"Do you know where we are?"
"GYAHGYAHGA…"
"Do you know how I can get back to my world?"
"GYAHGYAHGYA!"
Whoa, that one was more aggressive. A 'get off my property!'. Of course, I didn't understand a thing.
After seeing that dragon, the first thing I did was close and lock the door. Denial is a powerful tool. I went back to gaming, hoping that at any moment, I would wake up from this bizarre dream.
The problem? It didn't feel like a dream. The dusty smell of my keyboard, the ache in my back from my gaming chair, it was all too real. As my mind spun, trying to process the impossible, a small, green, humanoid creature with pointed ears and a pointy nose appeared in my field of vision. It held a wooden spear as worn out as the dirty piece of cloth it wore as a loincloth. He was walking toward my apartment.
In my initial panic, I ran to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife I could find, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
Apparently, my apartment was surrounded by a strong, invisible barrier, which the green creature promptly stress-tested by repeatedly trying to pierce it with its spear. Each attempt echoed with a subtle "TUNK" until its spear tip finally broke. With the immediate threat neutralized and my curiosity overcoming fear, I decided to try and communicate, opening a crack in the apartment window to risk a dialogue. Unsurprisingly, we didn't speak the same language...
That's when it finally clicked. This creature, doesn't it look like a goblin? From all those fantasy books and games I knew so well? At that moment, the certainty that this was not a dream began to solidify.
"Ahh…"
I sighed. What now?
I turned my back to the window and looked at the interior of my sanctuary. I remembered that the power, water, gas, and most importantly, the internet, were still working. But how? Looking outside again, I noticed that the pipes and wires coming out of the building simply ended in mid-air, suspended without any support, like a sloppy cut in an image editor.
It makes no sense. Just questions and more questions.
I went back to the computer. If the real world had failed me, maybe the digital one had an answer. I opened my favorite forum and made a post.
★★★
Topic: I think I've been "isekai'd". What do I do now?
JohMil (OP): "This might sound like a joke, but it's the truth. I don't know how I got here or how to get back. Not only was I transported to another world, but my entire apartment came with me. Oh, and there's a goblin in my yard now."
I waited, refreshing the page every five seconds. It didn't take long for the replies to start popping up, a cascade of digital chaos.
Isekai123:"LOL, someone's been reading too much isekai"
T3d22y:"Are you high?"
Truck-kun:"Are you trying to take my job??"
Her0:"Calm down, guys. What if it's true? First, @JohMil give us some proof, and then we'll help."
Of course, they'd want proof. Realizing this, I grabbed my phone, went to the window, and zoomed in on the small green being wandering near the barrier. The quality wasn't great, but the thirty-second video I recorded was undeniable proof that this was no man in a costume, so I uploaded the file and posted it in the thread.
JohMil (OP): "Look at this video of the goblin: [link_to_video.mp4]"
T3d22y:"Looks fake to me"
Isekai123:"I have no doubt it's fake!"
Isekai124:"Status! There must be one! Try it!"
Her0:"I don't know… You say your apartment came with you? How?"
Knight55:"Seriously?? Why don't I have that kind of luck"
JohMil (OP): "I don't know @Her0, when I opened the door to go to a job interview, I was already here… Now I don't know what to do"
Isekai124:"Status! There must be one! Try it!"
H2O:"I heard a rumor about houses disappearing..."
Isekai124:"Status! There must be one! Try it!"
Survivalist_Z:"Forget if it's fake or not. @JohMil, if this is real, you have a bigger problem. What's your food and water situation?"
The question hit me hard. I got up, went to the kitchen, did a quick inspection, and returned to the computer, a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach.
JohMil (OP): "@Survivalist_Z You're right. I just checked. If I ration it, I have enough food for about 3 days. The water is still running, but I don't know for how long"
The reply instantly changed the tone of the topic.
Her0: "That's very bad. 3 days is your window to act. We need a plan"
Isekai124:"That's why you need information! It's your priority! Status! Try it! It could be the key to finding food or understanding the environment!"
Pressured by the palpable urgency of my new expiration date, I committed to the craziest suggestion. I stood in the middle of the room, cleared my throat, and, deciding it obviously needed a pose, stuck my arm out with my palm open in a classic anime stance. Taking one final, deep breath to focus all my energy, I shouted into the empty room.
"STATUS!"
Nothing. Not a single flash of light. Not one "beep". Just the echo of my own voice and the silent humiliation.
JohMil (OP): "@Isekai124 It didn't work. I said it out loud and nothing happened. I feel like an idiot."
Trol22: "lmao try shouting louder"
Isekai124: "Don't give up! Try to concentrate! Think about your energy! Or maybe it needs a gesture!"
JohMil (OP): "What is plan B?"
There was a pause on the forum. Plan B seemed not to exist.
It was in that moment of silent panic that the sound returned.
TUM...
The goblin, which had been distracted until then, froze. Its head snapped sharply toward the dense forest.
TUM...
It dropped the handle of its broken spear and started running in terror.
TUM...
Something very large was coming, and something told me it wasn't here to ask for a cup of coffe.