The morning sunlight slowly filled Rio's bedroom.
Golden light slipped through the curtains and stretched across the wooden floor. Dust particles floated lazily in the air, glowing softly in the quiet room.
Rio sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor.
One week.
Just one week before the launch of Evermount.
Her mind was already racing faster than it ever had during any raid.
Hidden quests.
Rare drops.
Legendary classes.
Early exploits that developers would patch later.
Rio knew them all.
Fifteen years of experience wasn't something anyone else in the world had.
She walked over to her desk and pulled out a notebook.
"If I remember correctly…"
She began writing quickly.
Day 1 — Rush beginner forest questline
Day 2 — Hidden dungeon near Aster Village
Day 3 — Obtain Shadow Fang dagger
Her pen moved rapidly across the page.
In Evermount's early days, players wasted weeks exploring blindly.
But Rio already knew where everything was.
The fastest leveling routes.
The hidden NPCs.
The broken skill combinations.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"This time I won't waste a single second."
In her previous life, she spent years climbing to Level 243.
This time?
She could reach the top much faster.
But one thought crossed her mind.
Royal Knights.
Rio's expression hardened.
She remembered the message from Reina.
The betrayal.
The humiliation.
"No…"
She muttered quietly.
"I won't rely on them again."
This time she would build her own path.
Her own power.
And when the time came…
She would surpass every single one of them.
Knock knock.
Rio froze.
Her eyes slowly moved toward the door.
"…Don't tell me."
Another knock came.
"Rio? Can I come in?"
Ryota's voice.
Rio sighed deeply and rubbed her temples.
"…You're still here?"
"Yeah…"
She hesitated.
Part of her wanted to ignore him.
But another part of her knew something strange had happened.
He had come back with her.
Which meant—
He might be connected to whatever reset them.
"…Fine."
Rio stood up and walked to the door.
She opened it slowly.
Ryota stood in the hallway, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
He looked just as confused as she felt.
"…Hi."
Rio stared at him.
"…Why haven't you left yet?"
Ryota blinked.
"…Leave?"
"Yes. Leave."
She pointed down the hallway.
"Go back to wherever you were fifteen years ago."
Ryota's expression slowly changed.
His usual awkward smile faded.
"…I can't."
Rio frowned.
"…What do you mean you can't?"
Ryota looked away.
"…Because fifteen years ago…"
He hesitated.
"…I lived on the streets."
The hallway fell silent.
Rio blinked.
"…What?"
Ryota shrugged lightly, trying to sound casual.
"Yeah. I didn't really have a place back then."
His tone was light.
But Rio could hear the truth behind it.
Memories from earlier returned.
His worn clothes.
The way he looked slightly underweight.
The way he had nervously thanked her for taking the wallet back.
Rio looked away.
"…I see."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Rio sighed.
"…Fine."
Ryota blinked.
"…Huh?"
Rio crossed her arms.
"You can stay here."
Ryota's eyes widened.
"…Really?"
"Don't misunderstand," Rio said quickly.
"I'll talk to my mom and explain it somehow."
Ryota looked stunned.
"Wait… seriously?"
Rio raised a finger.
"But we're establishing ground rules."
Ryota nodded quickly.
"Okay."
He tilted his head.
"…What kind of rules?"
Rio pointed directly at him.
"First rule."
Her voice became very serious.
"No touching me."
Ryota blinked.
"…What?"
Rio narrowed her eyes.
"If a single finger of yours touches my body…"
She pointed toward the front door.
"You will be sleeping on the streets."
Ryota gulped.
"…Got it."
Rio leaned closer.
"Or worse."
Ryota's eyes widened.
"…Worse?"
"Prison."
Ryota immediately straightened his posture.
"Understood!"
Rio stepped back.
"…Good."
Ryota let out a small laugh.
"Wow… you're really strict."
Rio ignored him and walked back into her room.
Ryota followed carefully, as if stepping into a dangerous area.
He noticed the notebook on her desk filled with notes.
"…What's all this?"
Rio sat down.
"My plan."
"For Evermount."
Ryota leaned closer to read the page.
"Beginner forest… hidden dungeon… shadow dagger…"
He blinked.
"…How do you know all this?"
Rio leaned back in her chair.
"Because I've already lived through it."
She tapped the notebook.
"The first few months of Evermount were chaos."
"Players didn't know where to go."
"They wasted time grinding inefficient quests."
"But I remember everything."
Ryota listened carefully.
Rio continued.
"The fastest leveling path."
"The hidden quests."
"The rare bosses."
"The broken builds."
She pointed to another page.
"There's a hidden dungeon near Aster Village."
"In my last life it wasn't discovered until six months after launch."
Ryota's eyes widened.
"…You're going to clear it on day one?"
Rio smiled slightly.
"Exactly."
She flipped another page.
"Then I get the Shadow Fang dagger."
"After that I rush the early assassin class chain."
Ryota whistled softly.
"…You've really thought this through."
Rio nodded.
"This time I won't waste fifteen years reaching the top."
Her eyes sharpened.
"I'll get there faster."
Ryota leaned against the wall, thinking.
Then he asked something simple.
"…Are you going back to Royal Knights?"
Rio's pen stopped moving.
The room went silent.
Her eyes slowly lifted from the notebook.
Royal Knights.
Reina.
Arclight.
The betrayal.
Rio's expression darkened.
"…No."
Her voice was calm.
But cold.
"Not this time."
The room fell quiet after Rio's answer.
"…No."
Ryota leaned against the wall, arms folded, watching her.
The calm way she said it made it clear she had already made up her mind.
No hesitation.
No second thoughts.
Royal Knights was finished.
Rio closed the notebook and stretched slightly.
"Well…"
She stood up.
"If we're going to play Evermount, there's something we need to do first."
Ryota blinked.
"…What?"
Rio walked over to her closet and slid the door open.
Inside were rows of neatly folded clothes and several school uniforms.
She looked through them for a moment before pulling out a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants.
They were clearly a bit oversized.
She tossed them at Ryota.
"Catch."
Ryota barely managed to grab them.
"…Uh?"
He looked down at the clothes.
"Why are you giving me these?"
Rio crossed her arms and looked him up and down.
Only now did she really notice how bad his clothes looked.
His shirt was wrinkled.
His jacket looked old and worn.
His shoes looked like they had survived several wars.
Rio sighed.
"You look like you just crawled out of a dumpster."
Ryota looked down at himself.
"…That bad?"
"Yes."
She pointed toward the bathroom.
"Go take a shower."
Ryota blinked.
"…A shower?"
Rio raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. A shower."
Ryota scratched his head awkwardly.
"I mean… I don't really remember the last time I used someone else's bathroom."
Rio stared at him.
"…Just go."
He nodded quickly.
"Right."
He walked toward the bathroom but stopped halfway.
"…Wait."
Rio frowned.
"What now?"
Ryota looked back at her.
"Why do I need clean clothes all of a sudden?"
Rio grabbed her wallet from the desk.
"Because we're heading out."
"…Out where?"
Rio opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
"To the game shop."
Ryota's eyes widened.
"…Wait."
He hurried after her.
"You mean for Evermount?"
Rio nodded.
"Yes."
"The game releases in one week."
She grabbed her jacket from the coat rack.
"And if we're serious about getting ahead…"
She opened the front door slightly and looked back at him.
"We need to buy the VR gear before everyone else."
Ryota froze.
"…Oh."
Rio leaned against the doorframe.
"So stop standing there and go take a shower."
Ryota nodded quickly.
"Right!"
He rushed into the bathroom.
A moment later the sound of running water echoed through the house.
Rio leaned against the wall, waiting.
Her eyes slowly drifted toward the window.
Outside, the city looked peaceful.
Cars moved along the streets.
People walked to work.
No one had any idea what was coming.
In one week…
Evermount would launch.
And millions of players would dive into the game.
But this time was different.
Because this time—
Rio already knew the future.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Let's see if the Silver War Goddess can speedrun her own legend."
A few minutes later the bathroom door opened.
Ryota stepped out wearing the hoodie and sweatpants she gave him.
The clothes were slightly loose but much cleaner than what he wore before.
He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"…How do I look?"
Rio looked him up and down.
"…Less homeless."
Ryota sighed.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Rio grabbed her wallet and phone.
"Good."
She walked toward the door.
"Let's go."
Ryota followed her outside.
The morning sun greeted them as they stepped onto the street.
People moved normally around them.
But Rio felt something different.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
This was the start.
The beginning of everything.
She looked down the road toward the direction of the gaming district.
"Come on."
Ryota walked beside her.
"…You really think we can beat everyone this time?"
Rio didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Her voice was calm.
Confident.
"Because this time…"
She glanced at him.
"We already know how the game ends."