Chapter 2

[Heroes and Dragons]

Better known by its acronym HAD, it was an open-world RPG game for mobile phones that enjoyed huge popularity among teenagers all over the world for one simple reason: Its amazing graphics, its combat system and its almost human-like artificial intelligence, as well as obviously, the huge size of the world that surpasses that of any other mobile game... No, not even that of a PlayStation game like Grand Theft Auto V!

It was well known that mobile games tend to be very small in scope and often rely on offering good gameplay despite not having amazing graphics.

This is due to the lack of processor power of the devices, although in many cases it is the technology on which it is programmed that really limits the application.

But as I said, HAD is very different.

As long as you had internet access, you could not only explore a vast virtual world filled with endless possibilities, but you'd also enjoy beautiful animation designs that made you think you were watching an anime, rather than a game.

The skills were also impressive, and using them had a more realistic interaction with the environment due to the gameplay system being controlled by super advanced AI or something that made real-time adjustments between the stage and the execution of the skill effects as if it were a simulation mimicking the laws of reality, making the fight scenes feel less monotonous and more exciting for the player.

I still remember how amazing it was to see my NPCs execute their skills similarly to a living being with its own intelligence and experiences, doing incredible things like using an earth movement skill to walk on water like a ninja... even though it's not supposed to be used like that...

Aside from that, the NPC communities within that world seemed alive; each NPC was unique in their own way, and each lived their life in their own way. With that level of realism in their behavior, the quests they gave weren't static; though there was a certain inevitable pattern in the form of "Big Events."

Although, it's worth mentioning that when interacting with the player, a dialogue window always appeared in front of the NPC that, while not having fixed responses, reminded you that they were not actually alive.

Anyway, what wasn't so bad about the game was its story and gameplay. From what I remember... the game's story is described more or less like this:

On the continent of Fredonia, the Grand Selection for the heir to the Kazar Empire begins. Twelve young men and women with great talents and personalities were chosen from the Academy to undergo arduous trials with the sole purpose of receiving the title of Crown Prince or Princess, and thus eventually becoming a glorious Emperor/Empress who will guide the continent with wisdom and maintain its eternal prosperity.

However, the sudden death of 7 or 8 candidates of both sexes shakes the entire empire and the entire continent….

…Since the criminal wasn't any of the other candidates, not even a human; but a demon of legends… an [Orc King] and his army.

Although they were eventually killed by the powerful Imperial Knight Order led by Duke Astaroth, the incident of so many of the heir candidates dying, as well as an entire city being devastated by Demons believed to have only existed in ancient times, filled many nations of Fredonia with fear, as the Demons should be imprisoned in the deep abyss that the Founding Emperor sealed.

Their presence on the continent again was a symbol of future calamity, and countless churches and sects came out to preach about the end of the world. People panicked at the implications, and many powers declared martial law to try to keep their respective peoples under control as they slowly descended into anarchy…

Only the Kazar Empire still showed signs of social stability, but that was simply because of the faith its citizens had that a new Hero would be born among them to save them all; a faith that could plunge them into utter despair if that long-awaited Savior did not appear…

Concerns quickly grow when it is discovered that the Seal of the Abyss has actually been weakened, and the empire goes on high alert due to the presence of not only more demons, but also evil cults and organizations seeking to take advantage of the chaos to spread their influence across the continent, bringing suffering in their wake for their greed.

Even with all this chaos, the empire's high-ranking figures had no choice but to barely suppress as many threats as they could while preparing for the true calamity; the imminent return of the [Lord of the Eternal Abyss].

It was decided almost unanimously to increase the Academy's resources as much as possible in order to guarantee a new generation of Heroes who would save the world. All of the Empire's talented young people would be carefully nurtured to that end, but this would also bring its own problems, originating from human evil.

It is there that a few years later a new recruit arrives at the Academy. A young man or woman enrolls in the Academy with the hope of fulfilling his or her dream, and that is where the whole story truly begins; the birth of a new legend of five young people who unite for the salvation of humanity...

Yeah... well, that's more or less how I remember it.

I don't know if that makes sense, but the only thing important here was the action and romance. Gameplay-wise, it was a system where you could increase your character's strength by improving their skills, either in combat against monsters/NPCs or in combat practice.

Of course, that meant there were no levels, just pure skill to decide how powerful you can be in the game.

Anyway, each character has two skill branches, the Arcane Arts and the Unique Forces.

The first can be used at any time, except if AS (Arcan Showdown) is activated or MP/AP is depleted. Furthermore, the type of Arcane Arts one possesses depends on both the profession and the character. Of course, this also applies to what can be learned.

Unique forces, on the other hand, are independent of a character's profession as a personal and unique power, and they have an HP cost, which is gained by defeating enemies or briefly resting outside of combat. Each character controls one of the eight elements that make up the world through their unique forces, which manifest in various ways.

These abilities can also cause enemies to undergo status changes, for example, inflicting "Damp" or "Cold." When these two negative statuses combine, they cause the enemy to temporarily freeze, which the player can use to attack.

Additionally, each NPC during battles always tries to cleverly create various status reactions with the player, which is one of the main attractions of the game.

Items and objects were also useful, but honestly, most of them offered subtle support to the player and their harem (Don't sugarcoat things by saying they're companions... it's a damn harem and that's it!) and only a few actually significantly increased the characters' fighting power.

Of course, as we've already mentioned, you can't make much progress in this game without the cooperation of powerful NPCs. The problem is that not only do you necessarily have to target NPCs of the opposite sex and win their favor, like in a dating game, but to ensure they don't betray you, you have to make them fall completely in love with you.

Yeah… NPCs can betray you at crucial moments if they don't love you… Basically, romantic bonds are established as a guarantee of absolute loyalty to the player. It didn't make much sense to me, really, but it didn't matter. That's how the game was, you know?

The player's objective is to create a team of five (including themselves) with great compatibility to complete all types of main missions. As you complete the game's main missions, you'll increase your WER (World Exploration Range), which is used to unlock other types of tasks.

Each time WER is increased, the enemies the player encounters will become stronger and the rewards for defeating them will also be greater.

The game also featured a Gacha monetization mechanic for earning additional skills and rare items, which can increase the combat power of the player and their NPCs…

Well, you might be wondering, why am I talking about all this when I recently passed out in my room, right? What's the point? What am I trying to do?

Simple, my good sir. I'm simply briefly explaining the wonderful mechanics and history of the game world I was forced to inhabit... Phew!

I'm referring to myself as a girl again! Oh my God! What kind of joke is this!?

It's not enough to become a woman, now I speak like a child... What horrible mental manipulation!

What's next? Will I start liking boys? No way! I didn't agree to something so evil and cruel!

Ahhh... I can't even swear in my head... Huh? I don't feel well...

Um, sorry... I'm kind of in a funk right now. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah... I'm in HAD, the game I had to conquer as a female character, inside a girl's body!

Hahahahahaha… It’s not funny!

Also! What is this!?

<There has been a failure to fully assimilate memories. Only fragments of memories, thoughts, tastes, habits, and superficial knowledge of the character [Ekaterina Sophrein von Dranalian] have been assimilated. Initiating Inappropriate Behavior Containment Protocols… creating seals…>

<The seal activation is active. From this moment on, the player will not be able to act outside of [Ekaterina Sophrein von Dranalian's] typical personality. Error... There is a lack of plausibility in the measurement.>

<It has been detected that there are two personalities associated with the character [Ekaterina Sophrein von Dranalian] in the IUS (Imaginary Universal Sphere) of [Heroes and Dragons]. Creating a new personality….Initiating new seals….>

<New seals applied. From now on, the player will only be able to act under the following personality traits: Calm, Expressionless, Kind, Ambiverted, Affectionate, Tender, Clumsy, Cunning>

<System Notice: Now that the player is awake, they will be notified of their main quest>

Not caring at all about my issues with all of this, the evil system presented a holographic window that was very similar to the one in the game.

< Should I Create a Reverse Harem to Save the World!?: You, the player, have been brought to this IUS to gather the most powerful capture targets and guide them to stop the living calamity, the [King of the Eternal Abyss]. Your victory will be a guarantee that the IUS [Heroes and Dragons] can undergo conception and be reborn in a new multiverse>

<Please note that your current gender is female, so you can only have male capture targets as companions in the fight to save the world. Any attempt to romantically pursue female capture targets will be punished, and to ensure you fulfill your primary mission, the soul is slightly modified to negate any same-sex attraction.>

The virtual window with such incredible and wicked writing had a cute style that resembled the one displayed when you selected the female character in the game, you know. With pink and drawings of adorable rabbits with horns here and there…

Even the handwriting in the virtual window was really pretty and feminine and... and... and I love the overall design!

I love rabbits with horns and these cute letters... huh!?

Oh, please! Now I like the same things as this girl? And I'm not attracted to women anymore? Hey?! Did they modify my soul for that!?

You see all this?! What do you mean I saved the world with a reverse harem!? What's an IUS and why was I brought here!? And why can't I swear even in my head?! Oh, almighty gods... No, no way, I don't believe in gods!

Why is there so much evil in this system? Is it the creation of a real demon? Why are you forcing me to save this world? Do you know how many times I died in the game to do it, even with experience?

I felt furious at all the cruel things this system was doing to me, and it continued to indifferently display more of its nonsense…

<System Notice: Basic functions have been activated, allowing players to access them at any time. Simply say "System Menu" in your head, and you'll be able to instantly check your status, equipment, gachapon, relationships, and the system shop.>

<Last but not least, we wish you the best of luck in your new role. May you have a successful harem and a beautiful romance that will last long after you create your own legend.>

Legend… like the girl who created the sexiest reverse harem of all?

I want to cry...not even my sister was so evil to me...

My body trembled sadly in the dark room where I would have to live from now on, wanting to cry but unable to do so because of the seals that deny any behavior that doesn't fit with my current self.

I was forced to deal with all of this while my mother lovingly held me in her arms as I slept, wearing a sexy nightgown that would have awakened the dragon in me if not for the circumstances... I want to cry.

I'm so depressed right now...*Hi*, these tears are just in my head... This is all so bad!

“Too bad…” she whispered softly, a sad, almost expressionless complaint, and I looked at Mom and Dad’s faces, a little relieved that they weren’t woken up by it.

Oh, yes, the person holding me in her arms is my mother, Mireia Sophrein von Dranalian, and the ikemen-like boy sleeping beside her is my wonderful father, Astaroth Sophrein von Dranalian. Along with the failed memory assimilation, it seems I've become able to recognize these people as my family, even if I didn't want to...

That said... I think these parents are better than my previous ones. I mean, it may sound bad, but my previous parents were very indifferent toward me and my sister. People obsessed with getting promoted at work and being more important.

Despite being nothing more than corporate slaves...

The only good thing about them was that they left us and made sure we had a good education. But, my God... they were terrible parents when it came to the emotional side. There was no affection... not even between them!

On the other hand, these people were not only loving parents to their children, but they also loved each other. Generally... because sometimes Mom would hit Dad when he did something stupid... Well, that's all I knew about their relationship as a couple, based on my fragmentary memories.

Still, leaving aside whether I feel sad for having been forced to create a Reverse Harem or lucky to have such good parents and even an older sister who loves me enough to fall into evil after my death...

I'm even more surprised by the fact that my new father is a powerful duke!

That means I'm rich...

Maybe this isn't so bad.....No!

How am I supposed to save the world if I'm going to die young?

I tried to keep my head high when I realized that...

Of course, I would later realize, faster than expected, that "my illness" would no longer be a concern at all.