Transmigrated Into the Game

I stared at the mirror. Reflected in it wasn’t my original face, but a man with long, dark crimson hair, black eyes, and strikingly handsome features, dressed in a black martial arts uniform.

“……Status window.”

I muttered the words quietly, half in disbelief that this could be real, and a holographic window only I could see appeared before me.

The status window that had actually appeared, along with the name I had chosen, the trait, and the skill—they were all telling me this was reality.

“……This isn’t a dream.”

I had truly been transported into the world of the game.

A new game had been released. The story was about becoming the protagonist, gathering companions, and saving a continent on the brink of destruction. I knew it started at an academy. Since I prefer playing without looking up guides, I only skimmed the general synopsis before jumping in.

[Normal Mode]

[Custom Mode]

Normal Mode let you choose the difficulty, while Custom Mode let you select your own trait and skill, with the difficulty determined by their ranks. You could only create one character in Custom Mode, but since that was exactly what I wanted, I clicked it without hesitation.

[Please select a skill.]

A long list of skills appeared, ranging from the highest EX rank down to A rank.

‘Found it.’

There were all kinds of abilities—darkness powers, martial arts, cultivation methods, and more—but the moment I saw my ‘goal,’ I chose it without a second thought.

The reason I chose it wasn’t particularly grand. I simply liked fire ability users. I had read every novel and comic about them, and the moment I saw this skill on the list before starting the game, I knew I wanted it.

[Please select a trait.]

After choosing the skill, a new prompt appeared along with a long list of traits.

‘Hmm… I have no idea about these.’

I had bought and installed the game purely because of the fire ability, so I didn’t even know what kinds of traits existed. I read through the explanations one by one.

‘……Ah. So traits are like constitutions and talents.’

There were all sorts—innate martial talent granted by the heavens, a constitution suited for handling yang energy, talent for magic, and many more. Since my skill was the Flame Divine Art, which dealt with yang energy, choosing a constitution that handled yang well would have been the logical choice.

But another trait caught my eye.

‘How do you even create martial arts in a game?’

I had my doubts, but my curiosity was screaming at me to pick it. I didn’t pay much attention to the conditions.

‘Whatever… it’s not like choosing this will actually kill me.’

In the end, I selected Grandmaster (EX). I wanted to try everything I could. After all, if I was going to play, I might as well go all out.

‘……With an EX-rank trait and S-rank skill, the difficulty’s probably going to be the highest possible.’

I might actually die. But it was better than something easy, right?

The monitor now displayed the character customization screen.

‘A bit cliché.’

The default protagonist appearance was set as the background. But I had zero intention of using the same look everyone else would be playing with. After spending some time adjusting, I created a figure with long dark crimson hair, black eyes, a handsome face with an indifferent gaze, slightly taller height, and a well-balanced build. I mixed in some of my personal tastes. In short, I loved it.

[Please enter a name.]

‘A name, huh.’

Honestly, I could have gone with something ridiculous like “CupRamenIsDelicious.” But since this was a game I might play every day, I wanted something that fit. ‘Adel Ifrit.’ The name came to me the moment I thought of a flame user. I typed it in immediately.

And so, my completed status window appeared.

‘Nice.’

I was quietly admiring the status window that had appeared alongside my new appearance when—ding!—a notification popped up.

I pressed Y.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The screen faded to black. But I immediately hit ALT and F4, closing the game.

‘……This is going to be tough. I’ll do it tomorrow.’

It didn’t feel like I had done much, but I had actually spent over three hours on it. I was a little tired. I pressed the shutdown button on my computer and headed to the bedroom, ready to collapse.

Fwoosh.

“……Hm?”

A strange sound came from the computer tower. It was a sound that should have come from the kitchen. Curious, I stopped walking toward the bedroom and tilted my head. There was nothing visibly wrong with the tower.

Fwoooosh.

This time it was clearer. The sound of fire.

When I leaned in closer to check the problem—

KWAAAAAANG!

Something exploded, and I lost consciousness.

And now… I was in Adel Ifrit’s body.

‘What do I do?’

I had accepted and understood the reality. But if what I was seeing now was also real, then I was truly screwed.

‘I’m doomed……’

My body only contained a modest amount of fire energy, and there wasn’t a single trace of martial arts. Still, the one fortunate thing was that the physical body itself was already somewhat perfected.

‘……Is this the baseline physique for academy entrants?’

And on top of that, they use both martial arts and magic? Then what about me?

Thanks to the Grandmaster trait, if I didn’t create or modify a martial art, I couldn’t do anything at all.

‘If I can’t create even a basic martial art in a week……’

I would have to head to the academy with nothing but a tiny bit of fire energy.

‘……I’m seriously screwed.’

What should I do? Could I even survive at the academy? A bitter laugh escaped me.

‘……By the way, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠where am I?’

I looked around the house, recalling what I had seen. The interior was made of wood, and the only clothes available were black martial arts uniforms. There wasn’t much money, and the food supplies would last exactly seven days. In the distance, the imposing silhouette of the academy loomed large.

‘Heiden Academy.’

The main setting of the game and the place I had to go. Everyone from ordinary commoners to children of prestigious families would be there. To survive in that academy, I needed to create a martial art.

‘Let’s give it a try for now.’

I sat cross-legged in a suitable spot. Then I thought,

‘How exactly do I create a martial art?’

Just because I had the talent didn’t mean I could make one instantly. To be honest, even in martial arts novels, creating a technique required tremendous masters to go through countless trials and errors. It was something third-rate warriors couldn’t even dream of. So what about me, who knew almost nothing about martial arts?

‘No matter how good the trait is, this is going to be tough.’

I barely held back a sigh. But sitting around complaining wouldn’t change anything, so I extended my hand forward.

Fwoosh.

A flame bloomed above my palm.

‘……’

Honestly, quite a few ideas came to mind. This world didn’t have modern novels or comics. But I knew fire-using characters from all sorts of stories. Thinking about them made me feel like I might actually be able to create something.

‘Is this the effect of the trait?’

I wasn’t sure if I could really make one, but at least I saw a possibility. I closed my eyes. Slowly, I began to imagine—wrapping fire around my body, burning everything with flames, creating a small sun, and so on. I focused, organizing every spark of inspiration into something I could claim as my own.

…….

………..

…………….

When I opened my eyes again, six days had passed.

There had been no progress in creating a martial art—yet at the same time, there had been some. Even though I had tried to make the inspirations my own, there were limits. Some required an enormous amount of fire energy that was currently beyond me, or demanded incredibly sophisticated techniques. For now, there was no way to realize the ideas that had come to me. It felt like trying to paint on black paper with a black brush.

In other words, I had failed to create a martial art.

“……Haa.”

I let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground might collapse. Right now, I was riding a carriage toward the academy. The horses responded surprisingly well.

‘This is fascinating.’

Riding in a carriage felt completely new. So many things were strange. This was a world where magic had developed instead of science. I couldn’t afford to use a gate, but it was still fascinating. Among everything, the most surprising thing was—

‘How did six days pass just like that?’

Six days had gone by in the blink of an eye. I had only planned to sit for about three hours before getting up, but it had taken far longer than I expected.

‘Is this what they call a state of no-self?’

At least it felt similar. ‘……Tsk, I’m exhausted.’

When I came to my senses, my stomach was practically glued to my spine, and there were less than twelve hours left until the entrance ceremony. The trip to the academy would take at least a few hours. I had hurriedly eaten, prepared, and left without getting any sleep.

‘I should sleep now while I can.’

There was no telling what might happen at the academy. They might even launch an attack on the very day of the entrance ceremony. I closed my eyes. Some time passed.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

At the coachman’s voice, I opened my eyes. I was still a bit tired, but I handed over the payment and stepped down.

“…….”

I stared blankly up at the majestic academy. It reminded me of modern skyscrapers, yet it felt more classical and medieval. It felt real.

‘I arrived right on time.’

Aside from me, other students were also heading into the academy. I walked toward the main gate with steady steps.

The crisp morning air, the fatigue weighing on me, the lively conversations of students walking by in their uniforms—it all told me once again that this was reality.

Step. Step.

I had arrived at Heiden Academy.