《Transcend Online》


 Prologue - From Zero to Idol

    Because of financial problems, I joined a singing contest. I''m not a singer, but I prepared for a whole week. I did lots of research and practice. Thankfully, my efforts were rewarded - I won and got five hundred thousand yen. I won''t have any problems for the next five months. The problem is, there were scouts in the contest and they want me to enter the world of singing.


    They said that if it only took me a week to practice my performance, then I''m a one in a million talent. Even if I''m not, I''m still a talent worth recruiting. I rejected them countless of times, but even now they still haven''t given up. It has been four days since then, and here I am, on my way to find a job with a scout trying to persuade me to continue singing.


    "Why are you searching for a job when you can earn millions just by being a singer?" (Scout)


    "I told you a hundred times already, I don''t want to be a singer."


    "Why? With such talent you could reach the top. Don''t you think it''s a waste to not use it?" (Scout)


    "I don''t care. I don''t want to be a singer and that''s final. Now if you don''t want me to yell ''stalker'' then you better leave me alone."


    "Sigh, if you ever have a change of heart, please give our company a visit." He said before leaving.


    Afterwards, I went to find a business that would accept someone without a diploma; I don''t have a diploma because I didn''t finish high school. I couldn''t continue schooling because I left home, but I have a very good reason for running away.


    If I didn''t leave then father would have forced me to marry the son of his rival. Che! All he thinks about is his company. He immediately thought of a way to use me the moment I turned into a girl. At least care about me you idiotic father!


    I have no friends, I''m surrounded by people who compare me with my elder brothers, I''m ignored by my parents, and now I''m forced to marry a man? I kept quiet for a long time. I hoped that one day my efforts would be noticed. But now I doubt that would happen. I''ve had enough, there''s no point in staying.


    I ran to a faraway place so I could start my own life. I planned on starting my own business. Unfortunately, my things were stolen during my travel. I was able to keep my phone and wallet, but most of my money was in the bag. I had to search for a job or else I would have to return home and accept my life as a housewife, or spend the rest of my life as a homeless person.


    Being found by my parents? I bet they already know where I am. They''re just waiting for me to give up and return to their side on my own. There''s no point in dragging me back if my mindset remains the same. One way or another, I''d run away again.


    Being treated as a girl? As if I could do anything about that. With my condition, a sex change operation means death. I have no choice but to accept my current body.


    As of now, the only thing I want to avoid is losing my freedom. Based from what the scouts said, I would be popular in no time. If I become popular, I won''t be able to roam around freely anymore. I''ll say it again! I don''t want to be a singer! I want to have a normal job that won''t affect my freedom!


    [Do you want to try living a new life?]


    Upon hearing that, I stopped walking and looked at the screen set on the middle of a tall building.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    [Do you want to be what you cannot in this world? If you do, why not enter the world of Selos?]


    Light suddenly spread throughout the screen. Shortly, a video of a realistic 1st person fantasy game was shown. I''m not a gamer, but after imagining that I was the character, I felt excitement.


    "Interested?" (???)


    Surprised, I immediately turned around. "Who-"


    "Long time no see Arisa." (???)


    He looks familiar...


    Seeing my cautious expression, he said "It''s me! It''s me! I''m Kira! The one from Star Promotions!"


    Star Promotions? Oh, the one who first scouted me. "What brings you here?"


    "Sonie Corporation asked our company if we could give them an idol for their new game, you know, the one you were looking at earlier." (F.Scout)


    "Is that so, I thought you-"


    "Do you want to be the idol for their new game? The salary is one hundred fifty thousand yen a month. They''ll even give you a console for free." (F.Scout)


    "No way."


    "Just so you know, the console costs five million yen." (F.Scout)


    "F- f- five million yen!? Why is it so expensive!?"


    "It''s already quite cheap for a virtual reality game." (F.Scout)


    "Huh? Virtual reality?"


    "You don''t know? A virtual reality game is a-" (F.Scout)


    "You''re saying a virtual reality game exists!?"


    "Oh, so you do know what it is." (F.Scout)


    "Tell me! Is it true that a virtual reality game exists!?"


    "It doesn''t exist yet, but it will in a few months. So, will you be the first virtual reality game''s idol or not?" (F.Scout)


    "..."


    "If you don''t then I''ll look for another. I''m sure there are lots of idols who want the game." (F.Scout)


    "..."


    "Many have already ordered a copy of the console. It should be sold out in a few days." (F.Scout)


    "..."


    "It only costs FIVE MILLION." (F.Scout)


    "I..."


    "FIVE MILLION!!!" (F.Scout)


    "I get it! I get it! I''ll be an idol!"


    "It seems like you don''t really want to. I guess I''ll just look for another-" (F.Scout)


    "I want to! I want to be an idol!"


    A smile appeared on his usually blank face. "Great, I''ll tell them now."


    He grabbed his phone and told Sonie Corporation that they''ll send an idol a few days before the game''s release.


    "Why-"


    "You may have the drive, but you''re not an idol yet. That''s why for the next three months, you''ll undergo training that will turn you in to the best idol." (F.Scout)


    "..." I have a bad feeling about this.


    "Ok, let''s not waste time and start your training. Follow me." (F.Scout)


    "W- wait, we''ll start now?"


    "Yes, we have no time to waste. Let''s go." (F.Scout)


    And so, we went to Star Corporation''s building. There I signed a three month contract and immediately started my training. I''ll only be an idol ingame, no need to fear about losing my freedom in real life. Yes, my life shouldn''t be affected that much - I hope.


    --(Three Months Later)--


    "You''ve finally completed your training, I''m so proud of you." Kira tearfully said.


    I held his collar and glared at him like he was my mortal enemy. "Training my ass! You turned me into an idol!"


    "Wasn''t that the plan?" (Kira)


    "And you made me reach the top!"


    "Wasn''t that also a part of the plan? You know, being the best?" (Kira)


    "GRRRR!!!"


    "Didn''t you earn lots of money from it? You''re a millionaire now, you should be happy." (Kira)


    "That''s not the point!"


    I sent a punch to his face, but then the door opened. I immediately opened my hand and touched his chest instead.


    I leaned towards my hand and wore a sad face. "I''ll miss you producer."


    "D- did I come at the wrong time?" (???)


    I pushed myself away from him and looked at the man.


    With flushed cheeks I said. "I- It''s not what it looks like! I was just..." I then produced tears. "I just..."


    "I- it''s ok, I- I understand. Y- you''ll be separating from your mentor so it''s understandable." (Man)


    I wiped my tears and gave him a bright smile. "Right? It''s only natural right?"


    "Y- yes" He said as his cheeks turned red.


    Good, now he''ll think I''m just sad that I''m going to leave Kira. Even if he doesn''t, at most he''ll believe that I have a one-sided crush on Kira. Phew, that was close-


    "So? What brings you here?" Kira said in an angry tone.


    Kira?


    "I- I just came here to say that your resignation has been approved!" (Man)


    "You interrupted us just for that? Tsk, you may leave."


    You idiot! Don''t act like wewere interrupted from doing something!


    "S- sorry!" The man ran away.


    I turned to Kira and gave him a glare. "Are you trying to ruin my reputation?"


    "Of course not, rumors of our love will surely gain you more attention. After getting the most out of it, you can just prove that we''re not going out." He said with a grin hiding his evil intentions.


    "You and your evil schemes."


    "Evil schemes? That''s rude. Don''t you know I''m doing this all for you?" (Kira)


    "Che, like I''ll believe that."


    "It''s the truth. It''s my final gift to you before I retire." (Kira)


    "Now that you mention it, why didn''t you tell me you were going to retire!?"


    "I thought it''d affect you perfor-" (Kira)


    "You''re planning to go with me aren''t you!?"


    He made a mischievous grin. "Heh~ was it that obvious?"


    "I knew it! FUCK!!!"


    "An idol shouldn''t use such a vulgar word. Please refrain from using it A~ R~ I~ S~ A~ chan." (Kira)


    First my freedom is gone, and now I''m going to be with him for a much longer time? I hate life... everything should just burn...

 Ch 1 - Kira is Ugly

    The game has global cameras. They''re used to record special events ingame. But they''re not perfect. They can only record a small area around a target. It''ll be a hassle to find noteworthy players when there are thousands of players online. That''s where I come in.


    I''m paid to play the game at least ten hours a day. They could focus one of the global cameras on me and record all things that happen around me. If there''s a good footage, they''ll upload it online. Aside from the online hours, they also want me to act like an idol at all times; the salary is five hundred thousand yen.


    I''ll also get additional income by doing special events ingame or appearing in commercials for [Transcend Online]. I already got a hundred million yen for a one minute gameplay commercial two days ago. So much money entering my bank account and it''s all thanks to Kira.


    With his barbaric training and schemes, I was able to become the top idol in just three months. Thanks to that, I''m highly regarded by Sonie Corporation. I hate to admit it, but he really helped me a lot. Still, I hate him. I respect his skills, but I hate his very existence! Death to the one who always makes a fool out of me!


    --(Capital of Selos)--


    Before even opening my eyes, I knew I was in the middle of a crowd. I could hear hundreds of voices, and they were all chanting my name. As an idol, there was only one thing to do. I wore a smile and waved at everyone. A few tried to invite me to their party, but I decline saying I already have a party. It was the truth. I was just waiting for them to arrive.


    Moments later, the group prepared by Sonie to protect me appeared. With them, I finally started my adventure. By the way, Kira is a part of the party. His ingame name is CrimsonSun, and he''s a dragonkin - I think he looks better like that, he should stay like that forever.


    In the character creation phase, one can change minor details about their looks, but in the end, their characters will still look like them. To those who want to hide their looks, they could pick a race that doesn''t look like a human. With that reasoning, Kira had to pick a dragonoid race. Heh, Kira is ugly.


    He gave me glances while we went to the city gate. I''m sure he knew what I was thinking, but we were surrounded by people so he couldn''t retort. Are you starting to regret your decision? It''s still not too late to return to Star Promotions mr. UGLY FACE ahahaha!


    When we reached the gate, we opened the cash shop and bought exp potions for obvious reasons - to level up faster. We also bought premium equipment to increase our mob clearing speed. There are premium equipment for higher levels too, but above seventy, crafted ones are much stronger.


    Since the zone around the first city was filled with players, we went to a different zone. Normally it would be dangerous, but with premium equipment and with the other four being beta testers, we can grind in a harder zone.


    In a way, I''m also a beta tester. I played the beta server for the commercial after all. I have a solid understanding of the basics and know which class to pick. Out of the twelve possible classes, I''ll pick [Battle Mage].


    It''s considered the hardest class to use because you''ll fight on the front lines while being squishy, rely on mana, and only have a few aoe skills. But once mastered, you''ll be unbeatable in boss killing and pvp. It''s a high risk high rewardtype of class.


    The next zone was called [Alvs Forest]. But that wasn''t our stop. We moved on to [Hakon Forest] a zone filled with moving trees. No, they were level 10 mobs called treants. Since we were ten levels below them, their names were shown in a red color.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "You guys know the drill, I will pull a mob and the others will kill it. We''ll shift the aggro when neccessary to reduce the usage of potions." (HighNoon)


    "What about ms. Arisa?" (CloudNine)


    "I''ll join. I don''t want to be dead weight to the team."


    "You being here motivates us and that''s enough. There''s no need for you to fight." (KaiserFist)


    "Right! Right! Ms. Arisa doesn''t need to do anything!" (NoClasses)


    "Is it really ok? You know, to be spoiled this much?"


    "It is! It is!" (NoClasses)


    "It''ll hurt my pride if I let a beautiful girl like you work." (KaiserFist)


    "If everyone agrees..." (CloudNine)


    "Ok, I''ll start pulling then. Everyone ready?" (HighNoon)


    """Yes!"""


    "Um... what about CrimsonSun?"


    "I''ll fight too." (CrimsonSun)


    "Really?" Work for me stupid Kira!


    "Of course" (CrimsonSun)


    "Thank you." Ahahaha!


    Afterwards, I stayed in one spot while I watched them clear the mobs. Low level zones tend to have non aggressive mobs so as long as I don''t attack, no mob will attack me. I''m not lazy. I just want to see Kira have a hard time. If I fight then I won''t be able to see much of his suffering.


    I kept an angelic facade, but deep down, I was laughing at all of Kira''s mistakes. He looked like an idiot trying to keep up with the beta testers. Hours passed but I never got tired of seeing him struggle, it was just so satisfying. That''s what you get for always making fun of me! How does it feel!? Hahaha!


    With the exp potions and their clearing speed, we reached level ten in no time. At level ten we can start the job change chain quests, but we first have to finish the main quests. I doubt it would be a problem with my influence. I know I always say I don''t want to stand out, but now that I''m here, might as well use what I have-


    Suddenly, thick red vines sprouted from the ground and flew towards us. Thankfully, all of us were able to dodge.


    The forest shook and from a distance we saw a silhoutte of a large tree. Soon, we saw a blood red treant thrice as large as a grown man.


    "Hidden Boss!" (HighNoon)


    <table style="background: red">


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    Hidden Boss "Blood Treant" has appeared.


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    </table>


    It opened its wooden mouth and yelled, temporarily stunning us. Vines popped out again, and this time it was able to grab my leg. Shortly, it swung its branch towards me.


    SHIT!!!


    """MS. ARISA!!!""" (Beta Players)


    To my surprise, Kira jumped in between me and the branch; and with his wooden sword, he pushed it away.


    "K-"


    In quick succesion, he turned around and cut off the vine holding my leg. He then winked at me and whispered "You owe me one, Arisa-chan."


    "Wha-"


    "Try not to hold us back, ok?" He said before dashing to the treant.


    This time, his movements were flawless and graceful. Even the beta testers were shocked. They couldn''t believe the noob from earlier was moving like a war god.


    H- H- H- HE WAS FOOLING ME THE WHOLE TIME!!!???


    Since they were experienced, the beta testers immediately regained composure and followed Kira''s lead. Now they were looking at his back, filled with admiration. It''s like he was the idol, not me. All I could do was look at him with widened eyes, asking myself where he was hiding such talent.


    The thought of helping them crossed my mind, but will I make a difference? I feel like I''ll just hold them back. In the end, I moved back and watched them from a safe distance. Sigh, I''m useless aren''t I...


    <table>


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    Gained 858(+858)(+1030) Experience


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    Gained 77 Gold


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    "We did it!" (NoClasses)


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    Hidden Boss "Blood Treant" has been defeated for the first time by: AzureLight, HighNoon, CloudNine, KaiserFist, NoClasses, & CrimsonSun


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    </tbody>


    </table>


    "And we are the first ones to defeat it!" (NoClasses)


    "I- it even dropped class 5 accessories. CrimsonSun, we''ll let you pick first, what do you want?" (HighNoon)


    "Shouldn''t you ask the party leader first?" (CrimsonSun)


    """Ah...""" (Beta Testers)


    They completely forgot about me...


    "It''s fine, CrimsonSun contributed a lot in the battle so let him pick first."


    "Ok" (HighNoon)


    "Then I''ll pick this ring." Kira said as he picked up a red wooden ring.


    "That accessory is for a magic class. Aren''t you aiming to be a [Vagabond]? You should get-" (HighNoon)


    "No, it''s not for me. I plan on giving it to someone." (CrimsonSun)


    "I- is it for your girlfriend?" (CloudNine)


    "Fufufu, that''s a secret."(CrimsonSun)


    I told them they didn''t have to give me anything since I didn''t help, but they still gave me an accessory. It''s the same as what Kira got, a ring that raises magic damage and mana regeneration.


    I felt guilty, but I had no choice. It''s an idol''s job to accept the gift of her fan. I hid behind my angelic smile and accepted it. Afterwards, we returned to the city to start questing.


    I really can''t read what''s in Kira''s mind. Maybe I should give up and just accept that I can''t win against him... Like hell I will! I promise I''ll surpass you! just you wait KIRAAA!!!

 Ch 2 - Arisas Otherworldly Hobbies

    "Is it really fine?" I said to a player while acting hesitant.


    "Yes, I insist." (Player)


    "T- thanks" I said with a smile showing a bit of shyness.


    "I- it''s nothing." he said with a flushed cheeks.


    As my party and I moved up in line, the other players also presented their spot. It didn''t take long for us to get the last of the job change chain quests. To make everything seem natural, I acted normally at the first quest, then acted more hesitantly towards the last. Those who saw me from start to finish would easily see the change in myattitude.


    Since the other four were also a part of those who didn¡¯t know the true me, I had to keep acting. After getting the quest, I acted like I was hiding my depression. Everyone noticed it, but they remained silent as we went to the city portal. The portal lets us teleport to the entrance of a zone we have visited before.


    Questing tends to make you go back and fort so using a portal is really necessary. It takes thirty minutes to reach [Hakon Forest] by foot, and we had to go there four times. Imagine how much time we would have wasted if we didn''t use the portal. Let''s see, four hours?


    There are no portals in none city zones so how do we return to a city instantly? There''s an item called [Return Stone] and it lets us teleport to the city we last visited. There''s a more expensive item which lets us pick which city we want to return to, but since we have only been in one city, it''s better to use a [Return Stone].


    We wasted thirty minutes to return to the city earlier, but that was because we didn''t have [Return Stone]s. Farming gold in the first zone for [Return Stone]s would have taken us thirty minutes or even more because it was crowded. It was better to just walk back after our first grinding trip.


    We used the portal separately, but we appeared close to each other because we were from the same party - we would''ve been sent to different entrances if we weren''t. The game is an open world. A zone''s border is considered its entrance.


    When we finally got to [Hakon Forest], we started walking to the first dungeon of the game. It''s hidden in the mini map, but the beta testers know where it is. I kept acting as we walked, and finally, one approached me - it was NoClasses.


    "They gave us their spot on their own free will so there''s no need to feel bad about it ms.Arisa. " (NoClasses)


    Starting with the main topic right off the bat!? Oh well... "I- I''m not feeling bad."


    "We can tell." (NoClasses)


    What a straightforward guy. "S- so it was obvious... and I tried too hide it too..."


    Hearing my depressed voice, KaiserFist also approached me.


    "As NoClasses said, you shouldn''t feel bad. You even asked them twice before taking their position." (KaiserFist)


    "Still..."


    "Believe me, you didn''t do anything wrong." (KaiserFist)


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Yes! Yes! You didn''t do anything wrong ms.Arisa!" (NoClasses)


    "I- if you say so." I said while trying to make a smile.


    I heard CloudNine click his tongue and saw NoClasses and KaiserFist react to it by twitching their eyes. But since they thought I didn''t hear it, they kept quiet. I know, I''m well aware that CloudNine isn''t fond of me. But at least he''s hiding his feelings and doing his job. He''s paid after all so he has to act professionally.


    After our small talk, I slowly lightened up my expression. When we reached the dungeon, I was once again wearing a bright smile. Phew, back to normal...


    "This dungeon is quite simple so we won''t need a strategy. We''ll move like we did earlier." (HighNoon)


    Everyone nodded.


    He took glances at Kira. Upon seeing no response, he understood that Kira didn''t want to lead.


    "And ms.Arisa, please be wary of stray attacks during boss fights." (HighNoon)


    "I will"


    "Ok, is everyone ready?" (HighNoon)


    """Yes!""" (CloudNine, KaiserFist, & NoClasses)


    "Then, ms.Arisa."


    I nodded in response and touched the portal, which looked like a black shard as large as a man, floating in between two trees.


    Dungeons are a bit different than zones. To enter, a party leader must touch the dungeon''s portal and verify that they want to enter. Once inside, the only way to get out is by completing the dungeon or by quitting. To avoid having different parties meet, they are placed in parallel dungeons. There seems to be no limit in the number of parallel dungeons available.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Would you like to enter [Hakon Underground Forest]?</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>YES</td><td>NO</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    After clicking yes, my sight darkened.


    --(Hakon Underground Forest)--


    When I regained my sight, I was in an underground area filled with floras that were similar to those at [Hakon Forest]. Behind us was a wall and in front of us was a path leading deeper into the cave. The sun''s light couldn''t reach us, but the fireflies moving around gave us vision.


    HighNoon observed the area for a short while before saying "Let''s start" and dashing towards the mobs.


    The others followed. And this time, their clearing speed was faster because Kira was no longer acting like a noob.


    Like before, I felt like I would be useless. It''s not just my skills, my stat distribution plays a big part in it. Since all of my stats are in [INT], my physical attack is just the same as the mobs'' physical defense. That means I won''t deal much damage. If not for the premium weapon, I would literally deal zero damage.


    I knew my damage would drop, but I thought I would perform better than Kira. Now if I do anything, I''ll just look like a desperate lamb. The best course of action is to let them do everything now and make a come back later. I may not be much of a help now, but that doesn''t mean I''ll stay like this forever!


    And so, I silently followed them while enjoying the scenery. Up till now, the things I saw were not new to me. I''ve seen some in games, some in books, and some in movies. But this dungeon is different. New plants, new creatures, new possibilities! How does each creature interact? How does their ecosystem work? What lies at the end of this cave? I want to know!


    I''ve always liked otherworldly stuffs, and a fantasy setting fits the criteria. Isn''t it exciting to learn about things you won''t find on earth? Ah, how nice it would be if I could take something from this game and conduct research on it.


    I enjoyed every part of the dungeon. Will the game developers release a book about this world? I''ll definitely buy it. Even a simple monster or plant anatomy would do. But it''ll be better if they also include how they influence this world.


    Time went by in a flash. There was still a lot of things I wanted to check, but I had no choice. It''s irritating how time moves faster when you don''t want it to... Sigh...


    The final boss of the dungeon was a red shard placed vertically at the center of the cave chamber, with thick branches connected at both ends. It calls out red branches to attack, but the farther you are away from it, the less it would try to attack you. It looked like they had an easier time against it than with the blood treant. I guess hidden bosses are stronger.


    The final boss didn''t drop anything good. The items from the blood treant were much better, and using premium equipment would be better. Since they were useless to us, we decided to sell them to an npc and distribute the gold equally.


    Shortly after beating the final boss, we were teleported out of the dungeon.


    --(Hakon Forest)--


    When I regained my sight, I was back at [Hakon Forest].


    "We''re finally done with the job change quests!" (NoClasses)


    "Before we go back, can I ask what class you guys will choose?I''ll choose [Knight]." (HighNoon)


    "I''ll choose [Marauder]!" (NoClasses)


    "Mine is [Monk]." (KaiserFist)


    CloudNine glanced at me before saying "I''ll go with [Acolyte]."


    I''m getting the impression that he only chose [Acolyte] because I didn''t want to play as support. Wait... is that why he doesn''t like me!? S- should I... no, I really want to play as a [Battle Mage].


    "Sigh..." (CloudNine)


    "I already said it earlier, but I''ll say it again. It''s [Vagabond]." (CrimsonSun)


    "And lastly, ms.Arisa would pick [Battle Mage] correct?" (HighNoon)


    "Y- yes"


    They all looked at me with "It''ll be too hard for you." written in their faces; even Kira did...


    "How about [Magician]? It''s also quite hard to use. You''ll be squishy and you''ll have to be wary of your positioning. What do you say?" (HighNoon)


    "I want to play as a [Battle Mage]..."


    "...Then [Battle Mage] it is." (HighNoon)


    After that, we silently went back to the city using [Return Stone]s.


    I can do it, I''ll prove to everyone that I can do it!