As the day turned into night, a man with blonde hair slumbered on a table.
His handsome face, adorned with manly features, rested upon a plate of food on the desk.
Traces of curry-like food stained his face and his hands clamping on it.
Gradually, the man's heavy eyelids fluttered open, struggling against their weight.
With great effort, he lifted his head from the table, his eyes still reluctant to fully awaken.
"Oh no, I overslept... I wonder what time is it again," he muttered.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, yet he paid little attention to his unfamiliar surroundings, instead frantically searching his clothes.
"Where is my phone?"
He wondered silently.
Eventually, his gaze landed beside the plate, where a flat-screen phone lay.
At the top of the phone, the words "Solar Phone" caught his attention.
"Ah..."
He exclaimed, reaching for the device.
Carefully, he unlocked it, only to be greeted by a message.
— Ding! —
Downloading, 99%.
—
Realizing he wasn't fully awake, he rubbed his eyes, attempting to clear his vision.
Once his vision cleared, he scrutinized the screen once more, discovering the words
— Ding! —
Welcome to the Endless Dungeon Fantasy player ___.
—
The phone prompted him to input his name and gender.
A lump formed in the man's throat, and fatigue washed over his body, but he ignored it and obediently entered his name as "Valerius, Male."
After inputting his information, a sense of unease settled upon the man, his hand growing cold.
Meanwhile, the phone chimed again, this time addressing him by name.
— Ding! —
Welcome to the Endless Dungeon Fantasy player Valerius.
—
Seeing his name displayed on the screen, he smiled.
Suddenly, a choking sensation gripped his throat, causing him to overlook the message on the phone.
— Ding! —
Synchronizing to the host...
Synchronizing to the host…
—
The phone repeated.
Meanwhile, Valerius' chest felt constricted, as if something were trapped within.
Just as he thought he might lose his breath, the phone announced about the synchronization.
— Ding! —
Synchronization complete!
—
In an instant, the oppressive weight on his chest dissipated, relieving Valerius of his suffocating discomfort.
He sucked in a breath, filling his lungs to capacity, before exhaling deeply.
A sense of astonishment washed over him, prompting him to question his surroundings aloud, "What just happened?"
He gingerly touched his neck, feeling the delicate bones and supple skin beneath his fingertips.
"Looks like I should see a doctor tomorrow," he murmured to himself, contemplating his sudden relief.
Returning his attention to his phone, Valerius discovered a selection of Job Classes:
Support, Tank, Fighter, Assassin, Marksman, and Mage.
As he surveyed the options, an unexpected sense of intrigue welled up within him.
"Interesting," he thought, surprised by the game's inclusion of such choices.
Valerius had encountered this game online before—it was renowned as the top-ranked number one game.
It was not complete last time, but because a lot of people were gossiping about it, he assumed that it was finally complete, so he decided to check it out again.
It's a game evolving around seven human empires besieged by treacherous dungeons and the imminent threat posed by other intelligent races.
The very survival of humanity hung in the balance, with the looming specter of the dungeons and the impending arrival of these races.
It was a calamitous game—a war for the preservation of mankind.
Valerius weighed his options carefully, contemplating his decision.
"I'll go with the Support Class," he declared.
Fatigued by his previous choices of Tanks, Fighters, Mages, Assassins, and Marksmen in other games, he craved a fresh experience.
Before long, he realized that his character required a new appearance.
Upon glimpsing the available faces, he found himself captivated.
"Hmm, blonde hair," he murmured, considering the option.
Eventually, he acquiesced, stating simply, "Fine."
Valerius discovered his character resting on a desk, and as he glanced at his phone's screen, he saw the following details:
— Name —
Valerius StormBorn.
—
— Title —
8th Prince.
—
— Location —
Castle of StormBorn Kingdom; 8th prince territory, K1 Village at the Southern Border.
—
Valerius nodded in surprise, not anticipating that he would instantly become a prince among all the people.
Suddenly, something caught his attention, a sense of familiarity, which he initially brushed off but couldn't ignore for long.
Curiosity compelled him to investigate what lay before his in-game character, controlled by his phone.
"What's going on here?"
To his astonishment, he saw an identical table with a plate of food.
Atop the food, a notification appeared:
— Ding! —
Poisoned Curry: Poisoned Curry for the Prince…
—
Perplexed, Valerius checked behind the phone, lifting it to find the same table, the same food and the same plate.
Bewildered, he opened his mouth in disbelief and then double-checked his phone, hoping he wasn't hallucinating.
"Hey, hey what's going on?"
Gradually, he stood up and took a step back, pushing his chair away and left the phone at the table.
Valerius was in a state of bewilderment.
Why was the scene inside his phone identical to what he was seeing with his own eyes?
Valerius squinted at the phone, his mind racing to find an explanation for the bewildering situation. But as his gaze swept across his unfamiliar surroundings, his confusion deepened.
"What on earth?
"Where am I?
"And why am I here?"
Suddenly, a series of knocks resounded at the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Valerius fought to maintain a composed facade as he returned to his seat.
Carefully, he stowed the poisoned food nearby, making sure it didn't stray too far.
He wiped his face clean, removing any telltale traces of the meal.
With deft movements, he adjusted the spoon and the food, ensuring it appeared undisturbed and uneaten.
It was the first idea that sprang to his mind—to avoid arousing suspicion for as long as possible and to steer clear of the unknown individual who would soon enter.
After all, that dish was tainted.
It would pose a problem if the would-be assassin discovered he had survived or that he was someone else entirely.
Before long, an impeccably dressed elderly man in a black suit entered the room.
His neutral expression betrayed no hint of anger or any other emotion.
Clearing his throat, he addressed Valerius, "Your highness, here are the final crystals bestowed upon us by the Kingdom."
Following closely were several well-built, yet lean, men carrying an array of rainbow-colored crystals on their backs.
The gems shimmered like pure water in a serene, moonlit lake.
The men carefully placed the crystals on the ground before Valerius, then turned away.
"I have stored the remainder in the Volt," the suited old man continued, his voice as smooth as that of a seasoned butler.
"And these particular pieces are intended for the prince's personal use.
"However, there's bad news, your highness.
"The Kingdom mandates that if the eighth prince fails to awaken with these, he must conquer a dungeon and retrieve crystals from there from now on..."
Meanwhile, Valerius nodded solemnly at the old man, causing a subtle shift in the latter's expression.
Seizing the opportunity, Valerius instinctively adopted an irate tone as he snapped, "Leave!"
Fearful of being discovered, he decided to embody the temperament expected of the prince whose body he now inhabited.
Although uncertain, he mimicked the demeanor of the nobles, assuming their customary spoiled and easy to anger mannerisms.
The old man dressed in a suit bowed respectfully to the highness and then raised his head.
"I shall leave, your highness prince…"
He carefully grasped the door handle, nodded at Valerius, and slowly closed the door.
Once the old man left, Valerius let out a heavy breath, relieved.
"Phew!"
He exclaimed, feeling scared and worried that the old man might be the assassin targeting the person whose body he now inhabited.
Well, it seems he is not the assassin.
Taking another gulp of air, Valerius suddenly considered leaving but shook his head.
He glanced at his arms, noticing their unfamiliar appearance, confirming his belief that he had been reincarnated.
"What should I do?"
He wondered aloud.
"There's someone out there who killed the original owner of this body of mine, but I don't know who they are.
"What should I do?"
His gaze fell upon his phone, prompting Valerius to check its contents.
As he looked at the screen from a third-person perspective, he saw his character's back, the blonde hair he had chosen, and the matching clothes.
He tried to move the screen but it's not budging a single inch.
Suddenly, while trying to find a more comfortable grip on his phone, and was preparing to check what is going on with his phone, Valerius accidentally pointed the camera at the Magic Crystals and a message appeared on the screen.
— Ding! —
Magic Crystal Detected. Absorb?
—
He stared for a moment, and with a little bit of hesitation, Valerius replied with a resounding answer.
"Yes."
To his surprise, the Magic Crystals in front of him were instantly sucked into his phone, transforming into fine dust before disappearing into the device.
Without warning, the game screen in his phone became clearer.
Soon, Valerius noticed the game character he created clearer too.
He had nothing to do so he tried using it to take its first step inside the game.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fresh message materialized on Valerius' phone screen.
—Ding! —
Download Menu Activated.
—
The prompt asked.
—
Would you like to the download?"
—