Chương 1: Worldfall

It was finally Friday. A young blonde woman named Alicia ran straight to her penthouse's private elevator after she entered her condominium. Since last week, everything had been utterly hectic for her, leaving her unable to play her favorite game, the VRMMO title called Worldfall Online. It was the most modern game on the slate of Litenexus Corporation, the largest firm when it came to making open-world VRMMOs.

She already sank thousands of hours into the game, alongside a pretty sizable amount of her trust fund money to whale on it. She even had the rarest premium race in the game, [Vampire], which was supposed to be an enemy unit in Worldfall Online but was available at a high cost for players who wished to lean towards role-playing above all. Of course, this didn't mean that Alicia simply whaled.

She still needed a lot of skill just to build her character up and rise through the rankings, but money certainly helped her so much. Now, she was ranked as the #1 player in the game, and she wanted to maintain that rank. Unfortunately, something briefly disrupted that.

As an upper-class woman in university, even if she was a bit of a slob now that she was trying out this whole "independent lifestyle" thing, she still had to keep appearances up, or else her family would take her new penthouse away from her and drag her back to their main home. That was absolutely unacceptable to Alicia, so for the past week, with her final semestral exams coming in, she had no choice but to work night and day catching up with her materials and studies, leaving no room to log back in to her game.

Even if she were extremely invested in the game, if her grades fell too badly, she would definitely get an earful from her family. That was why she took a break from the game to study, and considering the straight A results she received, it was all worth it. Hugging a paper bag containing every snack and drink possible, her bright azure eyes shone as the elevator made a gentle ding. Finally. I'm free again! Of course, she wasn't truly 'free.' Next week, responsibilities would pile up again.

Alicia's father already demanded that she come with him to work again at their company for another 'internship.' Still, that wasn't going to move Alicia away from her celebrations. She was free now. That was all that mattered. With a cheery smile, Alicia emerged out of the elevator and practically ran straight to the entrance of her penthouse. Outside, Alicia maintained an elegant demeanor, yet the moment she stepped into her home, all appearances were thrown out.

Inside, her maid, a middle-aged woman named Rosa, smiled as Alicia haphazardly placed her bags on one of the tables in the living room.

"Rosa! Can you please put these away for me? Sorry, I'll help you out later instead with the housework. I really have to finish something first."

"It's fine. You seem to be in good spirits. I'm glad."

"Well, I managed to get through the hard parts of the test easily today! Oh, I'm going to rub it in my mom's face later." Laughing like a maniac to herself, Alicia fully degraded from a prim and proper young lady with good grades to a gremlin. After removing her shoes and blazer, she went straight for the fridge and grabbed some water to drink before rushing upstairs to her room, leaving her maid behind to do the rest of the work. She didn't even bother to change her school uniform. That was for later.

Instead, after closing her door, she rapidly and expertly began setting up her VR equipment. Within minutes, she had everything ready, and she finally logged in to Worldfall Online. It was such a cathartic feeling, as if every worldly worry she had was left behind. She was no longer that Alicia, a woman who had to work hard just to maintain the appearance that her family wanted for her.

No, now she was now going to play as Alicia Allister, the avatar she created just for herself in a world filled with her wildest fantasies, where she could become the person that she truly wanted to be.

Sure, being a slightly edgy demon vampire who was totally on the side of good as a 'heroine' was a little bit cringeworthy for a woman of her age and standing, but, well, who wouldn't want to become Alicia Allister, with her strength, magecraft, and cool abilities, all shown in crisp, realistic, and highly immersive detail that Worldfall Online offered? Not to mention, she was going to meet her countless online friends, party members, and guild members too. She couldn't wait.

Unlike her, most players weren't exactly throwing outrageous money in the game just to reach maximum levels considering the costs involved, so they needed her whenever they went into major battle quests. Since they knew that her exams would end today, they must be eagerly waiting for her to come back. Hopefully, they're ready for the Demon King subjugation quest. Alicia thought, watching her game's loading screen. Its beautiful UI and background music already began to entrance her.

She felt like she was gently falling through a void, as if her soul were being transferred to the game world. Ah, whatever. Even if they're not fully ready yet, I've already reached level 999. It's pretty much assured that we'll win. Hmm… that makes me wonder. What will the devs add as a new boss character after this? Maybe this time I should also let another player kill the next one too, no? I mean, I'll get so much lead in the rankings after this quest, anyway. It'll make things more interesting for a while.

As Alicia mindlessly began rambling to herself about her strategies or what she would do in the future, a strange feeling enveloped her. For some reason, that comforting and iconic tune wasn't stopping. The loading bar also seemed stuck at ninety percent for some reason. She ignored it. Maybe the servers were just acting up. But when nothing changed for nearly a minute, her impatience fully flared up. She moved her hand, as if reaching up, when suddenly, the void around her broke.

The game's UI began aggressively glitching, the darkness around her broken by a kaleidoscope of colors and effects. Random pixels began appearing everywhere, and her eyes widened. What's happening? Log out! Log out! What, where's the exit menu?! She began trying all the emergency methods to force a shutdown so she would wake up. But she was unable to do it. No, wait… for some reason, she felt as if she wasn't even moving her real body. Was she trapped in her mind? What was happening? Should she file a report? Oh.

She saw her hand reaching out to the welcome screen, now fully broken down, practically unrecognizable. She was truly falling, this time, to darkness.

"It can't be. Am I being—?" Her last words were suddenly silenced as she lost consciousness. Tap, tap, tap. What was happening? Why couldn't she see anything? Everything was pitch black. Her eyes must be closed. Tap, tap, tap. Strange. She couldn't move her body; she couldn't open her eyes, but she could think. She felt as if she were at the border of being awake and asleep. She tried breaking through it, but it was difficult. But she tried her hardest, and slowly, her hearing began to pick things up.

She could hear the pitter-patter of rainfall, the rustling of leaves, and then—her eyes opened. A bluish screen greeted her. [USER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS MET!] This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. [BLACK CROWN INHERITED!] [KING OF VAEL TITLE GRANTED!] [TIME SINCE THE BLACK CROWN'S LAST USE: 684 YEARS, 8 MONTHS, 14 DAYS…] Sitting upright, a crownlike, dark halo briefly appeared on top of her snow-white hair. Then, it vanished in an instant.

Alicia felt a throbbing headache, and she instinctively massaged her temples while breathing in and out deeply, her pointy ears slightly drooping downwards. Whatever that [System] notification meant, she didn't know, but she should probably check it out later. What the hell? Where am I? What was that all about? Black crown? King of Vael? She frowned, looking straight at the cave's wall in front of her. It was quite cold, and now that she thought about it, she was lying in a slightly wet part of the cave.

She was at the entrance after all. Everything was still weird, she still felt weak, and the headache, which was now on its way out, still affected her. But she could feel her strength coming back. Slowly at first, but then rapidly. Her brain fog began clearing, her energy flowing back through her veins, as her deep, ruby-red irises lit back with life. It didn't even take her two minutes, and at last… Alicia Allister, once the greatest heroine of mankind, was back, her memories snapping in place.

I'm Alicia Allister now? … No way. Is this all real? She stood up, shakily at first, but she was now able to get out of the cave and gaze out at the world outside. The rain picked up, the sound of thunder striking the lands below. The fog in the wilderness, alongside the dense forest ahead of her, was thick, and the cold was biting. Her real self back on earth was quite a delicate woman, but Alicia Allister was barely affected by the elements.

The world in front of her appeared real, not just in the sense of a video game appearing realistic and immersive. No, this was real enough that she felt her body hair standing up. Denial flared back up within her, and she quickly summoned her system screen, ignored her stats, and went straight to the main menu screen to exit. But no matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she argued mentally with the [System], she received the same reply over and over again. [OPTION UNAVAILABLE! WOULD YOU LIKE TO FILE A REPORT?] [REPORT UNAVAILABLE. PLEASE TRY AGAIN NEXT TIME!] [PLEASE TRY AGAIN NEXT TIME!] [PLEASE TRY AGAIN NEXT TIME!] [PLEASE TRY AGAIN NEXT TIME!]"Damn it! Work, damn it!" Outraged, Alicia collapsed on her knees. She wanted to believe that this was just a bug, a simple glitch. Maybe the servers were just acting up. But she could feel deep in her soul that she already knew the truth. After all, it was all right in front of her.

Somehow, the world she escaped to in order to have fun was now her world. Before, she would have celebrated this and theorized how she would try to survive and make the most out of such an opportunity, but, when reality finally bit her in the ass, she wanted nothing more than to retreat back to her world. This place was cold, cruel, and vicious. Someone like her, a gamer, a university student, and, shameful as it was to admit, a spoiled young woman, did not belong there.

Tears streaked down her cheeks as she looked down on the wet soil. It can't be… She sniffed. Rosa. She gritted her teeth. While she, Alicia, wasn't the strongest in spirit out there, Alicia Allister was. And quickly, her avatar's character filled her heart with newfound determination. This didn't make any sense. After all, she was the strongest person in Worldfall Online. Why was she sniveling like a child on the ground, wet and pathetic? No, this won't do. I'm Alicia Allister.

What will people think if they see me like this? Instinctually, multiple spells activated in her mind. Perfectly executed, without her needing to even chant a single word, the world around her was bent to her will. Her clothes, wet and dirty, were near instantly cleaned as she stood up, while an invisible barrier that seemed to make the rain avoid her formed. Magic… It came through her naturally. The commands, the formulas, and perfect control. She was quite good at math, but not this good.

Not good enough to practically control a fantasy magic system with this precise beauty. She reached her hand out and briefly let a few droplets fall on it. Then, with her will, she made it stop, and she dried her hand in an instant. Her blood screamed in excitement. Magecraft, wonderful and fantastical—she could do it. Not through a game, but she, with her body and skill, could cast spells. This was her reality now, and perhaps it was just her character's spirit that caused this, but she quickly accepted it.

Her hand curled up into a fist.... Geez, what am I crying for? She recomposed herself. Pick yourself up, Alicia. This is not how a level 999 [Vampiric Archmage] acts. Now that her mind fully cleared up, she finally began piecing things together. The system said that I now have the [Black Crown] and the title 'King of Vael.' Vael. It was the name of this world, originally at least according to the lorebook, back when 'demons,' or the 'Vaelrin' in demonic tongue, ruled the world.

That was before the age of mankind, when the elves, dwarves, humans, and beastfolk slowly took over the world until the Vaelrin and their world became nothing but a small realm. From the word 'Vael,' mankind referred to the remnants of the Vaelrin's homeland as 'hell,' and the Vaelrin were called demons as the enmity between both races intensified. After centuries of being pushed out of their homes, the Vaelrin tribes finally united under a king in order to reconquer their homeland—Vael itself.

But instead of a noble campaign to stop mankind's encroachment, as if becoming true to the name given by his opponents, who referred to him as the 'Demon King,' he viciously began killing everyone in his path, even the innocent. To Alicia, it was quite the intriguing lore, and because she thought it was cool, she thought she should play as a dissident vampire princess from the vampire tribe of the Vaelrin who would oppose such a warmongering king.

She wanted to play the unique role of a heroine who came from the enemy's ranks, mostly because it was kind of ironic and vampires seemed cooler than the standard races that she could choose from. But now, just as everything became real, the race she chose was going to have concrete effects on her life. As this new reality sank into her, Alicia checked her status screen to figure out what the [Black Crown] offered. While reading the abilities listed underneath, her eyes widened.

She couldn't believe that she'd suddenly get such a legendary item the moment she woke up. … What the hell? While most of its abilities were currently locked away, at full mastery, the [Black Crown] essentially gave Alicia what was tantamount to admin permissions at commanding and influencing the 'demons' of this world. From brainwashing, mind reading, changing memories, wiping memories, buffing stats, and many more, the [Black Crown] was a truly terrifying item.

It would take a truly extraordinary Vaelrin to resist the black crown's influence. So far, the only ability available to her was [Memory Reconstruction] under the 'mind analysis' tree. From the start, Alicia could already use this crown to reconstruct a Vaelrin's past and see it for herself. This was already ethically sketchy, and this was just the weakest capability of the [Black Crown].

The implications of it were enough for Alicia to immediately vow not to use it at all unless there was no other choice, as it was clearly an item only fit for an evil 'Demon King.' Even so, that didn't change the fact that she had it now. This is only meant to appear on the head of the greatest villain in-game so far. Since it was last used hundreds of years ago, it means that even in my absence, the King of Vael was somehow defeated, and the [Black Crown] lost its user. But why me? Why did I inherit it?

It was probably because she was the strongest demon alive right now. But that wouldn't make sense, because centuries had already passed. She was pretty sure that there would be other players or NPCs of the demon race who would be eligible for the Black Crown in that timeframe, right? None of this sounds good. Not the fact that the demon king was defeated, but the fact that there was no one to succeed him.

While in-game, it made sense to fight and oppose the warmongering king of Vael, and indeed there were many demons like her too who didn't agree to a campaign of bloodthirsty reconquest and revenge, from NPCs to players. They should have inherited the [Black Crown], but they didn't. She hoped that nothing bad happened to them. She needed to find out what happened. And to do that, she needed to see the world. She looked up at the dark sky. Alright, Worldfall Online. Here I go.

And then, she activated [Fly], soaring up through the rain, and the world around her seemed to brace itself as it bore witness to her grand return. Mankind's greatest heroine, the Angel of Death, was now the Demon King.