Liam woke up slowly, his body stiff and aching.
For a brief moment, he didn't remember where he was. Then the cold stone pressing against his back and the uneven ground beneath his hands brought everything back at once. The ruins. The forest. The night spent half-awake, listening to sounds he didn't recognize.
He stood and stretched carefully. His muscles complained, but nothing felt injured. He scanned the area, alert. The broken walls were the same as he'd left them. No footprints. No signs of movement. Whatever lived out there had stayed away.
That should have made him feel safer. Instead, it reminded him how alone he was.
Hunger hit him almost immediately. His stomach twisted, sharp and empty. He headed toward the stream again, moving cautiously, stopping often to listen. The water was still clear and cold. He drank until the ache eased, then splashed some on his face.
When he straightened up, the familiar gray text floated into his vision.
[LORD SYSTEM]
Status: Active
World: Gaia
System Energy: 1000
Free Summons Remaining: 100
Registered Players: 0
Liam stared at the new line.
"Registered players?" he murmured.
That hadn't been there yesterday. Or maybe it had, and he hadn't noticed in the chaos. Either way, it didn't explain itself. The system never did.
Players meant people. Real people. Not animals. Not numbers.
He waited for more text. Nothing appeared.
"What does that even mean?" he asked, frustration creeping into his voice.
The system stayed silent.
He stepped away from the stream and paced the edge of the ruins. The word registered stuck in his head. It sounded organized. Planned. Like something official.
Like something that had started before he even arrived here.
The thought made his chest tighten.
Yesterday, before all this, he'd been sitting on his couch. He'd clicked Accept without reading. At that exact moment, this place had swallowed him whole.
So what had been happening back on Earth while he was here?
—
On Earth, the ad had gone live the same day.
At first, it appeared in small places. Gaming forums. Video platforms. Social media feeds. Most people scrolled past it without a second thought.
Those who stopped saw a short clip.
A forest. Quiet. Real. A man walking barefoot across grass, wincing when he stepped on stone. No background music. No dramatic effects.
The title appeared at the end.
Lord's Survival
100% Realistic Full-Dive Virtual Reality
People were suspicious. They should have been.
Comments popped up almost immediately.
Looks fake.
The movement looks wrong.
Why does that hurt to watch?
Some clicked the ad out of curiosity.
It redirected them to a website.
The site was simple and professional. White background. Clean text. No flashy banners or exaggerated promises.
Welcome to Lord's Survival
The description was short.
A full-dive virtual reality experience.
No magic systems.
No fantasy effects.
Pure physical realism.
Survival and leadership under real pressure.
Below that was a section titled Closed Beta Registration.
It explained that selected participants would receive specialized VR equipment designed for full immersion. No purchase required. Limited slots available.
Estimated delivery: next day.
Scrolling down led to the registration form.
Name.
Address.
Contact details.
At the bottom was a long agreement. Most people didn't read it. They rarely did.
Online reactions were mixed. Some laughed it off as a scam. Others joked that it had to be a billionaire wasting money. A few argued it was fake but impressive.
Still, curiosity won.
People signed up.
—
Liam sat on a fallen stone block, rubbing his hands together to keep warm. The ruins felt different in daylight. Less threatening, but more exposed. There was nowhere to hide if something came looking.
He glanced at the system again.
Registered Players: 2
His heart skipped.
"…What?"
He stared at the number, waiting to see if it would change again.
It didn't.
He swallowed hard.
"That means people," he said quietly. "Actual people."
He hadn't summoned anyone. He hadn't touched the system. And yet, someone had registered.
The number flickered.
Registered Players: 4
A chill ran down his spine.
"No," he whispered. "This can't be happening."
He focused on the system, forcing his thoughts to be clear. Stop registration. Cancel. Shut it down.
Nothing happened.
The text didn't react. It didn't even acknowledge him.
Registered Players: 6
Liam stood up so fast the stone scraped against his leg. He paced back and forth, breathing faster now.
"This started before me," he said aloud.
That was the only explanation that made sense. The ad. The website. The sign-ups. Whatever this system was, it had been preparing long before he ever arrived here.
He wasn't the beginning.
He was just the one left holding the consequences.
—
Back on Earth, confirmation emails began appearing.
You are pre-registered for Lord's Survival.
VR equipment will be delivered next day.
Some people laughed and showed their friends. Others forgot about it completely. A few felt uneasy, but excitement drowned it out.
It felt real enough to be convincing.
—
In Gaia, Liam stopped pacing and leaned against a broken wall. His legs felt weak.
Registered Players: 9
The number kept rising.
He imagined addresses. Apartments. Houses. People eating dinner. People going to bed, thinking tomorrow they might try a new game.
None of them knew where they were going.
None of them knew about the hunger. The cold. The fear.
He was the only one who did.
Registered Players: 12
His chest tightened.
"So I don't get a choice," he said quietly.
The system hadn't asked him if he wanted people to register. It hadn't warned him. It hadn't explained anything.
Registration wasn't his decision.
Summoning was.
He looked at the word Summon in the system display. He didn't activate it. He didn't even focus on it yet.
If he summoned someone now, they would appear here. In the ruins. With no warning. No preparation.
But if he waited, more people would sign up. More people would believe the lie.
Registered Players: 15
Liam clenched his fists.
He took a slow breath, forcing his thoughts to settle. Panicking wouldn't help. This world was real. That meant he had to treat this like a real problem.
He had water. Some shelter. Barely enough to survive alone.
He didn't have food. He didn't have tools. He didn't have answers.
And soon, he would have people depending on him.
Registered Players: 18
The number climbed again.
Liam looked out across the open land beyond the ruins. The forest stood quiet in the distance, hiding whatever lived inside it.
"If I'm doing this," he said softly, "then I can't pretend it's a game."
The system remained silent.
Registered Players: 21
Summon: Available
Liam closed his eyes for a moment.
Yesterday, he had clicked a button to get rid of an ad.
Now, people were lining up for a world that could kill them, led by someone who didn't know what he was doing.
He opened his eyes.
"I'll do it carefully," he said. "Or not at all."
The number kept rising.
—
[LORD SYSTEM]
Status: Active
World: Gaia
────────────────────────
System Energy
────────────────────────
Reserve: 1000
Starter Pack:
Free Summons Remaining: 100
Summon:
Available
Cost: 75
Cooldown: Ready
────────────────────────
Territory
────────────────────────
Territory Name: Unregistered
Development Level: None
Settlement Status: None
────────────────────────
Population
────────────────────────
Citizens (Gaia): 0
Players (Earth): 0
Registered Players: 21
Total Population: 0
Players:
Active: 0
Disconnected: 0
────────────────────────
Resources (Estimated)
────────────────────────
Food: None
Water: Low
Wood: None
Stone: Low
Metal: None
────────────────────────
Important Individuals
────────────────────────
Detected: 0
────────────────────────
User
────────────────────────
Name: Liam Richard
Rank: Rank 0
Warrior Energy: 0