Ethan Kendrick sat in his small room, surrounded by scattered papers and empty coffee cups. He was a man in his early thirties, slim with messy brown hair, and blue eyes that reflected exhaustion and frustration. On the computer screen in front of him, an almost empty page appeared.
"Why can't I finish it?" he muttered softly.
His novel was everything to him. He had spent the last three years building this intricate fantasy world, filled with kingdoms, magic, and monsters. Yet, he couldn't finish it. Every time he got close to the end, it felt as though the story rejected him, as though the characters were choosing a different path.
He stood up from his chair and walked toward the window overlooking the quiet city. He sighed deeply, then returned to his desk. The night had descended, and the calm enveloped the room. He decided to give himself one last chance tonight.
But exhaustion overcame him. He closed his eyes for just a minute—or so he thought—and found himself drifting into a deep sleep.
---
The Sudden Transformation
When he awoke, the room he was in was not what he saw. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground, surrounded by damp grass. The sky above him was strange, a blend of purple and orange, like a scene from a dream.
"What is this place?" he murmured softly.
He slowly got up and felt that his body was different. He looked at himself and noticed that he was wearing unfamiliar clothes: a simple brown shirt, leather pants, and worn-out boots. His hair, which was once short, had grown longer and messier. On his back was a wooden bow with a quiver of old arrows.
He moved toward a nearby pond to see his reflection. He barely recognized himself. He appeared younger, with rough yet familiar features. This wasn't just a dream.
"This... this is the world of the novel!" he said, his voice trembling.
---
A Message from the System
As he was trying to make sense of what was happening, a transparent frame suddenly appeared in the air in front of him, as though part of a video game. Words began to slowly appear:
> Welcome to the "World of Shadows."
Your primary goal: survive.
Ethan stared at the words, unable to believe what he was seeing. He tried to touch the frame, but it wasn't real. The words continued to appear:
> Point System:
Earn points for achievements (stay with the heroes, complete tasks, defeat enemies).
Use points to develop your skills:
Strength
Speed
Intelligence
Endurance
Accuracy
Design Special Abilities: You can create unique abilities using points. The stronger the ability, the higher its cost.
> Warning: All beings in this world are born with random abilities. Except for you. You have no ability, but you can design one using points.
Below this message was a list of possible abilities:
> Hawk Eye (Increase accuracy to superhuman levels): 180 points.
Super Speed (Move faster than humans): 300 points.
Element Manipulation (500 points):
Sensory Perception (Detect enemies within a 50-meter radius): 500 points.
Ethan read the last message several times. "No ability..." he murmured. A chill ran down his spine. In a world like this, survival without a superpower or special ability seemed impossible.
---
The First Encounter
Before he could think clearly, he heard a sound behind him. He turned quickly to see a black creature crawling toward him. Its form was like smoke come to life, with glowing red eyes shining in the dark. He recognized it immediately: the small Shadow Monster.
This monster was one of the first enemies in the novel, a simple creature, weak compared to other enemies, but deadly for someone untrained.
"No... I don't want to deal with this now!" Ethan said, retreating quickly.
The creature let out a sharp screech and lunged at him. Ethan tripped over a tree stump and fell to the ground. He felt terror as he saw the creature getting closer. Beside him was the bow. He grabbed it desperately, but he had never used a bow in his life.
"I'm a writer, not a fighter!" he muttered, but forced himself to try to notch an arrow.
The creature was closing in. Ethan released the arrow randomly, but somehow it hit the target. The arrow pierced the creature's eye, causing it to explode into a cloud of black smoke.
The frame appeared again in front of him:
> +10 Points
Ethan stared at the message, gasping for breath. This was real. He had killed a creature, and the system rewarded him with points. But he couldn't stop thinking about the earlier message:
> "You have no ability."
---
The First Exploration
After gathering his courage, Ethan began wandering through the forest. He knew the area well. This forest was part of the first chapter in his novel, where the main heroes first meet.
He knew a key rule about this world: everyone is born with a random ability. Some abilities were simple, like improved night vision, while others were immense, such as controlling fire or manipulating time. Abilities determined people's fates, from birth to death.
But Ethan wasn't born into this world. He didn't have any ability. He was stuck in a dangerous world with no advantages.
The frame appeared again in front of him:
> You can design an ability using points.
Note: The cost of an ability is proportional to its power.
Ethan thought about his options. The points he earned from killing the monster weren't enough for any ability, even a weak one. "Hawk Eye" cost 180 points, and he only had 10 points.
---
The Decision to Survive
Ethan sat down next to a large tree and opened the system again. He decided to improve his accuracy by spending the points he had collected.
"My abilities don't matter right now. I need to survive first... then I'll think about something bigger."
Once he spent the points, he felt a change in his body. His vision became clearer, and his hands steadied.
As he wandered through the forest, he heard footsteps approaching. He paused for a moment and quietly moved toward the source of the sound. He saw a group of people walking through the forest: Kieran, the main hero, with his team of heroes.
Ethan knew each one of them well. Kieran, the brave warrior. Liana, the powerful sorceress. Alex, the skilled thief. And Helen, the courageous knight.
They were the heroes he had designed himself, but they were now more alive than he remembered.
"Should I join them?" he thought softly.
But he knew the truth: staying with them could mean survival, but it could also mean facing even greater dangers.
"If I want to stay alive, I have no choice." He muttered to himself, then began moving toward them.