I Became the Main Character!
The sun's gentle rays settle softly on her plump, soft cheeks.
Warm spring breeze blows gently, leaving a lingering sensation before vanishing.
The wind tickling her eyelashes wakes her instinctively, and she raises her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight.
But at that moment, she stops the hand she was about to raise because of the strange sensation felt at the fingertips.
Because the hand is too small.
The skin is white and smooth, and the fingers are slender and delicate.
Confused, as she sits up, the soft sensation of hair reaching down to her waist is felt.
Reflexively grabbing the hair, she is startled and looks down at it.
Snow-white, soft, white long hair.
She never had hair of this color before.
"...What?"
The unfamiliar voice coming from the casual utterance.
This is also not her usual voice that she knows.
Instantly, the surrounding scenery comes into view.
A village connected by small stone paths.
Houses with cute mushroom roofs.
A huge tree visible far away.
And people bustling around the streets.
...No, NPCs.
Suddenly, her heart drops with a thud.
She calms her mind, carefully bends her waist and looks down at the floor.
Her figure is reflected in the small puddle that had gathered by the roadside.
Her white hair sways, and her blue eyes that looked lazy are now wide open in shock.
On her round face, a white t-shirt, and a black jacket worn as if to highlight her white body from head to toe. It was neat clothing, but the appearance of a fragile girl with a small stature transformed that plainness into cuteness.
She looks at that appearance unfamiliarly.
Because it was an appearance she was too familiar with.
This is the appearance of the character in the game she's nurtured for years, her main character.
She trembles her hands and slowly inhales.
Is this a dream?
She pinches her cheeks while saying "no way, no way", but unlike expectations, the sharp pain is felt directly.
The sensation of the wind brushing against her plump cheeks is also vividly real.
She instinctively shouts 'status window'.
Of course, she shouts it in her mind. Because shouting it out loud in a place with so many people would be too embarrassing.
After checking the status window, she freezes in place.
An incredulous laugh escapes her.
She has become Rumiel, the main character in the RPG game she's nurtured for decades.
"...Stay calm."
As she slaps her cheeks and speaks, this time a soft, petite voice flows out.
Rumiel takes a deep breath, and waves her hand to open the inventory.
Power Elixir × 99,999
Cure-All × 99,999
Released Weapon Box × 76
Fate's Cart × 99,999
Herb Box × 6,658
Ancient Scrolls × 99,900
Other Items × ??????
Fortunately, the items accumulated over the years remained the same.
Rumiel lets out a deep sigh of relief.
Although this sudden possession as the main character is confusing, at least it seems there is no problem with survival.
At that moment, Rumiel realizes another fact.
That the NPCs wandering around the village are moving far too naturally.
No, not just moving.
They are interacting with each other.
"Hey! Hey! I've been running around since morning and mined 10 iron ores, but you only give me 3,000 gold?!"
"The ore prices have dropped recently! I have to do business too!"
"What are you talking about?! I didn't even think about the effort of running around since morning!!"
The people fighting over there are, from Rumiel's memory, the gatherer NPC who was just sitting dead in the village and the blacksmith NPC.
But now, they are haggling with each other and getting angry.
In the game, NPCs repeating only preset dialogues are now bickering like living people.
"Business isn't going well today. There are no brave young men trying to become adventurers?"
"Uncle, don't you know the recent trends? Who buys weapons in the Novice Village these days?"
"Sigh, I guess I have to quit business and switch to a herb shop."
On one side, the weapon shop owner and a passing traveler NPC are naturally conversing.
Rumiel looks at that and opens her mouth wide.
"Wow..."
Because it's completely different from the game world she knew.
In the game world that has become reality, NPCs don't just move according to their routines.
They act as if they have their own will and express emotions.
Unlike the usual desolate village, Rumiel walks slowly through the lively square, marveling at these sights.
"Hey, you!"
As Rumiel, mouth agape, staring blankly, someone calls out.
Rumiel reflexively turns her head, and an NPC grandfather is smiling brightly.
It was the grandfather from Rumiel's memory.
Probably the NPC selling fruits in the Novice Village.
"A new face in this village. A new adventurer?"
"...Something like that."
Rumiel, not knowing how to respond to the expression of the first-time grandfather NPC, just smiles awkwardly.
"Our shop has really fresh fruits, would you like to buy one?"
"Ah..."
"Hmm, your expression says you don't want to, but there's no helping it."
The grandfather NPC looks around as if doing something bad, and soon places an apple in Rumiel's small hand.
A red apple.
It looks very fresh, as if anyone can see it's well-ripened.
"..."
"Try it once. It's a service, no need to pay. Eat it and if it's delicious, come buy later, and I'll widely promote it too."
Rumiel accepts the apple with a hesitant expression, and soon nods her head.
"...I'll eat it well."
"Yeah, take care."
After walking a certain distance, Rumiel finally separates from the grandfather, lifts the apple high into the sky, and falls into thought.
From the conversation with the grandfather earlier, she learned.
He could read her expression and seemed skilled in business, having done it for a long time.
A natural flow of conversation as if talking to a real person in reality.
Rumiel quietly swallows.
This is not just a game world.
The NPCs have already become beings who are not NPCs.
Rumiel slowly looks up at the sky.
Clear sky, warm sunlight, trees swaying in the wind.
By now, even a fool would know.
This is not a simple dream or virtual space.
Then, in a world where her favorite RPG has become reality, what should Rumiel do.
Of course, it was decided.
Rumiel lets out a light laugh and strides forward with vigor.
The first step to reliving all those thrilling adventures she only met in the screen.