Chapter 1: Bing (1)

“Already that time, huh.”

He hunched over, staring at the monitor.
The familiar character on the screen greeted him.

Eterna Online, abbreviated as Aeon.
A game that has accompanied him for 15 years since its release.
If a game’s lifespan exceeds ten years, it usually becomes stale.

Eterna Online had gone beyond being stale to the point of being rotten, but maybe it was because of the long time they spent together that he still felt attached to it.
Seeing a game to which he devoted half his life nearing its service termination made his chest ache terribly.

“Wow, I’ve gathered a lot.”

The account vault displayed on the screen was packed with countless equipment and items, ranging from common junk to rare and valuable ones.
His vault was a testimony to the 15 years of Eterna Online’s history.
Nostalgic, he began to skim through the equipment he had accumulated, starting from the bottom.

“Haha, I really spent a lot of money to get this.”

Of course, it made sense. Despite everything, he still couldn’t let go of this game.
Look at him reminiscing while staring at the items piled up.
Even with the service termination right around the corner, he just couldn’t move on.

“Dreamwalker Set?”

He moved his mouse diligently, but suddenly stopped when he saw a piece of equipment tucked in the corner of the vault.
The Dreamwalker Set, also known as the Sleep Set.
Come to think of it, there was such a set.

The Dreamwalker Set is a mythical-grade equipment set that grants various buffs when the player enters a sleep state.
While the effects themselves were outstanding, what was the use of buffs when the player was asleep?
In essence, the Dreamwalker Set was more of a gag concept item.

“It’s the end anyway, should I try making a skill?”

[Scale of Equivalent Exchange].

The hallmark of a game with high freedom?
It’s the concept of character roleplay.

The Scale of Equivalent Exchange was one of those long-established systems created for concept play.
To use the scale, he needed a newly created Level 1 character, so he made one.
He moved the newly created character to the waiting room where the Scale of Equivalent Exchange could be used.

[Select the sacrifice to be offered.]

Clicking on the scale triggered a grand background music.
To create a skill using the scale, corresponding sacrifices had to be placed on one side of the scale.

There was no need to hesitate.
He selected all characters from his account, except the newly created one, and all items in the vault as sacrifices.
It might seem crazy, but after today, they would all just be fragments of data anyway. No need to cling to them.

[Choose the type of reward.]

Without hesitation, he chose ‘Skill Creation’.

[Select the equipment to evolve into a skill.]

Eterna Online’s ‘Skill Creation’ required a piece of equipment as a base.
Offering specific equipment would evolve its traits to the extreme, transforming them into skills.
Grinning, he selected the item he had his eyes on.

[Do you want to use the ‘Dreamwalker Set’ as a material for skill evolution?]

Of course, YES.
With that, all the preparations for ‘Skill Creation’ were complete.
He sat back and quietly observed the scale emitting a dazzling light accompanied by loud sound effects.
What kind of skill would he obtain after sacrificing 15 years of his life?

[Skill ‘Sleepwalking (EX)’ acquired.]

“Sleepwalking?”

Sleepwalking? What kind of ridiculous skill name is that?
Moreover, the skill’s grade was EX.
In his 15 years of playing Eterna Online, he had never seen such a grade.
With trembling hands, he moved the mouse to check the detailed information of the skill.

[Sleepwalking]
Grade: EX
Type: Passive

When entering a sleep state, latent subconscious abilities are activated.

“…What the f*ck?”

Is this a joke?
After sacrificing all his resources, the skill he got was Sleepwalking? And it’s a passive skill?

To make it worse, the skill description was just one line.
Was the game mocking him because it was about to end?
His skin trembled with anger that he couldn’t suppress.

“Ah, whatever. What’s the point of getting angry.”

Once the service ends, his account would simply evaporate into data.
Whether it’s this or that, the ending would be the same.
He cooled his heated mind and checked the remaining time until the service termination.

“Three minutes…”

A lot had happened during that time.
There were moments when he stayed up all night writing strategy guides, earning praise from players.
He also monopolized the first achievements by successfully courting a supposedly unattainable heroine.
Though it felt trivial now, back then, he had been genuinely happy.

He smirked.
Before he knew it, time had passed, leaving just one minute until the service termination.
He simply stared blankly at the screen.

[Connection error: Disconnected from the server.]

That’s how Eterna Online met its end.

“Alright.”

After confirming the end of Eterna Online, he stretched and stood up.

Beeeeep—

“Huh…?”

As he got up, a faint ringing noise echoed, and an overwhelming sense of fatigue engulfed his entire body.
It felt like sleep paralysis, leaving him unable to move even a single finger.

“Sh*t… I need to get to work…”

Lacking the strength to stand, I crumpled to the ground right there.
I wanted to scream, but I didn’t even have the energy left to do that.
The ceiling felt distant.

That’s how I lost consciousness.

---

“Gasp…!”

Like someone who just resurfaced from the depths of the abyss, I gasped for air.
Half-closed eyes struggled to take in my surroundings as a faint ringing buzzed in my ears.

“Urgh.”

Blegh—
Turning my head, I let out the vomit I had been holding back.
Wiping the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand, I shook my head vigorously.

I forced my heavy eyelids open.
The sight of an endless forest stretched before me, making my head spin.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of early summer—breezy and fragrant with grass.

“What the hell…?”

Where the heck am I?
I was definitely indoors before I passed out.
And besides, how is this weather even possible in January—the middle of winter?

Groaning, I forced my body off the ground.
It felt as if I had been possessed by someone else—my whole body creaked with stiffness.
I wiped the dirt off my muddy hands onto my pants.

“Huh.”

As I brushed the dirt from my hands, a realization struck me.
The hands I was looking at weren’t mine.

“What the hell is this?”

After years of working manual labor to make a living, my hands had been rough, calloused, and scarred.
But now, my hands were slender, smooth, and spotless.
Seeing this surreal transformation made my skin crawl.

Squelch—
The ground, still damp from what must have been rain last night, squelched underfoot with every step.
I kept walking, somewhat dazed, until I stopped in front of a large, sunken puddle.

“……”

Dark, jet-black hair resembling ebony, eyes shaped with a gentle curve.
Blue eyes shimmered like sapphires embedded in a sculpture.
Just standing still made it look like a picturesque masterpiece.

When I pouted, the reflection in the water also pouted.
No way… Is that really me?
What kind of twisted dream is this?

“Hah… haha…”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
In the quiet stillness, the only sounds were the chirping of insects and my irregular breathing.

I retraced my memories.
What was I doing before I lost consciousness?

…Right, I was using the Scale of Equivalent Exchange to create a skill, just before Eterna Online’s service ended.
The skill created by sacrificing my entire account was called Sleepwalking.
An EX rank skill—something I had never seen in my 15 years of playing Eterna Online.

After that, an excruciating pain overtook me, and when I came to, I was in the middle of this vast forest I had never seen before.

“F*ck.”

The gears in my mind slowly started turning.
Taking a deep breath helped clear the fog from my memories.

Eterna Online, service termination, unfamiliar ceiling.
I pieced together the scattered fragments, arranging them chronologically like a puzzle.
And finally, I reached one conclusion.

“Did I… get transmigrated?”

This is seriously messed up.
If the game was going to end, it should have ended quietly, not drag me into this twisted situation after 15 years of loyalty.

Honestly, getting transmigrated into a game world wouldn’t be a problem for me.
No family, no friends, just barely getting by day to day—it’s like a dream come true.

…If only it were a normal transmigration.

“……”

I turned my head sharply, surveying my surroundings.
There was only one forest area in Eterna Online of this size.
I farmed enhancement materials here so much that it was impossible to forget.

‘Raut Great Forest.’

I’m f*cked.
Out of all the possible starting points, why the Great Forest?

If you start in the Raut Great Forest, there’s only one possibility.
It means the game difficulty is set to Honor Mode.

Honor Mode is the highest official difficulty in Eterna Online—so tough that even a seasoned veteran like me can’t let my guard down for a second without facing a game over.
And I’m supposed to clear that kind of insane difficulty with a Level 1 character who only has a single unheard-of passive skill?

“Goddammit!!!!!”

I screamed so loud that my throat hurt.
If they were going to throw me into a game world, shouldn’t they at least grant me one cheat skill as a courtesy?
Where the hell does a transmigration this absurd even exist?

The reason why starting in the Great Forest on Honor Mode has such a notorious reputation is simple.
They spawn the character right where a mid-boss appears from the very beginning.
And yeah, that thing over there, giving me a creepy look, is exactly that.

[Lv 75]

Two long, sharp horns rising straight up above its head.
Slitted eyes gleaming with a purplish glow as they caught the light.
And floating above it, the number 75.

Only one monster fit that description.

The forgotten demon of the Conclave, Nike Dantalion.
A fake boss monster infamous for cutting off new players with its vicious patterns and overwhelming raw stats.

“Hah… haha…”

In Eterna Online, level was an absolute number.
How could I possibly overcome a difference of 74 levels?
As far as I knew, there was no way.

“……”

At this level gap, even a slight graze would mean instant death.
It wasn’t a gap where I could hope for beginner’s luck.

For a moment, someone’s face popped into my head—someone who might be able to help in this situation.
But it was a matter of life and death; relying on that was pointless.

It hit me again.
This game really was a total sh*tshow.

Step… Step…
The creature approached leisurely.
Its grotesquely twisted mouth and eyes glinted with malice directed at me.
I hid my trembling hands by clenching them tightly.

[ …… ]

The chilling wind scraped against my skin like a razor, and cold sweat trickled down my back.

[ What’s this… a human? ]

My brain spun rapidly.
Nike Dantalion was fundamentally a curious demon.
If I could just bluff well enough… I might be able to buy some time.

“Well, who knows?”
[ Huh? ]

The murderous intent paralyzed me, and hot breaths slipped through my dried lips.

“What do you think?”
[ Hm~ ]

With a menacing aura, the creature slowly tilted its head.

‘This is my chance.’
I had to exploit its misconception and drag this out.
Pretending to be calm, I took a step closer.

[ You definitely look human, though. ]

Grinning awkwardly, I forced the corners of my mouth upward despite my trembling.
I had to keep its attention, no matter what.

[ What… are you? ]

“Why don’t you think about it?”

The way it was indulging in its own wild imagination was almost comical.
But I couldn’t just stand there laughing.

[ You’re being awfully secretive, huh? ]
“……”

A hazy purple glow of magical energy surged from the creature’s right hand.
At the same time, my skin prickled as my hair stood on end.

[ I’ll rip that mouth of yours to shreds. ]

I was totally screwed.
I didn’t have any tricks to intrigue it or the time to devise a plan.
My pointless rambling only seemed to have pissed it off.
I was still catching my breath under the pressure of its killing intent when—

“……Huh?”

Suddenly, my vision blurred.
An intense dizziness hit me, like I was standing upside down on the ground.
I lost my balance and crumpled to the ground.

[ The player has entered a sleep state! ]

[ Passive Skill: Sleepwalking (EX) has activated! ]

Floating texts appeared in the air, and Nike’s bewildered face came into view through my hazy vision.

“Fck… this shtty game…”

And just like that, I lost consciousness.