This is an event that happened a long time ago—just another story among others.
This is the story of a girl who, after dying, reincarnated into the game she liked, under the name Erselica.
♡♡♡
The alarm in my room went off.
I don't want to go to class. I had a nice dream where I was the partner of a handsome prince.
Sadly, reality isn't like that.
My reality is that I'm an ordinary 15-year-old girl in high school. My hair is generic, like many others—black—and my eyes are blue, like most.
My height is average. I wish I were taller so I wouldn't have to stretch at the supermarket to reach the instant food containers up there.
I have bad eyesight, so I have to wear glasses. Contact lenses are very expensive, and my parents don't have the money for them. If I want to buy them, I need to get a part-time job.
The only good thing about my simple, monotonous life is that my chest is bigger than the girls my age. That's the good part.
I finished brushing my teeth, showering, and getting dressed. Now it's time to have breakfast with the family.
As I went down the stairs of our medium-sized house, I heard my parents arguing again.
"When will you stop gambling the money you earn at the casino?"
"It was a bad bet, okay! Accidents happen. I'll win more money next time."
It's the usual argument from my parents that I hear while I make myself some pancakes with orange juice.
When I got to the dining room, I found my older brother eating breakfast while watching the news.
"What are you doing here?" I said. He's supposed to live in an apartment downtown.
He replied with discouragement, "I got fired from my job. A friend said he'd help me find one. I ran into my aunt at the supermarket yesterday, and she forced me to spend the night here." His voice and tone always sound bored, just like his plain appearance.
(Could someone like him really have a girlfriend?)
It didn't really matter since, deep down, I love him very much, even though we're not real siblings—he was adopted a long time ago.
I ate my breakfast and said goodbye to my family. My brother was still intently watching a news story that seemed to be a worldwide bombshell.
"The multinational TechCorp has managed to earn a total of 1 million in revenue in just one day from its new investment. Without a doubt, its CEO is a financial genius never seen before! This will undoubtedly generate more jobs worldwide, since after the war 60 years ago, humanity went through a terrible stage of depression and economic inflation until, 20 years ago, this miraculous company appeared!"
Before closing the door, I heard my brother say, "I'd like to work for a good company since money is money, no matter where it comes from." His way of seeing money is the only thing that bothers me since he's very greedy.
♡♡♡
I was on the train. The boys and girls were using their latest-generation smartphones. All of them had the brand of that company, TechCorp. There are moderate and very high prices.
Mine was one too. I was listening to pop music and accidentally overheard a conversation between two girls.
"Hey, did you manage to pass that level? You know, the one that requires you to have leveled up Klein to use his special attack."
"No, I'm busy trying to get Fritz to join my forces. That boy is very stubborn and doesn't listen. I wish there was an option to kill your allies."
"Hahaha, you're so mean. You obviously don't know how to play. The only problem where I am now is that annoying Rudel gets in my way."
"You're right! He's a pain in the butt. The worst part is that the stupid prince forgives all his actions! He's such an idiot, but he's cute. I told my boyfriend to cosplay as him."
"And what happened?"
"He refused, and we broke up. I'll find another."
The conversation between the girls continued until we got off at the same station. They were from my school—maybe an upper class?
♡♡♡
When I entered the classroom, I heard an obscene chat from boys.
"Hey, have you seen this?"
"What thing?"
"The voice of that bitch Alicelotte is a super-famous actress! And, what's more, she won an award for best voice acting thanks to her villain role!"
"Really? That just shows what a great character that bitch is."
"Hahaha, I wouldn't say that, but whatever. Look at this I found on the internet!"
"What is it? Let me see."
"An erotic content artist has announced that his next paid content will be a super erotic one of her. The best part is, look at the genres!"
"Let's see? Oh, holy shit! Finally, someone will make use of those super huge tits!"
"It bothered me a lot that she has so little role and an excellent design, even more so the colossal size of those tits!"
"I'd also like the useless Irisdina to have tits like that. I mean, she has big ones, but she becomes useless once you unlock the protagonist's area healing skill."
"Yeah, she becomes a burden from the end of the 1st year. My complaint to the developers is that she's so dependent on the prince it makes her annoying. No man likes a woman like that."
"It's true. She should be a good-for-nothing and open a space between her legs, haha."
Hearing what the overweight, pimply-faced boys say is always unpleasant.
They saw me and left my desk. As I approached, I could notice something I shouldn't have.
They were obscene comments and insults toward the person who sat here.
The first time, they were written with permanent ink. The teachers made me clean it. The next time, it was carved with a sharp weapon. They made me pay for what they did.
On another occasion, they stole my underwear and hung it on the school flag.
I just let them do what they want. It's useless to talk to the teachers; I think one of them sleeps with several since I noticed how the math teacher gave the top score to the smartest in the class who didn't get it.
I have no proof to report them, but I gain nothing from them.
I'll figure out how to erase this during recess. The teacher arrived.
♡♡♡
It was a long day. Somehow, I managed to erase it.
I was on the train back home. Once again, I heard a group of boys talking.
"I'm telling you it's impossible to defeat him!"
"No matter what I do, defeating Bandel is impossible!"
"I spent real money on paid items and still can't defeat him!"
"Liam is useless. He lets Rudel go, and now he loses to Bandel."
They kept talking about that strange game I've heard so much about.
I got home, and my brother was already gone.
♡♡♡
This day is the worst.
"No, please let me go!"
Before school ended, I was summoned by a teacher to the backyard. I thought it was to talk about my bad grades. I was really scared it was that and came without thinking.
From the opposite side came a group of girls and boys.
Their faces were scary.
When I was about to run, the boys stepped forward to grab me. I was scared. My legs were trembling. I was about to wet myself.
I heard them speak.
"Hey, you're an idiot, aren't you?"
"It's true, lol. This girl doesn't understand that nobody wants her and still comes, lol."
"Your parents are as stupid as you, or are they too poor to want to change you? Ahaha."
"Hey, what do we do? Strip her and sell her photos like that other girl's?"
"Nah, doing the same thing over and over is boring. For today, let's vary it a bit."
The leader girl was looking in a direction and said with a mocking smile, "I know! Throw her in the dumpster. Today is Friday, so there's no one left, and they won't be able to get her out until Monday. Lol, I'm a genius."
"Ahahaha, you're so mean."
With that said, the boys grabbed my limbs while one of them opened the dumpster lid.
"Please, no! I'll stop coming, but plea—!"
I'm claustrophobic, so this cruel act is worse than possibly raping me.
As if it were a joke or a game, they swung my body to the count of three, and my body flew.
When I fell into the trash, the lid closed, and I heard them place something on top and a locking sound.
"Please, open the door!"
"I beg you, open!"
I heard them laugh and say goodbye until Monday.
I screamed and tried to lift the lid, but it didn't open.
The stinky smell was the least of my concerns. The enclosed space was what scared me the most. My heart was beating fast. Fortunately, I'm not asthmatic, but still, the air was running out.
That's when I heard a sound.
The dumpster lid opened, and the one who did it was a janitor with very large headphones indicating it was a very old music player.
After opening the lid, I didn't thank him. I just ran while tears streamed from my eyes, and my mind thought one thing.
(I really hate school!!)
♡♡♡
Several weeks passed since then.
"I'm hungry," I said because there's nothing to eat in my house.
My parents aren't home.
I tried to tell them what happened, but they thought it was a fake story and punished me by not letting me go to class for a while. I think they were drunk when they said that?
My brother is busy with his new job, so he's not responding to my messages.
"I guess I'll go buy something at the store."
With that said, I headed out.
Not before hearing a news report on the TV.
"Yesterday, a group of young people was found beaten and left in a near-lifeless state. The perpetrator was not caught on camera since it happened in an area without surveillance."
Wow, that's terrifying.
♡♡♡
I arrived at the store.
I had a very nutritious processed food in my hand until something caught my attention.
It was a poster. There were several, in fact. All of them focused on the same people—no, they're characters from a game.
In the center is an attractive boy with silver hair.
To his left are some tall boys with red and green hair, and to his right, one with brown hair and another blonde.
Next to the central boy is a beautiful girl. Her hair is blonde, and she has large breasts.
I said, "Oh, it looks interesting. The name isn't great, but the rest is!" I decided to buy it to see how it was.
♡♡♡
When I got home, I put the game CD into the console.
Like any game of its genre, it starts with a musical, introductory video. It's very boring, honestly. Plus, the game's design is anime style. I'm surprised people still like that nowadays.
Let's try it a bit.
The lights dimmed. Someone starts talking.
"—A long time ago, the world was on its final stretch due to an unknown entity."
Well, it's interesting so far.
"—If it weren't for the Saint, this world would have perished."
Wow, another story related to an obvious character who will appear halfway through the game.
It seems it's the turn of the one who's supposed to be the protagonist. The gameplay seems based on a visual novel. You can't even change the protagonist's name.
"—I, Liam von Altfode, am the crown prince of the Kingdom of Altfode. My father, the King, has never allowed me to leave, but fortunately, today is the day I enter the kingdom's academy."
Wow, this boy looks so plain. I won't say anything about his bland narration.
"—Hi, Liam."
"Huh? Klein, you're here!"
—Klein is my best childhood friend. We grew up together, and I consider him a brother.
You don't say. If you didn't tell me, I'd think the two are homos.
♡♡♡
"—Today's training was really annoying, but I must strengthen myself for the good of the country."
From what I've seen, he's right. He's made an effort despite being ignorant about life and the country.
I think I underestimated him too much?
—I heard footsteps approaching. Turning to see who it was, it was Fritz, my commoner friend.
"—Your Highness, it's an emergency!"
"—What's wrong?"
Oh, here comes the good part.
"—It's him again!"
"—Him? You're not talking about—!"
"—Exactly him!"
We know who it is, but building tension is always good.
—I followed Fritz to the area of the academy where a kitchen is used for home economics. That's where I saw him—the most troublesome person in the academy.
Finally, he's here!
"—Baron Rudel, what do you think you're doing!"
He did it! He said it! Here it is!
—In front of me were a group of students. They had black uniforms like Fritz, but the problem here was their leader—an evil noble from the countryside. His name was Rudel van Bradford. He was holding a blonde girl from behind.
"—Hah? Shit, it's that prince! Useless lot, get him!"
Is he serious? How stupid is this Rudel to have ordered that and, what's more, for them to listen?
Hmm... it seems the fight ended, and the experience gained is very poor.
—I approached the girl to make sure she was okay.
"—Are you hurt anywhere?"
"—N-no, um, thank you so much for helping me!!"
Wow, here's where we begin with how easy you are.
They were talking nonsense. She blushed and asked his name very shyly. How easy are you, really? Now the prince asks the same.
"—M-my name is Irisdina. Nice to meet you, Your Highness!"
The pink aura that appears in the illustration, even though it's an RPG, gives me the creeps.
♡♡♡
"—Is something wrong, Irisdina?"
—For some reason, she's been quiet for a while. I want to know what's wrong, but I don't want to pry into her private life.
Come on, it's obvious she wants you to snoop into her life.
"—N-nothing's wrong, Your Highness."
—I said goodbye to her and went to my room.
Huh, what the hell did he say? He just left like that?
—The next morning, I found out Irisdina had passed away.
"Noooo!! What the hell? Another bad visual novel ending when it's an RPG!"
"This game is crap... but I won't give up!"
I'm following this guide I found online. After several hours of doing what it says, I finally found it.
"—So it was you all along, Alicelotte!"
"Your Highness?!"
—The girl in front of me was the daughter of one of the kingdom's 3 Lords. She was a girl with a very arrogant attitude and a big ego.
"—Stop pretending. Everything's been discovered!"
I had to go through a lot, but finally, the moment arrived where this harlot pays for her sins.
"—I don't believe it!"
"—That voice is... Baron Rudel?!"
Ahhhhhhhhh.
This damn guy interfered again, and the prince already had everything solved.
♡♡♡
"Ahhh, damn it! I can't win."
After finishing a part of the story where Alicelotte meets her end while Rudel fled like a coward abroad, I encountered a new threat—a guy named Bandel. No matter what I do or what plan I develop, it's impossible to beat him.
I only have one solution left.
"I'll call my brother to help me. He's an otaku in games, so it's normal for him to play stuff like this."
I grabbed my smartphone, checked the time to see if I could call him.
It was Friday night, and it was very late. I definitely can't call him. I'll send him a text since he's probably on his way home from the train station.
"Alright."
I wrote the message to my brother. Now, I'll rest a bit.
Before going to eat something, I heard that annoying voice.
"—Guhahaha, no one will be able to defeat me, the bloodthirsty knight."
Shut up already.
♡♡♡
It was a very long night. My idiot brother replied that he didn't want to.
"I'm going to lecture him when I see him."
I went down the stairs. My parents weren't home.
The TV was on for some reason.
It was talking about something that happened yesterday.
I wasn't interested and focused on my stomach.
"Last night, a tragic event occurred. A young man fell onto the train tracks at the station. Everything was recorded. No one pushed him. It is presumed to be suicide since the young man let his body fall and made no effort to try to escape."
My hunger is so great I can't hear what they're saying.
I made breakfast and went up the stairs. They kept saying things I wasn't interested in.
"The mysterious wave of mass family murders continues. The police warn to close your windows and lock your doors—"
♡♡♡
Two whole weeks have already passed, and my idiot brother still hasn't responded.
I'm starting to worry. What if a very bad woman decided to scam him?
It was night, and my parents were in their room.
I heard a noise downstairs. Did the cat get in again to steal food?
I stopped playing and went down the stairs to see what it was...
And then...
"Wake up!!"
◇◇◇
Erselica's eyes suddenly opened. She blinked a bit. Her glasses had broken, but she wore them as a memento of her previous life since she could actually see very well.
Trying to process what had happened, she saw a silhouette. That silhouette was very similar to one she remembered. Focusing her gaze on that back, she said.
"...Brother?"
"Ixion! To your left!"
"I know!"
Two voices were heard—one was a boy's, and the other was an electronic voice.
Turning her head to the left, Erselica could see a crocodile-like creature with a human face approaching.
"G-gyahh!" she screamed, seeing the creature approach. That's when Ixion, who was on top of her head, made his red eye shine, and a laser beam was fired directly at its head.
A bright yellow liquid gushed out.
"What's going on here?" Hearing that, Ixion approached her to speak.
"Hello, I'm Ixion. Let me summarize everything."
Erselica had seen his spherical body in the game and on the ship too, only now she thought of him as a weird thing.
"You fell along with the Master, and both were knocked unconscious. Then, a hole opened in front, and I've been holding back these creatures alone. The Master woke up after a while and was attacked by these strange beings, then tried to wake you up."
With that said, Erselica observed a large number of bizarre creatures on the ground. There was light since Ixion shot flares around.
The number was about 30 creatures. Ixion eliminated half. Now Rudel was fighting several.
Erselica's eyes focused on Rudel, who desperately swung his katana against the one that seemed least horrifying.
It was a kind of gorilla with pants, lower fangs showing, and black eyes. It used its powerful fists to repel the katana.
Then...
"Damn it!"
...The katana flew toward the head of a kind of deer with a human face.
Erselica tried to look for her shotgun, but Ixion told her that Rudel had used it until he ran out of ammo.
The strange gorilla—formerly a human named Mandricardo—directed his fists left and right against Rudel.
He covered himself by raising his arms over his head, but...
(I've never felt so strong and alive, ukiki!!)
That's what the former human thought while painfully breaking Rudel's guard.
Blow after blow landed until his arms fell, and his face was visible.
(I've got you, you son of a bitch! Dieeeee!!)
Mandricardo thought as he aimed his blows at Rudel's ears, nose, and mouth as if it were a ball.
From left to right, Rudel's head moved from the strong impacts, and traces of blood were expelled.
"Pwahh!" A spit of blood came from his mouth, staining his white teeth.
Then, with a great right hook, Mandricardo hit Rudel's chin, sending his head back.
"Master!" Ixion shouted while Erselica didn't know whether to feel happy or sad for the only person who could save her from these strange creatures.
Once again, the creature's right fist was aimed. It quickly approached a Rudel who wasn't responding.
That's when something happened that never occurred, neither in the game nor in the past life of the one occupying her body.
Just as the fist was about to land, Rudel's left arm deflected it, and his right violently moved toward the gorilla's cheek.
This blow was so strong that it left a bruise on one who could deflect the edge of a sharp weapon as if it were nothing.
Rudel's breathing was heard very loudly, and his fists were raised.
A creature approached him, and with the same fist, impacted the back of his head, knocking him out or maybe killing him since yellow liquid came from its snout.
Rudel raised his face, and his eyes, burning with flames, looked at Mandricardo while he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"EVERYTHING WAS YOUR FAULT!!"
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!"