As Raymond stood before the village gate, gasping for breath, he cast a worried glance toward the wheat field. For some reason, those invisible, savage creatures chasing him did not come out into the open. They stopped at the edge of the wheat stalks and retreated as if they had struck an invisible wall. Although Raymond was astonished by this, simply surviving for now was the greatest reward for him.
— Hey! Are you going to open the gate?! — Raymond shouted toward the two guards standing atop the watchtower above him.
One of them came down. The guard's movements were strange — perfectly steady, emotionless, and precise, just like a robot. He creaked open the heavy wooden gate and stood motionless, waiting for Raymond to enter. As soon as Raymond crossed the threshold, the guard closed the gate again with the same cold indifference and returned to his position. The guards stood like living statues, staring toward the wheat field without any expression on their faces.
The village was older than it had appeared from the outside. The streets were narrow, and the houses were mostly built from wood and crude bricks. The air carried the strange scent of spices and smoke. Following the map shown by the system, Raymond arrived at a building in the village center called the "Players Guild."
The inside of the guild was noisy and crowded. Around thirty people were there. However, when most of them saw the newly arrived Raymond, cold and indifferent expressions appeared on their faces. In some of their gazes, there was even obvious pity, as if saying "poor guy." Raymond wanted to ask someone something, but after seeing their icy stares, he changed his mind.
He walked directly toward the long bar counter in the corner of the building. Behind the counter stood a man in his fifties, his face covered with deep wrinkles and a black beard. He carefully wiped the glass in his hand with a white cloth and placed it on the table.
— May I ask you a few questions? — Raymond said as he approached the bartender.
The bartender set the glass on the counter and asked in a voice like a recorded message:
— Would you like something to drink?
— No, I just wanted to ask—
— What kind would you like? — the bartender interrupted Raymond and repeated in the same tone.
— I told you, I don't drink! — Raymond snapped irritably, pushing the glass aside.
— He's not human, — suddenly a voice from the side spoke up.
Raymond instinctively looked in that direction. The owner of the voice stood out because of his bald head, the huge scar on his right temple, and his sharp gaze. Seeing Raymond's confusion, he smirked mockingly.
— Don't be surprised, kid. I'll explain it simply: what you're seeing isn't a human, it's an NPC. Just a program, — he said, gesturing for Raymond to come closer. — Only seven people in this building are real. The rest are just decorations.
After hesitating, Raymond walked over and sat on the empty chair beside the stranger.
— Kid, you're really young. Looks like you're unlucky, — the man said with a deep sigh.
— Why do you say that? — unease filled Raymond's heart.
— Because this isn't the kind of simple game world you think it is, — the man said while staring directly into Raymond's eyes.
— Do you know about this world? About how we ended up here? — sparks of hope appeared in Raymond's voice.
— Of course I do, because I once ended up in the exact same situation as you, — he said, placing a heavy hand on Raymond's shoulder before introducing himself. — I'm Ronan. The short explanation about this world is this: it's a real survival game.
Ronan fell silent for a moment before asking:
— Did you choose a quest?
— Yes, — Raymond replied. — I picked a team quest. I thought I'd find other players and maybe we could find a way together.
— What's your name, kid?
— My name is Raymond. Can you tell me more about this world?
The smile disappeared from Ronan's face, and his tone became extremely serious. He glanced around before whispering quietly:
— Raymond, burn this into your mind: the quests the system gives are nothing but deception.
Hearing this, several other players in the guild snorted mockingly.
— Ugh... There he goes again with his nonsense! — one of them said while waving his hand dismissively.
— The system said your stats would decrease if you don't complete the quest in time, right? — Ronan asked, carefully observing every movement on Raymond's face.
— Yeah, I think so... — Raymond answered thoughtfully, trying to remember the warning in the system window.
— That's actually a lie. If you abandon the quest or fail it, your stats won't simply decrease, — Ronan continued in an even lower voice, as though revealing a horrifying secret, — you might die. The system is merciless. It erases the weak from this world.
— What?! — Raymond's face went pale. Fear ran cold through his veins. — Die? But this is just a game!
— Don't be surprised. I told you, this is a survival game. Mistakes are costly here, — Ronan softened his tone after seeing Raymond's fear. — You need to form a team quickly. A solo player is a dead player. I can help you.
— Really? — sparks of hope lit up in Raymond's eyes. In this dark world, finding an experienced companion like Ronan felt like discovering a fortress of salvation. — I'd be very grateful if you helped me.
— I've lived in this game world for five years and survived all this time, — Ronan said proudly, thumping his chest. — Guiding newcomers is the duty of "veterans" like us.
— Thank you! Then what should we do now? — Raymond was ready to entrust his fate entirely to Ronan.
Seeing Raymond's innocent trust and happiness, a brief and unreadable smile appeared on Ronan's lips.
— Then I'll join your team, — he said.
At that moment, a blue system screen flashed before Raymond's eyes:
[Player Ronan has invited you to form a team. Do you accept?]
Without hesitation, Raymond pressed "Yes."
[Team formed. Members: 2]
[Notice: Find 2 more members to begin the quest.]
It was as if they were communicating within a digital world only they could see. Although everyone in the guild had their own personal screen, nobody could see another person's window.
— Looks like we still need two more people for the team, — Raymond said while looking at Ronan.
— That won't be difficult, — Ronan pointed toward two people sitting motionless in the corner beneath a dim light. Their clothes were worn out, and their gazes seemed fixed on a single point. — Those are NPCs created by the game. Getting them to join is much easier than convincing real players.
Raymond cautiously approached them. They sat completely still like statues.
— Will you... join my team? — he asked quietly.
One of them slowly turned his head and answered in an emotionless voice:
— Of course. We are happy to join the team, — they said, but there was absolutely no expression on their faces.
The system windows updated one after another:
[Team fully formed. Members: Raymond, Ronan, NPC-1, NPC-2.]
[Quest "Grave Hound Stalker" activated. Location: Ancient cemetery near the village.]
After night fell over the village, the air became even colder. The purple sky darkened, and strange stars began to flicker. Raymond and his new team exited through the village's back gate and headed toward the old cemetery hidden within the forest behind the village.
The surroundings were pitch black. Only the old lanterns hanging from rotten wooden posts beside the cemetery gate emitted weak light. The gravestones looked pale beneath the moonlight, resembling hands emerging from the earth.
Raymond's heart pounded heavily with every step. Ronan held a sharp sword, while the two NPCs carried simple spears. Raymond held the basic beginner-level sword given to new players in the game.
— We're here, — Ronan suddenly stopped. His voice sounded even wilder in the night. — Stalkers love darkness. You need to be careful now, Raymond.
From inside the cemetery came the creaking of bones and the rasping sounds of those red-eyed creatures. The game had now become reality, and here every mistake was equal to death.
The deeper they entered the cemetery's thick darkness, the colder and heavier the air became. Beneath every step, the crunching of rotten bones and dried branches echoed like death itself whispering.
Suddenly, deep within the darkness, crimson eyes glowing with murderous intent appeared. The lantern in Raymond's hand trembled as those creatures approached the circle of light. They were no longer just eyes, but a terrifying being — a Grave Hound Stalker. In its red pupils reflected Raymond's frozen face filled with fear.
The Stalker resembled a rotting zombie. Much of its body lacked skin, exposing yellowed bones without any covering. It was so thin that it looked as though dirty black skin had simply been stretched over its skeleton. When it opened its mouth, foul saliva dripped from between its rotten teeth.
— "Can this really be real? This smell... this breathing... is death really this close?" — Raymond thought, feeling the hilt of his sword slipping from his sweaty palms.
Ronan calmly signaled: Raymond would attack from the right, the two NPCs from the left, while he himself moved through the center. Raymond swung his sword at the Stalker with all his strength. Although the creature had initially stared at the stronger Ronan, it suddenly reacted with lightning speed to Raymond's strike — it bit down on the sword blade with its sharp teeth.
As Raymond tried pulling back his sword, another stalker suddenly appeared. The NPCs turned toward it. Raymond looked behind him, expecting help from Ronan, but... Ronan was gone. He had vanished into the darkness.
— "Where? Ronan! Where are you?!" — panic surged within Raymond.
The Stalker flung away the sword and lunged at Raymond. At that moment, the first NPC threw itself forward and stabbed its spear into the creature's neck. But the spear could not break the bone. On the other side came a horrifying cracking sound — the second stalker had torn off an NPC's arm. The robotically programmed NPC felt no pain, but in the next instant, the creature's teeth sank into its throat.
In a distant corner of the cemetery, Ronan, concealed beneath invisibility magic, watched the battle coldly.
— "Good thing I have invisibility magic," — he whispered with a sinister smile. — "After they die, all the loot will belong to me. The more people the stalkers kill, the greater the rewards become... You're all just my 'farm.'"
The more people a stalker killed, the more dangerous the system considered it, and the rewards increased accordingly. That was exactly Ronan's plan. However, what happened next ruined everything.
Suddenly, two more stalkers appeared. Seeing this, Ronan realized there was no benefit in staying. The stalkers greatly outnumbered him. Understanding he could not win by force, he chose to abandon his "allies" in the jaws of death and flee back toward the village.
The battle was turning into a tragedy. Raymond's sword had broken in half, and blood poured like a fountain from the stomach of the only surviving NPC beside him. The moment Raymond realized Ronan's betrayal, a wave of bitter rage surged within his chest.
— "He left me here to die!"
Near dawn, the NPC finally became completely lifeless. Raymond ran without looking back. Fortunately, near the edge of the forest, he encountered wolves that hunted stalkers, and they distracted some of the enemies chasing him. However, one stalker still followed him like a shadow.
The creature leaped and bit onto Raymond's leg. The force of the bite caused the bone to crack loudly and break.
— Aaaaaaaa! — Raymond's scream echoed throughout the entire forest. Bitter tears streamed from his eyes, mixing with the dirt on his face.
— "Am I really going to die here? No, I want to live... Why did this horror happen to me? No, no! I wish this were all just a nightmare... Please, wake up!"
With the broken piece of his sword, he repeatedly struck the stalker's head. Finally, the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon. The moment the light touched the creature, it weakened. Gathering all his remaining strength, Raymond drove the broken blade into the monster's brain.
The stalker died. Raymond barely managed to pull it off his leg. Silence filled the surroundings, broken only by his painful breathing. At that moment, a blue screen flashed before his eyes:
[You successfully killed a Grave Hound Stalker]
[Rewards: Sword made from Stalker bone, Armor, Night Vision ability, +10 Coins, and Healing Potion]
With trembling hands, Raymond pressed "Use." He drank the blue liquid that appeared in one gulp. The bleeding stopped, but the pain caused by his broken bones healing was even more horrifying than before. Grinding his teeth together, he clawed at the dirt and screamed.
Several minutes later, the pain subsided. Beneath the morning sunlight, Raymond lay motionless on the soft grass as though lifeless.