"You have to be kidding me! I knew I shouldn't have trusted some old bum on the street!"
Irritated to the core, Mexan sighed and stripped off the gloves and helmet. He stepped out and circled the capsule, inspecting every inch for what he might have missed. Finally, he pried open a small side latch and found a single wire disconnected from the primary drive. He snapped it into place. A low hum vibrated through the metal, followed by the melodic chime of a system boot-up.
"There we go. Maybe I was wrong about the old coot after all."
He climbed back in and secured the helmet. Before he could even pull on the gloves, the world went dark.
When Mexan opened his eyes, the landscape was both alien and breathtaking. He stood within a dense forest of towering trees and strange, skittering creatures. In the distance, jagged mountains dwarfed the horizon, flanking what appeared to be a floating island anchored by a massive, shimmering waterfall.
"What game is this? I didn't even select a title. Is this some kind of pre-installed demo?"
Mexan walked forward, testing his weight. He flexed his fingers and toes, marveling at the haptic feedback.
"This is incredible. I expected a disconnect, but I can hardly tell I'm in a simulation. It feels exactly like reality."
He ventured deeper into the woods, but a growing sense of unease made him reconsider. He turned back, deciding to stick to a worn trail in hopes of finding civilization. His progress stopped abruptly when a primal terror gripped his soul. Adrenaline flooded his system, sharpening his vision as his mind cataloged every possible escape route.
Hunched in the shadows was a deformed, tiger-like beast with a grotesque bend in its spine. Its maw sat at a sickening angle, rows of jagged bone spikes erupting from its gums. The copper scent of fresh blood clung to its fur, evidence of a recent kill. Mexan knew instinctively that a fight meant certain death.
[>System booting up!...]
[>Tutorial initializing....%]
[>Forcing open the status panel...]
▶ [Name: Mexan Reign]
﹂[Level: 0]
﹂[EXP: 0/500]
└▷[Rank: N/A]
└▷[Potential: F-]
└▷[ATK: 3]
└▷[DEF: 5]
└▷[SPD: 2]
└▷[MP: 1]
﹂[Skills: None]
A digital interface flickered in his vision. He didn't have time to parse the numbers; only one stat mattered.
I'm not even level one. I'm dead meat.
[WARNING: Death within the game will result in biological termination in the physical world.]
Mexan's heart hammered against his ribs. He stared at the beast, which seemed seconds away from pouncing.
If I die here... it's over for real?
He shook his head, trying to dispel the panic. "No. No way. It's a gimmick. Just a trick to increase the immersion."
But his gut told him otherwise. Ignorance wouldn't save him. Survival was the only priority.
He feinted left, watching the tiger mimic the movement, then bolted in the opposite direction. He didn't look back. His lungs burned and his legs pumped with desperate energy, but he knew his stamina wouldn't last. He scanned the terrain for a miracle: a cave, a climbable tree, a deep burrow. Anything.
He risked a glance over his shoulder. The tiger was closing the gap, its distorted jaw snapping at the air just inches from his heels.
"AH!"
Mexan veered sharply into a thicket of dense timber. Because of the monster's massive, misshapen frame, it struggled to navigate the narrow gaps between the trees, its pace slowing as it forced its way through the undergrowth.
Mexan kept running, his mind a frantic loop of a single thought: Don't die. Don't die. Don't die.
Suddenly, the ground vanished.
He had been so consumed by the chase that he hadn't seen the cliff. He was airborne, falling toward a canopy of trees far below. The view was magnificent, but he was in no position to admire it.
I'm dead. This is actually how it ends.
As the wind whipped past him, he spotted a lake to his left. It was a long shot, but better than a certain splat on the forest floor. He angled his body, trying to steer his descent.
He struck the tree line with a series of brutal crunches. Branches snapped like glass against his ribs, scraping and stabbing at his limbs before he finally hit the water. He expected the blackness of death, but instead, he found himself sinking, paralyzed by agony and bleeding into the cold depths.
The pain was absolute. It was nothing like the dulled sensations of modern gaming.
So this is death? God, it hurts. It hurts so much.
The lake consumed him, and his vision faded into gray.
-
-
"Father... he's waking up."
Mexan didn't wake to pearly gates. He woke to the faces of a man and a young girl. Pain immediately flared through his bones, forcing him to stay still.
"Easy, kid. You fell off a cliff and nearly became a permanent part of the scenery."
Mexan looked like he'd been through a meat grinder. His eyes were swollen, his skin was a map of purple bruises and bandages, and his legs were set at awkward angles.
"W... wa...ter," he wheezed through cracked, bloody lips.
"Fetch the flask, Nara."
The girl hurried to a nearby pack and returned with water. The man gently tilted Mexan's head back and poured a slow stream down his throat. The searing dryness in his chest began to recede.
'How long have I been like this?...' Mexan managed to think.
"We found you a few hours ago," the man said. "My daughter thought she saw a falling beast. Turns out it was just a very unlucky man. You were drifting toward the bottom when I pulled you out. I used two of my last healing potions on you. That's the only reason you're breathing."
Mexan managed a weak, "Th... thank you."
"Don't mention it. I'm not looking for a reward. It was the right thing to do."
Exhaustion pulled at Mexan's consciousness. He tried to offer a small smile of gratitude before the darkness claimed him again, this time leading into a deep, dreamless sleep.