97 years ago, a great calamity struck the world. Magic, dungeons, elves, and dwarfs emerged—things once thought to be mere fantasy. However, not everything born from this calamity was peaceful.
Demons, creatures of pure evil, unleashed chaos upon humanity. Dungeons and towers sprouted across the globe, and treasures beyond human comprehension could be found within each of them.
With this, a new age for humanity was born. Those who discovered abilities never before imagined rose to prominence. The first individuals to clear dungeons and towers were granted immense strength. These people are now referred to as The Great 12. With the power they obtained, they united humanity and ushered in an age of heroes.
That's the story of my most popular novel. It may seem generic and boring, but it is the first story I've written that has gained traction. I almost finished the story but decided to take a break. Before I knew it a week turned to a month and a month to a year. I had completely abandoned my novel.
"Haaa," I let out a tired exhale. It was time to stop thinking about it; it was time to go to bed. I closed my eyes and did my best to drift off to sleep.
Rays of sunlight broke through my eyes waking me up. "Morning already?" I groan. My head was throbbing in pain. I slowly manage to sit up.
After a few minutes, I was able to overcome the pain. But I noticed something… this wasn't my room. The room was quite small; it resembled a dorm room. There was a bed, a desk pressed against the window, a wardrobe, and a door that I guessed led to a bathroom.
"Am I in a dorm room?" I asked no one.
Still struggling with the pain in my head, I almost missed the flashing red screen of the laptop sitting on the desk. I managed to stand up and make my way to it, then sat down in the spinning office chair.
What should I do? The screen is still flashing red, and it's making my headache worse. I pressed the spacebar, hoping it would stop the flashing—and it did.
"That was easy," I muttered, speaking to no one.
The screen went black and, after a few seconds, powered back on. A message appeared on the screen.
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Student of AIM
Name: Rudeus Boyer
Strength - 2
Speed - 2
Stamina - 2
Intelligence - 2
Magic - ERROR
Luck - 2
Charisma - 1
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Skills:
===
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UNAVAILABLE
===
What is this? It looks like something out of a novel. Are these stats mine? No, they belong to this Rudeus guy. Is this his room? I have so many questions and no answers. What stands out to me the most are the terrible stats—he has a score of 2 in every category except for charisma. "This guy must be pretty unattractive," I chuckled. Also, what does the error in front of mana mean?
I got up, completely uninterested in whatever had just happened. I walked over to the door that I assumed was the bathroom and pushed it open. I was right; it was a bathroom. I approached the sink and splashed some water on my face, fully waking myself up.
Drying my face, I looked into the mirror. "HUHH!" I shouted. The person in the mirror wasn't me… but somehow it was. They moved in sync with me and shouted just as I did. It was a boy around the age of sixteen or seventeen. His jet-black hair was slightly longer than medium length and styled with a middle part. His pale skin stood in sharp contrast to his hair, and his eyes glowed a deep green. Overall, his features were quite attractive, but his face was unremarkably average—an appearance you would easily forget if you looked away.
"So it's true…" I had suspected this might be a possibility ever since I woke up. The room felt strange, almost familiar as if I had seen it before. It resembled the ones I had described in my novel. Even the way stats are shown is the same. Somehow, I had woken up inside my novel.
I can't begin to describe the emotions I'm feeling, but I know one thing for sure: this can't be good. Although I never finished my novel towards the end, the world would face another calamity—a calamity that would spell the end of this world.
I ran out of the bathroom and back to the laptop checking the date.
[8/17/97]
The calendar of this world was revised after the calamity, which marked the beginning of a new era. This event was designated as Year 1, and by the time the main story begins, it is the 97th year, this year. The story starts at the beginning of the new school year, giving me a few weeks before anything important happens.
"Alright," I sighed.
This is what I know so far: I'm in my novel, and I'm no longer myself; instead, I'm likely this Rudeus guy. My stats are abysmal, as the average male adult's stats are set at 1 I'm nowhere close to strong enough right now. I'm also apparently a student at AIM, just like the main characters of my novel. This is good because if I want to get stronger, I'll need to stay close to the main story.
Before I could think of my next move, the laptop began flashing again. The pain in my head returned, stronger than before. It felt as though someone had plunged a knife into my skull and was carving up my brain. I could feel blood leak out of my ear before I finally passed out.