Arin looked around more. The hall he was in was completely empty and mysterious. On one side, there was a large screen that displayed a system message a while ago, and on the other side, there were scattered chairs and desks. Everything felt old, and strange, as if someone paused life itself.
"System? What is that? What kind of system?" Arin said loudly in confusion. His mind was still focused on the message. If this is truly a game world then he needed to understand its functions.
"Welcome to the System. Your adventure begins now."
The screen flickered with this message. It felt overdramatic, but Arin decided to suppress his curiosity for now and decided to move forward.
As he walked, he noticed one corner was looking different, and on a small desk, there were some papers. Arin picked them up, thinking they might hold some useful information. He looked at the paper, a map and some directions were written on it, there were also mentioned some specific locations and targets
"Targets? Locations?" he muttered to himself. This felt like some kind of treasure hunt.
Everything around him was silent. No noise, no vibrations—just an eerie stillness. Though it felt like something had changed. Arin slowly turned around and looked back at the screen.
"System, tell me. What are these targets given? And what is this map for?" he asked out in confusion. But no response came. The screen displayed no message at all.
Arin felt something happened, but he couldn't figure it out. He decided it was time to leave this place and move forward to explore outside. He left "The Council Building".
He motivated himself. "Arin, you're in a completely new world. Everything will be alright. You just need to stay focused."
As he walked, he found an old building with strange symbols. It was an ancient structure, he guessed. The windows were broken, and the doors looked old and rusty like this world. But something about the building felt off.
When Arin entered, he saw a man sitting nervously on a chair. He felt happy to see someone in this world for the first time but he found the man's face was pale, and there was fear in his eyes. He seemed to be searching for something in his pocket. Arin watched the man and couldn't help going closer to him.
"Hey, are you okay? What's happening to you?" Arin asked.
The man looked and stared at Arin, he seemed frightened. "You… How did you get here? This place… everything has changed. This system… is so powerful—it changed everything!"
Arin realized that the man was terrified. Still, he asked. "System? What are you talking about? Did the system cause all of this?"
The man's face now displayed pure terror. "Yes, all of this… it's all under their control. Everyone who comes here becomes a part of it. And if you don't follow their commands, this could be your last day. People like you… it'll take you time to understand all of this. But eventually, you will." His voice trembled , his face seemed in a lot of pain.
Arin felt like this was something serious. The man was clearly tense, but Arin felt that the man was suspicious.
"Listen, If this is all so dangerous, then why are you telling me this?" Arin asked.
The man's face twitched, his expressions felt something dark before he forced a nervous smile. "We need to stick together. I can help you."
Arin stepped back further, his grip tightening on the map. "If you know so much, why are you sitting here, doing nothing? And why are you so scared? Sorry, but I think I'll figure things out on my own."
The man's smile was gone, and his eyes fixed toward the exit as if he was gonna block Arin's path. Arin noticed and immediately raised his voice. "Stay where you are. I don't know what's going on here, but I'm not taking any chances. Thanks for the warning—if it's even real."
The man didn't move, his face now a mixture of fear and anger. "You'll regret this. Out there, you're nothing. The system will eat you alive."
Arin didn't reply. He turned and walked out of the building, on high alert. As he stepped outside, he glanced back once, seeing the man watching him from the broken window.
"Note to self," Arin muttered. "Don't trust anyone too quickly in this world."
His resolve hardened. He was alone in this place, but for now, that was how it would stay.