Chapter Six: The Otherworld of the Game

Amidst an endless expanse of darkness, a faintly glowing object appeared.

It was a small crystal fragment, emitting a soft blue light. Its surface was uneven and irregular, as if it had been chipped off from a larger, intact crystal.

“Crack!”

A sharp sound rang out.

The crystal shattered, scattering into countless twinkling blue sparks that soon vanished into the void.

Karna suddenly opened his eyes.

That sight felt so familiar.

“Your Highness, you’re awake.”

Hearing those words, Karna quickly turned his head and saw Aliris struggling to rise from a pile of straw.

He hurriedly stood up and approached her.

A quick glance at her condition revealed that the minor wounds without bandages had healed, and the bloodstains on the bandages were already dried, with no fresh bleeding visible.

Though it was impossible to tell how much the broken leg had recovered, it certainly hadn’t healed completely so quickly.

“Lie back down first. I’ll unwrap the bandages and take a look,” Karna said, gently pressing Aliris back into the straw.

As he removed the bandages, he saw that the wounds were fully scabbed over, and even partially healed.

He couldn’t help but acknowledge how remarkably fast the recovery was—only yesterday, the flesh had appeared raw and torn.

But come to think of it, for someone with even a bit of strength, such injuries were merely superficial.

Plus, with the aid of healing potions and medicinal powders.

Such was the nature of a magical world.

“To be safe, I’ll wrap another layer,” Karna said, discarding the bloodied bandages and using the remaining clean ones to rebind her wounds.

Aliris tried to protest but was silenced by Karna’s sharp gaze.

Her eyes fixed steadily on Karna as he carefully tended to her injuries.

“I never thought, Your Highness, that you would know such things.”

Here it comes.

Karna knew the stark contrast between his current demeanor and his previous reputation could not be hidden.

Even if he wanted to disguise himself, honestly, he couldn’t fake the image of the useless prince Karna once was.

“How long have you known me? Before the fall of the royal city, you had only just become my knight a week ago.

Not to mention, during that week you barely saw me, so your understanding of me is probably just from idle gossip,” Karna had already prepared this response.

Based on the memories from his original host and his knowledge of the game’s characters and plot, Karna’s words rang true.

Hearing this, Aliris nodded unconsciously, sensing it was indeed the case.

A week before the royal city’s fall, she had just been granted knightly status by the order.

She had sworn fealty before Prince Karna.

And within that week, she probably met Karna no more than twice.

After that came the fall of the royal city and a desperate flight, with constant battles for survival.

Yet, during the escape, her loud screams, the terror at corpses and monsters, all seemed genuine, impossible to fake.

Of course, she hadn’t voiced any of this aloud.

“I’m just the fourth prince, so the throne is almost impossible for me to claim.

Since I can’t fight for the crown, I might as well enjoy life.

But as you can see, given everything that’s happened, enjoying life is clearly out of the question,” Karna said, shrugging helplessly.

Seeing this, Aliris nodded again in agreement.

Indeed.

Relieved that she believed him, Karna allowed himself a small sigh.

To be honest, this excuse had many holes, and perhaps only loyalists like Aliris could be fooled.

Even without making excuses, a casual brush-off would not change Aliris’s loyalty—she would still stand by his side.

“Ow!” Aliris suddenly cried out in pain.

“Ah, sorry. It seems it’s only halfway healed. The left leg will need another day or two to recover fully,” Karna said, adjusting the tension of the wooden splints and carefully positioning her leg.

“It’s nothing; I’m just too incompetent,” Aliris quickly replied.

Hearing this, Karna smiled and said, “No, I’ve seen your loyalty. Please continue to protect me, my knight.”

At Karna’s words, Aliris’s face flushed crimson. Flustered, she nodded hurriedly, even attempting to rise in salute.

But Karna immediately placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Before that, you should rest well. That way, you’ll be better able to protect me, won’t you?”

Looking at Karna’s smile, Aliris blinked and nodded blankly, lying back down on the straw.

She stared at the ceiling, somewhat dazed.

So this was the true prince.

He was… so kind.

A smile, unnoticed even by herself, appeared on Aliris’s face.

Karna, resettling beside her, inspected his own body.

His wounds had fully healed, and the earlier headache and fatigue were gone.

He checked his status panel.

[Character: Karna Safro Sater]

[Level: 1]

[Status: Normal]

[HP: 10/12]

[MP: 4/12]

[Constitution: 6]

[Agility: 5]

[Spirit: 6]

[Title: The Clown Prince!]

All abnormal statuses had disappeared. With his body’s constitution, such rapid recovery was impossible.

It seemed that having a digitized body came with various advantages.

His constitution and spirit had even increased slightly.

Here, it was necessary to explain the attributes.

Constitution, as the name suggests, related to physical fitness, health points, strength, and so on.

The HP maximum was twice the constitution.

Agility didn’t refer to movement speed but to the nimbleness of actions, balance, hand-eye coordination, and related motor skills.

Spirit was not intelligence but rather the strength of the mind and soul—a key attribute tied to supernatural powers.

The MP maximum was twice the spirit.

The two added attribute points likely came from the battles he fought yesterday.

It was probably not experience points, but more akin to training received.

After all, his previous body had been far too weak.

However, as for the title, frankly, it was inaccurate and displeasing.

The evaluation in the attribute panel changed.

[Title: A useless person with potential.]

Yes, that was more fitting.

Closing the attribute panel, Karna began pondering his next moves.

Everything since his sudden arrival had happened so quickly that he hadn’t had time to think.

First, it was certain he had transmigrated into a real world, one deeply connected to the background story of a virtual game he had played, “Genesis Stone.”

As for whether he had entered the game world itself, as in some novels, Karna remained skeptical.

Having played the game, he knew it was virtual and distinctly different from reality.

For example, it couldn’t simulate smell or taste, only visual input and special equipment to simulate touch.

Yet even so, the virtual game was remarkably advanced.

Therefore, Karna was confident he had entered an actual world.

“Genesis Stone” was a massive MMORPG set in a fantasy world.

Before his transmigration, it had undergone several versions and had accompanied players for a decade.

According to his memory, the current year was the Holy Year 876.

The game’s story began in Holy Year 878.

The Blood Conspiracy had unfolded this year. Yes, he was now a firsthand witness.

Next year, the Blood Calamity would erupt, so he had to leave here, leave the country of Safro, before then.

Pursuers intent on turning him into a vampire were also on his trail.

In the original story, his body’s previous owner had been dragged back and transformed into a vampire.

No, no, he absolutely could not accept becoming a vampire, nor their way of life.

That was practically a death sentence.

Then where did his strength, this digitized power, originate?

In this world, there was only one possibility.

Combined with the recent dream, Karna felt he had reached a conclusion.