Darkness.
Then—light.
Alina gasped as her eyes snapped open. The metallic taste of blood lingered on her tongue, and her body ached as if she had been ripped apart and stitched back together.
She wasn't on the battlefield.
She was… in a wooden shack.
The ceiling was cracked, the scent of fresh hay filled the air, and sunlight streamed through a tiny window. Her fingers curled against rough sheets.
Where the hell was she?
She pushed herself up, heart pounding. Her legendary armor was gone, replaced by a ragged linen dress. Her twin swords, Eclipse, had vanished. Even her body felt different—weaker, slower.
Her HUD flickered.
> System Notification:
[ You have been reborn in Tutorial Village - Stonebrook ]
> Class: Villager (Farmer)
> Level: 1
Alina's stomach twisted.
"No."
She ripped open her status screen. Everything—gone. Her levels, her skills, her inventory. Everything Ethan had stolen from her.
She was back to square one.
A door creaked open.
An elderly man with a kind, wrinkled face peeked inside. "Ah, you're awake! You took quite the fall, young lady."
Alina stiffened. "Who are you?"
"Name's Old Man Garrick," he chuckled. "Found you unconscious in the fields.
Thought you were dead, but you woke up mumbling about 'Ethan' and 'killing a god.'"
Her fists clenched. Ethan.
That bastard wiped her completely.
He hadn't killed her—he had humiliated her. Stripping her of everything and dumping her into a beginner's village like a nameless nobody.
Her blood boiled.
"Where's my gear?" she snapped.
Garrick laughed. "Gear? Missy, you were wearing nothing but rags when I found you."
Alina cursed under her breath. If she wanted to climb back up, she had to start from scratch.
Fine. Let's do this.
She stood, wobbling slightly, but caught herself. "I need a weapon."
Garrick blinked. "A weapon? For what?"
"I need to level up."
The old man sighed, rubbing his temples. "Well… the village guild hall gives out work to newcomers. You want to fight? Go take a quest."
Alina didn't waste a second.
She pushed past him and stepped outside into the morning sun.
Stonebrook was a simple farming village, with small wooden houses, dirt roads, and NPC villagers tending to fields. Chickens pecked at the ground. A few low-level players wandered around in basic gear.
Everything felt so painfully weak compared to the world she had ruled.
But she had no time to wallow. She had a kingdom to reclaim.
Alina shoved the heavy wooden doors open, stepping into the village guild hall. It was dimly lit, with rows of wooden tables and a large quest board plastered with parchment. A few adventurers in shabby leather armor lingered around, laughing and drinking.
Behind the counter stood a bored-looking receptionist, a woman in her thirties with brown hair tied back in a ponytail.
Alina strode up. "I need a quest."
The receptionist barely looked at her. "New here?"
"Yes."
"Then you can only take Rank F quests." She lazily pointed at the lowest section of the board. "Pick one."
Alina scanned the options.
• Slay 5 Slimes (Reward: 5 Copper Coins)
• Collect 10 Herbs (Reward: 3 Copper Coins)
• Deliver Bread to Farmer Ted (Reward: 2 Copper Coins)
She barely held back her frustration. This was humiliating. The Queen of Infinite Realm, reduced to hunting slimes?
But she had no choice.
She snatched the slime-hunting quest. "This one."
The receptionist stamped it without a second glance. "Good luck."
Alina turned and stormed out. She was getting stronger today.
The outskirts of Stonebrook were as pitiful as the village itself—rolling grasslands, a few trees, and a small creek. But what caught her eye were the blobs of blue jelly bouncing aimlessly nearby.
Slimes. The weakest monsters in the game.
Alina exhaled sharply. No sword. No magic.
Just her fists.
She picked up a nearby wooden stick.
She refused to be weak.
She charged at the first slime.
It turned, its beady black eyes blinking—then bounced forward with a slow, pathetic attack.
Alina easily sidestepped and slammed the stick down. A weak, wet squelch.
The slime jiggled.
…It wasn't dead.
Alina gritted her teeth and swung again. The stick cracked against the slime's body over and over until, finally, it burst apart, dissolving into blue particles.
[ +1 EXP ]
She clenched her fists. This was going to take forever.
Another slime bounced toward her.
Fine. She'd kill a hundred if she had to.
She attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Her arms ached, her legs burned, but she didn't stop. With every slime she killed, she felt herself clawing her way back up.
By the time she had slain the fifth one, the sun was setting.
A notification appeared.
> System Alert: Level Up!
> You are now Level 2.
Alina smirked, wiping sweat from her brow. It was a small step—but it was a step.
Then, the ground rumbled.
She froze.
The air around her shifted, growing heavy.
From the darkness of the trees, something crawled out.
A twisted, malformed version of a slime, pulsing with black energy. Its glowing red eyes locked onto her.
A Corrupted Slime.
This wasn't supposed to spawn in a beginner area.
Her grip tightened on her pathetic wooden stick.
The creature hissed—and lunged.
Alina barely dodged, rolling across the dirt. Too fast. Too strong. She was Level 2—she couldn't beat this thing.
Unless—
She ran.
The monster gave chase, its gooey body undulating toward her with unnatural speed. She sprinted through the tall grass, her breath ragged.
She needed help.
The village lights came into view.
But before she could reach it—something grabbed her ankle.
A shadowy tendril shot from the Corrupted Slime, yanking her off her feet.
She crashed to the ground, her breath stolen.
The creature loomed over her, mouth splitting into a jagged grin.
Alina's heart pounded.
She had no weapons. No spells. No strength.
Was she really going to die like this?
No. Hell no.
She grabbed a nearby rock and, with everything she had left, slammed it into the monster's eye.
The creature shrieked.
The grip on her ankle loosened.
She scrambled to her feet and sprinted toward the village gates.
Behind her, the corrupted monster let out a bone-chilling roar.
This wasn't over.