The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
Ronan walked along the dirt path, rusty sword at his hip, eyes sharp. He had been running errands for the villagers all morning, slaying stray wolves and collecting herbs. It was tedious, but he welcomed the routine.
Until the ground began to shake.
A low rumble echoed through the trees. Birds scattered in a frenzy, their wings beating against the sky. Ronan froze, his pulse quickening. He knew that sound.
"No way…" he whispered.
The trees ahead splintered as something massive pushed through.
It emerged into the clearing with a roar that rattled the earth. A lion's maw dripping with acid. A serpent's tail hissing venom. Bat-like wings spreading wide enough to blot out the sun.
The Abyss Chimera.
Ronan's blood ran cold. This thing wasn't supposed to be here. In the game, the Abyss Chimera was a level 40 raid boss found in the depths of the Blackstone Caverns — dozens of regions away from the starter zone.
And yet, here it was, prowling the outskirts of the Tutorial Village like a predator sniffing for prey.
Villagers screamed in the distance, fleeing for their lives. The ground trembled under the beast's steps.
Ronan's instincts screamed at him to run too. To get as far away as possible. But his gamer's brain refused.
Why is it here?
Is the world unstable? Or is something moving the pieces around?
He tightened his grip on his sword, his palms slick with sweat.
The chimera's golden eyes locked onto him, glowing with unnatural hunger. Acid dripped from its jaws, sizzling against the dirt.
Ronan's heart thundered in his chest. He was hopelessly outmatched, a level one adventurer with a broken sword facing a raid-tier monster.
And yet, he couldn't look away.
"This isn't supposed to be possible," he muttered. "Unless… the world isn't following the old rules."
The chimera roared, and the sound shook the leaves from the trees.
Ronan swallowed hard. His lips twisted into a grim smile.
"…Then I'll just have to learn the new ones."