章節 1: Prologue: Death and Rebirth
Prologue: Death and Rebirth
"I'm sorry, Momonga. It seems I can only accompany you this far."
Seated on a broad platform and leaning against the yet-to-dissipate skeletal remains of a dragon-shaped boss, two players converse.
"No need to apologize, Aya-san," Momonga replies, looking puzzled. "After all, it's just a game. You have a lot going on in real life, right? I completely understand."
"Just a game? Yeah, it is." Aya lifts her head to gaze at the star-filled sky. "In the end, it's just a game…"
"Aya-san?"
"No, it's nothing. Momonga, you're such a kind person."
"Why the sudden compliment…"
"Hehe." Aya sends a smiling emoji, but her tone quickly becomes somber again. "I had originally thought we could create a guild together, you, Momonga, and Takemi-san…"
Shaking her head, Aya stands up.
"Sorry, Momonga. I planned to give you all my gear, but I've decided to sell my account. I'll also have to clear my friends list…"
As she speaks, Aya takes a necklace from her inventory.
"I still want to give you one last gift. Please accept it."
She mails a god-tier accessory to Momonga through the game's system.
"Well then, this is goodbye. Thank you for joining me on my final dungeon run, Momonga."
Aya sends her final smiling emoji: "Thank you. Goodbye."
Before Momonga can respond, his hand freezes mid-air. Aya's character, along with her name on his friends list, vanishes.
It's the first time he has lost a companion in the world of YGGDRASIL.
Such losses, he realizes, will likely happen many more times.
"Brother."
Removing her helmet, a girl speaks calmly to the man who has been waiting by her side.
"The doctors are ready," the man says, gesturing to dozens of lab-coated professionals standing by.
"I've bought the best medical center and team in the world for you. Rest assured, within ten years—no, five years, or even sooner—I'll develop a cure!" The man grips her shoulders, his bloodshot eyes reflecting his desperation.
"Thank you, brother." The girl smiles faintly, wrapping her arm around his neck and leaving a kiss on his cheek.
"You must survive. I'll ensure your favorite game is well-maintained. Please, live."
The two embrace, her brother's voice trembling with emotion.
So, he has this side to him as well, she thinks.
"I will."
"Boss, Miss, the surgery preparations are complete, and the cryostasis chamber is ready," a doctor announces.
"Let's begin," the girl commands calmly. Her brother steps back as the doctor carefully places a mask over her face.
As anesthetic gas fills the air, her vision blurs, and she closes her heavy eyes.
"Brother, Momonga… will we meet again?"
"I don't want to die. I'm so scared."
Her barely audible whispers escape as a single tear slides down her cheek.
Seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
The miracle never came.
The girl's life force dwindled slowly and irreversibly in the cryostasis chamber until, finally, no cure for her advanced neurological degeneration emerged.
"Let her go. It's the kindest choice now," the doctor advised, extinguishing the last hope of her grieving brother.
That night, he sat by her bed until midnight, then personally shut down the life-support system—and the servers of the long-abandoned YGGDRASIL game.
For years, he had maintained the outdated MMORPG in her memory. Now, it no longer held any meaning.
At least the game she loved would accompany her on her final journey.
"What… is happening?"
Standing in a vast forest, the girl mutters in confusion.
Where am I? Why am I here?
More importantly, how am I still alive?
She vividly remembers the pain of her life-support being cut off and the certainty of her death. Yet, somehow, she is alive.
"I'm alive… I'm really…" Tears stream down her face as she sobs uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the lingering humanity within her.
Eventually, she notices her surroundings—and herself.
Her greenish-blue armor, the strange sensations on her head and tailbone, and the fuller chest she never had before.
Then, the all-encompassing feeling of omnipotence and overflowing magic coursing through her.
No way…
Tentatively, she extends her hand.
"Create Water."
From deep within her soul, a voice tells her it is possible. To her amazement, a stream of water materializes.
"Stop."
As the magic ceases, the stream vanishes, leaving a puddle on the ground.
She gazes into the reflective water and sees her face: silky aquamarine hair, a stunningly alluring visage, elegant curved horns, and a graceful, slender dragon tail.
It's unmistakable—she has become her in-game character, the Life Mother Goddess, Aya!
Am I playing a game? Could everything that happened before have been a dream?
Waving her hand, a floating menu appears.
For the first time, she—or rather, Aya—feels utterly astonished.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票