Marcus woke up face-first in grass.
"Mmgh—"
He lifted his head slowly, blinking against the bright sunlight. His cheek was damp with morning dew and something smelled strongly of fresh earth and pine.
For a few seconds he just lay there.
Then everything that had happened rushed back.
The parking lot.
The chip.
The golf-ball-sized meteor.
The giant goddess.
Marcus groaned and rolled onto his back.
"...Okay."
Blue sky stretched endlessly above him. A few fluffy clouds drifted lazily by. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance.
"Either I'm dreaming..."
He sat up slowly.
"...or the afterlife is way nicer than I expected."
He looked around.
Marcus was standing in the middle of a grassy clearing surrounded by dense forest. Towering trees with thick trunks formed a massive green wall around him.
But what caught his attention immediately wasn't the forest.
It was the mist.
Far beyond the trees, a grayish-white fog hung in the air like a giant curtain surrounding the entire area.
It didn't move like normal fog.
It swirled slowly.
Alive.
Marcus felt a faint itch in the back of his throat just looking at it.
"...Yeah that definitely looks poisonous."
Suddenly—
A translucent blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.
Welcome to the Mist World
Player: Marcus Hale
Territory Core: Activated
Starter Territory Established
Protection Barrier: 7 Days Remaining
Marcus stared at the floating screen.
Then slowly grinned.
"Oh this is gonna be awesome."
The interface shifted.
Character Status
Name: Marcus Hale
Level: 1
Strength: 9
Agility: 8
Endurance: 9
Intelligence: 8
Spirit: 8
Luck: 9
Talent: SSS Rank – 100% Drop Rate
Skill: S Rank – Meteor
Marcus whistled.
"Balanced stats, huh?"
He flexed one arm experimentally.
Still muscular.
Still felt like himself.
"Good. At least I didn't respawn as a goblin."
Another notification appeared.
Starter Territory Structures
Basic House
Wooden Fence
Territory Core
Starter Chest (1)
Marcus looked around again.
And finally noticed the small building behind him.
"Oh."
A modest two-bedroom house stood in the center of the clearing. The structure looked simple but sturdy, built from wood and stone.
A wooden fence surrounded the entire area in a large circle.
Marcus stood and walked toward it.
The fence wasn't very tall—maybe six feet—but faint lines of glowing energy ran along the wood.
A barrier.
He stepped closer to the edge of the territory.
The moment he reached the boundary, the air shimmered faintly.
Marcus poked it with one finger.
Bzzzt.
He jerked his hand back.
"Yep."
Barrier confirmed.
Beyond the fence the forest grew darker and denser. The trees twisted strangely the farther they stretched toward the mist.
And something moved between them.
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
A pair of glowing yellow eyes stared back at him from the shadows.
Low.
Predatory.
Then another pair appeared.
And another.
Marcus slowly counted.
"...One... two... three..."
At least six wolves stood just outside the barrier, pacing back and forth like sharks circling prey.
They growled softly when they saw him.
Marcus scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah okay I'm staying inside for now."
He turned around and headed back toward the house.
"Let's check the loot first."
Inside, the house was surprisingly comfortable.
Two bedrooms.
A small kitchen.
A living room with a wooden table and chairs.
Basic, but livable.
"Not bad."
Marcus wandered into the living room.
And there it was.
A large wooden chest sitting in the center of the room.
Marcus rubbed his hands together.
"Alright."
"Moment of truth."
He knelt down and lifted the lid.
Golden light burst from the chest.
Starter Chest Opened
Items Obtained:
100 Bread
100 Water
Basic Iron Sword (F Rank)
Basic Leather Armor (F Rank)
Wood x200
Stone x200
Unit Card: Elf Archer
Marcus blinked.
"...Oh?"
He picked up the card.
It was made of smooth crystal-like material, about the size of a playing card.
An image of a beautiful elven woman was etched into its surface.
Tall.
Long blonde hair.
Sharp ears.
Violet eyes.
And an impressive figure that Marcus absolutely noticed.
"...Wow."
He flipped the card over.
Unit Card – Elf Archer
Name: Lyrielle
Race: High Elf
Level: 1
Strength: 7
Agility: 12
Endurance: 7
Intelligence: 10
Spirit: 9
Ability: Precision Archery
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"Well that's definitely better than being alone."
He turned the card over again.
At the bottom were two words.
Activate Unit
Marcus shrugged.
"Let's see what happens."
He pressed the card.
The crystal suddenly shattered into thousands of glowing particles.
Marcus stumbled backward.
The light gathered together in the center of the room.
Then slowly took shape.
First legs.
Then arms.
Then long flowing hair.
Finally the light faded.
And a tall elven woman stood there.
She wore a fitted leather archer outfit that hugged her curves while still looking practical for combat.
Her long blonde hair fell down her back like silk.
Her violet eyes slowly opened.
For a moment she looked around, slightly confused.
Then her gaze landed on Marcus.
She stared at him.
Marcus waved awkwardly.
"Uh… hi?"
The elf suddenly dropped to one knee.
Her head bowed respectfully.
"My lord."
Marcus blinked.
"My name is Lyrielle."
Her voice was soft and elegant.
"I am your servant."
Marcus scratched his head again.
"Servant sounds kinda intense."
Lyrielle looked up at him calmly.
"I was summoned to serve your territory and protect your life."
She paused.
Then tilted her head slightly.
Her violet eyes studied him curiously.
"...You seem different from what I expected."
Marcus grinned.
"Good different or bad different?"
Lyrielle considered this.
Then a faint smile appeared.
"...I believe it will be good."
Outside the house—
The wolves howled.
Marcus walked to the window.
More glowing eyes had appeared in the forest.
At least a dozen now.
He cracked his knuckles.
Then looked at Lyrielle.
"Well."
He pointed outside.
"Looks like dinner is trying to eat us."
Lyrielle stood smoothly.
A longbow appeared in her hand as if it had always been there.
Her expression became calm and focused.
"I will eliminate them."
Marcus grinned wider.
"Oh no."
He raised one hand toward the sky.
"You shoot."
"I'll try something fun."
Golden energy gathered in his palm.
Marcus chuckled.
"Let's see if this meteor thing actually works."