The forest was too quiet.
I'd been walking for fifteen minutes, and I hadn't seen a single monster. No wolves, no slimes, no conveniently leveled enemies for me to grind experience on. Just trees, grass, and the occasional bird that looked copy-pasted from stock footage.
My minimap showed nothing but gray fog, slowly revealing terrain as I walked. No red dots for enemies. No green dots for friendlies. Just me, a blue marker in an empty world.
It felt wrong.
Every tutorial zone I'd ever played had been crawling with low-level mobs. That was the point—give new players something to fight, let them learn the combat system, build confidence.
But here? Nothing.
"Maybe they're on cooldown," I muttered, scanning the trees. "Maybe I triggered that Administrator flag and they're recalculating."
Or maybe something worse.
I was about to turn back to the cabin when I heard it: the sound of steel on steel, followed by a very dramatic scream.
"Help! Someone, please!"
I froze.
The voice was female, young, and *perfectly* calibrated to trigger every hero instinct in a protagonist's body. Distressed damsel, urgent danger, clear call to action.
It was so obvious it hurt.
I started walking toward the sound anyway.
Not because I was falling for it—I knew exactly what this was. This was the tutorial's next stage. Meet companion, form party, learn teamwork mechanics. Standard MMO progression.
But if I was going to figure out how this world worked, I needed to see the script in action.
The sounds of combat grew louder as I pushed through the undergrowth. Sword clashes, grunts of effort, and that same voice calling out: "Stay back, you beasts!"
I emerged into a small clearing and stopped.
Three wolves—smaller than the dire wolf from earlier, level 3 according to my Identify—were circling a girl who couldn't have been older than eighteen. She wore leather armor that was both practical and impractical in exactly the way fantasy game armor always was, and she wielded a short sword with the kind of form that screamed "I've had professional training from a master swordsman."
Her health bar was visible above her head: 60/120 HP. Yellow zone. Dangerous but not critical.
She was beautiful, of course. Long dark hair, delicate features, fierce determination in her eyes. The kind of NPC designed to be memorable.
And she was losing.
One of the wolves lunged. She parried, but the impact drove her back. Another wolf circled behind her, preparing to attack from her blind spot.
This was the moment. The hero entrance. I was supposed to jump in, save her, earn her gratitude and probably a party invitation.
Instead, I used Identify on her.
---
[Human Female - Level 7]
Name: Rika Moon
Class: Swordswoman
Status: Combat
---
Rika Moon. Even her name sounded like it came from a random fantasy name generator.
I watched her fight for another few seconds, analyzing. Her movements were good—too good for someone supposedly in danger. Every parry was textbook perfect. Every dodge was precisely timed. She was maintaining that 60/120 HP without dropping lower, like the wolves were programmed to keep her in the yellow zone without actually killing her.
This was a scripted event.
She wasn't in real danger. The wolves weren't really trying to kill her. This was a performance, and I was the audience.
The question was: did she know it?
"Are you just going to stand there?" Rika shouted, her eyes flicking to me between sword swings. "Help me!"
The desperation in her voice was perfect. The kind of emotion that would make any normal protagonist rush forward without thinking.
I stepped into the clearing, dagger drawn.
"Sure," I called back. "Just one question first."
I activated Desperate Strike—my HP was full, so it wouldn't proc, but I wanted to see if using skills in non-optimal ways triggered anything—and threw the dagger at the wolf behind her.
It was a terrible throw. The dagger tumbled through the air, hit the wolf's flank with the pommel instead of the blade, and clattered to the ground.
The wolf yelped anyway and staggered back, its HP dropping by exactly 15 points.
I stared.
The damage didn't match the impact. At all. The dagger had bounced off harmlessly, but the game had registered it as a hit anyway.
Because it was my turn in the combat sequence.
"What are you doing?" Rika screamed. "Fight properly!"
"Yeah, sorry, still figuring out the controls," I said, and rushed forward.
The wolves turned to face me, their AI switching targets with mechanical precision. I dodged the first lunge—easier than it should have been, like the wolf had telegraphed its movement a full second early. Grabbed a fallen branch. Swung at the second wolf.
The branch connected with a satisfying thwack, and the wolf's HP dropped by 23 points.
Critical hit. On a stick. Against a target I'd barely aimed at.
"Nice hit!" Rika called out, taking advantage of the opening to slash at the third wolf. Her blade glowed with a skill activation—[Power Strike], probably—and dealt exactly enough damage to bring the wolf to low HP without killing it.
Setting up my finishing blow.
Of course.
I grabbed my dagger from where it had fallen and stabbed the wounded wolf. It dissolved into light particles, dropping two silver coins and a wolf pelt.
---
[Enemy Defeated: Forest Wolf - Level 3]
[You Have Gained: 30 EXP]
---
The remaining two wolves fled into the forest with perfectly synchronized yelps.
Rika lowered her sword, breathing hard. Her HP had magically stabilized at exactly 60/120—hadn't dropped a single point during my intervention.
"Thank you," she said, turning to me with a grateful smile. "I thought I was done for. Those wolves ambushed me while I was gathering herbs."
Her dialogue was smooth, natural. If I hadn't been looking for it, I wouldn't have noticed the slight pause before each line, like she was reading from a script with half-second delays.
"No problem," I said. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine. Just need to catch my breath." She sheathed her sword and looked at me with curious eyes. "I'm Rika. Rika Moon. Are you a new adventurer? I haven't seen you around the village before."
Village. Right. The next tutorial location.
"Kim Jinhyuk," I said. "Yeah, I'm new. Just... arrived today."
"Today?" Her eyes widened with perfectly calibrated surprise. "You mean you're a Reincarnator? I've heard stories, but I've never actually met one!"
The term came out of her mouth like she'd said it a thousand times. 'Reincarnator' capitalized, proper noun, established lore.
I wondered how many times she'd had this exact conversation with different players.
"That's me," I said. "Fresh off the death train."
She laughed—a pleasant sound, like wind chimes. "You have a strange way of speaking. Is that how people talk in your world?"
"Something like that."
"Well, Kim Jinhyuk, since you saved my life, the least I can do is guide you to the village. It's not far from here, and you'll need to register with the Adventurer's Guild if you want to take on quests." She paused, then added with a shy smile, "We could even form a party, if you'd like. You seem capable, and I could use a reliable partner."
There it was. The party invitation. Right on schedule.
I looked at her—really looked at her. Searching for any sign that she knew what she was. That she understood she was an NPC in a game, reading lines someone else had written.
But her eyes just held friendly curiosity and a hint of admiration. The exact expression a well-programmed character would have after a rescue event.
"Before we do that," I said slowly, "can I ask you something weird?"
"Of course."
"Do you ever feel like... like you're following a script? Like someone wrote out what you're supposed to say and do?"
Her expression didn't change. No confusion, no concern, no recognition.
"I don't understand," she said. "Are you asking if I have a plan? Well, I suppose I do. I'm training to become stronger so I can protect my village. Is that what you mean?"
Scripted response to unexpected input. Default to nearest matching dialogue tree.
She had no idea.
The realization settled over me like a weight. Rika wasn't a person playing a role. She was the role. A character who existed to guide new players to the next area, provide companionship, maybe offer some early-game quests.
And she had no clue.
"Yeah," I said quietly. "That's what I mean."
"You're a strange one." She smiled again. "But I like that. Most Reincarnators I've heard about are either arrogant or reckless. You seem... thoughtful."
"I've been told I overthink things."
"Well, you can think while we walk. Come on, the village is this way."
She started walking, and I followed, my mind racing.
If Rika was an NPC, did that mean everyone in this world was? Were there any real people here, or was I the only genuine consciousness in a world of programmed responses?
And if I was the only real person...
Who was I performing for?
I pulled up my status screen, pretending to check my stats while actually watching Rika's reflection in the translucent window. She walked with purpose, occasionally glancing back to make sure I was following, her movements fluid but slightly too perfect.
Like an animation on loop.
"So," I said, catching up to her, "tell me about yourself. What's your story?"
"My story?" She looked thoughtful. "Well, I grew up in Brighthollow—that's the village we're heading to. My father was a blacksmith, my mother was a healer. They died when I was young, during a monster surge from the Deep Forest. I was raised by the village elder, Master Kang. He taught me swordsmanship so I could protect others from the same fate."
Tragic backstory. Check. Motivation for strength. Check. Mentor figure who would probably give me quests. Check.
"I'm sorry about your parents," I said, testing. "That must have been hard."
"It was. But their memory drives me to be stronger. To make sure no one else loses their family to monsters."
The words came out smooth, rehearsed. Like she'd said them before.
Like she'd say them again, to the next player.
"What about you?" she asked. "What was your life like before... before you came here?"
I almost laughed. What was my life like? Meaningless. Empty. A series of work weeks bleeding into each other until my heart gave out at age twenty-seven.
But I couldn't say that to an NPC. She wouldn't understand. Couldn't understand.
"It was different," I said. "Quieter. Less stabbing."
She laughed—that wind chime sound again. "I imagine so. This world must seem very strange to you."
"You have no idea."
We walked in silence for a few minutes. The forest around us was beautiful in that uncanny way—perfect lighting, ideal composition, colors just slightly too saturated. Like a painting instead of reality.
I used Identify on a tree as we passed.
---
[Oak Tree - Level 0]
A common tree. Provides wood.
[Note: Player_1203 placed bet: Will reach village within 30 minutes - 2:1 odds]
---
The note flickered and vanished.
Another bet. Another watcher.
They were tracking my progress, gambling on my choices. And they'd given me thirty minutes to reach the village.
I checked my internal clock. We'd been walking for about five minutes. At this pace, we'd arrive in twenty-five.
Right on schedule.
I stopped walking.
Rika took a few more steps before noticing. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah," I said. "I just realized I left something at the cabin. I need to go back."
Her expression flickered—just for a fraction of a second, I saw something that looked like confusion. Like she didn't have a dialogue option for this response.
Then it smoothed over. "Oh. Well, I can wait here if you'd like. It shouldn't take long to—"
"Actually, why don't you go ahead? I'll catch up."
Another flicker. Longer this time.
"I... suppose I could," she said slowly. "But are you sure? The forest can be dangerous alone."
"I'll be fine. I'll meet you at the village."
"The Adventurer's Guild is in the town square. Just ask anyone for directions when you arrive."
"Got it. Thanks."
I turned and started walking back the way we'd come.
Behind me, I heard Rika say, "Be safe, Kim Jinhyuk. I'll see you soon."
Her voice had that same scripted quality. The perfect mix of concern and trust.
I walked until I was sure she couldn't see me anymore, then stopped and waited.
One minute passed. Two.
Then I heard it: footsteps, perfectly paced, heading in the direction of the village.
Rika, continuing along her programmed path.
I used Identify, stretching my range to its limit, and just barely caught her marker disappearing into the fog of war.
---
[Human Female - Level 7]
Name: Rika Moon
Status: Traveling to Brighthollow
---
She'd kept walking. Without me. Following her script.
Because she had to.
I sat down on a fallen log, suddenly exhausted. This was my life now. A world of scripts and watchers, where every person I met might be nothing more than code with a voice.
My status screen pinged.
---
[Quest Update: Survive Your First Day]
Time Remaining: 4 hours, 37 minutes
Optional Objective: Reach Brighthollow Village
[Warning: Deviating from optimal path may result in unexpected encounters]
---
Optimal path. Unexpected encounters.
Translation: Get back on script or face punishment.
I smiled grimly and stood up.
"Yeah," I said to the empty forest. "Let's see what 'unexpected' looks like."
I walked deeper into the woods, away from the village, away from Rika, away from the path someone had designed for me.
The fog of war on my minimap expanded into uncharted territory.
And somewhere, I was certain, someone was scrambling to rewrite the script.