“Ugh… Did they drop me outside while I was unconscious?” he muttered, blinking at the harsh sunlight. “That’s some top-tier immersion right there.”
He propped himself up on one elbow and surveyed his surroundings. Stretched before him was a dirt path—“road” seemed too grand a term for what appeared to be little more than a well-trodden trail. Wild grasses and bushes grew on either side, and the sweet scent of spring flowers mingled with the tang of dust.
Curious, he stood, wiping bits of gravel and dried leaves off his pants—except he wasn’t wearing pants. Instead, he was clad in loose, tattered shorts and a thin shirt that had clearly seen better days. The material was scratchy, almost burlap-like, and definitely not the comfy jeans and casual tee he had on before entering the booth.
“Okay, that’s new,” he said, glancing down at his bare feet pressed uncomfortably into pebbles. “No shoes in this ‘beta test’? That’s a little savage.”
He took a tentative step forward and winced as a sharp stone bit into his heel.
“Ow!” he yelped, half-laughing. “Alright, either I’m in the world’s most realistic VR setup, or someone literally dumped me on a trail for a reality show. I’m leaning toward VR—no way any producer’s that twisted.”
Despite the discomfort, Jack couldn’t help but let out a giddy grin. Everything—from the crisp freshness in the air to the prickle of tiny rocks underfoot—felt startlingly real. He ambled along the side of the path, pausing every few seconds to touch the rough bark of a tree or inhale the floral fragrance of a wild bloom.
“This is insane,” he said aloud, swatting a buzzing insect away from his face. “I can practically smell the pollen. If this is VR, they’ve nailed it. I can’t wait to see the magic system.”
His musings were cut short by a subtle tugging sensation at his waist, not physical, but more like a gentle vibration inside his mind. He looked down to see a small pouch tied to his side—a pouch he was certain hadn’t been there moments ago. Undoing the simple knot, he peered inside and discovered a leather-bound journal and a single quill.
“Now where have I seen this before?” Jack mused, recalling the NDA forms at the office. “Someone’s got a flair for continuity.”
He carefully undid the leather string clasping the journal and let it flop open to the middle, only to find blank pages. Page after page lay empty—until he reached the first sheet. Suddenly, words materialized on the paper in elegant, swirling script:
Rune Scribe
Elementalist
Blade Dancer
Spirit Warden
Witch Knight
Savage Shaman
Clockwork Alchemist
Shadow Dancer
Arcane Archer
Bloodbinder
Circle one to learn more.
Jack’s eyes went round. He tapped the page with a fingertip, half-expecting it to feel warm or electronic. But it was just paper—albeit magical paper. He fished out the quill from the pouch and looked around, expecting maybe a hidden ink bottle somewhere.
“No ink. Huh. Invisible ink? Automatic drawing? Let’s see if it’s ‘magic’ magic.”
He touched the dry quill tip to the paper, circling Rune Scribe. Immediately, new lines of text appeared beneath the list, giving a detailed description of the class:
- FConcept: Masters of runic inscriptions, etching spells onto scrolls, weapons, or the environment to trigger powerful magical effects.
- Playstyle: Strategic ranged caster who can set “rune traps” or buff allies by carving sigils onto their gear.
- Signature Abilities:
- Runic Ward: Creates a protective seal that absorbs incoming damage.
- Glyph of Power: Temporarily empowers an ally’s weapon or spell.
- Explosive Inscription: Leaves magical runes that detonate after a short delay.
Select Rune Scribe? Yes / No
“Wow,” he breathed. “Class selection screen, but in a medieval diary style. Neat trick.”
Still intrigued, he flipped a page and started circling Elementalist, discovering a fresh block of text forming as though an invisible pen were scribbling from within the journal itself:
- Concept: Specializes in harnessing the raw forces of nature—fire, ice, lightning, earth, wind.
- Playstyle: High-damage, area-of-effect attacks, potentially squishy if caught off-guard.
- Signature Abilities:
- Firestorm: Call down a localized rain of fire.
- Chain Lightning: Electrify multiple foes at once. Intial foe takes large damage, attack weakens expotnetially as it is passed on to other foes
- Earth Shatter: Splits the ground, sending shockwaves through enemy lines.
Select Elementalist ? Yes / No
Jack felt an exhilarated jolt ripple through his body. This was it—the hallmark of every RPG he’d ever played: choosing his class. He let out an involuntary whoop, immediately blushing at the sound of his own voice echoing in the lonely wilderness.
“Get a grip, Jack,” he muttered, scanning the horizon to confirm nobody was watching. “It’s just NPCs around here anyway.”
Without hesitation, he circled every option to reveal more info. Each class had its own page or two, from Blade Dancer to Bloodbinder. The text would vanish off the first page and fill the next one once space ran out—like some sort of interactive spellbook. He devoured every paragraph, excitedly mouthing words like “Whirling Slash,” “Void Shield,” and “Illusionary Decoy.”
“Man, these are all so cool!” He grinned, flipping back and forth to compare stats. “I wonder if there's a multi-class option. Or maybe I will unlock more classes at higher levels. Could be some advanced synergy build.”
Eventually, he returned to the first page, scanning the final lines of each class description. Every entry ended the same way:
- Concept: A swift swordsman who combines acrobatics, martial prowess, and possibly minor mystic abilities to outmaneuver foes.
- Playstyle: High mobility, single-target burst damage, excels in evading attacks.
- Signature Abilities:
- Whirling Slash: Spin forward, damaging all nearby enemies. Cost medium stamina, cooldown 10 seconds
- Phantom Step: Short-distance teleport or dash, perfect for repositioning. Cost low stamina, cooldown, 10 seconds
- Crescent Strike: A sword arc imbued with magical energy that slices through multiple enemies. Cost high stamina, cooldown 30 seconds
Select Blade Dancer? Yes / No
- Concept: Draws upon spiritual or ancestral energies to mend wounds, exorcise evil, and guide lost souls.
- Playstyle: Primarily defensive and healing-focused, with limited offensive spells that target undead or demonic entities.
- Signature Abilities:
- Soul Mend: Channels healing energy to restore allies’ health over time.
- Exorcism: Devastating against undead or corrupted beings, banishing them instantly if they fail a resistance check. Cooldown 10 seconds
- Spirit Guardian: Summons ethereal protectors that intercept incoming attacks for 60 seconds. 10 second cool down.
Select Spirit Warden Yes / No
- Concept: Knights who have formed pacts with arcane or forbidden powers, blending swordsmanship with curses and hexes.
- Playstyle: Balanced melee and mid-range spells, effective at debuffing enemies while dealing moderate physical damage.
- Signature Abilities:
- Cursed Blade: Temporarily inflicts hexes on enemies, causing them to take extra damage.
- Void Shield: A swirling barrier of dark energy that drains life from attackers.
- Nightmare Strike: Strikes fear into foes, reducing their will to fight or causing them to flee.
Select Witch Knight Yes / No
- Concept: Combines primal magic with brute strength, summoning spirits of beasts or natural forces to aid in combat.
- Playstyle: Frontline bruiser who fights with physical weapons and powerful elemental totems.
- Signature Abilities:
- Totem of Fury: Increase nearby allies’ attack speed and damage.
- Stormcall: Summon a local lightning storm that deals continuous damage.
- Bestial Transformation: Temporarily morph into a half-beast form with boosted stats.
Select Savage Shaman Yes / No
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
- Concept: Masters of concoctions, explosives, and mechanical gadgets. Infuses potions with magic or harnesses clockwork constructs in battle.
- Playstyle: Mid-range support and crowd control, throwing alchemical bombs or deploying automatons.
- Signature Abilities:
- Alchemical Grenade: Corrosive or incendiary bomb with area-of-effect damage.
- Clockwork Golem: Summons a temporary mechanical ally to draw aggro.
- Panacea Flask: A potent healing brew that also removes negative status effects.
Select Clockwork Alchemist? Yes / No
- Concept: Specialized archers who infuse bows and arrows with magical energies—fire, ice, lightning, or illusions.
- Playstyle: Precision-based ranged DPS, with the option to enchant arrows for crowd control or elemental damage.
- Signature Abilities:
- Flame Arrow Volley: Launch a barrage of blazing arrows that explode on impact.
- Eagle Eye: Enhanced perception that boosts critical hit chance and range.
- Illusionary Decoy: Fires a special arrow that creates a ghostly clone of the archer to confuse enemies.
Select Arcane Archer? Yes / No
- Concept: Harnesses the essence of life—both allies’ and enemies’—to fuel dark spells, healing, or curses.
- Playstyle: Risk-reward mechanics, sacrificing HP to cast powerful spells, then draining foes to restore health.
- Signature Abilities:
- Blood Pact: Temporarily link with an ally to split damage received.
- Vampiric Leech: Steal health from enemies over time.
- Blood Nova: Sacrifice a portion of your own health to deal huge AoE damage, partially replenished by each enemy hit.
Select Bloodbinder Archer? Yes / No
- Concept: Assassins who manipulate darkness, vanishing into shadows and performing lethal strikes.
- Playstyle: High burst damage, stealthy movement, excels in infiltration and swift eliminations.
- Signature Abilities:
- Shadow Meld: Blend into nearby shadows, gaining invisibility and movement speed. Duration, after intial attack. Cost: low shadow energy. It can be resited by a foe with high perception. Cooldown 10 seconds
- Backstab: Appear behind target and deal massive critical damage. Cost medium shadow energy Cooldown 20 seconds
- Ebon Echo: Create an illusory double that confuses enemies and can perform coordinated attacks. Cost high shadow energy Cooldown 60 seconds
Select Shadow Dancer? Yes / No
Jack rubbed his chin. He’d agonize over the decision for hours if this were a regular game. But here, with the sun shining on his shoulders and a strange tang of uncertainty in the air, the choice felt more momentous.
“Alright, let’s not overthink it,” he said aloud. “We’re obviously in some next-gen VR environment—I’m definitely not in Arizona anymore. I’ll pick a class that’s flashy and fun.”
He let out a laugh, imagining Asil’s eye-roll if she saw him standing in ragged clothes, giggling at a floating text prompt in a magical diary.
“She’d say, ‘Stop messing around and pick a class, you doofus.’ In that exact tone.”
His gaze shifted across the class list one last time, enthralled by the possibilities. With a mischievous smirk, he tapped the quill next to the entry that caught his eye the most.
“Let’s do this,” he declared, half to himself and half to the unseen devs he was sure were watching. “Prepare yourselves, world—I, Jack the… whatever class I pick… am about to own this beta!”
The text glowed faintly when he touched the quill to the ‘Yes’ beside his chosen class. He felt a surge of static-like energy swirl up his arm, sending goosebumps dancing across his skin. A new line of text materialized beneath the page:
Class selected: Elementalist
Welcome, Adventurer!
Jack let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. A breeze teased the edges of the journal’s pages, and from somewhere down the path came the distant sound of hoofbeats.
“NPCs on horses?” he guessed, heart thumping with excitement. “Yes! Quest time, baby.”
He snapped the journal shut and slipped it into his pouch. Taking a moment to crack his neck and stretch, he set off along the dirt road, bare feet protesting every little pebble. In his head, he was already mapping out combos and skill-ups, sure that if this were a VR experience, he’d master the system in no time. After all, he reasoned with a chuckle, there’s always a Save/Load function—right?
His only lingering thought was the faintest kernel of doubt: What if this is real? But he dismissed it with a casual shrug, his cocky grin plastered firmly back on his face.
“Naah,” he muttered confidently, “I’ll just git gud and breeze through.”
He whistled a tuneless melody, optimism and adrenaline coursing through him as he ventured deeper into this astoundingly vivid world—completely unaware that, for all his bravado, there was no restore point waiting if he made a fatal mistake.
As Jack crept through the woods, he winced at every pebble that stabbed the soles of his feet. The dirt road had been painful enough, but the soft leaf litter occasionally provided relief, at least here in the undergrowth. Still, the endless twigs and sharp stones seemed determined to punish him for wandering around barefoot.
“Next time, I’m picking a class that starts with shoes,” he muttered, pushing aside a low-hanging branch.
A sudden buzz vibrated from the pouch at his side—an uncanny tugging sensation that felt more mental than physical. Jack unclasped the pouch and took out his journal, flipping to the last writing page. New text shimmered into view:
New Quest: Rescue the boy.
“That’s it?” he said aloud, frowning at the minimal instructions. “No map marker? No flashy UI? Someone’s skimping on the tutorial.”
He glanced around, seeing only the sparse woodland, the narrow path, and sunshine trickling through the trees. Just as he was about to dismiss the quest text as some glitch, a shrill cry echoed further down the winding trail. The hairs on Jack’s neck prickled with an anxious excitement.
“So that’s my cue,” he murmured, breaking into a jog despite every rock biting into his feet.
His discomfort vanished when he turned a bend and saw a sight straight out of a fever dream. Three small, nightmarish creatures clustered around something—or someone—on the ground. They stood maybe half his height, with wiry limbs ending in razor-like claws. Their emaciated torsos heaved as they hissed and chittered, revealing rows of jagged teeth. One turned its oversized head to glare at him, dark eyes burning with a menace he’d never expected in a “game.”
An image of a page from the journal entered his mind, with text appearing as if he were looking at the book:
Lesser Goblin Level 1
Lesser Goblin Level 1
Lesser Goblin Level 2
“Okay, I’ve read enough fantasy to know this can’t be good,” Jack muttered, heart pounding. He started backing away, instinct urging him to flee. But then a weak voice rang out:
“Help me… please!”
Jack’s gaze dropped to the boy lying at the creature’s feet. One goblin gripped the kid’s ankle while another brandished a crude spear, poised to strike.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Jack growled under his breath. Great timing, me. Didn’t bother testing any spells, huh?
He opened his mouth to shout, but fear clogged his throat, producing only a strangled croak. The Level 2 Goblin cocked its head and raised a bony finger at Jack as if warning him to leave. Jack shook his head, an instinctive spark of defiance igniting inside him. He lifted both hands—unsure what he expected to do. Probably nothing.
Suddenly, lightning arced between his fingertips, a bolt of sizzling electricity that zapped one Level 1 Goblin and ricocheted into the second. The pair collapsed with a shrill, grating yelp, twitching on the ground like puppets with severed strings.
“Holy—!” Jack’s eyes widened. “I did not see that coming!”
Before he could celebrate, the Level 2 Goblin lunged at him with a jagged knife, knocking him flat. Pain erupted everywhere as the creature’s furious slashes bit into his arms and ribs. Hot blood spilled into Jack’s eyes, and terror replaced his bravado.
This is too real, he panicked. Way too real!
He mustered every ounce of will, gritted his teeth through the agony, and unleashed another surge of electric energy. The goblin hurtled backward, crashing into a tree trunk with a sickening thud.
In the dark recesses of his mind, the journal’s text appeared again:
You have killed Lesser Goblin Level 2.
Experience gained.
Jack panted, trying to quell the panic rising in his chest. He noticed the other two goblins stirring from the corner of his eye. The boy, now free, staggered to his feet and backed away, wide-eyed.
“Get back!” Jack shouted, voice ragged with pain.
A second wave of raw magic welled up in him, this time burning hot. He hurled his hands forward, and fire rained down upon the remaining goblins, scorching the forest floor around them. The creatures shrieked in unison—briefly—then fell silent, their ashen forms collapsing amid the smoke.
You have killed Lesser Goblin Level 1. Experience gained.
You have killed Lesser Goblin Level 1. Experience gained.
Congratulations you have leveled up! You have reached Level 2.
A wave of dizziness crashed over Jack, sapping the elation he might have felt at leveling. Blood trickled down his arms, his vision swimming as he tried to stay upright.
“That’s… new,” he muttered, voice growing faint. No VR games ever made me feel this much pain… right?
He slumped to his knees, vaguely aware of the boy rushing toward him, hands glowing with a golden aura that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Healing magic? Jack wondered distantly. Wait, is that an actual skill or…
But he couldn’t hold onto the thought. Darkness crept in at the edges of his vision until he felt nothing at all, sinking into unconsciousness with the hazy image of the boy’s outstretched hands illuminating the blood-stained road.