Welcome to Eleveria

"Damn it! Why are the odds of event items always so low?!"

I can't even tell you how many times I've beaten this event dungeon. I haven't even left my room since the event started. Thankfully, I have a mini refrigerator full of energy drinks right next to my desk to keep me going. But seriously, this event is infuriating! How am I supposed to get an item that has less than a thousandth of a percent drop rate?!

Despite the unfairness of it all, I can't give up now. It would be stupid to throw in the towel after all the effort I've already put in. I crack open the lid of another energy drink as I enter the dungeon once more. I cut down monster after monster, slowly making my way toward the boss room.

Then finally, the boss door. I chug down the rest of my drink as I open the large steel doors. The boss itself, The Hallowed Horseman, is fairly easy. His attack patterns are simple and easy to remember. Besides, my level is high enough to finish him in less than a minute tops.

The boss falls to the ground in almost no time, shouting 'I'll be back again next year!' As if I haven't heard him say it at least a hundred times already. After his body disintegrates, the reward chest finally makes its appearance.

I hover my mouse over the chest and try to click it, but for some reason, it won't open. What's with this shitty game? I soon realize that it isn't the game's fault that I can't open the chest, it's that I can't move my finger enough to press down on my mouse. In fact, I can't move at all.

I try to stand, but my legs don't respond to my brain's instructions and I fall out of my chair.

"What's... Happening to me..?"

My vision starts to blur as I try to crawl toward my bedroom door. I have to call for help, but I can't even speak anymore. It's as if my body is slowly shutting itself down...

As my vision fades, I glance back at my computer screen to see an in-game pop-up.

'Special Reward: Necroblade obtained!'

Upon opening my eyes, I find myself lying on an old dirt path in the middle of a forest. I sit up and rub my aching forehead.

"What the hell..?"

My voice... It's different? Why does it sound so strange? As I start to stand up, I notice that my voice isn't the only thing that's strange about me. In fact, it's probably the least odd feature that I now have. As I look down, the first two things my eyes land on are the large spheres of flesh that have somehow sprouted from my previously masculine chest.

It would seem that my body has become that of a woman. In that moment, I let out a confused scream that probably caused every living creature in the surrounding area to run away in fear.

"Why?! Why do I have these things?! What happened to me?! I don't know what's going on!"

Calm down, me. Surely if I think back to the last thing I can remember, it'll provide a reasonable explanation for all of this. Let's see... I was playing Eleveria Online... Limited event dungeon... Rare item... Necroblade... Falling to the floor..?

Now I'm even more confused! How did I go from being in my bedroom to being a woman in a forest?! There's no logic here! This is ridiculous! Absolutely incomprehensible!

Wait, wait, wait... I fell to the floor, but I can't remember anything after that..? Does that mean... That I died..? Even then, how am I alive now? I have a whole lot of questions and not a single answer. That being said, I might as well try and get out of this forest. There's gotta be civilization nearby, this is the twenty-first century after all! Surely there are people everywhere!

After about five minutes of aimlessly wandering, I notice the sunlight shining through some trees ahead of me. I think I finally reached the edge of the forest! Time to figure out where I... Am...

Stepping out from the dense forest, my eyes widen as a massive castle sits on the horizon. Just in front of me is a large stone bridge with horse-drawn carriages trodding across one after the other. I think it's pretty safe to say that I'm not in the twenty-first century anymore...

Well, just standing here isn't going to answer any of my questions. I might as well cross this bridge and find the nearest town. As I casually stroll across the bridge, I notice quite a few people staring my way as I pass by. Whenever I try to meet their eyes, they quickly avert their gaze and start to walk faster.

Oh no, is there something wrong with my face? Am I ugly?! I need a mirror or something reflective! I try to cross the bridge as quickly as possible without drawing too much attention. As I reach the other side, I suddenly step in something wet. A puddle! I get down on all fours and try to see my face through the cloudy water.

To my surprise, the face I see staring back at me is actually quite beautiful. Pale skin, wavy white hair that fades into a light violet as it grows closer to the neck, dark purple eyes that draw you in like a black hole... Wait, haven't I seen this face before..?

That's when it clicks. This is the face of my custom character in Eleveria Online, Neraltia the Assassin. Only then do I realize that this bridge is familiar to me as well. It's the starting point of the game, where you run into a group of evil cultists just after reaching the other side.

It's also where you meet the game's first main character. The wandering priestess, Arliett.

A shrill scream suddenly comes from nearby. I lift my head and see a group of cloaked men surrounding a small girl clothed in pure white. Looks like I'm just in time for the main event, huh?

"G-Get away from me! I don't have anything of value!"

One of the cultists takes a step forward. "Thou art mistaken, we are not mere thieves. Our goals are much grander than thy feeble mind could possibly imagine."

"Then what do you want from me?!" The girl speaks in a frightened voice, clearly disturbed by the events currently unfolding in her presence.

"Thy soul is what we desire, offspring of Eleverion.”

Her eyes widen. "W-What? Why do you need my soul?"

"That is not for thou to kno-"

The cultist's words are cut off by one of my throwing daggers boring into the face of one of his allies. The cultists draw their weapons, frantically searching for the source of the attack.

"Where didst they go?!" One of the other cultists shouts in confusion.

"Right here," I whisper into his ear as I appear from inside his shadow, plunging my other dagger into his back. He hardly has time to groan in pain before falling to the ground, blood quickly pooling around his limp body.

The cultist leader turns to look at me. "How dare thou interfere with our plans! Dost thou wish to provoke his majesty's wrath?!"

"His Majesty? Oh, you mean that weakling Thanatos?"

His face contorts with rage. "How dare a pathetic sow such as thyself speaketh his glorious name..!"

"Oh? Art thou madeth?" I say in a mocking tone.

The cultist leader clenches his teeth before shouting to his comrades. "End this fool! We shan’t let down the King of Death!" The remaining cultists immediately charge toward me.

"Ugh, I’ve already grown tired of these NPCs. It’s time for me to prove just how outclassed you all are."

I sheathe my two daggers behind my back and clasp my hands together as dark flames begin to swirl around my feet.

"Flames of oblivion, burn all that is sacred... Curse of Thanatos!"

In an instant, purple flames engulf every last one of the cultists, incinerating their entire bodies to ash within mere moments. The cultist leader stares in disbelief.

"I-Impossible... That spell... How canst thou useth the King of Death's curse?!"

I scoff. "I told you, he's a total pushover. I got this spell as a special reward for killing him. It took quite a lot of leveling up before I could use it without exhausting my MP, though."

"W-W-We shalt be back!" The leader shouts nervously before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Well, that was fun! It's like I'm really in the game!

"Um..." A meek voice mutters from behind me. I turn around to see the beautiful blonde priestess Arliett standing nervously in front of me.

"T-Thank you for saving me! May I ask your name?"

"Hide-" Wait, I should probably use my character's name here. "Ahem, I mean Neraltia. My name is Neraltia."

"Neraltia... If you don't mind me asking... Might you be a Ferrion?"

The Ferrion. A race known for being quite literally cold-blooded. Their body temperatures are lower than any of the other humanoid races in Eleveria. They were all exiled to a desolate island in the northern seas after losing the war for their freedom from slavery. However, many of them managed to sneak their way into the mainland through various means. My character, Neraltia, is indeed one of them.

"That's correct."

She looks slightly taken aback at my straightforwardness, but her expression quickly changes into a bright smile that could melt the hearts of even the coldest men.

"Well, it is a pleasure to formally meet you, Neraltia! My name is Arliett and my calling is that of a priestess."

She politely bows and I return the gesture. "And same to you. Say, where might you be headed?"

She looks slightly hesitant to tell me, but she quickly caves. Her kind nature would never let her be dishonest with someone who just saved her life.

"I'm actually on my way to Yosediri. Since this road is the fastest route to get there, I figured it would be populated enough to ward off any attackers... I suppose I was wrong about that, huh?"

I raise an eyebrow. "You say that as if you knew that you'd get attacked."

The cute priestess looks downward. "To tell the truth, this isn't the first time those men have come after me... It would seem that my life is crucial to whatever evil plans they have..."

Well, I already knew that much. Saving the innocent Arliett from the cult of Thanatos is just the first portion of Eleveria Online's overarching storyline. I guess for the time being I'll just continue going with the game's story. No reason to deviate from the path I've already taken once before.

"If that's the case, why don't I act as your personal escort?"

Her head immediately perks up. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Sure. I don’t have a real destination in mind, so it's not a hassle or anything."

I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't already grown quite attached to this girl. I used to not really care for her personality when I first met her in-game, but now that I'm talking face-to-face with her, it's hard not to admire the way she harbors zero resentment, even to those who are deliberately out to get her. It's something I could never do even if I tried.

Her smile grows even wider. "If you really don't mind, then I'll have to take you up on that offer!"

And so, thus begins my journey from reality into the fantastical world of Eleveria. My first destination: a small forest village by the name of Yosediri.