[Ding!]
"Host. Mission initiated. The Path of the Sword. Activating."
Suddenly, everything went dark.
That strange yet familiar feeling returned — the loss of sight, the world fading away around him, leaving only the void. Everything was black, shapeless, soundless, directionless.
But this time, something was different.
A faint spark of consciousness pulsed within him. Twig could feel himself — as if his mind floated in the middle of that darkness, without a body, without ground, only thought.
"Where am I? What is this place?" he asked, his voice echoing into the void.
No answer came. Only the distant sound of his own voice fading slowly into nothingness.
"System, where are Aron and Jenny? Where is everyone? What is this place?"
[Ding!]
"Host, you are in the mission progress scenario: The Path of the Sword."
"What do you mean, System? There's nothing here! It's just darkness!"
Then, something changed.
Beneath his feet, a green light began to form, revealing the outline of a stone platform. The lines glowed in deep emerald tones, crossing in geometric patterns — triangles, circles, and symbols that looked like ancient runes.
[Ding!]
"Mission initiated."
"Host, mission objective: reach the end of the path. Alive."
"The path… alive?" he thought, swallowing hard. "But where's the path if there's only darkness around?"
Before he could get an answer, Twig noticed something ahead.
At the edge of the platform, a narrow stone beam began to stretch out into the darkness, slowly revealed by the greenish glow of the runes.
"Oh, crap…" he thought, rubbing his forehead. "I remember now. The class advancement quest for swordsman was just like this… you had to cross narrow paths without falling."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"Unbelievable. And to make things worse, it's way harder doing this for real than in the game. This is real life now... if I fall, will it be game over for real?"
"Damn it… no other option," Twig thought, heart pounding. "I have to move forward. There's no way out of here… the only path is ahead."
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The stone under his feet emitted a faint green shimmer, as if recognizing his presence.
Then came the second step.
And the third.
He swallowed hard, glancing around — but all he could see was darkness.
Above, darkness.
To the sides, darkness.
Behind him, nothing.
The only thing that existed was that narrow strip of stone beneath his feet… and the endless abyss surrounding it.
"And they say you shouldn't stare into the abyss," he muttered, trying to mask his fear with irony. "Because if you stare too long… it might just stare back."
The slow, careful walk didn't take long before Twig finally reached another platform. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, he heard a faint crack — the path behind him dissolving into the void, vanishing as if it had never existed.
"Great…" he muttered, glancing back. "No turning back. Guess it's for real now."
Ahead, the path split into two — one to the left and one to the right. Both looked identical: narrow, dark, and glowing faintly with the same green hue.
"Now what… which one do I take?" he thought, frowning. "Could there be a trap in one of them?"
He tried to remember. "If I recall correctly, in the game these paths didn't have traps… you just had to cross without falling. The challenge was balance."
He looked from one side to the other, uncertain. The silence was suffocating.
"But what if there is a trick this time? This system loves to mess with me…"
"System, which path should I take? Do you know? Answer me!"
The only reply was absolute silence — contrasting with the total darkness stretching endlessly in every direction.
"Damn it… it won't answer me. I'll just have to trust myself. I'll go right. Whatever happens, happens."
Once again, Twig advanced cautiously — slow and steady.
But before he could reach the next platform, his next step found no ground. He hesitated and quickly stepped back.
"This right path doesn't lead anywhere… just a fall."
"Damn it. I'll have to go back."
And so he did — slow and steady — until he returned to the previous platform.
This time, he chose the left path.
"Now there's no other choice," he thought. "This has to be the right one."
"Good thing I'm going slow. Imagine if I'd rushed and fallen into the void… forever."
Once again, the end of the narrow path led to a new platform.
And just like before, as soon as he stepped on it, the path behind vanished, melting into the dark.
This time, however, there weren't two paths — but three.
Twig scratched his head, puzzled.
"Three now? It just keeps getting worse... All right, calm down. Let's start with the one in the middle."
And so he began again — slow and steady, cautious with every step.
Curiously, this path was longer than the others. It took more time, but to his relief, the floor remained firm.
When he finally reached another platform and stepped on solid ground, he exhaled deeply.
"Wow... lucky shot! First try. Can't believe it. Maybe I'm finally at the end?"
But no.
The answer appeared in the form of another narrow passage ahead — calling him, or perhaps taunting him, to continue.
"Ugh, great… one more."
Grumbling, he set off again, carefully, one step at a time.
After a while, he reached yet another platform. As always, the path behind disappeared.
And before him, two new narrow ways emerged.
"Wait a second… one path… two paths…" he murmured, frowning.
Then it hit him.
"No way… that middle path before — it sent me back to the start! I can't believe this!"
His doubts were confirmed when he tried the left path — the one he'd picked first this time — and once again reached a platform with three paths before him.
Hands over his face, he groaned, "You've got to be kidding me! All over again? I wasted so much time!"
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to think clearly.
"Which way now? Please don't send me back again…"
He looked carefully at all three options.
"Well… if the left one worked before, then this time I'll go right. The middle's definitely not it."
With the same cautious patience he'd shown from the start, Twig took the right path — slow, steady, and focused.
The darkness around him felt abyssal, suffocating — the kind of void that could drive anyone insane.
So much time alone, with nothing but the endless black and the solid touch of stone beneath his feet... anyone else would have broken down.
But not Twig.
He had already died once and was living a second life now.
He kept moving forward until finally, he reached another platform.
The path behind vanished, and no new one appeared ahead.
"What now?" he wondered. "I made it this far, but there's no path left…"
"Oh really? No path left?"
A deep, commanding voice echoed behind him.
Twig spun around instantly.
Standing before him was a man.
He wore a light beige shirt beneath a short surcoat — something between a tabard and a light jacket.
His hands and forearms were protected by brown leather gloves and bracers, reinforced with small metal plates and buckles.
At his left side rested a sheathed sword, its hilt glimmering faintly under the green light of the runes.
"Congratulations, young novice. It seems you've reached the end of the path. Are you ready for the final part of your mission?"
Twig stood frozen.
The man before him — clearly a swordsman — wore clothes identical to those from the game, but real, tangible, alive.
The fabric moved gently in the still air of the void, and the faint gleam of the sword made Twig's heart race.
"Yes… yes, I'm here to complete the mission," he stammered.
The man smiled calmly.
"There's no need to be nervous, young one. The hardest part of your mission is already over."
Twig took a breath and asked,
"What do I have to do now to complete it?"
"It's all right, young one. Your mission is nearly complete. All that remains is to hear my words of guidance."
He stepped forward — the firm sound of his boots echoing through the emptiness — and continued,
"Listen carefully, Twig. The path you walked was the lesson itself. You walked through the abyss, not knowing where you'd arrive — or if you'd arrive at all. You had to turn back, hesitate, choose again. And that's how it must be."
He paused briefly, his voice calm yet resolute.
"Understand this: sometimes you must retreat in order to move forward. Those who advance without caution, without thought, end up falling into the shadows — and some never return."
His gaze softened, almost fatherly.
"The path of the sword is one of struggle and battle, yes… but also one of choice. You don't always have to kill. But if the situation demands it, do your duty. Move forward. And above all, have courage."
As he spoke his final words, the man's silhouette began to glow — the same deep green as the platform below.
Gradually, his body fragmented, dissolving into countless tiny motes of light that floated through the air.
Those glowing particles, like dust carried by an invisible wind, drifted toward Twig — and as they touched his skin, they were absorbed into him in a soft flash.
In an instant, he felt the texture and weight of his clothes change. His simple garments vanished, replaced by a new outfit — firm, fitted, and shaped like that of a swordsman. The beige fabric and reinforced leather molded perfectly to his body, as if they had always belonged to him.
Twig looked down at himself, astonished, spinning slightly on his heels to take it all in.
"My god… where did these clothes come from? And where are my old rags?" he muttered, still in disbelief.
[Ding!]
"Congratulations, user. Mission complete. New Job obtained: [Swordsman]."