"I, a grown man am actually crying. Everyone can see me cry, but no one seems to care. Some others were crying. Some were stunned. Others just carried on like they didn't hear. Others were literally logged out of reality." Jude noted to LOG.

"Damn, I can't believe I'm actually following what that damn teacher's direction and noting stuff to my log when I'm stressed out." Jude laments to himself.

"Happy birthday Jude." My mom, Stephanie says with an odd wistful expression on her face. "Your 16 now! Almost a grown man!"

Seriously! Was she reading my mind and had to naysay anything I even think about?

Twitching my eye slightly, I argue. "Stephanie, I am a man by global law now."

"What have I told you about calling me Stephanie! Call me mom please." Stephanie said in an irritated sing song like she has said a million times. It was like she just recorded that and pressed the 'play' button at least once a day, almost like a ritual.

"Be sure to log back into V E." Stephanie said, again seeming like just another recorded ingram she pressed 'play' on.

"Does my mom have any original thoughts at all, or is she just a set of pre-recorded meme's randomly playing at set intervals?" Jude dismisses with annoyance. "I'll log back in to V E right now. I can't stand being out here anyway."

"Yeah. It is really hard to believe this is our life now. How much we've lost and gained. I was planning on buying you a car for your 16th. We prepared the back house for you to live in for your privacy with even an alley entrance so you could sneak in your friends." Stephanie turned her mech and looked over at her son's pod with an odd expression. "Jude? You there?" No response. Sighing to herself she looked around the artificial space and logged back in to V E.

Jude impatiently and mentally clicked the log in interface to Virtual Earth or V E. He needed to talk with his friend Bill to see how he and his family are taking the news of victory. Also his sister, Melody, which he has a huge crush on may have been a factor in his decision. Why does my mom have to be such a downer at a time like this. "Can't she just be happy for once?"

As the VE sync reaches 100%, his is now blurring into a scene with him walking a cat on the leash, he doesn't recognize the neighborhood. The sun is bright and warm on his skin and he is wearing a death metal T-shirt and torn jeans with Air Jordan sneakers. All the houses are posh 3 story mansions in a cul de sac each with different fences or hedges created by the system based on some arbitrary traits by the households. To change anything, you actually had to hire some workmen to change it like real life, but unlike real life, the workmen played minigames to accomplish their tasks receiving instant rewards.

"umm.. System, why am I walking a cat on a leash in an unknown neighborhood?" Pausing a moment he continues. "I don't own a cat." He thinks of all the "I don't own a cat" Video's he's seen online and smirks.

A ghostly apparition appeared next to him, looking at him with intelligent piercing eyes. "Your simulacrum found a missing Cat that ran away and found out it belongs to a girl." Raising it's eyebrows, it tilted it's head knowingly widening it's eyes slightly.

Sniffing Jude says "You do god's work, you know? Oh hey! What is the chance she will like me?"

Straightening it's features and giving uncanny inhuman attention suddenly the system apparition speaks. "You know I cannot give you projections on life experiences. This illusion of reality must be kept sacrosanct."

Rolling his eyes, Jude shakes his head in exasperation making him slightly dizzy. "Then why do you keep mentioning the reality to me? You don't ever talk like this to others."

Continuing it's unblinking stare, "You have never once lost yourself in this reality and treat it as a game, so it is actually detrimental to your sanity. You, in particular need grounding of what is real and not for a reason I cannot determin."

Thinking hard, Jude materializes a fireball in his hand, holding it up to the system. "This. Is. A. Game."

"From your perspective it is indeed a simulation. Even though your eyesight, taste, smell and other senses are much more high definition than reality itself. If the simulation is more real than reality in all your senses, which is the true reality?" The system avatar was purposefully robotic in appearance as an English's butler as Jude lazily chose the default setting when first choosing to manifest him.

"Right now, if someone else comes over and starts talking to me when I'm talking to you, what will they see?" Jude decides to be argumentative today.

"They would see you give them attention based on your normal interactions. They would not hear nor see you interact with the system, but your simulacrum would interact with them with near 100% accuracy on how you would act."

"So everyone around me could be checking their messages or watching Netflix or even take a nap, and you believe I wouldn't know the difference?"

"You do in fact have the uncanny ability to know when you are talking with a simulacrum. It is very disconcerting to the system administrators."

Reaching down, Jude picks up the cat which starts to struggle, obviously not liking to be carried. "Is this cat real?" Jude starts to run in the direction of the map location he calls up.

Appearing to scramble to keep up, the system Avatar turns creepy smooth while running and appears to speak normally. "Yes. This cat is currently in an attached pod to the young girl your are going to visit. You accepted a system generated quest to return the cat."

Waving his hand disinterestedly, he continues to run in silence as the Cat becomes more distressed.

Seeing the house number matching the one on the map, he turns to give it a once over. it is a 4 story mansion with dinosaur shaped hedges and a huge tree house visible above them in the back yard. Obvious indications that this house has a few children "living" here. Passing the child safety shield surrounding the property, Jude approaches the front door.

Quest "Return the cat". Objective 1 of 3 completed. Bring the missing cat back to its home. Objective 2. Return the cat to the owner.

Sighing, Jude steps up the grand stairs to the main double door entry and says, "Please announce my arrival with the cat." Rolling his eyes at not being able to ring a doorbell or even knock on the door in this stupid system, he stoically waits the entire extra second wasted.

A nanny arrives. "Hello Jude. Please enter so you can meet Jamie." Jude sees the artificial life behind the dead eyes of the nanny bot and ignores it.

While wondering if Jamie is a girl or boy name, he enters the grand foyer and keeps a firm hold the the cat which started mewling loudly now that it recognizes its home.

Too bad she isn't named Jamia or Jameoto or something to give away the gender for sure or what gender they currently might identify as. Maybe Jamie is a gender neutral name?

Hearing a screeching high pitch voice, a girl his own age runs up and grabs the cat to its immense horror. "Whiskers! I missed you!"

Squeezing it even harder while swinging it around, the cat met Jude's eyes for a moment in hope for rescue. Jude averted his eyes while thinking, "Sorry dude. Is your lot in life."

Noticing Jude again, Jamie gives him a quick hug squishing the cat between them for a horrifying second. Jude's right eye starts to twitch.

Objective 2 completed. Objective 3, gain the reward.

Jude bows his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Cool. Nice to meet you Jamie. Nice treehouse you have in the back."

Jamie beams, "Daddy had it made. The workmen let me play minigames helping them complete their quest. It was so fun! I didn't realize I let out whiskers. You are the first person to see it. I have your reward. Follow me." She said it so fast and started to walk away, it took Jude a moment to realize the conversation ended and he was supposed to be moving.

With the twitch in his eye becoming more pronounced, Jude followed the energetic girl.

"Daddy! I'm completing the quest! Do you have his reward ready?"

Opening his eyes in shock, Jude looks at the man questioningly. Could they actually provide the reward outside of the system?

A small cardboard box is presented.

Objective 3 completed. Custom reward. 1 Maine Coon kitten. 42 copper coins deposited. See attached increases in reputation.

Jamie yanks the kitten jarringly out of the box and presents it forcefully into Jude's hands. Beaming fervently, Jamie screeches loudly, "Isn't she adorable! What will you name her?"

Jude, not really knowing what to say, smiles with a horribly twitching eye. "System. Why the fuck is my eye twitching?"

His simulacrum took over and thanked her graciously for the kitten inviting her to please keep in touch. Bowing sarcastically and over the top as he turned to leave.

"Your eye is twitching in real life and is being represented here."

Jamie escorted Jude's simulacrum to the door and saw him out.

"Why the fuck is my eye twitching in real life? Am I having a stroke or something."

"You appear to be annoyed at the simulation today more than usual."

"I guess. Can you make it stop?"

"Administering micro muscle relaxants to the area and massaging your brain with overlapping sound waves to increase circulation."

The twitching slowed noticeably.

"Can you teleport me to school?"

"This is the 4,821st time you have requested to be teleported and you are being told for the 4,821st time the simulation does not allow this due to immersion inconsistency."

"Yea, yea." Thinking of the map to school with ETA, Jude starts the 9 minute walk.

Looking around at the vibrant world around him, he sees various people coming or going. Birds are flying around. Insects are making noises. A few dogs are barking. A kitten is trying to escape his grasp.

Looking down with wide eyes, "Oh yea. I now have a cat." Adjusting his hold on the kitten, he moved it to his shoulder holding it reassuringly with his right hand.

Sighing, he just looks around absorbing in the world around him, trying with his entire being to believe it is real, if even for a moment. Thinking of his friends at school, he has a stab of jealousy real intense that they seem to completely lose themselves in this virtual world.

"Jude, why did you disengage from the conversation with Jamie?" The system avatar asked seemingly aloof.

Jude stopped and looked at the System avatar. His new un named cat also seemed to look at the avatar, "Could it see it also?"

Focusing again on the System, he said succinctly. "What soever do you mean A.I.?"

"It is unhealthy mentally to disengage from conversations abruptly. That was a real human being that hasn't met many people outside of school. She was genuinely hoping for you to be her friend. Because you live so close to each other in VE and your bunker's are in transmission range, it would be idea for her and you both."

"Why the abrupt change in policy for friends?"

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"You are officially an adult in the V.E. system and your body in real life has started to reach puberty. Meeting the opposite gender and making new friends is much more important to you socially and psychologically."

Blushing slightly, Jude waves off the A.I.

"I hardly call where I live in real life a bunker. It was rebuilt just last week since that last shockwave collapsed it."

"The illusion of having something recognizable to return to outside of the system gives much comfort to everyone. Logging out and seeing an orderly clean room with artistic carvings and furniture is a must for all humans and is part of the charter."

Smirking to himself that he distracted the System from pursuing the embarrassing subject, he continued. "The air is toxic and at 4 times surface pressure. Sometimes it has a color to it. I can only 'see' what is in the bunker due to 'looking' out of the Mech's sensors and cameras."

"It is suggested to most that they turn on the environmental filters so the 'windows' show a beautiful naturalistic scene from 'outside' which will filter out any color aberrations due to the toxic atmosphere."

"So we end right back in V E?"

"Reality augmentation is completely different from Virtual Reality."

A kitten suddenly mewed into his right ear loudly causing Jude to flinch. "Ok I'm naming you MewMew."

Seeing the street Stone Ave. leading toward the school in the distance, Jude decided to see if there was something he could do for the kitten. "System, where can I find food for this cat?"

"The kitten is not yet weaned from it's mother and only recently was integrated into the V E system within the pod housing the entire litter. It will need a bottle with kitten food supplements at a pet store near Amphitheater High School. A mini-quest has been initiated."

"You are seriously going to make me buy virtual food for the kitten before you will let it suckle its own mother?" Jude exclaims incredulously.

"The kitten will not come to any harm even should you fail the quest. It would be fed intravenously which even though it would provide all the nutrition it needs, it would be left feeling hungry and anxious. Because you have accepted ownership of MewMew, there are real world consequences for your actions."

Calls his friend Bill.

Meets bill at pet shop on Stone Ave. buys a few milk bottles.

Goes to home room and starts feeding the kitten to his chagrin it make noises.

A system anouncement tells everyone that their mechs will travel to the surface of earth for everyone to log out and join the celebration. The world's first victory celebration.

Jude logs out early and see's his mech has formed somewhere in the middle of a worm like construct tunneling through the earth with nothing much to see.

Reality has become. Jude had tears were in his eyes because the victory seemed impossibly surreal. He still couldn't believe it and was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Any good news has seemed fleeting.

People were coming out of holes in the ground after tunneling up from the bunkers. Without their armor to look up at the hellish landscape of the surface people were constantly rubbing their eyes like they were trying to get rid of something blurry. The megalithic forms of the crashed alien ships were like mountains and moons reaching up into and past the upper atmosphere and blocking direct sunlight. Even so, they came out to chance a look at the real sky.

Jude was with a group of mechs with people 100 strong including his mother in various stages if exiting their pods. We were all spreading out to gaze out at the surreal glow of the earth's inner shield grid that could slow, but not stop the ships from crashing into the surface. "At lease the surface of the earth isn't covered in radioactive rock vapor at 30,000 psi today", he thinks to himself. Weather has a new meaning during war at this level.

Staying within range of a man who stayed in his mech armor, but exposing a small radio, Jude approached his mom. Listening intently to the static, hoping to gleam some news he came to a stop looking his mom in her eyes as both their eyes grew in surprise. The message overheard from the radio"... Supernova weapon... " followed by static then "... the moon is breaking up..".

Incredulously, he looked up and indeed the moon had cracks and debris seemed to be coming from it like an odd hatching egg.

"What the hell does the moon breaking up have to do with a supernova weapon? "Jude ponders aloud. He was well beyond war weary and was trying to keep his mood light facing his imminent death with humor.

Suddenly everyone was frozen because something is looking into their very being, to the core of their souls. All sound stops. Even as the feeling seems to change its focus away.

Jude was wide eyed with his mouth agape, looking at everyone else doing the same.

"Seriously?" he yells at the heavens.

An explosion happens distorting space as an expanding shockwave originating from the moon. The moon seems to implode a little with gas and dust being expelled from the cracks as the moon starts to slowly rotate. Before anyone can get a good look at it, the dust in the shockwave obscures the moon from their sight.

Again, the radio makes another static before he heard "... something just destroyed the weapons and left the solar system... we think?"

Some started to cheer but a sudden disquiet overcame us all. Staring in shock at those around, Jude felt pressure welling up inside of him. It felt so amazing like he's been set free for the first time in his life. The power grew until it felt like he was full.

Then it kept going. His head started to hurt. Everyone around him started screaming in horror and pain as the power and pressure kept ramping up feeling like something was burning. And still it kept increasing, faster and faster. Jude smelled smoldering iron and grapefruit as his hands went to his head. "Yea! I see! Thanks god!" He flipped off the heavens.

A blue screen snapped into place in the middle of my vision playing what looked like a YouTube video of a man bowing on his knees. "I have forcibly added every lifeform including humans to a system I have developed, stolen from every game and book humans have ever conceived. Also, the Cultural Starship program was integrated and upgraded. Please forgive me but to save humanity, this was the only way. "

As the pain subsided and an energy shield seemed to envelope his body and sink into his skin. Also, runes started to scribe themselves under his feet. He looked around to see if everyone had runes under their feet, but of the hundred in easy view, not one had glowing runes at their feet.

Locking eyes with his mother, he started to say. "Um..."

The runes flared and Jude found himself in front of a small 2 foot tall, robed alien monster pointing toward a bunch of attacking small lizards.

One of the lizards ran toward him and bit him on his leg.

"Ow you little fucker!" He grabbed it and quickly squeezed it to death, then grabbed, squeezed, kicked and stomped to death the other 30 or so lizards.

Covered in gross guts and blood from those annoying lizards he turned to the group of aliens questioningly.

"Hello?"

The alien monstrosity with the robe raised his hands, shaking in fear and started chanting, causing runes to start to form under Jude's feet again. This time he could feel the energy coalescing both here and elsewhere.

He couldn't help it, he tried to feel the power and something within himself connected to it.

Then the mage popped like a rotten melon with a huge firecracker stuck inside it.

Covered in even more gore now with an open gaping mouth, Jude turned in shock and looked at the other small beings of this group. As one they all started making odd noises as they threw down their weapons and ran as fast as they could away.

Still in shock he started spitting while wiping his face on his bloody sleeves and blowing his nose to get the mess cleaned out. Gagging, he threw up his algae lunch then sat down feeling dizzy.

Taking off his outer shirt, he found the back side of it was relatively clean and used it to clean his face much more effectively.

"What the fuck man!", he screamed at nothing and no one.

Noticing an icon at the edge of his vision he tried to look at it and it popped up in his vision.

It looked like a game battle log.

You have killed an unknown entity causing 132 damage gripping damage out of probable 30 hp. Naming entity "small green lizard" until further notice.

You have killed small green lizard with 256 throwing damage out of 31 hp. You have caused 417 damage to small green lizard corpse. Small green lizard corpse has been converted into lizard goo a possible alchemical ingredient.

You have killed a small green lizard with 95 gripping damage out of 29 hp. You have destroyed small green lizard corpse with 217 throwing damage. You have cause 318 damage to destroyed small green lizard corpse causing it to turn into lizard goo a possible alchemical ingredient.

Impatiently trying to scroll down, the view changed into quick summaries by category showing 34 killed small green lizards.

Banishment spell has caused backlash with 1087 spell points out of 15 spell points causing mana detonation in your summoner.

Unknown effect on faction reputation.

Extreme fear has affected all those around you causing them to flee for their lives. Unknown effect on faction reputation.

Total XP toward level 1: 179 out of 4000. 27000 xp banked and being assimilated at current rate of 1 xp per minute.

You have heard a new language. You are the first human to ever experience this language and will be granted an unknown boon upon reaching level 1.

You have learned a new attack. Grip attack. Using unparalleled strength, you obliterate your foes by grabbing and squeezing with extreme force.

Your grip attack is rated at level 18 at assumed exponential progression based on the assumption the lizards are level 1 with 30 hit points.

You have learned a new attack. Throw attack. Using unparalleled strength and speed, you obliterate your foes by flinging them with ease at any nearby hard surface.

Your throw attack is rated at level 23.

You have learned a new attack. Stomp attack. Using unparalleled strength, you obliterate your foes by stomping them into goo creating quick alchemical solutions that would otherwise require a mortal and pestle.

You have been attacked with a banishment spell. Effect has been resisted.

You have learned a new attack. Mana detonation. Using an incredible amount of mana, you injected over 72 times the amount needed to cancel the spell causing the enemy to detonate with 3261 hp damage.

You have attacked a group of adventurers with an area effect spell Mana Detonation, causing them to go deaf as well as 10 hp of stun damage out of estimated 50 hp.

Permanent reputation loss with 4 adventurers from neutral to slightly negative for killing a member of their group

.

You have gained fame. Using overwhelming power in front of beginning adventurers and allowing them to live has started the slow progression of fame throughout the lands. Fame is only transferred by tales told from one person to the next unless encountering a competing gamification or network system.

You are considered a monster in this world. Any known system in place is incompatible with the human adventuring system and will have unforeseen effects on someone already a member of the competing system.

Passive effects: Extreme mana burn. System regeneration. Banking XP. Dirty. Wet. Hungry. Thirsty. Nauseated. Low Gravity. High oxygen.

Active effects: System attempts to burn excess mana: Shoddy mana Shield. Shoddy regeneration enhancement. Shoddy Iron skin. Shoddy Protection from evil. Shoddy Bless. Shoddy Bleed mana. Shoddy Detect evil. Shoddy Enhanced strength. Shoddy Enhanced Perception. Shoddy Enhanced intelligence. Shoddy Enhanced Dexterity. Shoddy Enhanced Stamina. Shoddy Mana to health buff. Shoddy Imbue bones. Shoddy Imbue blood. Shoddy Imbue flesh. Shoddy Cleanse blood. Shoddy Cleanse lymphatic system. Shoddy Invisible orbs: fire, water, wind, earth.

Cores: Forming. Dimensional storage 19 foot diameter.

Jude sits still while reading this for some time, while trying to wrap his mind around it.

Out loud Jude says, "This system is just making shit up!"

Covering his face in despair, he yells into his hands muffling his scream. "It doesn't know what the fuck is going on any more than I do!"

A new system message icon appears at the top right of his vision.

Despondent, he doesn't think about it for some time just sitting, covering his face, hoping this is just some weird nightmare. Remembering how many times over that last 6 months of the invasion of earth he has done the same to no avail, he rubs his face vigorously and gets up.

Thinking of the new icon in the top right of his vision, it pops up in his vision like a virtual screen like before but now he is paying more attention. The virtual screen is actually a monitor with the brand name "Generico" with a missing pixel in the middle and is slightly cutting off the words on the left side of the longer sentences making him half chuckle.

The text in the middle of the screen. The Human Adventuring System is completely customizable. Benefits of the Human Adventuring System:

Photographic system memory. Advanced prediction algorithms. Instant sharing of information of system information between all system installations. Instant communication between all humans. Instant access to internet experienced by all humans. If desired, gamification system allows direction and paths to follow in any circumstance to keep morale maximized. Spam and junk filters utilize advance AI to filter. Personal assistant accessible and customizable to help through any situation if desired. More features upon request.

Jude is dumfounded. It can't be that easy, could it?

"Call my mom." Jude says hoarsely.

Message appears on the virtual monitor. "Calling Stephanie R. Hale" Added Stephanie R. Hale to primary contact list as "Mom".

Jude's mom appears on the virtual monitor saying tentatively "Hello?"

Gasping in disbelief, as a half sob, Jude says, "Hi mom! I'm alive!"

Stephanie's expression turns from slightly worried to more worried as she asks. "Do you have blood in your hair? Are you in a cave? Are you OK?!!"

"Mom, don't panic, ok. I think I've been summoned off earth by some type of mage that.. um.. wasn't able to send me back??" Still shocked by this weird development, Jude is at a loss for words for a second. I've never heard of an isekai hero being able to call home, this is so surreal.

Stephanie says sternly. "We will figure out a way to get you back. Everything is so odd her right now though. It is like everyone just got superpowers through some weird system to keep us from exploding or turning into mindless exploded flesh abominations."

"So no one else got summoned like me?" Jude asks, fearing the answer either positive or negative.

Stephanie sighs, then says. "Not that I know of honey. It must have just been bad luck on your part. Whatever happened here changed everything. We don't yet know what is going on, but they are calling it 'The Curse'." Pausing a second before continuing, Stephanie seems to look him right in his eyes. "Just try to stay safe where you are. I'm going to ask around to try and figure out how to get you back."

"Ow! " Looking down another one of those little lizards bit Jude on his leg. "Not these little farts again! One second mom, I need to murder a bunch of lizards." Looking toward the darker section of the cave he was in he sees a few lizards heading toward him. Looking up at the ceiling with glowing fungus he murmurs, "Huh. I am in a cave I guess."

Jude gets up and quickly gathers lizards into a pile, killing all but one and holding the last one to examine.

While doing so, he didn't notice Stephanie calling her survivor group leader James and he was conferenced in with Jude and his mom adding another window off the side. Changing his focus for a second, Jude centers the leader's video then his mom's then sporadically moves them around with his mind somehow. Once he gets them where he wants them by willing it he stops and actually pays attention to them.

So caught up in this strange interface he failed to hear James last question. "Uh what? Say again?"

James repeats, "You are not on earth?" with a slightly hysterical undertone.

Leaving the pile of lizards behind, he says "I don't think so. Let me look outside." Jude starts walking toward the light area where the exceedingly slow monster adventurers 'ran' away. "The gravity is low here, so I'm assuming this isn't Earth. Walking makes me feel like I'm in a bouncy castle, I'm still getting the hang of it."

"Can you see what I see?" Jude asks after a second. Thinking about it, both his mom and group leader flinch slightly as they both reply in the affirmative.

"Did a bomb go off?" Stephanie exclaims.

"I'll tell you later mom. Just give me a minute." James begins to think this instant communication thing could end up being a hassle. Maybe I could assign my personal assistant to screen my calls or tell them I'm busy? He snickers at the thought.

Approaching the entrance to the huge cave, he his blinded. Walking further into the light he waits for his vision to acclimate before he notices the barricade with mounted troops all focused on him.

"Oh.. Shit.. Um mom, I'll call you back."