My breath caught in my chest as I watched the void dance. Right before my eyes, the air split into spindle-like threads of light—interwoven colors of crimson and ethereal blue entangled in a silent visual symphony. Those lights spun in a rapid spiral, as if a tiny wormhole were vomiting matter from another world. Suddenly, the light condensed at the center, and the particles began to solidify, taking on a tangible form.
In mere seconds, the glow faded, leaving behind an object floating in the air with a calm gravity.
Yes, it was a smartphone. A smartphone in the heart of a magic-drenched medieval age. What a stark contradiction! But as someone torn away from the comforts of the twenty-first century, I didn't feel strangeness as much as I felt exhilaration. Living without a phone, to me, is not just a "lack"—it is a violation of my human dignity. Just because this world relies on carriages and horses does not mean I should be deprived of my touchscreen.
I extended my hand slowly, my fingers touching its cold surface. The phone was a work of art; its body made of polished black agate reflecting light like a mysterious mirror, surrounded by edges of pure gold engraved with delicate royal runes. It wasn't just a device—it looked like a rare royal "Skin."
The moment it settled into my palm, I felt a magical tremor binding me to it. I looked at the dark screen, and in an instant, it responded to my facial imprint, revealing the familiar iPhone interface. Those colorful icons alone were enough to restore the erratic beating of my heart.
"Alright… let's begin the sacred ritual of any human who owns a camera."
I raised my arm, tilted my head at a calculated angle to catch the magical light emanating from the room's walls on my face, and pressed the button. Tick.
I opened the gallery immediately. My breath froze.
Is this… me? My blond hair fell over my forehead like woven strands of gold, my skin flawless to the brink of perfection, and my green eyes… my God, they were two forests of deep emerald, overflowing with a sharp, confident gaze. My face was sculpted as if carved by a divine chisel, and my body's muscles were clearly balanced without crude exaggeration.
"I can't blame (Rain) at all," I whispered to myself, gazing at the picture with overwhelming narcissism. "Who would have the strength to resist this temptation? I am sin itself."
I decided to test the camera's precision. I began zooming in. Closer to my face, then to my eye… the clarity remained terrifyingly stable. I zoomed further until I could see the details of the iris, then reached the pupil with unfathomable depth, and suddenly—
[Ding!]
Ria's voice rang in my mind with a calm, cautious tone:
[Master, if you continue zooming, it will display the blood vessels and internal tissues of the eyeball… are you prepared to see your anatomical version?]
My face shrank in instinctive disgust: "Eww… ugh! Who's the lunatic who wants to see the insides of his eye? Ria, disable that feature immediately."
[As you command, Master.]
I quickly moved on to test audio and video; the clarity was beyond description. And now, it was time for the main course: the Internet.
[Master,] Ria interrupted my thoughts with technical enthusiasm, [the application with the black icon and the letter (Y) will show you the pulse of the world and public opinions.]
I raised an eyebrow mockingly: "Why not just call it (X)? If Elon Musk heard you, he'd cry himself to death."
She replied with amusing artificial stiffness: [No, it is (Y), Master…]
I opened the app. The interface was simple—exactly like Twitter. My fingers began to glide across the screen, scrolling through posts.
[@City_Baker]: "Bread ran out today because a cavalry legion passed by… if you don't bring flour tomorrow, there's no breakfast."
I chuckled lightly; even in a world of dragons, humans never stop complaining about food. I kept scrolling…
[@Farmer_From_The_South]: "A small dragon has been confirmed near the fields. If anyone knows how to drive it away without burning the crops, let us know."
"A small dragon?" I muttered with interest. "I wonder if it's the size of a dog or a house…"
Posts continued—apprentice mages celebrating successful spells, urgent news from the royal academy about magical disturbances in the north. The comments ignited; retired knights predicting wars, conspiracy enthusiasts talking about a "crack in the sky."
Suddenly, my eyes froze on an anonymous post that gained thousands of likes within minutes:
[@Unknown]: "I saw it… the sky… it cracked."
[Master, a massive surge in activity has been detected regarding the phenomenon of 'Sky Cracking' above the imperial capital (Moskan).]
"This is starting to get interesting…" I said, my smile widening. "Tell me about the other apps."
Ria began explaining the arsenal I possessed:
YouRune: where magic turns into visual clips and live broadcasts.
Prism: a paradise of images and magical filters (the old world's Instagram).
Facetome: where groups and profiles intertwine.
Nethex: magically embodied plays and novels in 4K precision.
Mapril: a live map tracking the movement of living beings and monsters in real time.
"But what about comments?"
[Comments where people reply to each other are actually from individuals connected to one another—perhaps sitting together or using an artifact.
As for how you can add a comment, we can simply use your unique skill, Avatar, to create a virtual avatar of any random gender and race and have it join the conversation.]
"Oh, I see…
Wait, wait, wait—what do you mean by that? It sounds amazing."
[In fact, this is what I told you earlier—the most enjoyable plan to get closer to Commander Ryo.]
I paused for a moment to process everything, then burst with excitement like a madman: "Riaaa, more—tell me more!"
[Alright, let me show you. The first skill you will use is Avatar.]
Before my eyes, the blue screen I had forgotten the name of appeared, displaying several pieces of information:
Name: Avatar
Level: Unique
Description: Allows you to create an illusory copy that can be of any gender, race, or age, possessing complete and realistic traits and acting accordingly. It can be customized in everything, from memories to appearance.
Requirements: Implanting a soul into the body for it to function.
Limitations: The body operates for a temporary duration depending on skill level (maximum one day ).
Additional Info: The type of soul implanted directly affects the avatar's duration and abilities.
I examined it carefully and analytically, quickly noticing a problem.
"Ria, what about these limitations?"
[Don't worry, Master. This is where your other skills come in. Look at this.]
The screen data changed before me, revealing another skill:
Name: Soul Maker
Level: Divine
Description: The ability to create various types of souls.
Requirements: Complete knowledge of soul formation.
Limitations: Your creative ability depends on your mana level and spiritual capabilities.
Additional Info: None.
As soon as I finished reading, the screen changed again:
Name: Library of Creation
Level: Legendary
Description: The ability to analyze the types of souls you encounter.
Requirements: Encountering or communicating with souls to analyze them.
Limitations: The success and accuracy of analysis depend on your spiritual abilities and luck.
Additional Info: None.
Name: Possessor
Level: Grand
Description: The ability to transfer your consciousness into other vessels.
Requirements: To transfer into living beings, you must fully possess the formation of that being's soul.
Limitations: Success rate is affected by mental strength and luck.
Additional Info: The duration you can remain in the new vessel increases based on your available mana.
Name: Puppet Master
Level: Grand
Description: The ability to control inanimate objects.
Requirements: To control living bodies, you must possess their spiritual formation along with activating the "Possessor" skill.
Limitations: Control duration and precision are affected by personal level and mental capability.
Additional Info: None.
Then the screen vanished. I lay on my back and smiled.
"Ria, Ria, Ria… does this mean…"
[Yes… you can live different roles, Master. You can be the great adventurer feared by monsters, or the controversial teacher with unmatched intellect, or the mysterious student hiding eternal secrets behind his gaze. You can embody the living legend around whom stories are woven, or the most dangerous woman who topples kingdoms with a smile, or even the mythical dragon that burns enemies with its breath. You can be the cunning merchant who controls the economy of continents, or the hired assassin who leaves no trace, or the ascetic king who watches his people from among the commoners… anything and everything, all at once, without any limits.]
I laughed to myself unconsciously and said, grinning: "I really love this world."
[Master, would you like to try? I have a perfect idea.]
I jumped up to sit quickly and replied without thinking:
"Say it!"