The Black Coat

The following day:

Tia slowly opened her eyes, sinking into the plush comfort of her bed as she shifted restlessly. The events of the previous day flooded back into her consciousness, and for a moment, she hoped it had all been just a bad dream.

Yet her eyes inevitably landed on the meticulously crafted black coat hanging on the wall, its silver insignias gleaming in the morning sunlight as a stern reminder of her reality. She was again a part of something she had hoped to escape—a hierarchical structure where her life was not her own.

'I am just a tool to be used by someone else,' she cursed internally, sighing as she sat up and ran her fingers through her cascading locks. Her thoughts gradually shifted. 'Well, it could be worse. A knight—still better than my previous rank. At least I'm not scraping the bottom of the barrel anymore.'

As she pondered, her mind began to entertain the thrilling yet dangerous prospect of escape. 'Once I get the chance, I could hijack a spaceship and vanish into some obscure sector of the galaxy. There is no way they would bother to track down a single knight.' Her thoughts brimmed with a hope.

'Yup, as long as there is a tomorrow, it is not all lost.' As she extended her limbs in a stretch, a current of depressive thoughts calmed her excitement. 'As of now, I'm watched and trapped on this planet. Escape isn't an option, at least not yet.'

With smooth moves, Tia jumped out of her bed, her bare feet touching the warm floor, and walked over to her new uniform. Despite her reservations about her current predicament, she couldn't help but smile when seeing her new clothes—the exquisitely tailored short coat, the knee-length skirt, and the sleek, black riding boots.

'Well, if I have to play the part, I might as well look good doing it,' Tia thought, her fingers gently caressing the fabric of the coat. Even in a situation like this, she couldn't ignore her womanly appreciation for fashion, and the uniform appealed to that aesthetic sensibility.

'The guards I have fought had suits capable of stopping bullets and dissipating heat. This should be an even higher grade. One of the perks, I suppose,' she reasoned as her analytical mind took over.

Her magical instincts then flared to life, her fingertips sparking with a wisp of mana as she once again touched the fabric, contemplating its enchantment potential. However, when she tried to channel her magic into the cloth, her mana dispersed almost instantly. 'Nonconductive, huh?'

Yet a glimmer of hope lit up her mood. 'If I soak it in a specialized, highly concentrated magic agent, I might be able to make the fabric enchantable,' she theorized, already envisioning the process.

As she contemplated the future upgrades, her hands already moved, removing her pajamas, as she was eager to try her new outfit. She slipped into the uniform, the soft material hugging her frame, and a genuine smile flickered across her face.

'Well, this is actually comfortable.'

Fully attired in her new uniform, she reclined back onto her bed and closed her eyes. 'Time to get at least a bit stronger.'

Ding!

//

Current world links:

Garlicia (World Level: 3) (Travel cost: 1 WP and 3 Deaths)

Description: (Focus to expand)

Available worlds to plunder:

Riveria (World Level: 3) (Travel cost: 3 WP and 9 Deaths)

Warning: To create a permanent link, please complete the task and gain a vessel.

Description: Beneath the sprawling, quickly advancing society of the information age and the internet dwells a hidden society of magic. This hidden society of magic is on the edge of a schism and war—split between factions that advocate for the subjugation of the non-magical populace and those who prefer a more discreet existence.

However, how long can they remain hidden in a world filled with cameras at every step? Will they adapt and find a way to coexist with the rising tide of technological omnipresence, or will they face inevitable decline, crushed under the relentless advancements of technology?

//

'Oh? The second world has changed. When did it change? No, the more pressing question would be, What triggered this reroll?'

As she perused the description, her eyes seemed to sparkle with an insatiable curiosity. The very essence of this new world captivated her.

'Magic and technology? Maybe I can learn something useful there about combining technology with magic.' A devious grin spread across her face, her eyes twinkling with mischief. 'This society looks advanced enough to appreciate knowledge from the galactic era. A single memory card loaded with some outdated information could potentially grant me sway over an entire nation.'

However, her thoughts then steered toward the less glamorous aspects of this potential endeavor. 'Acquiring a new vessel would be annoying, not to mention the significant setback of starting once more in an unknown world.'

Caught in this intellectual tug-of-war, Tia hummed to herself, deeply engrossed in weighing her options for the next big move.

(Poll: Yup, this is a poll. You can vote here by liking my paragraph comments for her to either visit the previous world or go to this new one.)