Chapter 1: 1. Possession

It wasn’t always like this.

Ever since that day, the narcolepsy began disrupting my daily life.

I’d fall asleep while eating, working, walking, even bathing.

I became a shut-in.

Countless times I’d collapse on the streets during sudden drowsiness while wandering outside.

With uncontrollable sleep attacks, I couldn’t hold a job and got fired.

At this point, it felt like a disability, but the government didn’t recognize it as such.

I tried hospitals and treatments, but nothing changed.

With no results from my efforts, the lethargy from sleepiness grew heavier.

Unable to work due to lethargy and sleepiness, my savings kept draining without replenishing.

Today was no different.

“…Ugh.”

I closed my eyes while lying in bed.

Lying down felt more natural than standing now.

This was clearly wrong, but I had no alternatives.

Buzz- My phone vibrated as I fumbled for it.

A notification that my favorite streamer had gone live.

Rie.

A streamer with 200-300 concurrent viewers.

Her unique voice had its niche, but lacking entertainment value kept her from growing further.

That’s why I liked it.

Boring enough to help me sleep, pleasant enough to keep my ears company.

[Today’s game is-!]

Ah, volume’s a bit loud.

Turning it down brought relief.

Eyes closed, I drifted asleep to Rie’s voice.

***

I couldn’t comprehend this situation.

I woke up as a girl.

…I could accept that much, but…

What I couldn’t understand was why I was here.

“…A forest?”

Worse, after walking straight for what felt like three hours to escape, I seemed to be going in circles.

No, not seemed – I definitely was circling.

I’d carved a cross into a conspicuously large tree midway, and kept seeing it repeatedly.

“What the hell?”

Too vivid for a nightmare.

Just a girl in an unnamed forest so dense sunlight barely filtered through.

More absurd than frightening since I couldn’t comprehend it.

Moreover, though I didn’t know how long I’d been here…

Not a single animal or insect in sight.

Trees and grass, flowing water.

Flowers and vines, rocks and stones.

“…Eerie.”

Though I’d stayed quiet to avoid attracting beasts, this place seemed empty except for me.

I sat on a suitable rock.

The more I thought, the stranger things became.

Three hours of walking through woods without fatigue.

No hunger either. My narcolepsy had vanished with this new body, mind crystal clear.

Not even needing to relieve myself.

I reached skyward.

Long, slender arms.

Though aware I’d become a girl from my missing chest, I was oddly tall for one.

Subjectively, similar to my original height.

My mind overflowed with thoughts, unable to process them.

Frustrated, I sighed and lay back on the rock when-

My perspective flipped.

As if floating mid-air.

Stunned, I looked down at my own body.

…How can I see my body when I’m over here?

[…Look at this mess. Needs complete overhaul.]

A voice from somewhere.

Conversational yet familiar.

“Can you hear me? Hello!”

[Too tall? Right? Let’s shorten… Fuck you Fedora bastards! I just like cute things!]

My words didn’t reach them.

Moreover, “you guys” suggested multiple speakers.

Wait… Shorten what?

Horrified, I watched my body shrink drastically.

From roughly 170cm to about 140cm.

“…Isn’t this too small?”

Shocking enough they could alter height, but this was excessive.

Practically elementary school size.

[This body type works… No, wait… Shrink more?]

It actually shrank further.

Clearly, this speaker had twisted preferences.

Treating a living person like a game character customization felt wrong, but that wasn’t the priority now.

“Can’t you hear?! There’s a person here!”

[Look at this face… No offense but kinda masculine? No, forget masculinity – just ugly]

I never considered myself handsome, but hearing this hurt.

Plus, attaching a male face to a female body looked bizarre.

[This is tricky… Where to even start fixing.]

Whether ignored or unheard, my face kept morphing grotesquely.

After what felt like hours observing my transformed appearance, the voice spoke again.

[…Good, this should work?]

What standard was “this”?

I’d become someone else entirely.

Staring at my new body – a cute girl barely 140cm tall – I couldn’t process how to react.

[Still feels lacking… How about heterochromia as special feature? Too edgy? No? Then purple eyes?]

My irises turned purple as commanded.

Personally, more eerie than mystical.

[Done customizing… FYI I won’t skip story. I’ll choose options as I please, so don’t backseat unless you want banned.]

Skip story?

Options?

Game-like terminology felt bizarre, but the voice continued.

[Starting as… orphan! Noble starts with everything are boring.]

“The fuck?”

Declaring me orphan out of nowhere.

Though unclear what it meant, the malicious intent was obvious.

[Name… ‘Rie’. Need my nickname for immersion.]

…Rie?

Mental gears ground to halt, then spun rapidly.

Rie, the streamer I watched.

Not entertaining, but pleasant background noise for sleep.

Though identifying the voice solved one mystery, others remained.

But I could infer.

Story skips, options, nicknames.

Standard game features.

And this reckless character customization – typical game creation.

Putting it together…

Inside a game?

Had I become a character in Rie’s game?

Was this the character creation screen?

Ridiculous, yet felt undeniably real.

I sighed, realizing rational thought was just denial.

[With Ultimate Eternal Package, we get one B-grade perk. What to pick?]

[Sword Talent, Calmness, Charm, Bloodlust, Nobility, Charisma, Eloquence… Nah, skip good ones! Easy games are boring! That’s why I chose orphan over noble.]

Were they deciding my traits?

“Skip good ones”? After mutilating me?

My head throbbed at the absurdity.

[Any decent-but-not-great options?]

Without knowing what, I felt something seep into my body.

[Let’s start! Spent 2 hours on customization – viewers left already…]

Darkness swallowed my vision.

When I reopened my eyes, I wasn’t in the forest but some village.

“…Ugh.”

Dizziness.

Stench.

Swirling vision, undulating ground.

Tried pushing up but my hand sank into something slimy.

“…Fuck.”

Sewage.

Wiped it on a wall and surveyed.

A slum straight from depressing illustrations.

Orphan start indeed – beginning in literal shit.

“Hey!”

I flinched at the shout.

Turning, a greasy pig-faced man two heads taller glared down.

“Fail tribute again, I’ll sell you as sex slave.”

His threatening tone and condescending stare made me bite my lip and bow my head.

What was happening?

Confusing.

Unfair.

I wanted to protest.

But fear kept me silent.

Instinctively knew – despite his flabby muscles, this fragile body stood no chance.

Then.

The world froze.

Options appeared:

Talk

Agree

Argue

Negotiate

Attack

…What?

[He’s annoying. Can’t I just attack?]

No… Don’t!

5. Attack <

Time resumed.

Against my will, I grabbed a sharp rock and smashed it into his retreating skull.

He staggered and turned with murderous eyes.

“Well, fuck me… Just…”

I was screwed.