Gray awoke face-down on grass. Not clouds, not mist, not his bed or a game screen. Real, slightly damp, slightly itchy grass.
"Ow," he muttered, pushing himself up. His limbs felt heavier now, bound again by gravity and muscle. No more dreamlike floating. No more heavenly voices. Just the open sky above, and the faint scent of soil and sun.
Around him, five other people lay sprawled across the field. One woman was sobbing quietly. A balding man sat up and looked around, mouth slightly agape. Two teenagers were still unconscious. The last, a scruffy guy with farmer's arms, was already on his feet, spinning in circles, calling for someone who clearly wasn't here.
Gray blinked slowly. The landscape stretched far and wide, dotted with hills and scattered trees. But most curiously, the plains were littered with weapons. Swords, spears, axes, even the odd broken banner. All of them old, rusted, yet eerily intact. As if this was a battlefield long forgotten by time.
One of the teenagers finally stirred. The girl sat up and looked around in confusion. "What… where is this?"
"Here begins my legendary tale," Gray said under his breath.
He stood up and dusted himself off. It was time to test something.
"Alright!" he shouted, raising his arms to gather attention. "Looks like we've all been dropped into the same mess, so listen up!"
The others turned toward him, some confused, others startled.
"I'm Gray. I know what's going on, more or less. This is a test, sent by the gods themselves. You've all been summoned here, same as me. But if we're going to survive, we need leadership. Structure."
He pointed at the nearest man, the balding one who looked like an accountant.
"You look like the kind of guy who cries during tax season. Not leader material."
Then he gestured to the scruffy man, who had stopped pacing but was now glaring.
"And you look like you've taken a few kicks to the head. Not ideal either."
The group's expressions began to sour. But Gray was on a roll.
"That leaves me. I know what I'm doing. So starting now, I'm your-"
The punch came fast and hard. The scruffy guy clocked him right in the jaw. Gray stumbled back with a surprised grunt.
"You arrogant little punk," the man snapped.
Before Gray could respond, the others jumped in. Not with support, no. With fists, kicks, and more shouting. The dogpile was quick and merciless. When they finally backed off, Gray was lying on the grass again, bruised and groaning.
The girl with the ponytail crossed her arms. "You talk like you're the one who brought us here. So how about you explain what's really going on?"
"I already told you," Gray mumbled. "We got pulled in."
"Sounds like crazy talk," said the balding man.
Then it happened.
A blue square of light blinked into existence above their heads. A window. Digital, glowing, and unmistakable.
Tutorial Quest 1/5: Survive the First Wave Prepare for combat. Hostile units will arrive in 10 minutes.
Silence.
Gray rolled onto his side and sat up with a groan. "Told you!"
The others stared at the window. The farmer-looking man read it aloud again, as if it might change meaning on the second pass.
"What the hell is a wave?" asked the teenager.
"Monsters," Gray said, wiping blood from his nose. "It always means monsters."
"Oh come on," said the accountant, rubbing his temples. "Do we need to fight them?"
Before Gray could answer, something popped into existence beside him.
A tiny shimmer in the air. Then a flash of red and white light. And suddenly, Victoria was hovering beside him, except now she was the size of a soda can, her wings fluttering like those of a hummingbird.
So she has wings after all.
"I didn't expect you to descend so quickly," she said, sounding breathless. "You jumped. You actually jumped before I finished talking."
Gray grinned, then pointed dramatically at her with both hands.
"See that? That's a fairy. An actual magical guide. And guess what? She picked me. So unless any of you have your own pocket-sized angel, I suggest you listen when I talk."
The group looked uncertain. But then the ground trembled.
It was faint at first, like the stirring of something heavy miles away. But the rumble grew, shaking blades of grass, rattling loose stones, sending birds into the sky in panicked flocks.
Victoria turned pale.
"They're early," she whispered.
Gray stood quickly. He pointed to the hills. "Grab a weapon. Now."
The others hesitated.
"There are swords all around us. Blades stuck in the ground. We're not helpless. If we move fast, we can make it."
The farmer was the first to move, jogging toward the nearest rusted halberd. The ponytail girl followed, grabbing a short sword. Soon the others joined in.
Gray looked to Victoria, who was darting around nervously.
"Any tips?"
"Some of the weapons are imbued. You'll know when you touch one. But not all of them are safe. And not all of them will bond."
"Good enough."
He sprinted for a nearby longsword, gripping its handle. As soon as his fingers closed around it, he felt a pulse. The sword hummed, faintly glowing.
"Looks like I found something decent," he muttered.
The others began to shout, calling out to each other, comparing weapons. Some blades crumbled to dust. Others pulsed with light.
Above them, a second window appeared.
Wave Approaches. Time Remaining: 03:21
Gray turned to face the horizon. Shapes were forming in the distance. Dozens of them. Maybe more. Hulking silhouettes, some on two legs, others on four. Their movements were erratic, yet fast.
"Positions!" Gray called. "Spread out, form a line. If anyone dies now, we all lose!"
The others hesitated, then followed his lead.
As the monsters closed in, Gray tightened his grip on the sword. Despite the pain in his jaw and the throbbing in his ribs, he felt alive.
This was it.
The real game had begun.
But he will not be here to help those poor souls survive.