The story begins with Hiroki Sato, a third-year university student and a subject in Professor Kageyama's "Game Brain Research Lab." Professor Kageyama, a brilliant but eccentric neuroscientist and electrical engineer, believes that humans possess an adaptive capacity that could lead to the emergence of a new type of genius in cyberspace, whom he dubs "Cyber Geniuses." Hiroki, who inexplicably excels at VRMMORPGs, surpassing even veteran players, is believed to be one such individual. He is invited to participate in the closed beta test of a highly anticipated new VRMMORPG, "Reverse World Online" (RWO), which promises an "alternative reality."
Hiroki delves into the RWO manual, learning about its unique skill-based system, where actions grant experience, leading to stat increases. Key stats include physical attributes like Strength and Dexterity, and magical attributes like Intelligence and Concentration. Notably, magic is not always guaranteed to hit, with a "resist" mechanic similar to physical misses. The "Luck" stat influences non-visible elements like encounter rates and item drops. RWO features a vast array of active and passive skills, and players can choose from various races, each with different stat affinities and potential for higher-tier evolution (e.g., Human to High Human, Elf to High Elf or Dark Elf). Special races like Demon, Angel, Vampire, and Lich exist but are difficult to attain.
Before the beta test begins, Hiroki contacts his friends and younger sister, Rika, who are also avid gamers. To his surprise, they have also secured beta test access, having earned it through a limited-time quest in another popular game. While they will be on different servers, they agree to exchange information.
On the day of the beta test, Hiroki arrives at the testing venue. He learns about RWO's time-acceleration feature, where one day in-game passes in about 30 minutes of real-time, with a daily play limit of 8 hours and a continuous login limit of 4 hours. After receiving his individual player room, Hiroki prepares to log in. He chooses the "Random Race" option, a feature not detailed in the manual, hoping for an interesting experience.
Upon logging in, Hiroki finds himself in a town called "Black Hidden Village," not the expected starting town. His character is revealed to be a "Lesser Demon," a special race with balanced, high stats, far exceeding those of basic races. While initially thrilled by this "lucky draw," he later discovers significant drawbacks. He selects initial skills, focusing on elemental magic, spear combat, analysis, and mapping, intending to explore the unique capabilities of his demonic race.
Hiroki discovers he is the only player in Black Hidden Village, which is populated by worshippers of an evil god. The surrounding areas are the "Mire of Stagnation" (a swamp) and the "Forest of the Dead," filled with undead monsters. He encounters and defeats various creatures, including skeletons and zombies, noting their unusual strength for early-game enemies. His enhanced perception, a trait from his "Cyber Genius" nature, allows him to react faster than normal players.
A significant turning point occurs when Hiroki faces a "Shadow Wolf," a highly intelligent, mobile monster that tests his combat abilities. He narrowly defeats it using a combination of elemental magic and spear techniques, noting the monster's unexpected difficulty. He then encounters a large group of "Ghosts," which he cannot effectively fight due to his inability to use light magic. He retreats to the swamp, where he faces "Poison Snakes" and then a swarm of "Green Slimes." The slimes prove resilient to physical attacks and his limited MP for magic. In a desperate move, he uses rotten meat, a drop from a zombie, to lure the slimes away, a tactic inspired by another game.
After this harrowing escape, Hiroki returns to town to purchase better equipment. He learns about the material tiers for crafting and decides to upgrade his weapon to a bronze spear and acquire some basic armor and accessories. He also visits a blacksmith and a general store, discovering that the town's shops are combined and that skills can be purchased.
The next day, Hiroki ventures out again, focusing on gathering materials and strengthening his skills. He learns that his demon race, while powerful in combat, is poor at non-combat activities like crafting or gathering. After two in-game days, he has acquired new skills, including a fire-based area-of-effect spell, "Blaze," which proves effective against the ghosts and slimes. He also successfully fuses his spear and axe skills to learn "Halberd," a versatile weapon skill. He reflects on his demon race's rank system, noting that special races don't "promote" like others but gain ranks, and he is currently at the lowest rank, "Lesser Demon." He feels sufficiently empowered to explore deeper into the surrounding fields.
