"Ugghhh…my head…"
By the time I opened my eyes, I realized I was on the ground in the middle of nowhere.
"Huh? Where am I? How did I get here?"
My memory was a little foggy but I started to recollect all that happened.
"My chest?!"
I immediately looked down at my chest to see where the crystal ball had pierced, but…
"It's…fine?"
My chest was fine, and the clothes I was wearing were also intact. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. No pain, no discomfort at all.
"What the heck is going on?"
First, it was that crystal fragment, then a mysterious person appearing out of thin air, and now I'm in the middle of nowhere with a spherical orb that's most likely inside me.
"Arrghh, this is so confusing!" I said, scratching my head aggressively with both hands.
"Calm down Jay, calm down. Relax."
Yeah, now wasn't the time to panic. I needed to understand my current predicament first and foremost.
After looking around for a bit, I noticed the ground was uneven, covered in fallen leaves and tangled roots from the trees. A low mist hung in the air, smelling of damp earth and pine, while shadows moved between the trunks. There were no paths—just endless green and the distant sound of something rustling.
"Hmm...I seem to be in a wilderness."
It was obvious enough; Demo City also had a few wilderness areas. Considering there were more than a hundred million people within the city, I was surprised there was still so much space for such things.
"Ignoring the question of how I even got here, how do I get out?"
Rustle.
I suddenly heard a loud rustling sound behind me.
I immediately whipped my head around; for all I knew, it could have been a wild beast. I'd never seen one before, but I'd heard stories, and my conclusion was to avoid an encounter for as long as I lived.
Surprisingly, it wasn't a beast. What made the sound was…a person?
A man was sitting on a boulder about five meters away from me.
How had I not sensed him until he made a sound? Had he been behind me this entire time?
I may not be a wizard or have superpowers, but I'd developed keen senses from my experience as a thief. For someone to bypass all my five senses was a shock, even if I was a bit disoriented at the moment.
The same thing had happened in Demo City Hall when that enforcer had gotten beside me without me realizing it.
I think I'm losing my edge, sigh!
As I got up from the ground and was about to move, the stranger spoke first.
"Yo, kid, you stable now? You were muttering stuff like 'Sister Catherine,' 'I hate you,' and 'Screw this' in your sleep."
He said that with a poker face, but for some reason, I could feel a snicker behind his words.
His voice was deep, but not too deep—almost like someone knowledgeable about many things, yet reserved and not eager to speak. It was also very calm. He spoke as if he wanted to be heard clearly and wasn't in a hurry at all.
Looking at him closely, I noticed he had very pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, and a very unique set of pupils.
His white spiky hair stood upright, while black spiky bangs fell downwards.
He wore a white high-collared unbuttoned coat that extended past his knees when he stood. The coat had black embroidery designs around the edges.
Underneath, he wore a black shirt and black trousers, complemented by peculiar shoes with ropes on them.
I really didn't know what to make of his outfit; it was foreign to me. Everyone in Demo City wore simple clothes made of rough fabrics—tunics, trousers, and dresses. This included the wealthy, though theirs were much cleaner and neater.
We also wore boots that were usually scuffed and cloak frayed from years of use.
There was text written on his shirt in a language I didn't recognize, but for some reason, I understood what it said: 'YOLO.'
What does 'YOLO' mean?
"Oh, don't worry about the 'YOLO' on the shirt; that's not what matters right now. It seems the orb was rough with you this time around; I apologize on its behalf."
Huh? How did he know I was reading what was on his shirt? And what's this about the orb? Does he know something?
"Good day, my name is Jay. May I ask how you found me or how I got here?"
That should be polite enough.
"I know who you are, Jay. And please, don't be so formal with me—I'm only eighteen years old."
"18?!" I exclaimed unconsciously.
He looks at least 28. Could his eye bags be deceiving me? No, no, no—he's definitely older.
I shook my head furiously in my mind.
"28? Isn't that a bit much?"
"W-What?! H-How did you—"
I was shocked. I never said what I thought out loud so how did he know?
"That's quite obvious; I can read your mind."
He was still speaking with the same poker face. Something told me this person had never smiled for a split second in his entire life.
"You can read my mind?! Who are you?"
"Me? Hmm…well, I'm something along the lines of 'A guide'."
"A guide?"
"Walk with me, Jay."
Just as he said that he stood up from the boulder.
I hadn't noticed until he stood up that his hands had been in his coat pockets the entire time he was sitting; even now, he never brought them out.
"For now, just call me 'Guide.' It will make our conversation easier."
"Umm...okay, Mr. Guide, where am I?"
"Just calling me 'Guide' is fine. I'm not big on honorifics. As for where you are, you're in a wilderness."
His voice was as calm and steady as it had been from the beginning, and his poker face didn't shift even once. It almost felt like I was speaking to an extremely intelligent robot.
"Yeah, that much is obvious. I mean, how did I get here? I was in Demo City. This doesn't look like Demo City; for one, there's no Dome."
I pointed up into the sky. It was just sky and a few birds—no barricaded dome, just the pure blue shining and the fluffy clouds painting a gorgeous picture.
"Obviously, you're not in Demo City; the orb brought you here. This is the meeting point."
He wasn't looking at me as he spoke, just facing forward with his hands in his pockets, walking casually.
"As the guide, the orb brings the player to me so I can fill them in on some general things regarding the system."
"System? Player?" I asked. I vaguely remember hearing something similar in my head while I was knocked out.
"Yeah, but this time around, it wants me to do something different."
"Wait, wait, wait! What exactly is going on? Is this some kind of prank? Player? What system? What guide?" I said, feeling confusion wash over me.
Something then clicked in my head.
"Wait a minute! Are you that mysterious figure that appeared when I was about to be executed?"
"For understanding to be achieved, patience is key. Don't be in a hurry—you have all the time in the world right now. And no, I'm not the person who appeared to you. That's a different person. You'll meet him later on."
Tch! I guess I'll just have to hear him out.
"Good. However, the information I can provide is limited because the system censors' certain things it believes you're not ready for yet."
"The orb that entered you, placed there by that mysterious person, has merged with you. There's no way you can get it out of your body—unless you decide to kill yourself. But the system will try its best to prevent that."
"Oh, and by the way, I'm using the terms 'Orb' and 'System' interchangeably. They're the same thing. When the orb entered you, it converted into a functional system."
Huh? What's he going on about? I don't understand a single thing.
"Once the system becomes functional, the person becomes a player. A player essentially... hmm, I can't say that. Let's just say a player completes missions for the system."
Can't say what?
"The player has to complete all these missions until... well, until the game is over."
"I know you don't know anything about MMORPGs or VR Games. But my explanation should be clear enough."
"Normally, I'd fill you in on more details, but the system wants to follow a different procedure this time. That's all I can tell you for now, but I'll answer any questions you have—as long as the system allows it."
Everything the guide said wasn't explanatory enough. All he did was tell me what the "orb" does, and even that wasn't broad enough.
That's all he had to say? And why was he hiding things while he was rambling on?
"You think that now, but trust me: If I could tell you everything, I would."
Crap! I forgot he could read my mind. Well, at least he said I could ask any question.
"Okay, so, what exactly does this 'censorship' thing mean?"
That was what I was most curious about.
"You really want to know?"
He asked with his usual poker face, but for some reason, I could feel the intent behind his words: you're going to regret this.
"Yes, I'd like to know."
Whatever was going to happen couldn't be that bad, right?
"Sigh, okay then, don't say I didn't warn you. Well, the system needs you to ■■ ■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■. ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■ ■■■■■■■■ and—"
"AARRRHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
Sheer, brain-splitting pain suddenly filled my head.