The Von Arden estate glittered like it had been buffed for a world-boss spawn. Marble floors gleamed, servants scuttled like raid minions resetting props, and bouquets rotated on a respawn timer to ensure no petal dared wilt. All this effort—centred on one target: a fourteen-year-old boy.
Elias's wide amethyst eyes and delicate features screamed rare gacha pull. To his family, he wasn't a child; he was a legendary drop. A limited-edition skin. Handle with care.
Inside, Han Seo-yeon—the woman who used to grind overtime by day and MMORPG leaderboards by night—did not know whether to laugh or uninstall. Bills? Gone. Overtime? Deleted. Takeout noodles at 2 a.m.? Replaced with three-course meals. Decision paralysis? Solved by five relatives making every call for her. Honestly… not the worst patch notes in human history.
But the way they hovered, rearranged, fussed—like she'd sprout cracks if someone sneezed or even breathed too hard—was overkill. She half-expected someone to hang a glowing "Fragile: Epic Loot, Do Not Drop" placard around her neck.
She glanced in the mirror. Elias's doll-like eyes and cupid's-bow mouth stared back, but the smirk tugging at the lips was hers. Han Seo-yeon. Two puzzle pieces, mismatched, but clicking anyway. It was eerie. Complete.
She used to be Han Seo-yeon: twenty-three, salary woman, gamer warlord, raid leader known online as AshenReign. Now she was Elias: "omega," porcelain doll, household mascot. But her inner fire hadn't been nerfed. If anything, the devs had secretly buffed it.
Still… she missed her rig. What if Eternia's server merge had gone live? What if guildmates were flexing the platinum assassin skin she'd saved up for? That phantom steps buff she never got to try. Movement Speed +8% while in stealth or for 3s after exiting it. Each step leaves a faint platinum afterimage, like a ghost walking beside you. Tragic. Unacceptable.
No. Focus. New body, new world. Momma Clarisse had promised a VR pod. And once it arrived? Oh, the grind routes she was already theory-crafting. Sweet doll on the outside, raid boss on the inside. Peak double-class build.
"Bunny? Are you awake?" boomed Aaron through the door.
Bunny. Elias rolled his eyes. Even at her girlish phase, Han Seo-yeon had never looked this soft. Softness was a debuff in PvP. He caught his reflection in the mirror, grimacing at how tame he seemed. Soft. Nerfed. Minus twenty charisma for raid intimidation.
"I'm up," Elias called.
The door opened—not Aaron, but Momma Clarisse sweeping in like an NPC scripted to fuss. Silk dress, elegant posture, pale blue cravat in hand. "There you are," she breathed, as though he'd been missing for years instead of minutes. She sat him before the mirror, fingers cool as she adjusted his collar. Brooch, hair, posture. Equip sequence complete.
Seo-yeon bit back a snort. This isn't dressing. This is patching armour. Buff: +10% Fragility. Debuff: -20% Street Cred.
Then Aaron burst in grinning, far too boyish for the president of Ardenstahl Group. If his shareholders saw that grin, the stock market would wipe. Elias's silence must have been telling, because Aaron's expression dropped into that of a kicked puppy.
Fine. Elias sighed, then stood, pitching his voice into a cutesy register.
"Let's go, big brother."
Oh god. If his guildmates could see him now… it was like pretending to be a broke newbie just to weasel out premium gear from a pay-to-win.
Halfway down the stairs, Alistair swooped in stealthily like a thief-class, scooping Elias into a hug before anyone could react. Elliot scowled, warning them to be careful—not out of concern, Elias suspected, but pure salt at being left out.
"Enough." Luciel's voice boomed like a raid boss voice line. In one smooth motion, the head of House von Arden plucked Elias from Alistair's arms and deposited him into his seat between himself and Lady Clarisse like he was… loot.
Elias blinked. This was the man rumoured to bend ministries to his will. And here he was… tossing him like a plush toy. Peak dissonance.
"This is Elias von Arden," Luciel announced. "The pride of our house. If he suffers even a paper cut, consider your bank cards frozen."
Sir, please. You're reading out patch notes to my body like I'm premium DLC.
A chorus of sulky "Yes, Father" rippled from his brothers. Elias wanted the floor to open up. Why am I being introduced like a raid spawn timer?
They claimed their chairs, still bickering over seating priority like PvP guilds contesting a boss chest. Elliot managed to snag the coveted spot directly across from Elias with an elbow to Aaron's ribs. Elias almost applauded. That was at least a nat-20 roll in contested loot.
Outside, they ruled nations. Inside, they fought for who got to butter his toast.
Breakfast commenced. Clarisse corrected his posture with the precision of a UI designer nudging alignment pixels. She dabbed his lip the second a crumb dared spawn. S-tier support class.
His brothers, of course, began their nonsense.
Aaron leaned forward, swiping Elias's croissant and slicing it into bite-sized pieces. "You'll hurt yourself if you rush. Omegas must protect their delicate hands."
Seo-yeon groaned inside. I used to eat steak with scissors at my desk.
Alistair snapped his fingers. A servant materialized with a velvet box of candied violets. "Imported. Sweet, delicate, just like you."
Sweet, delicate… perfect for diabetes, maybe.
Elliot slammed down a pile of tomes thick enough to count as blunt-force weapons. "Secondary Gender Theory. And our great-grandfather's Philosophy of Duty. Essential for understanding what it means to carry our legacy."
Elias stared. Sir, that stack has higher DPS than I do right now.
Aaron frowned. "He doesn't need books. He needs discipline."
Alistair smirked. "He needs joy."
Elliot adjusted his glasses. "He needs knowledge."
He needs to raid a dungeon or lead a siege, maybe fight a dragon, Elias mentally supplemented.
All three turned, waiting for him to pick.
Elias calmly sipped his tea. Ah. Raid prep. Too bad my party members are lunatics competing for MVP in "Who Can Smother the Omega the Fastest."
Mom's toast arrived: perfectly buttered, jam portioned to prevent spillage. Elias took a bite. Bliss. Balanced like a pro gamer's macro. Peak consumable. S-tier craft. +150 stamina recovery.
And beneath the absurdity, a small spark lit in him.
Let them coddle. Let them smother. When the VR pod arrived, he'd log in not as Bunny, not as Porcelain Omega. He'd be AshenReign. Top DPS. Raid boss. Leaderboard tyrant. Destroyer of egos.
They could pamper him all they wanted here. On the battlefield, he'd carve his name in light across the leaderboards.
For the first time since waking in this nerfed body, the thought made him grin for real.