that part where the VR game basically turns into real life

honestly thought it was going to be another generic litrpg clone at first, but the way Ash just gets dumped into that world without any of the promised cash is such a slap in the face. It's actually kind of funny how he spends all that time grinding in Apocalypse Online just to end up right back at square one in a place that looks exactly like the starter zone but smells like actual dirt and smoke. I'm still not totally sold on the power system though, especially the part where he has to find those specific tier-one runes in the ruined basement because it felt like he found them way too easily for someone who supposedly just got there. The stakes feel high because he's actually broke and hungry, which is a nice change from those overpowered main characters who just win everything instantly, he's basically just a guy trying not to get stepped on by monsters. I think I missed why he couldn't just log out in that one chapter, maybe I skimmed it too fast but it seemed a bit confusing. Still, the action hits pretty hard once he starts figuring out the combat mechanics for real.