The city was a graveyard of twisted metal and shattered glass. The familiar skyscrapers, once monuments to human ambition, were now just jagged silhouettes against a sickly orange sky. Takanashi Kado, now known as "Luna," the 16-year-old catgirl, found herself navigating this new world on a set of impossibly slender legs. Her new body felt foreign, yet her reflexes were sharper than they had ever been.
A low growl echoed from a collapsed bus. Kado's cat ears twitched, triangulating the sound. It was a Cerberus—a three-headed hound of pure muscle and malice, its heads snapping and drooling with razor-sharp teeth. Back when he was a salaryman, Kado's only fight was with a jammed photocopier. Now, he was facing a mythological beast.
"Okay, Luna," he—she—muttered to herself. "Don't panic. Just think like… a Vtuber."
A holographic menu, visible only to her, shimmered into existence. It was a replica of her old streaming interface, complete with a chat box and a "Skill Tree." Her heart pounded in her chest, a mix of terror and exhilarating wonder. The chat was empty, but her Skill Tree was glowing, offering new abilities.
Feline Agility: Dodge incoming attacks with superhuman speed.
Claw Attack: Unleash powerful strikes with razor-sharp claws.
Purr-fect Camouflage: Become invisible to non-magical senses for 30 seconds.
"Right, let's go with... Feline Agility!" Kado selected the skill. A surge of energy coursed through her, and she felt her muscles tense, ready to spring. The Cerberus lunged, a trio of heads aimed for her throat. Time seemed to slow. She sidestepped with a grace that defied physics, a blur of silver hair and black tail. The Cerberus's teeth snapped shut on empty air.
"Wow! It worked!" she squealed in a voice that was both a girl's and her own.
The comedy of the situation wasn't lost on her. Here she was, a former corporate drone, now a magical catgirl fighting a three-headed dog. The absurdity was almost a comfort. This post-apocalyptic world was a literal game, and she had just unlocked a cheat code.
Another Cerberus appeared, this one larger and angrier. Kado dodged again, a giddy laugh escaping her lips. "This is... kinda fun!"
But her euphoria was short-lived. A red laser sight appeared on her chest, followed by a voice from a nearby rooftop. "Hey, you! Back off! That's my monster!"
Kado looked up to see a figure cloaked in black, aiming a futuristic-looking rifle. This was a Virtual Hunter from a rival guild, a "stream sniper" in the most dangerous sense. Her new adventure was just beginning, and it was already a race against both monsters and other players in this deadly new game.