Jimmy gasped awake, lungs pulling in the sharp scent of smoke and ash. His body jolted upright. For a second, everything felt unreal. The blinding light, the ache in his chest, the silence. Then, pain returned.
His hand shot to his side as a dull throb pulsed beneath his ribs. The sky above was clear now, washed in soft morning hues, but the ground beneath him told a different story.
"What happened?" he thought. His mind was clouded, and so was his vision—a blur at first as he tried to sit up, wincing as his body protested. The last thing he remembered was the intruder and his family. His vision gradually sharpened. Bushes, grass, scorched soil. Familiar surroundings.
Then he saw what remained of his home.
The cottage that once held warmth, laughter, and love was now reduced to blackened ruins. Broken beams. Ash-coated debris. Silence. And just like that, the memories came flooding back.
"No!" Jimmy roared as he scrambled to his feet, panic overtaking pain. He staggered through the wreckage, searching, hoping, and praying someone survived. But it didn't take long to find them. His parents lay side by side, their hands still entwined. Lifeless. A few feet away, he saw his sister. Her small form was barely recognizable, curled and burned.
Jimmy dropped to his knees, letting out a broken cry.
"This can't be happening to me," he roared in grief mixed with anger. Tears streamed freely from his eyes, blurring his vision as he clutched the scorched earth. He stayed like that for what felt like minutes—or maybe hours.
Then, a soft ding echoed in the air. Jimmy lifted his head slowly. A floating screen hovered before him, glowing faintly in the morning light.
---
WELCOME, HOST.
Notification:
Name: Jimmy Valebrook
Race: Human
Level: One
Health Points: Full
Endurance: Half
Experience Points: Empty
The screen text notified him.
Jimmy stared, eyes narrowing in confusion. He tried to blink it away, but the screen remained, unmoving, unaffected by the wind.
"What is this?" he muttered.
As if responding to his voice, another line appeared.
---
System online. Reaper protocols active.
Status: Recovery mode. Temporary boost granted.
---
A faint pulse surged through his chest, and he instinctively placed a hand over his heart. It didn't burn this time. It felt stable. Jimmy slowly climbed to his feet, wobbling slightly, but the pain was manageable now, his body lighter than before. The system screen followed his gaze, adjusting its position as he moved.
"What the hell is going on?" he whispered, staring at his burned surroundings, then back at the screen.
The silence was broken only by the quiet hum of the system.
Then came one final message:
---
Objective: Survive.
---
Jimmy tried to process everything, but before he could digest a single thing, a sudden disturbance shattered his thoughts. Jimmy spun around almost immediately. From the edge of the forest close to his shattered home, a creature emerged. Massive in size, eyeless and grotesque-looking. Its leathery brown skin rippled with unnatural movement. It moved slowly, sniffing the air with an open, lipless mouth filled with crooked fangs. Jimmy froze mid-step, heart pounding in his chest as he instinctively held his breath.
Then the screen returned, flashing in red and white text:
---
Warning: Threat detected.
Name: Gergesa
Initiating combat tutorial mode.
---
The beast crept closer, but its attention wasn't on him. It was heading toward his family's bodies.
"No!" Jimmy barked, running toward his family. Then finally, he stood between the corpses and the beast.
"Stay away from them," Jimmy muttered as he drove his hand into the wreckage, pulling out a long, broken beam—stick splintered at the edge. Not a sword, but a makeshift weapon, which would have to do. His grip on the stick tightened, while his hands trembled. His legs shook. He'd never fought anything like this before. But he wouldn't let their bodies be desecrated.
Then he heard a rustling sound from behind. Then another. Two more beasts emerged from the trees, hissing and snarling. Jimmy swallowed hard.
"So you brought friends," he muttered, more to himself than to them. "Fine. I'll take you all on."
A lie, which he knew very well. His heart pounded like a war drum, and his grip on the makeshift weapon was slick with sweat. Jimmy swung the stick wildly, thinking the beast would flinch—but it didn't turn back. The creature let out a low growl, then charged.
Jimmy didn't have time to think, as his body moved on instinct. At least, that was what he thought—but it was the system giving assistance. He dropped low, dodging the attacks. Another charged from the side. Jimmy rolled through the dirt and grabbed a second stick. The third pounced from above. Jimmy drove the stick upward with both hands. It pierced the creature's underbelly. A screech rang out as the beast collapsed, blood spraying his face.
---
One Gergesa Slain. Agility +1
---
"What...?" Jimmy gasped, stunned. He didn't have time to think as the other two lunged. But he moved with precise speed.
He leapt sideways over one of them, then he displayed a move which he shouldn't have been capable of. Before it could recover, he drove his second stick into its mouth.
---
Two Gergesa Slain. Strength +5
---
The screen just continued popping up whenever he made a kill, notifying him with text of his rewards. Then, the third beast circled Jimmy, trying to give a sneaky attack. With raised claws, it lunged at Jimmy from behind—but Jimmy sensed it. Without turning, he kicked a stick into the air, caught it midair, and plunged it backward. Straight into the creature's neck without looking.
---
Three Gergesa Slain. Task Complete.
---
He collapsed to one knee, gasping for air. When another screen appeared:
---
Level Up.
New Item Obtained: Gergesa Claw.
System Coins Obtained: 100
Plascoins Obtained: 200
---
A small bag materialized beside him. He hesitated at first before he finally picked it up and opened it. What he found left him stunned and speechless. Inside the small bag, he found real coins. Heavy and smooth. Jimmy stared in awe and disbelief.
"Did I just get paid for killing monsters?" he thought.
His chest rose and fell with exhaustion. But beneath it, something stirred. Resolve. Rage and uncertainty.
He turned back to the ruins and his family's remains. Later, he dug three simple graves and placed his family into each one. Then he placed three wooden crosses marking each one. Jimmy stood before them, silent. Wind tugged at his clothes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered with resolved determination.
Then his voice changed, harder. Focused.
"I'll find those knights and make them pay. I swear it."
He stood tall and turned toward the open road. Far in the distance, past the burned forest and smoking hills, the Kingdom of Elarion awaited. Jimmy walked forward toward the direction.
He took his first step, one out of many.