Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

"...A demon contracted person appeared in the Nisoriya City Museum."

The girl opened her eyes, waking from a troubled sleep. Her body felt tired, her muscles ached, as if she had been through torture. She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare, a disturbing dream that left her breathless.

The feeling of suffocation lingered in her mind. She remembered that a pair of hands had covered her mouth, and the fear made her unable to breathe. Then, she smelled a bloody smell, which made her stomach churn and she felt extremely nauseous.

Gradually, the sound of the television and a calm woman's voice reached her ears, pulling her back to reality from her nightmarish state.

"According to information released by the government, the attack left twenty people dead and the number of injured is reported to be over five hundred."

Confused and trying to comprehend the situation, the girl found herself in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by white walls, a stark contrast to the pink, girlish decor of her own room.

"Mother?"

The girl's voice trembled as she called out, seeking familiar comfort.

"simple?"

Her mother's soothing voice responded to her and became her support in her confusion and fear.

"Mother."

Jane's voice was trembling as she snuggled into her mother's arms, finding comfort in them.

"Are you okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

The mother's voice also trembled slightly, revealing her concern for her daughter's safety.

"I'm…I'm okay now, Mom. I'm okay."

Jane tried to appear strong and comfort her mother, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her true emotions.

But how could a mother not know how her daughter felt? Seeing her daughter hugging her tightly, Kaya noticed that she was trying to act strong.

'This...she really is my daughter.'

She remembered what she always did when she was young.

"It's okay, Jane. You can cry now."

"real?"

"Well, I'm here."

Kaya said, feeling her chest getting slightly wet.

She patted her daughter's back gently, trying to comfort her, knowing that she was just a little girl who had never experienced anything like this.

Boom boom boom

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Ms. Kaya, may I come in?" This is the voice of a serious woman who looks to be in her early twenties. "The video you requested is ready."

Kaya looked at her daughter who was crying silently in her arms and heard what the woman said.

"Please wait a moment."

She replied, deciding to stay with her daughter for a while longer.

"Understood. I'll wait."

So she comforted her daughter like a mother and let her cry as much as she wanted.

......

Crunch

The door creaked slightly, and a serious woman walked into the room. Her calm demeanor was completely different from the atmosphere in front of her.

"Miss Kaya," she greeted, her tone respectful, holding a small tablet in her hands, the screen slightly glowing.

Kaya stood up from her seat, her eyes full of anticipation. She must have her reasons for specifically requesting the video.

"You said the video is ready, right?" Kaya asked, staring at the secretary.

"Yes," the secretary confirmed. "We have found the available video footage as you requested."

"Well, show me."

The secretary hesitated for a moment before speaking: "However, there were some problems. The content captured by the camera that was in use at the time was not of much value."

Kaya frowned slightly, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction. She had hoped that the video would reveal the truth about what happened that day, but now it seems that her hope may not be realized.

"What do you mean by 'not of much value'?" Kaya asked with curiosity and a hint of impatience. She didn't like things being handled hastily.

"Yes." The secretary began to explain in a steady tone, "The view in the video was blocked most of the time. The screen was full of shadows, with only a blurry figure moving in the shadows. It was almost impossible to make out clearly."

Kaya's curiosity was piqued, and she decided not to give up and, despite the difficulties, she would find out the details.

"Can you explain what 'shadow' means specifically?" Kaya asked further.

"Let me show you," the secretary responded, tapping the tablet's screen to start the video. The video began, and the quality was not ideal. At first, the camera only captured some normal images.

But soon, a small-scale battle began. The vibrations of the battle can be felt through the video, but the camera angle provides very limited information.

In the chaos, the camera's already unclear view became even more blurred. Shadows filled the screen, blurring the picture. In this darkness, a figure moved in the shadows, a small figure that looked smaller.

No details of the figure could be identified, including clothing, hair, or even gender. There was only a mysterious outline.

"Aren't there cameras from other angles?" Kaya asked, with obvious dissatisfaction in her tone.

"No," the secretary replied. "The shockwave from the attack destroyed all the other cameras, and this was the only one that survived."

Kaya's expression remained focused, and she was already thinking about how to get more clues from the limited information.

"We need to analyze this figure," Kaya said firmly. "I want to extract every possible detail from the footage. Enhance the shadows, find any possible features, anything that can help us identify this figure."

The secretary nodded in understanding. "Of course, Ms. Kaya. We will do our best to enhance and extract any details we can."

Kaya's resolve remained unwavering. "I need a full analysis. A profile of the figure, an estimate of its height, leg length, build, anything to help us understand who or what it is."

The secretary quickly wrote down the instructions on the tablet. "Understood. We will try to extract as much information as possible from the footage."

Kaya was determined to uncover the truth behind this mysterious figure. "Also, cross-reference this file with any available records or databases. We may not have many clues, but any clue could be valuable."

As her secretary continued to write down additional instructions, Kaya never took her eyes off the tablet screen, her hands gripping the edge of the table in a display of unyielding determination.

"Once the dossier is complete, distribute it to the relevant departments. We need to stay one step ahead and find out who is behind this attack and why it happened."

The secretary's voice had a soothing tone. "We'll take care of it, Miss Kaya. We'll use every resource available to us."

"Very good. You may leave now, then."

When the woman left, Kaya was left alone with her own thoughts.

'That figure. For some reason, I have a feeling he is very young.'

The demon contractor and his voice had been recorded by her watch, which she had turned on during the battle.

But the unknown attacker who had fired the gun kept lingering in the corner of her mind. For some reason, she couldn't get it out of her mind.

'What is his goal? What if he really wants to aim for Jane's life next time?'

Although there was no hard evidence that the man would target her daughter's life, what if he did?

With this question spinning in her mind, she returned to her daughter's room.

......

After the attack, the subsequent release of the monsters forced the planned orientation activities to be terminated prematurely. We all returned to the academy, and there was an indelible uneasiness in the air, like an inescapable shadow.

"I'm really sorry that our first trip has to end this way," the president of the club said with a heavy tone. His initial enthusiasm for the club was suppressed by the events of the day and he looked visibly uneasy.

"Anyway, I'll keep you posted on our next travel arrangements. Have a nice rest of your Sunday," he added, waving goodbye with a gesture that was both a farewell and a parting. As the meeting ended, the society members left in different directions. After the crowd dispersed, I returned to my room.

As I settled in, I couldn't help but reflect on my recent actions. The objects I had stolen from the museum were safely hidden in my bracelet.

＜Moonstone＞ ＜Luminas＞ ＜Heavenly Flower＞ ＜Rainbow Scale＞

All of these valuable items were stolen directly from the museum's collection. I created a distraction while taking the moonstone to conceal my true objective.

My reasoning was simple: I didn't want it to seem like the Moonstone was my only goal. It was a calculated move to ensure my motives remained vague, though I doubted anyone would care too much.

Anyway, with that material in hand, I returned to my room and began reviewing what had happened on today’s trip.

'I didn't expect a fight between two high-ranking characters to be so different. As expected, games are far from good at making things look real.'

Watching the two high-level characters battle it out, I couldn't help but marvel at the disparity in their abilities. It was an eye-opening experience, even if the visuals were far from perfect.

'Games simply can't match the realism of these battles. 'I realized that seeing combat at such a high level in person opened my eyes to the limitations of realistic depiction in games.

'No wonder the college's internship program is so popular.' This discovery made me suddenly realize. Facing such powerful people and seeing the gap between their power and mine, I realized that I was still far from my goal.

"I'm still too weak." This fact lingered in my mind. Although I never considered myself strong, my low ranking in the game gave me some pride. I thought that I could make up for the difference through hard training.

'This is not enough. With this little training, how can I face her? How can I face those I want to kill? What if the man was stronger at that time? '

However, this is not the case. Just like what happened in the museum, the game's plot cannot cover every single thing that happened in this universe.

What happens when I face an enemy that is beyond the game's pre-set level? A sobering thought comes to mind. It would be foolish to complacently believe that I am invincible simply because I know the future events of the game.

“How naive,” I silently chided myself. My knowledge of the game’s progression had blinded me to my own limitations. This fact served as a stark reminder that I couldn’t overcome every obstacle with foresight alone.

"I need to work harder. The events in the story are about to happen. I don't have much time to waste."

The battle I had just witnessed played on and on in my mind. I put myself in Kaya Hartley's shoes and thought about what would have happened if she hadn't been there.

'I will die. All ambition, all reason to live.'

'Everything will come to naught.'

I stood up from where I was sitting and removed the moonstone from my bracelet, staring at it.

That strange connection was still there, but I had no idea what I was going to do with this material.

'Should I use it as a weapon?'

I don't have many moonstones at the moment, which means I can't use them to make weapons now.

'If that's the case, then I should go look for more of this material.'

I looked up, remembering the villain in the game who used the moon's mana.

'However, weapons are secondary.'

I released the mana in my hand and tried to form a small thread in my hand. It was difficult at first, but I gradually made progress in mana control.

'I need to improve my mana control and magical abilities first. The power of a weapon is meaningless without the power to use it.'

With this thought in mind, I picked up my training materials and headed towards the training ground.

It's time to start training hard.