Chapter 1: The Curtain of Rebirth

At the tail end of July, the peak of summer blazed, yet the city refused to succumb to the oppressive heat. 

Perhaps it was the proximity to the sea, but more likely, it was the arrival of summer vacation that cooled the hearts of its people.

For this reason, the sight of a student-like figure on the bus drew sympathetic glances. 

Those looks seemed to carry memories of days ruled by endless cram sessions.

But in this moment, the situation felt far from ordinary.

“Hey, look over there! That’s an adorably cute loli!” a teenage boy whispered, nudging his friend.

“Like a tiny kitten. I just wanna scoop her up and take her home,” a group of girls declared, their words teetering on the edge of dangerous enthusiasm.

“Such a precious child. She’d better watch out for creeps,” an older woman nearby murmured, her face creased with concern.

Delicate features, porcelain skin—she was like a fragile, priceless doll, the kind that begged to be cradled and cherished. 

Her charm was universal, ensnaring men, women, young, and old alike, commanding the attention of nearly everyone on the bus. 

On any other day, I might have joined their admiring stares.

But today, I had no such luxury. 

After all, I knew better than anyone that the “cute little girl” they were fawning over was none other than me. 

And if that wasn’t shocking enough, until just yesterday, I had been a perfectly healthy young man, body and soul.

A few hours ago, my mind had been a whirlwind of chaos upon realizing I’d become a girl. 

Yet here I was, calmly navigating the world, slipping into new clothes and heading to the supermarket to shop. 

Perhaps my resilience played a part, but deep down, I suspected it was because of my rebirth—and more importantly, because I’d been reborn into a world where my parents were still alive.

The memory of our recent phone call filled my chest with warmth and contentment.

“This is enough.”

I wasn’t greedy. 

As long as my parents were alive in this world, that was the greatest gift I could ask for.

“And this form… it doesn’t seem so bad,” I murmured, catching my reflection in the bus window—a delicate, captivating silhouette. 

The only trouble was, perhaps, that I was too cute.

The unabashed, increasingly fervent stares around me made it abundantly clear just how devastating my current appearance was. 

Overwhelmed by the attention, I was relieved when the bus finally pulled into my stop, allowing me to escape those scorching gazes.

“From now on, I’ll live as An Tong,” I resolved, watching the bus fade into the distance, as if bidding farewell to my past and embracing my future. 

With a deep breath, the hesitation in my heart dissolved, and when I opened my eyes again, they held only clarity.

“Right, then. First mission: stock up on food and essentials at the supermarket.”

Pushing a child-sized shopping cart through the aisles, I flitted about like a busy sparrow, plucking items from the shelves with purpose. 

But as I passed the electronics section, my steps faltered. 

My gaze locked onto a suspended LCD screen.

It was playing a CG advertisement that looked like a cinematic trailer, but I knew exactly what it was—

Epoch.

A virtual MMORPG built on a second-generation engine, Epoch had taken the world by storm upon its release, its popularity hinting at the potential to become humanity’s second reality. 

In my previous life, I’d been a third-tier Archmage, a fairly well-known player. 

The game had been my solace, slowly pulling me out of the darkness after my parents’ passing. 

It held a special place in my heart.

“It should arrive soon,” I mused, thinking of the equipment I’d ordered online not long ago. 

A thrill of anticipation coursed through me.

That excitement, however, came at a cost—I’d gone overboard with my shopping.

“How am I supposed to carry all this home…?” 

I stared at the mountain of bags before me, a pang of worry creeping in.

Just then, a hand clapped onto my shoulder.

“Gwah!” 

The sudden “attack” startled me, and an embarrassingly odd squeak escaped my lips.

A soft chuckle from behind turned my shock into burning indignation. 

I spun around, ready to unleash a withering glare that would sear the offender’s conscience—only to freeze. 

A radiant smile greeted me, framed by eyes that curved like crescent moons, shimmering with a gentle, autumnal warmth. 

Those eyes could melt any grudge or frustration, and right now, they were fixed on me with curious interest.

“Guh?”

“N-no, I was just startled!” I stammered, my cheeks flaming. 

That sound I’d made was mortifying.

“Oh, whoops, my bad~” the girl said, her expression apologetic. 

“I was just wondering why a little cutie like you was standing here all alone. 

Did you get separated from your parents?”

Her apology dissolved the last of my resentment. 

After a moment’s thought, I explained my predicament—too many bags, too little strength to carry them home.

“I see,” she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. 

“How about letting Big Sis help you get home, then?”

Her smile was warm and kind, yet something about it gave me the fleeting impression of a playful demon luring its prey. 

I shook off the thought—imagining such things about a stranger was rude.

“Um, won’t that be too much trouble for you?” I asked cautiously.

“Trouble? Oh, please, that word doesn’t apply to someone as adorable as you,” she said with a grin, ruffling my hair.

A beautiful older sister like her couldn’t possibly be a bad person, right?

With that thought, I nodded.

She beamed, clearly delighted, and waved toward someone in the distance.

“Finally ready to go, dear sister of mine?” 

A handsome, clean-cut boy approached, his face etched with mild exasperation. 

But when he reached us and saw me, his expression shifted to confusion, clearly unsure what was going on.

After a quick explanation from the girl, he seemed to catch on—but for some reason, his gaze turned peculiar. 

When he looked at me, there was an unmistakable glint of… pity?

“Had your fill of staring? Gawking at a cute kid like that could get you arrested as a creep, you know,” the girl teased, her tone laced with a subtle warning.

The boy shivered, hastily grabbing the heavy bags as instructed and striding ahead. 

I could faintly hear him muttering under his breath.

“If anyone’s getting arrested, it’s you, cousin.”

I blinked, puzzled.

I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but the end result was that I safely made it to their sleek sports car.

Perhaps it was her natural charm, but the girl’s easy conversation quickly broke the ice. 

We chatted effortlessly, and I learned that she and the boy were headed home to log into Epoch and start leveling up. 

When I mentioned I’d bought an access device, her eyes lit up, and she eagerly shared their in-game names, insisting I contact them later.

“Make sure you reach out, okay?” she reminded me as I stepped out of the car.

“Y-yeah, thank you, Big Sis and Big Bro!” I called, watching the car vanish into the distance.

I let out a long breath. 

She seemed so gentle and refined, but during our chat, she’d nearly pried out every detail about me—down to the color of my underwear! 

Girls were truly terrifying creatures.

“But her name… it sounds familiar somehow.”

I didn’t have time to dwell on it, though. 

The delivery of my access device stole my attention. 

To me, this gadget was a double-edged sword. 

On one hand, it might drain my living expenses before my parents returned. 

Half-jokingly, I’d even considered finding a “sponsor” at one point—but that would disrupt the market, and the jails would probably overflow. 

For the sake of not burdening the police, I’d abandoned that absurd idea.

On the other hand, my love for it stemmed from a bold plan I was about to set in motion—the very reason I’d splurged on this device instead of a cheaper headset.

“Perfect.”

After assembling the equipment and testing the bedside display, I confirmed the settings panel worked flawlessly. 

My plan was now foolproof. 

I glanced at the clock—plenty of time before dinner. 

Climbing onto the bed, I reached for the access device’s button.

A transparent light curtain projected from the display, enveloping the bed like a protective membrane. 

I closed my eyes, letting the neural waves lull me into sleep.

In the virtual space, I selected Epoch. 

A prompt appeared before me.

System: Would you like to create a game account?

Yes.

System: Player age detected as below adult standards. Automatically locking to minor protection mode.

System: No character records found for this account. Would you like to create a character?

Yes.

System: Please select your initial race.

A grand game world materialized before me, constructed from countless particles. 

Alongside it appeared several characters, roughly my height—human, elf, beastman, and more. 

Each was modeled after my appearance, tweaked with racial traits. 

Paired with my already delicate features, they were all adorable lolis in distinct styles. 

Even without choice paralysis, picking one would’ve been tough.

But I didn’t hesitate. I chose human.

In my previous life, I’d been part of the human empire. 

Choosing otherwise would squander the advantages my rebirth offered.

System: You have selected human as your initial race.

System: Please select your initial profession.

Human professions broadly included warrior, mage, archer, thief, paladin, priest, and warlock, each branching into specialized roles. 

Mages, for instance, split into elemental, arcane, and verbal categories. 

In my past life, I’d been a dark verbal mage.

By my original plan, I’d pick this profession again. 

Like choosing human, it made sense—I had a wealth of tips and strategies for it. 

But doing so would defeat the purpose of buying this access device.

Before the profession reference characters could load, I abruptly disconnected from the network, pulling myself back to reality. 

A slight headache pulsed as a side effect, but I ignored it. 

Scrambling off the bed, I opened the access device’s settings panel, linked it to my handheld computer, and began sifting through the flood of data on the screen.

I wasn’t a hacker by any means.

This was merely a process I’d read about in my previous life, posted by someone claiming to be an Epoch developer. 

They’d stumbled upon a lingering bug in the base programming related to character creation—a vulnerability that still existed. 

The post had sparked excitement, with many eager to try it, but the poster quickly doused their hopes.

By then, Epoch had been refined over years, its firewall as impenetrable as diamond. 

Even if someone breached the outer defenses, the game’s AI would detect them, and a prison sentence would follow.

“Only in the early days of the server launch would this bug be exploitable,” the poster had speculated.

Despite the warning, the enthusiasm persisted. 

Players debated how to maximize the bug’s potential, and one comment from a skilled hacker stood out as particularly popular.

That’s what I was attempting now—following their theoretical method. 

Success wasn’t guaranteed, but there was always a chance. And then—

“Got it!” 

I clenched my small fists in triumph as a new panel popped up on the screen. 

I dove back onto the bed, reconnecting to the access device.

And what this bug allowed me to do was…