It started out like any other late-night activity in Avelyn Willoway’s office.

  She leaned back in her executive chair. It was Italian leather, custom-made, most likely more expensive than even the most prestigious career’s salary. She stared at her desk. An ocean of polished wood, specifically Mahogony, was stretched out before her, cluttered with documents of various financial projects and the like.

  Her gaze lingered on the documents with a glazed expression. The kind of look where you read through the same sentence half a dozen times without absorbing a single word of it. She tapped her finger against the smooth desk. Each tap effortlessly carried through her office.

  She grew frustrated with the scattered documents as they mocked her with their cluttered appearance. With a sharp huff, she swiveled her chair around to look out her floor-to-ceiling windows. Sprawled out before her in all directions, a concrete jungle of lights and development lay before her.

  A city. Her city. The one that her family, the Willoway Corporation, helped build for centuries. Every building made, every street carved, and almost every business running in this city was all thanks to her family company.

  And as Avelyn Willoway, sole heir and current CEO of the company, laid her eyes upon the city her family helped create, all she could feel at that very moment...was boredom and annoyance.

  She clicked her tongue before turning her back to the city and facing the mountain of paperwork she needed to finish. However, after seeing all the various documents she needed to either sign or review, her frustration spiked once more.

  She was fed up with all of it.

  “Screw this...” she muttered while pushing the documents aside with more force than necessary.

  Several of the sheets fluttered to the floor. Avelyn spared a glance for maybe a few seconds before ignoring the mess.

  Someone else will deal with it, she thought.

  That was the mindset she decided to go with. Because right now, she had better things to do.

  Her fingers moved with practiced efficiency over her keyboard, minimizing every spreadsheet and financial project that was on her computer. Once everything was cleared and only her home screen was present, Avelyn pulled up the one thing that mattered to her. The one thing she really needed right now.

  A login screen appeared, familiar and welcoming, with a fantasy landscape presented in the background and dramatic orchestra music playing. Something she had longed to hear as soon as she entered her office.

  Realm of Myein. The words glowed with an elegant script across her screen.

  A warm smile touched her lips. Something she could never give in public, no matter how hard she tried.

  Realm of Myein was an MMORPG where players could choose their own adventurers and become whoever they wished to be. And in the game, instead of being the cold and calculating CEO of a corporate empire, she was her Avatar, Aven Willows—a max-level dark fey sorceress she spent countless hours perfecting.

  Grey skin akin to that of a brewing storm with beautiful fairy wings in a gradient of ocean blue at the base before fading into a deeper shade of emerald. The pinnacle of beauty and perfection.

  A being who possessed the same cold demeanor as her real self, but layered with a playful and charismatic charm that she could not nor would not ever display in public as Avelyn Willoway. A role that she could only play when she was in Myein.

  When she played the game, no one knew about her real name and, by extension, her bank account. In Myein, the only thing that mattered was whether she was skilled enough to aid players in an upcoming boss raid. And that was the kind of arrangement that she preferred.

  As soon as the game loaded, she cracked her knuckles and hovered her fingers over the keyboard. Her eyes locked onto her screen as she prepared herself for what was to come next.

  “Let’s get to work,” she declared with a daring smile before starting her game.

  Avelyn proceeded to spend the next several hours that night relentlessly playing Realm of Myein. Though unlike other nights where she simply hunted and farmed monsters for items, she did something different this time.

  Solo Boss Raiding. It was a challenge whenever the sole heir of a corporate empire felt daring enough to attempt. And much like her previous solo boss raids, this one ended in utter victory.

  “Yes!” Avelyn shouted with glee, not even worried about causing a commotion from her outburst. “I did it!”

  Victory music played after the defeat of the Boss Enemy, The Dark Apostle, as a loot window materialized on her screen, displaying all her rewards—legendary items, alchemy materials, and a few other miscellaneous items she looked forward to using in the future.

  Before she could pull up her inventory and properly examine her loot, something interesting happened.

  The air in the cave she fought the boss suddenly shimmered as another figure materialized before her. It was humanoid, but clearly not human by any means. It radiated a soft golden glow that pushed back the shadows that lurked within the cave and possessed wings—not similar to Avelyn’s avatar at all—that were pure white and seemingly made of light itself.

  Its features were androgynous and beautiful in a way that made it hard for her to properly look at it. And that was even without the pure light spilling from its vessel.

  Due to its appearance, Avelyn knew only one species that matched its description.

  “An angel...?” Her brow arched suspiciously.

  Avelyn had played Realm of Myein for over a decade and had seen things that most players could only dream of, from mystical forces of nature that stayed hidden in the game world to literal gods that assigned her quests in exchange for amazing items.

  However, in all her years as a Myein Veteran, this was her first time encountering an angel. Well, at least one that looked so...exaggerated.

  To clarify, Angels were a common race in Realm of Myein. In fact, players were able to make their Avatars as Angels. However, the normal Angels she encountered had simply white feathered wings and blond hair. While this one...looked much more divine.

  Not even the Archangel class could make an angel look like this. So, why was Avelyn seeing such an angel now of all times?

  “Could this be a secret event or something?”

  Secret events were quite common in Myein. Avelyn encountered plenty. However, she didn’t understand why soloing the Dark Apostle could trigger such a thing. Especially since she wasn’t the first to do it.

  There should’ve been a forum page about it if that was the case.

  As she contemplated over this, text appeared in a chat window. It was in a font she had never seen before, written in shifting gold text.

  “Brave soul who has bested the Herald of the Abyss, you have shown your tenacity and valor, and as such, I shall grant you a wish. Name your heart’s desire, and if it is within my power, it will be made true.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  Avelyn read the text with a suspicious gaze. “What the hell? Why is it telling me to make a wish?”

  Could it be for when the developers could read it and somehow make it true? But what if she wished for something outrageous? Then again, the so-called angel did state that if it was within its power, it would grant her wish. So, she probably couldn’t wish to become a god or something.

  Still, this was strange. Very strange.

  For a moment, Avelyn considered just wishing for a mythic-rank item. There were plenty that she could think of at the moment. But then her eyes wandered off her screen and looked back at her large window. A transparent reflection of a woman in an expensive suit staring back at her.

  A woman who had everything from Wealth, authority, and fame. And yet despite her success...the reflection showed an unhappy expression as she played a role she never desired in the first place. Not really.

  Before becoming the leader of her corporation, before her father died and thrust her into this position because she was the only heir, Avelyn had another dream. A dream she knew would never come true, but still worked hard to try and make it a reality.

  She then swiveled her chair back around to face the computer, her eyes lingering on the text box. Her fingers then moved across the keyboard, typing in the first thing that came to mind. Something she kept buried within her for years after getting trapped in her position as the CEO of her family business.

  “I wish to be a teacher.”

  Her answer appeared in the text box, stark and honest. Reading her wish over, a wry smile formed. It was honestly a silly and mundane answer to wish for when she was playing a fantasy game. But there was something cathartic in admitting it, even to a pixelated angel.

  She pressed Enter.

  The angel on the screen nodded, its expression serene with a hint of what appeared to be understanding. “Your wish has been heard and shall be granted. May you find the fulfillment you seek with this wish.”

  Before Avelyn could utter a response, her screen exploded with light. It wasn’t that her display increased its brightness either. Actual light started spilling out of her screen.

  Avelyn tried to raise her arms to shield her eyes, but it was no use. It was everywhere. Surrounding her. Consuming her very being in a pure light.

  In the midst of the radiant purging, she could feel her consciousness fragmenting into a million pieces. Then there was a shift, and they formed into something new yet somehow...familiar.

  After that, everything went black.

  ...

  Her consciousness slowly returned. She felt a dull ache encompassing her skull, pounding her brain like a hammer.

  A groan was expelled from her lips.

  The first thing she felt after that was something rough and cold beneath her. It was stone. That much Avelyn was certain of.

  She opened her eyes and saw stone everywhere. From the walls to the ceiling to even the floor she lay on.

  Was she in...a cave? But that was impossible. She was in her office playing Realm of Myein. How in the world did she end up here...?

  Avelyn pushed herself off the stone ground, and her eyes quickly caught something.

  Her hands. They were different.

  Her skin was gray. Not the kind of gray where someone was ill, but a smooth, almost luminescent gray that seemingly carried an inner light.

  And her nails. They were black, perfectly manicured, and slightly pointed.

  They weren’t her hands...and yet she somehow felt they were familiar to her.

  “W-what the hell...?” she whispered before noticing how different her voice sounded. It was richer and more melodious.

  She finally stood up from the ground and cast her gaze down. That was when she saw it. Her body was draped in an elegant green and black dress with tree roots and branches growing out of the fabric, ensnaring her form in intricate patterns.

  Avelyn knew what this dress was. It was her dress. No...it was her avatar’s dress.

  “H-how am I...?”

  She tried to take a step but stumbled, feeling a shift in her weight from her back. When she turned around to see, her eyes widened in shock at what was there.

  Wings. Actual fairy wings sprouted from her back. They were massive and beautiful—deep blue at the base, fading through a turquoise to a vibrant emerald shade.

  She could feel them. She could feel the muscles that controlled them, could even feel the air moving through the delicate membrane.

  They were wings of the dark fey race. Wings of her avatar. Wings of Aven Willows.

  The panic and confusion finally settled in as her mind spiraled for answers.

  “W-what...how...why...?!”

  This couldn’t be real. She must have been dreaming. She finally fell unconscious at her desk after all those hours dealing with the boss raid.

  But was that really the case? Everything felt too real for all of this to be a dream. Too detailed. Too clear.

  And if that was the case...If what was happening to her was real, then that meant...

  She was in her avatar’s body. She was now Aven Willows.

  Could that mean that the cave she found herself in was where she fought the Dark Apostle?

  Her mind spiraled further into panic as she kept looking at the body of her avatar she now possessed. Each detail of her new form became more evident with every darting glance.

  Then a thought bloomed in her mind. If she really was in her avatar’s body...then did that mean she could access her status window?

  She took a deep breath, calming her chaotic thoughts for a moment.

  “S-status...” she muttered hesitantly.

  A familiar blue holographic screen appeared in response.

  |Aven Willows|

  Class: Primordial Archmage

  Race: Dark Fey

  Level: 1,921

  Rank: Transcended

  Title: [Boss Slayer], [Primordial Bound], [Dark Fey Queen], [47 More...]

  Stats:

  STR: 134,227

  AGI: 189,205

  CON: 607,302

  MAG: 19,117,009

  WIL: 3,831,668

  Her gaze lingered on her status for a moment, taking in the information. It was the same as in the game. Her maxed-out level, titles, and absurdly large stats. All of it was there.

  The only thing that seemed different was her rank.

  Transcended? That wasn’t the rank Avelyn, or maybe Aven, had previously. Her rank used to be Ascended, the highest rank that you could get in Realm of Myein.

  So why was it Transcended now? What had changed? How curious.

  She shook her head, catching herself before getting too distracted.

  “Focus.” She scolded herself, pulling her thoughts back to the issue at hand.

  If her status worked, then maybe there were other features that she could summon as well.

  “[Guild]. [Friend List]...[Map]?”

  None of the commands worked. Not even a flicker in the air to show its attempt to materialize itself.

  She tried a few more but was met with the same result. How annoying.

  Aven’s brows furrowed. “Alright...” she grumbled. “How about my spells? Let’s see if that worked.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The latter action was essential for casting spells in the game.

  Focusing, she looked deep within herself, searching for the source of her power. The source of all mages that allowed them to use magic. Located somewhere in her chest area, a large bright blue ball of energy could be seen, pulsing like a heartbeat.

  Then, through instinct that shouldn’t have existed, she willed strands of the energy through her body, funneling it from her chest toward her arm until it reached her hand. She could feel her palm rise in temperature, as if it were being pressed against a hot metal surface.

  She raised her hand, her fingers slightly trembling. “[Primordial Flame].” She incanted.

  The sensation she felt next was akin to her touching a live wire. Power surged through her body and toward her palm. It felt raw, primal, and intoxicating.

  She instinctively gasped as fire erupted from her hand. The flame danced along her palm, shimmering with energy and shifting through varying colors from red, orange, blue, purple, white, and even green.

  She could feel its heat. Its hunger. Its desire to both destroy and create. Sensations she could never replicate in a dream.

  Aven stared at the flame, mesmerized by its appearance.

  “No way...” she muttered in disbelief. “It’s actually real...”

  Despite seeing herself in her avatar body and in the very cave where she fought the Dark Apostle Boss, it was her display of magic that finally convinced her that everything she was experiencing right now was, in fact, real.

  Her lips curved into a small grin as she closed her palm, extinguishing the flame. But the sense of wonder over what she just did still lingered.

  “This is insane...” she whispered, her tone half manic and half excited.

  Just earlier, she was in her office playing her favorite game. And now? She was in her avatar body, casting magic with ease.

  It was such a surreal experience. And she wanted to experience more.

  “Now that I think about it, since I have wings, doesn’t that mean I could fly now?”

  In Myein, her avatar could fly since it was a racial skill she possessed. So, in theory, she could do that now.

  Feeling eager, Aven tried to move the muscles that connected to her wings, but immediately stopped. She heard something nearby.

  Footsteps. And not just one set. There were several. All of them marching in her direction.

  Panic surged through Aven once more, urging her to act.

  Crap! I need to hide!

  Her eyes darted around the cave, desperately searching for a hiding spot. She then spotted a large boulder nearby before moving toward it with haste. Hiding her body behind the massive rock, Aven peered her head around it to see who or what was entering the cave chamber.

  The footsteps grew louder, and now she could hear voices. Loud and taunting.

  A few moments later, a group of teenagers barged into the cave chamber, their laughter carrying through with ease.

  Aven cautiously observed, curious to know what would happen.

  Then, she watched two of the teenagers get pushed to the ground.

  Her breath caught.

  The other teens continued to laugh, pointing at the other two, who were pushed down all the while.

  Aven narrowed her eyes. Wait, are those two getting...bullied?