocked, she looks around silently and mentions to herself that there is no way out.

The chapter ends with a short transcript for a ZAW Inc. commercial. Interrupted by more static as the lines progress, the voiceover relays that the galaxy is a recreational, well-rounded, and in-depth world that may act as a conduit for one's strength; the galaxy is a place one will *never* want to leave.

## Characters (in order of appearance)

1. DarkAngel (First Appearance)
2. BlindNight341 (First Appearance)
3. Rayde (First Appearance)

## Trivia

* The official ZAW Day is scheduled every year on August 15th, the anniversary of this chapter's release.
* The ending transcript of the commercial's narrator was originally ushered in by three small emoticons of whales, followed by the information, "ZAW commercial: a blank screen with words and a voiceover; '\*chzz\*'=glitch/static."
* This is the only chapter where BlindNight341 is seen. It is unknown whether Rayde has attempted any further contact with him since their meeting in this chapter.