NOVEL NEXT Ch. 1
Chapter 1: Epic-Level Scam Scene
Her head hurt.
That was the very first thought Mophis had when she regained consciousness.
Immediately after, a flood of memories that did not belong to her surged into her mind like a dam bursting.
Mophis, descendant of an ancient dynasty, the last guardian of the Forgotten Library, a tragic figure burdened with blood-deep vengeance, yet too frail to do anything but live surrounded by books.
“I… became the BOSS I wrote?”
Mophis—or rather, the “he” who in the previous life had been the chief programmer of *Aincrad Era*—was at this moment wearing a complex black noble gown, seated upon a dust-covered wooden chair.
Her slender fingers could even feel the texture of the lace at the hem of her dress.
He lowered his head and saw his pale, almost translucent hands, and the long black wavy hair cascading down to his waist.
Further down, there was the despairingly flat chest.
A flat-chested girl.
Good.
That fit perfectly with the character setting he had casually checked off back then just to save on modeling resources.
“What is this? I eat some cheap takeout, get food poisoning, and end up dragged into my own game?” He—no, she—could not help but complain inwardly.
At that moment, a semi-transparent panel popped up before her eyes, one only she could see.
【World Quest: Subjugate the Lonely Keeper of Books】
【Quest Description: Chosen Ones, head to the Forgotten Library on the western wasteland and defeat the last remnant of the old era—Mophis. Clear away the shadows of the past from this continent.】
【Quest Objective: Defeat Mophis (0/1)】
At the bottom of the panel was a glaring red countdown: 00:10:59.
This was the first main storyline quest of the game—kill her.
In ten minutes, the player army would arrive at her gates.
Mophis instantly felt her heart sink halfway to the abyss.
She was now just a level-one life profession NPC【Librarian】.
Her only skill was【Observation & Recording】, and it was passive at that.
Outside, the very first wave of elite players across the entire server was about to arrive—each at least level 20, well-equipped, top-tier in operation, specifically here to take the first-kill of the Chapter One final BOSS.
How was she supposed to fight? Bend over and wait?
If she was killed by the players, what would happen? Would the system refresh her, forcing her to wait for the next batch of players to push her? Or was this reincarnation just a one-time trial card—die once, and it was over for good?
Mophis dared not gamble.
She forced herself to calm down.
Her mind began spinning at unprecedented speed.
As one of this world’s creators, she knew better than anyone that this world was filled with BUGs.
Code! Yes, code!
Her consciousness sank deep, as if she could *see* the streams of data lines that made up this world.
She frantically searched for every logical condition related to her BOSS identity.
“Defeat Mophis”… What exactly was the condition for this “defeat” trigger?
HP reduced to zero? That was the most standard.
But to prevent players from exploiting loopholes that trapped a BOSS in an undying state—making it impossible to complete the quest—programmers often set backup conditions.
Found it!
Mophis’s eyes lit up—she had found it!
【Quest Completion Condition A:】 Target “Mophis” HP less than 1%.
【Condition B:】 Target “Mophis” enters “Unable to Fight” state.
【Condition C:】 Target “Mophis” undergoes an “Irreversible Negative Status Change.”
That Condition C—yes, that was the broad backdoor left in precisely to prevent the BOSS from getting stuck in a wall, or falling out of the map, causing the quest to be unfinishable.
As long as the BOSS’s state experienced a huge, negative change—like permanent silence, permanent blindness, or some similar debuff—the system would also judge that the players had “defeated” the BOSS.
And “Injured” status just happened to be one of the most basic negative states!
Although a minor “trip-and-fall” injury would normally recover quickly and not count as irreversible, the code’s judgment had a tiny delay window! As long as she timed it just right…
“Bang—!”
The heavy doors of the library were blasted open by an immense force.
Sunlight mixed with sand rushed in.
Dozens of figures appeared at the entrance.
At their lead, one carried the ID【Mad Blade】, wielding a long sword glowing blue.
He was the top-ranked Berserker on the entire server.
“Brothers, the BOSS is inside! Get ready to engage!” Mad Blade’s voice was loud and brimming with confidence.
Behind him, the players rubbed their hands in excitement.
Mages began conjuring fireballs, archers already had their bowstrings fully drawn.
Mophis’s heart jumped to her throat.
It was now!
Before all eyes, the black-haired girl who had been quietly sitting on her chair like a melancholy statue slowly stood up.
She raised her head, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face.
In those silver eyes seemed to dwell millennia of frozen snow and loneliness.
Her worn yet still resplendent gown only made her skin appear paler, fragile enough to topple from the gentlest breeze.
Every player’s actions subconsciously paused a beat.
“Damn… this BOSS is way too gorgeous.”
“This character model is insane! Give the art team a raise!”
“Cut the chatter, get ready! Don’t be fooled by her looks!” Mad Blade, as a top player, snapped out of it immediately.
He bellowed, and was the first to charge with sword raised.
Mophis watched the blade draw closer and closer.
She took a deep breath, forcing down all fear and unease.
She stepped forward—not backward—two steps straight toward Mad Blade.
Then, just before his blade reached her, her left foot oh-so-“accidentally” tripped over her right.
“Ah!”
A soft cry, tinged with just the right amount of pain and alarm.
Before the collective gaze of the very first wave of server elites, the Chapter One final BOSS—the “Lonely Keeper of Books,” burdened with national vengeance—toppled helplessly forward in the weakest, most pitiful posture imaginable, landing flat on the ground with a solid thud.
For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
Mad Blade, at the very front, stopped his raised sword mid-air, his face an absolute masterpiece of expression.
Behind him, the mages and archers readying their skills were stunned into dazes as well.
What… what was this? A scam?
The BOSS fight had barely started, and the BOSS tripped over herself?
Everyone was dumbfounded.
They had imagined countless opening scenes to this BOSS battle—tragic, intense, awe-inspiring—but not once had they imagined… this.
Then, in the midst of the eerie silence, a crisp system chime rang out in every player’s ears.
【Ding!】
【Hidden Quest Triggered: Help the Injured Librarian!】
【Quest Description: This pitiful librarian seems to have tripped and fallen, looking to be in pain. Perhaps you should help her?】
【Quest Rewards: ???】
【Quest Penalties: None】
Staring at the newly appeared quest in their logs, then at the black-haired beauty on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly as if she were struggling to hold back tears, every player fell into silence.
How… how were they supposed to fight this boss now?