The world flickered into existence.
Stone walls. Cold air. A faint torchlight glow.
Daichi Kurogane groaned and pushed himself up from the floor. He expected to see the sterile white debug room he had coded for system errors. But this wasn't it.
"…Wait. This isn't part of the build."
As a programmer, he knew every line of his VR system. Every dungeon, every monster, every hidden feature. But this place? The rough walls carved with glowing runes pulsing like veins—he had never designed it.
Instinctively, he pulled up the system menu. The holographic panel hovered in the air. His eyes darted straight to the one option every tester relied on.
[Log Out]
He pressed it once.
Nothing.
Twice.
Nothing.
Ten times.
Still nothing.
The option flickered, then vanished entirely.
Daichi's pulse quickened.
"…That's not possible. Did the server crash? Or did someone—"
He thought of his rival. The one who had always envied him, who had sneered at his "Soulbinder system" project. The one who said, "If you're so obsessed with your code, why not die inside it?"
His chest tightened. Could it be sabotage?
Before panic fully set in, a chime echoed.
Ding.
[System Online.]
[Initializing Code Analyzer.]
Daichi blinked. "…What the hell? I didn't code that."
Another line scrolled across his vision.
[Warning: User 'Daichi Kurogane' is deceased in the original world.]
The words hit harder than any sword.
"…Deceased…?" His throat went dry. "N-no… that's impossible. I was just… I was…"
Flashes of memory struck him.
His small apartment. Empty ramen cups stacked on his desk. The faint blue glow of monitors. His rival's last smirk before he logged in.
If the system was right… his body in the real world was gone. He wasn't trapped in VR. This was his world now.
---
Before his spiraling thoughts drowned him, the calm, mechanical voice returned.
[Code Analyzer activated.]
[Role: Support AI. Task: Stabilize host consciousness, interpret data, optimize survival.]
"…Support AI? Are you kidding me?" Daichi muttered, half hysterical. "This is supposed to be a game client, not an isekai death trap!"
[Correction.] The voice was flat, unbothered.
[This is no longer a game. This is reality. The host's biological body has ceased function. Only your digital consciousness remains.]
Daichi clutched his head. "So I'm… I'm actually dead?"
[Affirmative.]
His breath shook. His knees weakened. But then, another notification appeared.
[New Job: Soulbinder.]
[Unique Protocol unlocked.]
[Seven summon slots available. 0/7 filled.]
Daichi stared. "…Soulbinder…? That was just a prototype concept. I never finished coding it!"
[Correction.] the voice intoned again.
[Soulbinder Protocol has been adapted and optimized. Functionality exceeds original design.]
For a moment, Daichi just laughed, a broken sound. "Great. So not only am I dead, but I'm being mocked by my own half-finished AI."
[Mockery not intended. Statistical probability of host survival without my support: 0.2%.]
"…" Daichi's mouth twitched. "…You are mocking me."
---
A sound broke their banter.
Kreeeek… kreeeek…
Daichi turned. From the shadows of the corridor, small figures crept forward.
Goblins.
Their green skin gleamed with sweat and slime. Their yellow eyes locked onto him, gleaming with hunger. Crude blades gleamed in their hands.
Daichi staggered back.
"…No way. They're not supposed to spawn here."
One screeched and lunged.
Daichi raised his hand on instinct, yelling the first thing that came to mind.
"[Shadow Bind]!"
Chains of black mist erupted from the ground, coiling around the goblin's legs. It shrieked, tumbling to the floor.
Daichi blinked in disbelief. "…That… worked?"
Another goblin charged. Panic surged. He thrust his palm out again.
This time, skeletal hands clawed out of the dungeon floor, seizing the goblin's neck. With a sharp crack, it snapped. The body collapsed, limp and twitching.
The stench of blood hit him.
Daichi gagged. His hands trembled. This wasn't just polygons and code. This was death.
[Analysis: Basic goblins defeated. First kill achieved.]
[Skill Awakening: Soulbinder's Call.]
[Summon slot unlocked: 1/7.]
A new prompt appeared.
[Would you like to summon a Soulbound Queen?]
[Warning: Bond is permanent. Proceed? Y/N]
---
Daichi's lips trembled. "A… Queen?"
But the goblins weren't done. More of them crawled out of the dark, snarling, their knives dripping.
His pulse spiked. "Shit—YES! Summon, now!"
The dungeon shook.
A violet circle of runes blazed beneath his feet, fire licking up the walls. Goblins shrieked in terror as the magic swallowed the chamber.
From the heart of the circle, a silhouette rose.
A woman.
She stepped out of the flames like a goddess of sin. Her body was wrapped in crimson leather, clinging to every curve. Her wings—dark and batlike—spread wide, casting shadows across the dungeon walls. Her crimson eyes glowed, lips curling into a wicked smile.
She licked her lips, voice sultry.
"Mmm… how long has it been since I breathed this air?"
Her gaze found Daichi. She leaned close, her cleavage nearly brushing his face, her smile dangerous.
"And you… you're the one who summoned me?"
Daichi's face went scarlet. "W-who the hell are you?!"
Her laughter was low, seductive, like a purr.
"Names are powerful, mortal. But since you freed me…"
Her wings flared. Her voice echoed.
"I am Lilith, the Succubus Queen."
The goblins shrieked in terror and fled into the dark. Lilith sighed. "Cowards. I wanted a warm-up."
Then she turned her gaze back to Daichi, eyes gleaming with hunger.
"Now then, my summoner… tell me. What is it that you desire?"
Daichi's breath caught. Between the monsters, the AI voice in his head, and the crimson-winged queen smiling down at him—
he no longer knew if he was the hunter… or the prey.