She gathered information through the internet.
The more she researched, the more she realized that certain industries in this world were advancing at an uncanny rate, far faster than they had in her original world.
Things were similar but also different. Even looking at the stock market, she couldn't predict which shares would rise or fall.
"Hayeon~"
While she was mindlessly clicking the mouse, her mother's voice called from beyond the door.
It was still strange hearing someone call her by that unfamiliar name, so her response was delayed.
"Come in."
Her mother entered, holding a small plate and a cup filled with juice.
On the plate was a small sandwich, the kind her mother would occasionally make for her back in her original life.
Would it taste the same?
Her mother naturally walked over and placed the plate and cup on the computer desk.
It seemed she was worried that Hayeon—no, she—hadn't eaten a proper breakfast.
"Thank you."
A voice that wasn't hers.
The delicate sound of a young girl's voice escaped her lips, smooth and sweet.
But the thought that this voice was coming from her own throat sent a chill down her spine.
"Aren't you playing your game today?"
"Game...? Ah..."
She tilted her head in confusion, and her eyes drifted to the large capsule sitting in the corner of the room.
Her mother's gaze followed hers, settling on the capsule. As she stared silently, her mother's warm hand gently brushed her cheek.
When she looked up, her mother's loving gaze was fixed on her—Hayeon, that is.
Her mother's eyes were filled with warmth, but somehow, that only made it feel colder to her.
After her mother left the room, she stared at the capsule in silence.
For a long time.
Eventually, a small curiosity surfaced in her mind.
What about this world's version of the game? The one she had been addicted to?
She decided to connect to the game using the capsule.
Logging in with her usual account was out of the question, so the unfamiliar account registered to this body welcomed her.
She browsed the game's homepage. The screenshots, the interface—everything felt so familiar.
Deren Online.
Memories from long ago resurfaced.
The Deren homepage hadn't changed much since then.
Unlike the rapid progress in other industries, the time in the game had eerily remained the same as in her original world.
She chuckled to herself.
She was about to explore a world she had once navigated with a keyboard and mouse, but now in a completely different way.
The current available episode was the end of Chapter 1:
The rise of the Red Orc Empire.
The maximum level was 25, and the first raid monster was the Red Orc Gladiator.
Faded memories stirred in her mind.
Although she hadn't been able to play the game much back then, she remembered the major events.
A question lingered.
Would the events in this world unfold the same way as she remembered?
As the loading screen finished, the game began.
Her vision darkened, and from the center, a small cluster of light spread outward.
Clouds appeared, descending from the sky, revealing a vast continent below.
It was almost identical to her old memories.
The familiar login interface greeted her, unchanged.
But the character selection screen showed something unfamiliar.
A small girl with a staff was staring back at her.
Was this the character that Hayeon had been playing?
She wasn't interested. Quickly, she averted her gaze and began creating a new character.
Character customization began, with options for gender, body type, face, and hair color.
She didn't care. She skipped through it quickly, not bothering to tweak anything. The lack of customization defaulted her character to something resembling her real-world appearance.
The final step was to choose a nickname.
She typed on the transparent keyboard hovering before her, and an old, familiar name popped into her mind.
[Hwarang]
It was a slight variation on her original name.
But she couldn't use it. If this world's Harang was anything like her, he would likely have chosen the same nickname.
[Yeon]
And so, she went with 'Yeon' taken from her name 'Ha-yeon.'
In Deren Online, duplicate nicknames were allowed, so the system didn't reject it.
Players were distinguished by their account numbers, so the name itself wasn't too important.
As soon as the nickname was chosen, the new world opened up before her.
Her senses began to awaken.
Like waking from a deep sleep, she could feel the wind brush against her skin.
"Ha..."
Since her in-game body reflected her real one, her arms and legs were short. Her perspective was lower than she was used to.
The game hadn't changed—it was as unforgiving as ever. Even though the world had evolved, there was still no tutorial.
She was simply dropped into this new world.
Just like the first time she had played, she felt the same overwhelming confusion.
She began walking, her memories guiding her through the game's early stages.
The game had advanced significantly, and the starting village was bustling with players.
It felt like she was witnessing the launch of a game all over again.
She opened her inventory.
Along with the basic starting gear, there was a piece of hard bread.
She pulled out the bread, and the rough, primitive loaf appeared in her hand.
The realism was incredible—so real that it was unmistakably a game.
She couldn't help but laugh as she drew her sword.
Her first destination was the hunting grounds.
She skipped past the beginner rabbit field and made her way to the wolf territory.
As expected, the area was crowded with players.
There were so many that it was impossible to hunt any monsters.
So she moved on.
Though she was only level one, she dismissed any concerns about being too ambitious and pushed forward.
The game had entered a realm of physical sensation—one needed talent to play it well. The difficulty had skyrocketed to the point where only the most skilled players could keep up.
She had no such talent.
That was why she was here—to enjoy the game at her own pace.
Following her memories, she passed the wolf area and arrived deep within the forest.
The map showed no name for this hidden area.
The monsters that spawned here were goblins, but they gave as little experience as level 1 rabbits.
That's why no one bothered coming here—there were no rewards.
How long could she last in a fight?
She tilted her head, drawing her sword and eyeing the two goblins walking along the path.
Expecting to die, she charged forward.
Her upper body leaned into the attack, legs tensed, and energy surged through her limbs.
Her feet pushed off the ground with force, her entire body rotating as she swung.
Strange. Her senses felt strangely sharp.
The system's path correction sketched out the optimal attack route.
But her instincts rejected it.
Trust the system, or trust her senses?
She chose the latter.
As her body spun, her sword cleaved through the goblin's head.
Slash!
A satisfying slicing sound followed by a burst of special effects.
A critical hit!
The goblin staggered as if overwhelmed by the powerful blow and fell into a stunned state.
"Ah..."
The thrill that shot through her fingertips was exhilarating.
But she was confused. Was this luck? Or her skill?
She didn't have time to think.
The second goblin swung its sword at her, aiming for her head.
Her body reacted on instinct.
A quick, subtle movement started in her feet, flowed through her thighs, into her waist, and up to her upper body.
Swish!
The rusty goblin sword sliced past her cheek, barely grazing her skin.
She could see the goblin's ugly form clearly at the edge of her vision.
Her reflexes surprised even her.
In this split-second situation, her thoughts were shallow, but her actions were fast.
She followed the path sketched in her mind, even if it deviated from the system's correction.
Her choice was right.
Slash!
Her sword sliced through the goblin's neck.
With a flash of special effects, the goblin crumpled to the ground.
A fatal blow. In a normal game, such an attack would have been impossible.
But here, in this version of Deren Online, anything was possible.
As she finished off the second goblin, the first one began to recover from its stun.
Red marks appeared on the screen, indicating areas where the goblin was likely to attack.
She ignored them. Instead, she advanced, slipping forward as if gliding across the ground.
With a powerful swing, her sword connected.
Swish!
The goblin's head flew off, and its body vanished, leaving only a corpse behind.
She was stunned. But she was also thrilled.
For the first time since starting this game, she was having fun.
Her level increased.
It didn't take much experience to go from level 1 to 2, especially since goblins gave such meager experience.
As she opened the character window to assign stat points, an optimal job path popped into her head.
Slash, slash, slash—she was fully absorbed in the game now.
Goblins occasionally landed critical hits on her, leaving deep wounds.
But she didn't stop. She had already died several times.
She didn't care—death in Deren was trivial.
She had died ten times today alone.
Thankfully, the beginner's buff spared her from resurrection penalties.
After yet another resurrection, she quickly opened the system options.
Everything felt cumbersome. The system's guidance features cluttered her screen, so she turned them all off.
Her body still felt strange, as if it couldn't quite follow her commands. It frustrated her.
She set the sensory synchronization to its maximum.
At that moment, the misalignment in her senses disappeared, and everything clicked into place.
She was unusually excited.
Calming herself down, she glanced at her sword.
It was badly chipped from all the goblin-killing. The starting weapon couldn't be repaired.
She needed shop-bought equipment now.
She quickly made her way to a vendor and bought a steel sword.
Goblins weren't exactly profitable monsters, but the gear from the beginner area was affordable.
With her level up, it was time to move on to tougher hunting grounds.
Leaving the starting village, she followed the road to the next area.
This was where the real battle with orcs would begin.
The skin of the orcs in this region was a distinct red.
She remembered this part. If she completed the repeatable quests in this area, she could get standard-issue military gear, which offered decent stats for early-game equipment.
The frontlines stretched along the mountains, with plenty of players gathering for party hunts.
In a normal game, she might have gone solo through this region.
But now, things were different. The game had become a realm of physical senses.
If a player with little talent stood against a Red Orc, they'd likely get their head split open.
Would it be smarter to join a party? Or trust in her own skills?
She shook her head.
She was having too much fun. She didn't want anyone else involved.
She walked out to the frontlines with her basic gear, feeling the eyes of other players on her.
But they quickly turned away.
Venturing into the Red Orc's territory alone was considered suicidal.
As she walked, she came face to face with a Red Orc.
Its muscular body was imposing, and as it locked eyes with her, its eyes glowed red.
A sign of an aggressive monster.
The orc charged, its immense pressure almost suffocating.
Its sword gleamed, aiming for her neck. Just the sight of it made her heart race with fear.
She measured the distance between them.
Her reach was shorter than the orc's, putting her at a disadvantage.
This fight wasn't going to be easy.
As the orc's eyes shifted downward, its arms raised high above its head.
It was preparing for a heavy blow. If that hit connected, it would cleave her body in two.
"Hayeon~"
"Ah..."
It was her mother's voice.
Her mother's call distracted her, and she froze in place.
The orc's sword came crashing down, splitting her body in two.
A futile death.