Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris/Yanagi

“……Hey…miss, wake up… you hear me…?”
A discreet call and a tap on the cheek with just enough force not to
hurt, and my consciousness slowly rose from the darkness.
I looked up, wondering what it was, and saw a strange uncle’s face right
in front of me.
“!?”
An inarticulate scream rushed from the back of my throat.
“Woah?! Miss, you alright there?!”
The two people who I could always count on to be there for me were
still nowhere to be found!
Reiji, Ayame, where are you?!
In my haste to get away from the stranger in front of me… I seemed to
have accidentally stepped on a wet tree root, and the feeling of the
ground disappeared from under my feet.
“Kyah?!”
Just as I was about to stand up, my slipping body fell backward, and I
plunged headfirst into the still soft snow.
After blinking a few times, I finally remembered why I was here, sticking
my head into the snow as I felt the coldness enveloping my head.
“…Have you cooled down now?”
“Yes, literally… Sorry for causing you trouble…”
I looked away from the bewildered uncle in embarrassment.
“…So, are you the one who fixed me up, miss?”
The stranger, introducing himself as Scott, pointed to a large hole in his
blood-stained clothes and asked. The clothes didn’t magically heal, but
the skin peeking out from underneath was unscathed.
“Thank goodness… you don’t seem to be hurt anymore. How are you
feeling? Any discomfort?”
“All good. I honestly didn’t think I would make it, so you really saved my
life.”
I hurriedly asked Scott-san, who was bowing to me in a deep, down-onhis-
earth posture, to raise his head. I didn’t feel comfortable when an
older person was kneeling before me.
“Though… I honestly think I shouldn’t have survived… That was my
punishment, after all.”
Suddenly, Scott-san looked dark and somber, and appeared to be on
the verge of tears.
“Punishment, you say…?”
“That’s right… You see, I’ve seen a lot of terrible people doing a lot of
terrible things, and I’ve pretended not to see them… I should have been
punished for my inaction…”
“No…”
The person in front of me didn’t look like a bad person.
He had been guarding me when I was unconscious and vulnerable for
ten minutes, and stayed in a certain range away from me because of his
concern for my earlier behavior.
And yet, such a person said, “I shouldn’t have been saved”. If he puts it
that way, we, too, are averse to trouble, and we turn a blind eye to the
“bad things” in front of us a lot.
When I thought of that, I unintentionally took his hand with both of
mine.
“…Please don’t blame yourself, Scott-san. You must have a lot of
regrets all this time, right? I’m sure you’re a better person than you
think you are…”
“But…”
Ah, my hands were shaking. I hoped he didn’t notice. But I was less
distraught than I thought I would be.
“If there’s a next time, you can always try to be brave… As long as
you’re alive… surely, there will be other opportunities to make
amends… so please, don’t say that you should die, okay?”
I held his craggy hand and smiled to cheer him up as best as I could.
I felt a faint pulse from the hand I held. Yes, they were alive. The people
of this world were not NPCs, but human beings with blood in their
veins, who had lived their own lives and had their own problems.
“I’m just glad that you’ve made it and live on.”
Indeed, I, who had only been able to live by being saved by someone
else, was able to save this person.
“…Thank you, miss. From now on, I’ll do my best with the life you’ve
given me. And sorry for showing such a pathetic scene to you, someone
who should be my daughter’s age.”
He let out a chuckle. Looks like the matter had been settled.
“What are you going to do now, miss?”
“Um… there’s a few things I want to do, so I have to get going…”
“I see… It’s only a couple of minutes’ walk to the nearest town, but be
careful and get there early, you don’t want to stay in such a deserted
place any longer. See you.”
And so, leaving me with a warning for my safety, he said his goodbyes
and disappeared deep into the woods.
“…Well then.”
I had to finish my business here. My headache had subsided
considerably, but I was still tormented by a sense of urgency that
something must be done.
Scott
I worked for some lowlife mercenary band… or should I say, “used to
work for”?
These mercenaries were a bunch of thugs in all but name, who ran out
of job after cheating their clients, and turned to banditry in the middle
of nowhere because they couldn’t afford to eat.
I was a scout because of my eyesight and quickness, even though I had
never been good in a fight. I didn’t know how things turned out the way
they did. I should have stayed in the countryside and worked in the
fields all my life, I thought now, but I couldn’t find a way out and ended
up here getting involved in terrible things.
Then I got attacked by a strange monster and had my stomach ripped
open. I thought I was going to die, but an angel appeared before me.
For some reason, when I woke up, there was a beautiful girl sitting
unconscious in front of me, and I was so shocked that I thought my
heart might stop again.
The angel, no, the young miss, was a very nice person. She was scared
of me, a stranger, at first, and when she talked, her hands never
stopped shaking for a moment… as if she were a little girl forcibly
brought in by a bunch of people and treated crudely.
And yet, she listened to my problem and even took my hand and told
me that I was a better person than I thought I was, that she was glad
that I was still alive, with tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. Her
hands were still shaking with fear when she did all that.
But I’m sure even that girl would be disillusioned if she knew the truth.
And for not telling her because of my fear, I still remained a horrible
person.
So at the very least, I have to lead those bastards somewhere else so
that the young lady can get out safely. To do that, I needed to change
my clothes… If I dressed like this, I’d end up bringing those bastards the
treasure called “the priestess who can bring even the dying back to
life”.
Not only that, but she was a really pretty girl, and no matter how I
looked at her, she seemed to be an aristocrat or a lady of some nice
place.
If I incurred those people’s wrath, who knew what kind of hell would be
waiting for me… I’m sure there were spare clothes in the cabin down
the road.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing away from your post?”
The voice behind my back freaked me out. Dammit, the footprints were
still there…!
“Hmm… you look like you’ve seen some shit… Spew out everything you
know. If you lie to me, I’m sure you know what happens next…”
The long sword brushed against my cheek.
I…
Iris/Yanagi
“Woah…”
In the middle of the forest, a small space with crystals growing in a
circle suddenly appeared from the ground.
There was no snow around these parts, creating a fantastic landscape
that looked like a different world…
“This must be the ‘Wound Of The World’…”
Yes, this view was similar to the place called “Wound Of The World” in
the game, where high-level raid bosses and dungeons spawned.
Though, the scenery in the game was much larger than this.
Once in a while, these “Wounds” opened in the world and various
threats emerged from the other worlds… that was how it’s supposed to
be set up, which meant this place was actually on the verge of
becoming another world.
“Why is it in such a place… hyah?!”
As soon as I took a step, the wings on my back revealed themselves
without me being aware of it.
Knowledge that instantly flooded from the back of my brain. It was as if
I were remembering something I had forgotten… or as if the installation
was complete at this very moment.
“Ugh… I think I kind of know what to do now…”
Wandering around, I walked up to the center of the space, which was
no more than 10 meters in diameter.
As I was led, I held up both hands, and a crack in the space, the main
body of the “Wound of the World” appeared between my hands.
It hurts.
It’s painful.
Help. Help. Help.
I felt as if the world itself was screaming directly at me.
The three pairs of light wings on my back gently embraced the crack
that was the root of the pain.
In my arms, I could hear something that was not a person crying out in
pain, something that until now I could only recognize as pain.
So this is why I was called here.
I heard the voice that called for my help.
I began to sing.
The lyrics themselves were nothing special, just a well-known lullaby
back in my old world… but through these wings it becomes a spirit of
speech, clothed in healing power, and permeated the “Wound” like
patting a child on the back, soothing it.
The crack in my arm slowly filled in little by little, as I felt something
slipping out of my body with the most tremendous force I had ever felt
since I was sent to this world… Eventually, that feeling disappeared, and
so did the cries for help.
My strength in the lower body was so drained that I sat down on the
spot.
However, before I knew it, the space was overgrown with grass, softly
accepting me as I had lost my strength.

(Author’s Note)
The protagonist often collapsed. Fortunately, Iris didn’t lose
consciousness this time.
The song is the famous Schubert lullaby. Don’t ask me for the full lyrics.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris/Yanagi
I couldn’t just sit here stunned forever, so I started to get myself
cleaned up.
I was currently wearing only a thin one-piece dress, not even any
underwear. At this rate, I would soon be deprived of body heat and
unable to move.
Since the menu didn’t appear like how it used to be in the game, I had
to put on the clothes in order myself, but that’s not the problem.
I had planned to change into the “Rookie Priestess Dress” after the
reincarnation event, so I brought it along with me. This outfit was also
the one “Iris” wore the most times in the “Worldgate Online”
illustrations I had drawn several times. Because I had described it in
detail in the setting materials, I was familiar with its structure.
…
It seemed I had underestimated the complexity and hassle of girls’
clothing.
Out came the set of costumes, which in the game was a set of three or
four icons for all the parts of the body, and when all the components
were taken out, they were like a small mountain.
Besides, although I could move my legs and feet more freely than in my
original body, I was still affected by the lameness of my lower body.
I might be able to stand and walk somehow with this body, but I wasn’t
sure I could perform any other actions.
Since I could not balance myself, I had to sit down and change my
clothes, but I was hesitant to sit directly on the floor of the ruins with
my naked body without underwear, so I laid a mattress I took out of my
bag on the floor. This was one of the things my sister made me carry as
part of my “girl’s etiquette”, but I was thankful for it in this case.
Sitting on the mattress, I slipped one leg through my underwear at a
time. At first I thought it was such a small piece of cloth, but when I put
it on, the feel of the comfortable fabric that fits snugly against my skin
makes me feel secure, as if I was being protected, and something in me
as a former man was being whittled away.
Next up… was the bra. I picked it up and wondered whether I should
wear it or not…
In the end, considering I had to walk after this, I decided to wear the
bra.
Then I took out a pair of black tights. In the game, they had an effect of
mitigating cold air damage, and as expected, there would be no such
effect here.
I put them on while still sitting down, thinking that they would be of
some comfort. This was very difficult.
Next was the slip that got caught on my finger… I was a little concerned
about whether this was also necessary, but my “charming” underwear
in the game was delicate and seemed to be easily damaged in reality,
so I wore the slip on just in case… I didn’t know when I’d be able to get
replacement underwear, and I wanted to avoid unnecessary wear and
tear.
After this much clothing, I finally got to work on the actual outfit. I was
extremely tired at this stage. I was forced to bear in mind that dressing
a girl was really a time-consuming and laborious task.
I put on a sleeveless blouse and a skirt combined with frilly panniers.
The skirt was quite high above the knees, but the layers of frills made it
difficult to see my underwear.
Then I put on my robe over them. I thought I would have a hard time
fixing my long hair that had gotten caught in the robe, but it slipped out
of the robe and fell out of my hands without much effort, and I was
unexpectedly impressed.
The light cream-colored, knee-length robe, embroidered in places with
gold thread, was longer than the skirt worn underneath, but had four
slits around the waist, where the frills of the pannier peeked out.
The two rows of buttons on the front were fastened tightly, and the
waist was finished by adjusting the waistband with a ribbon at the back
of the waist.
With a hand mirror, I checked to see if I was properly dressed.
The tightly buttoned blouse and the robe worn over it gave the
impression of a neat priestess, but the fluffy frills visible in places
softened the stiff atmosphere and gave me a cute and gorgeous look.
Lastly, a pair of short boots with thick soles, slightly above the ankles
and with a length that takes field work into consideration, and I was
ready to go.
I stood up and spun around on the spot to see if there was anything
odd about the place, and the skirt fluttered up to follow the movement.
…This is a bad idea. Regardless of how I felt when it was still a game,
when I actually had to wear it in real life, I felt shocked by its “cuteness
over practicality” design.
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I quickly put on my cold-weather gear…
a hooded poncho or something… and left the room.
When I stepped outside, the cold air immediately stung my skin.
Fortunately, the cold was not unbearable, as it was just as cold as when
snow began to accumulate at this time of the year.
I pulled out a moderately ornately decorated staff, slightly longer than I
was, with a few gems scattered around it and a clinking gold ring.
Although it looked great, its performance was below the mid-level at
best, and its appearance was transferred from another piece of gear
from the time it was a game. Nevertheless, it was more than enough
for me, who was probably at level 1.
I shook it to try it out, but I didn’t feel any discomfort. It seemed that I
could use it without any problem.
I lightly released “Divine Spear” at the lowest output. It was probably
one of the only few ways to protect myself, so I wanted to get a feel for
its performance.
The result was… with the loss of the system assistance, the homing
function was lost, and I found that if the target was not firmly acquired
by the user until the moment of impact, it would fly somewhere on an
unstable trajectory, like a missile that has lost sight of its target.
There was a cooldown between shots, but it was fired instantly just like
before. The difference was that I now felt a slight, uncontrollable recoil
at the time the spear was fired.
The characteristic of MP damage was still present, but it also turned out
to be more useful in this world than one might think.
I tried it on a rat I happened to see, and it seemed that in this world, a
significant decrease in MP caused an alteration in physical condition,
and if depleted to a certain degree or less, the rat would fall into a
coma.
Healing magic had no effect on the comatose rat, and when I tried
“Mana Transfer”, a magic that transfers MP, the rat immediately woke
up and ran away, so I was sure it’s probably true.
Now that I had an effective means of fighting back if I was attacked, I
was able to give myself a bit of mental leeway.
On the other hand, the same also applied to me, and magic must be
exercised with caution, as MP damage and excessive use of magic can
result in a loss of action.
In particular, since my ability to use magic was now greatly reduced, it
seemed that it was no longer possible to skip support by leaving it up to
MP, as was the case in the game days.
Potions and the like also had their effects greatly reduced.
When I drank a bottle of magic water, which was an MP recovery item,
as a test, I found that although there was a sense of magic power slowly
returning… I didn’t feel any immediate change after drinking it.
Another, explicable troublesome, thing about this was since it was a
liquid, it accumulated in my stomach immediately after drinking. The
stomach capacity of this body seemed to be small, so I should think that
it’s impossible to gulp down so many bottles.
At any rate, after trying out all the major magic and confirming that I
could activate all of them, I tried to contact the two people who were
supposed to be waiting for me in a nearby town…
“Of course the chat function’s gone too…”
…I had to give up on that idea and waited for the two powerful players
to come here, but…
“What if I was the only one to be sent here…?”
A sickening, unpleasant thought crossed my mind. My bag was already
overstuffed with gear, and there was almost no food or water in it. A
few bottles of magic water and two slices of sandwich were all I had.
While waiting for the two people who might or might not be coming.
“…I knew it, I can’t just leave it to them to come to me, I must find
them.”
Wiping away the drops that were about to overflow from the corner of
my eyes, I stepped out onto the snowfield where I had originally come
from during the game, determined to be ready.
…And as it turned out, I wasn’t ready enough.
This world looked like the game, its magic worked almost the same way
as the game. Therefore, I guess I underestimated the reality of this
world and thought that it would be somehow manageable. I didn’t
think I took the meaning of my new reality that seriously at the time.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

(Iris/Yanagi’s PoV)
“Wha-”
At the moment I made my choice, there was a violent noise on the
screen.
A crimson geometric pattern ran in all directions, as if drawing
something in blood on the white campus. It spread across this pure
white world in the blink of an eye.
When I involuntarily stepped back a few steps, I was instantly
suspended in midair with no time to resist, as black shadows clung to
my limbs from the book in front of me, which had floated up by itself.
“Saul, Reiji, something happened…!”
“What’s going on there?!”
“Onii-chan, calm down and tell me!”
“L-Let go… of m-?!”
Dark-colored strips of blood pounded through my chest, stomach, and
entire body as I tried to escape the restraints.
Air was squeezed out of the lungs that should not be there, and
breathing became a struggle.
“Hey… Can you still rep-”
“Onii… what happen-”
The party chat went awry with static, and eventually I couldn’t hear
anything anymore.
And the sense of loss as something important disappeared in me. The
feeling of fulfillment as something else filled the empty space, the pain
that seemed to wash it all away. It was like an insect dissolving its entire
body into mush once inside its chrysalis to become an adult, and the
chill of having everything forcibly changed.
“I’m… fading away…”
In my sinking consciousness, I managed to squeeze out my voice with
the last of my strength, but the line that connected me to them had
already collapsed, and I could not reach them anywhere, and my voice
vanished in vain.
“…Where am I?”
I woke up in an unfamiliar ceiling.
…No, I recognized it.
I was a little unsure because I did not have the mental capacity to look
at it seriously, but it was an old ruin on the outskirts of the northern
country, where the entrance to the White World, the room of
reincarnation where I had just passed, was located.
…Did that mean I suddenly fell asleep after my finished reincarnation,
and I just woke up?
Come to think of it, I must have been very tired, because I had recently
cut my sleep time to the limit and spent as much time as the game
allowed me to on that last-minute leveling. So, with the completion of
my reincarnation, the tension broke… or was it?
Something felt off, really off.
This game should have forced me to logout if a certain amount of time
elapsed after falling asleep, as there might be something wrong with
my health.
And since this was the world’s first VRMMORPG, they must have been
very cautious about life-threatening bugs.
In other words, “falling asleep and waking up in the game” was
something that was not supposed to happen.
Gradually, a bad feeling began to creep up on my back. As a semireclusive
person, I used to read novels for entertainment, and I know
that at one time such a genre of novels was all the rage.
No matter how hard I tried, not even the menu screen appeared.
I tried again, and again.
The GM call was completely unavailable.
I was out of the loop by any stretch of the imagination, thank you very
much. No, no, no, that novel-like scenario must not be real…
I couldn’t help but feel chills down my spine.
Come to think of it, the floor on which I was lying down was awfully
cold.
It made sense, since I was lying on a hard marble floor in a northern
country…
“?!”
I was startled and tried to jump up… but my legs weren’t strong enough
and I sit down flat.
…Why did I feel cold?
This game did not reproduce that much detail. Otherwise, in the
extreme cold, I would immediately freeze and get stuck.
At most, body movements would only be slightly restricted when I get
the “low body temperature” abnormal status, and I wouldn’t actually
feel hot or cold.
Fortunately, this room was a bit warm for some reason, so there
seemed to be no immediate problem, but it was still a bit
uncomfortable in my current light clothing.
And now I was in the so-called girl-sitting position, and the coldness
coming from my legs and buttocks was not at all inferior to that of the
real thing.
As I sit there stunned, a rainbow-colored glow crossed the edge of my
vision.
When I took it in my hand, I could feel the smoothness of the finest silk
thread.
I pulled on it lightly to see where it came from… and it hurt. It seemed
to flow down from my own scalp.
I turned to look at my hand that was holding the thread. It was a very
familiar hand. Specifically, it was “the hand that I had always seen in
the game”.
However, beneath the translucent white skin, there was a hint of
vermilion, indicating that blood was running through it, and even veins
were visible through the skin. When I touched my wrist, I could feel the
soft, moist, and fine texture of my skin, but I could also feel the
hardness of her tendons and other parts of her body.
I wonder if the avatars in this game had finally reproduced the human
body in such details.
…It couldn’t be.
I created the textures for this character myself.
I was sure that my sister and I worked on it for months in pursuit of the
best quality, but I certainly didn’t remember going that far, and I had
been dealing with this body for years since I started playing the game.
There was no way I didn’t realize it until now.
I pinched myself lightly…
“Ouch?!”
I let go of my hand in a panic at the stabbing pain, and the place where
I had pinched earlier gradually turned red. Come to think of it, it also
hurt when I pulled my hair earlier.
With a trembling hand, I explore the pouch on my waist. Fortunately, it
has not lost its function as a magic bag, and its contents seemed
unchanged. From it, I pulled out the hand mirror I usually carried (used
for looking at shadows, etc., not for my narcissistic taste) and looked at
my own face.
If I had to put it succinctly, I would say that an immensely beautiful girl
was reflected there.
She was still probably very young, in her early teens at most.
Her skin was as translucent white as her arms, while her cheeks were
slightly cherry-red, as if she were a doll that had come into life.
Her bangs, trimmed just below the eyebrows, were gently slanted, and
while her right eye was fully exposed, the left side was long enough to
slightly cover the middle of her eye.
Her sideburns were neatly coiffed and just touching her shoulders, and
her hair was not tied back, but simply flowed smoothly and softly down
to her waist.
In the middle of her small face, framed by a curtain of silver thread, her
wide-open eyes were framed by long lashes, and when she relaxed her
face, her eyelids were slightly downcast and her eyes drooped, giving
her a gentle-looking smile.
In the center of her eyes, pale, moist-looking amethyst pupils
shimmered.
Her nose was not too high and not too low, with modest but beautiful
lines, and her rather small lips were plump and lovely, glistening with a
light pink color despite the fact that she did not seem to be wearing any
makeup.
In short, she had the look of “a pretty but fragile girl who might make
people want to protect her or feel attracted to her”.
As I shifted my viewpoint downward, I saw that beneath the thin,
unreliable, and dangerous clothes that were only there to prevent
exposure of her nude body for her new class, was a small, still childish
body less than 150cm, but with a dangerously balanced figure that was
beginning to turn from a girl to a woman.
The breasts, hidden by the clothes, were palm-sized but well formed,
and were still growing, so they were a little firm, but the surface was
still soft and pleasant to the touch.
I was concerned about the lack of feeling down there, between my legs,
but I wasn’t sure I have the mental capacity to investigate that right
now, so I was going to put it off.
Every sensation up to this point had done its best to insist that this was
reality. And that new reality made me want to die.
Moreover, I recognized this face very well. The avatar that had won the
grand prize over many other companies’ work so many times that she
was eventually forbidden to enter. A masterpiece created by my sister,
who said “If I’m going to do something, I’ll aim to become the best at
it”. The usual face of “Iris”, who I had been controlling for seven years.
Actually no, I shouldn’t say “usual”. As a result of the added realism,
her face stood out even more than the norm of the world.
However,…
“The hair color looks kind of different.”
I changed the angle of the hair in my hand and stared at it sullenly.
Originally, the hair was just a plain, near-white silver, but now it
appeared to have a faint rainbow glow.
“Is this the effect of becoming a new race after reincarnation? But…”
There was a lonely feeling on my back. The large wings on my back, a
characteristic of the Highborn race, were not present.
“I don’t get it… Am I supposed to be the Lightwing race?”
To test it out, I thought back to when I was moving the wings in the
game and put light pressure around the shoulder blades for a while…
Suddenly, my vision was enveloped in light.
In an instant, the room was filled with sparkling, fantastic particles of
light.
It was as if I had seen numerous and uncountable fireflies at my
grandparents’ house in the mountains of Tohoku, or perhaps multiply
that by a dozen.
Also, countless feathers shaped like fluffy lights were falling down,
making the dreary ruins look as if they had been turned into a solemn
religious painting. If I were to become the subject of such a painting… I
would very much refrain from doing so.
I picked up one of the fluttering feathers to test it out, and the moment
I touched it, it dissipated into particles.
When I turned around slowly with a slow movement that sounded like
rusty metal, I saw three pairs of six wings shimmering in my field of
vision, emitting a dazzling light. Come to think of it, I think it was wings
like these that were painted there when I went to see the mural at the
event.
“Oh god…This is bad…”
I felt as if I could no longer stop sweating.
If I looked into the mirror now, I am sure that the face of the innocent
girl I just saw would be drawn out in the same way.
The “Lightwing” race in this game was a race that was sometimes
mentioned in conversations in the game and was said to have existed a
long time ago. It was said that they were the most precious race in the
world at that time, and had an important role to play…
At present, they had gone completely extinct.
Moreover, from time to time, a “wound of the world” would open up in
this world.
Some dungeons and powerful monsters such as raid bosses arose from
these wounds.
And the Lightwing race was supposedly capable of healing the world
itself, erasing any wounds that had occurred.
I had never imagined that it was possible to choose such an option, so
when I actually saw its name on the list of reincarnation options, I could
not believe my eyes and chose it, knowing the risk.
However, if it were in a game, it would have been nothing more than an
element to feel superior. However, if this is no longer a game, but
reality, then…
“I’m screwed… This isn’t what I signed up for…”
Various disturbing and unjust words flickered in and out of my mind. I
felt as if I was losing my mind. Is this the punishment for cheating, God?
Isn’t it a little too heavy?
Kuga Yanagi, also known as Iris in the game. And if the game setting
was still there, Iris Nordglacier, Princess of the Northern Kingdom.
I was currently at level 1, just after my reincarnation.
Without the power to protect myself, I was now a girl of an ancient race
that was supposed to be extinct…

Part 1
(Yanagi’s PoV)
“You alright…?”
“It’s fine… I’m outside now…”
I answered languidly to the voice behind me.
The water-soaked handkerchief covering my eyes felt cool and
comforting, and the pit in my stomach that had been churning earlier
had somehow subsided, apparently no longer worried about wreaking
havoc in the crowded station.
Well, I got sick while I was riding the crowded train to travel from the
countryside where I lived to the city. To be more exact, I didn’t get sick
because of traveling by train. I got sick because of the crowd inside it.
“You’re never like this in the game.”
Reiji muttered something while pushing the wheelchair I was sitting in.
As for the reason I had to use a wheelchair, I couldn’t move as much as
I’d like from my waist down because of a past injury that had damaged
important nerves.
I wasn’t completely immobile, however. I could stand for short periods
of time if I could hold on, and with a cane I could walk short distances
around the house, but for the most part, I used a wheelchair.
“You see, even though this game felt much more realistic than anything
that came before, I still think people are aware that their characters are
not flesh and blood.”
No matter how beautiful the graphics of “Worldgate Online” might be,
it was impossible to simulate all real-life events.
For example, even a single cloud, for example, could only be made to
resemble a real cloud by randomly connecting several prepared
patterns together, and there was no way that every grain of sand on
the ground or every leaf on a tree could be generated individually.
The same was true for the characters. They could be touched, and if
someone touched their skin, they could feel the softness and body
heat, but the texture of the tissue under the skin was reproduced only
by large bones at best, and the fact that their blood vessels and the like
couldn’t be seen left them feeling more or less like dolls.
Thanks to this, I didn’t fear people as much in “Worldgate Online”
because I didn’t perceive them as real “humans”. Even though the
avatar of “Iris” attracted people and their eyes were focused on me, I
could maintain my performance to the extent that I was able to
maintain it without breaking down, aside from my inner thoughts.
More than anything else, the sensation of pain in “Worldgate Online”
was much duller than real life, and even if I was cut, I would only feel
numb at most. Even if the same thing from before happened to me, my
mind would still eventually be at ease.
…I feared “living” humans.
I was the victim of a robbery and murder in the past, which resulted in
the loss of my parents and the freedom of my legs.
The unreserved media coverage that continued during the subsequent
hospitalization was so stressful that my grandfather had to step in and
moved us to the countryside where he lived.
Because of this, with the exception of Ayame, Reiji, and a few other
acquaintances I trusted, I couldn’t get rid of the thought that the next
moment other people would pull out their blades and attack me.
I could still tolerate it if there were few people, but not in places where
people gather like schools or train stations. Instead of time resolving
the problem, it gradually worsened, to the point that I finally dropped
out of high school.
However, I thought I was gradually getting used to it as I interacted
with people on “Worldgate Online”. In the past, I would have likely
panicked even if there were two people nearby, but now I only felt a
little sick. That’s why…
“Don’t look so gloomy. I’m getting better, and I’m sure that one day, in
the not-too-distant future, I’ll be fine, I hope.”
I reached out to the head of Ayame, who was looking down next to me,
and tapped it lightly.
I was stabbed when I was protecting Ayame who fell down while
running away from a robber, so she blamed herself for my own injuries.
There’s no need for her to beat herself up like that. My sister, who was
only 5 years old at the time, deserved to be protected.
She had grown up to become a beautiful woman, and I felt sorry for her
to be tied up in my care forever.
Though, I wouldn’t mind if Ayame and Reiji ended up together.
While I was thinking in a daze, the traffic light in front of me started
flashing as we approached, and I was slightly floored by the wheelchair
that suddenly stopped.
“Oops, my bad. Should I have kept going instead?”
As I wriggled back into my seated position, a concerned voice called out
to me.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m more afraid of not making it across.”
The speed of the cars on the main street showed no restraint, and we
probably would have had to stop around the median. Therefore, Reiji’s
judgment was not wrong.
Again I waited for the traffic lights to change, I saw the rear wheels of a
large truck trying to make a left turn in a narrow space in front of me…
Hey, wasn’t this too close?
“Watch out!”
“Wah?!”
Reiji, who was standing behind me, lifted the wheelchair I was sitting in
and moved it to the side. Right afterward, the big rear wheel of the
truck crossed the spot where I was just before.
My face started to turn pale at the life-threatening event that just
happened, but more than that, I was concerned about…
“Onii-chan?!”
Ayame rushed over and checked my body for any injuries.
“I think I’m in one piece. Reiji saved me just in time. And…”
“Goddammit! Don’t you see there’s a wheelchair over here?! What the
hell was that drifting?!”
Reiji, who had just saved my life, couldn’t help but swear at the truck
that just left. Didn’t he realize what he had done earlier…?
“Reiji-san, is your arm alright?”
When Reiji turned his attention back to us, he looked quizzical at
Ayame’s question.
“Hmm? What are you talking about… Ah!”
He finally realized what he had just done. On such a spur of the
moment, no matter how well trained Reiji was and no matter how
scrawny I am, I couldn’t believe that he could lift a wheelchair with one
adult male in it as if it were a toy.
“Huh? Why? It totally didn’t feel heavy…”
“I-Is this the so-called adrenaline rush, ahaha…”
Like the matter of him beating his grandfather from yesterday, I still
wondered if something was going on.
I felt like my doubts that I once sank were starting to rise again, but that
didn’t change the fact that Reiji had saved me, like he always did.
“Thank you all the same, Reiji. You saved my life.”
So, even though I was late, I thought I should at least express my
gratitude.
“…Oh? Okay.”
For some reason, he fluttered his eyes for a while and now rubbed
them. He looked at me again and started mumbling something. What
on earth was he doing?
“…Hey, isn’t that just mean? I’ve always been grateful to you, you
know?”
“Nonono, I didn’t mean it, it’s just that you looked… Nevermind that,
let’s go.”
With a face as if he had seen a ghost, he pushed my wheelchair again
and started walking through the crosswalk that had turned into a green
light.
“…What the hell… Yanagi just now… He looked…”
“Arks VR Technologies”… The company stood in an inconspicuous
location on the somewhat suburban outskirts of a certain governmentregulated
city in the Tohoku region.
The “Worldgate Online” service we were familiar with did not disclose
its location, and all communication, except by phone, was done
through its parent company. Therefore, there was no company signs,
and from the exterior alone, it appeared to be just one of the
somewhat newer city buildings.
However, it was said that there is a large server room in the basement
filled with a large amount of very expensive equipment.
“Well, I’m going to hang out at one of those bookstores around here. I’ll
be back in a couple of hours.”
“Sorry about that. We’ll buy you a drink on the way home.”
“Nice. Good luck with your work.”
I waved my hand and watched his back as he walked away, tapped my
cheek to cheer myself up, and rang the intercom, which immediately
made a clanging sound.
“It’s me, Kuga. I’ve come as promised.”
As I was saying that much, the front door started to make a flurry of
noise, and one slightly flirtatious-looking Onii-san popped out. I knew
him. And I didn’t like him.
“Kuga-kuuuuuuuuuuuun!”
That person… Higami-san, ran toward me while shouting my name. He
braked just in front of my wheelchair, stopped abruptly, bent his waist
at a right angle, and bowed.
“I love you, please marry me!”
“Good morning, Higami-san. You must mean a wedding in the game,
right? I kindly refuse.”
“I don’t mind marrying you in real life!”
“Even more kindly refuse!”
…He must be joking, right?
Good grief, he wasn’t a bad person, but he was so quick to pull these
kinds of pranks that it bothered me. See, he even made Ayame scared…
wait a minute, these eyes were killers.
This person, after all, was the art director a.k.a our superior, and if he
were to suddenly disappear, we would be in serious trouble.
While I was fussing, a kind-looking woman in a suit came out from the
back of the room, clapping her hands. She was the company planner,
Hatakeyama-san.
“Come on now, these kids came here to help us. Welcome, Yanagi-kun,
Ayame-chan. Did he trouble you too much?”
“T-Thanks for your concern… It wasn’t too bad today, to be honest.”
“He got a little sick, but he seems to have calmed down now… He
doesn’t seem to be taking it too hard.”
“Mmm, if Ayame-chan says so, then we’re good to go.”
“What about me?!”
Why didn’t she trust me?! I only pushed myself too much and collapsed
during a consultation just once!
“So, has Kuga-kun finally reached level 110?”
“Yes…”
“Okay, I’ll let ‘that person’ know about it.”
I put my hand on my cheek and let out a sigh.
The genius scientist who kickstarted this place… Aureo-san, tended to
make last-minute changes quite often, and it’s a lot of work.
Still, I had a lot of experiences that I normally wouldn’t have had, and I
even got a job. I was enjoying it to the fullest, to say the least.
“I appreciate that. Thank you very much.”
I sat down and bowed my head. When I looked up, Hatakeyama-san
was smiling a bit shyly…
“…Higami-san, what’s the matter?”
The other person, Higami-san, covered his mouth and stared at me
weirdly… I think this was the second time today someone did that to
me.
“N-Nothing. I’m sure my eyes are just a little tired right now. Kuga-kun’s
character is a Highborn Bishop, am I correct? That means…”
“It’s something ‘he’ personally prepared, so I’m very excited to see
what happens… I look forward to your reaction to the upcoming event.”
“Um, what are you talking about?”
“”It’s a trade secret.””
Hey, don’t leave me at such a cliffhanger!
“…Mr. President? It’s rare to see you come out of the development
office.”
Higami-san was surprised to bump into a man in a very distinguished
suit.
The president of this company… Mr. Aureo Uber, whom I saw many
times on the news at one time or another.
Up close, I could see that this man was quite fit. With his magnificent
silver hair and neatly trimmed beard, he looked like he could be a
movie actor.
“Things have settled down for the moment… Oh, are you that Kugakun,
the player controlling that ‘Iris’ girl?”
“Yes, that’s me. It’s been a long time since we met like this.”
“Please, make yourself at home… I have high hopes for you, so keep up
your good work.”
“Eh? I’ll do my best.”
He suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. But, for all his anticipation, I
didn’t see myself in his eyes, and he seemed to be looking somewhere
far away, not here, which sent shivers down my spine.
“Well then, I shall take my leave for now. You can leave your meeting
materials at my desk as usual.”
With that, he left the building with a clacking sound of his shoes.
“Huh, is that it?”
“Only you would behave like that, Higami-kun… I’m so nervous.”
I agree with Hatakeyama-san, I would never have the courage to be
that frank like Higami-san.
“…Something about the President makes me curious.”
“Little sister, what’s on your mind?”
Ayame, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly raised her hand
and spoke up.
“I’m wondering if the King of Nordglacier, where we’re based in the
game, was modeled after that person? Whenever I’ve seen him up
close at events, he kind of looks a little…”
“Now that you talk about it…”
“…I can see the resemblance…”
In hindsight, all of us here might have already sensed something
mysterious at that time.
(Author’s Note)
The protagonist may not be aware of it, but he’s got a rather beautiful
face as well, just like his sister.
Part 2
(Yanagi/Iris’s PoV)
It was early summer, but there was still snow on the ground in a long
coniferous forest.
After passing through the cobblestones of a barely discernible,
dilapidated roadway, I came upon a dilapidated building.
Despite the battered exterior, the cold air damage that had tormented
me along the way did not exist, and I was able to proceed through the
building without incident, with no enemies in sight.
In the last room, there was a warp gate that I had seen many times in
the game. When I went through the gate, which I had been told about
beforehand, I found myself in a mysterious space where I could see
nothing but pure white, indistinct even on the floor or walls.
And right in front of me, on a pedestal, was an opulent book with blank
pages opened. As I touched it, blood-red letters appeared on the page.
Do you wish to leave your current body and unleash new powers?

• Refuse
• Cardinal
• Saint/Saintess (Unique class)
• Lightwing (Unique race)
  

“Unique… race?”
Did such an option exist?
I opened a party chat and contacted two people who were preparing
for a hunting trip that I had promised them in a village about 30
minutes away on foot.
“What, did something go wrong?”
“I just want to ask something… When you two changed classes, did you
have three options? Oh, except for cancelling it, of course.”
“………”
A moment of silence. Then…
“No, there were only two: the normal route and the unique class
route.”
“Me too. What’s the third one?”
“Uh, a unique race called Lightwing.”
As a matter of fact, this existence sounded familiar.
“I think I’ve seen that name coming up in events from time to time.
Anything else you could find?”
At Saul’s voice prompting me to continue, I hovered over the bottom
option and additional information popped up.
“…’If you choose this race, your race and class will change to an
exclusive one, changing your racial traits and granting you the
additional ability… Wings That Transcend The World: Heal the wounds
of the world and return things to what they should have been…’”
“Wounds of the world… aren’t those the locations of some of the raid
bosses?”
“Some of the dungeon entrances as well… Does it mean you can turn
them off?”
“Well, I don’t think it’s something that could destroy a dungeon or
anything like that… I mean, you wouldn’t put something that malicious
in something that a single player could learn, would you?”
If there were such a thing, it would be too much authority to give to
one player.
“Right… If it turns out to be a minefield of an ability, we’ll definitely be
with you, so don’t worry about it.”
“Ditto what he said. Besides, there might be a lot of other hidden
elements like this, you know.”
I did feel a lot of anxiety.
But no matter what happened, those two would be with me. Those
words alone were more than enough for me to take a step forward in
prioritizing my curiosity for the unknown.
“Thanks a lot, you two… Alright, if this turns out to be really bad, we’ll
just look back at it as some funny story.”
A choice that had never been reported before. With anticipation of
what awaited me, I tapped the bottom option, the Lightwing race.
That was the start of everything.
(Higami’s PoV)
“What the hell…”
I, Kyouya Higami, was stunned by what was happening in front of me.
At first I thought it was a small bug.
A small distortion of the field. I thought it was a quick fix and that was
the end of it, not something that needed maintenance.
However, the breakdown that began at a certain starting point…the
location of the reincarnation event, commonly known as the “White
World”, quickly spread throughout the virtual world, and now all inhouse
devices were emitting rattling alarms.
The entire staff tried to stop it somehow, but they could not keep up,
and when they tried to force a shutdown, for some reason, all attempts
to do so were rejected.
“Curses! Can you hear me, server room! Unplug the power supply!”
“We’ve already done that!!”
“Why is this happening?!”
The server room was a crucible of chaos, and I slammed the receiver
down on the phone with a cluck of my tongue.
“Code: Worldgate initiated. Begin collecting life and magic power from
all non-qualified personnel and execute sequential forced logout upon
completion… Finished. Modifications of targeted character ‘Iris’, start.”
A voice announcing a completely unknown content echoed through the
room.
Looking at one of the monitors, the HP and MP of the players present
there in the red-tinted world decreased due to tremendous slip
damage, and they fell down in a flurry. They were enveloped in a logout
light from the edge of their fall and disappeared from the game.
“Check the vital signs of everyone who had been logged out for their
safety, hurry!”
“Y-Yes, at once!”
This was something that had never happened before, so anything could
happen. At the very least, I should prioritize the players’ safely
foremost. I gave the instructions with prayers in my heart.
At such a time, someone entered the room in a rather relaxed and
normal manner at this time of emergency.
The president, Aureo Uber. Why was he looking at this situation with
such satisfaction? The blood rushed to my head at the sight of him so
carefree. I didn’t care if he is my boss or not.
“You!”
“Don’t worry about those on forced logout, there may be some mild
intoxication from being thrown out, but there should be no harm done
to the human body.”
He dismissed my concerns like it was nothing.
“…What do you know about this?”
“Everything. I’ve orchestrated this whole situation.”
From there, Aureo told me about a fantasy event that was far from the
norm I knew.
According to him, he was a resident of a different world from this one
and had been sent there by accident.
According to him, the purpose was to create and bring back the
“people” needed to solve the crisis that was happening in that world.
According to him, the “reincarnation event” was a literal reincarnation,
in which one’s body was remodeled to adapt to a world that was more
severe than ours.
According to him, there were some influences such as a slight
improvement of abilities in this world as a preparatory step for
reincarnation.
According to him…
“In a nutshell, ‘Worldgate Online’ itself was a gate connecting this
world and my own world, and it’s my long cherished desire to use it to
create soldiers who have no ties to the other side, who will become a
force to protect the world and revive the long-lost Lightwing tribe. Do
you understand?”
A book appeared before Aureo. Was that the white book that was there
during the reincarnation process? Countless pages left the book and
began to drift around him. What on earth? When did this world
become such a fantasy world?
“Modifications of player ‘Iris’ complete. Commencing transfer.
Qualified personnel within ‘Worldgate Online’, transfer complete. Begin
searching for other qualified personnel outside the game…”
In the monitors showing various locations, a magic circle appeared at
the feet of those who were still standing in the game, bewildered by
the sudden abnormal situation… and one after another they were
swallowed up and disappear.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am Aureolus Nordglacier, and you may
have heard of me. The former king of Nordglacier in ‘Worldgate Online’
who suddenly disappeared… That person’s me.”
This was laughable. Under the direction of some inhabitant of another
world, we recreated the world he lived in as this game.
“When did you decide to remake ‘Iris’… no, Kuga-kun into that and
send him over to that world?”
“…From the very start, when I saw him at the contest. He has no
parents living on this side of the world and only one family relative, his
sister. He is a recluse with few ties, has few regrets, is a good person,
and above all, he has that appearance that makes people want to
protect him. I’ve already listed him as a strong candidate for the job.”
“You bastard!”
I instinctively tried to grab him by the chest, but a belt-like shadow
stretched out from the pages floating around him and restrained my
limbs. However, I would never stop until I tell Kuga-kun what’s going on
here. He deserved to know the truth.
“Is this how you repay his gratitude, you shithead?! You set him up
from the beginning to send him to a dangerous place!”
“Now that’s just convenient. Let me return the favor here.”
“Fuck you!”
The same magic circle also appeared at my feet. My body started to
disappear into it.
“You’re also qualified, aren’t you? I see you’re pretty devoted to him…
no, I should use ‘her’ now. By all means, you should protect her, too.
Goodbye.”
I could only reach out my hand to his back as he turned on his heel and
walked away, and soon my consciousness was consumed by darkness
and disappeared.
“Hatakeyama-san… What happened…”
“I don’t know… How am I supposed to know about this?!”
In the room where it all ended, all the terminals just kept spitting out
error screens mercilessly.
That day, the world’s first VRMMORPG “Worldgate Online” was
suspended for a long period of time due to a massive outage.
On the same day, a mass disappearance of several hundred people
caused a huge uproar… Those who tried to connect the two events
were treated as gossips before the common sense called “reality”, and
except for the sea of speculation on the Internet, the events of that day
were soon faded and forgotten.

(Iris’ PoV)
The meeting place was an NPC-run coffee shop, which had been
informed in advance via whisper chat.
I lowered my altitude and landed softly. In doing so, I remembered to
hold down my skirt as it floated away.
Hehehe, I know what you’ve been expecting, but don’t think I’m going
to show it to you that easily, whoever have been staring at me.
Smiling with a hint of embarrassment and waving a small hand at those
around me, I headed for the table where I could see the person I was
looking for while hiding my black thoughts.
There he was, a fearless man with red hair and a toned body.
Sitting at the same table, was a prince-like Highborn who looked a few
years older than my character, sipping tea in a very dignified manner.
The way he tilted his cup was so charming that it almost attracted the
attention of the women around him, and my mischievous thoughts
began to wander to the redhead who was looking uncomfortable
beside him.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Saul-niisama. It’s been a long time. I’m
glad to see you and Reiji-san doing so well.”
I lightly picked up my skirt and bent my knees in the most courteous
pose possible.
In contrast to Reiji, who sit frozen in place with a face like a pigeon
being shot by a peashooter… the princely Saul noticed my intentions,
grinned and lifted the corner of his mouth, then stood up and lightly
placed his hand on my cheek, turning my face slightly upward.
“The pleasure’s mine, Iris. Have you become a little more beautiful
again? Reiji, what do you think?”
“…Huh?! Ah, uh, how do I say it…”
Usually we would not have such a pretentious conversation.
Seeing Reiji, who had suddenly become flustered, I tilted my head
slightly as if it was a follow-up strike, stared into his eyes and waited for
his next words.
Reiji’s eyes wandered suspiciously, and he could do nothing but groan
for a while.
“Aaaaargh!!! Stop messing with me, the two of you!”
Reiji finally exploded, and we both shrugged our shoulders.
“So, what’s your level now, ‘Onii-chan’?”, Saul asked me.
It’s a very strange thing to hear coming from someone who looked like
a prince, but this “guy” was actually my little sister, Ayame.
“I hit the cap. Since I’m running out of game time today, I’ll proceed
with the reincarnation event tomorrow.”
I dropped the tone of voice I’d been using until now and sipped on the
tea while trying to appear elegant in consideration of the eyes of those
around me.
The advantage of this game was the ease with which I could select a
menu item, press the “pay” button, and the price would be deducted
from my storage, and the actual item would appear in front of me
without waiting.
The taste and aroma reproduced in the brain by the taste engine were
comparable to those in the real world, and I could taste the aroma and
astringency on the tongue before swallowing.
Our conversation was currently switched to party chat, so no voices
could be heard in the vicinity. To the outsiders, we were just chatting
over tea.
“…Still, I still feel bad for not being there to help you level up.”
Reiji said apologetically. We had already gone over it several times six
months ago and reached a conclusion, but he was still feeling regretful
about it.
“I’ve said this a million times already, but it can’t be helped. The
competition is fierce, isn’t it?”
Saul was a Knight, while Reiji was a Swordsman, two of the most
popular classes. The former, who was a genius in every way, had
already attained a unique class before I knew it, but in Reiji’s case, it
was much closer to comfort. It was not difficult to imagine that it would
have been impossible for him if I had been added to the mix.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t have made it without Saul’s help. This guy
feels like he has knowledge of every single tasty hunting grounds in this
game.”
My friend looked dismayed, remembering the high-paced grinding of
those days.
Back then, he was always gaunt with dark circles under his eyes. During
the winter break, when he stayed over at our house and worked hard
to level up, I was seriously worried that he was going to die when I
found him buried under a huge can of energy drink and looking pale.
“Mmm, praise me more~”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m eternally grateful to you.”
Seeing the two of them in good mood, I could finally relax my cheeks.
Ever since I refused their invitation and started working alone, I had
been feeling somewhat awkward and uncomfortable even when we
were together in the game. I had repeatedly told them that they didn’t
have to worry about it, but they seemed unable to get rid of their guilt
about leaving me behind.
I was happy to catch up with them and see our old relationship return
again, and took another sip of tea.
“By the way… you’ve become more girly in your behavior over here,
haven’t you? Earlier, when you laughed, you put your finger to your
mouth, did you do it unconsciously?”
It was only after my friend pointed it out did I realize it.
“You’re right… Well, after seven years of doing this, it comes naturally,
even on the spur of the moment…”
“Of course you do. I would never allow my masterpiece to make such
crude and masculine gestures.”
Yes, the avatars we were using, in other words, the 3D models, were
both created by my sister.
As an older brother, I was very concerned to see my sister, who was
supposed to be 13 years old at the time, facing the creation software
with a thick technical book in her hand and a devilish expression on her
face, as if she was possessed by something.
And sometimes she would look off into the distance and give a weird
laugh, which made me even more worried. “Uhuhuhuhu” or something
like that.
During the three months it took my sister to create the characters, the
two of us discussed them over and over again, fine-tuned them over
and over again, and corrected any points that bothered us over and
over again… It was daunting, to say the least.
“Iris”, the character I was using, was the “ideal girl she wants to love
with all her might”, according to my sister.
And the “Saul” that my sister used was also created by her, taking my
opinions and adding her own tastes.
When they were completed and we first unveiled them, the stunned
look on my friend’s face was a bit amusing.
I was supposed to use Saul, while my sister was supposed to use Iris,
but why did we have to exchange our characters?
All I could say was, “we both made a mistake in our initial choice of
class”.
Neither of us was suited for the class we had chosen, but it could not be
changed, and if we had to delete our characters, the fruits of our three
months of hard work would become dust.
Yes, I had no choice. My sister was very excited about it, but I was very
reluctant. I was very, very unwilling. I wanted to say that out loud.
My girly behavior in the game was also a result of my sister’s guidance.
We lost our parents when we were very young due to an incident in the
past, and we were taken in by our grandparents, who were a wellknown
wealthy family in the area.
My sister had been disciplined by our grandparents, who were strict
about etiquette, since she was about five years old, and the acting
instruction I received from her was very, very spartan. Especially in VR,
there was a high possibility that the sex of the person inside would be
revealed by the smallest gesture, so in the beginning, she was almost
always there to guide me.
There was one time when my sister lost her temper after a series of my
failures, pressed me into a closed room where no one could enter, and
told me to “practice the reaction of a girl who’s touched in a strange
place” for a while. Thankfully, the memory of what happened after had
been erased.
“…So, how long are you going to keep stroking my head, Reiji? Please
stop messing up my hair.”
Yes, I had been headpatted by Reiji the entire time ever since I sat
down at the table.
“Oops, sorry about that. Your head was located at just the right place,
so I went for it.”
I glared at Reiji and pouted, as he only intensified the patting while
saying such a strange thing.
How did I make such a gesture so naturally?
Could it be that my sister has brainwashed me? I was getting a little
worried.
The next moment I was thinking such a silly thought, I felt a chill run
down my spine.
Reiji seemed to do the same, turning his head toward Saul with an
almost audible moment like a robot.
Saul took another sip of tea and smile at us… but his eyes were clearly
not smiling.
I was sure he was trying to say, “That head’s mine to pat, do not touch
without permission.”
I mustn’t have been wrong, because next to me, Reiji was nodding his
head gruffly, dripping with cold sweat, and gently removed his hand
from my head.
“A-Anyway, I have something to ask you both. What’s a reincarnation
event supposed to be?”
I quickly changed the topic to avoid such a piercing atmosphere.
“If you ask me… it wasn’t anything special. After choosing and
confirming a class, your eyes go blank for a moment, and then it’s
over… Oh, and you can’t wear your current gear anymore because of
the level reset, so make sure you have low-level armor and warm
clothes, or you’ll freeze to death… Saul, anything you want to say?”
“Me?”
Saul, who had pulled back his earlier intimidation and fallen silent as
soon as the event was mentioned, took another sip of tea and
moistened his tongue before opening his mouth.
“…Well, I’ve heard some weird storied about that. It’s from a friend at
school. She kept blurting out that her brother was totally into this game
and not studying…”
For someone who’d always been blunt with her words, it was weird of
Ayame to fidget like that. When we both silently urged her to continue,
she gave up and started talking again.
“Somehow, after the reincarnation event, his grades suddenly went up
to the top of his class. That kid’s always been immersed in games and
hovering around the bottom, you know?”
“…Isn’t it just a coincidence? I think he’s found his motivation to study
again.”
I gave her an answer that was the most likely to be true. Now that
almost all of the unique classes, with a few exceptions, were gone,
there was no reason to rush after reincarnation, so it should not be
surprising that he came back to himself and tried to make up for his
past delays.
“Maybe that’s the case but… something about this is bugging me.”
“What about you, then? Any improvement in your grades?”
“Nothing. Same as usual.”
Ayame dismissed Reiji’s question.
I didn’t know when she studied, but my sister had never failed a grade
in the past.
“Oh, right. I’m sorry for even questioning you, Your Excellency.”
“What about you, Reiji? Have you noticed anything unusual?”
“………”
Contrary to my expectations, Reiji hid his mouth behind his hands and
became troubled, as if thinking about something.
“…Eh, is it that serious?”
“Uh, well… You know I practice kendo, right?”
Reiji’s family ran a kendo dojo. As a result, he had been wielding a
bamboo sword since he was a small child, and although he did not
compete in official tournaments, he was quite skilled at it.
In a VRMMO, experience in real life was very important. A complete
amateur and one who had experience in swordfighting were naturally
incomparable, even with the same status, and Reiji, with his
experience, was starting with a significant advantage.
“Long story short, I beat my old man.”
““What?!””
“W-W-Wait a minute, Your grandfather is someone who regularly
practices with the police, right?!”
“You totally got beat to a pulp last year!”
“That’s right…No, it wasn’t that bad! But anyway, for some reason his
swordsmanship looks like it’s in slow motion! And BAM, I win!”
Reiji then made a pose as if demonstrating what he just said.
“…Did you swing your sword so much over here that you’ve gotten
stronger in real life without knowing it…?”
We couldn’t help but feel worried about him.
“Sorry, I got carried away! That aside, what are you going to do until
you can login tomorrow for the reincarnation event?”
“Lemme see… the management wants me to go to their place
tomorrow to prepare for the next event. I also want to hear about the
revisions to the illustrations I submitted. So it’s probably in the evening
when I’m finally able to login.”
“I’m accompanying him. Well, I think of it as a tour of my future
workplace anyway.”
Soon after our grandparents passed away, I decided to turn my hobby
of painting into a career so that I could earn a decent income for
myself, drawing both my own arts and commissions. My sister still had
two years left of college, yet she had already received a confirmed job
offer from the company that developed and managed this game.
“Gotcha. I’m free tomorrow, so can I join you guys? Even if they don’t
let me in, I can still help pushing your wheelchair around.”
Certainly. Reiji was physically strong, and I felt reassured when he’s
around.
“…Are you sure about that?”
“Leave it to me.”
“Then you must be happy to carry our luggage, right?”
“Yeah, leave it to me…”
It seemed that Ayame wanted to buy something heavy on the way. As
expected, Reiji looked a bit distressed. My condolences.
While we were talking, an alarm went off in my brain, signaling the five
minute countdown until the forced logout.
“Looks like my time’s up… I’m counting on you tomorrow, Reiji.”
“I’m logging out too. Good night, Reiji-san.”
“See you, Yanagi and Ayame-chan… I’m happy to party with you two
again in the future.”
The three of us lightly clapped our fists together, each logged out, and
returned to the real world.
Author’s Note:
Yanagi = Saul Ayame = Iris
After exchanging the game character, they referred to each other as
their new character name.
Reiji is also Reiji in real life.
Ayame’s opinion of the character exchange: “Just as planned (gesugao
face).”

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

The player called “Princess”
(???’s PoV)
The Kingdom of Nordglacier encompassed almost the entire northern
continent.
Most of the country was covered with snow and ice, and the royal
capital was located on a never-melting lake of ice.
Why such a structure existed, you ask?… One theory was that there
was an ancient underground ruins beneath the ice surface, which was
supported by the NPC’s dialogues.
It was thought that the royal capital of this country was built on top of
this ruins by the people who had to leave their homeland for various
reasons.
Among the four continents currently implemented in this world, this
was the region where many magical-class players were based, as it
excelled in magical techniques and often held events where players
could learn rare spells.
The climate in the southern part of the country was relatively warmer,
about the same as that of Hokkaido in Japan.
Since the seasons in the game were roughly linked to reality, it was now
approaching early summer, and the streets were suddenly becoming
crowded with people who had changed their base of operations here to
seek cooler weather.
At the southernmost tip of this northern continent, there was a
commercial town with a large-scale portal to “Acropolis”, which sit on
an island in the center of the four continents.
It’s natural that this town was bustling with activities, where players
who found it difficult to obtain a business permit in Acropolis set up
their stalls there.
As I stepped through the gate into town, I involuntarily closed my eyes
at the glare of sunlight for the first time in a month in the game…
“…Hey, isn’t that the Princess?”
“Wow, you weren’t joking. It’s been a long time since we last saw her. I
wonder what she’s been up to.”
“Maybe she was raising her level. Being a support class is tough,
especially for such a cute little girl.”
Whoops. It had been so long since I had been out in public that I had
forgotten how eye-catching I was.
Come to think of it, the cloak I used to hide my figure had been
damaged in a recent hunt and was no longer usable, so it had been
removed from my equipment and stored in my inventory as a
malfunctioning item.
My current appearance was that of a pretty white dress with lots of
frills, called the “Maiden Dress”, which was equipment for a high-level
Bishop.
I was dressed in such a conspicuous outfit in the busy central plaza.
By the time my eyesight was restored, it was already too late, and I
looked around and was completely the center of attention.
Even after all these years, I just couldn’t get used to having so many
eyes on me when I’m alone.
“Um, Princess, we’re taking our guild members on a leveling trip, I hope
you wouldn’t mind lending us a hand-”
“…My apologizes, I’m already at the limit of my game time today.”
When I responded with my hands folded in front of my navel, my
viewpoint slightly down at my feet, and consciously trying to “look”
slightly downcast and apologetic, the player in front of me looked
around impatiently, as if he was concerned about the way people were
looking at him.
“Oh, I see… I-It’s already late at night in real life, right… My bad.”
I felt somewhat sorry for him as he apologized in a slurred voice,
because, aside from the presence or absence of an ulterior motive,
what lied at the root was probably kindness. I would be sorry if anyone
around me said anything about it.
“Please don’t worry. If there’s another opportunity, I’d appreciate your
offer.”
I looked up, tilted his head slightly, smiled softly and lightly, bailed
lightly to my stunned friend, and walked away.
After all, I was under an exclusive contract with the management
company and often asked to participate in official events, so I had been
told to be mindful of my words and actions so as not to “damage the
image of the company”.
I trotted my way toward a slightly wider space, then looked back at the
square.
“Sorry for causing a disturbance. I shall take my leave now.”
After lightly picking up the hem of my skirt, I spread the wings on my
back, flapped them, and soared into the sky.
Not many Highborn players chose to fly in the city, because it’s easier
to just walk normally… but I had my own “circumstances”.
Since my “circumstances” were widely known, I received warm words
of encouragement from people around me like “Take care of yourself”.
I smiled and gave a small wave in return, then quickly climbed to the
desired altitude to head for the destination.
Among the recovery-class players, there was a celebrity nicknamed
“Princess” by the playerbase.
That being said, she wasn’t the type of woman surrounded by men and
taking advantage of them.
Rather, she was not very good at being pampered, and was famous for
never accepting gifts given by those who approached her with ulterior
motives.
What made her a celebrity was not only that she was the highest level
of recovery class in terms of both character level and player skill that
could withstand high-end content, but more than that, it was her
appearance… and the perfection of her avatar.
Her name first appeared in the first officially sponsored avatar contest.
At first, all the players looked on with a somewhat blank expression,
thinking that the podium would be occupied by avatars created by
companies anyway.
But when she showed up, an uproar broke out.
One could only ask, how much time and passion had gone into the
creation of her avatar.
Fine waist-length silver hair.
A delicate face as if coming from a fairytale.
A petite frame, no more than 150cm, so slender that seemed to break if
touched.
Her smooth, white porcelain skin also seemed to have been drawn
from scratch, and while it was clothed in a texture that set it apart from
its surroundings, it was just barely at such a level that it wasn’t
completely out of this world.
Combined with the white wings on her backs, a characteristic of the
Highborn race (surprisingly, these wings, too, were not obvious at a
quick glance, but when compared at close range, the fluffy feeling was
completely different), they looked as if angels had descended.
Her gestures were neat and adorable, so much so that one might be
convinced that she was a young noblewoman from somewhere.
…The only flaw of hers was a somewhat awkward walking posture,
perhaps because her legs were lame, but it only aroused a desire to
protect in others.
Meanwhile, within the male playerbase, a certain someone was at the
center of attention.
He seemed to be the brother of the girl from earlier, as their
appearances were somewhat similar. He wasn’t that tall, standing at
170 or so, but his androgynous look suited him well.
His silvery, habit-free silver hair, trimmed around his soldiers, bore a
slight resemblance to the girl from earlier. His elegant, noble
appearance and behavior drew the envy of the women and jealousy of
the men.
It was said that when the “brother and sister” were together, their
beauty was so destructive that some people fainted at the sight of
them.
As a result, the two dominated both the men’s and women’s divisions,
outshining an array of company-produced avatars.
Eventually, at the suggestion of the management, they were given titles
indicating that they were the royalty of their favorite country, and thus
became the semi-official princess and prince of the magical Kingdom of
Nordglacier.
The nickname “Princess” had become reality.
It was said that these events inspired avatar creators to create their
own avatars one day, and that this had led to an increase in the face
deviation level in the game.
The Princess of the North, Iris Nordglacier.
There were rumors here and there that she was actually an NPC
equipped with a high-performance AI under development…
But in truth, the inside of such a princess… was me.
I’m really, really sorry.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

(???’s PoV)
I checked for signs of magic chanting by the opponent and immediately
hid behind a rock before counting to five.
I turned myself around and jumped out, and in my line of sight, in the
ruins of an underground city visible in the distance below the cliff, as
expected, the enemy had lost sight of me… Clad in luxurious armor and
holding a huge jet-black sword, but with its limbs crumbling in places
and its bones and muscles exposed, the one-eyed giant failed to
activate its magic, and became a sitting duck.
If the timing was even a little early, it would unleash a nasty magic that
inflicted fatal debuffs such as silence and fainting, while erasing all of
my support effects.
No matter how many times I had done it, my back would still be
nervous, but it seemed that I would be able to get through this time as
well.
“Sesto Siesto Zen Ma Na Dolor Lea Lea Lea Di Viega!” (TL: 10th grade
purification magic: O Light, Bring Down Thy Sword!)
The soprano voice that flowed from my mouth as if I were singing a
song, words that sounded like a string of meaningless words to the
casual observer.
Although it was embarrassing at first, once I got used to it, I practiced
all the frequently used magic I had learned over and over again until I
was satisfied that I could always call it up, because it eliminated the
need to look at the command or macro window each time and gave me
a wider field of vision.
I’d been holed up in this underground ruins for a month now.
The chanting, which I had repeated hundreds or thousands of times,
was finished in less than two seconds, and four spears of light appeared
around me.
The magic I used was “Divine Spear”, one of the few offensive magics I
owned in an otherwise purely support build with almost no means of
attack.
I learned this magic at the endgame of the Bishop subclass. It had a
delay after use that was somewhat non-negligible, but the cooldown
was relatively short, and it was extremely effective only against
enemies with specific attributes.
Initially, I could only summon one spear at a time, but after increasing
the skill proficiency to the maximum level, I could summon two of
them. In addition, by using two types of scrolls available from raid
bosses and pushing the skill limit, it was possible to increase the
number to the current maximum of four.
This skill had an unparalleled attack power (for the Priest class at least),
boasting one of the highest DPS among all classes only against undead,
demons and spirits.
Although there was the problem that it could only deal MP damage, it
was a very effective means of attack if the enemy was an undead type.
I had only five seconds until it came back to its senses and
counterattacked.
Guided by the system’s assistance, the spears of light rushed toward
the target.
Now!
As soon as my mouth began moving again, I began chanting a new
spell.
This time it was “Solid Ray”, a magic that negated one instance of
physical damage.
It was a defensive magic that last for a very short time and must be
used in conjunction with the enemy’s attack, but it had the advantage
of short chanting and no delay.
A protective wall composed of a lattice of light made up of many
hexagons was formed between me and the target, and at the same
time, the Divine Spears from earlier struck the giant in the distance,
reducing its HP, albeit slightly.
At this point, I could see my enemy, who had finally recovered and
grabbed a rock from its feet. I took a defensive stance and held out my
staff in front of me.
The next moment, a rock larger than my torso flew in front of me at a
tremendous speed, was bounced off the defensive barrier and
shattered.
Solid Ray had a major drawback: it could not prevent the collateral
damage and stun effects caused by attacks with high impact properties.
Although the direct damage was nullified, the impact slammed my
petite body into the wall a few steps behind.
My HP was stripped away like paper, and my HP gauge passed through
yellow into the deep reddish-orange range.
My whole body went numb, and I almost fell to my knees, but I
managed to use recovery magic to fully restore my HP. Eventually, I
rolled into the shade of a nearby rock to cut off the line of sight again
before the enemy magic came off cooldown.
…The enemy still had more than half of its HP left.
I was so close to my goal. I twisted away my mental energy and focused
my mind on the count in my brain.
“(pants heavily)… Is it… over?”
The series of monotonous rotations, which could collapse instantly if I
made a mistake, were repeated over and over again… until I found
myself looking down at the giant undead slowly collapsing in the
distance, just out of range of my anti-undead attack.
I supported my mentally fatigued feet by resting my body on the long
staff I held in both hands, and gazed in amazement at the level-up
effects shining brilliantly above my head.
When I opened my status window, the number 110, the upper limit of
my subclass “Bishop”, shone brightly in its column.
It’d already been half a year since I turned down my sister and my
friend’s proposal to go out with me and raise our level together, saying
that I wanted them to prioritize raising their own level.
Three months had passed since I promised them that I would catch up
with them as soon as possible, as they were worried that they could no
longer work together with me due to the level rollback.
The season had changed from winter to early summer, and with a sense
of frustration at having to keep them waiting, I inadvertently got caught
in a pitfall trap in a dungeon of an abandoned ancient city I visited in
search of undead enemies that I could hunt solo, only to find a hidden
room in an undiscovered underground city about the size of two Tokyo
domes.
When I used an appraisal item to see the level of the enemies roaming
around, I discovered this area was full of undead of the highest level.
Even stranger was that just beyond my initial landing point was a small
foothold with a gently sloped surface, which could be reached from one
end to the other in ten steps and was not invaded by the monsters.
Perhaps it was an accidental miscalculation, but the monsters were
unable to approach me due to their huge size and remained stuck in
the underground ruins.
Well, considering a single thrown rock would leave me at red HP even if
I cast defensive magic with all my might, it was almost a miracle that I
did not die at all up to this point. Though, I had to work on the very
edge of my routine every day.
If it had been a proper combat class character, they would have beaten
a monster here to death in a matter of seconds, but I lack the means to
confront the monsters face to face, and thus had to resort in such a
monotonous pattern of hunting.
In any case, it had been a little over 30 days in real time. I felt like my
real body would even get moldy.
Now, if only I could complete the event, I could finally catch up with my
sister and my friend who had completed their reincarnation earlier and
were waiting for me at the destination.
With a sense of urgency, I told them that I was going back to the city
and activated the teleportation gate, which all players can use only
once a day to travel to any city they have visited before, when an alarm
rang in my brain telling me that I only had 30 minutes left until the
eight-hour limit for continuous play.
There was a restriction in this game that if I were connected for more
than eight hours within a 24-hour period, I must log out for at least 12
hours, because of health considerations.
…Unfortunately, it seemed my time was up for today.
With surprise that more time had passed than I had expected and
disappointment that I had been put off before my eyes, I jumped into
the gate leading to the city where my friend, whom I had not seen in
the game for a long time, was waiting for me.

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

It was said that the entire game was born from the mind of a single
genius.
The genius, named Aureo Uber, suddenly appeared in the world at a
certain time, in a certain country.
Up until that point, he was an unknown person who had achieved little
noteworthy results.
The reason for his sudden emergence and fame was his success in
analyzing the signals of the brain, a field that had been stagnant, and
his new technology, which could even be called “magical”. He was able
to create a full-dive VR device, which at the time was being given up as
a pipe dream.
However, he was only interested in pursuing the technology in specific
fields, even though it was supposed to have various applications in a
large number of fields.
After having brought a number of groundbreaking medical technologies
to the world, he simply sold off his interest from them, leaving only the
minimum necessary for his own purposes.
With his vast wealth in hand, he went straight to Japan and knocked on
the door of a company that had sold game hardware in the past.
With the help of this company, which had a taste for the progressive,
he threw away his own assets to found a game development company
and immersed himself in the creation of a new type of game… a fulldive
VRMMO.
And so several years passed.
With the development of AR and VR technology through the new
technology he brought, the world had changed at a dizzying pace…
leaving his name buried in the flow of time.
His name only resurfaced when a certain game hardware was launched.
Until his reemergence, other companies had been working on full-dive
VR games, but due to funding and technology issues, the ones that
came out were not very successful, and gamers were waiting with
resignation for such a dream-like game to appear one day.
And the actual product that appeared, bearing the name of the man
who created the foundation of full-dive technology, was more than
enough to reward their expectations, or even exceed them.
Lag due to insufficient processing power of the equipment was almost
nonexistent, and the hardware performance ran comfortably as long as
the communication environment is sufficient.
A different world with a vast field that cannot be fully explored, an
elaborate, beautiful, and wide-open landscape.
As the world’s first full-dive MMORPG “Worldgate Online” was released
worldwide at the same time, there was no end to the number of people
who wanted to buy it. However, for some reason, Aureo, the creator of
the game, had to limit the number of shipments, resulting in a stock
shortage that lasted for several years.
The game also achieved massive popularity due to the high degree of
freedom in character makeup, which allows the user to customize the
character to any extent within size, body shape, and capacity limits,
based on the body provided by the official service.
However, most of the amateurs could not produce satisfactory results,
and with a few exceptions, they had to purchase officially provided
materials (although they boast a tremendous degree of freedom) or
data produced and sold for commercial purposes by companies and
other organizations.
Another 7 years had passed.
The hardware had become more widely available, development tools
and core programs have been released, and companies had released
various full-dive VRMMORPGs, dispersing the newcomers to the world.
The hype for “Worldgate Online”, the oldest VRMMORPG, had died
down… until a few months ago, when it suddenly regained its vitality.
The initial level cap of 80 was gradually increased through several
version upgrades, eventually reaching 110 after a balance patch earlier
this year.
Most notably, however, was the announcement of the “Reincarnation
System”. This was something not uncommon in MMORPGs of the past,
where players could roll back their levels to 1 and change classes to the
newly added tertiary reincarnation class, while keeping the skills they
had learned so far and becoming a higher race with higher growth race
to compensate.
The uproar intensified three months after implementation, when the
first reincarnation appeared, overcoming the barrier of a far greater
amount of experience required than ever before.
“Unique Class”
Every player could only choose one out of three classes according to
the race they chose (Human, Highborn and Demon). These classes were
initially the only ones available in the game.
The existence of this unique class was reported by those who reached
reincarnation first, and gamers who yearned for such “specialness”
began a frenzied leveling competition.
Popular hunting grounds quickly became a shouting contest between
the party recruiters.
There were also a large number of people who wanted to kick others
down, and for a while, the security in the game deteriorated
significantly.
The irony was that most of those who were crowned winners were
those who had stoically studied and worked hard while looking at the
ugliness of the situation.
After half a year had passed, such disturbances had subsided as most of
the unique classes had been filled, and peace had begun to return to
the game once again.
Yet, there were classes that no one had reached yet, and those in
question continued to hunt with dead eyes, in a mood of half-hearted
resignation. The message board for these classes had always been
drowned in a funeral-like mood.
Namely, the support classes and especially, the recovery-type Priest
class.
In other games, it was often a relatively popular position, but in
“Worldgate Online” it was somehow unfavorable to the extent that one
could sense the malicious intent of the management.
First of all, support classes in VRMMOs have a fatal flaw: they were not
exhilarating to play.
In particular, the Priest class actually had a lot to do, as they mainly
provided preventative support, such as managing allies’ HP and
reducing damage taken.
However, their work was rarely visible, and while their roles were busy,
they remained very humble and behind-the-scenes helpers. They were
not at all appreciated by those who wanted to swing swords with their
own hands, cast magic, or fight powerful monsters by moving their own
bodies.
Combined with the fact that only one character could be created per
account, it was always competing for the top spot in the worst class
category in the population survey.
Adding to the population decline was the difficulty of playing as a
character of a different gender than the real one in this game.
There was nothing wrong with trying, but the only way to purchase this
game, or rather the game hardware, was to order it through the official
online store, for which you were required to submit a copy of your
residence certificate, and the device was sent to you with that
information inputted into it.
For health reasons, the device only allowed the user to select the
gender assigned at the time of registration.
Although the management had set restrictions at the time of sale, it
was the user’s own responsibility afterwards, and since there were no
restrictions on its usage, there was no reason why others couldn’t use
the device.
In other words, if someone wanted to “cross”-play, they had to prepare
to pay for the not-so-cheap equipment and asked someone of the
opposite gender out, who they knew wasn’t interested in the game, to
buy the hardware instead because they wanted to “cross”-play.
The developers were too cruel. The “barrier of entry” was impassable.
95% of those who tried had failed at this stage.
For this reason, the male-female ratio of player characters in this game
leaned heavily toward the male side.
Many players of online games with magic characters, especially support
characters, preferred to play as girls, while male characters tended to
avoid support characters because of their desire to fight in a goodlooking
way.
And most of the female players would feel frustrated by the strict
difficulty of progression.
For some reason, this game did not have a party bonus for experience,
which was common in other MMORPGs, but rather, experience was
divided among all members, with the difference in levels taken into
account and adjusted accordingly.
As the number of party members increased, the amount of experience
gained per player decreased at an accelerating rate.
Support classes generally had low self-battling ability, and if they
wanted to solo leveling, they had to choose a much lower-ranked
opponent and patiently accumulate a minuscule amount of experience.
As the game progressed and players’ combat skills and tactics
improved, the focus of leveling shifted to how to defeat large numbers
of enemies quickly and efficiently, and rather than adding a healer,
attackers were added to increase turnover speed.
If the enemy could be defeated before it takes damage, the healer
became a burden that just stood around.
On the other hand, if a party had a lot of recovery work, it meant that
the party’s fighting ability was poor, and these people generally tried to
put the blame on others, even those who were in a weaker position.
In other words, the target was the recovery-type who was struggling to
get things back on track.
The more convenient thing was that, especially in recent years, there
was a gap of several years between the time the level cap reached 100
and the time 110 was released.
Then, if such support positions were not really in demand, the balance
of supply and demand was reversed, as they could be said to be
indispensable in endgame content after completing level up, such as
raid bosses.
What awaited those support classes who had acquired front-line
abilities through hardship was a blood-soaked struggle.
There were many who gritted their teeth to help others and raised their
level, only to be confronted with the reality of a crowded battlefield
where they were competing with each other, and malicious users were
sticking to them and flipping them off.
As a side note, the initial clothing for female Priests had been updated
several times, perhaps as part of the management’s desire to increase
the population, and it had gained a reputation for being one of the
prettiest costumes in the game’s user popularity polls.
The game had always attracted a certain number of beginners who
want to enjoy fashion, but their dreams… were often crushed without
mercy. Users continue to watch in horror as their characters, along with
the expensive costumes either made by companies or by themselves,
disappear into the data graveyard, in which they call “official honey
traps”.