“Ohhh! Is this the Unreal Garden?”
A white, glowing sphere shouted these words. Based on its tone, it was quite excited.
“…To be precise, this is not quite it yet.”
Suddenly, a voice rang out. A girl appeared, her purple hair shimmering with starlight. Her purple eyes contained a golden cross pattern, and she wore a long gown that mirrored the starry sky. Her entire being radiated a divine aura.
“Greetings, Descender. I am the Management God, Tasojia. I shall now explain the precautions you must take within the garden.”
The divine girl known as Tasojia landed beside the white sphere — the Player — and began her explanation as the latter started the preliminary settings for their game character.
“…The race, class, and development area you choose will all affect the direction of your growth. For instance, becoming an adventurer allows you to battle and gain experience immediately, but it is less safe. Becoming a craftsman allows you to create various weapons and equipment to strengthen yourself or others…”
“…Skills have proficiency levels. The higher the proficiency, the stronger the skill’s effect. Skills are divided into those acquired later and those obtained inherently. Acquired skills can be leveled up through special quests or repetitive training, but there is also a type that belongs to equipment effects, which requires wearing specific gear to use. Inherent skills are divided into Racial Skills and Inherent Skills. These are obtained based on the race you choose and your individual traits…”
Whether through her speech or her every gesture, Tasojia exuded an elegant and holy presence. She provided detailed introductions at the appropriate moments, making it hard to believe she was merely a string of code.
“Mmh, that should just about do it.”
After some time, the Player finally finished setting up their game character.
“So, the Descender has chosen the Elf Race as their starting race. The Elf Race possesses high Magic Power, and in terms of base statistics, their Intelligence is high, followed by Agility. They are adept at using nature-related magic. However, looking at your stat allocation, perhaps you intend to practice both melee and magic?”
“That is indeed the case… As expected of a game with such high popularity recently, you see right through me, don’t you? If I didn’t know better, I’d think some pro player was guiding me…”
The white sphere of light muttered in a low voice.
In truth, the Player had only come to try the game because they saw many people recommending it on the forums. Now, it seemed they were destined to become completely addicted.
“Um, I wanted to ask…”
“Does this Descender have any other questions?”
Tasojia flashed a smile, the kind that made one want to immediately convert to her religion and kneel in prayer on the spot.
“It’s nothing, I just wanted to know what color the Goddess’s panties are.”
“…”
Tasojia maintained her smile, her eyes narrowing as she spoke slowly.
“It’s a secret~”
‘I’ve decided to dedicate my life to this Goddess. I’ll go through fire and water for her.’
Her divine aura aside, that slightly teasing but not artificial response alone was enough to turn many Players into Tasojia fans.
The Unreal Garden really knew how to handle its Players.
“Then, may this Descender do their best and enjoy their gaming life within this garden to the fullest.”
With that, the beginner tutorial came to an end. A magic circle — similar to a teleportation array but fundamentally different — lit up. The white sphere of light disappeared, leaving only Tasojia behind.
“…How interesting. Although many Players have asked me that, she is the first one to have that kind of reaction.”
As she spoke, Tasojia pulled up a screen. On it was the Elf Player who had just finished character creation and been transported into the game.
“The appearance of a Player’s character can be modified, but it seems that Player didn’t do so. So, is that her true appearance? It’s quite nice.”
Tasojia sat back onto her Divine Throne, crossing her legs as she watched the Player’s actions.
“Well, she’s only at that level. In the end, she’s just a small fry beneath a god. She can’t compare at all.”
A mocking smile appeared on Tasojia’s face, one that completely contradicted her previous divine image. That holiness and sanctity vanished in an instant.
In reality, this was her true personality. The gentle Goddess the Players saw was nothing more than an act.
…However, it wasn’t as if no Player knew her true face.
Tasojia shifted her gaze toward a monitored link she kept privately, her expression turning into that of someone looking for entertainment.
“Speaking of which, how is that small fry who ‘reincarnated’ into the garden with the status of a Demon King doing now~?”
Humming a tune, Tasojia opened a recording she had been saving to avoid spoilers.
[How dare you be so insolent to Master Ai Yue. Are you prepared to face the consequences?]
[Someone like you thinks they can make me pay a price?]
“As expected of a Succubus, she immediately triggered a jealousy storm.”
[Long live the Great Demon King!!]
“Oh dear, it seems her subordinates are undergoing Dihua. That takes a bit of the fun out of it.”
[Mama…]
“Pfft! She’s actually being called ‘Mama’ now? With that scrawny body of hers, she wouldn’t be able to provide much nutrition, would she?”
The scenes on the screen made Tasojia so happy she picked up some melon seeds and started snacking.
However, just as she was laughing and imagining how the person on screen would fail and provide her with more amusement, things began to go slightly wrong.
[Take this! Super-Dreadnought Class Dark Convergent Cannon!]
“Oh, right. I think there was a Player who was sent to the Demon Realm because of a slight error. Looks like they’re a goner…”
[Die.]
In the next moment, a light so intense that even Tasojia, who was watching while wearing sunglasses, could not look at directly exploded from the screen. It startled her so much that she fell from her Divine Throne onto the floor, spilling melon seed shells everywhere.
“Ah!! My eyes!!”
She hastily used her divine power to recover. Tasojia stood back up while clutching her eyes, looking at the girl on the screen who looked down upon everything. Even through a screen, she could feel a sense of chilling dread.
“She’s actually this strong? I never heard about this!”
Although she already knew the exploits of the Great Demon King who had unified the Demon Realm single-handedly and struck fear into everyone’s hearts, those stories felt like child’s play compared to that devastating strike.
Even though there was still a gap between them, she had undoubtedly exceeded the limits currently reachable by Players — and by a wide margin.
“What should I do… Even though I assigned the task, if this continues, she’ll reach her goal without any trouble… and there’s a possibility that…”
The moment she thought about what that Demon King might do afterward, Tasojia didn’t dare think any further.
“No, I have to create at least some obstacles. There happens to be one right here…”
Tasojia turned her gaze back to the screen she had been watching earlier. On the display, that Elf Player had just arrived at the Temple area in town…