Ryuji Takahashi was well-known among Eternal Online players as a legendary solo player. Using the nickname Haru, he had become a symbol of hard work and dedication. Unlike other players who joined large guilds, Ryuji had chosen the solitary path. He spent hours mastering dungeons alone, fighting the strongest monsters, and acquiring legendary gear without anyone's help.
Today, like usual, he sat in his comfortable gaming chair inside his small room, which had the typical gamer atmosphere: walls adorned with posters, shelves filled with game character figures, and the soft glow of his monitor. In front of him, the Eternal Online logo glowed on the screen. The game's background music, a tune he had known for years, played softly in his headset.
He quickly typed in his username and password, then pressed the Login button. The login process went smoothly, as always. He had decided to hunt in the western regions today, chasing a rare monster that dropped materials for crafting epic weapons.
However, just as the loading screen appeared, something strange happened.
Instead of immediately entering the game, the screen suddenly went dark for a few seconds. "What's this? A bug?" Ryuji murmured, confused. Eternal Online was known for its stable servers and almost flawless technical system. But today, a brief message appeared in the center of the screen, unlike anything he had seen before:
"Connection stabilized. Transitioning to new environment."
The message appeared just a few seconds before the screen lit up again. Ryuji squinted, closing his eyes against the glare. A strange gust of wind seemed to blow around him, despite him still being in his room. Before he could comprehend what was happening, the world around him disappeared. Everything went dark.
When Ryuji opened his eyes, a completely unfamiliar scene greeted him. A bright blue sky stretched overhead, dotted with slowly drifting white clouds. A cool breeze touched his face, carrying the fresh scent of grass still damp with morning dew. He squinted up at the sunlight, which felt unnervingly real.
"Is this...?" he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. Beneath him, a vast meadow of green grass stretched as far as the eye could see, gently swaying in the wind. He raised his hand, and was shocked to see that it wasn't his usual hand—it was his avatar's hand, Haru.
The skin was darker, stronger, with long fingers that were clearly trained to wield a sword. The clothes he wore weren't his usual casual T-shirt and pants. He was dressed in dark leather pants, a simple long-sleeve shirt, and a long brown cloak that fluttered behind him. At his waist, the distinctive scabbard of his sword hung neatly.
"My body…" He touched his chest, feeling a real heartbeat. The wind, the texture of his clothes, even the weight of the sword at his side—it all felt so incredibly real. "What is this…? A game? Or… the real world?"
Ryuji tried to calm his racing thoughts. With the instinct of a seasoned gamer, he raised his right hand, hoping for the game interface to appear. Sure enough, a translucent light-blue screen materialized in front of him, hovering in the air. The familiar text from Eternal Online appeared clearly:
[Player Status: Haru]
Level: 100
Class: Swordmaster
HP: 10,000 / 10,000
MP: 4,000 / 4,000
STR: 250
DEX: 220
VIT: 200
INT: 180
LUK: 150
Below it were the main menu icons:
InventorySkill TreeQuest LogMapSettings
"Everything is still here..." he murmured in relief. He tapped the Inventory icon, and a list of the items he owned appeared:
[Inventory]
Shadowfang Sword (Mythic) - His favorite sword, with a critical hit effect, which he was currently wielding.
Hylian Armor Set (Myth) - The armor he was wearing.
Healing Potion (x20)
Mana Elixir (x15)
Phoenix Feather (x5) - Rare resurrection item.
Traveler's Map (Unlimited)
Reaver Sword (Epic) - Haru's backup sword.
Glide Armor Set (Epic) - Haru's backup armor.
He then opened the Skill Tree. All the abilities he had learned were still there, including the ultimate techniques only accessible to level 100 players:
[Skill Tree: Swordmaster]
Blade Dance (Ultimate): A rapid attack that delivers massive damage.
Iron Guard (Passive): Increases physical defense.
Shadow Step (Active): Teleports a short distance at high speed.
Quick Slash (Active): A fast attack with a high critical hit chance.
However, when he opened the Settings menu, an unpleasant surprise appeared.
The Logout button was unavailable.
***
"This is impossible…" Ryuji tried to find another emergency button or a message from the admins, but there was nothing. No sign of a system error, no guides, no help. The logout button was completely gone.
"So... I'm stuck here?" He touched his face, feeling the texture of his skin. His breath was heavy, not just from panic, but also because he didn't know what was going on. However, he tried to steady himself.
"Calm down, Ryuji. If this is really Eternal Online, there must be a way out. All games have an exit." He told himself, trying to stay positive.
He looked around again. The world was undeniably beautiful, but it also carried an unusual, eerie sense of solitude. There were no other players, no NPCs—just the wind and the endless meadow.
Carefully, Ryuji drew his sword. The sharp clash of metal confirmed that his weapon was still in top condition. He practiced a few basic moves, making sure his body responded just like it would in the game. Everything worked perfectly. His sword felt light in his hand, and his body moved swiftly as always.
"Too real for a game…" he thought, staring at the gleaming blade.
If this was the real world, he would have to play it cautiously. But if this was still Eternal Online, then he knew one thing: a grand adventure had just begun.
Ryuji began walking slowly across the seemingly endless meadow. The gentle breeze continued to blow, carrying the scent of fresh grass that reminded him of the villages in the game. In the distance, he could see the silhouette of towering mountains, and faintly, the spires of a city rose majestically. It had to be one of the main cities in Eternal Online—probably Silverhelm, the nearest city from this meadow.
However, before he could move further, sounds from his left caught his attention. He turned and saw a group of people—not just one or two, but perhaps more than ten—gathered with a variety of expressions. Some were sitting on the ground, their heads bowed, while others were standing, speaking in high, tense voices as if they were debating something.
"Other players?" Ryuji murmured. He quickened his pace but remained cautious. His hand was still resting on the hilt of his sword, ready in case the situation turned bad.
As he got closer, their conversation became clearer.
"Is this a nightmare? Why is the logout button gone?" shouted a man in a long robe, looking like a wizard class.
"I even tried to kill myself to log out, but... it hurts! It really hurts! This can't be a game!" Another woman, wearing light armor, cried out with a trembling voice.
"We need to stay calm!" said a large man, wielding a massive axe. "If this is really a game world, we need to cooperate to survive!"
Ryuji approached them, trying to read the situation. The faces of these people looked so real, unlike the characters he had seen in the game. Every expression, from fear to frustration, was clearly visible.
"Who are you?" asked the large man suspiciously as soon as he saw Ryuji. His axe lifted slightly, signaling a potential threat.
"Haru," Ryuji replied briefly, keeping a calm expression. "I'm stuck here too, just like you."
The group observed him carefully. A young woman with short silver hair, wearing light armor, stepped forward. "Then do you know what's going on? Why are we here?"
"I don't know," Ryuji shook his head slightly. "But this is definitely more than just a bug or a server issue."
Just as everyone fell silent, the sky suddenly changed. A dim light began to envelop the world, and a strange rumbling sound echoed from the distance. Everyone looked up, their faces a mix of wonder and fear.
Then, a loud voice boomed, echoing across the sky. It was deep and authoritative, speaking in a language familiar to every player.
"Welcome to the world of Eternal Online."
The words made everyone freeze. Their eyes widened as they gazed at the sky, which now seemed to glow softly. The voice continued, adding a weight to its words that made it hard to breathe.
"This is no longer just a game. Life or death here is your choice. Remember, death means the end… as a player."
As the word "death" was spoken, a dark shadow appeared in the sky, showing a horrific scene: a player, badly wounded, was attacked by a massive monster. The shadow depicted the player's final moments, before their body was thrown aside, and their life seemed to vanish from their eyes.
The scene was followed by a bright flash of light that erased the shadow. The booming voice concluded its message.
"Play or die. Survive or perish. This world is now your reality."
The sky returned to normal. The atmosphere grew still. No one spoke, no one moved. Only the sound of the wind could still be heard faintly.
"What… does that mean?" a man trembled, gripping his weapon. "Death… means the end? Does that mean we can really die here?"
Faces filled with fear spread through the crowd. Some of them even dropped to their knees, crying, while others tried to convince themselves that it was all just an illusion.
Ryuji remained silent, but his mind was racing.
"This… is impossible," Ryuji whispered to himself. He closed his eyes, trying to process what he had just heard. His body felt heavy, and a cold sensation crawled up from his feet to his head.
He thought hard. Why was he here? Why had his real body disappeared, and now he was in his avatar's body? And most frightening of all, why did death here feel like a real end?
Eternal Online was a game he knew inside and out. He had spent thousands of hours playing, completing every main quest, exploring every corner of the world. But there had never been a mechanism like this. There had never been a story or background that suggested this game could become real.
"This doesn't make sense…" he whispered. But his body, the pain when he pinched his own skin, the wind against his face—everything felt real. Too real.
"Am I dreaming?" he thought, trying to convince himself. But no. This wasn't a dream. There was no dream that could make him feel like this.
"If this is real…" Ryuji took a deep breath. "If there's really no way out, then I have to survive."
He looked toward the group again. Most of them were still in panic, but some were starting to calm down, trying to strategize. Among the crowd, a few people began looking at him with hope, as if he had the answer.
But he didn't. Not now.
Ryuji clenched his fist. "I have to find a clue. If this is Eternal Online, there must be a way out. There's always a way to win."
With that determination, he looked toward the city tower in the distance. Maybe there, he would find answers. Or at least, a new purpose.
Ryuji decided to continue his journey toward the city. He didn't know who to trust in this world. As he started to walk away, the group called out to him, but he only glanced back briefly.
"I have to go," he said, without elaborating further. His steps were full of doubt, but the resolve in his heart was starting to take shape.
"If this is the real world," he thought, "I have to treat it like my new life."
With the echo of the message from the sky still ringing in his mind, Ryuji walked faster, trying to suppress the fear that continued to haunt him. Eternal Online was no longer just a game. And he needed to figure out why he was here… before it was too late.