---
— Gruu… Gruu…
Its eyes glowed with hunger as the beast slowly crept closer.
Drool hung from its jaws like thick threads of saliva, as if it hadn't eaten in days.
It looked like a wolf… but far larger than any ordinary one — its body thick with muscle, its fangs bared. It inched forward, slowly, almost like it was waiting for me to make a move.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to beg for help.
But I held my breath.
One sound — one wrong twitch — and it might charge.
My heart pounded like a war drum in my chest. The creature's breath was hot and foul as it lowered its snout close to my face…
And then—
It lunged.
---
*****
---
"Resurrect in your current position? Y/N"
A familiar prompt appeared before my eyes the moment I woke up.
Everything had gone black after that monster tore into me… but this? This message… it confirmed what I suspected.
I wasn't just dreaming.
This was real.
I was inside Alfiria Saga.
The strange plants, the giant beast, the scent of the wind — all of it.
And now this message… it wasn't fake.
— So this is it... I've really been transported here.
But…
— Why the hell did I start in Withered Forest and not in Trainee Village?!
There was no character creation, no tutorial, and worst of all — no equipment.
And the thing that killed me?
— A Great Liger… That was a GL mob! A freaking boss! What kind of welcome is that?!
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
— Okay… okay… at least resurrection has no time limit. I can think this through.
But the problem was the penalty.
In Alfiria, death always came with consequences — you lost a random piece of equipment unless you had a relic or extra rare item. At least with those, you could choose what to sacrifice.
But I had nothing.
— Can't resurrect in Withered Forest. I'll just die again.
— But if I choose "No", who knows where I'll be sent…
"No."
— Confirming…
— Wait—wait! Can't I at least get a tutorial? Or a voice command system or—
"Please select [items / extra / main] for penalty."
— 'Main'? What the hell is that? That option doesn't exist in the game!
"Main."
— Confirming…
— WTF!
I forgot the damn system responds to voice triggers now.
"Please select the year you want to erase from your memories."
My eyes widened.
Suddenly, a glowing graph appeared in front of me — showing my birth year and every year of my life, including all my birthdays.
— You've gotta be kidding me… resurrection costs a year of my memories now?
I stared at the graph, thinking hard.
Most of those early years were uneventful.
Honestly, my best memories were from age one to five… and of course, the 25 years I spent playing Alfiria Saga.
There's no way I'm giving that up — those memories are my only guide in this world now.
— Alright… let's pick the year I turned six. I don't remember anything important from that time anyway.
"Year 20" — Confirming…**
— Okay… now, where are you taking me?
"Resurrecting... Location: Gram Village."
My eyes lit up.
— Yes! Finally, a Trainee Village!
A flash of blinding light swallowed me.
---
*****
---
When my vision cleared, I was standing beside a large fountain with a glowing blue crystal levitating at its center.
Smaller crystal shards floated around it like satellites, each one gently releasing streams of sparkling water.
Above me, the sky shimmered, and carved high in the clouds was a familiar symbol—
— Firion Sky Castle…
— Yesssss.
A floating island, hidden high above the clouds — home to one of the Seven Sacred Treasures.
It was hard to reach… even harder to leave.
Suddenly—
"Kyaaahhh!"
A woman screamed nearby.
I turned and saw her covering her face, eyes wide with disgust.
Only then did I realize—
— …I'm still naked.
My heart dropped.
Dozens of people were around the village square.
Some stared.
Some snickered.
Some women hid their faces with fans or hands, while others turned away blushing.
— God, kill me now.
I quickly covered myself with both hands and tried to turn away, my face burning with shame.
I was ready to run and find a bush to crawl under when a group of armored men suddenly approached me.
Seven of them.
Their armor looked like something straight out of a fantasy war film — heavy, decorated, polished steel.
They surrounded me in a loose formation.
The man in the center stepped forward.
He had a serious expression, and a deep scar ran down the side of his left cheek.
"Sir," he said firmly, "please come with us. We have some questions regarding how you ended up… in this situation."
—