Hot blood splattered across my face.
I blinked dazedly. Lowering my gaze, I looked down at the hands and feet that felt as though they were not mine. A hand clad in a black glove was gripping the hilt of a sword, and the blade was buried deep in the man before me.
I knew that man.
Rihen. A beautiful priest with long, glossy white hair and clear blue eyes. A renowned healer more often called a Saint. When I played on the good faction, he was the playable character I used most often. But why was Rihen here? He was clearly a character from the game.
My hand moved regardless of my will. It drove the sword in even deeper, then pulled it out in one stroke. The blood that had been blocked burst out, and Rihen collapsed to the floor. Red blood mercilessly stained the priest’s white ceremonial robes.
Ah, right.
I knew this scene.
The opening scene that began when Shane was selected on the evil faction. The event in which Shane murdered Rihen, a promising priest from the Human Realm. And it happened on a makeshift arena prepared for the demons’ entertainment. Saint Rihen, who had been captured while trying to rescue prisoners confined in the Demon Realm, ended his life like that, merely for the demons’ amusement.
“Waaaaah!”
Thunderous cheers and applause erupted. The emotion contained within them was by no means pure admiration.
“He really killed Rihen!”
“Not bad for a half-breed.”
The demons made a racket. I stood there blankly, still holding the sword.
Through the demons murmuring in excitement at the sight of blood, Kairos, the Commander of the 1st Legion, walked forward. Pointed ears, a black tongue, and teeth as sharp as a shark’s were characteristics of demons. His appearance was clearly different from Shane’s, who had round ears, a peach-colored tongue, and human teeth. After all, Shane was a half-breed born between a human father and a demon mother.
“To think you defeated a promising priest from the Human Realm. You are more useful than I expected.”
He spoke mockingly.
“A promise is a promise. I will appoint you as the new Legion Commander.”
Kairos took a small box out of his pocket. Inside it was a pendant set with a deep red jewel. The gem, which resembled a ruby at a glance, was the symbol of a Legion Commander. He fastened the brooch to the left side of my chest.
“Shane. As of today, you are the Commander of the 13th Legion. And….”
Thud.
A heavy fist struck me in the abdomen without giving me any time to dodge. Ugh, a short groan escaped me. Clutching my stomach, I collapsed to the floor. A thick cloud of dust rose around me. I narrowed my eyes and gasped for breath.
“Do not expect to be treated like a real Legion Commander. You have not been given any soldiers.”
Kairos said as he looked down at me. One corner of his mouth curled upward.
“Who would want a Legion Commander tainted with the blood of a worthless human?”
It was the first time in my life that I had ever been hit this hard. My eyes grew hot on their own. Forcing my frozen mind to work, I tried to remember what line Shane had spoken next. But I could not remember it at all. I had only played the evil faction once, so it was only natural that my memory was vague.
I temporarily set aside the confusing situation of having possessed a game character and quickly organized my thoughts. It was an action driven by the survival instinct that my life would be in immediate danger if I did not.
Shane was a narrow-eyed character. He looked suspicious from the start, was despised for being a hybrid of human and demon, and yet always wore a grinning smile. A character who irritated pure-blooded demons all the more because of it. If it were Shane, what would he say in a situation like this?
I staggered to my feet. Giving up on remembering, I began improvising a line.
“I never expected it in the first place…. Still, thank you for going so far as to give me advice. Do you even count a half-breed as your younger brother? As expected, there is no one but you, Brother.”
I gently curved my eyes and smiled.
“You crazy bastard….”
Kairos’s face twisted. Judging by his disgusted reaction, it seemed I had probably said something Shane-like. Kairos, Shane’s older maternal half-brother, always ground his teeth whenever he saw Shane. A younger brother mixed with human blood was a disgrace to the family.
“In any case, I will give you your first mission as a Legion Commander. Destroy the statue of Repinal in front of the ‘Temple of Dawn.’”
The moment Kairos finished speaking, words almost identical to what he had said appeared in midair.
<Main Quest>
Destroy the Statue of Repinal
Time Limit: Within 72 Hours
Upon Success: Infamy Points +200p
Upon Failure: No Penalty
‘Lady Repinal….’
Seeing her name made me feel strangely wistful. Repinal was the god whom I—meaning Rihen, the character I used most often—served. Repinal, the Goddess of Dawn. The being who had generously bestowed countless blessings and useful combat skills upon Rihen. As a player, I owed that god quite a lot.
Right now, my mind was already a mess simply from having killed Rihen, a character I cherished. Being possessed inside a game without knowing why was confusing enough, but the murder I had committed without even realizing it was driving my mind even deeper into the abyss. Even when I tried to convince myself that this place was not reality and that it had not been my will, the unpleasant feeling did not disappear.
And now, on top of that, I was being told to personally destroy the statue of the god he had served. Even if the reality I was currently facing was a dream, I truly did not want to do such a thing. Since there was no penalty anyway, there was no reason to go out of my way to commit an evil deed. If this really was the world inside the game I knew, I could become stronger by gathering Infamy Points, but… if I opened my eyes tomorrow and returned to my own reality as though nothing had happened, what would be the point of doing something like that?
Besides, the demons would not like Shane no matter what he did. They openly looked down on him as a half-breed, and even the position of Legion Commander was only a title in name. If, truly if, I had possessed this world and could no longer return to my original one… perhaps it would be better to resign from the position of Legion Commander at an appropriate time, throw away the pendant, and disappear somewhere into the Human Realm. A life spent quietly hiding in some rural village. It was not a bad choice.
In that regard, Shane’s body was not bad. He was a hybrid whose appearance did not differ greatly from that of a human, and the demonic energy that every demon naturally gave off was unusually faint in him. Even most priests would probably be unable to identify Shane’s true nature.
‘Resign as Legion Commander and live comfortably in the countryside.’
After hastily making a future plan for the possibility that I could not return to my original world, I turned and headed toward my quarters. I was still just as confused, but for now, I accepted the fact that I had become ‘Shane.’ However, that was merely because I was in a situation where I would die if I did not accept it immediately, so I had hurriedly pushed aside all other thoughts. I had only raised my so-called survival instinct to its limit and assessed the situation coldly. I needed time alone to look in a mirror and steady myself.
The room was neither spacious nor luxurious. There was no sense of anyone living in the overly neat space. An empty bedroom no different from a vacant room. It seemed as though Shane’s interior had been transferred into it exactly as it was.
I stood before a full-length mirror. Ash-gray hair, vivid red eyes. Narrow, lowered eyes and an expressionless face. Pale skin without a trace of color. I bent the corners of my eyes as far as they would go and smiled suspiciously. It was certainly the appearance I had seen countless times in the game.
Only then did it feel real. This was no longer a world beyond a screen. Judging by the vivid sensations transmitted through my skin, it was not a dream either. I truly had to live in this body.
When I turned my head, a clock placed on the desk entered my sight. It looked completely different from the clocks in the world where I had lived. Interlocking stars slowly rotated within its structure, making it possible to read not only the time but also the passage of the date. I blankly followed the movement of the model Milky Way with my eyes.
For the convenience of its users, this game used the same concept of dates as the modern world.
Today was January 24, Imperial Year 677. The current time was 9 p.m.
Why had Shane deliberately brought a clock from the Human Realm, one that followed the Imperial calendar, into this room? Did he miss his human father? I had taken over Shane’s body, but I still could not understand his heart.
I looked at the clock again. The combination of numbers did not feel unfamiliar.
January 24, Imperial Year 677.
‘Ah.’
Only belatedly did I remember the meaning contained in this date. It was the day Rihen’s companion-raising event began.
On this day, Rihen discovered a child buried in the snow. Theo, a twelve-year-old boy on the verge of freezing to death. He looked like an ordinary child, but his true identity was that of a twenty-seven-year-old hero of the Empire and the greatest Sword Master.
During a battle with demons, he had received a fatal attack, lost his memories and abilities, and his body had also returned to that of his childhood. Under normal circumstances, his ego itself would have vanished, but Theo was such a powerful being that it had stopped at merely making him younger.
When I played the game as Rihen, I designated him as my companion. I invested the points I collected through quests and raised Theo. After spending more than ten thousand points, Theo returned to being twenty-seven years old.
But now….
‘Rihen is dead.’
Then there was no one to discover Theo. In the first place, Theo was a character who did not appear when Shane was selected as the PC. Shane’s story began with killing Rihen.
The hero of the Empire, and the greatest hope this world possessed, would simply die buried in the snow and that would be the end. I could never accept such an empty development.
I sprang up from my seat. I threw off the combat uniform stained with Rihen’s blood and changed into light everyday clothes. There was no time to hesitate.
In Rihen’s place, I had to save Theo.
***
The snow was deeper than I had expected. Deep enough to swallow a person without making a sound.
I searched through the blizzard for a while, and only when the feeling in my fingers began to disappear did I finally discover a small shape. It was a child half-buried in the snow. He was so motionless that I could not even be certain he was still breathing.
It was Theo.
Without hesitating, I lifted the child into my arms. He was extremely light. When I put strength into my trained muscles, my body moved forward as though gliding even over the deep snow. I took off my robe, wrapped the child in it, and ran at full speed toward the residence I had prepared in the Human Realm. I was out of breath. But I could not stop. Having demon blood mixed into me was useful at times like this. A demon’s body was dozens of times stronger and faster than a human’s.
When I opened the door and entered, cold air surged into the room. I immediately laid Theo on the bed and pulled the blanket up over him. His entire body was cold. He looked like a corpse. I threw firewood into the fireplace and lit it, but even that seemed nowhere near enough. His breathing was shallow, and his body temperature showed no sign of rising.
Originally, Rihen should have been here in this scene. Rihen was a healer. He was someone who could restore body temperature and hold on to a life simply by placing his hand on someone. But the only one in this room now was Shane. A Legion Commander of mixed demon blood with no healing ability whatsoever.
At this rate, Theo might truly die.
I clutched my head and groaned. My breathing grew rapid. What should I do? What could I do right now?
That’s right, an item!
“Shop!”
I shouted loudly. Along with a familiar light, a window appeared in midair. It was the shop screen I had seen countless times when I played the game. I asked desperately.
“Isn’t there an item that can solve the current situation?”
After a few seconds of loading, a recommended item appeared.
<Cold, Begone Potion>
Restores a hypothermic state to normal.
Price: 200 Points
I stared fixedly at the number. A hollow laugh escaped me on its own.
200 Points.
It was the exact number of points I would receive for destroying the statue of Repinal standing in front of the Temple of Dawn.