Aunt Wang had been generous, offering Daniel a huge bowl of chicken. Although he had a big appetite, he couldn't finish it all. After a satisfying belch, he packed the rest in his backpack, intending to save it for later.
"Right, let's check the stats!" he thought, excited to see if the chicken had given him any attribute boosts.
But to his disappointment, nothing had changed. No stat increase at all—it was just an ordinary bowl of chicken.
"Still, the flavor was amazing. Aunt Wang sure knows how to cook," he mused, already plotting a future visit. Even without stat boosts, the chicken had been delicious, and the task had been simple, so a divine reward would have been unrealistic.
"Looks like this game isn't the kind where you level up instantly or get powerful items at the start," Daniel thought. This world was nothing like the exaggerated game ads he'd seen. No fast leveling, no easy loot. But the game's realism was unmatched—sight, sound, touch, and taste were all lifelike.
"Maybe that old man was onto something. He really created an immersive world," Daniel thought with grudging admiration.
With Aunt Wang's task complete, Daniel took his time exploring the village, becoming familiar with what might be his new home base. The sun eventually set, and as darkness fell, he murmured to himself, "The old man said I could return at night. I guess it's time."
In an instant, his surroundings faded to black. When his vision returned, he was back in his small rented room.
"I'm back? So maybe that old man wasn't lying…" he muttered, looking around. "But how exactly is this supposed to 'change my destiny?' Just experiencing a realistic game world? How's that supposed to help?"
Frustrated, Daniel sat on his bed, trying to decipher the old man's cryptic advice. After a while, he shrugged. "Forget it. I'll go for a run first, clear my head."
According to the old man, time in the real world kept passing while he was in the game, though at a different pace. Twelve hours in the game meant only four hours in reality, and now, it was already dawn.
"If only I could bring that leftover chicken back with me," he thought. He'd saved some specifically for later, but he'd forgotten about it while exploring the village.
Suddenly, Daniel froze. As he thought of his inventory, a familiar virtual screen appeared before him, displaying a grid with ten slots—the same backpack interface he'd seen in the game! And there, in one of the slots, was the bowl of chicken Aunt Wang had given him.
"Oh my… What's going on?" Daniel whispered, blinking to confirm what he was seeing. But it was no illusion. His backpack had come with him into the real world.
Testing his theory, Daniel tried to summon his attribute panel. It appeared just as easily as the inventory screen.
Trembling with excitement, he then tried pulling the bowl of chicken from his backpack. In a flash, it materialized in his hands, smelling just as fresh and delicious as before. Heart racing, he returned the bowl to his inventory. Each time he removed it and returned it, the item responded perfectly.
"I wonder… can I store things from the real world in here?" he thought, reaching for a small table. But nothing happened. He tried a clothes hanger and a bench, but the inventory refused them all.
"It only works with items from that other world," he realized, feeling a slight pang of disappointment. But he quickly perked up. ""Still, this is amazing! I can actually bring items back from the game!"
The possibilities excited him. While exploring the village, he'd noticed mines, forests with rare herbs, and even exotic fruits—resources that could be useful in real life.
As Daniel pondered the future, his excitement grew, his thoughts swirling with potential plans. After a while, he snapped out of it, quickly finishing the chicken from Aunt Wang's bowl. Despite having been up all night, he felt more energetic than ever.
Daniel's apartment was near a well-known university in New York. Though he wasn't a student there, it was a bustling, lively area with high rent. In fact, he was only able to afford it through a stroke of luck.
One day, soon after he'd graduated, he was riding the bus when he noticed a pickpocket trying to swipe someone's wallet. Back then, he was still a young, idealistic guy and didn't hesitate to intervene, stopping and detaining the thief despite suffering a minor injury in the process.
The wallet's owner, a woman in her forties, had been immensely grateful. When she found out Daniel was looking for housing, she offered him a room in one of her properties at a generous discount. That apartment became his new home, and even though it was small, its location and affordability were invaluable. Daniel had been deeply grateful to her ever since.