A girl sat on a wooden chair, her gaze absentminded, cloudy, and dazed. She tilted her head, scanning the wooden desk before her.
Dozens of books, clearly meant for academics, filled the wooden desk. On the side of the table was a small drawer; there, a small lamp bright enough to illuminate the entire room with a soft radiant glow that didn't strain the eyes, as if powered by an unknown force. There was no gas or electricity visible, after all.
As she was in a dazed state, she didn't take everything in. That's why after her second scan, she found the books were in terrible shape, worn down. Evidence of this could be seen in some books that had torn pages, and meanwhile, others were even completely battered.
At the sight, a brief discomfort slithered across her body.
But after the brief response, her gaze landed on a specific book. It was rather thick, most likely for more extensive academic study. But to her, that was not what grabbed her attention. A piece of gold-adorned paper, bearing a radiant, softly glowing golden stamp in its center, caught her attention.
She scrambled and put down the letter, having no intention of reading its contents for now, as there was a more pressing matter... something unbelievable. She then grabbed one book in a hurry, then her eyes scanned its title.
Efficient Way to Use Mana: For Academy Students!
...Slam!!!
The room, which was once filled with silence, was now filled with a slamming noise. Regardless, she paid it no mind, not even the throbbing sensation in her hands. After all, it seems to hurt more than usual.
Regardless, she hurriedly stood up from her seat and scanned the surroundings.
A small room, clearly meant for a single person to live in. The room was so small that the desk was already practically touching the head of the bed. On the left side was a door, which would most likely lead outside.
Yet, her attention was not focused on these trivialities. She turned around in her seat for a complete observation of her surroundings. Afterwards, she turned around, a tall mirror standing at a perpendicular position to the desk she had been sitting at.
A girl gazed back.
A stranger and a familiar sight.
The reflection showed a girl with a youthful appearance, 5'4" tall, fair white skin, deep dark eyes, long black hair with a tint of violet, a slender body, and a face that seemed both coldly beautiful and adorably pretty. Her exterior showed a dark cape that wasn't fully adjusted to hide all her interior, thus revealing the relatively short shirt underneath, and because the shirt underneath was relatively short, minor scratches and small bruises were visible on her arms. Her lower half was a flowing, dark, long skirt that extended down to her feet.
Her dazed expression shifted into one of bafflement. Her eyes trembled. She then lightly caressed her face, and as she completely felt the sensation of her touch.
A soft chuckle left her mouth, and her head felt like it had just exploded, malfunctioning.
"Ha... haha… Absurd... this... really absurd…"
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Seated on the soft, cushioned bed, she allowed herself a few minutes of rest and contemplation. Countless questions surfaced in her mind like a trivia quiz, but none of them answered the most pressing one: 'Is this a dream?'
So, the first thing she did to truly make sure whether it was a dream or not was to test her two most reliable senses when it came to differentiating dreams from reality: the sense of touch and pain.
To that, she pinched both of her cheeks and pulled them apart with her small hands.
"It... hurts," she grumbled from the pain, then her eyebrows furrowed as her hands plopped down on the bed. She thought, 'Uh, it's definitely working... I don't know about other people, but I've never felt pain in my dreams.'
Which made her accept that this was reality... added on top of that was being a girl for some reason. There was a reason for that, but she postponed it for later.
After a brief pause, she added, "No... that's a stupid thought. It's not a matter of gender. Regardless, if this is not some kind of sick joke, it could mean a second chance to live properly."
She quickly dismissed such thoughts, as there was no point in thinking about the future while the present was still completely unclear. But there was a reason she did not go too deep into thoughts such as 'Was I kidnapped?' or 'Did my body get experimented on and get turned into a girl?' It was because of the existence of someone who would only see in video games.
Because of that, while she remained sitting in the bed, she tensed up as her cheeks flushed, embarrassed by the words that were about to come out of her mouth. So, instead of saying it normally, she just murmured:
"status."
A sharp ping echoed alongside the appearance of a floating, transparent window before her naked eyes.
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[Status Window]
Name: Nyx
Level: 20
Title: None
Gender: Female
Age: 18
[Attributes]
Intelligence: 20
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 15
Speed: 10
Mana Capacity: 20,000
[Traits]
[Hollow Born] [SS], [Mental Corruption] [SS], [Mental Clarity] [A]
[Skills]
[Impulsive Desires] [S | Passive | Inactive], [Gravity Magic] [S]
> Reward Available <
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A translucent floating screen, like those you would see only in video games, did appear, and numbers and attributes were on full display.
'It's even floating just right above my eyes, like some AR technology. It definitely has a mystical pull.'
She then briefly scanned the status window, but she couldn't help but grimace, looking at that one ominous-looking trait, its words filled with red in contrast to the others being white. It was the trait: Mental Corruption.
She frowned, '... How is that even considered a trait? Its rank is also very high... well, it does make sense since traits could also have negative side effects... Thankfully, it seems that it is being restrained by some unknown force.'
She gulped from the building anxiety as her gaze shifted to her arms, filled with bruises and scratches, letting out a small laugh of bewilderment at the sudden realization, 'This does seem to be self-inflicted.'
After a while, she found no point in dwelling on it any further. She lightly massaged her forehead with her delicate hands and then shifted her attention toward the identity, the original identity of her current body.
She then stood up and looked in the mirror, focusing her attention on her face.
'...Yeah, this is definitely that character.' she thought hesitantly.
She then lightly stepped forward, drawn even closer to the mirror as her face nearly touching it. She thought about closing the status window since it was getting in her way, and it disappeared instantaneously with a thought.
Her gaze turned analytical, scanning the intricacies and similarities... then she let out a sigh.
It was because of the identity of the body, the most mysterious and unknown character in the game [Echoes of the Fallen Sun], the final heroine, and the hidden heroine...
"...Nyx," she muttered softly, her words resonating through the silence of the room.
But because of that, a sudden realization struck her. Her eyebrows furrowed. Though if any onlookers were to see the scene, what seemed like a grimace would most likely be adorable.
'Ah, I'm screwed. I don't know anything about this character... Only the fact that she's the infamous final and hidden Heroine, only appearing with some specific requirement... but that's just empty words from die-hard fans,' she thought with a hint of complaint. Then added with even more frustration, 'No memories were given either, and those streams... they only played the dating aspects of the game.'
She let out a heavy sigh of resignation, as she regained her composure and focus. She turned her attention back to the floating screen in front of her, sighing again but this time out of relief.
'It's great that it could be accessed by just a single thought...' She shuddered at the thought. Possibilities of being mentally ill surfaced, but she let out a dry laugh as she reasoned, 'That... might not be a big deal. Regardless, it's best not to raise any suspicions.'
Her eyebrows furrowed, a flicker of conflicting emotions crossing her face as her eyes settled on a particular section of the status window.
'There's no point in uncovering something I do not know about,' she thought, unease settling in her chest.
Her gaze landed on it, her thoughts clouded by anxiety, and unconsciously, her heart started beating faster. Her already messed-up composure wavered even more.
'...This is most likely connected to what sent me here in the first place,' she thought, a chill creeping down her spine as she gulped against the tension.
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> Reward Available <
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2 - The Hidden Heroine