"Finally…" Yuzuki sighed, her voice tinged with a fragile relief, as she slipped into her clothes. The dress was modest a simple black piece, lined with plain white trim.
Around her neck, a white cloth covered the scar as she despised it so much that the thought of exposing it never even crossed her mind.
The fabric hid it completely, and that alone brought her a small, fleeting sense of comfort.
There was another reason for the cloth around her neck not just to hide it from herself, but from others.
She didn't want to appear weak, didn't want to become an easy target for anyone outside. She was already in a vulnerable position: a small girl with no real power in a world where monster lurk every corner.
If the scar were visible, it would only invite trouble like drawing the attention of those with ill intentions who saw her as nothing more than prey.
With a faint smile, she gave herself a small spin in front of the cracked mirror. Her black hair, still damp, lifted slightly with the motion before settling softly against her shoulders.
"Yes… now I look somewhat decent," Yuzuki said, offering a small smile to her reflection before turning away from the shattered glass.
She walked toward the old cabinet where the previous owner of the body had kept their belongings.
Opening it, she found only a single vial of medicine, a few silver-coloured coins stamped with the crest of the Empire, and a worn, brown diary. A few other items lay scattered, insignificant and worthless.
Nothing else.
Her eyes lingered on the vial and the coins laid neatly before her. Yuzuki's faint smile faded into a frown.
From what she remembered, the currency in this world followed a strict hierarchy: brown, silver, gold, and at the top, emerald.
Looking at the silver coins in front of her, she could see how a poor person might feel envy or jealous. But for Yuzuki, it wasn't nearly enough. A few silver coins could barely make a dent in her predicament.
but it was just enough to survive.
Even if it only delayed her problems for one more day…
Yuzuki's thoughts drifted to the background memories she had absorbed from this character.
They were both interesting and saddening.
Both the parents of this body had served in the military as low-ranking foot soldier, earning just enough and working tirelessly to provide for her and her childhood best friend also know as protagonist.
his parents were dead before the main game began and that's why he had to live with Yuzuki family.
"They were honest, hardworking people," Yuzuki muttered to herself, rubbing the silver coins between her fingers as "she" looks back of the memories with them.
Both parents had died in a brutal beast attack, leaving her alone in this unforgiving world.
what about the protagonist? you might ask?
answer to that question could be simple he left her.
yeah, he left her for better future in the academy leaving Yuzuki alone in this world to fight for herself.
But the real problem was that she was her body. Normally, when a human reached a certain age, their body naturally formed an anchor an organ that refined and regulated the flow of essence, making it stable. Yuzuki's body, however, never formed a proper one.
For reasons unknown, her body failed to develop this crucial organ properly, leaving her flooded with unrestrained essence. That flaw had cursed her with the dreaded Blood River Illness.
To make matters worse, the inheritance her parents left behind their life's savings along with the military's death compensation that had been more than enough for a child of 12 to live comfortably for at least four years, if used wisely.
was use up on countless treatments, medicines, and worthless remedies that devoured her inheritance piece by piece, until almost nothing remained. Every healer she sought, every so-called miracle cure, every whispered folk remedy she had tried them all. Each failure chipped away not only at her wealth but also at her will. And still, the illness had no cure.
Now, what little she had left could barely keep her alive from one week to the next. The once secure future her parents had fought and died to give her had been reduced to a handful of silver coins and a vial of medicine that would run dry far too soon.
"Sighing," Yuzuki shook her head, frustration twisting in her chest at the careless spending of this body's previous owner. Time and time again, this child had been scammed, her money drained by false promises and empty remedies, leaving her with nothing but suffering and debt.
But… at the very least, the essentials were covered.
"This is a house that has of exemption on water and electricity bills … until I turn of age which seventeen so I don't have to worry about that for now," she muttered, closing the cabinet with a soft thud.
Her gaze hardened. "Now the only problems left are food… and medicine that are need for me to survive"
Food and medicine… two simple words, yet they felt heavier than anything else in this world. Without them, survival was impossible. And unlike in the game, where money could be earned through quests, battles, or selling rare items, she was nothing more than a sick, powerless girl in a weak body.
Her lips curved into a humourless smile. "What kind of protagonist can't even afford bread?" she whispered to herself, her voice breaking slightly.
There was nothing she could do about the past now. Dwelling on it only made the weight heavier. To her, looking back was nothing more than acknowledging mistakes already carved into stone while looking forward was the only way to avoid repeating them. Life was a circle; the past shaped the future, even if the future never perfectly mirrored the past.
With that thought, Yuzuki's fingers lingered on the smooth wooden surface of the cabinet, tracing it gently before she finally wiped her hand clean. A soft exhale escaped her lips as she turned, crossing the room until she reached the bed.
Sitting down at its edge, she placed the vial and coins before her. Her eyes rested on them for a long moment, a faint acknowledgment flickering across her expression.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
__________________
Ten silver coins. That was exactly the amount she needed to buy the medicine. After that, she would be penniless. One vial of medicine, and this weak, useless body… that was all she had to her name now.
Yuzuki let out a weary breath before picking up the vial. She didn't hesitate. Pressing it against her arm, she injected the contents. A sharp sting lanced through her skin, but it faded almost immediately, replaced by a faint warmth that spread slowly through her veins.
Her body shivered at the sudden change. The pounding in her chest dulled, her breathing steadied, and the gnawing ache in her bones eased ever so slightly. It was like standing beneath the sun after days of rain a fleeting warmth, a fragile joy she hadn't realized she'd been craving.
But just as quickly as it came, the sensation slipped away. Within seconds, the relief vanished, replaced once more by the familiar weight of her illness.
With that done, Yuzuki leaned back, her gaze heavy. She knew what came next. If she wanted to live, she would need to buy another vial soon—and that meant spending the last twenty silver coins she had left.
"To… today, I should sleep," she murmured to herself, her voice low in the empty room. "Tomorrow, when I wake up, I'll buy the medicine… and get some money from him."
A single person could change everything for her either for better or worse. Everything depended on that person's feelings toward her.
Yuzuki placed the final silver coins carefully beside her bed. They caught the dim light, glinting faintly her last lifeline in this cruel world.
With that thought, her eyelids grew heavy, and she finally surrendered to sleep.
Tomorrow would bring the most important meeting of her life.
_________________
Yuzuki's eyes fluttered open, her black gaze sweeping over the dimly lit room. A faint, disappointed sigh slipped from her lips as she slowly sat up, rubbing at her eyes with delicate care so as not to hurt herself. After a brief pause, she pushed herself to her feet and decided to wash up.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, faint droplets of water still clung to her face, trailing cool paths down her skin. The first thing she noticed was the silence the emptiness of her small home.
she had never felt this level of emptiness from her lives as there was always someone in the house but now it was only silences.
Her gaze drifted to the table, where the last of her food remained: a single slice of bread and a small piece of cheese.
Another weary breath escaped her. Still, she prepared the final scraps of her meagre supplies, fashioning a simple bread-and-cheese sandwich. She ate it slowly, silently, savouring even this modest meal as though it might be her last.
When she finished, Yuzuki gathered the coins she had left, slipping them carefully into the pocket of her modest black dress. Straightening her posture, she took a deep breath, then stepped outside.
The world that greeted her was still wrapped in shadows, cloaked in darkness that refused to yield. The faintest thread of sunlight barely kissed the horizon, but that was expected Yuzuki had risen in the earliest hours of morning, long before dawn.
This was the northern continent, one of the five great lands of this world. A place forever drenched in gloom. The air was sharp and biting, the ground often sodden from endless rain, and only on the clear days, the sun could you be seen in it full glory shining like the plasma its made of and bring the light to this shadow fill place.
From what Yuzuki remembered of the game, there were five major continents: the Central Continent, South, East, West, and North. Together they formed the pillars of the known world.
But beyond them… lay something else.
A sixth land, larger than all five combined. The Mistie Continent.
As its name suggested, it was veiled in an eternal shroud of mist. Travelers said that no matter how you approached—by ship, by sky, or even by ancient teleportation arrays the moment you neared its shores, the mist would rise, thick and impenetrable.
Inside that vast, mysterious land roamed countless beasts, far stronger than those found anywhere else. Entire tribes and races, both known and unknown, lurked within the mists. For the five great continents, it was nothing less than a dead zone. To step foot there was to gamble with one's life.
And yet…
That didn't mean there was no profit to be had.
The Mist Continent was brimming with resources and treasures unseen anywhere else in the world. Rare herbs that could cure even the deadliest of illnesses, ores that shone brighter than gold, ancient relics carrying forgotten elemental powers all hidden deep within the fog.
And humans, being humans, could never resist temptation.
No matter how dangerous, no matter how high the cost, expeditions were always sent. Kingdoms, empires, mercenary groups, even lone adventurers all dreamed of seizing a fragment of the Mist Continent's wealth. Some returned triumphant, clutching fortunes that could change their lives. But far more… never came back at all.
But now was not the time to dwell on the Mist Continent or the countless treasures it concealed. Yuzuki knew them well, after all. She had played the game, seen with her own eyes how the main character reaped fortune after fortune within those mist-shrouded lands. Secret dungeons, rare items, shortcuts to power… she remembered them all.
But knowing and doing were two very different things.
In the game, it had been easy. A character with a strong body, innate talent, and endless plot armor could march into danger and emerge unscathed. But she? She was weak. Fragile as glass. Her body was nothing more than a vessel of illness and pain. Even if she knew every hidden spot and every shortcut the game had to offer, what use was that knowledge if she collapsed before taking a single step?
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Yuzuki tugged the white scarf tighter around her neck, hiding the scar she loathed as the morning chill bit at her skin. Weak or not, she had no choice but to move forward.
Letting out a cold breath, Yuzuki inhaled the crisp morning air. Her hands tightened into clenched fists as she walked toward her first destination: the academy.
Today's meeting was critical. The boy she was about to see could change everything. If things went well, he might become the key that made her impossible goal returning home just a little more reachable. But if things went wrong… the road ahead would only grow darker, more treacherous.
There was only one reason she had forced herself awake so early, stepping into the world before even the first sunlight touched the ground.
Was the academy's rules.
Visitors were only permitted during strict hours before classes began or after they ended. Yuzuki had chosen her moment carefully. Dawn. Just before the day officially began. Because at that time, without fail, Hiro would be there. The boy who trained relentlessly in solitude, practicing his swordsmanship in the training hall no wanting to be left behind with the people who had been training from there birth.
He would be alone. And she would finally have her chance to talk to him.
Yuzuki's thoughts swirled as she made her way toward the academy, replaying every possible approach, every argument she could use to convince him. Her pace was as quick as much as her frail body would allow, her thin frame straining against exhaustion. Her gaze stayed fixed on the ground, caught between her worries and the endless loop of plans running through her mind.
So lost was she in thought that she didn't notice the corner ahead until
Thud!
She crashed into something solid no, someone.
The impact jolted her back, nearly sending her frail body tumbling. She caught herself just in time, though her hand shot up instinctively to her face, rubbing her nose where the sting still lingered.
"Ugh…" she groaned softly.
Blinking through the haze of surprise, Yuzuki slowly lifted her head—her onyx eyes meeting the gaze of the person she had just run into.