[Welcome The Gamer to a New Game. Will you comply and start again?]
[Yes/No]
I stared at the blue text floating in the void. It didn't flicker, didn't fade. It just hung there, utterly unbothered by the fact that physics shouldn't exist in this darkness.
" 'Gamer'..." I muttered, my voice sounding flat in the emptiness. "What is this? Some kind of beta test?"
The menu didn't respond. It just offered the same binary choice.
"Well, might as well," I sighed. "Let's see where this goes."
I reached out to tap the [Yes] button, but my fingers passed right through the light. There was no tactile feedback, just air. I pulled my hand back, frowning.
"Am I wearing a headset? Is this neural link tech?" I patted my face, but I felt nothing, no plastic, no straps. Just skin. "Okay. Maybe it's intent-based. Just focus on the word."
I stared at the prompt, visualizing my finger pressing the button. Yes.
Nothing happened.
"Did I do it wrong?"
I looked around, straining my eyes, but the darkness was absolute. Then, without warning, the void shattered. A blinding white light exploded outward, consuming the room and me along with it. I threw my arms up, squeezing my eyes shut as the brightness burned through my eyelids.
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
The screaming hit me like a physical blow.
I jolted, heart hammering against my ribs, and scrambled out of the sheets. My hand shot out blindly, grabbing the source of the noise. It was hard plastic. I blinked the spots from my vision and looked at what I was holding.
It was an alarm clock. But not a normal one. It was a brightly colored anime figure of a girl, and the screeching was coming from a speaker in the base. I fumbled for the button, found the snooze, and silence finally filled the room.
"Okay..." I exhaled, tossing the clock onto the mattress. "That is definitely not my alarm clock."
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and actually looked around.
The room was unfamiliar. It was clean, suspiciously clean, with a computer desk tucked into the corner and a simple cupboard near the bed. I walked over to the bookshelf. The spines were crisp, barely cracked. High School Accounting. High School Mathematics.
"What is going on?" I whispered. "Why am I in a teenager's bedroom?"
I turned back to the bed to make sure I hadn't missed anything. There, resting on the pillow I'd just left, was a folded letter.
[Good morning, Mr. Shiro.]
[Welcome to the neighborhood. For the time being, we have stocked the cupboard with clothing for you, but feel free to add or change whatever you wish. Please enjoy your stay here. But so long as you can pay the rent, we'll have no troubles. I'm kidding. Have a great time, the place is yours.]
[P.S. I hope everything is to your liking. Please remember that today is Sunday; feel free to explore and enjoy yourself. Welcome to the New World, Gamer!]
I flipped the paper over, checking the back for a watermark, a hidden camera logo, anything. It was just plain paper.
"So, this is my room in the game?" I crumbled the paper and tossed it on the desk. "Well, at least the graphics are realistic. And they gave me the basics."
I ran a hand through my hair. It felt greasy. A shower. That's what I needed. Everything makes more sense after a cold shower.
I walked into the bathroom. It was pristine, smelling faintly of lemon cleaner. It felt less like a home and more like a hotel suite that had just been turned over.
"Did I get offered a deal I forgot about?" I muttered, stripping off the clothes I'd woken up in.
I stepped into the shower, letting the water run cold. It shocked my system, waking me up fully. I scrubbed down quickly, turned off the tap, and stepped out, grabbing a towel.
"Who knows," I said aloud, the sound of my own voice reassuring me. "Maybe I got headhunted for a new job or a simulation test. Finally, my luck is actually helping me ou…"
The words died in my throat.
I was staring into the mirror, but the face staring back wasn't mine.
It was a kid. A teenager. He had hair the same color as mine, but the style was different, shaggier. His eyes were wide, staring back at me in terrified synchronization.
I scrambled backward, panic spiking in my chest. My heel hit a puddle of water by the sink, and my legs went out from under me.
Thud.
I hit the tiles hard, a groan escaping my lips as pain shot up my back.
"I don't know what the hell is going on," I wheezed, staring up at the ceiling, "but who the fuck was that kid?"
I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in my lower back, and spun in a tight circle. The bathroom was empty. The door was still shut tight. The shower curtain was pulled back. There was nowhere for anyone to hide.
I turned back to the mirror, dread pooling in my stomach.
He was still there. The white-haired teenager. The stranger.
"Okay. Okay, Shiro. calm down."
I leaned in closer to the glass, my breath fogging the surface slightly. I watched the stranger's eyes narrow as I narrowed mine. I raised a trembling hand to my face. The reflection mimicked me perfectly.
My fingers brushed against my lips. I felt the skin, warm and real. I traced the sharp line of a jaw that wasn't mine, the messy fringe of white hair that fell over my forehead.
"Is this... me?"
The moment the words left my mouth, a soft, digital chime rang out, not in the room, but inside my head.
Ping.
[ Skill Created! ]
[ Observe (Active) - Lvl 1 ]
[ EXP: 0.00% ] [ Cost: 1 MP ]
Description: A skill to observe objects and beings. It allows the user to quickly gather information. The higher the skill level, the greater the data obtained.
I blinked. "Observe?"
As if responding to a voice command, the air above the sink shimmered. A semi-transparent blue window, distinct from the mirror's reflection, materialized over my head.
[ Name: Shiro ]
[ Age: 17 ]
[ Gender: Male ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Title: None ]
[ Fame: None ]
[ Piece: None ]
[ Level: 1 ] [ EXP: 0.00% ]
[ HP: 100/100 ] [ Reg: 1% per min ]
[ MP: 120/120 ] [ Reg: 1% per min ]
[ STR: 10 ]
[ END: 7 ]
[ AGI: 9 ]
[ INT: 7 ]
[ WIS: 12 ]
[ LUK: 6 ]
[ Points: 0 ]
[ Money: 0 ]