Kalen released a heavy sigh as he continued his careful trek along the stream's edge. His boots pressed softly against the damp earth, each step measured and deliberate. His eyes swept the surrounding forest with practiced vigilance, searching for anything that might prove useful perhaps some forest mushrooms growing near the water's edge, or any other resource that could aid his survival in this strange new reality.
The world around him had settled into an eerie stillness. Silence blanketed everything like a thick fog, broken only by the occasional whisper of wind threading through the trees.
The quiet was so absolute, so profound, that Kalen imagined he could hear a pin drop from yards away. The rushing water of the stream that should have filled the air with its constant murmur seemed muted, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.
His right hand remained clamped firmly around the hilt of his sword, knuckles white with tension.
Trust was a luxury he couldn't afford in this place. The memory of the creature that had attacked him mere minutes ago was still fresh in his mind the way it had materialized from the shadows without warning, all teeth and fury. Anything could be lurking behind the next tree or beneath the next shadow, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
As Kalen walked, his gaze drifted downward toward his hands and the weapon they gripped. He found himself genuinely studying the sword for the first time since he'd acquired it, and what he saw made him pause mid-step.
The blade was magnificent truly a work of masterful craftsmanship. It gleamed even in the dim light filtering through the forest canopy, forged from what appeared to be silver steel of the highest quality. The metal caught and reflected every stray beam of moonlight, giving it an almost ethereal quality. What struck Kalen most were the ten perfectly round holes that ran along the blade's length, evenly spaced from guard to tip. Each hole was fitted with a small metal ring that clinked and jingled softly with every movement he made, creating a gentle, musical sound that followed him like a whispered song.
The handle was equally impressive, wrapped in an intricate winding of blue rope that seemed to shimmer with its own internal light. The rope glowed faintly in the moonlight, pulsing with an almost magical quality that made Kalen wonder if there was more to this weapon than met the eye. The silver of the handle matched the blade perfectly, creating a harmonious whole that spoke of deliberate design and purpose.
Kalen realized with some embarrassment that he hadn't truly noticed any of these details before. During his desperate fight with the creature, survival had been his only concern. There had been no time to admire craftsmanship or appreciate aesthetics only the frantic need to defend himself. Now, in this moment of relative calm, he could finally see what he'd been wielding.
As he continued walking, still examining the weapon, Kalen caught sight of his own reflection in the polished surface of the blade. The face that stared back at him was both familiar and foreign. It was indeed Asher Quin's face, exactly as it appeared in the game. His hair was pure white, falling across his forehead in stark contrast to the crimson eyes that gazed back at him from the reflective steel. His complexion was fair, almost pale in the moonlight.
The sight sent a strange feeling through Kalen's chest. In his real body his actual self back in the world he'd come from he had dark skin. The contrast couldn't have been more pronounced. This pale reflection was someone else entirely, yet somehow it was him now.
"Woah," he breathed, the word escaping almost involuntarily as he continued his walk along the stream. He couldn't help but stare at the reflection, fascinated by this new face that was somehow his own.
His mind drifted to thoughts of Asher Quin as a character, and with those thoughts came a familiar frustration. Kalen had always harbored a particular dislike for characters like Asher Quin the ones trapped in a strange limbo of incomplete development. According to the game's settings, these characters couldn't possess any special powers or abilities.
The makers of Apex Levelling, for reasons known only to them, had never decided what abilities these characters should have. Instead of giving them powers, they had simply locked that aspect of their development, leaving them with only basic weapons to survive in a world where others wielded extraordinary abilities.
It was a design choice that had frustrated Kalen endlessly. The developers had never updated these characters since he'd started playing the game months ago. As Bruce Kalen in his original world, he had always chosen characters with powers, characters who felt useful and capable. Characters who could throw fireballs or summon lightning, who could heal wounds with a touch or become invisible at will. Those were the characters that made sense, that could actually compete in the brutal world of Apex Levelling.
But among all the powerless characters, Asher Quin was considered the worst. The weakest of the weak. A character so fundamentally disadvantaged that most players avoided him entirely.
Kalen released another sigh, this one heavy with the weight of his predicament. How was he supposed to survive in this game world without any powers? What chance did he have when others could wield magic and supernatural abilities while he was stuck swinging a sword, no matter how pretty it might be?
Shaking his head, Kalen forced his attention away from the blade and back to his surroundings. He needed to focus on where he was going, needed to stay alert. Admiring his weapon wouldn't save him if another creature attacked.
As he walked, his mind began processing everything that had transpired. The sequence of events seemed impossible, yet here he was living through the impossible. One moment he had been sitting in his room, controller in hand, playing a game on a screen. The next moment or what felt like the next moment he was inside that game, actually living it.
"From playing a game to being in the game world," he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. "How is this even possible?"
A thought struck him suddenly, making him stop in his tracks. Ben. His friend Ben had been in the room with him when everything happened. A knot of worry formed in Kalen's stomach. Could the system have given Ben a character too? Could his friend be somewhere in this game world, just as confused and frightened as Kalen himself? The thought of Ben stumbling through this dangerous world, possibly alone and without any understanding of what was happening, filled Kalen with concern.
Then another thought followed, broader and more troubling. What about all the other players who had been online at that exact moment? Apex Levelling was a massively popular game with thousands of players logged in at any given time. Could they all have been sucked into this world? Were there potentially thousands of confused players scattered across this game world, each trapped in their character's body?
The implications were staggering. Kalen's mind raced with questions that had no answers.
His troubled thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sound the distinct snap and rustle of branches breaking somewhere not too far away. Kalen's head snapped up, his hand instinctively tightening on his sword as his eyes scanned the forest ahead.
There movement in the shadows. He caught sight of a silhouette, a figure running through the woods at considerable speed. The shape was distant, maybe fifty or sixty yards away, darting between trees with purpose. Kalen squinted, trying to make out details, but the distance and the forest's darkness made it impossible to identify who or what it was.
"What was that?" Kalen whispered to himself, his heart rate picking up.
Every instinct told him to turn around, to head back to the stream and continue on his original path. Following mysterious figures into the dark forest was exactly the kind of decision that got people killed in horror stories. It was foolish, reckless, dangerous.
Yet something in his gut twisted a feeling he couldn't quite name. Curiosity? Hope? Desperation for answers or perhaps human contact? Whatever it was, it pulled at him with surprising strength.
Against his better judgment, Kalen decided to follow. He adjusted his grip on the sword, holding it ready for anything that might happen. His muscles tensed, prepared to fight or flee at a moment's notice.
Part of him screamed to go back, to abandon this foolish pursuit. But his feet kept moving forward, following the trace of the shadow he'd seen. His body seemed to have made the decision even as his mind protested.
Kalen broke into a run, pushing himself into the deeper woods. He dodged around thick tree trunks, ducked under low-hanging branches, and leaped over exposed roots. The forest became denser here, the canopy overhead blocking out even more of the moonlight. Shadows stretched and twisted around him, turning every tree into a potential threat.
But he could still see the figure ahead, still make out its shadow moving through the forest. As he got closer, Kalen became more certain of what he was seeing. The shadow had a distinctly human shape two legs, two arms, a head. It had to be another player character, another person trapped in this world just like him.
"Hey!" he wanted to call out, but something made him hold his tongue. What if it wasn't friendly? What if calling attention to himself was a mistake?
Suddenly, without warning, a blue holographic screen materialized directly in front of Kalen's face.
The appearance was so unexpected that he nearly tripped over his own feet, stumbling to a halt to avoid running directly into it.
The screen glowed with an ethereal blue light, text scrolling across its surface:
[MAP DATA IS BEING PROCESSED]
[TO OPEN MAP, SPEAK THE WORD: OPEN SYSTEM APP TO THE AIR]
[TO CLOSE SYSTEM MAP, SPEAK THE WORD: CLOSE SYSTEM MAP TO THE AIR]
[AREAS IN THE MAP: 254 PLACES]
[HP = 3 - CRITICAL]
That last line made Kalen's blood run cold. His health points were at three? Critical level? He'd known he was injured from the earlier fight, but seeing it quantified like that drove home just how close to death he actually was.
As quickly as it had appeared, the holographic screen vanished, dissolving into particles of light that faded into the air.
Kalen stood still for a moment, breathing hard from the run and from the shock of the sudden notification. He released another sigh, this one tinged with surprise and a hint of relief.
"What the " he whispered to himself, processing what he'd just seen.
At least now he knew that the game's map system was available whenever he needed it. That was valuable information, possibly lifesaving information. In a world this dangerous, knowing where you were and where you needed to go could mean the difference between survival and death.
Remembering the instructions from the notification, Kalen decided to test the system. He cleared his throat and spoke clearly to the empty air around him.
"Open system map."
And just like that like magic responding to a spell it appeared.
The air before him shimmered and rippled like water disturbed by a stone. A glowing map unfolded in his field of vision, displayed as clearly as if he were looking at a television screen floating in mid-air. The detail was extraordinary every line crisp and clear, every marker distinct and readable.
Kalen's eyes widened, practically lighting up with awe and excitement despite the danger of his situation. "Yes!" he whispered, barely able to contain himself.
He leaned forward, studying the glowing pathways and markings that spread across the map like a spider's web. The map pulsed softly with its own internal light, revealing various routes, symbols indicating different types of terrain, and markers for locations of interest. Most importantly, he could see a faint glowing route that led directly to a settlement labeled "Cavemont Town."
A town. Civilization. Other people, shelter, possibly medical supplies to restore his critical health. The sight of it filled Kalen with hope.
"Woah," he breathed, amazed by the map's clarity and detail. It looked exactly like it had when he'd been in his own world, sitting safely in his room and playing the game on a screen. The familiarity was both comforting and surreal.
Kalen found himself gazing at the map with surprise and wonder, temporarily forgetting about the shadow he'd been chasing, forgetting about his injuries, forgetting about the danger all around him. For just a moment, he was simply amazed by the technology or was it magic? that made such a thing possible.
He was so absorbed in studying the map, in memorizing the route to Cavemont Town, that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching from behind.
A voice cut through the silence, sharp and demanding, making Kalen's heart leap into his throat:
"Who the heck are you?"