Lily stared at the strange summoned creature in front of her—Wraith. Her mouth hung slightly open, her eyes filled with shock and a swirl of complicated emotions.
Her thoughts drifted far away, pulling her into deep contemplation.
She wasn't playing this game for fun. For her, it was survival.
Sure, on the surface, she looked like she had it all—stunning looks that could easily earn her the title of a goddess. But her real life? It was nothing like her appearance suggested.
Lily was born into a privileged family, but that privilege vanished the moment her parents divorced.
She ended up living with her father, and everything changed when her stepmother entered the picture.
At first, her stepmother treated her decently. But after her younger brother was born, her stepmother's attitude flipped faster than a page in a book.
She was pushed to the sidelines. Everything good in the house—resources, attention, affection—was reserved for her brother. She became an afterthought, a shadow in her own home.
At home, she was invisible. At school, things weren't much better.
Her beauty and family background made her classmates keep their distance. Some even outright resented her.
No matter what she achieved, people assumed it was because of her looks or her family connections, not her own hard work.
The isolation and coldness she faced pushed her to make a bold decision. At just 18, right after graduating high school, she ran away from home.
She dropped out of school and decided to face the world on her own. She wanted to prove herself, to show everyone who had ever looked down on her that she was more than just a pretty face.
She got lucky and landed a job at a cosmetics company. For a moment, she thought this might be her turning point. But reality hit her hard—again.
Her manager didn't care about her skills or potential. All he saw was her appearance. He constantly hinted that if she agreed to be his girlfriend, she could skip the ladder and jump straight to a deputy manager position.
The thought of his balding head and yellowed teeth made her stomach churn every time he smiled at her.
Despite her excellent performance at work, the manager's suppression kept her stuck in place.
After six months, she'd had enough. One day, she threw a glass of water in his face, quit on the spot, and walked out without even collecting her last paycheck.
She didn't want to rely on her looks to get by. She didn't want to be a trophy or a pawn in someone else's game.
All she wanted was to earn her living with her own skills and live with dignity.
But that determination came at a price. Her life became even harder. After quitting, her finances took a nosedive. She was barely scraping by, sometimes struggling to afford even a meal.
It was during this desperate time that she discovered Dark Scrolls.
This virtual reality game boasted 100% realism and endless opportunities, drawing in players from all over the world. The pre-orders for the VR headsets alone had reached a staggering 2 billion.
She chose the Necromancer class after doing some research. She learned that this class could summon creatures early on, which would help her avoid the frustration of being too weak to kill monsters during the beginner phase.
But once again, reality slapped her in the face.
When she entered the game, she found that the Undead faction was overcrowded with players, most of them from professional farming studios.
The area outside the Undead starter village was packed with people. Monsters couldn't respawn fast enough to keep up with the sheer number of players fighting over them. She spent hours trying to kill just one monster but didn't even get close.
Frustrated, she decided to take a risk and head to the level 3 Forest Wolf area.
But new problems quickly arose. Her level 1 slime summon was practically useless against the level 3 wolves.
After accounting for their defense, her summon's attacks only dealt 1 or 2 points of damage per hit. Killing a single wolf would take at least a full minute.
And the wolves weren't solitary creatures. The moment she engaged one, the others would swarm her.
She spent half a day wandering around the area, unable to kill even a single wolf. Her experience bar hadn't budged, and she was still stuck at level 1.
Her frustration grew with every passing moment. She was on the verge of giving up and heading back to the level 1 monster area to try her luck there.
But just as she was about to give up, Ethan appeared—a glimmer of hope in her otherwise bleak situation. This mutated summon was incredibly powerful, reigniting her determination.
However, when she saw Ethan charge straight into the pack of Forest Wolves without hesitation, her heart leapt into her throat.
"Please, please, slimes, hurry and save him!" she silently begged, her eyes filled with desperation.
Ethan had entered the wolves' attack range. Eight Forest Wolves growled and lunged at him. Lily's heart felt like it was about to shatter.
She had fought so hard to see even a sliver of hope. If Ethan died, all her efforts would be for nothing. She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let that happen!
"Wraith, you have to hold on!" Lily clenched her teeth, her palms already soaked with cold sweat.
"No, no, no! Please, no! My precious summon, you cannot die!" Her voice trembled as she teetered on the edge of a breakdown.
The slimes she had just summoned were so slow they might as well have been snails. There was no way they'd make it in time to help.
She watched helplessly as Ethan was surrounded by the eight Forest Wolves. She was so anxious she started stomping her feet, even considering rushing in herself to take the hits for him.
But there was still at least 50 feet between her and Ethan—there was no way she'd make it in time.
"It's over. It's all over. My precious summon is going to die!" Lily's heart sank as she watched the wolves' sharp teeth sink into Ethan's ghostly form. Despair washed over her, and she could already picture Ethan's tragic end in her mind.
In that instant, all eight Forest Wolves attacked at once. Damage numbers floated up on the screen: -1, -1, -1.
"It's done for…" Lily's heart plummeted to rock bottom. She collapsed to the ground like a deflated balloon.
Her eyes reddened as she hugged her knees, muttering to herself, "I'm such a failure… ugh…" Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over, but they didn't fall.
She knew how critical the early stages of the game were. Any small advantage could determine success or failure down the line.
The appearance of a mutated summon like Ethan should have been her golden ticket, her chance to turn the tide.
As long as Ethan survived, she could leave the other players in the dust. She might even carve out a name for herself in this game. But now, that opportunity was slipping through her fingers.
"If this summon beast dies, this account is as good as dead…" she murmured, her voice filled with regret and frustration.
Her gaming skills weren't great to begin with—otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen the Necromancer class, which had the lowest skill ceiling.
Her plan had been simple: rely on her summons to grind monsters, slowly accumulate resources, and eventually prove herself through sheer determination. But if her mutated summon died, that dream would shatter completely.
"Tomorrow… I probably won't even have money for food…" She let out a bitter laugh, her heart sinking into a pit of despair.
But then, a flash of memory jolted her. She suddenly recalled what had just happened. Her head shot up, her eyes filled with confusion. "Wait a second… When those wolves bit him, why did he only lose one HP?"
She quickly widened her eyes and focused on Ethan's status. Sure enough, the damage numbers floating above him were still -1.
She froze, completely stunned.
"Wait, what? When did this Wraith's defense get so insane?" She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things.
To confirm, she quickly pulled up the Forest Wolves' stats:
[Forest Wolf]
Level: 3
Attack: 10–12
Defense: 2
HP: 50
Skill: Bite
Description: A pack-based predator found outside the Undead starter village. Aggressive and territorial, with average speed.
"Yep, it's definitely a level 3 Forest Wolf." Lily double-checked the stats, still unable to believe what she was seeing.
Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion. Forest Wolves had an attack power of 10 to 12, yet their bites were only dealing 1 point of damage to Ethan?
What kind of absurd defense was this?
"Holy crap, this Wraith is broken!" Lily couldn't help but exclaim, her voice a mix of shock and excitement.
She stared at Ethan like she was seeing him for the first time.
"You're tougher than I am!" she muttered, half-joking, though her emotions were a tangled mess.
For context, she was already level 3. Even with her starter cloth armor equipped, her defense was a measly 5 points. Ethan's defense, on the other hand, was clearly over 12—possibly much higher!
"This is just ridiculous…" Lily sighed, feeling a strange mix of awe and envy.
Still, she didn't dare let her guard down.
Ethan's defense might be incredible, but his attack speed was painfully slow. Surrounded by eight Forest Wolves, there was still a chance he could be worn down.
As she nervously watched the battle, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, a massive damage number floated up from Ethan's scythe:
-126!
A notification popped up: "You've gained 10 EXP."
Lily froze, her eyes widening like saucers.
Then, another damage number appeared:
-82!
"You've gained 10 EXP."
And then, a third wolf:
-42.
-126!
"You've gained 10 EXP."
Lily was completely dumbfounded.
She stared at the screen, her mouth hanging open, unable to form a single word.
"…"
After a long pause, she finally blurted out, "This is absolutely insane!"