Prologue
“Leo! Look at that! It’s a Cokoren!”
Lena, who was picking berries with him, nudged Leo’s arm and pointed to something resembling a squirrel clinging to a tree. The creature was nestled in the crook of a branch, its arms wrapped around the trunk.
The Cokoren rolled its eyes playfully. Lena clapped her hands at the sight. She always said seeing the little beast brought good luck...
Minseo was trapped in [Raise Lena].
[Raise Lena] has begun
With this emotionless text appearing before him, he became Leo and found himself imprisoned in a strange world.
Why was he dropped here?
Leo let out a hollow laugh while Lena giggled brightly beside him.
* * *
Discarded clothes lay scattered on the floor like a carpet. Minseo rolled over on his messy bed and sat up weakly.
Even watching YouTube had become tiresome.
“Should I just play some games…?” he mumbled to himself, tossing aside a stained pillow and turning on his computer with a joyless expression.
As he got up, his unkempt hair poked him in the eyes. He hadn’t left his apartment in days, except for the occasional trip in his slippers to buy cigarettes and ramen.
- Let’s take some time apart to figure things out.
Chaeha’s firm voice echoed in his head.
Minseo tried to shake off the memory, his fingers instinctively navigating to Steam. His account was already overflowing with thousands of games, ready to be downloaded.
As his mouse cursor darted across the screen, a book clumsily toppled over. The desk was buried under a mountain of administrative law textbooks for the civil service exam.
Annoying.
He shoved the books aside and returned to his computer.
Steam was having another sale. Some games were even 90% off, catching his eye.
Leo scrolled through the list of new releases, eager to lose himself in a world of distraction.
- It’s for the best. I’ll figure things out on my end. We can do this.
He scrolled more aggressively.
He needed to start a game, any game, and escape.
He had graduated from university two years ago.
He had felt lost then too, but there had been options. He had boasted that passing the civil service exam would solve everything, even if it wasn’t his dream job. He had made excuses to everyone around him, drowning in his own emptiness.
He couldn't face Chaeha, who had believed in him until the very end. His will had failed to keep up with his heart. Picking up a book felt impossible. He would fiddle with his phone, only to be dragged back to reality by a gnawing hunger.
[Raise Lena]
As he scrolled frantically, a game caught his eye. A cheap, two-dollar game that arrogantly refused to even be on sale.
He liked its audacity. Clicking on it, he was greeted by a pretty female character flashing a bright smile.
The game description revealed it to be a blatant rip-off of Princess Maker.
The story of raising a girl and marrying her off to a prince to make her a princess.
He hadn't even started yet, but it felt predictable. You'd raise the child, make her work to earn money, and use that money to give her a good education.
I should focus on my own studies.
And if possible, marry her off to a prince. Even if she didn't become a princess, the game promised various endings.
A daughter married to an ordinary man, living a simple life as a farmer; a daughter who became a noblewoman; a daughter who became a knight…
Each daughter would smile radiantly in their respective endings, saying, “Father, I'm happy. Thank you for raising me,” before disappearing with the end credits.
How heart-wrenching it was to see the last moments of daughters who smiled brightly despite being exploited and unable to make any decisions for themselves.
Were those girls truly happy?
The thought was interrupted by Lena, the lovely character from the game, shining brightly on his screen. Despite the game's cheapness, a sense of nostalgia for his past daughters softened his heart, and he clicked the purchase button.
Fine. Take my two dollars!
After a short installation, he launched the game.
The graphics were breathtaking.
He was surprised by the high quality, especially considering the game’s price. Afraid of accidentally closing the captivating intro video, he moved his hand away from the mouse and settled into popcorn mode.
This video alone was worth two dollars – he barely finished the thought when the screen filled his vision.
[Raise Lena]
[Achievement: First Encounter with Lena - Lena has a high level of affection for Leo.]
“Leo! Are you listening to me?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Leo? What’s with that expression? You’re messing with me again, aren’t you?”
It was the face from the game's cover.
A girl in her mid-teens with delicate features. Her upper lip, slightly pouty, hinted at a life filled with affection. Her eyebrows curved gently over intelligent eyes, and her nose, though prominent, ended in a soft slope.
As Leo stared, dumbstruck, Lena gazed back, her expressive eyes brimming with unconcealed fondness.
Overwhelmed, he averted his gaze.
A forest. He looked down at his hands, small and underdeveloped, and raised them in confusion. A worn leather pouch, filled with unfamiliar berries, hung from his waist, and the rough fabric of his clothes scratched at his skin.
And before him stood the girl, her eyes wide with curiosity…
It took him days to accept his situation. He was in a small village called Demos, a close-knit community where everyone knew each other. It was part of the Ohrun Kingdom, under the rule of Viscount Gaidan, to whom they paid taxes.
His name was Leo.
His mother had passed away when he was young, and he lived with his father, a hunter. Thankfully, his father was away on a hunting trip, giving Leo time to process everything.
“Leo! Are you home? Wanna go berry picking?”
Lena had been pounding on his door since early morning for the past few days.
She and Leo were childhood friends.
His body remembered how close they were, running around the mountains and fields together to find food.
Today, once again, he found himself led by Lena, climbing the mountain paths, mimicking her actions carefully to avoid raising suspicion.
“You know what Monk Lesley told me the other day?”
Lena chattered away as they worked, unknowingly providing Leo with crucial information about this world.
It was a world where injuries were healed by priests, where a strict feudal system and social hierarchy reigned, where knights and paladins rode horses, and where some plants moved like animals and some animals were rooted like plants.
He had no idea why or how he was transported to this place. He couldn’t even figure out how to log out.
He had given up on the idea that this was all a dream he would wake up from. The experience felt far too real.
This vivid reality was slowly making him forget about his life as Minseo.
Even the faces of his parents and Chaeha, his girlfriend, were fading, only resurfacing when he concentrated. It was as if Minseo's consciousness was receding, allowing the original Leo to emerge.
He snuck a glance at Lena. She was a whirlwind of energy, her chatter suggesting that simply being in his presence brought her joy.
Lena. Her existence held the key to his predicament. He was here to “raise” her.
Lena, with her hair tied back tightly, her nimble fingers expertly plucking berries.
Lena, her delicate hands bearing the marks of their hard work.
I have to make this girl a princess. Maybe that’s the key to finishing this game and going back.
Interesting novel.
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