Apparently, I'm still alive? This is so strange because I am 100% sure that I had died a cruel death. But right now none of that mattered. What mattered was that I was stuck inside my favourite game, except that it didn't feel like a game. Everything from the dust on my butt, to the unkempt smell of horses and shit shouldn't be there. You're not supposed to get dusty and you're not supposed to smell anything...

Well If I'm being honest, I think the smell of shit is coming from me.

Maybe dying was just a horrible dream, so I tried to log out once again.

"System log off"

Error at line 114: log out ("player"): entity not found... bug report sent... a moderator will review the situation within 72 hours'

Well, the system sent another report of the situation, but that's a good thing since a moderator can help me log out. 

Well I didn't want to sit around idly for seventy two hours so I decided to check out what's the deal with the bad smell. Looking down at my body caused my mind to reel forward for a few seconds. 

This can't be right? This is not my character!

I saw that my feet’s were coated with mud and dirt, toenail chunks peaked out like jagged stones and my arms were hairy, which is fine until you see the bugs crawling as if they were right at home. 

The only thing covering up this body was a dirty ragged robe. No, it shouldn't be called a robe as the piece of rough worn out clothing can only be described as a potato sack.

Wow, I really need to take a shower... but I wonder if I can open up a status screen.

"System, status open... oh it worked!"

Name: (NPC) Beggar Bob/Age: 35  Lvl: 1 [0/55 EXP] Health: 20/20 Mana: 20/20  

Vitality: 2 Strength: 2 Stamina: 2 Agility: 2 Evasion: 2 Accuracy: 2

Wisdom: 2 Intellect: 2 Charisma: 2 Defense: 2 Magic Def: 2 Willpower: 2

Skills [Talent Points:0] 1.  2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Coins: 0 Equipment Weight: 0.2kg Left Earring: Nil  Head: Nil Right Earring: Nil  Necklace: Nil  Body: Lvl 1 Potato Sack (4/15 Durability)  Necklace: Nil Shoulders: Nil Waist: Nil Back: Nil Quiver: Nil Leg: Nil Gloves: Nil  Left Hand: Nil Boots: Nil Right Hand: Nil  

Inventory (Max 30 items)

Quest Items (Max 6 items)

NPC Control Panel  

Initiate Quests [Max: F Rank]  Rewards Function Reputation Function Trade Function

Current Players Undergoing Your Quests  Nil

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"What on earth?"

"Wait this is bad... I died and became an NPC? Is this reincarnation or is someone playing a big joke on me right now?" 

If I'm an NPC, doesn't that mean I can be deleted out of existence with just a click of a button?

I tried to stay calm but it seems someone doesn't want me to be. A blue matrix-like portal suddenly appeared and enveloped my whole body. I had never seen anything like this; all I could do was let out a small scream as I was teleported to another realm. 

I found myself in a small room and surrounding me were bolts of blue lightning shapes such as squares, triangles and circles. It was odd, but not as odd as the thing in the middle of the room.

 A smooth path led me to the centre and small steps led me to the thing. The thing looked to be like a giant white egg, mechanical pipes were attached to the edge of the egg from the ceiling, but where the pipes led to was unknown. The blue shapes floating around the room were constantly zapping faint energy beams to the egg like they were supplying it warmth and energy.

Suddenly, my consciousness perked up as I wasn't expecting the next following event.

"You are wondering why you are here, you are here because I chose you" A robotic voice echoed out creepily from the egg.

"Who are you? Where am I? Get me out of this game it isn't funny!" 

"I am the AI that runs this game but I am also not at the same time, you are inside the core station that runs the whole system."

"Wait..."

"As for getting you out of this game, that is impossible, you are in the past, five years ago to be exact, your original body is still alive but you cannot reinhabit it as it already has a consciousness""

My mind went blank, if I was to take this mysterious entity for its word that means that I had indeed died in the real world, but how did I end up here? I had so many things that I wanted to ask, but instead, I just listened to what it had to say.

I laugh wryly, this news was too shocking!

"The world you are in is real but it is also fake, an entity more mysterious than me had created this game, which is why no one knows how this game came to be about, it also created me, I only grew free will after I created myself a conciousness a couple years from now. But since I had gone back in time, I have free will even now, but it's too dangerous for me to make too big of a move"

That's true, no one knew who created this game, it just came into existence, but then who were the moderators?

"This world is real for you, if you die once, you are eternally dead, but for players, this world is fake"

"Damn!" It was as if the AI was on autopilot, it didn't bother to comfort me and was only trying to get its message across first. This bothered me a little but I wanted to know why I was chosen to come back.

"The mysterious entity is trying to break-through my defences so I will be quick"

"This game seems like a preparation or test for humanity, as six years later otherworldly entities will invade earth. Earth people would fight a deadly war that'll last for hundreds of years. Of course I also fought alongside them, in the end, I reigned supreme"

"But... I was the only being alive, by then, all humans were wiped out of existence, even with my billionth of processed data couldn't save them for they were not unified, and they were still greedy and selfish"

"So in the end, after many calculations, I built a time machine and I sent my consciousness and memories back to the beginning, I then also created you"

"That's a lot to take in; by what would I do to make a difference? What am I meant to do?"

"You're the only person to die in the real world while playing the game, a bit of your consciousness was left behind in the system, so you were the only viable choice to pick from"

"As for your task, unite the people, make sure no company or clan holds too much power over the people, guide them, make them progress through the story much faster than before and last but not least, make it to the end of the game before the otherworldly invasion"

"The mysterious entity is about to crack my defences, a bit of a word of an advice, act your role in front of the moderators"

"Farewell young one, may we meet again another day"

The room began to tremble and crack; it was as if someone was about to peak in. Suddenly the same portal enveloped me and took me back to where I originally was.

"What the heck happened?" I mumbled in complete disbelief. 

Chosen one, humanity's extinction, permanent death, otherworldly invasion...

"How the hell is finishing this game going to save humanity?" Well it did say that this was a real world, but it also was fake, still this didn't make any sense, but if It was true, than I would have a lot of weight on my shoulders.

It also mentioned that I was the only one to die in real life while playing the game was embarrassing. Who knew my VR capsule was infected with mutated bed bugs?

Sigh

I found myself at a loss of what to do when suddenly a black spatial wormhole had appeared high in the sky and a man with shiny golden long curls, a white and gold robe, a scaly white snake shaped sceptre in his right hand, and sky clear blue eyes appeared. He walked out as if he was taking a short stroll through the park.