Chen Ruoxi's Suffering
(Temple of Amariel – Private Chambers)
The bedroom was the picture of sheer luxury.
Gleaming marble floors, tall arched windows draped in lovely rose-red silk curtains and gold trimmed furniture carved in careful detail.
A canopied bed stood in the centre of the large room, piled high with cushions made from only the finest of feathers.
Sleeping on those pillows was like resting your head on fluffy clouds.
Perfumed air filled the space from a silver incense burner while golden light streamed through the stained-glass windows casting patterns onto the floor.
Yet there was one problem or flaw in the room.
The occupant.
"GET OUT! GET IT OUT!" a harpy-like shriek broke the tranquillity of the temple.
A poor servant quickly ducked out of the way as a teacup flew in his direction.
"YOU BASTARDS! IT'S BEEN GOD KNOWS HOW MANY DAYS NOW! I TOLD YOU… WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE…. MY FATHER IS GOING TO THROW YOU ALL IN PRISON!"
"YOU ARE GOING TO ROT… YOU HEAR ME?! ROT!"
"I'LL MAKE SURE YOU ALL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN!"
Another cup flew across the room with a terrifying force. It struck a full- length mirror in the corner, shattering the glass into a thousand shards.
Chen Ruoxi stared at the multiple reflections looking back at her and grimaced. She saw a towering woman of radiant muscle, sculpted like a statue of a war goddess.
Her golden hair flowed down her shoulders, and her face was stunning in a harsh noble way. Angular cheekbones, striking blue eyes and jaw that could probably cut stone.
But.
It wasn't her.
"WHY AM I STILL LOOKING LIKE SOME MUSCULAR MEAT HEAD?" Chen Ruoxi angrily raged as she reached for something else to throw.
"LOG OUT! LOG OUT!"
"ALL OF YOU GET OUT NOW!"
Chen Ruoxi's screams continued to echo through the temple and the servants nearby wisely kept their heads down to not draw her ire.
Even for followers of the goddess of love… there was a limit to their patience.
If Chen Ruoxi was not a paladin of Amariel, they would have kicked this rude and insane outworlder out a long time ago.
The female paladin slowly walked up to the doors to her room and slammed them shut with a long bang.
She placed her ear against the wooden frame and listened carefully to the noises outside. When she could no longer hear the servants within earshot, Chen Ruoxi finally slumped to the ground.
This was a nightmare.
A freaking nightmare.
How was it possible that she was trapped in this game world for so long? Surely her father would have noticed that she was stuck here.
What about her servants? Her butler? Her maids?
Someone! Anyone?!
"Status Window," Chen Ruoxi muttered listlessly.
A wall of golden text appeared before her eyes, the words familiar and unchanged as though mocking her attempts to leave.
[Chen Ruoxi]
[Level 1 Paladin of Amariel]
[Special Note! Oaths are restricted due to pledged Patroness]
[Select Your Oath]
[Oath of the Tender Radiance] [Oath of the Crimson Rose] [Oath of Devoted Flame]
Just three options.
Chen Ruoxi had not even bothered to pick one because… because… she was scared.
Picking one of the options felt as though she was admitting defeat. Admitting the fact that she had somehow been transported to a game world and trapped here.
Living in these… these… FILTHY CONDITIONS.
If the peasants outside the temple heard Chen Ruoxi's complaints, then there was no doubt that they would have beaten her to death.
She lived in one of the most luxurious rooms in the temple and had servants willing to devote their entire beings to ensure her comfort as per the orders from the pope.
But Chen Ruoxi would tell those poor bastards that the doghouse in her estate was more luxurious than this rundown shack.
The food was shit. The servants were poorly trained.
There was no Wi-Fi.
And to top it all off… she missed her home…
"When I find the piece of shit who sent me that helmet…" Chen Ruoxi angrily swore as she curled up her fingers into a tight fist and slammed the ground.
A large crack formed in the marble beneath her first. If there was one benefit to this body, it was that it was strong as hell.
She could easily overpower fully grown men and being in this church felt as though warm energy was constantly pouring into her body and nourishing her already muscular physique.
Chen Ruoxi let out a sigh as she placed her head in her palms and thought about the events that led up to her being trapped in this place.
She had spent Friday night partying with other second-generation kids in a local night club after handing off her work to some loser at the company.
Drinks flowed, laughter was shared, and they even had time to watch some street racing between some local gangs afterwards.
Then at around 4 am in the morning, Chen Ruoxi's driver dropped her back to the mansion, and she dragged her tired ass to bed.
When she woke up, there was a strange brown box lying casually next to her pillow just a few inches away from her eye.
At first, she thought it was a surprise present from her dad since he often asked the maids to bring nice clothes and jewellery to her room.
But the box seemed a bit too oddly shaped.
Chen Ruoxi remembered shaking the box a few times and hearing a dull rustling noise as though something heavy was being shifted.
She curiously opened it up and discovered a VR helmet.
That was a bit of a strange gift and in fact Chen Ruoxi was going to message the butler to have the gift returned when a sudden urge came over her.
She felt as though something or… someone compelled her to place the VR helmet over her head and well…
That was it.
The world went dark and then next thing she knew… she was stuck inside some stupid game with no idea what to do.
She didn't even play videogames!
The door creaked open softly, but Chen Ruoxi was lost in her own little world, so she did not even notice.
"Excuse me," a soft voice interrupted Chen Ruoxi's musings, and she turned her head to face the direction of the sound.
The pope stood at a respectful distance with four large, muscular paladin guards by his side.
Clearly Chen Ruoxi's slap had left quite the impression.
"Another summoned one has arrived at the temple so I was wondering if you would like to meet her…" the pope spoke calmly.
Chen Ruoxi stood up from the ground and for the first time since arriving to this strange world, she felt a spark of hope.
Other people were here?!
Great! Hopefully it was someone she could manipulate to do all the hard work necessary to bring her back to the real world!
"Lead the way!" Chen Ruoxi shouted excitedly.
The pope seemed surprised by her enthusiasm and a secret smile flashed across his face.
Whispers and rumours were beginning to spread about the unstable summoned one who had arrived in the temple of Amariel, and they could only be suppressed for so long.
If seeing a fellow person from her world would help this madwoman to calm down…
Well, that would be great news!