I slapped my cheeks. They stung.
"Okay," I muttered. "So pain is definitely real. Noted. Ten out of ten immersion. Might sue for trauma later."
The HUD blinked innocently in the corner of my vision.
[ Health: 99/100 ]
Yeah, sure. Easy for you to say, HUD.
I kicked a stone out of frustration. It bounced down the cracked path, clattering against ruined walls before vanishing into weeds. The sound was too crisp, too alive.
This wasn't like VR. It was more like I'd actually been isekaied into some cultivation knock-off. Except I still had a logout button.
I pulled up the interface. A glowing [ Log Out ] button waited at the bottom. My finger hovered over it.
One press, and I'd wake up in my chair. Game over.
I closed it without touching it.
Not yet.
Instead, I crouched, scooped up a handful of soil, and sniffed. It smelled like earth. Damp, rich. I rubbed it between my palms until it left dark streaks.
"This is insane," I whispered. "No VR glove could fake this."
I wandered further. The ruined sect spread out around me—courtyards split by weeds, pavilions collapsed into rubble. At one point I found an old jar and pried it open with high expectations.
Inside? Moldy rice.
I gagged and dropped it. The HUD beeped.
[ Ding! ]
Item Acquired: Rotten Rice (Cannot be Consumed)
"Wow. Truly next-gen gaming." I shook my hands. "Forget cultivation, I'm speedrunning food poisoning."
Still, I couldn't deny the thrill in my chest. Every step I took made this world feel more real.
I tested climbing a wall. My hands slipped on the stone, rough and jagged. When I finally pulled myself up, my arms burned, muscles screaming like I'd done actual push-ups.
The HUD ticked again.
[ Strength +0.1 ]
I froze.
"…Wait. Did I just… grind stats?"
I dropped down, did ten squats. Legs burning, I checked the HUD again.
[ Vitality +0.1 ]
I burst out laughing.
"This is insane. Forget manuals and secret treasures—I'll just squat my way to immortality!"
Somewhere in the ruins, a low rumble echoed. It might've been rocks shifting. Or something else.
I straightened, suddenly aware of how quiet the world was.
Too quiet.
The HUD flickered.
[ System Notice ]
Additional Pioneer Players Connecting…
My stomach tightened.
I wasn't going to be the only one here for much longer.