It had been an exhausting day for Aurel. Her tight work schedule left her with little to no time for proper rest. Fortunately, after weeks of such a grueling routine, she finally got some time to relax.
"What a precious free time," she thought. Leaning against the wall and sitting comfortably on her bed, she gazed at the night sky through the glass window.
The clouds moved slowly, gradually revealing the moon hidden behind them. It looked so beautiful against the dark sky, though its light felt cold.
It was as if the moon looked down on everything beneath it.
Shaking off that strange thought, Aurel suddenly remembered something.
"Right, isn't today the day the rewards from the event should be distributed?" Remembering this, she quickly turned on her computer and opened her favorite game—After The Great Disaster.
It was a classic open-world MMORPG, where players could customize their characters as they pleased.
Even so, the game's conflicts and storyline were impressive despite their complexity. The multitude of characters and narrative routes made it all the more engaging.
– Ting!
– Click. Click.
After the loading finished, Aurel quickly opened the message log. Several rewards from the event had been distributed, but only one item managed to catch her attention...
===
□ "Adventurer's Journal"
—Allows the player to replay Main Quests from a specific chapter.
===
"Whoa… This is it! Because of my busy schedule, I barely had time to level up. While others have already reached the maximum level, I haven't even gained one percent of experience. But with this…" A wide smile spread across Aurel's lovely face as she imagined the possibilities this item held.
However, Aurel quickly realized she was too excited and immediately calmed herself down. There were still several items left to open.
– Click. Click.
Suddenly, her busy fingers on the mouse stopped.
Her expression was something worth noting, as such a shocked look was rare for Aurel. With her eyes wide open and her mouth slightly agape, she stared at the item she had just unlocked.
===
□ "Aether" (Formless Weapon)
—A must-have weapon for All-Rounder characters.
===
Aether—it was unmistakable. This was the special artifact that had circulated as a rumor in the After The Great Disaster player community. Although no one had ever obtained it, since the rumors came directly from the company, many believed in its existence.
Not only that, but the item had also been classified as one of the highest-tier artifacts.
And why wouldn't it be? According to the rumors, this item could transform into various forms, making it compatible with all character jobs.
Of course, there was a downside. Because status and skill points for characters were limited, the All-Rounder job could never be fully optimized.
"After all, if someone forces an All-Rounder character build, it will only result in a weak character," Aurel muttered softly, unable to hide her delight anymore.
Despite its flaws, the item had suddenly appeared as a random reward.
"Oh, right, I need to ask if anyone else got this item."
– Click. Click. Click.
Her fingers swiftly typed, and a message was sent to the guild chat.
===
#Valancia: Hey guys, did you get any good random rewards?
#Romel: Ugh, I only got some health potions. Pretty disappointing for an event this big, but at least I can sell them since the quantity is decent.
#Brian: Haha, Romel, your luck is as bad as ever.
#Elsa: Brian, it's not nice to mock people like that.
#Romel: It's okay, Elsa. It's a fact. You're such a kind person.
#Brian: Anyway, I got 10 fire attribute gem fragments. What about you guys?
#Elsa: Ahem, I got something pretty good. It's the High Priest's Staff, and of course, it came with its gem.
#Romel: Pretty good? You call that pretty good? Damn! I take back what I said earlier; you're cruel, Elsa!
#Valancia: :v
#Brian: Haha
#Liee123: Lol
#Katsumi: xD
===
Aurel smiled and shook her head slightly at the chat log.
"Romel really is unlucky. But judging from the others' responses, it seems no one else got Aether as a random reward. Then again, there's always the possibility they just don't want to reveal it."
Setting aside that thought, Aurel got an idea. Instead of rushing to use the Adventurer's Journal to max out one of her characters, she decided to create a new one.
With several empty character slots available, using one for a new character wasn't a problem. Especially since she was now extremely curious about the item called Aether. Using it on an existing character didn't feel right, so this seemed like the best choice.
– Click. Click.
Aurel began customizing her new character.
It was a female character with an average height. However, her appearance was far from average, even for a fictional character. Her long hair flowed down her back, colored a silvery white.
Her skin was so pale and radiant, perfectly complementing her cold expression and ruby-red eyes.
"I think this will do," Aurel nodded in satisfaction. The character was inspired by the night moon outside her window. "An exalted being looking down on all creatures below her. Of course, this is Miss Valancia," she joked while selecting the "Save" option.
She was redirected to the character's initial route selection, and Aurel took her time deliberating before finally choosing a route she deemed challenging enough. This route began in a village located in the northern territory of the Kingdom of El-Nesia—Reohan.
– Click.
The screen transitioned, revealing a cold, white landscape.
The snow-covered plains stretched wide, even on the screen. Not far ahead stood a pine forest, and beyond it lay the settlement of Reohan Village.
The mission for this first scenario was straightforward: escape the pursuit of snow wolves and reach the settlement.
It was an easy tutorial, but...
"Khoaaam~ Looks like I've reached my limit," Aurel muttered, her eyelids heavy with drowsiness.
Unable to resist her sleepiness, she leaned back in her chair. Its soft, plush comfort welcomed her, lulling her deeper into her dreams.
*
'Cold. So cold.'
The biting chill woke Aurel from her slumber. She, who was supposed to be resting in her room, suddenly found herself awake in a place that was unfamiliar yet oddly recognizable.
"Huh...? T-this must be a dream, right?"
Aurel looked around at the vast expanse of snow before her. In the distance was the pine forest she knew all too well from After The Great Disaster.
"That's normal. This must be the result of getting too excited playing that game—"
Aurel's train of thought halted. A frigid gust brushed against her face, feeling far too real for a mere dream.
Realizing this, a thought crossed her mind—a template often used in popular fantasy novels or comics these days: transmigration.
"W-wait a minute... If this is actually happening, then this place... No, that has to be a joke, right?"
– Howl~
While she was mumbling, a familiar howl pierced the air. Goosebumps spread across her skin as Aurel turned around in fear. Sure enough, a white mist surged rapidly toward her.
Someone seeing this for the first time might not understand what it was, but Aurel knew exactly what that mist represented.
"S-snow wolves!? Damn it! It's not supposed to be like this, right?" Aurel cursed, but she didn't remain still. Without hesitation, she began sprinting toward the forest.
Under normal circumstances, the forest might not have been safe. However, since the game's first scenario involved escaping to that location, it was undoubtedly the best course of action.
– Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her feet felt heavy, sinking into the thick snow with every step. The distance to the forest ahead wasn't too far, but the pack of snow wolves behind her moved far more quickly.
If she kept this pace, it wouldn't be long before they caught up to her.
"Damn it, isn't there anything I can do in this situation? System! Damn it, what's even happening to me!?" Aurel shouted, despair creeping into her voice.
– Thump. Thump. Thump.
While the gap between her and the forest ahead barely lessened, the snow wolves were already closing in on her. Hearing their footsteps growing louder, Aurel turned back, her fear and alertness surging.
Sure enough, a large gray figure lunged straight at her.
Instinctively, Aurel raised her arms over her head, trying to shield herself.
"..."
But after a moment, she didn't feel any impact from the wolf's attack.
'Am I too weak to notice what happened? I must be—'
With that thought, Aurel cracked one eye open slightly to assess the situation. But contrary to her assumption, a transparent shield was blocking the snow wolf that had leaped at her.
"T-this?" It looked different from the shields used by Mages she had seen in the game. It appeared thin and lightweight, almost fragile due to its transparency.
If Mages in this world saw it, they'd undoubtedly dismiss it as weak. That assumption wouldn't only come from Mages. Seasoned warriors would think the same.
However, the fact that it had successfully blocked a snow wolf—a Level 8 monster—proved the shield's remarkable strength.
'This must be at least a Level 2 or even Level 3 shield. But what is this transparent barrier?'
===
– Confirmed! Aether's first form has been determined!
□ 「Shield」
—Allows Aether to transform into a shield capable of blocking 360° attacks.
—Shield Level: 2.5 (Shield strength increases with Player level).
– Remaining transformation slots for Aether: 1.
– Additional slots will unlock as the Player achieves milestones.
– Slots can also be purchased with SP (SP—Story Points are earned by the Player's contributions to the storyline. The more contributions, the more Story Points).
===
"...This?" The sudden appearance of the status window left Aurel stunned.
Having resigned herself to her fate moments ago, she now felt a glimmer of hope and gratitude at this positive turn of events.
With Aether by her side, surviving this scenario seemed possible after all.