I looked at my reflection.
And… froze.
This face… it wasn't mine.
Yet I knew every detail by heart.
Long, silver-white wavy hair flowing down to my waist.
Smooth, almost porcelain-like flawless skin.
Bright, vivid blue eyes.
A thin, elegant dress that hugged my waist perfectly, leaving my shoulders bare. The delicate fabric shimmered softly under the dim light.
Every single detail was perfect.
Because I had designed this character.
Heartbound: Aeviria
The new game I had just started.
⸻
But now… I was inside this body.
Solid walls.
Real fabric.
Real breath.
"Is this some kind of joke?"
My mind spun with panicked thoughts as I glanced around. This place… it was entirely inside the game.
But I had no idea how I ended up here.
No memory of an accident.
No system error.
⸻
Heartbound: Aeviria wasn't an ordinary game.
It went far beyond the usual combat, raids, and level grinding.
It was a simulation offering players endless storylines, branching quests, character relationships, political interactions, exploration, and special events.
Even the Romance System — still in its beta stage.
And I was one of the test players.
⸻
I dropped to my knees.
"If I had to fall into a game, why couldn't it be one of those I grinded like crazy, where I was rich and overpowered?!"
Here, I was basically at starting level.
No inventory.
No skills.
But…
There was one advantage.
The affection bars.
That was all I had.
Among the many NPCs, three stood out above the rest.
Lucian. Kai. Cassian.
I had completed almost all personal quests with two of them.
The third? He was at the far edge of the map. A three-hour real-time journey.
I had farmed his affection points through indirect quests.
⸻
I took a deep breath.
Alright…
This was still a system.
And systems… were meant to be exploited.
But… I still had no idea what I was actually trapped in.
Was this a game?
A dream?
A simulation?
Or… was it real now?
If I make the wrong choices, will I die?
What happens if I fail the quests?
Is there a way to log out?
And if there is… where is it?
I had no clue.
All I knew was:
I'm here now.
And I need to survive.