Was it a nightmare?
Or had his spirit truly entered the shadow realm?
As Rama sat on the hospital bed, these questions filled his mind, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. The vivid memories of the shadow realm lingered, leaving him to wonder if it had all been real.
His older sister, Ayu, was seated beside him, peeling up oranges for him. She recounted the terrifying events of that morning. Ayu explained how she found him breathless in bed, completely still. In a panic, she called an ambulance and rushed him to the nearest hospital. Rama had only regained consciousness after his heart was shocked back to life by the hospital's defibrillator.
"You really scared me, you know!!" Ayu's voice cracked with emotion. "One hour and fifteen minutes! I don't think anyone has ever gone that long!!"
Rama attempted to lighten the mood, saying, "…Hmm, I heard someone in China went as far as six days… don't worry sis... one hour is nothing...."
His sister's expression quickly shifted to a frown. "It's not funny…!!," she said, her voice trembling with anger before she broke down into tears. the fear and relief of the past hours finally overwhelmed her. "You… you… you were dead."
Rama turned speechless; Ayu was four years older than him, and she was one tough girl, but when it came to him, she could easily turn emotional. Despite being such a good guardian for him ever since their parents were gone, she often was too hard on herself, blaming herself for not taking good care of him.
It was at that time that a doctor came in and gave a report on Rama's medical condition, saying that he was, in fact, in full health.
"You see, sis?! I am alright… let's go home."
"NO! I want you to stay here for a night!! No discussion." Ayu insisted.
"Alright, alright…" he conceded.
Despite being a member of the prominent Purnama family, Rama's hospital room was visited by only one relative—his sister. The rest of their extended family did not come to offer support or check on him.
His sister intended to take a day off to care for him. However, she was soon called back to fulfill her responsibilities as the lead star dancer for the family's business.
"Just go Sis… I'll be fine."
As Ayu reluctantly left, Rama turned his gaze toward the window, where the city stretched out in serene calmness beneath the late afternoon sky. His thoughts meandered back to the strange and vivid dream he had experienced, and a wistful smile appeared on his lips.
"If only it was real…"
His attention was suddenly drawn to the large trees in the hospital yard. Something moved among the branches—a strange furry animal, almost like a monkey, but there was something off about it that made his heart race. Just as he was trying to get a better look, the creature dissolved into a wisp of dark smoke, evaporating into the air as if it had never existed.
Rama's breath caught in his throat. "I must be losing my mind," he muttered.
He knew what he had seen, but his rational mind struggled to make sense of it. Was it a hallucination? A lingering effect from the strange experience he'd had?
Rama decided to distract himself and turned on the Television, hoping to find something that would take his mind off the unsettling encounter.
"I wonder if they have an anime channel here," he mused, eager for something familiar to ground him.
As Rama flipped through the channels, he began to notice a disturbing trend across the news broadcasts. The major networks—ABC, Fox, CNN—and even the local channels were all reporting a similar, alarming story: a series of mysterious disappearances happening around the globe. The reports were relentless, each one describing the same unsettling phenomenon: young people vanishing without a trace.
The coverage was comprehensive, with reporters detailing how individuals had disappeared from various locations, including locked prisons and even airplanes mid-flight. The scale of the disappearances was staggering, with thousands of cases being reported. The news was punctuated with dramatic images, making the situation feel even more dire.
Rama's brow furrowed as he absorbed the gravity of the reports.
"Haha! That is so strange…" he muttered, a hint of nervous laughter escaping his lips.
His mind raced back to the pages of Avatar of God Book 2, where a similar scenario had unfolded—10,000 people were taken to the Babel Tower, an event that marked a significant turning point in the story.
"Hahaha, ha.. ha"
The laughter that had started as a coping mechanism quickly faded, turning into a dry, hollow chuckle.
Rama's anxiety began to swell, a sense of dread creeping over him. The gravity of what he was seeing on the screen and the bizarre coincidences with his recent experiences left him feeling increasingly unsettled.
At that moment, a young nurse entered the room, carrying a set of hospital clothes for Rama to change into. Their demeanor was a mix of professionalism and shyness. She hesitated slightly before offering to assist him.
Rama couldn't entirely blame her; his mixed heritage; blue eyes and pale skin made him somewhat more attractive in her eyes.
However, he knew that once she saw his body—pale, skinny, and malnourished— her perception of him would likely shift.
With a calm demeanor, Rama stepped out of bed and began to remove his clothes. To his surprise, he noticed the nurse watching him with an unusual combination of admiration and shyness. She seemed transfixed, her eyes lingering on him more than he expected.
Curious and somewhat alarmed, Rama glanced at the nearest mirror. What he saw left him baffled. His body was not the emaciated frame he had anticipated. Instead, he found himself with a physique that, while not overly muscular, was far from malnourished.
It had an impressive, well-defined appearance that reminded him of one of the protagonists in those korean dramas.
".... what has just happened?"
Unconsciously, Rama began pinching his face and running his hands over his body, trying to make sense of the startling changes. His actions shocked the young nurse, who quickly stepped out of the room in a state of panic.
"No way!!" Rama muttered, his voice trembling. He took a deep, steadying breath and whispered the words...
"....Check... status!"
As he spoke, a hologram materialized in front of him with a soft, clinking sound, displaying his details in vivid text:
Name: Rama
Level: 5
[Stats]
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 16
Perceptions: 14
Vitality: 13
Intelligence: 18
[Skills]
Reader POV - level Max
Dagger Mastery - level 2
"...."
Rama was speechless, staring in disbelief at the glowing hologram that had suddenly appeared before him. His first thought was that he had completely lost his mind, and considered asking for a brain scan or an appointment with a psychologist.
Took several minutes before the initial shock began to fade, and Rama's racing heart started to calm down.
As he lay back against the hospital bed, his mind whirled with the impossibility of it all. Could this really be happening? The idea of a supernatural world, the shadow realm, and an impending apocalypse was too overwhelming to grasp.
The lines between reality and fantasy blurred dangerously, making him question everything he knew. If this was real, then all the stories he had read, all the fantasies he had indulged in, were no longer just fiction—they were his new reality.
"Seriously… ha ha," Rama laughed, the sound starting as a nervous chuckle before spiraling into something hysterical. He could feel himself teetering on the edge of sanity, the weight of this new reality threatening to push him over.
Just as he felt he might break, a new notification flashed in his mind, cutting through his laughter like a cold blade.
[New Objectives - Get Stronger (unread)]
"...."
[Get Stronger: Get stronger, fast]
Press Up, 100 times: Incomplete (0/100)
Sit Up, 100 times: Incomplete (0/100)
Squat, 100 times: Incomplete (0/100)
"..."
Rama took a deep sigh, trying to steady his racing thoughts. Part of him was thrilled that the game system seemed to work in the real world, but another part of him couldn't believe how cliché it all felt.
He muttered under his breath, "Are you sure this isn't going to get sued by the author of Solo Leveling?"
Despite his skepticism, curiosity got the better of him. He figured he might as well complete the objectives and see what would happen. "Alright… here we go," he said, rolling his shoulders as he prepared for the first set of exercises.
"One… two… three…"
Even with his newly enhanced stats, the tasks were far from easy.
Each movement tested different muscle groups, pushing his body in ways it hadn't been challenged for years. The push-ups strained his arms and chest, the sit-ups burned his abs, and the squats made his legs tremble with effort.
Sweat poured down his face, dripping onto the sterile hospital floor, as he watched the numbers on the hologram slowly tick upward.
"...97… 98…99… 100"
He finished the final squat, gasping for air, his muscles screaming in protest. But as he straightened up, expecting some sort of reward or acknowledgment from the system, nothing happened. There was no notification, no flash of light, no sudden surge of power—just silence and the relentless ache in his body.
"Just… what the hell am I doing?"
Rama muttered to himself, utterly exhausted and slightly bewildered. His body was drenched in sweat, and the physical pain was all too real, making him question whether this bizarre situation was a blessing or a curse.
Rama smirked helplessly, straightening up as a new notification popped up before him.
[Congratulations on finishing the objectives - Get Stronger]
[You received 1 Strength]
[Strength: 13 (14)]
The moment the notification appeared, Rama felt a subtle shift in his body, a faint increase in strength that left him slightly puzzled. He couldn't be sure if the system's effect was real or just a figment of his imagination.
As he contemplated this, another message arrived.
[New Objectives - Get Stronger 2 (unread)]
[Get Stronger 2: Get stronger, fast]
Running, 10 miles: Incomplete (0/10)
Rama's heart sank slightly, realizing the next task was even more demanding.
"I knew it!! I knew it…" he muttered, a mixture of frustration and resignation in his voice.
Determined to tackle the new objective, he decided to make use of the hospital's backyard. The open area was his escape from the sterile confines of his room. He had been bedridden for five years, hence the thought of jogging was exhilarating.
Despite the excitement, the physical effort quickly took its toll. His body, though improved, was still adjusting to the strain of prolonged activity. His breathing grew labored, and his legs began to protest after only a short while. But he pressed on, motivated by the hope of completing his objective.
After an hour of running, Rama had only managed to cover three miles distance. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, he was about to push himself further when a nurse approached, forcing him to stop.
"Alright... Alright..." Reluctantly, Rama complied.
Drenched in sweat, Rama was given fresh clothes by the hospital staff before he settled back onto the bed. He checked his status and reviewed his list of objectives.
[Objectives]
Exit path (incomplete)
Running, 10 miles: Incomplete (3/10)
Seeing the list of unfinished tasks and noting that the sun was beginning to set, Rama grew anxious. He wondered if he would soon be thrust back into the shadow realm.
"Well, I'm in a hospital... so I should be safe, right?"
When the 10-minute twilight period came and went without triggering any notification, Rama began to theorize that he might needed to be at home for the event to occur.
The thought made him chuckle softly.
"I'm really buying into this craziness, aren't I? Maybe I just need some rest… yes, a good sleep will help… haha…"
His laughter abruptly ceased as a strange, eerie sound broke the silence outside the window. Rama's gaze snapped to the source of the noise, and his eyes widened in shock. The furry creature he had glimpsed earlier was back, perched on a tree just outside the hospital. Its presence was even more unsettling this time.
The creature's yellow eyes bore into Rama's with a fierce, almost sinister intensity. It opened its mouth, exposing sharp fangs and a terrifying long, fiery tongue that unfurled.
[Rangda Spawn]
For a moment, time itself seemed to stand still.