A light flickered with a powerful brilliance in a remote corner of the universe.
Though it appeared as a small, sparkling wisp from afar, it was an immense, dazzlingly beautiful castle up close. Inside the castle stood three colossal thrones, each facing an empty center. Yet, even the grand thrones paled in comparison to the immense beings who occupied them.
The air crackled with intense energy as the three figures engaged in a heated argument.
A faceless man, completely red, shouted, "How much longer must we guard this tiny place? It's been an eternity!" Despite the aggression in his tone and the bloodlust in his voice, the other two figures remained unfazed.
"The orders are to watch over this universe, and we can't defy them. It's our fate to rot here, watching them make the same mistakes over and over," the second figure replied, his voice heavy with sadness. He was made of pure white light, too intense to look at directly.
"What do you think?" The second figure turned to the third, a being of deep void-like darkness, who remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.
"There he goes again, creating more baggage for us to handle," the red figure remarked.
"Creating more dimensions might hinder us but we can do nothing if he wants to continue," the white figure responded.
He was right—the third figure had a peculiar hobby. He was fascinated by the stories generated by those he protected across the universe. Whenever a story captivated him, he would transform it into reality.
"Let's wait just a little longer, and hope for the best... it's all we can do," the second figure said calmly. The third figure finally looked at him, seeming to understand what he was suggesting.
Their duty was to protect everything within the universe from external threats, and nothing more.
-------------------------------
[Welcome to the planes of Aemerion!]
[You have been transported from your home planet to play this game!]
[The planes of Aemerion are thousands of times larger than your planet, and every species from your universe has been moved here.]
[The rules are simple! Grow strong and survive in this world! But beware—outer species like you are beacons of danger! Everything will try to kill you!]
[You can learn about your skills by simply thinking about them! Good luck to all!]
These were the words Lucas saw before his eyes when he mysteriously found himself in a dense forest.
Before he could react, he was overwhelmed by waves of vomiting, which lasted several minutes until he finally passed out from exhaustion.
Moments later, his eyes opened again, though his vision was still blurry from just waking up.
"Fuck..." he muttered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
His only option was to scan his surroundings for any danger and read the text displayed on the left side of his vision.
The floating text was abrupt, revealing little yet saying enough. Lucas remained in the dark about many things, but the warning about the dangers lingered in his mind.
'This all feels like a dream… Hm… Think about the skills, they said...' Lucas thought. A faint desire to understand made new text appear before him.
[Configuring skills and statistics…]
[Congratulations! You have obtained a rare skill!]
Lucas felt a surge of excitement as dots continued to blink, loading the information.
'Rare skill? That sounds promising... but I don't understand much yet. Where am I? … Wait! What about my parents?'
Suddenly, the reality of the situation hit Lucas. Amid the panic and stress of this unbelievable situation, he had forgotten about his family.
He had been in his room playing on his gaming console when it happened. His parents were in the kitchen, and his older sister was at university, studying.
[Configuration complete!]
More text appeared before him, and he was about to read through it when suddenly...
RUSTLE RUSTLE
His attention snapped to a bush a few meters away, sending a jolt of fear through him. The word 'danger' from the floating text flashed in his mind. He wanted to run, but his legs refused to move, turning to jelly and making even standing a challenge.
The bush rustled again, and Lucas's heart pounded so loudly he could hear it in his ears.
RUSTLE
A head poked out from the bush, and Lucas stared at it in astonishment. His fear vanished, and he straightened up.
SQUEAK!
'A fucking bunny...' Lucas thought, feeling deeply embarrassed. He was relieved no one else was around to witness this.
===
Brown Rabbit
Level: 0
Origin: Planet Earth
===
"What the fuck?" Lucas couldn't believe it. When he wondered about the breed of the bunny or whether it posed any danger, more text appeared before him, replacing the previous one.
The bunny jumped in fright when Lucas spoke, then bolted away in fear.
Lucas sighed and thought about his skills again.
===
Lucas Garde
Level: 0
Origin: Planet Earth
Exp: 0/1
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 7
Stamina: 3
Dexterity: 11
Mana: 9
Skills: Shelter Generation (Rare - Level 1), Punch (Extremely Common - Level 1)
===
'Shelter generation? What's that?' Lucas frowned in confusion.
He clicked on the skill name, and a new description appeared.
===
Shelter Generation
Rare - Level 1
The ability to generate a shelter is a rare skill. When activated, it allows the user to create a small shelter at a location of their choice. The shelter can be upgraded as the user's skill level increases. However, the combat value of this skill is low.
===
Lucas couldn't believe it. He read it twice before finally sitting down, placing his hand on his chin.
"If this isn't a dream… I think I am screwed..." Lucas thought while looking around warily.
The forest was dense and lush, with tall trees reaching up to the sky. Lucas had no knowledge of the flora around him, nor was he well-versed in the plants back on Earth.
'What happens if I use this 'shelter generation' skill?' Lucas thought, and when he clicked on it, the skill description appeared again. But his question was answered on its own.
As soon as Lucas thought of using the skill, a transparent layout appeared before him, making his eyes widen in surprise.
The layout felt natural to Lucas, as if it were as instinctive as breathing. It spanned about 5 meters, and the trees, bushes, and plants within that area remained unchanged.
[The shelter can be successfully constructed here...
Configuring materials needed...
Wood: 25 (can be extracted from within the layout)
Stone: 15 (can be extracted from within the layout)
Build the shelter?
YES NO]
'Can be extracted from within the layout?' Lucas thought, looking inside the transparent area. Five meters wasn't large, and Lucas could see the whole thing without much difficulty.
'Wait... Is it using the trees and that boulder inside for building?' Lucas had many questions.
He struggled to even accept this as reality. Still, he didn't waste time and clicked 'YES' in the floating text.
The layout shone and extended vertically, making it difficult for Lucas to adjust to the light. Everything within the layout vanished in the brightness, forcing Lucas to shield his eyes.
CRACK! CREAK! THUMP!
"S-Shit! That's too loud!" Lucas exclaimed in panic. The noises from the layout were loud and erratic, ranging from the sound of trees being felled to other incomprehensible noises.
A minute passed with the sounds going on and Lucas had no way to stop it.
Krr!!
Suddenly, A growl came from behind him, and Lucas jumped, spinning around. There it was, a small silhouette moving toward him cautiously.
===
Vixenox
Level: 1
Origin: Planet Sandalian
===
The creature's description appeared in the upper-left corner of his vision. The Vixenox was the size of a cat, with fur as dirty gray as a rat's. Its mouth, however, was filled with sharp, canine-like protrusions, more suited to tearing than chewing.
The Vixenox crept closer to Lucas, its posture resembling that of a cat about to pounce on its prey.
Krra!!
The small Vixenox leaped at Lucas, who instinctively dodged to the right. His reflexes were sharp, honed by his regular exercise routine. Training his body until exhaustion had always been his hobby, though many found Lucas's dedication a bit extreme. Still, it proved useful in this situation.
The Vixenox eyed Lucas again, malice glinting in its small eyes.
'Is this how it feels when something comes for your life?" Lucas thought, his breathing unstable.
The vixenox's gaze was unmoving and felt very sharp, in its eyes, Lucas saw confidence.
The Vixenox pounced again, this time a little closer to the neck. Yet Lucas just dodged it again, his instincts were better than what it seemed.
"You leave me with no choice, Kitty." Lucas's voice turning cold.
His eyes sharpened too and he looked at the Vixenox with emotions he had been keeping dormant for a long time.
The vixenox could tell the change in attitude but for it, Lucas was just a lamb ready to be slaughtered any minute. A change of attitude was worthless for it.
Though Lucas had always been sweet and gentle with his family, deep down, he knew his true nature.
Suppressing his desire to fight had been a lifelong struggle, but now, he looked everywhere yet after noticing no life around except this damn Vixenox.
If his butlers or parents were around, the Vixenox would have been dealt with without him even moving a finger. But now, it was his golden chance.
He assumed a fighting stance. The Vixenox noticed the change in its prey's demeanor again but still lunged at him.
This time, Lucas was ready. He waited until the creature was within range, then kicked forward with the tip of his bare foot.
"Fuck!" Lucas groaned in pain, it was as if he hit his toe at the edge of a wall.
But he was successful in taking the Vixenox by surprise, his kick landing hard on the creature's neck and sending it reeling back.
"Yeah Fuck you!" Lucas shouted while holding his toe, elated that his attack had connected. For the first time in his life, he had struck something without holding back. He couldn't contain his excitement and sprinted toward the creature with an adrenaline boost.
The Vixenox, sensing the shift in power, went on guard, growling to intimidate its opponent. But Lucas was built differently, his instincts had already taken over.
He dashed forward and leaped into the air, preparing to deliver a powerful blow.
The Vixenox saw this coming and tried to dodge it, but Lucas managed to land a solid hit on the creature's head without worrying about it biting back which sent it tumbling to the ground.
However, Lucas miscalculated the force his almost broken tow could take and he crashed into the ground next to the creature.
For a moment, neither moved.
Lucas raised his head and looked at the creature lying unconscious. He forced himself to stand and approached it slowly.
'Wait, is it dead already?'
A soft whimper escaped the small creature's mouth. The sound snapped Lucas out of his trance, and something else crept into his heart. This was the first time he had struck anything—let alone something as small and fragile as a cat-like creature. It felt deeply wrong, almost inhumane.
In his adrenaline rush, Lucas had not realized what he was doing. For him, it was a lifelong dream, to fight without holding back.
But it was too late. The Vixenox was already too weak to survive the encounter. Its small body, lacking in strength, was built only for quick strikes with its claws and sharp teeth. But it had failed to use those against Lucas, unable to close the distance.
===
[+5 EXP]
[Congratulations on your first level up!]
[+1 Stamina, +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Mana, +1 Intelligence]
[+3 Free Points]
===
Just as Lucas considered what to do next, a series of notifications confirmed his worst fear: the damage had already been done. The Vixenox lay lifeless on the ground.
[Skill 'Punch(Extremely Common- level 1) has evolved into 'Unarmed Combat (Extremely Common - Level 1)']
Lucas stared at the blood trickling from the Vixenox's mouth, haunted by the images of his foot striking the creature's small body. The urge to vomit hit him again, but his stomach was empty; there was nothing left to expel.
'Calm down, Lucas. You need to survive... you need to get back to your family, it was either killed or be killed, there wasn't a peaceful option, right?' Lucas thought and asked himself, clenching his fists tightly. From a young age, he had learned to soothe himself, keeping his struggles hidden from his family to spare them any unnecessary worry.
But now, he realized his mistake. The noise from using his skill had attracted the creature, compromising his chances of survival.
[Shelter Construction Completed.]
Lucas took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. This world was dangerous, and he would have to adapt quickly if he wanted to make it back to his family…