Real World, Evening.
Illya Einzbern, hailed as the unattainable ice queen of the academy, was relaxing on the soft single sofa in her room. Her cascading, lustrous golden hair spilled over her shoulders, with a few strands playfully falling near her lips, which were slightly pursed in concentration. She was dressed in a meticulously coordinated JK uniform—a light pink sailor-style top, a perfectly tied bow tie, paired with a plaid skirt and thin black stockings that hinted at her skin tone. Her legs were crossed, her posture languid yet elegant.
But her attention wasn't on her own beauty. Before her eyes, a streamlined immersive neural interface device covered her face, its soft blue indicator lights pulsing steadily with her brainwave activity. The logo on the side read: "YGGDRASIL."
Only three minutes remained until the server's permanent shutdown.
Her consciousness had long since merged with her in-game character. It was the embodiment of countless hours of effort and dedication, the server's only hidden class—[Valkyrie].
In the game world, her character, "Valkyria," stood silently on a desolate high cliff. Her appearance was strikingly similar to her real-life self: the same dazzling golden hair, eyes as blue as a lake, a face as delicate as a doll's, and a tall, statuesque figure of one meter seventy-six. However, in-game, she had shed the gentle femininity of her JK uniform for a full-body silver-white battle armor, [Valkyrie's Aegis], that gleamed with a cold metallic luster. The armor's lines were both ornate and powerful, and a pure white cape billowed behind her in the virtual wind. At her waist hung an ancient-looking longsword, [Gram]. Though not unsheathed, it naturally exuded an aura of sharpness capable of cleaving through anything.
She was the [Valkyrie], a class whose name was present on the official game wiki but lacked any detailed information. Its acquisition method was a mystery, its abilities unknown. Ordinary players didn't even know this class existed.
And in her inventory, a staggering number was displayed—ninety-nine [Holy Covenant Tier High-Precision] World Items.
This completely defied the game's fundamental settings. The official announcement clearly stated that there were only twenty [Holy Covenant Tier High-Precision] World Items in total, each possessing the power to shake the game's landscape. However, this set of items had been rejected by the developers early in the game's life. No one knew how she had broken this limit, just as no one knew how she had achieved the mysterious hidden class. It had become an unsolved enigma on the verge of the game's collapse.
Her gold reserves were also an astronomical figure, far surpassing any so-called game tycoon. It was the complete opposite of the rumored stingy "World Searcher" guild.
One minute to countdown.
Illya, or rather Valkyria, cast one last look at this virtual world. She hadn't participated in the final frenzy, merely waiting for the end. However, in the final seconds of the countdown, her keen senses detected a minuscule data fluctuation, unlike anything in a normal shutdown process.
"Hmm?" A hint of doubt arose in her consciousness.
Zero!
The expected disconnection didn't occur. Instead, a pain like her soul being forcibly ripped away and an absolute void engulfed her! Her consciousness was dragged into a dark vortex by an irresistible force, spinning at high speed, as if about to be torn apart.
"Ah...!" In reality, a short cry of pain escaped her throat. Her body tensed sharply within the game pod, and then all sensation was completely overturned!
Cold! Damp! The scent of grass!
Gravity reasserted itself on her body!
Illya's eyes snapped open, a violent wave of dizziness churning her stomach. What greeted her was a completely unfamiliar night sky, with stars hanging so low they seemed about to fall.
She found herself lying on a vast expanse of grass, the night dew soaking her... battle armor?
She instantly sobered up, sitting up abruptly and looking down at herself.
The silver-white [Valkyrie's Aegis] battle armor perfectly encased her slender body, its cold, solid touch incredibly real. She raised a hand to her face, her fingertips touching the cold metal cheek guard and the smooth skin beneath. She quickly grabbed a lock of hair—still a brilliant gold, but seemingly longer, consistent with her in-game appearance.
Her heart suddenly tightened.
"Transmigration...?"
The immense shock almost paralyzed her brain. Shouldn't she be lying in her room, removing the neural interface device? How was she wearing her game equipment and appearing in the wilderness?
She forced herself to calm down. The icy will of the [Valkyrie] class quickly suppressed her panic. She attempted to summon the game interface.
With a thought, a semi-transparent screen, its edges flowing with golden runes, clearly unfolded in her consciousness.
Character status, skills, inventory... everything was there!
Her gaze immediately locked onto the inventory. Those ninety-nine icons radiating a suffocating aura—the [Holy Covenant Tier High-Precision] World Items, not a single one missing! The vast amount of gold coins remained reassuringly present.
"They really... all came with me..." she murmured, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor, but more so, immense confusion.
She stood up. Her height of one meter seventy-six allowed her to observe her surroundings well. Endless grassland, the silhouette of a distant forest, unfamiliar energy particles filling the air...
She immediately realized this was not Earth.
As a precaution, she instantly activated the [Valkyrie]'s perception skill, [Divine Domain Insight], supplementing it with high-level invisibility magic to minimize her presence.
Invisible waves of perception spread out from her. Soon, she "saw" a dirt road a few kilometers away, and a procession traveling on it—several crude horse-drawn carriages, with humanoids in rough leather armor and wielding weapons guarding them.
Her gaze focused on the guards.
The feedback from her insight made her freeze again.
[Race: Human]
[Level: 5]
[Class: Guard (Low Tier)]
[Threat Level: Extremely Low]
[Race: Human]
[Level: 7]
[Class: Guard Captain (Low Tier)]
[Threat Level: Low]
She expanded her perception range, scanning further into the distance, even catching a leopard-like creature lurking in the bushes.
[Race: Shadow Leopard]
[Level: 14]
[Class: Magical Beast]
[Threat Level: Low to Medium]
All detected creatures, without exception, were below level 20! The highest was only level 14!
And she, the [Valkyrie] Valkyria, was level 119!
This was a value far exceeding the normal player level cap in YGGDRASIL, an ultimate reward system-granted bonus for completing that impossible hidden class quest. Along with the ninety-nine World Items, it was data that even the game developers might not be aware of—contrary to the rules!
At this moment, in this unfamiliar land, her level 119, coupled with the ninety-nine Holy Covenant Tier High-Precision items and her vast fortune, seemed so... out of place, so overwhelmingly superior.
Ainz Ooal Gown, after transmigrating, still had to be cautious, hide his strength, and worry about insufficient funds.
But she...
Illya felt the boundless, sea-like power within her, immeasurably greater than the sum of all surrounding creatures, and looked at the consciousness interface displaying gold coins enough to buy several kingdoms and ninety-nine World Items capable of causing miracles or disasters.
A complex emotion surged through her. Confusion remained, but the wariness of the unknown was gradually replaced by an indescribable sense of... superiority and control.
She dispelled her invisibility, revealing her form. The silver armor shimmered with cold light under the starlight, her white cape fluttering in the wind. Her blue eyes gazed towards the distant, tiny caravan, then slowly lifted her hand, looking at her own palm, capable of easily shaking this world.
"No players, no beings of equal level..."
"Meaning, in this world,"
She gently clenched her fist, feeling the power surge through her fingers, a faint, yet star-dimming curve gracing her lips.
"I am the only legend."
Her powerful perception extended outwards like an invisible net. She quickly locked onto a clear direction—there were relatively dense, weak life signatures, and the trace of a trampled path.
"First, I need information," she murmured, her voice dissipating in the slightly floral breeze. Common sense from the game told her that towns or villages were usually places where information converged.
She didn't choose to fly or use any flashy movement skills; that would be too ostentatious and didn't fit her initial observation strategy. She simply took a step forward, her [Valkyrie's Aegis] boots making a faint, steady sound on the damp grass. Her speed didn't seem fast, but with each stride, her figure glided forward like a phantom for tens of meters, as if the ground were shrinking beneath her feet. This was the [Valkyrie]'s basic movement technique, [Shorten Distance], perfect for everyday travel.
Before long, the dirt road appeared before her. From afar, she could see the tail end of the slow-moving merchant caravan. She ignored them and followed the road, heading in the direction of a stronger human presence.
About half an hour later (though in reality, she had covered an extremely long distance at her speed), the silhouette of a town appeared on the horizon. It had stone walls, but its scale was small, looking more like a border outpost or a large village. Guards in simple leather armor stood watch at the gate, and pedestrians were sparse.
Illya observed from a distance for a moment. With a thought, the ornate and dazzling silver-white [Valkyrie's Aegis] armor quietly vanished like flowing mercury, transforming into a state of energy within her body. This was the armor's innate ability, [Disarm/Summon].
In its place appeared a seemingly ordinary, but extremely well-tailored and high-quality white travel dress with gold trim, styled somewhere between a noble young lady and an adventurer, perfectly accentuating her tall, graceful figure. Her brilliant golden hair still cascaded down, her face completely uncovered. She suppressed most of her aura, making her appear like an exceptionally beautiful traveler with perhaps some status, rather than a walking disaster.
Having done this, she calmly walked towards the town gate.
The guards clearly noticed her. Her beauty and demeanor were too outstanding, completely out of place in this border town. The guards' eyes were filled with admiration and vigilance, but after Illya casually flicked a genuine local gold coin, which she had analyzed from the air of this world and instantly condensed with a trace of magic, all questioning ceased. Only humble bows and "Welcome, honored lady" remained.
Stepping into the town, a medieval atmosphere, mixed with the smells of livestock, earth, food, and a faint hint of grime, assailed her. The streets were paved with packed earth and gravel, lined with wooden and stone houses. Most pedestrians had weathered faces and wore simple clothing.
Illya's blue eyes swept slightly, [Divine Domain Insight] passively collecting all surrounding information: language, writing, people's hushed conversations, power systems... Her immense data processing ability allowed her to grasp the basics of the town's common language within minutes and confirm that it belonged to a kingdom called "Re-Estize."
Then, her attention was quickly drawn to something else.
Aroma.
Emanating from the liveliest and most bustling tavern on the street, a rustic scent of roasted meat, stew, and some kind of baked pastry.
In the real world, Illya was a complete foodie, though she usually restrained herself to maintain her "ice queen" image. Now, in a completely unfamiliar world, a strong desire to confirm her existence through the most basic senses surged within her.
"Gulp..." Her stomach rumbled at a very opportune moment.
She unhesitatingly walked towards the noisy tavern.
Pushing open the wooden door, the internal clamor, the aroma of ale, and the even stronger smell of food instantly enveloped her. The tavern was mostly filled with mercenaries, adventurers, and local residents, who were laughing loudly and chewing heartily. Illya's entrance, like a drop of pure white paint in a thick oil painting, instantly drew all eyes.
The noise abruptly subsided.
She ignored the stunned, curious, and even somewhat ill-intentioned gazes, and walked directly to an empty table to sit down. A stunned female waitress finally reacted and rushed to her, somewhat flustered.
"Wh-what would you like, miss?" the waitress stammered, looking at Illya's obviously expensive clothes and breathtaking beauty.
Illya didn't even glance at the crude menu (which might have been verbal). She spoke directly, her voice clear and melodious, but uttered words that plunged the entire tavern into silence once more:
"Ten portions of everything on the menu, to start."
"..." The waitress was completely dumbfounded.
A burly mercenary with a rough face couldn't help but scoff, "Little girl, do you know one portion of roast meat here is enough to stuff a man? Ten of each? Are you playing with us?"
Illya didn't even raise an eyelid. With a mere thought, a more exquisite and larger gold coin than the one given to the guards landed on the table with a crisp "ding." Its pure golden luster almost blinded everyone.
The entire tavern gasped collectively. The value of that single gold coin was more than enough to buy half the food in the tavern.
"Hurry," Illya's tone was devoid of any fluctuation.
The waitress and the owner, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, became incredibly respectful and fearful, practically scrambling into the kitchen.
Soon, food began to be served like a flowing stream. Coarse black bread, large chunks of roasted beast meat, rich stew, simple grilled fish, local specialty vegetable paste... The plates almost filled the entire table.
Then, under everyone's almost horrified gaze, Illya elegantly picked up her cutlery.
Her eating was extremely elegant, her movements even pleasing to the eye. Cutting, bringing to her mouth, chewing... every step was like a textbook on etiquette.
But... the speed was too fast!
The mountain of food was disappearing at a visible rate! It was as if she didn't have one stomach, but an entrance connected to another dimension! Plates were emptied one after another, removed, and new food immediately filled the gaps.
The chefs in the kitchen were almost exhausted. The entire tavern was silent except for the crackling of the stove and Illya's light, rapid eating sounds. Everyone's mouths were agape, as if watching an unbelievable performance.
"Owner, continue," Illya instructed softly without looking up during a pause, and another gold coin landed on the table.
By the time the fifth gold coin appeared on the table, all the ingredients in the tavern's reserves had been completely depleted. Illya elegantly finished the last bowl of soup before her.
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