Lucille had crossed over—into the very game he had been playing. If you asked him how he could accept this reality so quickly, he would answer: the familiar yet alien room decor, the language he'd never heard but could somehow understand, the air tinged with an otherworldly aura…
And, more importantly, the girl standing before him.
Her features were like a painting—snow-white skin, emerald-green hair cascading over her shoulders, a slender waist that seemed soft and smooth. Lucille had never seen her before, yet she felt impossibly familiar.
Of course. This was the character he'd spent five hours meticulously crafting in the game. His max-level avatar, now standing before him in the flesh.
If it were just that, he might have dismissed it as an elaborate prank by someone or some group. But what truly shocked him was his perspective—it had split into two.
It was as if a lump of clay had been sliced in half with a craft knife and placed into two separate containers. Lucille found himself with two viewpoints, two sets of senses. He controlled both his original body and the body of the girl before him. Without any guidance, he had mastered the art of "dual awareness," with no discomfort whatsoever.
"This is too incredible…"
Lucille gazed at the girl, or perhaps the girl gazed at Lucille, and they murmured in unison.
This phenomenon was beyond his comprehension. In the face of such power, even if someone were playing a trick on him, he had no choice but to accept the truth.
And so, he believed—he had truly transmigrated.
Following that logic, he should now be in an ordinary room in an ordinary tavern. Such unremarkable rooms numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands, in the game. Even Lucille, who prided himself on being a "game veteran," couldn't pinpoint which country or region in the game he was in.
But the commotion from downstairs quickly answered his question.
"Murder!"
"Stop!"
"Ahh—!"
"Run! Run!"
A cacophony of shouts flooded Lucille's ears. His heart jolted as a familiar cutscene from the game played vividly in his mind.
This was the first plot event every player encountered upon entering the game, and perhaps the one that left the deepest impression:
The Assassination at the Little Princess Tavern.
This event marked the beginning of the Shadow Cult's rebellion against the supreme royal authority, as well as the spark that set players on the path to transcendence.
And its outcome? The death of the Little Princess.
From the second-floor room, Lucille silently gazed at his avatar, who returned his gaze in equal silence. After a long moment, they turned simultaneously, heading in opposite directions.
The green-haired girl pushed open the door, vaulted over the corridor, and leapt down the stairs. In an instant, her eyes locked onto the person she sought in the crowd's center.
The Little Princess.
The princess was in dire condition. A slender, curved blade had pierced her heart, blood dripping along its edge, pooling into a crimson puddle on the floor.
The onlookers stared in horror at the victim. Under the Little Princess's disguise, they couldn't discern her true identity, nor could they grasp the significance of her assassination. But a brutal murder in the royal city was enough to send them into panic.
The Little Princess's eyes darted around, searching for something, but her assassin had already melted back into the crowd. She coughed up a mouthful of scarlet blood, and in that fleeting moment, she understood and accepted her fate.
"Am I… going to die here?"
A wave of helplessness washed over her. Unable to hold herself up any longer, she began to collapse toward the ground.
At that very moment, the green-haired girl outside the crowd sprang into action.
She pressed a purple-black crystal against the back of her hand. The crystal seemed to melt, merging seamlessly into her body.
No earth-shattering sound followed, no inexplicable glow. Only her clothes silently transformed into a dark, form-fitting night suit.
In that instant, she felt her strength surge—immense, overwhelming, and explosive. A vast power she had never wielded lay dormant within her. And then… she sensed something amiss.
The flow of magic was obstructed.
A magic-sealing array had been set up here.
She couldn't use magic or any magical constructs in this area.
But the green-haired girl was unfazed. Even without magic, her physical strength far surpassed that of any ordinary human. With a single step, she appeared in the heart of the crowd. In the next moment, she swept the Little Princess into her arms and dashed out. Most of the onlookers didn't even register her presence.
It wasn't until she reached the tavern's entrance that the assassins hidden in the crowd realized what had happened, their faces twisting in shock. They gave chase, but they were a step too late.
The last thing a few of the assassins saw was the green-haired girl carrying the Little Princess out of the magic-sealing zone. Then, the two figures dissolved into a cloud of black mist, which dissipated into the air, leaving no trace of them.
One of the assassins who pursued them to the door scowled. He recognized the technique—a signature skill of the Shadow Assassin, Night Stride. In the bustling city, it was the ultimate tool for escape or assassination.
"There's still a chance," a sinister voice rasped from behind. A white-haired assassin stepped up beside him. "The target is under a curse. They can't escape."
"Tch…" A third assassin emerged, twirling a small dagger as he sighed. "We missed the best opportunity. It'll be much harder to kill her next time."
The scowling assassin ignored the third, turning to the white-haired one. "Where are they?"
"The target is cautious and keeps moving," the sinister voice replied. "Follow me closely. If you lose them, don't blame me."
The three assassins melted into the shadows, pursuing their quarry.
Meanwhile, Lucille had left the chaotic tavern and was walking alone through an alley.
His unremarkable appearance drew no attention, especially since he'd chosen a secluded path. His memories of the game world gave him a significant advantage, allowing him to navigate toward his destination with speed.
As he moved, his steps unconsciously quickened.
Reason told him he should suppress his emotions and stay calm. But his heart was like dough plunged into boiling oil—coated in layers of tension, thrill, and excitement.
Everything he'd seen and heard confirmed the reality of his transmigration. How could he remain unaffected?
His avatar had successfully rescued the Little Princess, but the danger was far from over. The Shadow Cult's assassins were relentless, like maggots clinging to bone. Once they set their sights on a target, it was a fight to the death.
Everything had happened so suddenly. He could feel the immense power of his avatar, but his own body remained that of an ordinary person.
There was no time to waste.
He needed to secure a carriage to ensure the Little Princess's safe escape.
The merchant district from his game memories was nearby—just one more street to cross.
But then, Lucille stopped dead in his tracks. At the end of the road, three figures stood blocking his path, waiting for him…