_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the real world, evening had just fallen.
Illya von Einzbern—known throughout the academy as the untouchable ice queen—was curled up comfortably in the soft single-seater sofa in her room.
Her brilliant golden hair spilled over her shoulders like liquid light, a few stray strands teasing the edge of her lips, which were faintly pressed together in concentration. She wore a carefully styled JK uniform: a pale pink sailor top with a perfectly tied ribbon, paired with a plaid skirt and sheer black stockings that hinted at the skin beneath. Her legs were crossed, her posture relaxed yet effortlessly elegant.
But her attention wasn't on her appearance.
A sleek, immersive neural interface covered her eyes, its faint blue indicator lights pulsing steadily in sync with her brainwaves. On its side was a logo:
YGGDRASIL
Three minutes remained until the servers shut down permanently.
Her consciousness had long since merged with her in-game avatar—her painstakingly built alter ego. The one and only hidden class on the entire server:
[Valkyrie]
Inside the game world, her character, Valkyria, stood quietly atop a desolate cliff.
Her appearance mirrored Illya's real-life looks almost perfectly: dazzling blonde hair, lake-blue eyes, a doll-like face, and a tall, slender frame standing at 176 cm.
But unlike the softness of her school uniform, here she wore a full suit of silver-white armor—[Valkyrie's Aegis]—its polished surface gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. The design was both ornate and powerful, and a pure white cape fluttered behind her in the artificial wind.
At her waist hung an ancient longsword—[Gram]. Though still sheathed, it radiated a sharp, cutting aura, as if it could cleave through anything.
She was a Valkyrie—a class so obscure that even the official game wiki listed only its name, with no details. Its acquisition was a mystery. Its abilities, unknown. Most players didn't even know it existed.
And then there was her inventory.
A number so absurd it defied belief:
Ninety-nine [High-Tier Covenant] World Items.
This completely broke the game's rules.
The developers had clearly stated that only twenty such items existed in total, each powerful enough to shake the balance of the entire game. Yet somehow, she possessed ninety-nine.
No one knew how she'd broken that limit. Just like no one knew how she'd unlocked her hidden class.
It had become one of YGGDRASIL's greatest unsolved mysteries before its collapse.
Her gold reserves were just as ridiculous—so vast that even the wealthiest players couldn't compare. A stark contrast to the famously frugal World Searcher guild.
One minute remaining.
Illya—or Valkyria—took one last look at the world.
She didn't join the final chaos. She simply stood there, waiting for the end.
But in the last few seconds of the countdown, her sharp perception caught something… off.
A faint disturbance. A flicker in the data stream that didn't belong.
"Hm?"
A hint of confusion surfaced—
Zero.
The expected logout never came.
Instead, an overwhelming pain tore through her, as if her soul was being ripped from her body and thrown into absolute nothingness.
Her consciousness was dragged into a pitch-black vortex, spinning violently, threatening to tear her apart.
"Ah—!"
In the real world, a short cry escaped her lips. Her body arched sharply inside the pod—
Then everything changed.
Cold.
Damp.
The scent of grass.
Gravity returned.
Illya's eyes snapped open.
A wave of dizziness hit her, her stomach churning.
Above her stretched an unfamiliar night sky, stars hanging so low it felt like they might fall at any moment.
She was lying on a vast field. Dew soaked her… armor?
Her mind cleared instantly.
She sat up and looked down.
The silver-white [Valkyrie's Aegis] still encased her body, its cold, solid texture unmistakably real.
She touched her face. Her fingers met smooth metal—and beneath it, warm skin.
Grabbing a strand of her hair, she confirmed it: still golden… but longer, just like in the game.
Her heart tightened.
"…I've been transported?"
The shock nearly froze her thoughts.
She should've been in her room, taking off the neural interface.
So why was she here, in full gear, in the middle of nowhere?
She forced herself to calm down.
The cold, disciplined mindset of a Valkyrie quickly suppressed her panic.
With a thought, she summoned the interface.
A translucent panel lined with golden runes unfolded in her mind.
Status. Skills. Inventory.
Everything was still there.
Her gaze locked onto her inventory.
All ninety-nine world items—each radiating an oppressive presence—were intact.
Her massive gold reserves remained unchanged.
"…They all came with me…"
Her voice trembled slightly, though confusion outweighed everything else.
She stood up.
At 176 cm tall, she had a clear view of her surroundings.
Endless plains. Distant forests. Strange energy lingering in the air.
This wasn't Earth.
No doubt about it.
Acting cautiously, she activated her perception skill:
[Divine Domain Insight]
At the same time, she layered high-level invisibility magic over herself, suppressing her presence to the lowest possible level.
Invisible waves spread outward.
Soon, she detected a dirt road several kilometers away—and a caravan moving along it.
Simple carts. Guards in crude leather armor.
She focused on them.
[Race: Human]
[Level: 5]
[Class: Guard (Low-tier)]
[Threat: Extremely Low]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 7]
[Class: Guard Captain (Low-tier)]
[Threat: Low]
Further out—
A beast lurking in the bushes.
[Race: Shadow Panther]
[Level: 14]
[Class: Magical Beast]
[Threat: Low-Medium]
Every single entity she scanned was below level 20.
The strongest was only level 14.
And she?
Level 119.
Far beyond the normal level cap.
A reward granted for completing an impossible hidden-class quest.
Just like her ninety-nine world items—
Data that shouldn't exist.
Here, in this unknown world, her power was completely out of place.
Absurd. Overwhelming.
Ainz Ooal Gown had to tread carefully after being transported.
He had to hide his strength. Worry about resources.
But her?
Illya felt the vast ocean of power within her—greater than everything around her combined.
Her wealth could buy entire kingdoms.
Her items could trigger miracles… or disasters.
Confusion lingered.
But slowly, it was replaced by something else.
A quiet sense of superiority.
Control.
She dispelled her invisibility.
Under the starlight, her silver armor shimmered faintly. Her white cape swayed in the wind.
Her blue eyes glanced at the distant caravan, then down at her hand.
A hand that could easily reshape this world.
"No players. No equals…"
She clenched her fist.
Power surged between her fingers.
A faint smile touched her lips—subtle, yet dazzling enough to outshine the stars.
"In this world…"
"I am the only myth."
Her perception expanded again, scanning the land.
Soon, she found a direction with denser life signatures—and a well-trodden path.
"First, information."
Her voice was soft, carried away by the breeze.
No need for flashy movement.
She simply walked.
Each step covered dozens of meters, as if the earth folded beneath her feet.
A basic Valkyrie movement technique:
[Ground Shrink]
Before long, the road came into view.
Far ahead, the caravan trailed along.
She ignored it and continued forward.
About half an hour later—though she'd actually crossed a vast distance—a settlement appeared on the horizon.
Stone walls. Modest size.
More like a frontier outpost than a true city.
Guards stood at the gate.
Sparse foot traffic.
She paused briefly.
Then—
Her armor dissolved like flowing mercury, vanishing into her body.
In its place appeared a refined white-and-gold travel dress—somewhere between noble attire and adventurer gear. It highlighted her tall, graceful figure perfectly.
Her golden hair remained loose. Her beauty, undisguised.
She suppressed most of her aura, making herself seem like nothing more than a striking traveler.
Then she walked toward the gate.
The guards noticed her immediately.
Their eyes filled with awe—and caution.
But when she casually flicked a gold coin into the air—one she had analyzed and recreated using local materials and a trace of magic—their attitude changed instantly.
Respect replaced suspicion.
"Welcome, honored lady."
Inside, the town smelled of livestock, dirt, food, and faint grime.
The streets were packed earth and stone. Buildings were wood and brick.
People looked worn, their clothes simple.
Illya's eyes scanned everything.
Language. Symbols. Conversations. Power systems.
Within minutes, she grasped the basics of the local tongue.
The kingdom's name:
Re-Estize.
Then—
Something else caught her attention.
A smell.
From a nearby tavern—loud, lively, and full of life.
Roasted meat. Stew. Fresh bread.
Her stomach growled.
"…"
In reality, Illya was a total foodie. She just restrained herself to maintain her "ice queen" image.
But here?
In a strange new world?
The urge to feel real—to ground herself through something simple—rose sharply.
She headed straight for the tavern.
The moment she pushed the door open, noise and warmth hit her all at once.
Laughter. Ale. Food.
The room fell quiet as she entered.
All eyes turned to her.
She ignored them and sat at an empty table.
A flustered waitress hurried over.
"W-What would you like, miss?"
Illya didn't even glance at a menu.
"Everything. Ten servings each."
Silence.
A burly mercenary snorted.
"Kid, one plate here can fill a grown man. You messing with us?"
Illya didn't even look at him.
A gold coin clinked onto the table.
The room gasped.
That coin alone could buy most of the tavern's food.
"Go."
Her tone didn't change.
The staff scrambled.
Food poured out.
Bread. Meat. Soup. Fish. Vegetables.
The table filled.
Then—
Under everyone's stunned gaze—
She began to eat.
Gracefully. Elegantly.
Perfect table manners.
But impossibly fast.
The mountain of food vanished at a visible pace.
Plate after plate emptied.
Replaced. Emptied again.
It was like watching a bottomless void.
"…Boss. More."
Another coin.
By the fifth coin, the kitchen was completely out of ingredients.
Illya calmly finished her final bowl of soup.
"..."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________