Adaptation (1)
The notification popped up on the screen.
Congratulations. You have obtained the final title ‘Savior of Saren.’
“Hah!”
It was finally done. I’d spent an entire month grinding just to get this one title. What is this, you ask? Well, it’s basically the endpoint of the game Elsia Saga. Nothing particularly special about it. After all, what meaning could a bunch of data really hold?
Like every game, finishing the ending usually leaves you feeling empty. That feeling was even stronger for someone like me who only ever did speedruns.
Ding—!
User [ObsceneDavid] has become the first player to obtain the final title ‘Savior of Saren.’ Congratulations.
A loud fanfare played as a massive announcement window appeared on the main screen.
First player.
That “first” title was more than enough to lift my mood. Elsia Saga currently held an overwhelming share of the gaming market, which made the achievement feel especially valuable.
In this age of smartphones, it was honestly surprising that a PC game—especially a hack-and-slash RPG—could command such dominance. I’d heard it had a well-designed siege system and social features, but I’d never bothered with anything beyond the bare minimum of party hunting, so I didn’t know the details.
Besides, making friends online had never been my thing.
Which meant there was nothing left for me to do in this game anymore.
“Huu…”
I let go of the mouse for a moment and picked up my phone. The place I’d logged into was the Elsia Gallery I visited every day.
Thanks to the announcement, new posts were flooding in at breakneck speed. Most of them were meaningless, though.
…Why are they talking about my custom?
Stole it, huh. Honestly, I had no idea who this was. It wasn’t like it had only happened once or twice. Sorry, but if you want to speedrun, sometimes you have no choice.
I kept scrolling down with a bored expression until—
“……?”
A very suspicious and strange concept post caught my eye.
A post written by the official account.
It was clearly a concept post, yet it had zero views and not a single comment. How was that even possible?
What did “aren’t you curious about our story” even mean? Curiosity got the better of me and I clicked on it without thinking.
So you are curious.
That was the entire content.
“What the hell?”
Completely let down, I set my phone aside, stretched my arms, and straightened my posture in front of the computer.
“Ughhh!! Time to really quit now.”
Still, it had been fun. I’d skipped the entire story so I had no idea what it was about, but the illustrations were well-drawn and the combat felt satisfying.
Yeah. Just getting the first-player title was enough for me. No matter how I thought about it, slowly enjoying content wasn’t my style.
With that lighter feeling in my chest, I moved the mouse over the game’s exit button and clicked.
Click—!
*
Is this a dream? Or did something happen to my eyes?
Everything around me was pitch black. Not even the faintest light could be seen. At least I could see my own body, so it probably wasn’t a problem with my eyes.
I didn’t feel like I was standing or sitting. Was I floating in the air, then?
Ding—!
“Whoa!”
In the pitch-black space, a blue rectangular window suddenly appeared without warning.
Greetings, First Savior.
Soon after, white text appeared on the panel, accompanied by a cold, mechanical voice.
First Savior. Was it talking to me?
From now on, Savior, you will personally experience the story of Elsia Saga from the very beginning.
Elsia Saga? The game I was just playing? So “First Savior” referred to the title Savior of Saren.
Personally experience it? What the hell did that mean?
Based on the Savior’s playstyle, we will now select a class. Please wait a moment.
I had no idea what was going on. Was this some kind of possession inside the game or something?
Ding—!
Hidden Class: Revenant
— All abilities increase each time you die.
— You have acquired the unique skill To the Beginning. (This skill activates automatically.)
“…What the hell.”
Something was off. Even though I’d skipped most of the story, I had been careful with class selection, so I knew every available job. I had never seen one with that name before.
Then please enjoy the story of Elsia that you never got to experience properly.
“Hey, wait…!!!”
Despite my shout, the blue window vanished as if fleeing.
And in the distance, a tiny white dot of light began to grow larger, slowly devouring the entire space.
“W-what the—!!”
When the light rushed toward me, I squeezed my eyes shut in fear and covered my face with both arms.
“……”
But it was quiet. Nothing happened.
No—in fact, I began to feel sensations. The feeling of standing on solid ground. The feeling of warm air wrapping around my body.
And the feeling of someone tugging at my clothes.
“……Brother.”
“……?”
I lowered my arms and tilted my head down slightly, only to flinch in surprise.
A girl who only reached my chest. Long white hair like a blank canvas and deep red eyes that glowed with intensity. A beautiful young woman who looked to be in her late teens was staring up at me, dressed in an elegant white dress.
“Brother!!”
The moment the girl who called me brother appeared, the main illustration of Elsia Saga flashed through my mind.
“……Saren?”
“You suddenly went blank… Is something wrong?”
My mind went completely blank. Something was definitely wrong, but even I didn’t know what it was. Why was a girl who looked exactly like Saren calling me brother? Was this world really inside the game?
I quickly looked around. Picture frames and colorful banners densely lined the walls made of gray stone. The wooden floor was covered in luxurious, vibrant carpets. Everything was far too vivid to be a dream. The feeling of this child clutching my clothes, even the slightly damp and musty scent of the air—everything felt real.
“Brother?”
“Y-you’re talking to me, right?”
“……Yes?”
She tilted her head in confusion. Her eyes were filled with bewilderment.
“You’re Saren? It really is you, right?”
“Yes? Of course I am… Brother, why are you acting so scary all of a sudden…”
“Huu— just a second.”
Saren Elsia. The protagonist’s twin sister in the game. Which meant my name must be Serion Elsia.
“Saren.”
“Yes?”
“What were we doing just now?”
“We were talking about dancing together at tomorrow’s banquet, weren’t we?”
That wasn’t something I had said. It was what this body had been doing right before I possessed it.
“Then has my way of speaking suddenly changed? Compared to when we were talking about the dance earlier.”
It should have. Because from this moment on, I was the one in control. But this body had existed before my arrival. The original owner of this noble body would have spoken in a much more refined, aristocratic tone than I did.
“Hmm?”
But her innocent expression only fueled my anxiety.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Why would your speech…?”
“Ah…….”
So it had always been like this. None of my predictions were turning out right. A headache began to press against my temples.
Wait a minute. Then what did I look like right now? Was I Serion? The real me from reality? Or maybe…
It couldn’t possibly be the custom character from the game, could it?
“Brother, your face has been pale since earlier… Are you feeling unwell?”
Saren gently took my hand, her voice full of concern.
“Saren, where’s a mirror?”
“Huh!?”
“A mirror!!”
“Th-there’s one over there behind you…”
She turned and pointed toward the corner. A full-length mirror decorated with dazzling gold stood there. I rushed over and faced it.
“Oh god.”
It was truly shocking. The face I had known my entire life was gone. Instead, a complete stranger stared back at me from the mirror.
White hair identical to Saren’s, deep crimson eyes. Pale, almost translucent skin and the neat attire of a medieval nobleman. The man in the mirror moved exactly as I did.
Yes. I had really entered the world of the game.