Chapter 4: The Bearer of Memories

Before I could even react to the sudden notification window, it vanished along with the glow enveloping my body.

BOOM!!

At the same moment, blue flames erupted from the center of the light like exploding fireworks, instantly wrapping around me.

A small window popped up at the bottom of my vision—not the usual black interface from standard systems, but red.

And as the loading bar beneath it gradually filled, changes began rippling through my body.

Wriggle.

Something alien stirred in my lower abdomen.

Crack!

With a grotesque sound, my skeleton twisted. The bones I'd set in my initial character creation shifted as if being reassembled from scratch, and in that instant, excruciating pain tore a scream from my throat.

"Arrrghhh!!"

What the hell? Something was wrong. No matter how high I'd cranked the pain sensitivity, this level of agony shouldn't have been possible.

Crack... Crackle!!

Like shedding a shell, my body split open amid the torment, sticky black fluid oozing from the fissures.

Plop... Plop!!

The moment the peeled skin hit the ground, the searing pain gave way to an oddly refreshing chill. The air brushing my new skin felt vividly sharp, leaving me staring dumbly at my transformed body, mouth agape.

It felt like... being born anew.

"......"

WHOOSH---!!

As the red notifications faded, I plummeted into a black maw like falling into a black hole.

BOOM!Clang!!

In the heart of a ferocious battlefield.

"Your Highness...! Get back!!"

A battered old knight shouted at me.

"There's nowhere left to run anyway. Fight without fear of death...!!! Humanity will write new history here!!"

My voice pierced through dozens, hundreds of meters across the chaos, igniting the soldiers' fervor.

"Charge!!!"

The knights and soldiers rushed toward it.

Caked in dark red ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blood, exhaustion plain on their faces, yet they didn't yield.

Rawr!!Rawr---!!

BOOM---!!

My sword, swung with all my might, bounced off. Reeling from the weight, I staggered back several steps before my legs gave out, and I collapsed to my knees.

"......"

It looked down at me. The eyes hidden behind its cold mask seemed to mock me. In this desperate fight for survival, it regarded our desperation as mere play.

"Guh...!!"

"Arghhh...!!"

"S-spare...!"

Comrades fell one by one. Memories stabbed my chest like nails, raw and aching.

But I stared at it. To etch that sorrow and rage, I couldn't look away.

As those memories flashed like a life review,

"......"

The alert clashed with the memory, and I opened my eyes.

Tap... Tap... Tap...

Cold snowflakes drifted onto my face, as if waking me.

Still dazed from the events, I slowly pushed my sprawled body up from the snow.

That wasn't some opening cinematic.

The battlefield scene right before logging in wasn't that simple. It was a memory. Undeniably etched in my mind.

"......"

Less than a minute after character creation, I stood there blankly, staring at my far-from-ordinary status window.

I instantly grasped the title's meaning. The "loading" from that red window right before login—this was it.

This... isn't just some dream that ends there? If that's the case, it means my dream memories ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are applying to the game... Is this even possible? What the hell is going on?

This went far beyond merely predicting the game's future. It shattered those boundaries.

But if I can really load abilities ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from my memories...

Thump. Thump.

My heart pounded fiercely without warning.

Something only possible because I knew this world's history. History meant events. Events required creators to be recorded.

Murderer Max, Wraith Lord Kalman, Eternal Sorcerer Nilvana, Word Spirit Contractor Pluto, Gladiator Max Roen... All those central figures intact in my memories meant...

I could load their abilities.

A blatantly overpowered cheat. But there had to be limits.

I realized I needed to investigate this dangerous power cautiously.

If it's unknown even to the admins, restrictions are inevitable. Worst case, account deletion. Gotta master it first.

I scanned my surroundings. No clue on exact spot, but the heavy snowfall meant no one around—thankfully.

Clear difference between my dream and Dimension World. In the dream, I was a native, basically an NPC. So those I remember, if they exist, are NPCs too, not players.

If NPCs instead of living players, maybe I could predict their actions.

"Good..."

I nodded slowly, thoughts sorted.

Then I scrolled through the status window.

"Hmm..."

These two traits probably stemmed from dream experiences too. Hard to admit, but dying in the dream—to it—likely birthed them. And living in Dimension World as a native explained the NPC affinity.

But affinity's double-edged. Hostile factions build grudge faster.

I sorted my thoughts.

Crush enemies decisively.

Simple as that.

"Hmm. Good. Seems I landed at the start point properly..."

The sudden alerts made me doubt the login, but no—Dimension World's starts were public knowledge. Only one with this snowfall.

"Northern Plateau..."

Pre-launch communities buzzed over starts. With billions of global users, posts flooded in.

I didn't know yet, but this place was already deemed the worst start point.

Isolated from kingdoms, sure—but the real killer was the climate.

I gave a wry smile at the timely red warning. For low-HP newbies, frostbite risk made it utterly undesirable.

Isolation's a con, but flips to freedom from outside pressure.

Dimension World wasn't a simple game. Mega-corps and tycoons had plunged in, scales beyond imagination.

In days, newbie zones occupied, market manipulation, even job change fees.

I trusted the game's balance too. Starts varied, but shortages balanced elsewhere—perfect equilibrium.

Harsh environment meant compensations elsewhere, hence its start status.

Of course, wasting time hunting advantages when every second counts for leveling sucked. Why big clans seized cities.

But I'm different.

If dream intel held, I knew the plateau's riches and gains.

No better start for me.

"Northern Plateau's perks aren't visible resources."

The Warrior's Tomb.

I was certain that was the hidden trove.

And one glaring stat.

I smiled faintly.