ONE WEEK LATER
It had been seven days since reality had rewritten itself.
Seven days since Isaac woke up in the real, tangible, physical world of Epoch Eternal. A world that had once existed only in a game. Seven days since cities, landscapes, and creatures from a virtual space had manifested into existence, replacing the real world with something both terrifying and exhilarating.
The people who had once sat comfortably behind screens now roamed these lands in their own flesh and blood.
And the world?
The world was a complete mess.
Civilization had fractured overnight. Governments were gone. Nations had dissolved. The laws of the old world had shattered beneath the weight of new ones, replaced by the mechanics of the game. Magic, skills, abilities, things that had once been controlled by a mere button press—were now real forces that shaped life itself.
Cities from the game had appeared across the land, populated by NPCs who acted as if they had always existed. The sprawling city of Eldermere, the war-hardened fort of Blackthorn Keep, the elven stronghold of Sylva’an, all places once thought to be lines of code were now bustling, living civilizations.
Monsters roamed the wilds, dangerous and unrestrained. Low-level creatures lingered near cities, but venture too far, and you’d find real death waiting for you.
People were struggling to adapt.
Some embraced it, diving headfirst into the fantasy of adventure, forming guilds, hunting monsters, and building new power structures.
Others were terrified, realizing that the rules of reality had changed and that death might no longer be a temporary inconvenience.
And then there was Isaac.
While the world panicked, he had kept running.
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PART 2: FINDING A HOME
Isaac had no intention of sticking around the cities where players were still reeling from the shock. Big crowds meant big problems. He needed somewhere quiet, somewhere out of the way.
His first plan? Find shelter.
Epoch Eternal had plenty of unclaimed locations, abandoned watchtowers, forgotten ruins, even caves tucked away in the wilderness. He spent the first three days scouting, staying on the move, never resting in one place for too long.
Eventually, he found the perfect spot:
A small, broken-down cabin on the outskirts of Eldermere, nestled near the treeline of the Alderwood Forest. It wasn’t much. Half the roof was missing, the walls were worn, and there was zero furniture. But it had something more valuable than comfort.
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Seclusion.
Isaac had always preferred quiet places. This one would do.
Using basic crafting skills, he patched up the worst parts of the structure, fashioned a makeshift cot from discarded cloth, and claimed the place as his temporary base.
Was it home? No. But it was somewhere to rest.
And that was enough.
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LIFE AS A COURIER
Most players spent their first week in this new world either fighting for survival or trying to seize power.
Isaac? He just kept doing his job.
The in-game delivery system still worked. Quest boards, merchants, and NPCs still needed things transported and players, still overwhelmed by their new reality, weren’t bothering with such mundane tasks.
Which meant Isaac was the only courier in existence.
And business was booming.
He moved between cities, taking jobs that involved zero combat. From delivering supplies to struggling groups of players, to transporting messages between guilds trying to form alliances. And running goods for NPC traders, who now treated him as just another part of their world.
Most players assumed he was an NPC himself.
Which was perfect.
Why deal with greedy warlords or paranoid survivalists when he could simply blend into the background?
And for the first time, he wasn’t bound by game mechanics.
Before, there had been limits. Fatigue meters, stamina bars, skill restrictions. Now? Now his body obeyed reality, not a programming system.
He could run faster than ever before. Longer than any in-game restriction would have allowed. His knowledge of movement, terrain, and shortcuts made him impossible to catch.
His golden rule remained the same:
Never fight. Never get caught. Just run.
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THE STATE OF THE PLAYERS
While Isaac thrived, the majority of players were struggling. The strongest players, those who had dominated Epoch Eternal before, quickly rose to power. Old guilds tried to rebuild their empires, treating this new world as a battleground for dominance. Some became warlords, hoarding resources and taking control of cities. Others formed mercenary groups, selling their strength for survival.
Unfortunately not everyone had been a top-tier player. The majority of people in this world were now under-leveled, under-equipped, and scared out of their minds. These people were hiding in cities, trying to figure out how to survive in a world that no longer had hospitals, modern technology, or easy conveniences.
Some had lost it completely. Not everyone could handle being ripped from reality. Some wandered aimlessly, hoping to wake up from a dream. Others resorted to crime, stealing, scamming, or killing for supplies. A few were still in denial, convinced this was a temporary glitch that would eventually be fixed.
The world was adjusting, but it was slow.
And Isaac wanted no part in the madness.
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THE FIRST RUMORS
By the end of the first week, whispers began to spread.
A mysterious figure had been seen moving between cities.
No one had seen him fight. No one had caught him. No one knew his name.
But somehow, he was always where he needed to be.
Some thought he was an NPC with a broken AI. Others believed he was a hidden quest giver or a secret event character.
And then there were those who claimed he was something else.
A reincarnator.
A legendary rogue.
A ghost.
The only thing they all agreed on?
If you needed something delivered, if you needed information, if you needed to move unseen he was the man to find.
And somewhere, deep in the world of Epoch Eternal, powerful players were beginning to take notice.
Isaac had no idea.
He was too busy delivering a package.