"Should I go in?"
I hesitated before the faintly bluish dimensional gate.
For the thirty minutes since it first appeared, I'd tested all sorts of things on it.
When I stuck my hand in, it slid right through without any resistance.
The clothes I was wearing did the same.
But everything else got repelled.
The reaction was especially fierce against electronics like my smartphone.
It was like it was saying, don't bother bringing anything else—just come with your body.
"Whew, no other choice, huh."
I scratched my head vigorously and stood up.
I had no idea what lay beyond, but chickening out without even checking wasn't an option.
The message from the devs said the apocalypse hits in a week. And that the dungeon's only available until then—a limited-time thing.
I had no clue what that "apocalypse" really meant.
They'd only dropped the word itself, without so much as a hint.
One thing was clear: this dungeon beyond the gate was prepped to gear up for it.
And I was one of the tiny handful of users who could even enter.
Yet pass up a shot like this because of fear?
If the real "apocalypse" kicked off in a week, I'd regret it big time.
Screw it.
I squeezed my eyes shut and reached out toward the oval dimensional gate.
A sensation like passing through low-density liquid washed over me as my body got steadily pulled in.
A few seconds later, I arrived on the other side—and my feet hit solid ground.
I opened my eyes and took in the view beyond the gate.
A dim underground prison. A straight corridor stretching out.
Closely spaced candles embedded in both walls. Broken bars.
"...Collapsed old prison?"
The name popped into my head and slipped out unbidden.
No wonder—it looked just like the one from the game.
Beyond the gate lay World Rebuild's tutorial dungeon itself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
World Rebuild's gameplay was straightforward.
You raise a character—your gamer avatar—into a hero, then make that hero the leader of a nation.
Conquer other players' nations, and you win.
Basically, an even split of RPG and strategy sim.
Early game focuses on character growth, but late game shifts to nation management.
The playstyles are so different that they even split the tutorials.
And the one teaching early hero growth was right here.
It had been ages since I last saw it, but I'd run it plenty back as a newbie.
Had to repeat the tutorial over and over to memorize everything.
I advanced cautiously, scanning my surroundings.
If memory served, it should be around here somewhere.
There it is.
My eyes lit up at the sight of a large circular platform on the floor.
Three slabs etched with Warrior, Mage, and Artisan icons.
The structure for picking your starting class.
Step on one, and you get that class branch's starter job.
The selection effects were so flashy, they stuck with me.
Kind of a shame they switched to instant card picks after the tutorial.
As I approached, hologram-like apparitions materialized.
I flinched for a second, but they intoned emotionlessly:
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "Hero-to-be, if you seek the path of the Warrior, come to me." "Hero-to-be, if you yearn for the abyss of magic, come to me." "Hero-to-be, if you desire the craftsman's arts, come to me."
The apparitions vanished after delivering their lines, and the platform icons glowed.
As if tempting me to hop on quick.
What happens if I stand on one? Do I really get a class?
In the tutorial, you'd step up, pick a class, and snag some skills.
So, would I get a class and skills too—enough to cast spells?
I tamped down the mix of excitement and nerves, lost in thought.
In the game, you could always reroll classes without worry.
But this wasn't a game you could restart after defeat.
Worst case, one choice might stick for life.
That leaves just one real option.
If you weren't planning to swap concepts on the fly, your pick was set.
I stepped onto the Mage slab without hesitation.
Standing still for a few seconds, a solemn voice rang in my ears.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "Seeker of magic's abyss, may wisdom's blessing be with you."
Blue light erupted from the Mage slab, wrapping around me.
What now?
Am I actually becoming a mage?
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "Class selection confirmed. You have chosen the basic class 'Magic Apprentice'." "Allocating and adjusting stats. Granting class-related skills." "Minor pain may accompany the granting process."
"Guh!"
A burning pain flared in my chest right with the mechanical voice.
Like fire igniting my heart and scorching through my veins.
I nearly screamed, but thankfully, the agony subsided quickly.
"Fuck, what the...!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "System privileges granted. Stat adjustments complete." "Full system access now available." "Check details via Status Window."
I almost let a curse fly when another message chimed in.
Status Window? It meant that character sheet thing, right?
Remembering how I'd opened the dimensional gate, I spoke up.
"Status Window."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than a translucent pane appeared before my eyes.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Character Info 📊 Level: 1 🎭 Class: Magic Apprentice 📈 Stats 💨 Stamina: 5 ⚡ Strength: 5 💨 Agility: 5 ✨ Intellect: 5 ✨ Magic Power: 10 🌀 Skills - Magic Missile
So sparse it was almost comical.
Identical to a freshly made character's Status Window in World Rebuild.
The fun was filling this blank slate with extra skills.
As I marveled at it, my gaze drifted to the skills section.
The starter skill every mage got first: Magic Missile.
Focusing on it opened the skill pane with more details.
[Magic Missile] Type: Single-target attack spell Details: Fires mana as an arrow to strike the target. Misc: Current uses available (10/10)
It's here.
Magic. In game, just a few clicks to blast foes.
But if this was truly World Rebuild's world? Game-changer.
Not through a monitor—real-life magic.
So how do I cast it?
Like the gate or Status Window—shout the name?
Worth a shot.
"Magic Missile."
Nothing. Wrong approach?
Glancing back, "single-target attack spell" caught my eye.
Right—I'd called it without picking a target.
Maybe needed to designate first, then activate.
I pointed at a nearby brick for a test.
"Magic Missile."
Sizzle—boom!
A spark leaped from my fingertip, unleashing a blue beam.
It slammed the brick, chipping off a chunk.
I stared blankly at the falling debris and dust.
Couldn't believe it. I could actually use magic.
This is awesome.
The lingering tension and fear melted away.
Hell, now I was pumped for whatever lay ahead.
Would've loved to fire off a few more shots, but I held back.
The skill pane updated right after one use.
Current uses available (9/10)
Nine left, huh.
In World Rebuild, spells had fixed uses.
Regen via meditation for a set time.
Problem: no clue how to meditate here.
Game had a command button. Reality? No such luck.
Without knowing, even testing felt risky.
Better save 'em. From what I remember, right after getting the class...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
My thoughts cut off as another translucent pane popped up.
Not Status or skills—this time:
📜 NEW QUEST 📜
Prepare for Your First Battle
📍 Type: Tutorial Quest
📍 Details: Defeat the three goblins infesting the collapsed prison.
🎁 Reward: 1 allocatable stat point
Yeah, that's the stuff. The one thing no game skips.
A thick grin spread across my face at the rewarded quest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In most RPGs, there are two ways to grow your character.
First: grind mobs or enemies for XP.
Second: complete quests for rewards.
The former's safer but slower and grindier.
The latter offers fast growth scaled to difficulty.
Best of all? Tutorial quests.
Low difficulty since you're new to the game.
But rewards punched way above weight to build hype.
Like a one-time newbie bonus event.
This tutorial quest was no different.
Three goblins—the weakest mobs—for a whole point?
Points usually came one per level-up.
Trading that for three goblins? Basically free.
I was thrilled with the quest—until my face hardened.
"Wait. Doesn't that mean I have to kill them myself?"
This wasn't maneuvering a game avatar on a screen.
I'd fight with this living body. Snuff out lives with these hands.
Against monsters that'd kill any human on sight.
The thought chilled the excitement right out of me.
Can I even do it?
Risking danger for a fight? Fine.
If I wasn't ready for that, I wouldn't have come this far.
But taking a life? That gave me pause.
Just pixels on a monitor before. Reality now.
Even if they were human-hating monsters, they were living beings.
Plucking a chicken's wattle shocks you plenty...
"Kerrrk, kek!"
"Keeekeeekee!"
Then—a raspy, throat-clearing noise from ahead.
Goblins? I crept to the corner, quieting my steps, and peeked.
Sure enough, three textbook goblins scouting around.
Just as I'd figured: living, breathing creatures.
Not game data— hearts beating, limbs moving.
Staring at those lives, something clicked. I steeled myself.
"You know what? On second thought, better to just wipe 'em all out."