"Ugh..."
Kang Eunseo opened his eyes, his head pounding as if he had just woken from a fever dream. He groaned, blinking against the golden shafts of sunlight piercing through a thick canopy of leaves. Wait—leaves? His bed had no leaves.
His breath hitched as he sat up, taking in his surroundings. Towering trees stretched endlessly in all directions, their dense foliage casting a surreal green hue over the world. The air smelled fresh, tinged with damp earth and something faintly sweet. He could hear birds chirping, the rustle of unseen creatures scurrying through the underbrush.
"Huh?! Wh-What?!? Weren't I just in my bed?!" he yelped, scrambling to his feet.
His voice felt too loud in the eerie silence of the forest. His heart pounded against his ribs as he frantically patted himself down—same sleep pyjama, same messy bedhead, same Kang Eunseo. So how the hell did he end up in the middle of a forest?!
Before panic could fully settle in, a holographic screen abruptly materialized in front of his face.
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[Welcome, Player Kang Eunseo.]
[You have entered: World 001 – The Verdant Expanse]
[Mission: Find the lost sword hidden in the Cave of Echoes.]
[Time Limit: 3 Hours]
[Failure Consequence: You don't want to know. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]
──────
Eunseo gawked at the floating text, his brain struggling to process what he was seeing. His hands shot forward on instinct, trying to touch it, but his fingers passed straight through.
"Okay…okay…what the actual hell?" he muttered.
As if in response, another pop-up appeared.
──────
[Don't worry, Player! It's only your first mission. Just find the sword and you'll be back in bed in no time! (Maybe.)]
[Oh! And because you're a noob, here's a starter pack.]
──────
A smaller window popped up, displaying a pixelated loot box icon with a bright "CLAIM" button underneath. Eunseo stared at it, hesitating. Was this a prank? Some kind of lucid dream?
"Ugh, whatever…" he muttered, tapping the button.
The moment he did, warmth bloomed in his chest, spreading through his limbs like fire beneath his skin. His breath hitched as unfamiliar energy pulsed within him, his fingertips tingling. The sensation was strange—neither painful nor unpleasant, just new.
──────
[Congratulations! You have obtained your helping power: Fire Manipulation (Basic).]
[Skill Description: You can create and control fire. WARNING: You suck at it right now.]
[Tip: Try not to burn yourself, genius.]
──────
"...Excuse me?" Eunseo's eyebrow twitched. "Did the system just roast me?"
[Absolutely. Now, get moving. Clock's ticking.]
A small countdown timer blinked into existence at the corner of his vision.
2:59:24
"Ah, crap."
Panic resurfaced, but this time, adrenaline kicked in. If this was a dream, it was way too detailed to be normal. And if it wasn't a dream…he was not about to find out what "you don't want to know" meant.
"Alright. A cave, huh?" He glanced around, scanning his surroundings. "If I were a conveniently placed mission cave, where would I be?"
A soft breeze carried the faint scent of damp stone. Eunseo's eyes narrowed. If there was stone, there was probably a cave.
"Better than nothing." He took off, pushing through the underbrush.
──────
30 Minutes Later
"This is the worst tutorial level ever," Eunseo grumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead. His pyjama was a mess, twigs clinging to his sleeves. His arms stung from multiple "friendly" encounters with branches. Struggling to walk with his bare feet.
But at least he found the cave.
It loomed before him, a jagged opening carved into a moss-covered cliffside. Dark, damp air seeped from its depths, carrying the scent of earth and something metallic.
──────
[Cave of Echoes Discovered!]
[Pro Tip: It's called the Cave of Echoes for a reason. Try screaming.]
──────
"...What kind of dumbass tip is that?" Eunseo muttered, shaking his head.
Ignoring the system's nonsense, he cautiously stepped inside. The deeper he went, the darker it got, until he was relying solely on his sense of touch and sound. The faint dripping of water echoed through the cavern, making it hard to judge how far in he was.
Then, his foot hit something solid.
A pedestal.
And resting atop it, a rusted, battered sword.
"Found it!" A victorious grin spread across Eunseo's face as he reached for it—
SHRRRRK!
Something moved.
The pedestal trembled, and a layer of hardened black crust began cracking apart, revealing something living underneath. A grotesque, shell-like entity that twitched as if disturbed from slumber.
"Oh, hell no."
──────
[Surprise, Player! That sword is protected by a lovely little thing called a Stone Husk. It really doesn't like being touched.]
[Tip: Maybe try using that ability you just got?]
──────
Eunseo barely had time to react before the Stone Husk lunged, its cracked shell splitting apart to reveal glowing red veins.
His body moved on instinct—he jumped back, heart hammering.
"Fire! Fire! How do I—?!"
As if answering his panic, heat exploded from his palms. A small ember flickered to life in his right hand.
"...Oh. Oh!"
The Husk recoiled at the light.
Eunseo grinned. "Guess I don't suck at this after all!"
With newfound confidence, he threw the ember forward. The moment it touched the Husk, flames spread like wildfire, licking up its cracked shell. The creature shrieked, flailing as the outer crust melted away, revealing the sword buried within its molten remains.
Eunseo didn't waste a second—he grabbed the handle and pulled.
The metal was crooked, weakened by age, but—
Wait.
Didn't his skill say something about melting?
A crazy idea popped into his head.
"...Can I, like, fix this?"
He placed a hesitant hand on the sword's twisted blade. Concentrating, he willed the heat to bend it back into shape.
The metal glowed, softening, shifting—until the blade straightened, reforging itself in his grip.
Eunseo exhaled, staring at his handiwork. "Well, damn."
──────
[Congratulations! You completed your first mission!]
[You're still a noob, but slightly less pathetic now.]
[Returning to the real world in 3...2...1...]
──────
The world faded to black—and the next thing Eunseo knew, he was back in his bed, heart racing.
For a second, he thought it was over.
Then, another window popped up in front of him.
──────
[Player Status Window]
Name: Kang Eunseo
Level: 1
Strength: 5
Agility: 7
Endurance: 6
Mana: 10
Inventory: Sword
──────
Eunseo buried his face in his hands.
"...I'm never getting a normal night of sleep again, am I?"