Lucas’s apartment - present day
Lucas lounged on his sofa, his back sore from all the hard work—playing while in the capsule. Charlie won’t even recognize the fortress now, he thought, catching himself with a silly grin. He quickly dropped it, embarrassed even though no one could see. The feeling was strange—knowing Charlie was John didn’t change the fact that he wanted her for himself.
That was why he’d pushed himself so hard, building up the walls and setting the stage for an economic boom. Well, that and the absurd amount of money pouring in. He still couldn’t believe it. Is this even legal? But a quick glance at his phone confirmed the transfer from the game was already there.
Charlie wouldn’t mind if I embezzled a few thousand, right? He rationalized, dismissing the thought with a smirk.
The holo-TV blinked to life as soon as he thought about it—the sync-reader was working perfectly. On the screen, a well-dressed woman was reading a story about displaced truck drivers. Lucas scoffed. They should’ve learned to code, like me. Then AI wouldn’t be a problem.
The thought of Pearl crossed his mind, and he reached out to call her. As always, she only used audio. Her calm voice broke the silence: “You’re finally calling. Lucas, are you sure?”
“Come on,” he said, raising his voice and leaping from the sofa. “How else are we going to get that much? The game was a good seed, but we need way more. This time, we’re going to succeed.”
There was a long silence—ten seconds, at least. It dragged on for so long that Lucas checked the connection. Still open. Finally, Pearl spoke.
“Deal. But one condition—I’m holding the money. I can’t trust you with bets.”
Village number seventeen - a guild building
Because I knew there were holes in my plan, I moved faster than my opponent could say Denied. Four fast steps took me closer to her while I unfurled my new favorite weapon. The guild clerk opened her mouth to say something, or perhaps in astonishment.
What she intended to say I would never know, because my whip struck her working clothes and penetrated her under-armor without a problem, forcing a deep shriek from her opened mouth.
That guard who was cheeky a few seconds before jumped to at me with swords ready, but it was too late. It was me who scored the first hit, and the duel was underway. I’ll enjoy this. Show me your superiority now!
She grinned, and foreboding overcame me. “I yield.” She ended out our duel before I could reach her again. Perhaps I shouldn’t think about that. Perhaps I should have aimed at her mouth instead.
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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Damn, she’s smart. Now that I’d won, I couldn’t hurt her anymore. Well, I could—but the law wouldn’t be on my side this time. Gritting my teeth, I lowered my whip and glared at her. “You’re lucky. I wan—”
A sharp, stabbing pain in my left side cut me off mid-sentence. I staggered, barely able to stay upright.
An attack!
Before I could raise my hand to summon a shield, something heavy slammed me into the wall. The impact knocked the wind out of me, and a surge of anger bubbled up from my stomach. Whoever did this is going to pay. My mind raced with thoughts of what torture to unleash, but before my fury could take hold, a dull, throbbing pain spread from my neck.
System, what’s going on?
<table style="background-image: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(0, 75, 122, 0.93); margin: 10px auto; width: 90%; border: none; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 2px; padding: 0">
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[You are stunned. Time remaining: 2s]
[You are paralyzed. Time remaining: 5min]</td>
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Great. What the heck got into me? Starting a fight inside a guild? Charlie, are you crazy?
Yes. Yes, I must be.
So what? Stress got to me. Big deal. Okay, that wasn’t much of a consolation. Time. The one thing I didn’t have. And now, every problem I’d been shoving into the corners of my mind came rushing back to the forefront—debt, my sudden transformation into a girl, the simulation itself, betrayal both in-game and by Damon, Lucas’ strange behavior, and that haunting vision of me. Oh, and let’s not forget, more debt.
Stupid paralysis! Why are you forcing me to think? I didn’t want to! I’d just drink or play. Playing would solve everything. Yes, I’d make money by selling enchanted items, and that would fix it all.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“System, what about now?” I thought desperately.
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What? Are you kidding me? Being stuck in my own head for five minutes… This is worse than sleep deprivation.
Should I log out? Yes, yes, I should. But what would be the point? That wasn’t really my reality anymore. I was a girl there too.
Stop.
It didn’t matter.
Well... it did.
But...
They tortured me for the entirety of five minutes. Being trapped inside my own head was the worst kind of torment. When I finally came to, I tried to jolt forward instinctively—only to feel the rough, fishy-smelling rope digging into my arms.
Great. Bound to a chair.
“You can’t bind me like this,” I growled through clenched teeth, writhing against the tight knots. No matter how much I strained, they held firm. Knots: 2. Me: 0. I’ll get my revenge.
The chair, sturdy and rigid, was in the middle of a spacious room painted stark white. As I struggled, it scraped slightly against the golden-red rug beneath me. To my left, large windows showed the darkness of the night outside, while the room itself was lit only by a magic lamp perched on the desk in front of me. The magic lamp’s bright glow shone directly on my face. Someone was watching too much of noir.
Behind the expensive-looking desk, an imposing Elven man sat silently, his long fingers resting lightly on the polished dark wood. His tailored red wool robe practically screamed luxury—it had to be from the southern plains, known for their ridiculously inflated prices, even twenty years from now. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the weight of his eyes boring into me.
Dismayed by his silence, I broke it first. “Are you in charge?” My tone was sharp, but I was proud of my guess. His attire alone was a dead giveaway. “You need to get your guildmates in line.”
He brushed a strand of his long, dark hair out of his face and fixed me with a piercing gaze. “You’ll have to pardon my colleagues,” he said, his deep, level voice somehow calm yet cutting. “They aren’t accustomed to serving nobles of the empire.” A faint flicker of emotion touched his face before he continued. “You need to understand that none of us is here without reason. Every one of them has a story about the empire breathing down their neck.”
I rolled my eyes as best I could with the rope cutting into my arms. “Yeah, I know. So when I try to help you by reporting bandits, you side with them instead of me?” I wiggled against my restraints, the chair nearly tipping over. “Is this stupid rope even necessary?”
The Elf’s lips curled into a faint smile, and he gave a small nod. “If you promise me not to harm my people, I can release you.”
“If you promise not to waste my time and actually listen to me, I won’t need to,” I shot back. He frowned, ringing a small bell on the desk.
We stared at each other for a long, tense half-minute. He smiled. I glared. The faint sound of hesitant footsteps broke the silence as someone finally entered the room.
The Elf gestured toward the newcomer, a young woman. “Emilia, Refi took care of you, yes? Good. Now, tell us what happened.”
“Sir. I regret my boldness,” came a whisper from behind.
Oh, great. The stupid clerk.
Straining against the ropes, I glanced back over my shoulder. There she was, her gaze glued to the expensive rug beneath her feet. An oversized jacket—probably borrowed—hung awkwardly over her frame, with a bandage peeking out from beneath it.
“Not so bold now, huh?” I said, flashing her a big grin. Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowing with anger as they locked onto mine.
“Fine, fine,” I added with a mock wave. “You paid for it. My honor’s restored, so we’re square.”
“You are mistaken, Miss Charlie,” the Elven man interjected, his voice calm but firm. “I still need to punish you for breaking at least ten guild and Elven laws.”
I turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Which ones?”
“That is not—”
“None.” I cut him off, my voice firm. “You know it, she knows it, everyone knows it.” Closing my eyes, I let out a long sigh and shook my head. This is going nowhere, and those ruins aren’t getting explored by themselves.
“I played by your stupid rules, and you all still hate me. Just let me go already.”
“Permission to slap her, sir?” An unfamiliar voice, deep and gravelly, asked from somewhere behind me. The sound of shuffling feet followed.
The Elf didn’t even flinch. With a raised hand, he silenced the newcomer.
Why the heck am I this cheeky? Where are all these emotions even coming from?
Now it was my turn to grin as I caught a flicker of unease in his otherwise calm eyes. “You said something about bandits?”
“Yes,” I replied smoothly. “We found an old outpost down the road, and I wanted to report it because I cast a survey using my ring.” Despite the tension in the room, I forced a friendly smile and stopped struggling against the ropes. “Can I transfer it to you?”
With one quick motion, he waved his hand, and the rope binding me fell away. Then, without a word, he reached under his desk and retrieved a silver plate. The surface gleamed under the lamp’s light, casting vivid rainbows that danced like at the bottom of a bottle. The sight was so fascinating I hesitated, almost afraid to touch it with my ring.
System transfer survey.
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The plate shimmered for a moment before he began chanting, his voice weaving together a complex spell. At least seven glowing runes floated in the air before converging into the plate, and in the next instant, a lifelike projection sprang up from its surface—almost like a hologram!
Now I could see what lay behind the massive wall: at least fifteen bandits scattered around a camp. Some were sitting around the fire we’d spotted in the dark, while others slept in crude tents. Inside an old ruined building, wulves prowled alongside their master and two other bandits, all of whom appeared locked in a heated discussion.
“You weren’t lying…” he murmured, almost breathlessly, his gaze fixed on the projection. “The coordinates... That’s only a few miles from here!”
“See?” I leaned back slightly, my grin widening. “I’m one of the good girls! So... how much for this information?”