They were clear manifestations of just how much resentment the Skill Masters harbored after having to deal with the other players’ heartless Gimme, gimme attitudes.

With this in mind, Cayna conscientiously chose a silver tower in the middle of a vast forest as her base. If the objective was to reach the very top of the tower, it was certainly feasible. However, it took twenty-four real-time hours to do so.

It was important to note that the long stairs did not match the height of the tower’s exterior. Players immediately started circling up the entire tower as if it were a drill bit, but since the speed matched their set pace, running wouldn’t make the journey any shorter. If you stopped at any point before reaching the top, you would be instantly returned to the starting point outside the forest. This was considered a relatively tame trick compared with some of the gimmicks employed by Cayna’s fellow Skill Masters.

The owners of each location had rings and passcodes that allowed them to directly access their most central regions, so coming and going was no issue. Cayna told herself she’d have to visit hers later and moved on to inspecting her items and equipment.

Currently, she was wearing a high-level Fairy King Robe that only female high elves could equip. Even within the entire game itself, Cayna was probably the only one who could wear it. She wore leggings that were visible down to her knees and sturdy boots. Both were treasured pieces imbued with several status boosts.

On her left arm was an arm guard that she could attach a bow to with a command key; by expending MP, she could turn the normal arrows into magic ones. On her right side, she wore a headband with a feather attached. It automatically rendered her invisible when faced with an external threat, though this cost MP.

Her weapon was a lightning dagger displayed at the very top of the Item Screen. It was an optimum weapon that paralyzed an enemy after only a few hit points.

“To be honest, I’m way too well equipped here…”

Basic battle strategy said she didn’t need to be this armed when she could just blow everything away with magic, but Cayna couldn’t be too careful now that she’d lost everyone from her guild in one fell swoop.

Even if her race wasn’t as suited to a vanguard position as normal elves, she could still form a party with low-level players and act as a pretty good tank.

All that was left was to consult the toolbox at her tower and decide what she’d keep.

“…Oh!”

Suddenly, Cayna realized she had completely forgotten her support AI.

Her uncle had made it special for her when it became difficult for her to move on her own in real life. It was an assistance AI that aided her with daily tasks even though she was bedridden. Attached to the hospital bed, “he” was an extraordinary construct that could act of his own volition and do everything from raising and lowering the back of the bed to calling a nurse in an emergency. He could even assist her with in-game commands, keep detailed logs, scratch itches, and let Cayna know if she had visitors when she was either sleeping or being examined.

He had been with her longer than any gaming companion, and she considered him a partner of sorts. She called out nervously, unsure of what she’d do if he didn’t respond.

“…Kee, you there?”

“Yes. I am here.”

Cayna’s heart eased as Kee—whose name came from a cat her mother once had—replied. He spoke in a concise, robotic tone devoid of any affectations.

“You have two urgent items.”

“I figured. What’s up?”

“Item one: You have disconnected from the hospital system. Item two: You have been disconnected from Leadale’s master system.”

“I see… Thanks.”

She had already guessed that this place was both part of the game and not. The question was why Cayna was here to begin with. Even within the past day or so, she hadn’t heard anything about Leadale ending service. It didn’t matter if you were far from the royal capital or your friends; if there was important information or a big Event coming up, any logged-in player would hear about it from either the Admins or their guild and friends.

Cayna thought back to her most recent memory.

Her AI assistant had informed her that her uncle and a cousin had come to see her, so she must have logged out. She’d spoken with them for a short while, then logged back in. Fatigue had quickly taken hold of her, and she’d gone to bed without logging out. Her last memory was of setting her status to Away.

Whatever had happened between then and when she’d woken up must have brought her to this point.

“Hmm… Kee, did anything strange happen last night?”

“Yes, there was one item.”

“There was?!”

Since her partner (?) himself couldn’t tell if it was an emergency, he must have been uncertain whether to report it.

“After you retired to bed, the power cut out for approximately two seconds. That is when the previous two items occurred.”

“Cut out?”

“I am eighty percent certain it was a blackout.”

“Oh, right, a blackout. Okay… Wait, a blackout?!”

The gravity of her strange situation became clear, and Cayna could easily surmise what had happened. This forgone conclusion robbed her of all hope.

“Cayna?”

Keina Kagami’s body was so weak that she couldn’t survive without life support. Cayna herself knew this, and the doctors had warned her as well.

If interrupted by some outside source, whether it be a lightning strike or otherwise, it took about two seconds for emergency generators to resupply the hospital’s equipment.

In that time, her spirit alone had escaped reality and fled to this world.

In other words, Keina Kagami’s body was dead.

***

“Huh?!”

As Cayna let this shocking truth sink in, she realized the sky had begun to take on an orange hue. Shocked that she’d wasted almost half a day, she forcibly convinced herself anyone in the same position would have been crushed. No names actually came to mind, but Cayna simply banished this to the furthest reaches of her thoughts and pretended it never happened. One might say she simply refused to accept reality.

The buildings had no glass windows, so the closed shutters quickly plunged the room into darkness. She opened them halfway and let in some of the orange light from the setting sun. Cayna took another look around the room and came across a lantern fixture on the wall.

“Ah, right. They use lanterns here, don’t they…?”

Cayna had never taken a survival course or slept outdoors, so she had no idea how to light the lantern in her room. Naturally, this was where magic came in handy.

The Light spell was a skill obtained through relatively easy quests and essential for anyone who specialized in dungeon crawling. Without it, all you had at your disposal were lanterns—incredibly finicky, inconvenient items that used up fuel, provided meager light, and had to be switched out in an emergency so you had a free hand. Only total beginners used them.

Magic, on the other hand, had plenty of uses: Some people made weapons and armor, while others crafted magic items for their equipment. Others still would just have fun with it and sell gag items with hilarious descriptions. Being all business and taking your role as a support class seriously was well and good, but there were always a few simpletons who preferred to skip out on battle and light themselves up all the colors of the rainbow.

“Bow down, fools!”

“Gaaah, I’m bliiind!”

“Your halo… It’s so bright!”

“Shall we leave those idiots behind?”

“Sounds good.”

“““Don’t gooo!!”””

Remembering the conversation made her feel as if it had happened just yesterday and brought a smile to Cayna’s face.

There were times when such nostalgia brought tears to her eyes, but she shook her head and pulled herself together.

It wasn’t as if she wanted to forget. She was simply setting those memories aside and searching for similar joys that lay ahead.

First, she would test whether magic was feasible in this world. As Cayna focused all her attention on the lantern, she evoked a spell from her mental skill arsenal.

Magic Skill: Additional White Light Level 1: Light: Ready Set

“Activate!”

“?!”

Cayna was relieved to find she could cast spells in the game as she always did. What didn’t ease her mind was the small cry that came from the slightly ajar door of her now well-lit room.

Lytt, the little girl from the inn, was timidly peering through the crack in the door and gave a startled look as she glanced at the shining wall lantern.

Perplexed by her reaction, a curious Cayna walked over to her.

“What’s wrong, Lytt?”

“Um… I-is it safe?”

Realizing the light had startled her, Cayna waved her hand dismissively to assure her visitor it wasn’t dangerous.

“Oh, this? It’s only light; it won’t explode or hurt anyone. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Upon hearing this, Lytt slowly entered but clung to the wall with no intention of pressing forward.

Could it be that normal villagers rarely see magic? Cayna thought with a tilt of her head.

“Lytt, is this your first time seeing magic?”

The girl’s small nod confirmed this. Cayna also realized why Lytt had come in the first place. The plate in her hand held a thread dipped in animal fat with a flame burning at one end like a candle. Lighting all the lanterns in the guest rooms must have been part of Lytt’s duties.

“…Oh no, did I interfere with your chores, Lytt?”

“Nuh-uh, this one’s even brighter now. You’re incredible, miss!”

“O-oh, well…I’m glad you enjoyed it so much.”

They looked at each other and smiled. Lytt had a visible twitch in her cheek, but pointing that out would be insensitive. It had been a while since she’d done any female bonding with anyone besides her cousin, and it filled Cayna’s heart with warmth.

Even so, new doubts swelled within her as she wondered what in the world had happened to the players who once dotted this continent.