My mom had beautiful, gentle, and dreamy eyes. But her mind was strange.
Yes, that’s right.
Her mind was strange.
She claimed she came from a faraway place called ‘Rencia.’
As a child, I was fascinated by her stories of this distant land.
They were unlike the tales other kids heard about Cinderella or Snow White.
I heard stories of S-rank adventurers defeating dragons or humble B-rank adventurer parties succeeding where arrogant S-rank adventurers had failed.
These stories always thrilled me and made me very happy.
I remember my mom dancing a social dance using the paper mobile I made in kindergarten as a decoration when I was five.
I learned graceful court manners and dances from her, although I quickly felt embarrassed to greet my teachers that way.
My mom always lived in her fantasies. Perhaps because of this, she had no practical life skills.
We lived in poverty.
Still, my mom loved me, and I loved her.
Sometimes, she would cry, saying she wanted to return to Rencia. I cried because I was afraid she would leave me.
She always called me ‘green-eyed girl.’
So I thought I had green eyes.
I thought black was green until I met other children.
I came home from school crying, saying I had black eyes, not green.
My mom cupped my cheek and said,
“No, Doah, of course, you have green eyes. You’re my daughter. They just look black.”
But I learned that the world was different from what my mom said.
On official records, her name was ‘Kim Jang Mi,’ and there was no country called Rencia.
Reality hit me like a wave.
When I was twelve, my mom left.
I don’t know if she returned to where she came from or not.
Either way, I was alone.
How can I explain it? I won’t.
Everyone said I was pitiful.
‘Poor thing.’
‘Poor girl.’
I thought as I listened to them.
A tragic thing had happened. I had become pitiable.
But I won’t let tragic and pitiful things turn me into a tragic and pitiful person.
I won’t be swept away by the waves, like the many adventurers and heroes my mom told me about who fell into despair.
My mom disappeared, but her stories and songs remained within me.
I will stand tall on my own two feet.
I won’t let unfortunate and horrible things turn me into someone who can’t stand.
I won’t live my life as a victim.
That was the only thing I, as a child, could do.
❖ ❖ ❖
Begin your adventure on the continent of Rencia!
Travel through beautiful forests and dangerous valleys, from where the sun rises to where it sets!
Embark on epic main quests with the World Tree and conquer dungeons with your companions.
You can become the continent’s greatest adventurer, enjoying every battle, or a carefree bard traveling across the land.
Pre-register now to receive a special SS-grade item set and mount.
“Did you follow the link and agree to the terms?”
A video played on the tablet screen held up to her face. Doah nodded involuntarily at the intensity.
“Yes, I did.”
The woman with cotton candy-pink hair smiled brightly.
“Welcome to the boundary of life and death, the World Tree Travel Agency!”
She popped a small firecracker.
Bang!
Shiny confetti fluttered around.
Doah looked at the sparkling paper and asked,
“So, am I dead?”
Am I a new addition to the traffic accident statistics?
“No, you’re not dead yet. Because you reserved with us, we’ve come to meet you.”
Her pink eyes sparkled.
“Of course, if you wish, we can open a portal to the afterlife right now. Should we call the afterlife travel agency for you?”
“Ah, no, that’s fine.”
“Right? Then join us at the World Tree Travel Agency. As stated in the terms, if you complete the main quest, you can return to your original life.”
She placed her hand over her heart as she spoke.
“Our World Tree Travel Agency guarantees travelers an enjoyable journey and safety. If it doesn’t work out, you’ll just die as originally planned.”
“Oh, is that what you call a safety guarantee?”
“We also provide active support. With the promised items, mounts, and guides, we will continually cheer you on to complete the main quest.”
“Or I could die right now?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ha.”
Doah stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment.
She remembered being in a car accident.
She naturally assumed she was in a hospital because she wasn’t in pain and thought her injuries might not be severe.
‘How foolish.’
The accident happened because she mistook a passerby for her mom and ran out.
She was 100% at fault and had no intention of blaming the driver.
Doah reached out her hand.
“Could you show me the tablet again?”
“Yes, of course.”
The woman handed over the tablet.
Doah watched the video again.
‘The continent of Rencia.’
It was the same name as the continent her mom always talked about, so she had pre-registered on a whim.
Plus, it was an adventure.
There might be a connection. She even thought, absurdly, that her mom might have used her fantasies to develop the game.
“Am I really not dead?”
When Doah muttered, the woman smiled softly.
“No, you are not dead. Not yet, Doah.”
Her firm words brought a strange sense of reality.
Doah watched the video on the tablet again and asked,
“So, is this pre-registration service valid?”
“Of course.”
Doah nodded at this.
“Then I’ll do it.”
The woman with pink hair smiled brightly and politely said,
“Then, I’ll be in charge of you from today, Doah. My name is May. Nice to meet you.”
May handed her a business card and bowed politely.
Doah, still in a daze, stood up and took the card, a habit ingrained in her social life.
[World Tree Travel Agency, Manager May.]
It should have felt like a fantasy, but it had an oddly realistic vibe.
‘Is a manager a high position?’
Looking at May with a puzzled expression, she smiled sweetly, like cotton candy, and stood up.
They were sitting in an office with glass walls facing the hallway.
The modern structure made her mistake it for a hospital at first.
May opened the glass door.
“First, we’ll adjust your body according to the character creation you did during pre-registration.”
Doah followed May out.
“Body adjustment?”
“Yes, you won’t look much different from your original appearance. However, since there is a significant difference between your world and the other world, the continent of Rencia, some adjustments are necessary.”
Doah nodded.
Here, she breathed air mixed with oxygen and nitrogen, but who knows what it was like for Rencia?
People get used to different environments when they move to another country, so adjusting her body for a different world made sense.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Following May, Doah looked around. It seemed like the interior of a modern high-rise building.
May said to the curious Doah,
“We’ve arranged it to look familiar to you.”
“That’s amazing.”
“This way, please.”
May held the elevator for her. She could feel it moving up, but the floor numbers weren’t visible.
When the doors opened, it looked just like a hospital.
“Welcome to the body adjustment room.”
A staff member in a gown greeted her.
“Please change in the dressing room and come out.”
After changing clothes, she lay down in a cylindrical device made of wood and transparent glass, similar to an MRI machine.
The wood felt warm to the touch.
The staff chatted cheerfully as they assisted her.
“First, we’ll transform your body to be fully compatible with Rencia. Your appearance will closely match the custom character you created.”
“I only changed my hairstyle, hair color, eye color, and skin color.”
The staff nodded.
“Your hair, eye color, and skin color will match your pre-registration character, and your appearance will be slightly adjusted to fit. Don’t worry, we won’t change anything unless you want us to. We’ll explain each step as we go.”
“Okay.”
When Doah nodded while lying down, the staff stepped back.
The glass door closed silently.
Then, a voice came through as if a microphone were connected.
“Ms. Kim Doah, we will start with optimizing your body.”
“Okay.”
Doah felt a bit tense and stiffened her body.
“It’s okay; it won’t hurt. Let’s see. I’ll start with a body check.”
Beep.
The machine made a sound, and a voice came through the microphone.
“Hmm. Customer, you have a forward neck posture.”
“Yes? Yes…”
“I’ll fix that for you. Oh, your shoulders are rounded as well. Let’s adjust that. And your spine is a bit crooked, too. We’ll straighten that up. What’s wrong with your hand? You have trigger finger syndrome. I’ll fix that as well. I’ll also adjust your finger length slightly.”
Doah’s eyes widened at the continuous stream of comments.
Suddenly, her neck felt better, and her shoulders straightened.
She moved her fingers without any discomfort.
The chronic issues of a modern person disappeared in an instant.
‘Amazing…!’
“I’ll reduce your body fat and increase your muscle mass. Your bone density also needs to be increased. Let’s see.”
Beep, beep, beep.
Doah involuntarily raised her arm. It had become slimmer!
She felt her abdomen, which was now flat and firm.
There was no more side fat to pinch.
‘Wow.’
Doah remembered all the diets she had tried before.
The staff continued with the adjustments without hesitation.
“Why are your wrists and knees in bad shape? I’ll make your bones perfect.”
“From working… Thank you.”
Her wrist issue was likely from using a mouse, and her knee problem was from a bad fall while working.
“Your eyesight is poor as well. You have astigmatism. I’ll improve your vision and enhance your dynamic vision to the highest level.”
Beep.
Suddenly, the world became bright and clear.
‘Wow, incredible?!’
The voice continued.
“I’ll also refine your facial contours and symmetry. Is there anything else you want?”
“Can you fix my rhinitis too?”
“Of course. We have already taken care of all minor ailments. We’ll also adjust your skin tone, elasticity, and moisture levels, and remove any blemishes. By the way, can we slightly alter your skeletal structure to improve your proportions?”
“Yes, please.”
Her voice rose with excitement.
“We’ve also improved your digestive issues, increased your eyelash length and density, and adjusted your hair volume. You chose short, navy blue hair.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Shall we proceed with this color? Your eye color is green. Are you keeping your natural eye color?”
“Yes? Yes.”
Doah replied, wondering if this meant her originally set color.
“Then we’ll proceed as is. We’ll also make your teeth even and strong and adjust their color. We’ll enhance your reflexes as well. Do you like your current voice, or would you like it adjusted?”
“My voice is fine, but could you make me better at singing?”
“Of course. We’ll adjust that too.”
After completing all the detailed adjustments, the glass door opened.
Doah got up from her seat.
Everything was clear without lenses or glasses, and her limbs were long and slender.
‘Everything looks so clear. It’s even better than with glasses. Is this possible? Can’t the world be this sharp?’
A staff member came out, smiling, and led Doah to a mirror.
“If there’s anything else you want adjusted, please let us know.”
Doah looked at herself in the mirror with wide eyes.
Her body proportions had transformed to look like a model’s.
Her arms and legs were long and slim.
Even though her height hadn’t changed, she looked taller due to her improved proportions.
Her skin was white, clear, and supple, even with her improved eyesight.
‘Wow…’
Her hair was shiny and soft, a dark navy that appeared more blue than black, and incredibly charming.
‘With this face, anything would look good on me.’
And her green eyes.
“Wow… I didn’t know green could look like this.”
From a bright, light green to a deep, dark forest green, depending on the angle, her eye color changed.
The beauty spot under her eye was more pronounced against her fair skin.
“Is this your first time seeing your natural eye color?”
“Yes? No, the settings just said ‘green.'”
The staff tilted their heads and then said,
“Ah, you didn’t realize because it was covered in black. This is your natural eye color, Doah.”
