Bzzp! Bzzp! Bzzp!The alarm blared at 7:13 AM.
A boy, deep in sleep, stirred awake. His hair was a mess—clearly the result of a rough haircut the day before.
"Shit, I'm late!"
He shot out of bed, sprinted to the bathroom, took the fastest five-second shower imaginable, threw on his school uniform, grabbed his backpack, and bolted out the door toward school.
And yet, he was still late.
His name was Vincenzo. No last name—probably because he was an orphan, found in an alley as a baby.Now he lived alone, or more accurately, survived, thanks to monthly aid from the government.Luckily, this country was kind to abandoned kids—especially the ones left behind by parents who never cared.
"Ahh, late again... but at least I can still play games."
"Yo, Vin.""Oh—sup, Jeremy.""Late again? Come on, man, you really need to stop playing that game.""Haha, I can't. It's way too addictive."
There's a reason I'm always late.Mureus Adventure—a fantasy RPG I sink nearly nine hours into every single day.
After grinding nearly 10,000 hours, I became the number one player in the entire game.
Haha…Yeah.I really need to stop playing that damn game.
On the way home, I glanced at the news on my phone:
[END OF THE WORLD! AMERICA, RUSSIA, AND CHINA IN TOTAL RAMPAGE!]
Huh?Did I forget to mention?This world's already falling apart.
The major powers are at war.And people like me?We just keep moving forward.
Right now, I live in Southeast Asia—a zone completely off-limits to the superpowers.Why?Because of something that happened thirty years ago during a massive war.
Southeast Asia was forced to unite into one massive nation.Now it exists solely to protect civilians like us.
"Ahh, it's so hot… I need to buy some ice cream."
Totally.
I looked up.A plane flew overhead.
"…Hell no."
A cluster of bombs dropped from the sky.
FHEEEEEEEEEEEEW.
A massive explosion erupted—a mushroom cloud rising in the distance.I stared at it, wide-eyed, as the shockwave hit.
My flesh tore apart—And so did my life.
[ARK TRIULUD][STANDING BY][COMPLETE][Vincenzo ... ... 100%][LIFE TRANSFER COMPLETE]
"Welcome to Ark Triulud, Vin."
"…What the—"
I should be dead.I mean—I didn't check my body, but I definitely felt my limbs get torn off.
A man stood in front of me—Blue hair, blue eyes… and hair so long it touched the ground.
What the hell? Why's his hair that long?
"Oi."
Where even am I?Is this… an isekai? Like those manhwa? Anime?
"OI."
Wait—hold on. Let me think.
This place… it's dark, cold… no roof, massive stone pillars. Hmmm, if it's a game, what is it?What kind of game has a place like this?
Revival: Rusted, maybe?Nah… that game sucked. Hope it's not that one.
But seriously…Am I actually getting isekaied?
"FK, I'M TALKING—LISTEN!"**
"…Oh."
Crap.I didn't hear a single word he said.
"Finally… you're listening."
"You were saying?"
"You've been chosen."
"For what?"
"To save your world, of course… if you want to."
"…Huh?"
"Yeah—like, that's the general idea."
"…What?"
"Ughhh. If you finish the task, you'll be rewarded with ten wishes."
"And what about the 'saving the world' part?"
"…Wait a minute. You're not scared of me?"
"Why should I be?"
"…?"
The man's eyes welled up with tears.
"FINALLY—SOMEONE WHO ISN'T SCARED AT ALL!"
"Okay...? Uh, right. So—what exactly do you mean by saving the world?"
"Oh, basically, if you die before finishing the task, your world gets erased."
"...Shit."
"But, because I'm feeling generous, I'll help you out a little."
"Wait, wait, wait... huh?"
"Out of all the people, why me?"
Yeah, isn't it kind of ridiculous?I'm just a 16-year-old no-lifer who spends all his time playing games instead of studying. Hell, I'm terrible at math...
"Hm... You're the number one player in Mureus Adventure, right?"
"Oh yeah, why?"
Wait... am I getting sent there?Am I really gonna be stuck in Mureus Adventure? Holy shit!
"Well, every game you've played... is combined into one massive world."
"Oh shit."
In my whole damn life, I've only ever played either adventure RPGs or soulslike games.
"So, Vin, will you do it? No rejections—you have to do it."
"Ah... fuck."
Vin took a step back, but his foot landed on a button.A stone wheel behind him started spinning, glowing with blue patterns.
[Authorize: Vin]
"Oh, you're gonna be transferred to the world now... but I didn't forget my little gift, yet."The man grinned, his eyes gleaming.
Vin was still frozen, unsure.But, honestly, if all the games he'd played were now combined into one world... well, it could only get worse from here.
[Vincenzo Transferred]
.
.
.
Tap!Tap!
"AGH, WAIT! I'M NOT READY..."
Vin found himself in a completely different place.
"Crap."
Tap! Tap!
"Wait... is that a footstep?"
Tap, tap, tap...
It's getting closer! No way I'm getting attacked—What the hell
Vin quickly scanned his surroundings. The sky was dark, and he was standing in the middle of a forest. The trees were black, their leaves glowing a soft, eerie blue—casting the only light around.
His mind raced, and then it hit him. He remembered something.
"Sovereign Forest..."
Sovereign Forest, a place from the game Bold III.Located deep underground, players only came here to collect the rare trees.They were valuable for crafting sword hilts... and made a pretty decent profit.
TAP!
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Vin's shoulder.
"AHHHH!"
He screamed and spun around in panic—Only to find a girl standing behind him.
She had long blue hair, eyes just as blue, and a calm expression on her beautiful face.She wore a white, comfy-looking dress that gently flowed in the glowing forest light.
She tilted her head slightly.
"Oi."
"AAAAAAAAH"
Vin panicked and bolted—Only to smack straight into a tree and fall flat on his back.
The girl walked up, looking down at him like he was a curious little creature.
"Yo... Vin, right?"
He blinked, dazed."Who... who are you?"
"The name's Miyo.M-I-Y-O."She said it like she'd practiced.
"I've been learning about your world—well, your world's games, I guess. They're... interesting."
Vin sat up, rubbing his head."So what are you gonna do to me?"
"Help you out," she said casually."My father, Turas, told me to."
His eyes widened."The long-haired guy?"
"Yeah," Miyo replied, arms behind her back as she looked at the glowing trees."That weirdo."
"Out of everyone... why you?"
Miyo shrugged, eyes still on the glowing trees.
"Well, Father has too many daughters. Spoils most of them, always takes care of their needs... but not me."She looked down at Vin."He always dumps the difficult tasks on me and never gives me anything in return."
Vin scratched his head, a little awkward."Oh... well, I don't have parents at all."
Miyo blinked.
"Didn't ask."