Chapter 1
His sinking consciousness surged upward.
Like a mind submerged beneath the current, it floated and broke the surface.
A faint light flickered between his eyelids.
When he opened his eyes, he was not in his room but in a narrow alley slick with rain.
A rotten stench rose from the damp piles of garbage.
Beyond the clutter blocking the alley, neon signs glowed.
He pushed himself up, head throbbing.
His legs gave out twice before he managed to stand.
Where is this? What happened? The questions came, but no answers followed.
His mind spun in empty circles.
It felt as though something had struck him; his thoughts kept lurching.
"Ugh……"
Through blurred vision he looked around.
A back alley filled with trash.
A man lay on the ground, twitching.
Froth bubbled at his lips.
The convulsions looked serious, yet he did not approach.
The man's pants had been pulled down.
His returning awareness began to piece things together.
Lowered pants. A body convulsing as if electrocuted. A back alley.
He glanced down. Between his legs was a valley of soft flesh.
A view he had never seen in any video.
For an instant his thoughts cut out, as if struck.
Countless ideas flashed and vanished inside his skull.
Subjectively, it took only seconds. His mind was spinning at an abnormal speed.
It felt as though the components of his brain had been swapped for a supercomputer.
He knew, instinctively, that the self he remembered and the self he now inhabited were not the same person.
His thoughts moved so quickly that the realization came without effort.
If her guess was correct, then this was clearly……
"……"
He stared at a puddle on the ground.
Reflected on the water's surface was a cold-featured woman looking back at her.
A woman whose appearance was far too similar to the character he had created.
In that moment, he understood everything.
Denial was impossible. His brain, having completed every calculation in what felt like 0.1 seconds, forced the truth upon him.
The speed at which he saw the problem and solved it was no different from reading the answer key.
Looking at the face reflected in the water,
then up at the neon signs,
then at the unconscious man, and finally back to his own reflection,
he understood.
He had become the game character he himself had made.
Accepting the situation and confirming it were two different things, yet once confirmation came, action followed swiftly.
His mind moved on its own, and so did his body.
It felt as though he were observing himself from a third-person perspective while still controlling every movement.
First, she checked what she had on hand.
An electric stun gun, clothes reduced to rags, and an empty wallet.
Those three items were everything she possessed. Hardly a set worth calling an entire fortune.
She questioned the stun gun's purpose, then dismissed the thought.
The man in front of her was crawling on the ground.
No further proof of the weapon's necessity was required.
Attempted rape…… something like that.
Before the possession, she would never have imagined such a scene.
Unless the assailant had been a deranged gay man, rape would never have occurred.
Feeling the reality of her changed body, she hauled the man upright.
She found a length of cord among the trash and bound him.
Then something strange caught her eye.
"Metal……?"
The man's arm was wrong.
Not flesh, muscle, or organic protein, but metal.
His right arm was a solid chunk of steel. It looked normal, yet the texture was subtly different.
Instead of warmth, it radiated the chill of steel.
She recalled the game she had been about to play before the possession.
In Overworld, magic existed, but science had also advanced at a rapid pace.
Prosthetic limbs made of metal…… cyberware was common in this world.
Of course, cyberware did more than replace an arm; it granted the strength of a biomechanical machine.
She examined the crude cloth strips tying the man's torso.
They looked ready to snap at any moment. She had wound several layers, yet doubt remained.
Her expression hardened as she dug deeper through the trash.
The cord she had already used was all she had.
She tore strips from a discarded vinyl sheet and used them as additional bindings—dozens of them.
Just in case, she tampered with the man's metal arm.
If some unknown function activated, she would at least have a response ready.
Would this be enough to feel safe?
"……"
She drew the stun gun.
Judging by its power, it did not run on ordinary batteries.
She tried to check for a battery compartment, but the faded device had none visible.
After a brief inspection she gave up.
She would have liked to disassemble it, but now was not the time.
She needed it to keep the man unconscious.
Once preparations were complete, she propped him against the wall.
She gripped his cheek and slapped him hard. Crack! Crack!
The sensation against her palm felt oddly satisfying. She struck three more times. Crack! Crack! Crack!
Electricity seemed to flow through her hand. A strange pleasure accompanied it.
Red handprints bloomed on the man's cheek.
"Hey. Wake up."
"Ugh…… shit……"
The man's eyes fluttered open.
His gaze had not yet focused on her face.
She delivered five more slaps. The addictive texture sent a tingling through her fingers.
"Aagh! Sh-shit……"
The man's eyes snapped wide. He looked around, then locked onto her.
His eyes widened further, and he screamed.
"Sh-shit!"
She glanced around at the sound. The alley was deathly quiet.
There was no city nearby.
Yet the darkness was too complete. Even with neon signs, few people would come here.
The choice of location for the crime suddenly made more sense.
She looked down coldly and struck the man's mouth.
"Shut up."
"You fucking bitch, just wait. I'll kill—agh! Stop! Stop!"
She kept slapping until he fell silent.
The man grew calmer. His eyes remained defiant, but his words took on a measure of courtesy.
She pressed the stun gun against his neck.
If necessary, she would knock him out and wake him again.
Repeat the process enough times and he would crawl on his belly. That was wisdom carried over from before the possession.
Reading her intent, the man lowered his gaze.
"I have some questions. Where are we?"
"What kind of stupid question is that…… w-wait! District 54! This is District 54!"
"Wider. Which city's District 54?"
"Huh? The only megacity around here is…… Eltier! The city-state of Eltier!"
Threatened by the stun gun, the man answered obediently.
She confirmed the information she already possessed through her questions.
Most of the game settings she remembered were accurate.
Some elements, such as the game system she had only heard about, seemed adapted to fit this world's background.
Just as her questions were running out, the man spoke again.
For some reason he was smiling. The trembling from earlier had vanished.
"Looks like you've got amnesia. Did you take some kind of drug?"
"……?"
"If it's a side effect like memory loss, it's probably electronic narcotics."
Drugs? She checked her physical condition.
After careful consideration she tugged at her cheek. Nothing felt different.
Only the abnormal speed of thought and sharpened perception remained.
This body had no connection to narcotics. At least, she could be certain of that now.
She raised her right hand. The man squeezed his eyes shut and flinched.
Even so, he kept talking. What a strange man.
"I-if you're out of electronic drugs, I can tell you where to buy more……"
"Where?"
"My place—"
Without hesitation she raised her hand. The man let out a pig-like squeal and ducked his head.
He spoke while bowed. His mouth really was foul.
"Just give me one hit—"
This time she did not stop. She slapped him across the cheek. Crack! The crisp sound rang in her ears.
"Don't open your mouth unless I ask a question."
Silence returned. With the quiet, her mood improved.
She thought coldly.
A way home? Obviously unknown.
To find one she would need to gather information. That was obvious, yet impossible at the moment.
The man in front of her would know nothing of the sort.
What she needed to do now had nothing to do with that.
First, I need to find somewhere to sleep……
She could not discover a way home all at once.
Hope would not change the situation. She had to stay calm and plan over a longer period.
Shelter and food. To secure both, she needed one thing above all.
Money, of course.
She checked the wallet she had taken from the man earlier.
"That's my money!"
"I told you to be quiet. You're noisy."
She raised her hand. The man closed his mouth.
One ten-thousand-credit bill. Two one-thousand-credit bills. A handful of coins.
Was that a lot? If these were ten-thousand-won notes, she could have stayed in a cheap motel.
Still staring at the bills, she spoke.
"How much value does this have?"
"That's not even enough for drugs—"
"Forget drugs. How much for a night at a hotel?"
"A motel would cost at least ten thousand for four nights……"
She finished her calculations. First, buy clothes, then stay at a motel.
After that, she could earn more money.
She scratched her head and stood.
She would find the motel herself. Asking would only reveal her location.
Just as she prepared to knock the man out again and search for lodging,
footsteps echoed from the distance. Not one pair—many.
The man on the ground spat and grinned.
"Fucking finally. Hey! Get over here, quick!"
The man smiled thinly.