Chapter 1
Chapter 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Tutorial Boss
-----------------------------------------------------------------
# Story of Novel.
[That sentence was someone's final wish.] -Made by Cyan.
I took my hands off the keyboard after writing that sentence.
"......Is this the end?"
I read through the story I'd been writing for the past three years, from beginning to end.
The text alone clocked in at a whopping 570,000 characters.
On the bookshelf next to my laptop were books and figures sent by the company that made the game Novel Online.
Among them was one of my character, too.
There were several figures modeled after my avatar, but the most famous one by far was...
『Present by Cyan.』
This demon race female character, 'Cyan'.
My first character, and my strongest one.
And she had stunning silver hair with blood-red eyes, no less.
Silver hair and crimson eyes—what could be better!
Anyway, I had several other max-level characters besides her, but if I had to pick the absolute best, it'd be this one.
On top of that, she'd contributed to the Novel Online lore, making her more than just a player character—she was now an official part of the story.
A hidden story character in the game, no less.
【Demon Princess - Cyan the Chronos】 《The demon sealed in the tower awaits a hero to free her, even now after centuries.》 This was based on some of the actions I took while playing her in the past, now reflected in the game.
It was a perk given only to a select few beta testers, and I got pretty lucky with it. She wasn't just some background lore figure—you could actually encounter her as an NPC in the game.
In fact, she appeared as a hidden boss.
The so-called 'Tutorial Boss' you could find in a hidden stage within the tutorial.
#Demon Race Player Rank 2, Overall Player Rank 7.
#Appearance Location: Exile Tower.
Since she was implemented as a boss, her specs were insane, and rumors swirled that tons of players who stumbled into the hidden area during the tutorial ended up logging out in tears.
That said, clearing her gave some solid rewards.
She dropped the 'Demon's Blessing,' an overpowered item that boosted your magic power and natural HP regen speed.
Potions were pricey in the game, so unless you were a whale, you couldn't spam them—which made this a godsend for newbies.
Of course, the difficulty was brain-melting.
【Exiled Demon in the Tower – Lv.???】 ......Even a veteran like me spent dozens of hours challenging her before barely clearing her once.
She wasn't designed to be beaten—instead, it was a bomb-defusal style game where you survived against Cyan for a set time.
And since it was a tutorial stage, no buffs or items allowed; pure skill and control only.
Worst of all, getting hit meant instant death. No invincibility skills either, so it was straight-up impossible...
Oh, and dying even once made retries a nightmare.
You had to recreate your character, slog through the 10-minute tutorial, solve a complex maze, and then you could try the boss again.
Anyway, the story for that character was now complete.
-Sending the story file! Please review it and implement as appropriate. Thanks for your hard work!
I'd compiled the tales from playing Cyan—right up to her final journey—and sent it to the GM.
While everyone else had given up, I'd soloed the game's hardest boss ever, the 'Fallen Transcendent Delatros'...
'Fuck yeah! Got him! I beat him solo!'
What started as a casual hobby had led to that rush—indescribable.
The top rankers couldn't clear him even in a party, but I'd done it alone with Cyan.
The game was a global hit, so my clear video had racked up over 7 million views even now, a month later.
"Ah, comments are still pouring in."
Questions in every language about how I'd soloed it—dizzying just to look at.
I got this figure after that video dropped.
At this point, the game was more than a hobby for me.
I'd made good money from play videos, and my character was even in the official story.
The devs made official merch, too—what more could a gamer want?
Where do you go from the top?
"But games get old eventually."
However.
Maybe because I'd accomplished everything in-game, Novel Online had lost its shine.
Starting alts to replay Cyan's journey felt wrong, too.
No matter how much players could influence the story or become characters, there were limits.
Still, good memories.
But now it was time to move on.
I wasn't just a gamer—I was a regular person living on Earth.
No matter how strong my in-game self (Cyan) was, in reality, I was just an average citizen.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Delete character?] ......
Ah, honestly, it was tough.
Deleting characters I'd poured years into wasn't easy.
They were NPCs now, so I thought I'd have no regrets, but hesitation lingered.
Still, I had a life to live.
Starting tomorrow, I'd be commuting to my new job, and I needed to practice driving my new car.
I had a license from high school senior year, but hadn't touched a wheel since.
Anyway, now was the time to level up my real-life self.
My in-game self had maxed everything out.
I squeezed my eyes shut and hit the delete button.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Are you sure?] "Yes."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Once deleted, it cannot be recovered forever.] Warning messages kept popping up.
It felt like the game was begging me not to delete her.
But Cyan on the monitor showed no reaction.
She was just a character I'd played—no sentience, so of course.
No response even as I tried to delete her.
Yeah, there shouldn't have been any reaction...
-Crackle!
"......What?"
In that instant, Cyan moved slightly.
No, not slightly—she was moving freely.
She'd left the character select screen and was now staring out from the menu, right at me beyond the monitor.
With an utterly chilling gaze.
Like a scene straight out of a horror flick.
"No way, how is the character..."
I minimized the game and jumped to the official site.
To report this insane bug.
I didn't know what was happening, but it felt wrong—dangerous to ignore.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No internet connection.] "What?!"
My internet, fine moments ago, was dead.
And that wasn't all.
-Crackle!
"Power outage too?"
The house lights went out, and my phone lost signal entirely.
A bad feeling crept in.
I bolted for the front door.
But...
"Gasp...!"
Outside wasn't the world anymore.
Just vast, inky emptiness—an unknown darkness stretching endlessly.
Reaching out grabbed nothing.
No neighbor grandma I'd waved to earlier today, no bratty neighborhood kid's noise.
The Earth I knew was gone.
"Wh-what the hell..."
My legs gave out, and I collapsed.
Something was wrong.
Horribly wrong.
This was straight out of a game or novel—unreal.
But this was reality.
Not virtual—happening in my real, breathing world.
"Huh?"
Turning back, my house was gone too.
No living room couch I'd lounged on for days after buying it, no wall-mounted TV I'd regretted splurging on.
Just the same darkness.
"Wh-what's going on?"
And the darkness was closing in.
The world around me vanishing, filling the voids with nothingness.
Was this a dream?
Maybe sleep paralysis.
I pinched my cheek—the classic wake-up trick.
"Ow!"
It hurt.
Trembling hands, no control—sharper pain than expected.
Wait, pain means...
"......Not a dream?"
These surreal events were real.
"Wait, stop."
While I flailed, darkness rose to my feet.
"St-stop... Aaaargh!"
Now it swallowed my legs.
I screamed instinctively.
Sensation fading from below.
Not enough—it climbed toward my head.
Struggling changed nothing.
Body going numb.
Would it kill me if it reached my head?
Like this? So suddenly? Before really living? Too unfair.
Why? What did I do...?
Terror gripped me; I squeezed my eyes shut.
-Ding♬
A game-like sound effect rang out.
"......?"
I cautiously opened my eyes.
A bright light hovered before me.
More precisely, a Novel Online warning message.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Delete character 'Cyan'?] -Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps approached.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
A woman with flowing silver hair strolled leisurely toward me...
It was none other than my character, Cyan.
"No way."
Something clicked in my mind.
Right before this madness, I'd tried deleting Cyan to focus on real life—mashing the button even.
But warnings delayed it.
"All this because I tried to delete you?"
I said to Cyan.
She nodded expressionlessly.
Then she approached quietly, tapped my forehead with a finger, and pointed to herself.
As if saying, I (Cyan) am you (me).
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Delete character 'Cyan'?] YES / NO The warning glowed again.
"......"
I looked up at Cyan.
She stared back.
"......Delete character Cyan?"
Honestly, I had no clue what was happening.
Why my mere game character Cyan was moving on her own, why my world was devoured by darkness—zero idea.
But one thing was clear.
"No."
I had no other choice.
―Hehe.
"......Did you just laugh?"
A soft laugh echoed.
Cyan's smile and delicate voice.
-Crackle!
"Ugh!"
A sudden headache hit.
Like my skull splitting.
I winced in agony.
―......Now it's time to wake from your sweet dream.
She drew close and whispered.
Sweet dream? The pain earlier proved it wasn't a dream—what was she talking about?
But soon, I couldn't wonder anymore.
Consciousness faded.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ......Consciousness returned.
Wind howled.
Cool breeze followed.
Birds flapped wings; chirps filled the air.
Too vivid for a dream—where was I?
I opened my eyes slowly.
"?"
Wind from the window, birds on the sill.
Nothing like the cityscape I'd known.
Unfamiliar ceiling, furniture, air.
An alien world—I sat up carefully.
But my body felt off.
Shoulders stiff, chest heavy.
Legs felt weirdly light—empty.
"Heavy."
Even my voice was strange.
Not a cold; hoarse voices get deeper, not thinner like this.
Sounded feminine.
What the hell? I scanned around again. A mirror over there.
Didn't remember buying a full-length one.
"Huh?"
Snow-white silver hair, curvaceous figure.
And a tail swishing on its own.
I touched my chest first.
"Mm."
Soft, plush, cozy.
The kind you wanna nuzzle.
A faint pleasure too...
"Haha, I'm losing it."
I laughed dumbly and plopped into a nearby chair.
Not my gaming chair.
Looked like a medieval fantasy throne—unreal.
But comfy. Just sitting melted away fatigue.
"......Haha."
Couldn't enjoy it, though.
"Damn it."
Because I'd become Cyan.
Yeah, that demon race character from the game.
"What the hell happened?"
And memories of this place surfaced.
《~Hidden Stage~ Exile Tower》 This was the tutorial's hidden stage, Exile Tower.
Where my character Cyan appeared as the Tutorial Boss.
Confirmed.
I'd become the game character I'd created.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇