As I sprinted, my breath grew heavier, and my legs began to feel like lead. Yet, I pushed myself to keep going, driven by the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
I kept running for a while, I'm not sure how long did I run, but I just kept running.
Suddenly, a blinding light pierced through the darkness, causing me to flinch and shield my eyes with my trembling hands.
Gradually, my eyes began to adjust to the sudden change in brightness, and I slowed to a stop.
I cautiously lowered my hand and looked ahead. A vast expanse of land stretched out before me, the grassy terrain spread out as far as the eye could see. But this was no lush, verdant meadow.
The grass was a shade of dank green, as if it had been deprived of sunlight and water for far too long. The air was thick with the scent of earth and decay. No trees, no flowers, no signs of life could be seen anywhere.
I tried to take a step forward, but something held me back, as if a strong grip had clamped down on my foot. I stepped back, bewildered, and cast my gaze downward to discern the cause of my predicament, only to behold an awful sight.
A corpse lay on the ground, its lifeless limbs splayed out in a grotesque manner. Despite the putrid stench of decay that hung heavy in the air, it was clear that the body had been there for some time.
I scanned the land once more, my eyes caught sight of something that chilled me to the bone. It wasn't just one lifeless body that obstructed my path, but a scattering of them, each one seemingly more decayed than the last.
Then, a voice spoke out of nowhere.
"...get rid of your foot on my body."
The words sent a chill down my spine, making me stumble back in shock. I looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice, but there was nothing there except for the decaying corpses.
Is it a ghost? This can't be a game, can it? I don't want to believe that... but what other explanation is there for the disembodied voice and the corpses that seem to have a mind of their own?
The voice spoke up again, and I felt a jolt of fear run through me.
"..oh..thanks."
The words seemed to confirm my suspicion that this wasn't just a game. But at the same time, a small part of me still clung to the hope that it was all just an elaborate simulation.
I wasn't sure what to believe anymore, but I need to keep moving forward if I wanted to find out the truth.
Can all this happen just from a click?
"..alright."
The voice's haunting echo reverberated within the hollows of my ears, but I remained silent, scanning the surroundings for any clues or signs. Suddenly, a rustling sound caught my attention.
My gaze drifted to the corpse, and my heart raced with disbelief and horror as it slowly started to rise, inch by agonizing inch.
As I watched in disbelief, the corpse began to mend its broken body back together, as though time itself had rewound. The flesh reconnected with a sickening squelch, as the bones reassembled and snapped back into place. It was a grotesque sight to behold, but I couldn't take my eyes off it.
"T-The fuck…" I stammered, taking a few hesitant steps back.
The freshly resurrected corpse looked at me and spoke, its voice still weak and shaky.
"T-Tghanks," it said, before clearing its throat and trying again. "I mean, thank you."
I stood there, petrified with fear.
"That's a nice katana you got there."
I was still reeling from the shock of hearing a voice in this desolate wasteland, as if by instinct, I tightened my grip around the hilt of my weapon, it was a nice weapon, yes, but I had never felt more vulnerable than I did now.
Before I could react, he spoke again, taking a step back as if sensing my offensive stance.
"Woah, woah. There is no need for violence. I have no intention of losing my life once again."
His voice was laced with caution, yet there was a hint of familiarity to it that I couldn't quite place.
As I lowered my katana, I took a closer look at the person before me. His clothing was tattered and torn, barely hanging on to his lanky frame. It was difficult to determine what he was wearing, or if he was wearing anything at all.
His unkempt hair was a shade of yellow, so bright that it appeared as though he had painted it that color. However, the effect was more of a crude imitation of a true blonde rather than an authentic shade.
I did lower my katana, but I kept it at the ready just in case.
He noticed my scrutiny and gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I know I look like a rip-off blonde. But, atleast I'm cool, the popular guy you'll see in movies."
"I guess so," I said, not really feeling like smiling at his attempt at humor.
"Wait, are you a high schooler?" he asked.
"Is there a problem with that?"
I looked down at my body and noticed that I was still wearing my school uniform. I hadn't bothered to change my clothes when I got home earlier, since I had accidentally dozed off for a few hours after a gaming session.
As I thought that, I began to suspect more, that I wasn't in a game. The fact that I was still wearing my school uniform suggested that I had been transported to another world, just like in the manga and anime stories that I loved to read and watch.
"Nah, no trouble. It's just kinda weird to see a high schooler playing this game," he said.
"Did you say game?"
"Uh, yeah, why?"
A wave of emotion hit me as I realized that I might not be in a different world after all, but in a game. Some people might have been thrilled to hear that they were playing a game, but I wasn't one of them.
After all, how could I trust a random ass corpse that had just been mysteriously resurrected?
"You didn't know that?" he continued, scratching his head.