Kevin took a breather in the real world before deciding to check on his resurrection cooldown. Slipping back into his gaming capsule and putting on the VR helmet, he expected to see the usual resurrection screen. Instead, a sudden burst of blue light pierced his vision, pulling his consciousness forcefully into the game.

  Almost instantly, he realized that he had logged in to the game world. As he tried to move around, he realized that the place was cramped, so much so that he couldn’t move his limbs more than thirty centimeters away. For a brief moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating in the capsule, but the cramped space felt more like a box. Wait, am I inside a coffin?

  Gathering his strength, Kevin pushed against the top of the box. To his shock, it flew off with surprising ease, crashing to the side. What? Did I just get stronger? he thought, bewildered. Despite just having achieved the second stage of Initiate Attunement, he was confident that he was attuned to his strength. But this felt… even more powerful.

  What the heck is happening? Kevin’s mind raced. How am I inside the game? Is this some kind of hidden plot or event? Nothing made sense to him other than this reasoning.

  With questions piling up in his mind, Kevin stood up and surveyed his surroundings. The area was dimly lit, yet for some reason, his vision cut through the darkness with ease, almost as if he had night vision. The damp stone walls and ancient architecture suggested he was in an underground castle or dungeon of some sort.

  As he scanned the room, his eyes landed on a figure standing near an oak-like stove. Upon more observation, the figure appeared to be a female, or at least humanoid in form. Her bluish skin and the two small horns protruding from her temples meant that she wasn’t human. Strangely, she seemed to be in the middle of cooking?

  Curiosity piqued, Kevin cautiously approached her. The figure then turned around, her eyes widening in surprise. “Oh, it seems you’ve regained consciousness, my creation,” she said in a calm, almost tender voice.

  Kevin blinked. My creation? He took in more of her odd appearance — she wore a simple dress, covered by a spotless white apron, and a chef’s hat, of all things. But what really caught his attention was the fact that she had no legs. Instead, she floated effortlessly in the air. She was a ghost!

  Usually, Kevin would’ve sprinted in the opposite direction at the sight of a ghost, but this one wasn’t exactly terrifying. In fact, she looked bizarrely out of place, like a ghostly chef straight out of a parody.

  Is she some kind of weird NPC? he thought.

  Before he could speak, the floating figure raised her hands dramatically. “It’s time to conquer the world!” she declared, as dark energy swirled ominously around her. Kevin’s heart raced for a moment until her tone abruptly shifted. “…With a free lifelong premium cooking service! Satisfaction guaranteed, or double your money back!”

  Kevin stood there, speechless. The devs must’ve been drunk when they coded this NPC, especially when her dramatic presence didn’t fit the dark and eerie setting at all. Yet, despite the absurdity, Kevin felt an odd connection to her as though his newfound power somehow originated from this ghostly, comedic figure.

  What exactly had he gotten himself into?

  “Sit wherever you like,” she said, gesturing toward a long dining table lined with chairs. To Kevin’s horror, they were occupied by various undead creatures, such as skeletons, zombies, and even a ghoul or two. It seemed she intended for him to join them in eating whatever it was she had cooked. Hopefully, it was not horrible like a rotten flesh stew or something.

  Kevin tried to respond, but when he opened his mouth to speak, only a guttural moan escaped. “Graahh?” Holy shit! Why can’t I speak?!

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  It was at that moment that he realized that he was no longer human. Chills ran through his spine as he glanced down at his hands. His skin, unblemished by the wounds it should have had from before, was the same bluish tone as the ghostly woman before him — not the decayed gray of the zombies around him, but clearly not human anymore. Am I... undead? But what kind of undead?

  “Well, this is awkward.” The ghost scratched the back of her head in what seemed like genuine embarrassment and explained, “Let me get to the point. I’m your creator, Valeria arc Noctis, the ‘Fallen Princess’ from the Dark Age, and now… a ‘Ghost Necromancer.’ I need a smart subordinate who can help me handle complex tasks, like gathering all sorts of ingredients. But because there’s kind of a shortage of skilled labor from the place where I come from, I created you to do the job.”

  She paused, a sly smile spreading on her mouth. “It just so happens that someone with a strong affinity for both Necro and Umbra elements, like you, fell into one of my little traps. A happy coincidence for me. Oh, what a blessing.”

  Kevin stood there, dumbfounded. So, you were the one who killed me! And to have fallen into a trap meant for mindless prey, he couldn’t imagine the shame that would come if he were to share his experience with other players. Still, of all the twisted plotlines he had imagined, this one took the cake. And apparently, it came with a side of undead cuisine.

  Sighing internally, Kevin figured standing there wasn’t going to solve anything, so he resigned himself to the situation and took a seat at the table. He tried to ignore the zombie beside him, who was drooling as it hunched over his side.

  Alright, time to think. Kevin reached for his Shadowlink Mark, planning to message his friends or even contact the developers to ask about this hidden plotline. But... nothing happened. Eh? He tried again, focusing harder, but the familiar interface didn’t appear. His Shadowlink Mark on his left wrist remained unresponsive.

  He frowned, injecting infused mana into it to force a response. Still nothing. Panic started to creep in. Why isn’t it working? No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t respond to his call as if powerful magic sealed his connection to it.

  What the hell was going on?

  “Are you trying to contact your friends?” The ghost, who called herself Valeria, turned her face 180 degrees while her body remained focused on cooking, her face stretching unnaturally toward Kevin with a glare. Terrifying. That was truly terrifying.

  As if sensing his fear, Valeria retracted her head back into place. “Don’t worry, I only put a magic seal on that mark because I can’t allow you to communicate with your friends just yet. While I’ve given you free will and preserved your consciousness, that doesn’t mean you can do as you please. Please understand my position and obey my orders. I’ll naturally reward you once this is all over.”

  Then, this had to be a forced mission!

  Nevertheless, without the ability to access his holographic screen, there wasn’t even a mission pop-up to confirm it. He wanted to ask about her immediate goal, but he was reminded of his inability to speak.

  “Oh, if you’re wondering what my plans are…” Valeria’s expression shifted into a smile, clearly amused by his frustration. “We’ll begin by turning this area into my domain. My scouts recently found an intriguing place to the northeast. That’s where we’ll start.”

  The northeast was the direction of the academy. He had to warn the others! But his only option was to log out of the game and use the internet to contact someone. But in order to log out, he’d either need to meditate or lose consciousness in the game.

  “Graah…!” he groaned, attempting to express his thoughts.

  “It seems that you have much to say.” Valeria smiled, amused. “Rest assured, you will regain your ability to speak in time as you become more attuned to your new body.” She then waved her hand, and several spectral hands appeared, placing a dish in front of him; it was a surprisingly normal-looking stew.

  “Now, Please partake,” she said with a flourish, gesturing toward the food.

  With no other option, Kevin cautiously scooped up a spoonful of the stew and took a sip. His eyes instantly widened in shock. Wow! This tastes incredible — like something straight out of a five-star restaurant!

  Kevin gobbled down the soup to its last drip. It was so good that even CookieMons’ cooking was nothing in comparison. In fact, he had the audacity to ask for seconds or even thirds.

  “Hm-hmm,” Valeria hummed, a smile tugging at her lips. She seemed unusually cheerful. “It’s the first time someone has enjoyed my cooking, hehe.”

  Wait, does that mean all her previous meals have been horrid? Although he wanted to ask, he was unable to. Not that he had the guts to ask her outright, even if she was just an NPC.

  Whatever the case, he was in to do some hidden mission given by the game. Maybe it would lead to unlocking a secret class, the kind that would make other players burn with envy, just like the rare Bloodline Magus or KuroUsagi’s Magus inheritance.

  It was only later on that he discovered that he couldn’t log out from the game!