Prologue. This is clearly a bug.
[You have obtained an old broom. Begin the first quest.]
“Huh? A broom?”
The moment the game started, what I was given wasn’t a sword, a bow, a wand, or a spellbook… but a shabby, worn-out broom.
Wasn’t a solo player supposed to get a guaranteed random 10-star character?
Was there even a 10-star character who used a broom as a weapon? A new character? If I hadn’t seen my reflection in the large glass window, I might’ve been completely fooled into thinking so.
What I got wasn’t a 10-star character, but the weakest being in the entire game world—a one-star maid, Evelyn.
Not just Evelyn. “Maid” Evelyn.
Her soft, fluffy pink hair looked so full it almost seemed puffed up, gradually deepening into a rose-like color toward the ends.
Her large eyes shimmered in a bright turquoise blue, as if mixed with hints of green and blue paint.
Her slightly upturned nose, soft cheeks, and skin as white as Snow White’s made her not just charming but genuinely beautiful.
And most of all—her outfit!
A black dress with a pure white frilled apron and headpiece. She looked exactly like a maid.
“Maid” Evelyn—the most charming and lovable-looking character in the entire game world.
Ranked #1 in appearance polls. The character with the most fan art!
But!
She was also a tragic character that no tester, not in the first or second test phases, ever chose—because her stats were just that bad.
Health: rock bottom!
Vitality: rock bottom!
Agility: lowest!
Intelligence: rock bottom!
Beauty (charm stat): MAX!
On community boards, people mocked her, saying all her stats were dumped into her looks and she should just be turned into merchandise.
Solo play guarantees a 10-star character, they said!
This had to be a bug.
I looked around, trying to find the exit button so I could restart with a different character.
But where was it?
Ding!
[Begin the first quest.]
Ding!
[Begin the first quest.]
Ding! Ding! Ding!
“Are you kidding me?”
No matter what I did, I couldn’t exit. The only thing that kept popping up was the notification telling me to start the quest. What quest even is it?!
A bug right from the start? Seriously?
Reluctantly, I reached out to close the notification—
And suddenly, my vision brightened. A small buzzing bee flew toward me and attacked my neck.
“Ah!”
Calling it a “sting” would be an understatement. The pain was so intense it made me question if it was really a bee sting.
At the same time, urgent, dangerous-sounding background music started playing. My vision turned red as a status window appeared.
[You have been attacked. Your health has decreased. Move to a safe area and rest immediately.]
The surroundings flickered red, as if warning me of danger.
“What is this…? Ngh—!”
Clutching my neck, I leaned against the wall. It didn’t feel like a bee sting—it felt like someone jabbed a massive injection needle into my neck.
No way… how does a tiny bee hurt this much?!
And why can I feel pain in a game?!
My HP bar flickered, then began dropping rapidly.
No… way.
Compared to other characters who had an average of 500 HP—or even up to 1000 for 10-star characters—Maid Evelyn only had 100 HP.
My HP bar was dropping like a sports car with broken brakes speeding down a highway.
I couldn’t even take a few steps before my HP hit zero.
GAME OVER.
A sad, gloomy BGM played as my vision turned completely gray.
My perspective drifted upward.
“……”
In other words, I died.
Ding!
[You have obtained an old broom. Begin the first quest.]
Before I could even process the shock—without any exit button—I was back at the starting screen the moment I blinked.
The exact same scene began again.
Not long after, the bee flew at me again, glaring as it buzzed.
This time, I tried to dodge and run, but the moment I tried to get far away, it felt like I hit an invisible wall.
I couldn’t move.
I failed again.
Ding!
[You have obtained an old broom. Begin the first quest.]
“Seriously, what did I do to deserve this…?”
I woke up in the same spot again. The bee was coming for me again.
“……”
Remembering the pain from before, I grabbed my neck and stepped back, forcing my sluggish brain to think.
There’s no exit button. I can’t leave.
If I don’t complete the quest, I’ll be stuck here forever, just dodging that bee.
I came up with three options:
First, someone shuts down the server or program and gets me out.
Second, I somehow complete the final quest, defeat the final boss, earn an achievement, and leave through the Hall of Fame.
Third… I adapt to this cruel loop of dying over and over again.
“…Alright.”
I refuse to accept the third option.
First, I need to survive. I’ll start by killing that bee and escaping this pathetic, weakest-in-the-world body.
I’ll do it in one go.
I gripped the broom handle tightly and took a fighting stance. Focusing all my senses, I struck the bee that had killed me before—
Thwack!
I killed it with the broom.
Even then, the impact made my palms tingle from the vibration.
[You have arrived at the first point.]
Ta-da!
[Congratulations! You have completed the first quest. Reward: (2) Gold.]
Ta-da!
[Congratulations! You have defeated the Shining Flower Bee and completed a bonus quest. ▶ Continue]
Everything around me faded to gray except the quest window. The Continue button blinked.
“A Shining Flower Bee…? What is that… Was that the quest?”
Confused, I still picked up the 2 gold coins and put them into my pocket, then pressed ▶ Continue.
[As a reward for completing the bonus quest, Hidden Quest (1) has been granted.]
[Would you like to accept the hidden quest? Reward: Skill ▶ Accept / Decline]
“A skill? Then obviously yes!”
The moment I pressed “Accept,” the quest was added, and everything returned to normal.
But then…
An illustration appeared in front of me.
It showed Leonian, the male lead of the story, one of the strongest 10-star characters, and a fan-favorite among female players.
Kissing Evelyn.
“…What the—what is this?”
