.hack//LEGEND OF THE TWILIGHT Volume 1

Welcome to the World; The biggest online RPG forum, where the player use headsets to enter a world that is so real, it becomes another reality. In this reality, you can be anything, and do anything you want.  Enter brother and sister Shugo and Rena, respectively. Rena has just won limited edition avatars for a special version of the game and pesters her brother to try it. Almost immediately, they are attacked by a level 40 Golem. With the Golem having a good 39 levels over them, you do the math, they would have been killed instantly but for two factors. Those factors names are: Aura, a mysterious girl who-not only saves Shugo's life- but gives him a strange bracelet that will help him defeat his enemies. And then, with a kiss, and an obscure message, that Shugo is the chosen one, destined to follow in the footsteps of the legendary .hackers, heroes that are more myth than reality. The other factor is an administrator named Balmung. Originally a very powerful player in the world, Balmung has turned his talents to administration, the planning of events and of course, the saving of very pretty young girls.

After their adventure, and the restoration of their game lives, they meet a rare items collector, a girl named Mireille. Mireille offers to team up with them because of their rarity, and because she finds them entertaining. Over the course of the book, they also befriend Ouka, a werewolf- this friendship resulted from a rather embarrassing incident, in which Shugo, believing Ouka,who at the time was in wolf form,  to be a NPC(Non-Player Character), gives her a dog collar and begins begging his sister to let them keep her.

Since Ouka is a high-level, and in Mireille's warped senses rare, it is no surprise the two are fast friends.  The next day, when the four agree to meet, Ouka and Mireille are running late. While Shugo and Rena are waiting, a newbie named Hotaru comes to them asking for help curing a sick grunty. (Grunty- a small pig-like creature that is rasied in The World, and can be, when mature,used to ride like a horse.) Apparently the only cure is Phoenix Down, a rare substance, costing more than either Shugo, who has agreed to help, or Hotaru can afford.

They set off to the Valley of Hades, to fight Cerberus, who is known to sometimes carry extra Phoenix Down with him. During this previous interval, Ouka and Mireille arrive, and express concerns over whether or not Shugo can handle such a high-level monster. All ends well however, and Shugo and Hotaru return safely, and the grunty is cured.

The last thing in volume 1 is the reappearance of Balmung, who is hosting a contest. In this contest, male players set out to save the "princess". Rena is chosen as princess and Balmung and Shugo fight it out to see who will rescue her first. Even though it basically ends in a tie, Rena acknowledges Balmung as  her champion.

Published by TokyoPop, .hack//LEGEND OF THE TWILIGHT is rated T, and is highly recommended by this website.

Ja Ne,
Catgirl