My small hands trembled as I paervously from oree to another, my mind struggling to process what had just happehe world had ended.

  Don’t freak out. Please, John, don’t freak out. Something had gone horribly wrong, but Lucas could fix it. Didn’t he say there was some kind of ‘unfreeze’ thing on a… blue moon or whatever?

  With a long sigh, I sank down, leaning my back against a piree. Status. A translut blue menu popped up instantly, and I mentally navigated to the friend’s tab.

  [You have no friends.]Very funny game. Very funny. Thankfully, finding Lucas wasn’t hard, and I lucked out—he was online and accepted my request.

  [Lucas] Who are you?[Princess] It’s me, John.[Princess] Wait… my name is Princess? What the hell?Panic set in, and I quickly opehe character menu:

  Name:PrincessCss:PriestRaon Elf[Lucas] Wow, that’s awesome![Princess] No, it’s not. I’m a girl—and a Priest. you che that?[Lucas] Sure, let me log out.My heart pulsated faster and faster as the panic attack clouded desded. I loudly breathed in and out and tried not to think about it. Instead, I tried to picture Veronica’s red outfit, but it was useless to even try. Thankfully Lucas’s i tuned green soon. Wait! It was so fast. Had he logged out at all?

  [Lucas] Sorry John, but there was another Charlie.[Princess] Another Charlie?! Don’t you dare to make fun of me![Lucas] Yeah, same as the dude, but she was a girl.[Princess] So, you ge me back? Should I go to your apartment for the ser?[Lucas] That’s the thing you ’t. It’s too te, this ID is you. At least she is hot![Lucas] Sorry, tell me if you want to do some dung ter. Priests are awesome healers! The thing I feared most had happened. Well, I could deal with being a girl in the game. It wasn’t like gender mattered when it came to building strength. No, that wasn’t the real problem.

  The actual issue—the warrior in the gss room—was the Priest css! How was I supposed to grind if I couldn’t fight? At least mages could switch to being magien, which was halfway det.

  But the poor Priest? Priests were the weakest batants of all; they weren’t made for solo py. And soloing was my thing. In QA, they’d pay you a bonus if you found a bug, but if multiple testers found the same one, we had to split the reward. Going solo was always better.

  It felt like my life was slipping through my fingers. I looked up at the beautiful, hyper-realistic forest—it felt more real thay itself. But then agaiy was fake anyway. Was any of this even worth it? Maybe that punk should’ve just let his father kill my simution, so I wouldn’t have to deal with this mess at all.

  No.

  Standing up, I solidified my resolve. Hopeless? Hardly. Nathan had said every css mattered, that it all depended on the pyer’s skill. I’d be the ultimate priestess in the realm! With a determiep, I set out oh to bee a battle legend.

  [gratutions! You unlocked the STAMINA stat.]The system kindly reminded me that every hero’s first task was to exhaust themselves. Herself, whatever. Ouch! A sharp, needle-like pain shot up from my feet. Wait, why was I barefoot? I checked my [Iory] and discovered my character’s sorry excuse fear:

  [Basic Robe]Quality: 0-brokenDef:0Nobody knows why this ragged cloth is called a robe.[Basic Staff]Quality: 0-brokenATK:1-2What a glorious way to call a stick.Katherine’s guru voice echoed in my mind: Imagine a ke without end. Let your mind flow like a calming river into the ke. I took a deep breath and tried picturing it. No luck.

  This “robe” barely covered my shoulders and hands; it looked like someone had cut holes in an old sad attached a flimsy patch over the thighs, just long enough to reach my knees. Of course, almost-naked clothing firls—cssic. Whatever.

  Looking around, I reized the ented forest where Elf pyers spawned. If I remembered right, this part was the Woodnd of Dreams. The pn was simple: head north, exploit the Boss, and level up fast. No one was in sight, which was good. But it was also bad, because Priests needed party support. Maybe I could solo, though. After all, I was an exploiter.

  A rustle in the bushes made me spin around just as pain fred in my foot—something was biting me!

  “Ahhhh!” I yelped. This insane “Princess” character must’ve set the reality filters to 100%! The only way to adjust it would be to spam support and wait. Thanks, Nathan. That’s why everythi so painfully real! A strange creature—a cross between a rabbit and a small bear—was gnawing on my leg.

  [gratutions! You unlocked the HP stat.][You lost 1 HP.][Bearbit Lv.1]Type: 1-on Normal | HP: 8/8“Yon that!” My voice sounded oddly melodic, but my warrior instincts kicked in, and I kicked back with my free foot.

  [gratutions! You unlocked the STRENGTH stat.][Due to low strength, Bearbit ighe damage.]Great, this is just great! I gripped my staff and aimed straight for its head, taking some satisfa in the dull thud as it ected.

  [Critical hit! Target lost 3HP.]Yes! I tried various types of smashing until I had a plete victory and the weird, weak monster released me. If I was a warrior, I would just rip the sword through its head for x4 damage and one-shot it. Whatever.

  [Bearbit has beeed. +1XP]Of course, at the start, the blue ss were numerous. With time, they to down with patches to not annoy readers. Readers? Oh, pyers reading the blue ss, whatever. That wasn’t the current problem.

  Name:Pri:1/5HP:2/15XP:1/25STR:2AGI:2INT:5My good mood vanished as soon as I read my miserable stats. Low HP, pathetic strength, and barely any stamina. How was I supposed to fight with this nonsense? Whatever.

  After a quick rest, my stamina recovered, and I trudged north. Bearbits were everywhere, as if Nathan had desighem just to level me up at least once. Frustrated, I kicked a piree, knog off bits of bark. Having to rest after every fight was driving me insane.

  Up ahead, I spotted a thief fending off at least three Bearbits at ohat bastard!” I muttered, a string of curses slipping out. I sidered joining him, but he was a stranger—and it wasn’t worth the risk. Better not.

  “e at me, Bearbits! I’m a master of this big stick!” I taunted, my melodic voice ringing out. Two of them lu me; I dodged the uglier one and swung with all my strength, decapitating the other. After the dust settled, the sweet tone of a level-up chimed.

  [gratutions! You are now level 1!][Spell Heal unlocked. Mana unlocked.][You found a recalling scroll.][Recalling scroll]Quality: 3-rareRecalling scroll be used to teleport to a teammate or a town in 2 miles radius. It requires 15s uninterrupted eling.Wait—Recalling Scrolls were still a thing? I guess Irwen was still out there, slumbering somewhere. Anyway, I’d finally hit level one! Now the game could truly begin. But first… a well-earned rest.

  ***

  In the eastern part of the same forest, Lucas was attempting his first spell. He scowled at a strange symbol—ese-looking, acc to the help window—and tried to trace it in the air. But as he fihe shape, the gathered energy fizzled and vanished.

  What the hell am I doing wrong? He thought, frustrated. That was the right symbol, okay?!

  Just as he was about to analyze the intricacies of this frustrating system, a message from John popped up, requesting to form a party. Sure, why not? He accepted and sat on a nearby boulder, feeling his mana slowly trickle back after his failed attempts.

  Suddenly, a loud rumbling shattered the forest’s peaceful silence, reverberating like something heavy crashing through gss. The wind whipped around him, making the pine needles tremble and rustle.

  “What’s going on?” Lucas sprang up, sing the grass. Just o his boulder, the ground was marked by a strange, glowing circle, filled with symbols simir to the ones he’d tried to draw moments ago.

  Boss battle? Heart pounding, he clutched his staff and prepared himself. A few steady breaths ter, the circle fred with a blinding light, f him to shield his eyes. As the light faded, he lowered his hand—and the sight before him draihe color from his face.

  Not a Boss. No monster. Instead, a girl he knew all too well stood there. Her pale blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders, and the virtual reality’s detail enhahe slim, graceful shape of her waist. Even her slightly more-than-average chest appeared a little fuller, but her legs… her legs were just the same length as in real life—she’d be disappointed.

  She’d always wanted ls and a smaller nose, and he remembered how she’d get adorably furious at her refle in the mirror. But he’d loved her exactly as she was.

  Her long, pointed ears, the hallmark of an elf, framed her face beautifully. Memories of those te nights in the park flooded back, when they’d talked about the future, about expl this world together. That was before he’d made a mistake. Before he’d lost it all. Before she was taken from him.

  She waved, fshing her perfect white teeth, and his heart twisted painfully. He knew she was gone, knew she’d never e back, khis was only a trace. But he couldn’t stop the smile that crept across his face as he waved back at his Charlie.

  Ah, Johhought, a heavy ache settling in his chest. What have I done?

  Author's note: What a way to end the chapter, right? I hope the transition liween different POVs was clear enough to expect it. Should I create more space between the lines? What about the blue ss?