Lucas Wang could barely keep his eyes open as he stumbled out of the office building. Another night of endless overtime, another reminder that in this world, he was invisible.
The streets stretched before him, eerily empty under the dying flicker of streetlights. Not a soul, not even the sound of wind. Just silence.
Then, without warning, the ground beneath him quivered. A swirling black vortex yawned open, hungry and merciless. Before Lucas could even scream, it swallowed him whole.
Darkness. Silence. Weightlessness.
The world as he knew it ceased to exist. When Lucas finally woke up, it wasn't on cold concrete, but on something softer. Grass.
He opened his eyes—and froze.
Above him, two moons dominated the sky.One blazed crimson like fire.The other shimmered deep blue like a quiet ocean.
Strange, glowing runes flowed across their surfaces, shifting and twisting like they were alive.
Lucas stared, heart pounding so hard it hurt.
This... this isn't Earth.
Just then, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
[System Activation Complete. Welcome to the Realm of Azuria.]
In the corner of his vision, a faint, shimmering screen blinked into existence, filled with strange symbols and unreadable numbers.
Lucas didn't understand any of it.
Not yet.
Lucas pushed himself up slowly, brushing dirt from his worn-out office clothes. Every muscle in his body ached, but the overwhelming strangeness of his surroundings numbed the pain.
He spun in a slow circle, eyes wide. Endless fields stretched into dark forests at the horizon. Strange plants swayed gently under the twin moons' light.
"This... can't be real," he muttered.
But the cool night air against his skin and the faint scent of unknown flowers said otherwise.
With nothing better to do, Lucas started walking toward the dark forest, his footsteps crunching softly against the grass.
He had barely stepped into the treeline when the mechanical voice chimed again, startling him enough to almost jump out of his skin.
[Quest Issued: Gather 5 pieces of Moonwood. Reward: Basic Strength +5.]
"What the hell is Moonwood?!" Lucas yelped, spinning around in panic.
A glowing notification floated into his sight, highlighting a few nearby trees with a faint golden outline.Apparently, the "Moonwood" was just... regular wood under special light?
Grumbling under his breath, Lucas trudged over and awkwardly snapped off a few branches.
As soon as he collected the fifth piece, the mechanical voice chimed again, louder and somehow... smug.
[Quest Complete! Congratulations, Host! Reward Granted: Basic Strength +5.]
Lucas stared at the blue screen flashing in front of him, stunned.
Was he... seriously getting stronger just by breaking a few sticks?
In his old life, no matter how many late nights he survived, no matter how hard he worked, he had never once felt himself grow stronger.
But here, in this strange new world, even the smallest effort seemed to bring real change.
Slowly, as if testing a dream, Lucas flexed his fingers.
A warm, tingling surge rushed through his muscles—not overwhelming, but unmistakably real.
For the first time in years, he felt alive.
He let out a shaky laugh, part disbelief, part giddy relief.
His eyes dropped to his outfit—rumpled office shirt, wrinkled tie, dust-covered dress shoes.
"Great," he muttered to himself. "Thrown into another world... and I'm still dressed like a third-rate accountant."
He looked up at the twin moons, their light casting long shadows across the grass.
"Hey, System," he called out softly. "Any chance you can hook me up with a proper outfit? Something... less pathetic?"
Silence answered him.
And yet, somehow, Lucas couldn't stop smiling.
Just then, his stomach gave a loud, protesting growl.
He blinked in surprise, then chuckled under his breath.
"Right. Food. Shelter. Survival. Before I start dreaming about becoming some legendary hero," he muttered.
Casting one last glance at the twin moons hanging silently overhead, Lucas squared his shoulders and stepped into the waiting forest.
He didn't know where the path would take him, but for the first time in a long while, he was ready to find out.