Lux's world twisted in pain. It cracked through his entire body, and in that agony he could not even think clearly. Blood poured from a hole in his stomach. Lux lay curled up on a cold stone beneath a massive tree. His brown leather trousers and his white, classic linen shirt were drenched in warm red liquid.
A painful groan broke through the sounds of nature. The blood kept flowing from the wound, and Lux slowly began to die.
How had this happened?
No, what had happened?
Standing over him were two small creatures with sickly green skin. Each held a small dagger in its hand. They seemed delighted, laughing at the dying young man.
Lux painfully rolled over onto his back and stared up at the great tree. Its beautiful green, vibrant leaves, its overwhelming size. Lux smiled.
"A magnificent tree, isn't it?"
The moment he finished the sentence, Lux jerked upward. His tired eyes snapped open. In a heartbeat, he tried to understand.
"Oh, did I fall asleep again?" Lux asked himself.
After about thirty seconds of being awake, he looked around and his theory proved true. He had fallen asleep, and now he was safe.
The harsh office light in the ceiling shone down. Around him were many workstations with chairs and laptops. Lux was at work, in a normal office.
Just to be sure, he glanced at his stomach. The wound was, of course, gone.
Lux sighed and pushed his black hair back.
"What a strange dream…" he muttered, looking at the glowing monitor.
Still, a small, grateful smile formed on his lips when he saw the time. He knew he would be able to go home soon. Enough work for today.
And besides, all of his friends had been sick for four or five days now.
" Phew. Poor Jade and Kad," Lux thought, shaking his head. "Well, they'll be back soon. I need to pack up now!"
He rose from his gray office chair and grabbed a brown backpack from the desk. His smile grew wider as he stepped out the door and drove home.
It had been a stressful day. All the emails and tasks he had to complete had worn him down, but the job paid well, so why quit when worrying only brought more stress…
After a cautious, tired drive, Lux finally arrived at his apartment. It had only four rooms: a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room, and a bedroom.
"Who could even afford a house these days?" Lux murmured to himself.
Then suddenly a stabbing pain shot through his fingers. Lux startled.
"Ahh, arghh, a-a cramp, n-o!"
He hunched over, clutching his hand with the other, lifting it slightly into the air. But the pain was not the worst part.
There was a feeling, too. Lux had never felt it before. It felt like motivation and determination rising from deep inside him.
At the same time, a heavy headache slammed into him. Lux squeezed one eye shut, grimacing. He clenched his teeth and forced himself upright.
"T-this must be the stress," he said through the pain.
With a strained groan, Lux threw himself forward, step by step.
"N-not far to the sofa!" he groaned loudly, trying to keep himself awake.
After two more steps, Lux collapsed.
He missed the sofa and slammed onto the hard floor. The white carpet dulled the impact a little, but it still hurt. And almost instantly, Lux fell asleep.
He had no idea what was waiting for him.
Lux saw something.
It was huge and elegant.
It was the tree.
It really was the same tree from his dream, but something was strange. He was looking at it from above, as if he were flying. Suddenly, his vision faded, and black, mysterious runes appeared before him:
"[It's your first time here, isn't it? Your first time, but probably not your last. Do you want more information?]"
Why could Lux read these runes? They were written in a mysterious language, yet he understood every word, even though he understood nothing about what was happening.
Were these runes speaking to him?
Lux opened his eyes.
Now he was lying in tall grass. The runes had followed him.
"Huh?"
"[Lux Tyl, a weak fighter with barely any mana.]"
The runes continued, but Lux froze on the first sentence.
"Weak fighter… what the…? Why is my name there?"
He kept reading, feeling slightly offended.
"[Description: Probably can't even defeat weak monsters right now!]"
Lux stopped again.
"Right now? Does that mean I can soon? What the hell is even happening here!"
"[Abilities: 1: The EvolutionItems: 2Rusty swordMysterious stone]"
The runes shot upward into the air, and a dark, mysterious voice spoke to him:
"[Welcome to the world of hunters!]"
When the voice faded, Lux found himself alone again, lying in the tall grass.
He jolted upright in panic.
He was holding a sword in his hand. He wore a linen shirt and leather trousers, exactly like in the dream.
Lux laughed.
"I'm dreaming the same dream again? Haha, how stupid. Fine then. Will those awful goblins show up again?"
As if the world answered him directly, something stabbed toward him from behind.
Lux spun around immediately. A small, nasty, disgusting creature was stabbing at him from behind.
It really was a goblin.
And Lux noticed something right away.
There was only one.
He quickly took a step back and avoided the dagger. In response, he swung his sword, uncontrolled and clumsy. Lux had never swung a sword in his life. It was the first time he had ever held one. It felt heavy, but he could tell that with some practice, he could become a good fighter.
"What am I even thinking," Lux laughed. "This is just another stupid, pointless dream."
He swung the sword forward again, but the goblin did not die so easily. It sprang to the side on all fours, the dagger clenched in its mouth. It scraped across the ground as it landed, leaving a long trail in the dirt.
Lux pulled the sword back toward himself.
Too late.
The goblin charged.
Lux's eyes widened. He jumped backward, but the dagger clipped his hand. A long cut opened across his skin, and blood dripped down onto the green grass swaying in the wind.
"Argh!"
Lux stumbled back, the heavy sword raised in front of him.
"Hey, wait, why does that hurt? This is a dream!"
As if answering him, the goblin let out a horrible laugh and lunged at him again.
With a serious expression, Lux shoved the goblin back with a rough strike.
"I've read so many webtoons and stuff," Lux muttered, breathing hard. "Honestly, when I have free time, that's all I do, but this, this can't have happened. I, I was pulled into another world. No, no…"
His thoughts spiraled, stacking on top of each other, faster and faster.
Then they were all wiped away in an instant.
The goblin sprinted at him, bloodthirsty. The green creature held its dagger in its right hand, ready to stab Lux.
Lux lifted his sword and waited.
And waited.
The goblin came closer and closer. It was almost within reach.
"I have an idea."
It was dangerous. Lux had to time everything perfectly for it to work.
But what choice did he have?
He did not want to die.
Not today.
The moment the goblin was close enough, Lux swung his sword down as fast as he could. He shut his eyes and whispered to himself.
"Please, please…"
Something connected.
Lux opened his eyes.
The goblin's head flew off in a clean, beautiful arc. Lux had timed the strike perfectly.
He had done it.
He had actually defeated the goblin.
The goblin's body collapsed to the ground. The dagger clattered down beside it. The head rolled a little, then stopped.
Mysterious runes began assembling in front of Lux's eyes, forming a sentence.
But he could not read it.
Not because he did not understand.
Because something grabbed him from behind.
Lux's breath caught.
Two more goblins.
No.
The goblins from the dream.
Would the same thing happen again?