The soft clicking of keys and the the of a ga were the only sounds in a dimly lit room.
The light from a monitor lit the room as much as it could, casting shadows along the edges. A boy sat on a chair, half-buried by the graphics and gaplay of the ga he was so into.
"Yes!! Phase one completed," he shouted, forgetting it was past midnight.
"Just one more level and I'll acquire the Cinder title," he giggled, scrolling through the ga interface on the screen.
Fractured Dawn was a popular ga that was played among teenage males. Most of them went crazy about it, and this night was one night he got to play.
His parents were strict, hardly letting him play despite his good grades every sester. So, when they were out on business trips, he took the opportunity to dive into the monts he missed when they were around.
He took this ga more seriously than his grades. If not for his parents, he'd be gaming all sester, reading only a week before exams.
While his daily life was mostly full of books, lectures, and tests, taking ti off to release stress was the best feeling he always had. So, whenever his parents were going on business trips, he'd be overjoyed about it.
"Alright, I've got to sleep, or I'll be looking like a zombie in class," he said, staring at the ti, which read 00:59 a.m.
He moved the cursor toward the shutdown icon, but then he stopped. "One more ga won't hurt."
"I've just got to get five more kills, and I'll finally attain the Cinder rank," he muttered, a grin displaying on his face.
The Cinder rank was second to the highest rank in the ga, with the highest rank being Cinder Lord.
"Once I attain it, they'll finally stop calling a noob," he said, clicking the Start Ga icon.
The ga began, and he cut through the monsters with the sa combo he loved using.
Parry, slash, dodge, then repeat.
It had always worked for him in most cases. It took longer than he expected, with ti passing in every strike he missed.
"Okay, just the boss to beat, and I've got it," he smirked, playing harder.
He finally ca out victorious with little HP left. The screen lit up with level-up notifications and gifts, but his smile faded when he noticed one that stood out.
[Congratulations! You have attained a new rank → Awakened Cinder]
[Would you like to claim?]
[CLAIM / REJECT]
[Warning! Player would beco in-ga character]
The system read. He stared at it, his mind buzzing with numbness.
"I've never seen this rank before. Is it a new update?" he muttered.
He didn't know whether to accept or reject the rank, but the thought of acquiring a rank neither of his classmates had was just one he couldn't miss.
"Alright, I don't see a problem with it. Plus, I can rub it on their faces tomorrow," he smirked as he tapped the Claim option.
The screen flickered softly, releasing an ethereal glow before returning to normal.
He rubbed his eyes as the light affected them, cursing, "What the f*ck?! What was that for?"
The system didn't respond, just minor hiccups, like an engine about to knock .
"What's happening?" he muttered, panic rising within him.
He stared at the computer, then bent below the table to check the rig for overheating. The fans were running smoothly, and the coolants were active as well. Nothing out of the ordinary, so why was his PC making this sound?
"What kind of update is this?" he asked, his brow furrowing.
In a while, the bright light returned, glowing brighter than before, absorbing his body particles bit by bit slowly pulling him into the ga.
He grabbed onto his desk, gripping it as it pulled him in. "Help, help !" he scread.
The force from the pull was far greater than his grip on the table, and soon he couldn't hold on any longer and got pulled in.
■■■■■■■■■■■
A soft wind prickled his ears, tickling them softly, the sound of leaves rustling against hard concrete.
He opened his eyes slowly, his head throbbing from the impact. "Damn, that took a dark turn," he said, trying to sit upright.
He opened his eyes fully, glancing around his environnt. It looked like a tomb from the early centuries.
"What is this place?" He said, forgetting he wasn't back ho.
Slowly, the realization hit him like hardwood. "Wait, where's my PC?!" he said, his blood flow increasing rapidly.
He stood up slowly, trying to rember how the hell he had gotten here. "Why does this place look like Pacific?" he said, ntioning a map in the ga.
He touched his face, trying to grab any VR headsets—to pull it off or at least remind him that this was just a ga, but all he could feel were his cheeks.
"How real is this ga?" he muttered, slowly reaching for a stone near him.
He touched it, and it felt way too real. "No, no, no, no," he continued, panic rising at a fast rate.
He gave himself the old trick of pinching himself, but his skin felt real as well.
"This is not possible. This can't be possible," he continued, his eyes widening.
Slowly, he started hearing the sounds of hooves galloping toward his direction at a fast pace.
"Soone! That must be soone!" he shouted, wanting to run toward the sound.
But then he heard a growl, and it felt very familiar. "That... that is not human," his eyes widening, his brain falling into sudden shock. "That's the sound of a hungry Gravemare."
He began running, faster than he thought he could. But the hooves were faster.
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