The sensation was unlike anything Joshua had ever experienced.
One moment, he was sitting in his chair, eyes locked onto his screen. The next, he was falling—or at least, that was what his body told him. His stomach lurched, as if he had been yanked out of an airplane without a parachute. Air howled past his ears, his limbs flailed against nothing, no resistance, no surface—only an endless void swallowing him whole.
Panic surged through him.
Where—?
Then—
Light.
Blinding. All-consuming. A brilliance so intense it seared through his retinas, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut. But even then, the glow burned through his eyelids, as if it were etching itself into the core of his being. His thoughts fractured beneath its weight, scattering into fleeting impressions of heat, pressure, and something vast—something far beyond human comprehension.
And then—
Silence.
Not just the absence of noise, but an eerie, suffocating stillness, like the entire universe had gone mute.
Slowly, Joshua opened his eyes.
The world around him materialized in a blur—greens, blues, golds—shifting from indistinct colors into something tangible. His breath caught in his throat.
It was beautiful.
He stood atop a gentle hill, overlooking an endless expanse of emerald grasslands stretching toward the horizon. A river snaked through the valley below, its waters glistening like liquid sapphire beneath the golden sunlight. The sky was a perfect shade of cerulean, dotted with drifting white clouds—except they moved wrong, subtly out of sync with the wind, as if guided by some unseen force.
Birds soared above, their dark silhouettes flickering against the sun, wings cutting through the air with an elegance that felt… too real. Their shadows danced across the ground. The distant hum of rustling leaves and chirping insects reached his ears. The scent of earth and fresh grass filled his lungs.
Joshua turned in a slow circle, trying to take it all in.
"This is… a game?"
It had to be.
But the thought rang hollow.
He pinched himself. Hard.
A sharp sting. The sensation lingered—real, undeniable. He crouched, running his fingers through the grass. Individual blades bent beneath his touch, soft but firm. The sunlight warmed his skin, the wind tousled his hair.
"This is insane."
He took a cautious step forward. Then another. His body felt solid, his movements normal. He jumped, testing his weight. His feet landed with a soft thud against the earth. Every sensation mirrored reality with terrifying precision.
This wasn't VR.
This wasn't even close to full-dive technology.
It was something beyond that.
A soft chime echoed in his ears.
Joshua tensed.
In the corner of his vision, glowing letters materialized, floating in the air.
Welcome, Player.
Feel free to explore the world of infinite possibilities.
The choice is yours.
Everything will depend on how much risk you are willing to take.
Joshua frowned.
"That's it?"
No tutorial? No prompts? No stat allocation?
He instinctively swiped his hand through the air, expecting a menu to appear.
Nothing.
A chill ran down his spine.
No system. No health bar. No mana pool. Not even a nameplate floating above his head.
He dismissed the message with a thought, forcing himself to take a deep breath.
"Alright." He exhaled. "I guess I just… go?"
There was nothing else to do but move forward.
Joshua made his way down the hill, his bare feet sinking slightly into the soft earth. The game—or whatever this was—was eerily committed to realism. His clothes were simple: a loose-fitting linen tunic and pants, rough against his skin. No armor, no boots, no weapons.
If this was a starting zone, it didn't feel like one.
As he walked, he became aware of something unsettling—his legs ached. His breath came quicker, his chest rising and falling with exertion.
"No way." He wiped his forehead. He was sweating.
The game was simulating his real-life physical limitations.
Which meant—
He was just as weak here as he was in reality.
The realization settled uncomfortably in his gut.
Joshua wasn't unhealthy, but he wasn't exactly athletic either. Years spent hunched over books and screens had left him lean—borderline fragile. And now, that weakness followed him into this world.
Wha is this game?? He was already feeling pretty damn limited.
Still, he kept moving.
Minutes blurred into an hour—maybe more. The endless grasslands stretched on, unbroken save for the distant river. He had no map, no direction, no clue where he was supposed to go.
Then—
A village.
Small. Rustic. Alive.
Smoke curled from chimneys, carrying the rich scent of burning wood and something savory—stew, maybe, bubbling over an open fire. The houses were made of wood and stone, clustered together in a way that suggested a close-knit community.
Joshua's stomach growled.
Ignoring his exhaustion, he picked up the pace, his steps uneven as his legs threatened to give out. He needed answers. Supplies. Something to help him understand this world.
But as he neared the entrance, something shifted.
Villagers turned toward him.
Not a casual glance.
They stared.
Eyes filled with wary curiosity, their expressions unreadable.
Joshua slowed, suddenly hyper-aware of their gazes.
His instincts screamed at him.
This isn't right.
This wasn't a friendly starting town.
This wasn't a place meant for beginners.
The air changed—a subtle but undeniable shift, like a predator locking onto prey.
Joshua swallowed hard.
And took another step forward.