Thud!
Within the vast cosmos, a meteor blazed through the void, bursting forth from primordial chaos into the ordered universe. It streaked toward a distant realm where vitality and discord danced in eternal balance.
This celestial disturbance quickly drew the attention of ancient powers.
Soon, a magnificent presence turned its gaze downward, accompanied by waves of ethereal music that rose and fell in perfect harmony. The meteor was caught in this divine symphony, drawn inexorably into the Great Music itself.
A new note was born from this union, spiraling around the eternal melody—novel yet perfectly harmonious with the cosmic song.
"Acceptable."
The owner of that divine gaze withdrew their attention.
A brilliant flash...
[Achievement Unlocked: "Enter Middle-earth!"]
"Huh?"
Wind whispered through grass, leaves rustled overhead, birds called in the distance... and warmth caressed his face.
Levi opened his eyes. Sunlight pierced through his consciousness like a blade, forcing him to squint against the sudden brightness. After several moments, he finally adjusted to the light and began surveying his surroundings.
The first thing that caught his attention was a line of small text floating before him.
"Achievement?"
The style looked incredibly familiar.
Middle-earth...?
He pushed himself to his feet and drew a deep breath. The air was impossibly fresh, carrying the faint fragrance of grass and earth—so much cleaner than the stale air of his cramped apartment. Levi found himself standing beneath a towering oak tree, with emerald fields stretching endlessly in every direction.
He was certain no place like this existed anywhere near his home.
Had he been kidnapped? Had he somehow sleepwalked onto a plane and flown halfway around the world?
Confusion clouded his thoughts as he tried desperately to recall what had happened before this moment. His mind remained frustratingly blank, as if someone had wiped his memories clean.
His last clear memory seemed to be... playing Minecraft at home?
Minecraft—that famous sandbox game beloved by millions. The game had been his constant companion for nearly half his life. From his first encounter with those pixelated blocks until now, he'd been playing for about ten years. Even though he spent countless hours staring at repetitive cubic landscapes, he'd never grown bored.
Wait!
Levi froze, staring at the floating text before him. The message was becoming semi-transparent and slowly fading, but when he focused his attention on it, the words appeared clearly once more.
"Isn't this Minecraft's achievement system?"
Shocked by this realization, he suddenly noticed a transparent prompt in the upper right corner of his vision:
Tutorial: Open inventory.
Inventory?
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a familiar interface materialized before him. Three rows of inventory slots, one hotbar row at the bottom. In the upper left corner was a somewhat pixelated full-body image of himself, complete with four empty armor slots beside it.
Closing the inventory, Levi discovered that his field of vision now included health and hunger bars at the bottom.
Perhaps because he'd been unconscious for so long, his hunger bar had already dropped to half.
Had he somehow been transported into the game itself?
Just as he was wondering whether he should try punching some wood to craft a workbench, a voice called out to him.
"Hey there! How are you doing?"
[Language Module Loaded]
Another notification box appeared alongside the voice.
Levi spun around, startled, but saw no one nearby.
"What the hell..."
"I'm right here, sir."
A small hand waved directly in front of his face.
He looked down and found himself making eye contact with... well, a very short person.
"Are you alright, sir?"
Levi didn't respond immediately, studying the figure before him with puzzlement. The person's height barely reached his waist, but judging by the mature voice, weathered face, and dignified clothing—not to mention the string of fish hanging from his belt—this was clearly no child.
There was only one explanation: he was looking at someone with dwarfism.
He straightened his expression and nodded politely. "Hello."
"Ah, human sir, may I ask if you've encountered some difficulty? Perhaps you're lost...?"
Human sir? What an unusual way to address someone.
Though it felt strange, the appearance of this small person brought Levi some measure of relief. At least he wasn't stranded in some uninhabited wilderness.
"Yes, I am indeed lost. Could you tell me where this is?"
The short person blinked thoughtfully before replying, "Oh, this is the Shire. More specifically, you're in Hobbiton."
No way.
The Shire?
A flood of memories crashed through his mind like a tidal wave.
The Shire... Lord of the Rings...
Levi stood frozen in place.
He quickly looked down again, examining the person who stood only waist-high. Child-like stature, disproportionately large feet, hairy feet, slightly pointed ears...
A halfling.
Or rather, a hobbit.
So this really was Middle-earth!
He felt stunned all over again, unable to decide whether he should feel elated or terrified.
Middle-earth—when he'd watched the Lord of the Rings films, this beautiful realm had seemed like the perfect place to live. Endless scenic vistas, fascinating people, and incredible adventures around every corner.
But that had been pure fantasy.
Levi was painfully self-aware. He knew that with his limited abilities, even if he'd somehow arrived in Middle-earth, he'd be nothing more than an ordinary person. And ordinary people in Middle-earth didn't exactly live peaceful lives. One wrong step and you might find yourself killed by orcs or some other evil force that appeared out of nowhere.
This land was far from safe.
Seeing him space out again, the hobbit scratched his head thoughtfully.
This human seemed rather dazed. Had he suffered a head injury perhaps?
Hmm... black hair, strange clothing, gentle features. Quite different from the humans I've seen before. He must be from very far away.
The hobbit examined Levi with curious eyes, considered for a moment, then spoke again.
"Sir, if you're looking for a place to stay, perhaps you could try the tavern in town. Also, if you head east from here, you'll reach Bree, where there are many humans. You might prefer it there."
"Ah, thank you. I understand..."
Grumble...
Before he could say more, his stomach suddenly churned, producing an embarrassingly loud sound.
The atmosphere became awkward instantly.
The tall human and short hobbit stared at each other.
The hobbit glanced at Levi, then down at his stomach.
"Uh, I happen to be making fried fish and potatoes tonight. Would you like to come to my house and eat together?"
He wanted to politely decline this generous offer, but his rapidly depleting hunger bar had apparently made him shameless.
If the hunger bar emptied completely, it would start draining his health.
Levi immediately replied, "That would be wonderful, thank you."
The hobbit looked stunned, clearly not expecting him to actually accept the invitation.
Looking at the hobbit's slightly pained expression, he obviously regretted being quite so polite.
"Well then, please follow me. Though the ingredients I just bought are probably only enough for one person, so I'll need to make another trip to the market. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to come along..."
The hobbit muttered as he began leading the way.
Levi followed shamelessly behind. Before long, he caught sight of the unique round doors and windows of hobbit holes dotting the hillsides. After crossing a small bridge and walking a short distance, they reached a bustling market filled with hobbits going about their daily business.
He trailed behind his host. Since everyone here was a hobbit, his height made him stand out dramatically, and he had to constantly duck to avoid low-hanging signs and awnings.
Humans weren't common in the Shire, and throughout the busy market, curious glances followed him wherever he went.
"Are you a wizard?"
Finally, a hobbit child couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. He ran over, blinking up at Levi with wide, innocent eyes.
A wizard? He must mean like Gandalf.
"No, I'm not," he replied with a wave of his hand. But before he could elaborate, the child was quickly pulled away by his parents.
By this time, the hobbit who had invited him to dinner had finished his shopping and called to Levi before heading out of the market.
Finally leaving the noisy marketplace behind, he breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally stop ducking his head constantly.
After walking a bit further, the two stopped in front of a particularly well-maintained hobbit hole.
"This is my home, sir."
The hobbit opened the round green door and stepped inside, not forgetting to add, "For someone of your height, the ceiling might be a bit low, but sitting down shouldn't be a problem."
"It's still a bit early for dinner, but it's nearly time for afternoon tea. Perhaps we can have something light first."
Levi bent down to enter, gently closed the door behind him, and opened his eyes wide with curiosity as he examined the cozy interior.
Why did this place feel so... familiar?
His attention was drawn to a small wooden chest near the entrance.
Hmm?
He suddenly spoke up. "Excuse me, my name is Levi Stonecraft. I haven't asked for your name yet."
The hobbit had just finished putting away the ingredients in the kitchen. Seeing Levi introduce himself properly, he turned around and replied formally, "Oh, hello there, Mr. Levi."
"I'm Baggins."
"Bilbo Baggins."
[Chapter Complete]
***
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