The narrative begins with an unnamed noble girl, later revealed as Layfa=Rim=Latestwood, desperately fleeing over twenty mercenaries in a vast wilderness. Exhausted and cornered, she makes a desperate plea for help. Suddenly, a mysterious "voice" (Helian) instructs her to run, and the mercenary leader's head explodes, followed by another. A tall, silver-haired, wolf-eyed woman, Lieve, descends from the sky, swiftly and brutally eliminating the remaining pursuers. Shortly after, a young man (Helian) and another woman (Eltina) float down from a cliff. Helian, possessing unique black hair and eyes, apologizes for his earlier "voice," which Layfa realizes was his.
Two weeks prior, Misaki Tsukasa, known as Helian in the VR game "Tactics Chronicle," was celebrating his nation Alkimaira's 150th Founding Festival. His superpower nation, populated by various monster races like beastmen, elves, and dragons, was thriving. However, during the celebrations, Helian experienced severe system glitches. The world outside his capital transformed into a dense, magical forest, his in-game map showed all other territories as unexplored, and communication with other bases ceased. Crucially, Helian found he couldn't log out or contact the game master. He then discovered that his "NPC" subordinates, like his loyal First Army Commander Lieve (a Moon Wolf), exhibited realistic emotions and physical sensations, and a self-inflicted cut on his hand bled and hurt genuinely. Helian realized he had been forcibly transferred into a real world that closely resembled his game, but with critical differences and no escape.
Overwhelmed by panic and denial, Helian struggled to maintain a kingly facade. He convened an audience with his key commanders: Lieve, Baran (a serious Sword Lion knight), Eltina (a gentle Ancient Elf healer), and Camilla (an alluring Nightmare Queen spymaster). He tasked Baran with internal security and Camilla with intelligence. Lieve and Eltina were assigned to external exploration. However, Helian's attempt to reassure them by referencing their "first exploration" together was misinterpreted; they believed he would personally lead the dangerous expedition. To his internal horror, Helian was dressed in practical gear and forced to lead the small exploration party, accompanied by Lieve, Eltina, and five stealth operatives.
Venturing into the disorienting, illusion-filled forest, Helian's presence boosted his subordinates' abilities. They first encountered a giant wolf-like monster, which Lieve easily scared away. Soon after, they found Layfa, a half-elf princess, being chased by an elf hunter's dog-monster. Eltina swiftly dispatched the creature. The elf hunter appeared, revealing a deep-seated racial hatred for half-elves (whom he called "tainted") and humans ("savage apes"). He explained that his faction, the Noblewood elves, had attacked Layfa's city-state, Latestwood, three weeks prior, and were hunting the half-elves for "purification." This history and the existence of human nations contradicted Helian's game knowledge. The elf hunter attacked Helian's party, but Lieve and Eltina easily subdued him. Helian, wanting to avoid unnecessary conflict and gather information, stopped Lieve from killing the elf, ordering him to retreat. Layfa, initially wary, eventually trusted Helian and invited his party to her settlement, revealing her royal status and the full extent of the brutal, discriminatory conflict her people faced. Helian, reeling from the constant revelations and the stark reality of his situation, found himself deeply entangled in the politics of this new, dangerous world.
