Tomoki woke up with a throbbing headache, the glow of his computer screen still searing his retinas even though his eyes were closed. He'd pulled another all-nighter gaming, and his body felt like lead as he tried to sit up. Before he could fully register his surroundings, a putrid stench hit his nostrils—like rotting meat mixed with sulfur.

The room had vanished. Instead, he found himself in a dim forest, sunlight filtering through ancient trees in golden shafts. His gaming chair was gone, replaced by damp moss that clung to his pajama bottoms. Then he heard it—a guttural growl that made his blood run cold.

Turning slowly, Tomoki came face-to-face with a monster straight from his worst nightmares: an ogre, easily eight feet tall with matted green skin, yellowed tusks, and eyes that burned with malevolent intelligence. Its club, crudely hewn from a tree trunk, dripped with some dark substance. He tried to scream, but no sound escaped as the creature raised its weapon.

A flash of silver intervened. A girl—no, a woman—leapt between him and the ogre, her sword singing as it arced through the air. She wore leather armor that hugged her athletic frame, her hair tied back in a practical braid that swayed with her movements. The ogre roared in pain as her blade bit into its arm.

"Stay back!" she shouted without looking at him. But Tomoki, still frozen in terror, couldn't move even if he'd wanted to. As he watched her dodge and strike, something inside him clicked. Despite never having held a weapon in his life, he found himself calling out, "To your left! It's going to feint with the right!"