Ryan Carter had always been a late-night gamer. With the rest of the world asleep and the hum of his computer filling the silence of his dimly lit room, he found solace in the digital worlds he couldn't find in reality. Tonight was no different—or so he thought.
The clock on his desk blinked 11:57 PM. His hands hovered over the keyboard as he stared at the patch notes for Eden's End, the MMORPG that had consumed his life over the past three years. The game developers had promised that this update—dubbed The Final Patch—would revolutionize the game, introducing dynamic quests, new dungeons, and an AI-driven ecosystem that responded to player actions.
"Finally," Ryan muttered, sipping his now-cold coffee. "Something to shake things up."
His avatar, ZeroBlade, was parked in the bustling marketplace of Dawnspire City, the game's main hub. Around him, players were chatting in excitement about the upcoming changes. Gear vendors shouted discounts on "soon-to-be-obsolete" items, while guild recruiters spammed their slogans in bright, neon text. But Ryan's focus was solely on the countdown timer in the corner of his screen.
00:00:10
"Here we go," he said, leaning forward as the timer ticked down. The screen darkened, and a notification popped up:
"The Final Patch is now live. Rebooting servers..."
Ryan leaned back in his chair, watching as the screen transitioned into the loading animation—a glowing tree surrounded by swirling lights. But something was off. The lights began to pulse faster and faster, the screen flickering unnaturally. He frowned and tapped his mouse.
"Come on, don't crash on me now," he groaned.
Suddenly, the swirling lights expanded, engulfing his entire screen. A blinding flash erupted, and Ryan instinctively shielded his eyes. The next thing he knew, the hum of his computer was replaced by an eerie silence.
When he opened his eyes, Ryan was no longer in his room.
A cool breeze brushed against his face. The scent of pine and damp earth filled his nostrils. He blinked, adjusting to the sunlight filtering through towering trees. The ground beneath him was soft with moss, and distant birdsong echoed through the forest.
"What the hell?" Ryan muttered, sitting up. His voice sounded strange, almost clearer than usual.
He glanced down and froze. He wasn't wearing his usual hoodie and sweatpants. Instead, a simple leather tunic and pants covered his body. A rusty short sword hung at his side, and a crude wooden shield was strapped to his arm. His hands—they weren't his hands. They were calloused, muscular, and slightly pixelated at the edges.
"No way," he whispered. He reached for his head and felt the familiar spiky hair of his avatar, ZeroBlade. His heart raced as he stumbled to his feet, turning in a circle to take in his surroundings.
The HUD from the game floated in front of him, semi-transparent and responsive to his gaze. His health bar was nearly empty, a single red sliver left. His inventory icon blinked incessantly. The realization hit him like a truck: he wasn't playing the game anymore.
He was inside it.
Ryan staggered back, his breathing uneven. "Okay, okay, think. What's the protocol for getting out of a game? Log out, right?" He waved his hand in front of him, trying to summon the menu. Nothing happened. He tried speaking aloud.
"Log out! Exit game! End session!"
No response.
"Damn it!" he cursed, slamming his fist into a nearby tree. Pain shot through his knuckles. "Great, pain is a thing here too."
Taking a deep breath, Ryan opened his inventory. The interface flickered to life, revealing a near-empty bag. A loaf of stale bread, a chipped dagger, and a beginner's healing potion were all he had.
"Figures," he muttered. "Start from scratch, just like old times."
A rustling noise broke his train of thought. Ryan turned, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword. The bushes nearby quivered, and a small creature emerged. It looked like a rabbit, but its glowing red eyes and jagged teeth told a different story.
[Forest Rabid] Level: 1
"You've gotta be kidding me," Ryan said, gripping his sword. The creature growled and leapt at him.
Instinct took over. Ryan raised his shield, the rabbit's claws scraping against the wood. He swung his sword clumsily, missing by a wide margin. The rabbit darted around him, its movements erratic and far faster than anything he'd dealt with in the game before.
"Damn it, hold still!" he shouted, swinging again. This time, the blade connected, slicing through the creature. It yelped and exploded into particles of light.
+10 XP
A faint ding echoed in his ears, and a notification appeared:
Congratulations! You have defeated [Forest Rabid]. Progress to Level 2: 10%.
Ryan slumped against a tree, panting. "That was way too real," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "If that was Level 1, I'm screwed."
The sun was starting to set by the time Ryan stumbled upon a dirt path winding through the forest. He followed it cautiously, keeping his hand on his sword. His stomach growled, reminding him of the stale bread in his inventory. Reluctantly, he took it out and bit into it. It tasted like cardboard, but it was better than nothing.
As he walked, the forest began to thin, revealing a small clearing ahead. In the center stood a makeshift campsite with a flickering fire. Two figures sat around it: a young woman with a bow slung over her shoulder and a burly man polishing a massive shield. They looked up as Ryan approached, their hands immediately going to their weapons.
"Whoa, whoa! Friendly!" Ryan called, raising his hands. "Just a lost traveler looking for answers."
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Lost traveler? You're in the middle of nowhere, wearing beginner gear. Either you're lying, or you're the worst adventurer I've ever seen."
"Probably both," the man grunted, standing up. He was a head taller than Ryan, with arms like tree trunks.
"Look, I'm not here to cause trouble," Ryan said, keeping his tone calm. "I just… woke up here, and I have no idea what's going on."
The woman exchanged a glance with her companion. "Fine. Sit. But if you try anything, we'll make sure you don't wake up again."
Ryan nodded and sat across the fire from them. The warmth was a welcome relief after hours in the chilly forest.
"Name's Arya," the woman said, not taking her eyes off him. "This is Grent. What's your story, newbie?"
Ryan hesitated. "Ryan. And honestly, I don't know. One minute I was playing a game, and the next… I'm here."
Arya raised an eyebrow. "A game?"
"Yeah, Eden's End. You've heard of it?"
Grent laughed, a deep, booming sound. "Kid, this isn't a game. This is real life."
Ryan's stomach dropped. "No, it's not. It can't be. This is all part of the patch. It has to be."
"Patch?" Arya asked, her tone skeptical. "You're not making any sense."
Ryan ran a hand through his hair, frustration building. "Look, I know how it sounds, but I swear I—"
A low growl interrupted him. The three of them turned toward the forest, where glowing red eyes emerged from the shadows. Dozens of them.
"Great," Arya muttered, drawing her bow. "Looks like dinner's coming to us."
Grent hefted his shield with a grin. "Let's see what the newbie's made of."
Ryan swallowed hard and drew his sword. "You've gotta be kidding me."
The creatures charged, and the battle began.