RPG Veteran Possesses Their Main Character

The crisp sunlight settles on soft, plump cheeks.

A warm spring breeze blows gently, leaving a lingering sensation before disappearing.

As he opened his eyes to the gentle breeze tickling his eyelids, he instinctively raised his hand to shield from the sunlight.

However, at that moment, he stopped his hand midway due to an unfamiliar sensation at his fingertips.

His hand was too small.

The skin was white and soft, and the fingers were thin and delicate.

As he sat up in confusion, he felt the sensation of soft hair falling to his waist.

Reflexively grabbing his hair, he looked down at it in surprise.

Pure white and soft, long white hair.

He had never had hair of this color before.

"...What's going on?"

The unfamiliar voice that unconsciously escaped his lips. This too was not the voice of himself that he was familiar with.

At that moment, the surrounding scenery came into view.

A village with small stone paths.

Houses with quaint mushroom roofs.

A giant tree visible in the distance.

And people busily moving about on the streets.

...No, NPCs.

For a moment, his heart sank.

He collected himself and carefully bent down to look at the ground.

His reflection was visible in a small puddle by the roadside.

White hair swaying, drowsy-looking blue eyes now wide open in shock.

A round face with a pure white T-shirt, a black jacket worn as if to accent her white body from head to toe. Though the outfit was neat, the fragile appearance of the small-framed girl transformed that ordinariness into cuteness.

He looked at that appearance with unfamiliarity.

Because it was an all too familiar appearance.

This was the same as the in-game character that he, or rather she, had been raising for years.

She trembled slightly and took a slow, deep breath.

Could it be a dream?

Thinking "no way, no way," she pinched her cheek, but contrary to her expectations, she felt a sharp pain.

Even the sensation of the wind brushing against her plump cheeks was too vivid.

She instinctively called out "Status Window."

Of course, she called out internally. It was too embarrassing to shout out loud in such a crowded place.

Instantly, a semi-transparent window appeared before her eyes.

Name: Lumiel

Level: 300

Strength: 66,500

Agility: 56,000

Intelligence: 132,650

Luck: 66,000

After confirming the status window, she froze in place.

A dry laugh escaped her lips out of disbelief.

She had become Lumiel, the character she had been developing for decades in her favorite RPG game, her main character.

"...Let's stay calm."

As she patted her cheeks and spoke, once again a low and cute voice flowed out.

Lumiel took a deep breath and waved her hand to open the inventory.

Power Elixir × 99,999

Panacea × 99,999

Unleashed Weapon Box × 76

Wheel of Fate × 99,999

Herb Box × 6,658

Ancient Spell Scroll × 99,900

Other Items × ??????

Fortunately, the items she had accumulated over the years were intact.

Lumiel let out a deep sigh of relief.

Although the sudden possession of her main character was confusing, at least there seemed to be no problem with survival.

At that moment, Lumiel realized another fact.

It was that the NPCs walking around the town were moving too naturally.

No, it wasn't just their movement.

They were interacting with each other.

"No way! Hey! I've been running around since morning and mined 10 iron ores, and you're only giving me 3,000 gold?!"

"The price of ore has dropped these days! I need to make a living too!"

"You call that an excuse?! Don't you care about the effort I put in since morning?!"

The people arguing over there were, in Lumiel's memory, the gatherer NPC and the blacksmith NPC who used to just sit around in the village.

But now they were haggling and getting angry at each other.

The NPCs who used to repeat only predetermined lines in the game were now bickering like real people.

"Business isn't good today either. Are there no brave young people who want to become adventurers?"

"Mister, don't you know the latest trends? Who buys weapons in the beginner's village these days?"

"Haah, maybe I should close up shop and switch to selling herbs instead."

On one side, the weapon shop owner and a passing traveler NPC were having a natural conversation.

Lumiel gaped at the sight.

"Wow..."

It was completely different from the game world Lumiel knew.

In this game world turned reality, NPCs didn't simply move according to their routines.

They acted as if they had their own will, showing emotions.

Lumiel walked slowly through the square, marveling at how lively the once desolate village had become.

"Hey, child!"

Someone called out to Lumiel, who was gaping and absentmindedly taking in the sights. She reflexively turned her head to see an NPC grandfather smiling brightly.

He was a familiar grandpa in Lumiel's memory.

Probably the NPC who ran the fruit stand in the beginner's village.

"I haven't seen your face in this village before. Are you a new adventurer?"

"...Something like that."

Lumiel just smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to the unfamiliar expression and dialogue of the grandfather NPC.

"The fruit at our shop is very fresh, would you like to buy one?"

"Ah..."

"Hmm, judging by your expression, it seems you're not interested. Can't be helped."

The grandfather NPC looked around quickly as if he was doing something wrong, then placed an apple in Lumiel's small hand.

A red apple.

It was a well-ripened apple that anyone would say looked very fresh.

"..."

"Try it once. It's on the house, so you don't have to pay. If you like it after eating, come back to buy more later, and it would be nice if you could spread the word too."

Lumiel accepted the apple with a dubious expression and then nodded.

"...I'll enjoy it."

"Alright, take care now."

After walking some distance away from the grandfather, Lumiel held the apple high and fell into thought.

She realized during the conversation with the grandfather earlier. He could read Lumiel's expressions, and he even seemed to have good business acumen as if he had been doing business for a long time.

The flow of conversation was as natural as talking to a real person in reality.

Lumiel quietly swallowed.

This is not just a simple game world.

The NPCs had already become entities that were no longer NPCs.

Lumiel slowly looked up at the sky.

Clear sky, warm sunlight, trees swaying in the wind.

Even a fool would understand at this point. This was neither a simple dream nor a virtual space.

Then, in a world where her favorite RPG had become reality, what should Lumiel do?

Of course, it was already decided.

Lumiel smiled slightly and took a vigorous step forward.

The first step towards enjoying all those exciting adventures she had only experienced on screen once again.