Rio woke up to the uncomfortable feeling of something heavy pressing down on her chest.
"…Mmgh…"
She tried to move.
But her arms wouldn't budge.
Her legs felt pinned under a strange weight.
Warm.
Breathing.
Her eyes slowly opened.
A white ceiling came into view. A small ceiling fan spun lazily above her, making a quiet clicking sound with every rotation.
Rio frowned.
"…My apartment doesn't have a ceiling fan."
Her mind was foggy.
Fragments of memories drifted through her head.
Cold water.
The violent shaking of the bridge.
Someone shouting.
Then—
Her eyes widened.
The river.
The earthquake.
The bridge collapsing beneath her feet.
Her breathing quickened.
I died.
The realization struck her like lightning.
Rio suddenly tried to sit up.
But the heavy weight on top of her pushed her back into the mattress.
"…What the—"
She felt warm breath brushing against her neck.
Rio slowly turned her head.
A face was inches away from hers.
Messy white hair.
Closed eyes.
A peaceful sleeping expression.
The boy was sprawled across her body like a human blanket.
For three full seconds Rio's brain completely shut down.
Then it restarted.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ON TOP OF ME?!"
THUD
Rio shoved the boy off the bed with all her strength.
He crashed onto the wooden floor with a loud bang.
"Ow—!"
Rio shot upright, breathing heavily as her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
The boy groaned and rubbed the back of his head.
"Ow… you didn't have to throw me like that…"
Rio stared at him.
Her brain slowly caught up.
Messy white hair.
Same age as her.
Same stupid expression.
"…Ryota."
The boy blinked.
"…You remember my name?"
Rio ignored him.
Her eyes suddenly began scanning the room around her.
A small bedroom.
A wooden desk cluttered with textbooks.
A school uniform hanging neatly near the door.
A bookshelf filled with manga and old novels.
A backpack leaning against the wall.
Rio froze.
Her breathing stopped.
"…No way."
She slowly looked down at her hands.
Small.
Smooth.
No signs of the years she had spent grinding raids until her fingers went numb.
Her heart began beating faster.
"No way…"
Rio jumped off the bed and rushed to the mirror hanging beside the closet.
White hair spilled over her shoulders as she leaned closer.
The face staring back at her was younger.
Much younger.
Fifteen years old.
"…High school."
Her voice came out in a quiet whisper.
Her mind reeled.
The bridge.
The freezing river swallowing her whole.
That strange glowing message appearing before her eyes.
Would you like to reset the game?
Rio slowly turned around.
Ryota was still sitting on the floor, stretching his arms as if he had just woken up from a nap.
"…Man, that was a weird dream," he muttered.
Rio's eye twitched.
"You."
Ryota looked up.
"…Me?"
Rio marched across the room.
Before he could react, she grabbed him by the collar and lifted him halfway off the floor.
"YOU!"
"W-Wait! What did I do?!"
Rio's face burned with anger.
"If you hadn't confessed your weird love to me on that bridge—"
Ryota blinked.
"…Weird love?"
"We wouldn't have stood there long enough for the bridge to collapse!"
Ryota stared at her for a moment.
Then his expression slowly changed.
"…Wait."
Rio paused.
"…What?"
Ryota's voice became more serious.
"You remember that too?"
Rio froze.
"…Too?"
Ryota slowly stood up.
"The earthquake."
"The bridge cracking."
"The freezing river."
"And that weird game screen asking if we wanted to reset."
Rio's eyes widened.
"You saw it?"
Ryota nodded.
"Yeah."
He looked around the room with confusion.
"…But why does this place look like a teenager's bedroom?"
Rio released his collar.
"Because it is."
Ryota walked toward the mirror.
He stared at his reflection.
Then leaned closer.
"…Wait."
He touched his face.
"…Why do I look fifteen?"
Rio crossed her arms.
"Because we are fifteen."
Ryota slowly turned around.
"…What?"
Rio grabbed the phone sitting on the desk.
Her hands trembled slightly as she unlocked it.
The date on the screen made her stomach drop.
April 3rd
Rio's eyes widened.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Ryota walked over.
"What is it?"
Rio turned the phone toward him.
"Look."
Ryota read the date.
Then blinked.
"…Okay?"
Rio stared at him like he was an idiot.
"This is one week before Evermount launched."
The room fell silent.
Ryota's eyes slowly widened.
"…Wait."
"The Evermount?"
Rio nodded.
"The biggest VR game in the world."
Memories flooded her mind.
The launch day chaos.
Players rushing to buy the first VR helmets.
The early quests that everyone struggled to clear.
The hidden dungeons that no one discovered for years.
She knew everything.
Every boss.
Every rare item.
Every broken skill build.
Rio slowly clenched her fists.
"This time…"
Her voice was quiet but filled with determination.
"I'm not making the same mistakes."
Ryota tilted his head.
"…Mistakes?"
Rio's eyes darkened slightly.
"Trusting the wrong people."
Royal Knights.
Reina.
Arclight.
The betrayal.
She would never let that happen again.
This time she would reach the top first.
Before anyone else.
Ryota suddenly raised his hand.
"…Uh."
Rio glanced at him.
"What?"
Ryota scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"So if this is one week before Evermount releases…"
Rio nodded.
"Yes."
Ryota grinned nervously.
"…Does that mean I still have time to marry the Silver War Goddess?"
Rio's eye twitched violently.
A pillow flew across the room at terrifying speed.
THWACK
It hit Ryota directly in the face.
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"
Ryota stumbled backward.
"HEY WAIT—!"
Another pillow struck him in the chest.
"STOP PROPOSING TO ME!"
Ryota ran for the door.
Rio chased him halfway across the room throwing pillows like deadly projectiles.
"OUT!"
Ryota barely escaped into the hallway before Rio slammed the door shut behind him.
She leaned against the door, breathing heavily.
The room slowly fell silent.
Outside the window, the early morning sun began to rise.
One week.
One week before the launch of Evermount.
Rio walked back to the mirror.
The girl staring back at her looked young.
Fifteen.
But behind those eyes lived fifteen years of experience.
The former Level 243 Silver War Goddess.
Now back at the beginning.
Level 1.
Rio slowly smiled.
"Alright, Evermount…"
"This time…"
"I'm claiming everything first."