There was a sudden pause, a baffled expression crossing Rama's face. The words that appeared on his phone were so unbelievable that he quickly thought he was being pranked.
"This is a Great joke!! Who made this?!!"
Before he could make sense of the situation, the dizziness in his head escalated, and Rama's vision began to blur. Words started to appear in thin air.
[Congratulations on becoming the Main Character]
"The hell… I am losing my mind," Rama whispered, trying to steady himself.
Suddenly, everything went dark, making the words even clearer. They moved around, forming new sentences.
[Initializing entry to the Shadow realm]
[Resources initialized…. 10%]
"Shadow realm? Really? Just like in the novel? ….There's even a loading bar…"
"Rama, you've done it now. You've gone cuckoo from reading too many fantasy novels."
[60… 80… 100%]
[Login successful]
Before Rama could react, he felt a strange pull, as if being dragged into another place. The darkness around him seemed to swallow him whole, and the surreal nature of the experience left him both terrified and exhilarated.
Rama began to regain his sight and found himself standing inside a room with flat, solid walls on all four sides, an empty storage room with a half-broken door leading into dark tunnels.
"Where am I? What is this place?" he murmured, his voice echoing slightly.
Taking a cautious step toward the tunnel, his mind raced through the starting scenarios of various game genres.
"No way... I dream of playing a game?"
His imagination ran wild as he guessed what might be waiting for him beyond the broken door: a monster of some kind.
Seconds later, a shrieking voice echoed from the tunnel.
"I hate to be right!" Rama muttered, his anxiety spiking.
The shrieking grew louder as the creature drew nearer, prompting Rama to take several steps backward.
"Ok... this is too real to be a dream... Whatever this is… get me out of here!!"
He wishes to shout but apparently, no words seem to come out of his mouth.
Panic rose in his heart as the unsettling noises grew more intense.
Just then, words appeared in his sight:
[You received a welcoming pack]
[Do you want to open it?]
"Yes!!" Rama exclaimed without hesitation.
The message flashed before Rama's eyes:
[You received one Obsidian dagger]
To his astonishment, the dagger materialized out of thin air, forming in his palm.
The blade, made of a gleaming dark stone, looked as though it had been carved from precious rock.
As he held the dagger, an empowering sensation washed over him, igniting a spark of courage. But as soon as the creature stepped out of the shadows and crushed the broken door, his battle spirit wavered.
ROARRRR
It was a humanoid creature as big as himself. It stood menacingly with a body covered in stone and dirt, its sharp claws and ferocious teeth enhancing its savage appearance. Its glowing, predatory eyes watched him intently as it slowly moved closer, ready to attack.
A notification came into his mind, giving the identity of the creature.
[Ghoul]
Rama's heart pounded the dagger in his hand suddenly felt inadequate against such a terrifying opponent.
"This is just wrong!!"
In most games, a new player would face something like a slime, rabbit, or goblin for their first challenge, but here he was, up against a ghoul, a creature that felt more like a mid-level boss. In fact, based on the Avatar of God novel, this was a supernatural creature with great strength and agility, something a mortal could never defeat.
Rama stood there, trembling uncontrollably. The experience felt disturbingly real, as though his life was truly on the line. Yet, despite his shaking hands, a strange, calming thought began to take shape in his mind:
[Passive Skill: Reader's POV]
[As a reader, you perceive things from an imaginary perspective, granting you high mental strenght]
Suddenly, his stiff body felt lighter, and he found the focus he needed to fight.
"I will not die here! NO!!"
Rama tried to escape from his current predicament, unfortunately, his main challenge wasn't just his mental state—it was his physical condition. Since his sickness, the closest he'd ever come to physical exertion was the occasional trek to the restroom or dinner table.
ROOAARRR!!!
As the creature lunged, Rama's instincts kicked in. He darted into the corner of the room, narrowly avoiding the beast's initial swipe.
An expert might have deemed this move reckless but Rama had a plan. He knew that he couldn't outmaneuver the creature; it was far more agile and powerful than he was. Dodging or pushing it aside with his strenght was out of the question. His only hope was to lure the creature into a position where he could use his dagger effectively.
With his back pressed firmly against the wall, Rama steeled himself.
The ghoul, let out a guttural roar, Its sharp claws and ferocious teeth were poised to rip him apart. As the creature soared through the air, Rama tightened his grip on the dagger, preparing for the impact.
His memory flashed to a particular page from Book 4, where Kim Woo Jin the Regressor spent days farming these ghouls. One paragraph stood out vividly: the creature's weaknesses— decapitating its head; burning with fire or a deep thrust into its chest where the spirit core lies.
Rama used the wall behind him to bolster his strength. He thrust the dagger forward with all his might, aiming straight for the target. The Ghoul's two arms crushed his shoulder and its jaws snapped dangerously close, but Rama's calculated move paid off.
SPLAATT!!
Dark liquid burst from the creature's chest, but its raw strength was overwhelming. It continued to push forward, aiming to sink its ferocious teeth into his head. In a desperate attempt to defend himself, Rama raised his left hand, letting the creature's jaws tear into his flesh.
"ARRGGHH!!!
Pain shot through him, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to give in.
Sensing the creature's weakened, Rama mustered the last of his strength to push it back. With a sickening snap, his left lower arm was torn apart, but the force sent the creature crashing to the ground with the dagger still embedded in its chest.
Ignoring the pain in his arm, Rama seized the opportunity. He leaped onto the creature's body and, with a swift and determined motion, he pulled and plunged the blade into its chest over and over until the creature's struggles ceased and it lay lifeless.
As the adrenaline faded, Rama felt the exhaustion and pain take over. Every muscle in his body ached, and he stumbled as he tried to stand, feeling the toll of the battle wash over him.
"My arm! Damn it… what kind of stupid game is this?!"
Rama wanted to scream, but the short fight had drained him completely. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his muscles felt like they were on fire.
"Whatever this is!… let me out!" he shouted into the empty room, his voice echoing back at him. But there was no response, only the oppressive silence of the strange place he found himself in.
Frustration bubbled up inside him, but then, slowly, a strange calm began to wash over him. His passive skill was kicking in again, easing the storm in his mind. His breathing steadied, and he began to think clearly once more.
"Alright, if you want me to play… I'll play! I'll beat your stupid game!"
As he regained his focus, something odd began to dawn on him. The searing pain that had been radiating from his arm was gone. He looked down, expecting to see blood or the mangled remains of his limb, but instead, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. His arm wasn't bleeding at all—it wasn't even made of flesh.
"What!? did I just reincarnate as a ghoul?" he muttered, bringing his arm closer for inspection.
The limb wasn't human but it was solid in comparison to the dead ghoul. It looked like it was carved from wood, polished smooth but sturdy. He looked down at the rest of his body, realizing that his entire figure was made entirely of wood.
It was surreal, like something out of a twisted fairy tale.
"Oh my god… what am I supposed to be… Pinocchio?!"
Just when Rama thought things couldn't get any stranger, he felt warm energy entering his body and was stunned to see words begin to appear before his eyes, glowing faintly against the backdrop of the dim room.
[Congratulations on completing your first kill]
[You received a completion reward]
[You have level up]
"...."
"What?! Level up? For real?!"
The situation felt eerily similar to the gaming or system novels he had spent countless hours reading. Deciding to test a theory, he called out a few familiar phrases.
"Open status!..."
"Show my profile!... no... Check status!"
Clink.
A soft chime rang out, and to Rama's amazement, a holographic box materialized before him. "It really works!" he whispered, a mix of excitement and disbelief in his voice.