The hull shook violently.
Objects fell one after another from tables and shelves. The entire ship was beginning to tilt, and **Otilia** nearly lost her footing.
The girl in yellow leather armor, who had just been talking to her, dashed toward the deck—and Otilia quickly followed. What she saw next left her stunned.
A violent storm had overtaken the sea. Rain poured down in thick sheets, and monstrous waves rocked the expedition ship.
And then, rising from the ocean ahead of them… a **mountain**.
It wasn't just a mountain—it glowed an ominous red, with blazing cracks running along its surface. Molten rock flowed from its sides like rivers of lava.
> "An… active volcano?" Otilia whispered, her eyes wide, barely noticing the rain stinging her face.
It looked like something straight out of a Hollywood action movie—but far more real and terrifying. She was experiencing it in person, not sitting behind a screen. The sheer scale of it overwhelmed her senses.
> "Is this really a dream…?" she wondered.
> "If it is, then this is the most vivid dream I've ever had…"
But then came a sudden shout.
> "No—it's not a volcano!" yelled the girl in leather armor, her voice filled with panic.
> "That's an *Ancient Dragon*! It's the **Lava Mountain Dragon**!"
> "A-Ancient Dragon?" Otilia echoed in disbelief.
> "It's emerging! That whole mountain—we're standing right in front of it!"
And sure enough, more of the creature's enormous body surfaced from the tides.
The mountain had only been part of it—a fraction.
Behind it came ridges as large as hills, scales glowing with molten heat, and massive limbs breaching the waves. The creature was beyond anything Otilia had imagined: the **Lava Mountain Dragon**, a monster so colossal that even the visible part of its body looked like a floating volcanic island.
The ship tilted sharply as the beast passed beneath it.
Everyone on board scrambled to grab onto something—anything—for balance. Otilia clung to a nearby railing with all her strength, but when the ship tilted nearly **90 degrees**, her grip slipped.
> "Ahhhhh—!"
She plunged into the sea below.
Bubbles rose as she sank deeper and deeper.
> *Gurgle—gurgle—*
> "I… I can't breathe… It hurts…"
Her limbs went numb, her vision blurred.
> *Am I… going to die?*
And then—*darkness*.
Everything turned pitch black.
Suddenly, through the darkness, **three blood-red words** appeared before her eyes, still dripping with animated crimson:
> **[YOU ARE DEAD]**
A mocking, mechanical laugh rang out.
Then, in smaller glowing red letters:
> **[You died so pathetically, I could almost laugh.]**
> **[Want to try again?]**
> **[YES / NO]**
> "Damn it!" Otilia cried.
> "I can't believe I drowned! I'm supposed to be a veteran gamer—and I died in the *first chapter?!*
> What kind of awful design is this?! No warning, no prompt—just death!
> And that *stupid voice*—who added those insults?!"
Burning with frustration, she waved her fists furiously in the air.
—And then everything went dark again.
A moment later, *a familiar scene replayed before her eyes*.
> "Ah, you're finally awake! Finally! If you can't hold your liquor, don't go chugging a whole glass!" came the same cheerful voice.
Otilia slammed her palms on the table and stood upright, startling the armored man in front of her.
> "Whoa—what's gotten into you?" he asked.
> "Hey, relax! It's just one drink! If you can't hold it, you shouldn't—"
> *So it really WAS you who handed me that drink...* Otilia thought grimly, but now was not the time for grudges.
> "Listen to me!" Otilia snapped.
> "The ship's about to capsize! We have to do something before it's too late!"
> "Uh… what?" The armored man gave a confused laugh.
> "Did you drink too much again? Seeing things?"
> "No! I'm serious!"
> "Okay, okay, I get it," he said with dramatic patience. "The ship's sinking, and you're scared. Don't worry—I'm a pretty good swimmer. I'll save you."
> "It's not about that!" she shouted, flailing her arms.
> "There's a **Lava Mountain Dragon** rising from the sea! It's going to flip this ship!"
He blinked as if unsure whether to laugh or commend her imagination.
> "Well, that's a little dramatic, don't you think?
Yeah, sure, we're tracking the migration of an Ancient Dragon, but our route is confirmed safe. Nothing to worry about.
Hey, if you still want to learn swimming—just look me up later!"
> "Ugh—!" Otilia groaned. She was losing it.
She stormed over to the window.
Outside, the ocean had already begun to turn violent. Choppy waves hinted at something immense moving beneath the surface.
> "It's coming…"
> "I heard you shouting. Lava Dragon, you said?" came a new voice behind her.
Otilia turned—and her eyes lit up.
It was the **leather-armored girl** from before, the one she'd seen during the last cycle.
> "Yes! You—it's you!" she said, rushing toward her.
> "You have to believe me! It's the Lava Mountain Dragon—it's coming! This ship isn't going to make it!"
> "Whoa, slow down," the girl said, chuckling lightly.
> "You had a dream about the Lava Dragon? I've never seen one myself, but I've heard stories. They say it's an enormous ancient beast with an active volcano on its back. Supposed to erupt like crazy."
> "It wasn't a dream! I just saw it! It's real—and it's—"
And then, the ship shook **again**.
The second tremor was even worse than the first.
> *To be continued...*