Who would have thought that the menacing landlord would be such a crybaby? The moment the general moved and came dangerously close, the dragon opened its mouth and roared, almost touching the black surface again.
But then—
The man grabbed the magical stick and closed the wonderful view of the TV.
"Wasn't expecting a jumpscare in the movie," he said casually.
I laughed hard, but immediately stopped. The sharp pain from my injury reminded me that moving too much wasn't a great idea.
Suddenly, a small piece of stone lit up and started producing noise. I stared at it, analyzing this curious object. Was this another magical device? The lit-up area read the word MoM and displayed two circles—one red and one green—with a figure jumping up and down between them.
Then, just as quickly, it went black. Missed Call, it read.
What a fascinating world I'm in—where magic seems to exist but doesn't.
The stone lit up again. This time, instinct took over, and I tapped the green circle as if my body knew what to do.
A woman's voice erupted from the stone. "Hello, you piece of shit! For the past few days, I've been trying to call you, but you're always off in your own world. Where even are you? Last time, you said you were in a dungeon, and before that, at the world tree top! What the hell is wrong with you, Elowen?"
Elowen.
So that's my name. Elowen.
What a fascinating name. Was I like a young sapling that withered too soon?
The realization took some time to sink in. Silence stretched between us until the woman, apparently named MoM, shouted again.
"Speak something, dear!"
Dear. So, this person must be close to me. But wait—where was this knowledge coming from? And did it really matter?
"I… my thoughts aren't clear right now. My memory isn't serving me right. I can't answer you at the moment, but I will when I'm a bit more stable."
No response came. The stone returned to its black state.
There was a small bump on the side of the stone. My hand moved on its own, urging me to touch it. I let my body take control.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Suddenly, another wonderful view appeared—this one different from the TV's, yet strangely familiar. Creatures soared through the sky, men in armor clashed swords, and valleys stretched with lush greenery.
Words flashed at the bottom: Swipe to Unlock.
I followed the instruction.
A rush of multicolored square boxes with different drawings appeared. Another world—yet again but behind the many boxes . But one box caught my eye: a dragon breathing flames.
I touched it.
The light dimmed, and the text shifted from vertical to horizontal. I adjusted my view.
Play.
I touched the word.
Loading…
Then: Connect with friends.
Without thinking, I touched it again.
Finally, the background shifted to another marvelous scene—four people standing together, each dressed in different clothes and wielding unique weapons.
"Yo! Long time no see, dumbass Elowen!" one of them said.
"For real! You disappeared for a while. What've you been up to, bastard?"
Bastard.
That word. I'd heard it before—the landlord had called me that.
Curiosity got the better of me. "What is the meaning of bastard?"
Laughter erupted.
"Haha! Bastard means you! The apostle of it!"
"So, what do I have to do to change myself?" I asked earnestly. Given how the landlord treated me, the word must mean someone poor, dirty, or unhygienic.
"Wait, what did you do last night?" one of them asked.
"I was with this woman with red hair. She left in the morning."
"Damn!"
"Who let him cook?"
"No way. For real? Stop lying!"
"There's a limit to lying!"
"Anyway, leave the loser. Let's start the quest for the Demon General."
"I heard it's a new update. We might be the first to experience it. How about we post it on YouTube with an awesome reaction?"
"Whatever. Let's go."
The circle and buttons on the stone moved up and down, just like the call screen from before.
As I moved, the character inside the stone mirrored me, following behind the others. Then came creatures like those from the TV which were highlited with words as Orc Lv11, Goblin Lv7 over there head and many other reature . The three others attacked swiftly with their weapons.
One yelled, "Loser! At least try doing something! Attack or something!"
I moved toward the person named Roland Lv13 over his head to understand.
I looked at the Attack button. I clicked it. The character readied a bow, stretched it, and—
"Wait, no! Not me, you dumb—"
The arrow pierced his arm. He screamed curses eerily similar to the landlord's.
"Oh hell no! The boss is coming—too soon!"
"Get ready! Roland, heal up! Leave the loser here. Move to a safe spot while we take on the boss!"
From behind a mountain, a dragon emerged, flying toward us with a man on its back.
Wait. I've seen this before…
The man smiling on the dragon—it was the same one from the TV!
The dragon roared and flew straight at the four of us
I again said "Wait. I've seen this before"
"Now what the hell is this b***h up to with his nonsense?" Roland groaned.
The trio attacked, but the dragon didn't flinch. It landed, crushing the first two under its claws. Then Flames engulfed Roland who was little far.
The dragon walked slowly toward me.
My senses screamed at me to run. But how? My character didn't know how to sprint like the others. I could only walk backward.
A harsh voice echoed:
"Where are you going, little slave? Last time, I missed you by a fluke. You were standing at a window."
It's him.
The Demon General. The same one from the TV. But how? The crimson-haired woman said these were fictional characters.
The dragon lifted its paw, looming above me. My finger hovered over the Attack button. Before I could press it—
Its sharp claws gripped my shirt.
It lifted me into the air.
And then—