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White cumulus clouds, reminiscent of early summer, rose into the sky, and beyond them, the clear blue sky stretched endlessly.

Directly below, a vast forest of deep green extended as far as the eye could see. Behind this seemingly endless forest, towering white mountains lined up like a wall shrouded in a haze of purple smoke.

The scene resembled an ocean of green, with waves of dense trees reaching to the horizon.

Amidst this sea of trees, where the wind blew and deep green waves rolled, there was a single spot where the trees seemed to have been cut down. It was a large, barren space with no vegetation, with only rocks and dirt, resembling a wasteland.

A raised plateau overlooked this plaza-like area. A figure stood quietly atop the rocky hill, which was covered with sparse vegetation. The figure remained still, almost blending into the surroundings without drawing attention.

Her short bob red hair bounced outward in the wind, shimmering like a glowing red orb when the sun’s rays hit it, standing out starkly against the deep green background.

Her bangs, flowing from right to left, swayed in the breeze and gently brushed against her left eyelid. Although her eyes were closed, her thin, arching eyebrows suggested that she was a strong-willed person.

Her nose, though small, was well-shaped and defined. Her lightly closed lips were a soft shade of light pink. The lines around her rounded cheeks kept her looking youthful and connected to her delicate chin.

The girl’s face was unmistakably beautiful. Truly what one would refer to as a doll-like person. Her graceful body was donned in robust plate armor.

The dark green base of the armor glowed jade green in the light, and the intricate silver and white lines, carved into patterns of ivy and thorns clinging to it, added a subtle color to its surface.

Though the armor was meant to be a solid piece of equipment, it had many exposed areas. The girl’s arms, thighs, and even her chest were left bare, revealing the shapely white curves of her cleavage.

A light red cloak was draped over her shoulders, occasionally fluttering in the wind as if to conceal her. The gold and silver threads sewn into the cloak scattered light around, creating a dazzling effect. In her hands, she held two boorish-looking weapons.

The weapons’ dull brass-colored blades were thick and sturdy, capable of slicing through the bones of beasts with ease. Above the handle of each blade was a carving resembling a beast’s skull, with a crimson stone placed slightly below it. From the carving, ruby-red lines extended to the tip of the sword-like veins.

Furthermore, the blades were enveloped in a pale blue aura, crackling with small flashes of lightning that emitted light. With one of those ominous swords in each hand, the girl was ready for whatever lay ahead.

As the girl stood there motionless, her body lightly began to move. The wind gently caressed her cheeks, causing them to slightly shrink.

Her chest heaved heavily as she took a deep breath. Her eyes twitched before slowly opening. A light green glow was reflected in her eyes, resembling the shimmering surface of water.

Her half-open eyes revealed the cobalt green irises, which were clear as the waters of the South Seas.

As her eyes fully opened, they began to focus, as though awakening from a long dream. Eventually, they lit up as if the girl had regained her awareness. The girls’ eyes, slightly slanted but large and expressive, gradually filled with clarity and reason.

She slowly turned her head, looked around, and raised her eyebrows in puzzlement as her lips parted slightly, allowing words to slip out.

“HUUUUUUUH??”

◆◆◆◆◆

“Huh? Whaaat?” I repeated, the confusion growing.

Where am I? Was that my voice? It seems like I have my swords. My armor too. Huh? Breasts??? I thought, poking my chest with my fingertips, feeling its soft texture.

“Mirror! I demand a mirror!!!” I shouted to no one in particular, but my voice faded into the trees, unheard.

Calm down! Try to remember!! I told myself firmly and closed my eyes to try and focus while pressing my fingers to my brow. I first had to figure out what I remembered.

After coming home from work, I ate dinner, took a shower, turned on my PC, and, as usual, logged into the game… It was an MMORPG that had been around for over a decade. I’d started playing when I was 19, so 13 years have passed since then.

It was a game that I’d quit and picked up again without fail countless times during the past decade.

My character’s level had always been on the lower side, as I preferred raising and developing multiple characters evenly rather than focusing on just one. My highest character was just below level 100, while the game’s cap was 150.

To the top players, my character was nothing more than a small fry; ordinary, and insignificant. But I enjoyed playing that small fry character. Day after day, I’d calmly complete my daily quests and chat with friends.

Even my last memory was of how I’d goofed off with my friends after finishing a hunt and completing my dailies since the day after was a holiday.

“I fell asleep, didn’t I…” Realizing that I clapped my hands. “This must be a dream!” I concluded, feeling a wave of excitement.

In other words, I’m playing the game as my very character! So this is a dream!

“I see… So this is what lucid dreaming is all about. I’ve read so much about it online, but I never imagined it’d feel so real. Amazing!!!”

The character I had become was Susie. An Enchantment Channeler. Susie was a female human mage and the last character I had played. Enchantment Channelers were classified as Supports. They could use various Enchantment Skills to strengthen party members.

I could heal to some extent and wear heavy armor, making me capable of holding the front lines if necessary. And if push came to shove, I could even solo, which is why I favored this character for its versatility and ease of use.

“Still, given that I’ve become Susie,” I muttered, looking around to admire my new body. “I have to say, I think I’ve been holding in my desires for some time…”

I think I might have to visit Isezakicho¹ soon. I thought, noticing the white cleavage peeking out from the armor and savoring the unfamiliar sensation.

“That being said! This is a dream, so I guess there’s no harm in enjoying this body!” I rationalized, fully embracing the bizarre situation. “Still, where am I? What forest is this? The map… It won’t show up.”

In the game, I could always bring up a map to check my location, but now there was no map, no window—nothing.

Looking around, it seemed I was in the middle of a deep, unfamiliar forest. The spot where I stood offered a slightly higher vantage point than the surrounding area, but even from here, I couldn’t see the end of the forest.

However, some trees right in front of this area had been cut down, creating a square space about the size of an athletics stadium. The ground in this clearing was barren, devoid of grass or trees, with rocks of various sizes scattered around, making it resemble a wasteland.

Is this the ruins of an abandoned campground? Is it used for some kind of Event?

“Still, this looks oddly realistic. It’d be great if a window would pop up. How about my Radar? Great, it’s here! I’ll at least be able to know where the Mobs are now.”

The Radar was used in the game to mark mobs, which the player couldn’t see on their screen, by placing dots on the Mobs’ locations. Mob was short for Moving Object. The word usually meant crowd, but in games, it referred to hostile NPCs like monsters.

So rather than seeing, it’s more like sensing. I guess it’s easier to imagine it as GPS. I guess sensing really is the better word here. What a strange feeling. That being said, there are quite a few.

I focused more intensely on one of the dots, trying to get more information. I can somehow determine their distance and strength. Huh? What’s this? They seem like they’d all be blue!

In the game, opponents were color-coded based on level differences.

«Blue» indicated opponents who were 25 levels lower than me.

Although I couldn’t see the Mobs’ colors right now, I could somewhat sense it. The closest one is about 25-26 meters from the bottom of this point.

“Well, let’s go and try to deal with this safely.”

Behind the elevated area was a steep slope. I decided to use it and head straight for the closest target… While getting down from the high ground, I thought of something.

What about my Skills? Hm, it’s here. Maybe it’s something like this?

“I’m using it!”

«Assault Dash» was one of the basic Channeler skills. I pointed the two blades in my hands at the target, lowered my posture, and kicked off the ground. In that instant, my body became the manifestation of destruction, moving so fast it exceeded the speed of sound.

A deafening roar filled the air as I broke the sound barrier, tearing through trees in my path and closing the distance of about 20 meters in an instant. Everything was over the moment the edge of my blade reached the target.

“It exploded???!!!”

The creature, a massive beast that had radiated an ominous presence, exploded on impact.

I drilled my feet into the ground to try and brake. After moving forward another 10 meters while scraping the earth beneath me, my body finally came to a stop. Deep, vicious marks were left on the ground from the force of my dash.

“You can’t even call this overkill!”

1. TL Note: Isezakicho is an entertainment district in Yokohama.