At 30,000 feet above the ground, surrounded by a red ocean resembling a glass of wine, I found myself confined within a cylindrical tube filled with pressurized water. The tube suspended my body in the center.
I was neither falling nor floating—just suspended.
I was not alone. The airship that transported us had one hundred death row inmates onboard, each sealed in their own water-filled tube.
The tubes descended rapidly toward Devil Island, slicing through the sky like steel spears.
We descended in chaos, scattered across the island like falling stars, each heading for a different location along its edge.
Within a minute, the tube I occupied crashed through numerous trees and came to rest in a swamp. Remarkably, the impact did not affect my body, as the pressurized water absorbed the force, preventing me from coming into contact with the steel walls of the tube.
I moved my hands deliberately, as though I were in zero gravity, meticulously turning the handwheel above my head in a counterclockwise motion. Eventually, the hatch released, and I pushed it aside, propelling myself upward through the steel tube.
For the first time after 70 seconds, I finally took a breath of fresh air, but the sight before me compelled me to hold my breath once more.
From the hatch, I observed that I was surrounded by water that was so dark I could see my face in it, and it never stirred, set like glass, reflecting the beards of gray moss that smothered the cypress trees.
When I looked toward the red ocean, all I saw was the black water, the gray of the cypress trunks, and the constant, motionless rain of moss flowing down.
The towering cypress trees eat up the color of the horizon, pixelating the dusk and making it look like a corrupted digital image.
The wind off the shore and the odd interior stillness dulled my ability to gauge direction. The effect of this cannot be understood without being there. The horror of it cannot be understood either.
[Alert: new quest available.]
[Details: Survive the 6 sectors of the Devil Island. Make it to the center and clear the scenario.]
[Enemies: 98/100- Team up with a partner and eliminate the other participants.]
[Reward: Acceptance into House of Sinners—a distinguished military spy division serving under the queen.]
[Penalty: You will be executed for your crimes against Lord Henry.]
After reading the alert displayed on the blue screen that materialized before me, I understood I was following a predetermined path, akin to Blade of Destiny.
The issue I encountered was that I was unable to recall anything from my previous gameplay.
The only information I retained was stored within the Diva memory fragment I acquired. Now that I have completed the first stage of the game, I find myself without any advantage and entirely on my own.
I was used to being alone in a dark space, but that was within the confines of my room on Earth, where I felt secure. However, now that I have found myself alone on an unfamiliar island, I've realized how much of a chicken I was.
My gaze swept from left to right, taking in the images of towering cypress trees. The sun had already set, making way for the half-moon to illuminate the sky above me.
At that moment, the entire environment was enveloped in profound silence, I could guarantee that my heartbeat could be heard from a mile away.
I firmly grasped the lid that I had opened just moments ago. Using it, I propelled myself northward, toward solid ground blanketed with red grasses.
Upon reaching the ground, I threw the lid onto the solid surface and gripped the red grasses tightly in my fist. With determination, I extracted myself from the steel tube and firmly landed on the solid terrain.
I reached out to the rim of the tube floating in the swamp and firmly grasped its edges. Summoning all my strength, I pulled it from the swamp and rolled it against a cypress tree.
As I reached inside, I pulled out a leather bag and opened it. In it, I found a sword sheathed in black leather and a rectangular metallic box. At the bottom of the bag, there was a water bottle and a length of rope.
When I opened the metal box I had taken from the bag, I found 46 balls of dried meat. These were my only food provisions, meant to sustain me for a week—assuming I could manage to survive.
I methodically chewed the dry meat, taking small sips of water to alleviate its parched texture. My gaze remained fixed on the dark expanse of water before me. Initially, I thought it was motionless, but upon closer observation, I discerned that it was indeed moving, resembling the sluggish flow of molten magma.
The challenge I encountered was unfair. In other transmigration stories I have read online, the protagonists are typically afforded a training period before the main arc of the narrative begins.
But in my situation, I was pursued by a deranged noble armed with arrows, and then forced to battle enormous wolves in the heart of the forest, and now, I am compelled to face 98 death row inmates on an unfamiliar island.
The reality was harsh; my hand instinctively grasped the sword from the bag and unsheathed it. It was a silver blade, elegantly designed in the shape of a katana, with a hilt extending to a length of at least one foot.
My hand raised it, and I examined it under the moonlight. Merely gazing at it filled me with anger.
I had never wielded a sword in my life; if it is not a game controller, how can they possibly expect me to fight with it?
Even worse, I was compelled to confront real criminals who had committed murders. Furthermore, I had to battle monsters on the Devil's Island.
I chuckled, thinking of the intimate time I had with Lucy. It was passionate and intense, yet upon reflection, it seemed the experience was akin to the game enticing me to continue engaging with it. Relying on my desires as a source of motivation.
Perhaps I am merely being sentimental due to the despair gripping my soul.
Anyway, after seeing Violet in person, I've made up my mind. I will get close to her and catch her attention.
After all, I am lucky, cause back on Earth, countless individuals harbor affection for a two-dimensional character, yet their love is futile and can never be realized. For me, however, Violet is within reach.
I have made up my mind; I am determined to ascend the ranks of the House of Sinners and ensure that Violet takes notice of me.