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AND
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Arthur leaned against the polished railing of the cruise ship, his eyes gazing out over the endless expanse of the ocean. The cool night breeze tugged at his clothes, carrying with it the faint scent of saltwater. He had always wanted to do this cruise across the open sea, free from the mundane grind of his everyday life. It was a dream he'd had for years, and now that it was finally happening, he couldn't help but feel a rush of satisfaction.
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," Arthur thought with a grin, leaning a little more over the edge. He had spent months planning, saving, and waiting for the chance to take this trip. And now, here he was. A young man in his prime, far from the monotony of work and routine, sailing under the stars. He was at peace.
When the night stretched on, Arthur retreated to his room, the soft hum of the ship beneath his feet lulling him into a sense of comfort. He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the bed, grabbing a manga from his bag. His eyes scanned the familiar pages, engrossed in a world of superheroes and battles. He knew these stories inside out, from the classic comic book heroes to the more obscure manga he had devoured over the years. There was something comforting about the fantastical, the idea of a world filled with superhuman feats and epic adventures.
It was a world so different from his own.
But as he flipped the pages, a low rumble suddenly shook the ship, pulling him from his thoughts. Arthur paused, a frown tugging at his lips. What the hell is going on?
The rumble grew louder, vibrating through the walls of his room. A strange, unsettling feeling crawled up his spine. At first, he dismissed it, thinking it might be nothing. The ship had likely hit a rough patch of water. But as the rumble intensified, the ship itself groaned in protest, sending a wave of panic through Arthur's chest.
He didn't waste another second.
Arthur jumped to his feet and rushed out of his room, moving swiftly down the hallway as more and more passengers began to appear, their faces filled with confusion and fear. He joined them at the stairwell, moving toward the ship's deck.
As he reached the upper level, he could hear the chaos before he saw it. Shouts of alarm filled the air, blending with the sound of frantic footsteps and panicked voices.
When he finally reached the deck, the sight that greeted him stole the breath from his lungs.
It wasn't a storm. It wasn't a simple seaquake.
Before him, the vast ocean was twisting and churning, an immense whirlpool that seemed to stretch down to the depths of the earth. But it wasn't just any vortex. This one pulsed with an unnatural, otherworldly glow. The water around it boiled and spiraled as if the very ocean itself was being consumed by some monstrous force. The ship—his ship—was being drawn toward it, slowly at first, but the pull was unmistakable.
"You've gotta be kidding me..." Arthur breathed, his voice barely a whisper against the growing wind.
The vortex expanded, its edges crackling with energy, a terrifying force that seemed to exist beyond nature's reach. People screamed. Some tried to hold onto the railing, others ran in all directions, but it was clear there was no escape.
Arthur's heart raced in his chest. Panic gripped him like a vice. He turned to find the nearest lifeboat, but the deck was in chaos—too many people, too little time. The ship groaned under the strain as the vortex's pull grew stronger.
In that moment, Arthur felt a sharp tug in his gut, like the universe itself had yanked on a thread attached to him. His vision blurred, and the sounds of the panicked crowd faded, replaced by the deafening roar of the ocean itself. The ship tilted, throwing him off balance, and he stumbled toward the edge, watching helplessly as the enormous spiral of water consumed everything.
"No..." Arthur gasped, barely able to form the words. He was already halfway to the edge, falling toward the churning maw of the ocean.
The last thing he saw was the glimmer of the water as it rushed toward him. He could feel it. The cold, the weight, the terrifying force of it. The world tilted and spun, and he couldn't breathe.
The ship was gone.
The world was gone.
And all that was left was the unforgiving abyss.
"I didn't even finish reading H..."
The last thought that crossed his mind before everything went dark.
Arthur's eyes fluttered open, the light of the room blinding at first. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze from his mind. For a moment, the world was a blur, a swirling mix of darkness and light.
But slowly, the details began to form.
The soft, familiar hum of a fan. The low, rhythmic sound of something—perhaps the gentle ticking of a clock. He could smell something faint but unmistakable. Sea salt. The tang of seawater still clung to the air, though the gentle warmth of a room replaced the cold rush of the ocean.
'Where am I?' Arthur thought, still dazed. He sat up, his head spinning as he took in his surroundings.
The room was... ordinary. Too ordinary. The kind of room a teenager would have—posters of DC superheroes plastered across the walls. Batman. Superman. The Flash. It looked like something straight out of an old comic book shop. A shelf of action figures crowded one corner, and a half-open laptop sat on a desk, its screen saver flashing an idle image. The cluttered bed beneath him was made, though the sheets looked a little too perfect for someone who actually slept there.
Arthur rubbed his eyes. What the hell?
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet touching the carpeted floor. The soft, plush texture beneath his feet felt wrong, as if it didn't belong in the environment that had just been in his mind—the ship, the vortex, the cold, the fear.
"Where am I?" he mumbled, still groggy. "This isn't my house..."
Was it all a dream? The ship. The vortex. The cold, suffocating water that had claimed him.
He shook his head, trying to shake off the lingering panic from the nightmare—or was it? Was he still dreaming? Was the trip to the ocean just a hallucination? His heart raced. "Did I miss my trip?"
Suddenly, a faint hum filled the room, and without warning, a translucent blue screen materialized in front of his eyes, glowing softly in the dim light. Arthur froze, staring at it as the text flickered into existence.
[Welcome, Player. You have been selected.
Accept or Die.]
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If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
AND
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want