The morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm golden hues on the wooden floor. Marcus stirred awake, rubbing his eyes and sitting up groggily. He glanced over to find Jason already stretching, but what caught his attention was Liam standing by the window, staring out silently.
Liam's posture was relaxed, but his expression was far from it. His eyes followed the birds as they glided across the sky, the bustling streets below alive with merchants and villagers. Dust swirled in the air, catching the sunlight like tiny, golden sparks.
But most of all, Marcus noticed Liam wasn't just looking at the scenery. His eyes seemed to focus on something only he could see—glowing text floating before him.
> [Dear Player: Welcome To Elysium]
[Log out]
[Invalid]
[Log out]
[Invalid]
A heavy sigh escaped Liam as he turned away from the window, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "We are cooked."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean we're cooked?"
Liam approached the bed, his steps confident but unusually calm. "When I woke up, the system greeted me. The only message it displayed was, 'Welcome to Elysium.' I tried the log-out option." He shook his head. "It didn't work."
Marcus bolted out of bed, his voice nearly a scream. "Your system is working?!"
"Yeah," Liam said with a small nod. "And... I feel stronger than before."
He stepped closer to Marcus and Jason, who were both frozen in shock. Their gazes locked onto Liam, scanning him up and down as if he were an alien.
"What the fuck, bro?" Marcus exclaimed, circling Liam as though inspecting a rare artifact. "How did you glow up so hard?"
"Glow up?" Liam asked, confused.
Jason, without a word, dragged over a large mirror from the corner of the room and positioned it in front of Liam. "It's better if you see for yourself."
Liam's jaw dropped. His reflection was almost unrecognizable. His skin was flawless, smooth and glowing faintly in the sunlight that seeped into the room. His features, which were already attractive, now seemed perfectly chiseled, as if sculpted by an artist. His dark hair gleamed, and his eyes had a piercing intensity he didn't remember having.
After a moment of stunned silence, Liam finally muttered, "Okay, chill, guys. This actually proves we're in a game. I think my character is just... evolving or something."
Jason nodded sharply, relief evident on his face. "Thank you! I've been saying this from the beginning. The only issue we've got now is leaving the game." His tone shifted to curiosity. "But why is your system working and ours isn't?"
Liam rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the floor. "I think it's the crystal. Maybe it activated something. If that's the case..." His expression darkened as he looked back at them. "You're all going to feel the same pain I felt when it integrates with you."
Marcus's face paled. "Wait, what?"
Liam smirked faintly, his voice teasing. "If you thought fighting that orc was bad, just wait. You dudes are in for a long ride."
Liam went outside the to meet the girls, Marcus and Jason also followed him as they closed the door behind them. The moment they stepped out they were surprised to see Sophia just coming towards their room together with Eleanor. Sophia was shocked when she neared them.
She circled Liam, her eyes narrowing as she took in every detail of his transformed appearance. Her hand reached out, pinching his cheek lightly. "I just have to make sure my eyes aren't playing tricks on me."
Liam winced. "Ow. It's still me, you know."
She let go, stepping back to take one last look. "This is insane," she muttered, crossing her arms. "You look like you walked out of some high-budget action movie. What the hell happened to you?"
Liam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's the crystal," he said, glancing between Sophia and Eleanor. "When I absorbed it, it activated my system. But..." He hesitated. "I think you'll all need to do the same if we want your systems to start working too."
Sophia's expression darkened immediately. "Wait, wait, wait. You're saying we have to go through that?" She gestured at him, her voice sharp with unease.
Liam nodded, his tone matter-of-fact. "Yeah, and if it's anything like what I experienced, it's going to hurt—a lot."
"How much?" Sophia asked, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad was it?"
"Ten," Liam blurted without hesitation. "It's not even a question."
Sophia swallowed hard, her nervousness showing as she whispered, "Maybe we don't have to do this?"
Eleanor stepped forward, her voice firm and resolute. "We don't have a choice," she said, her tone brooking no argument. "We need to find beasts, kill them, and integrate their crystals. If activating our systems is the only way to get out of here, then we have to do it."
Sophia looked at her, biting her lip, then back at Liam, who only gave her a small, apologetic shrug.
The tense moment was broken by Marcus rubbing his stomach loudly. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," he said, completely unfazed by the gravity of the conversation.
Jason blinked at him, incredulous. "Are you serious right now? That's your takeaway from this?"
Eleanor, though clearly annoyed, couldn't deny it. Her stomach growled audibly, betraying her. "He's not wrong," she admitted reluctantly.
Sophia sighed, rubbing her temples. "Great. Now that we've confirmed we're stuck in a death trap of a game with no way out, let's add starvation to the mix."
Liam chuckled faintly, the tension easing just slightly. "Alright, let's find some food. Maybe the village has something that isn't trying to kill us."
Jason smirked as he rested his hand on Jason's shoulder. "One problem at a time."