(Ask Ivan-2025 if you have questions)
Keade logged off the game, ready for some much-needed rest. Tomorrow was school, and she didn't want to be late. She drifted off to sleep quickly, exhausted from the day's activities.
When she awoke, she found herself in a strange room. The walls were rough stone, and the air was thick with a musty, unfamiliar scent. It was like something out of a medieval castle, a far cry from her usual bedroom. Keade was completely bewildered. How did she end up here?
She glanced down at herself, surprised to see she was still wearing her game armor. The metal felt real, she can feel the against her skin. But there were no system menus, no health bars. It was as if she had somehow stepped directly out of the game, her virtual reality transformed into an actual, tangible experience. Her heart pounded in her chest.
The only thing that felt different, besides her body feeling real and not like a game, was how light it felt. It was almost as if she was floating, her limbs unusually nimble.
At first, she thought it must be a dream. She pinched herself, hoping to wake up. The pinch, however, was very real, a sharp pain that made her wince. This was not a dream. But how was it even possible? Keade wasn't the smartest person, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that something like this was impossible.
Keade was still trying to process the strangeness of her situation when a blinding light erupted in the center of the room. It pulsed and swirled, coalescing into the shape of a human figure.
"Hello there, Keade Honjo," the figure said in a calm, soothing tone, his voice echoing through the room.
"Who are you?" Keade asked, her voice a shaky whisper.
"I am a messenger of God," the light man said, his voice unfazed by her fear. "And I have brought you here for a reason."
"And what is that reason?" Keade asked, her curiosity battling with her terror.
"You see, Keade," the light man said, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "I have sent you to this world for a purpose. I believe you are capable of fulfilling it."
"What purpose?" Keade asked, her mind racing.
"To save this world," the light man said.
"Save this world?" Keade repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. Disbelief colored every word. How in the world was she supposed to do that?
"Yes," the light man said. "You see, this world is ruled by an emperor. He is a menace, a ruthless tyrant. He has committed every evil deed imaginable."
"That sounds horrible," Keade said, her stomach churning at the thought of such a ruler. "But why summon me here? Wouldn't it be better if you just sent someone from this world to deal with him?" Keade may have acted like a naive child at times, but she was smart enough to know that she had no connection to this world. She didn't belong here.
"Well, you see," the light man explained, "there's something in this world called a Power Stone. This stone grants anyone who wields it unimaginable power, making them unbeatable by any mortal living here. That's why sending someone from this world wouldn't work. I can't break the rules of this world. The only way to end this tyranny is to call someone from another world, someone who follows a different set of rules."
"Is that so?" Keade asked, her mind trying to grasp the complexities of the situation. "But why me?"
"Because I believe you have what it takes to pull this off," the light man said, his voice laced with urgency. "I know I'm asking a lot, but this is simply the only thing I can do for this world." He bowed his head slightly. "I'm willing to grant you any wish you desire. Just please, save this world."
Keade pondered the request for a moment, weighing the enormity of the task against the potential rewards. "Once I'm finished," she asked, "will I be able to go back to my world?"
"Of course," the light man replied. "And you'll also get any wish you want."
Keade took a deep breath, her mind still whirling with uncertainty. "Alright then," she finally said. "I'll do it." She wasn't entirely sure she could succeed, but she had to try. She couldn't let this world fall into despair.
The light man was overjoyed by Keade's response. He beamed, a radiant glow emanating from his entire being. "Excellent!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with relief. "Now, let me explain some things about this world."
He began by explaining the Power Stone, the source of the emperor's immense power. "This stone is made of pure power," he said. "Once a person possesses it, it will never leave them, not until they die."
"But there's a catch," the light man added, his tone becoming serious. "The stone grants the user a form of immortality. They can live for as long as they want without aging. It also gives them an incredible regenerative ability. They can heal from almost any injury."
"The only way to kill someone with the Power Stone," he continued, "is to destroy all of their cells, to vaporize them completely, to the point where there's nothing left to regenerate from."
He paused, allowing Keade to absorb this information. "The Power Stone also has the power to manipulate the very concept of power in this world," he said. "This is why the person who wields it is invincible. They can not only use all the power and abilities of this world, but they can also change the very laws of power itself."
"That's why," he concluded, "we need someone from a completely different world, someone who follows a completely different concept of power, to be able to face him. No one in this world can do anything to someone who can manipulate the concept of power itself."
"Now," the light man continued, "power and abilities in this world don't have a system like you're used to in your games. Here, power and abilities are a part of a person's soul. Once someone acquires a new ability, it becomes connected to their soul, which is why people with a lot of power and abilities have very strong souls."
He paused, looking at Keade with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "But in your case," he said, "you have a completely different power system. You have a system that the Power Stone cannot manipulate or obtain. Your abilities don't belong to this world, so the stone has no control over them."
"This is why," he explained, his voice full of conviction, "you have a chance to beat this emperor. You are not bound by the rules of this world. You are a wild card, a force that can challenge the very foundations of his power."
"And then there's the matter of currency," the light man said, knowing that this would be important for Keade to blend in and avoid drawing unwanted attention. "This world has four main types of currency: copper, silver, gold, and platinum."
"One silver coin is equal to twenty copper coins," he explained, "one gold coin is equal to fifty silver coins, and one platinum coin is equal to one hundred gold coins."
"Platinum coins are mostly used by kingdoms and nobles," he added, "for large-scale negotiations or projects."
"The money comes in two forms: coins and plates," he said. "Each plate is equal to fifty coins of that type."
That was all the light man told Keade about this world. The rest, she would have to discover on her own.
"And by the way," the light man said, "I will give you some new abilities to help secure your victory. Your system will be a little different from the one you had in the game. That's all I have to tell you. I should be on my way now. Good luck, Keade-san."
With that, the light man vanished, leaving Keade alone in the stone room, faced with a daunting task and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
Keade remembered that the light man had told her to figure things out on her own. She closed her eyes and focused, willing the system to appear. And it did. It was different from the system she had used in the game. There were no levels, no health bar, just basic stats like Strength, Speed, Durability, and Mana. Her abilities, however, still had levels.
She scanned her list of skills, and she had all of her old ones, but there were also a few new ones:
- Territory Fortress: Level 1
This ability allowed her to create her own base, either underground or on the surface. The people following her, and she herself, would be twice as strong while inside the fortress.
- Subordination: Level 1
This ability allowed her to gain subordinates. The person she used this ability on had to trust her first. Once they became her subordinates, they could never betray her, even if their lives depended on it. They also received stat buffs and a physical enchantment skill.
Keade's eyes widened in surprise. It seemed the light man wanted her to build her own army to fight against the Emperor.
Then a thought struck Keade, a thought she couldn't avoid. It was the thought of killing. She knew that killing would be unavoidable in this situation. She wasn't stupid enough to think she could save this world without taking a life. And the sad truth was, there was no way around it.
This wasn't an anime or a novel. This was real life. This was reality. The rules of this world were simple: kill or be killed, the strongest stood above the weak. She had to be able to kill without hesitation. The only way to do that was through real experience. She knew this, and it troubled her. She knew that if she hesitated, her chances of failure would increase dramatically. She might not even make it to the Emperor before she was killed if she couldn't overcome her hesitation.
So she had to train. She couldn't be reckless and rush into this. She had to get stronger, gain more experience in fighting. This wasn't a game. This was reality. If she died, she died. Getting stronger was her top priority.
Keade decided that she needed at least a year to train. She had a lot to learn, a lot of skills to hone, and a lot of inner demons to conquer. She needed time to prepare for the battle ahead.
She began by going hunting, using her new abilities to hunt down animals and monsters. It was her only source of food, and it gave her some experience in killing, though it wasn't the same as killing humans. Still, it was a start. She had to learn to take a life without hesitation, to see it as a necessary act of survival.
The more she hunted, the more accustomed she became to the act of killing. She realized that her hesitation stemmed from an emotional attachment to life. But this was a different world, a world where life was cheap and death was a constant threat. She had to adapt, to become a predator, not prey.
Over time, she was able to kill any creature with no hesitation. She had mastered the art of hunting. But she knew that killing humans was still different. It was a different kind of pain, a different kind of loss. But she had to be prepared for that as well.
As she hunted, Keade grew stronger. The power of the monsters she ate, their essence, infused her own body, strengthening her immune system, enhancing her resistance to disease and toxins. She began to feel a change in herself, a subtle shift in her very being. She felt more powerful, more resilient, more in tune with the natural world. She was becoming something more than she had ever been before.
But the path to power was long and arduous. She had much further to go before she could truly face the emperor, before she could truly save this world.
To Be Continued...
Words: 2,035
