Chapter 1
“Open your eyes, Hero.”
A woman’s voice—one I felt like I had heard somewhere before—stirred me from a hazy daze.
What was this line that sounded like some outdated meme? I forced my heavy eyelids open just to confirm.
‘…What the?’
The sight before me made me rub my eyes in disbelief.
A dazzlingly beautiful woman stood before me. And I don’t mean “dazzling” as a metaphor—the light was so blinding it hurt to look at her.
With a pair of huge white wings spread wide, she seemed to radiate her own glow. Not only her wings but even her hair and skin gave off a soft, luminous light.
Her pale, marble-smooth skin, nearly colorless white hair, and irises close to silver-white—it was as if the word “holy” had been personified.
“You can hear my voice, Hero.”
Uh… excuse me, but why does this blindingly radiant person keep calling me “Hero”? I blinked sluggishly, unable to make sense of the situation.
Was this a dream? Of course it was—how else could something so ridiculous be real?
If it was a dream, though, what exactly was my subconscious trying to tell me? I frowned.
“This world is in danger. Evil has awakened once more and threatens all. Only you can save it.”
She didn’t care about my confused scowl—she just kept talking.
‘Who are you, and what nonsense are you spouting?’
I tried to speak, but my lips wouldn’t part, as though glued shut.
“Hero, with the power of the gods, defeat the darkness and save this world.”
At those words, I realized who she was.
Oh. She was the goddess Hagionia. That’s why she seemed so familiar.
This was the opening of the online game I’d been playing lately—Edaphosia. The protagonist chosen by the goddess became a Hero, defeated the Demon King’s forces, and saved the world.
On a monitor, the cutscene hadn’t felt this intense. But standing before her in person, the divine pressure was undeniable. A god truly felt like a god.
Still… how much had I been over-immersing in the game to be dreaming about it now? I felt embarrassed at myself.
“It’s time to awaken. Go forth and save the world.”
And that was the end of the dream. Time to wake up to reality.
…Or so I thought.
“You’re awake, sir.”
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in my room or on my bed. It looked like I was inside an airplane.
A smiling flight attendant stood beside me and spoke kindly.
“What would you like for your meal? We have chicken or beef.”
Half-asleep, I chose at random.
“Uh… chicken, please.”
“Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment.”
Her Korean was perfect, though she looked foreign. Odd. And her face… where had I seen it before?
I leaned back in my seat, waiting for the meal, and tried to process the situation.
‘…?’
Something didn’t add up. I had no plans that involved flying anywhere long-distance.
As I scratched my cheek in confusion, I suddenly froze. There was something strange on the back of my hand.
I quickly lowered my gaze and saw it: a white wing emblem, like a tattoo, glowing faintly on my right hand.
What the hell?
I rubbed at it, thinking it might be paint or a sticker, but it didn’t come off. I’d never gotten a tattoo in my life—I couldn’t even stand the pain of ear piercings, so why would I?
Besides, no ordinary tattoo glowed like this. Unless you mixed in some kind of phosphorescent ink, this was impossible.
A chill crept over me.
The dream with the goddess, the unfamiliar “plane,” the glowing tattoo… I was starting to realize what this all pointed to.
Was this even an airplane?
I bit my lip nervously. The layout was definitely like a plane, but something was missing—there was no engine noise.
Right. This wasn’t an airplane. This was a skyship. Not the real-world kind that used buoyancy, but the magical, flying-vessel kind.
Chosen by a goddess, waking up inside a luxurious skyship, a white-wing tattoo marked on my hand.
This was exactly how Edaphosia began.
So I was… inside the game? Dreaming I’d fallen into the game world?
Yeah, that was it. These things happened all the time in dreams—you woke up only to find you were still dreaming. A dream within a dream.
It made sense. After graduating college, I’d been “preparing for jobs” but in truth just lazing around, pouring all my free time into that game.
Honestly, aside from eating and sleeping, I’d done nothing but play.
Now even my sleep was being invaded by it. This was serious.
I chuckled wryly and scratched my cheek. The dream felt way too vivid, though.
‘So-hyun will laugh her head off if I tell her. She’ll say I’ve finally gone so far that I’m dreaming about living inside the game.’
Kang So-hyun—she was the friend who’d introduced me to Edaphosia. She’d started way earlier than me, clocked over a thousand hours, a true veteran—what gamers called a “fossil.”
Thanks to her support, I’d had an easy time playing. She’d loaded me up with top-tier gear right from the start, so I’d breezed through the story.
Today, we’d planned to meet at the PC café and finally take down the final boss together. She’d even lured me out with the promise of their “special ramen with pork belly.”
Snow was falling heavily outside, and I’d been reluctant to leave the house. But she dragged me out anyway.
Wait.
That thought hit me like a hammer. My head throbbed with sudden pain, and confusion set in.
Yes. I had bundled up in a long padded coat and gloves, stepped outside into the snowy streets.
But then… why was I here, dreaming this?
A single tear dropped from my eye. Along with it came an emptiness, as though something had been torn away forever.
Oh. Right. I… died.
I laughed hollowly as I wiped my tears. I should’ve stayed home. On those icy streets, a car had skidded and crashed right into me.
I was sure of it—I had died. I couldn’t explain how, but I knew with absolute clarity. The real me, Lee Ga-eun, was dead.
And here… as impossible as it was, this was inside the game. Somehow, I had become its protagonist.
I exhaled slowly, pushing away the sorrow, and calmly tried to assess.
To die and then wake up as the hero of the game I’d been playing… this was the kind of plot you only saw in novels.
‘…Novels. In fantasy stories, you can usually summon some kind of status window, right?’
It couldn’t hurt to try. I whispered, “Status window.”
To my astonishment, a glowing pop-up appeared right in front of me.
[Choi-kang Shooter Elaine]
Lv. 1 Shooter
Combat Power: 10
Compared to the game’s UI, it was barebones—just level, class, and combat power.
‘Wait, hold up. That’s not the point right now…’
My pupils quivered as I reread the words over and over.
“M-my name…!”
There it was, written plainly: Choi-kang Shooter Elaine.
Yes… that shameful username. My character name in Edaphosia. Other players used to laugh and ask, “lol why’s your name like that?”
It wasn’t chosen in my right mind—there was a sad tale behind it.
I’d joined late, and all the good names were taken. My usual online handle “Elaine” was unavailable. Even “Kim Elaine” was taken.
In frustration, I’d tried things like “NameAlreadyUsed,” “DuplicateName,” “WhyAreAllTaken,” and “NothingWorks.” All were somehow taken.
Driven to madness, I ended up typing “Choi-kang Shooter Elaine”—“Elaine the Strongest Shooter.”
And that cursed name stuck.
As humiliating as that was, it was the least of my worries.
If I was really inside Edaphosia, then this skyship was heading toward Mid-Isle, the main stage of the story.
And something terrible was about to happen.
‘Where are we right now?’
I hurried to the window and looked out. Since skyships didn’t fly too high, the scenery outside was visible.
As expected, only endless sea. If I recalled, this was the Plikit Sea. No sign of Mid-Isle yet.
Which meant… maybe there was still time to prevent the tragedy.
In the game, just as Mid-Isle came into view, the skyship crashed. That was the start of the tutorial.
Everyone died except the protagonist and one flight attendant.
I glanced around nervously. Thankfully, the seats weren’t all full, but I could still see at least twenty passengers—including excited children traveling with their families.
Even if I survived, watching everyone else die—no, I couldn’t bear that.
If I could stop it, I had to.
So, I made my first goal as the newly arrived Hero of another world:
Stop this skyship from crashing.
