The chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves being stirred by a gentle breeze reached the girl’s ears, and her perception gradually returned to normal in the midst of a vast white landscape.

 

“…………?”

 

“What is this…?”

 

It’s strange, the environment around her… is somewhat different from what she expected.

 

This dungeon should have been called the “Hellfire Demon God’s Prison.” It’s a scorching hot place packed with all sorts of fiery demon creatures and deadly traps. Even without special magical equipment to protect you, you’ll keep getting burned.

 

But now…

 

She raised her head, and above her was a clear, azure sky with bright and warm light streaming down, bringing a comfortable but not overpowering warmth.

 

All around her, there were lush and ancient groves of trees. Even the smallest plants seemed to be more than ten meters tall. The sunlight was filtering through the gaps in the rich green foliage, and the air was fresh and clear, carrying a refreshing scent.

 

It was indeed a wonderful environment, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was in 【Illusory World】, the most advanced fully immersive virtual reality game of the modern age, she might have thought she was in a specially designed ecological park to experience such enjoyment.

 

“Wait a minute…”

 

The girl furrowed her brow.

 

Something was off. She remembered very clearly that while 【Illusory World】 was an incredibly realistic virtual game, it still had some differences compared to the real world. One crucial point was that “smell” was not a concept in “Illusory World.”

 

Players could certainly smell various scents simulated within the game, but these were essentially stimuli generated directly in the brain through data signals. In simple terms, it skipped the “smelling” process and directly produced results.

 

After all, virtual headsets couldn’t truly simulate the complete functions of the human body. Providing various signals directly to the brain to create a “virtual sensation” was the quickest and most convenient way, and this was the core design philosophy of virtual reality games.

 

There were many subtle differences, and if one paid attention, they could still be noticed.

 

The problem was right here, now.

 

The girl took another deep breath and focused on it. She could be quite certain that the sensation of this air passing through her nostrils, entering her body, and then slowly exhaling was a level of realism that was absolutely impossible in 【Illusory World】!

 

What on earth had happened? Did the game company develop a new system and pull me in for testing?

 

As one of the few players who had achieved boundary breakthroughs and belonged to the top tier globally, he had participated in some peculiar tests in the past…

 

Similar thoughts immediately occurred to the girl. If it wasn’t for this, there was no way to explain why she had deviated from the dungeon she should have entered and ended up in this unfamiliar place, feeling an experience almost indistinguishable from reality.

 

Yes, it was reality. As a dedicated player of 【Illusory World】 for four years, she was well aware of the subtle differences between the game and real life. 

 

However, now all the barriers seemed to have disappeared, as if she had passed through a transparent glass partition into a world on the other side.

 

It’s impressive… The technology being tested right now would probably soon create a huge sensation worldwide. How did the development company of 【Illusory World】 manage to do this?

 

Setting aside her somewhat confused thoughts, the girl lowered her head and looked at her own smooth and delicate forearm, her ten slender ivory fingers, and the pure white robe she was wearing. 

 

There was no doubt that this was how she looked in the game…

“He” became a female character of “his” game account.

 

She instinctively tried to open her character panel to check for any anomalies, but her finger suddenly halted in mid-air.

 

The girl’s face showed astonishment.

 

“Why… can’t I access the system interface?!”

 

In 【Illusory World】, players only needed to swipe their hands in specific positions, and a series of system menus would immediately appear in front of them. But now…

 

For some reason, the system didn’t respond to the girl’s call.

 

A long-forgotten sense of panic welled up within her. This time, she was truly getting anxious, and the reason was simple.

 

If she couldn’t open the system menu, she wouldn’t be able to log out!

 

While removing the VR headset from the outside world could forcibly exit a player from the game, doing so placed a heavy load on the brain. Unless it was an emergency, nobody dared to do that, and right now, she was the only one at home…

 

Darn it, what on earth is the game company up to? This kind of restriction on self-initiated logout is a major taboo in the virtual gaming world, something players can complain about!

 

After all, nobody wanted the game they were playing to become the next “Sword Art Online”…

 

Fortunately, although she couldn’t open the system interface, the girl suddenly had a moment of realization on how to access her personal panel.

 

*Ding.*

 

With a specific thought in mind, a faint blue, semi-transparent screen that was identical to what she had seen in the game appeared in front of the girl.

 

“…………”

 

Setting aside this unprecedented way of summoning the interface, at least the game panel was still the same as before. Attributes, skills, and equipment hadn’t changed at all, which made the girl breathe a slight sigh of relief.

 

After all, “Violet” was a powerful character that she had spent years meticulously crafting, her greatest asset and foundation in the game world.

 

Her complexion improved for less than a moment, but Violet’s expression instantly darkened again because she suddenly realized that this special method of summoning the system only brought up three things: character, inventory, and skill tree. All other options like maps, friends, guilds, auctions, settings, and so on, had completely disappeared!?

 

In other words, she still couldn’t find a way to log out, and this strong feeling of being trapped made her scalp tingle.

 

Suppressing her anxiety, Violet tried for a while in the same spot, gradually understanding part of the current situation.

 

Setting aside why she had been transported to this area she had never visited before and the unimaginable sense of reality, at least Violet’s abilities were still functioning normally, and all the items in her inventory could still be taken out.

 

Although the original HP and MP bars and some game data had disappeared from her field of vision, Violet could still sense their presence and changes through an indescribable means. Skills didn’t require selection, she could use them instantly with a simple thought, and the inventory had transformed into something akin to items being retrieved from thin air.

 

Quite intriguing, even though she couldn’t fathom the reason for these changes. She decided to accept the situation for now. As long as Violet could still use her powers, there was no need to be too afraid. Logging out and such could wait; for now, she would explore her surroundings and find out what had happened.

 

“Contract Summon: Xiao Guang.”

 

Violet extended her hand, and following the natural guidance in her mind, she channeled her magical energy. Immediately, a mysterious and splendid circular magic circle appeared on the empty ground before her. After the radiance shimmered, a figure had already materialized within the summoning circle.

 

It was a girl who appeared to be around twenty years old, with pale golden long hair, a slim and graceful figure, two white pointed horns on her head, and a beautiful tail trailing behind her. She was wearing a form-fitting dark-colored bodysuit and knee-length shorts that seemed more like an extension of her body, and they did little to conceal the girl’s graceful curves. She exuded a charismatic and gallant charm.

 

She kneeled on the ground, bowing her head and clad in skin-tight attire that reached just above her knees. It seemed more like an extension of her body, failing to conceal the girl’s alluring curves. Her appearance was both spirited and captivating.

 

“Master, did you call for me?”

 

The girl raised her head, sharp platinum vertical pupils fixed on Violet in front of her. She displayed joy and reverence that seemed to come from the depths of her heart, like a loyal dog greeting its owner after a long absence. She didn’t immediately rise from the ground; instead, she patiently awaited Violet’s command.

 

Violet was momentarily taken aback by the intense gaze fixed upon her, and she couldn’t immediately articulate the instructions she had originally planned. Despite being an intimate companion for several years, this pet in front of her seemed somehow different…

 

“Oh, yes. I plan to explore this forest, and I’ll rely on you, Xiao Guang, to protect me during this time.”

 

“Understood. Protecting the master is my duty. Please entrust it to me.”

 

“Ah? Oh…”