My small hands trembled as I paced nervously from one tree to another, my mind struggling to process what had just happened.

  Don’t freak out. Please, John, don’t freak out.

  Something had gone horribly wrong. I was turned into a girl, but Lucas could fix it. Didn’t he say there was some kind of ‘unfreeze’ thing once in a… blue moon or whatever?

  With a long sigh, I sank down, leaning my back against a pine tree.

  Status.

  A translucent blue menu popped up instantly, and I mentally navigated to the friend’s tab.

  Very funny game. Hilarious even. Thankfully, finding Lucas wasn’t hard, and I lucked out, he was online and accepted my request.

  Panic set in, and I quickly opened the character menu:

  My heart was racing, panic swirling as I took loud, steady breaths, trying to calm down.

  Think of something else.

  I tried picturing Katherine’s red outfit to distract myself, but it was no use. Thankfully, Lucas’s icon turned green again in no time.

  Wait that fast? Had he even logged out?

  The thing I feared most had happened. Well, I could deal with being a girl in the game. It wasn’t like gender mattered when it came to building strength. No, that wasn’t the real problem.

  The actual issue, the warrior in the glass room, was the Priest class!

  How was I supposed to grind if I couldn’t fight? At least mages could switch to being magic swordsmen, which was halfway decent.

  But the poor Priest? Priests were the weakest combatants of all; they weren’t made for solo play. And soloing was my thing.

  In QA, they’d pay you a bonus if you found a bug, but if multiple testers found the same one, we had to split the reward. Going solo was always better.

  It felt like my life was slipping through my fingers. I looked up at the beautiful, hyper-realistic forest. It felt more real than reality itself. But then again, reality was fake anyway. So maybe the children were right and Rimelion was real.

  Was any of this even worth it? Maybe that punk should’ve just let simulation to go puff, so I wouldn’t have to deal with this mess at all.

  No.

  Standing up, I solidified my resolve.

  Hopeless? Hardly.

  The supposed creator of the game, Nathan, had said every class mattered, that it all depended on the player’s skill. I’d be the ultimate priestess in the realm! With a determined step, I set out on the path to become a battle legend.

  The system kindly reminded me that every hero’s first task was to exhaust themselves.

  Herself, whatever.

  Ouch! A sharp, needle-like pain shot up from my feet. Wait, why was I barefoot? I checked my [Inventory] and discovered my character’s sorry excuse for gear:

  Katherine guru voice echoed in my mind. She used to do ASMR streams when she was bored: Imagine a lake without end. Let your mind flow like a calming river into the lake.

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  I took a deep breath and tried picturing it. No luck.

  This robe barely covered my shoulders and hands; it looked like someone had cut holes in an old sack and attached a flimsy patch over the thighs, just long enough to reach my knees. Of course, almost-naked clothing for girls. Classic.

  Whatever.

  Looking around, I recognized the enchanted forest where elf players started.

  If I remembered right, this part was the Woodland of Dreams. The plan was simple: head north, exploit the Boss, and level up fast. No one was in sight, which was good. But it was also bad, because Priests needed party support.

  Maybe I could solo, though. After all, I was The Exploiter.

  A rustle in the bushes made me spin around just as pain flared in my foot; something was biting me! “Ahhhh!” I yelped.

  This insane Princess must’ve set the reality filters to 100%! The only way to adjust it would be to spam support and wait.

  That’s why everything felt so painfully real! A strange creature, a cross between a rabbit and a small bear, was gnawing on my leg.

  “You’re gonna regret that!” My voice sounded oddly melodic, but my warrior instincts kicked in, and I kicked back with my free foot.

  Great, this is just great! I firmly gripped my staff and aimed straight for his head. Only the resulting dull, crushing sound was soothing to my pulsating pain.

  Yes! I tried various types of smashing until I had a complete victory and the weird, weak monster released me. If I was a warrior, I would just rip the sword through its head for x4 damage and one-shot it. Whatever.

  Of course, at the start, the blue screens were numerous. With time, they toned it down with patches to not annoy readers. Readers?

  Oh, players reading the blue screens. That wasn’t the current problem.

  My good mood vanished as soon as I read my miserable stat. Low HP, pathetic strength, and barely any stamina. How was I supposed to fight?

  After a quick rest, my stamina recovered, and I trudged north. Bearbits were everywhere, as if system had designed them just to level me up at least once. Frustrated, I kicked a pine tree, knocking off bits of bark.

  Having to rest after every fight was driving me insane.

  Up ahead, I spotted a thief fending off at least three Bearbits at once. “That bastard!” I muttered, a string of curses slipping out. I considered joining him, but he was a stranger… and I wasn’t socially the best.

  “Come at me, Bearbits! I’m a master of this big stick!” I taunted, my melodic voice ringing out.

  Two of them lunged at me; I dodged the uglier one and swung with all my strength, decapitating the other. After the dust settled, the sweet tone of a level-up chimed.

  Wait… Recalling Scrolls were still a thing? I guess Queen Irwen was slumbering somewhere and haven’t unleashed demons and preventing people from teleporting. Anyway, I’d finally hit level one, so let’s go fight!

  But first… a well-earned rest.

  In the eastern part of the same forest, Lucas was attempting his first spell.

  He scowled at a strange symbol in the help window, and tried to trace it in the air. But as he finished the shape, the gathered energy fizzled and vanished.

  What the hell am I doing wrong? He thought, frustrated. That was the right symbol, okay?!

  Just as he was about to analyze the intricacies of this frustrating system, a message from Charlie popped up, requesting to form a party.

  He accepted and sat on a nearby boulder, feeling his mana slowly trickle back after his failed attempts.

  Suddenly, a loud rumbling shattered the forest’s peaceful silence, reverberating like something heavy crashing through glass. The wind whipped around him, making the pine needles tremble and rustle.

  “What’s going on?” he sprang up, scanning the grass. Just next to his boulder, the ground was marked by a strange, glowing circle, filled with symbols similar to the ones he’d tried to draw moments ago.

  Heart pounding, he clutched his staff and prepared himself for boss battle.

  A few steady breaths later, the circle flared with a blinding light, forcing him to shield his eyes. As the light faded, he lowered his hand… and the sight before him drained the color from his face.

  Not a boss.

  No monster.

  Instead, a girl he knew all too well stood there. Her pale blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders, and the virtual reality’s detail enhanced the slim, graceful shape of her waist. Even her slightly more-than-average chest appeared a little fuller, but her legs… her legs were just the same length as in real life; she’d be disappointed.

  Still short.

  She’d always wanted longer legs and a smaller nose, and he remembered how she’d get adorably furious at her reflection in the mirror. But he’d loved her exactly as she was.

  Her long, pointed ears, the hallmark of an elf, framed her face beautifully. Memories of those late nights in the park flooded back, when they’d talked about the future, about exploring this world together. That was before he’d made a mistake. Before he’d lost it all.

  Before she was taken from him.

  She waved, flashing her perfect white teeth, and his heart twisted painfully.

  He knew she was gone, knew she’d never come back, knew this was only a trace. But he couldn’t stop the smile that crept across his face as he waved back at his Charlie.

  Ah, John, he thought, a heavy ache settling in his chest. What have I done?