Ren’s senses slowly returned, but everything felt... different. The familiar scent of his room was replaced by the crisp smell of pine and damp earth. The chair beneath him was gone, replaced by something much less comfortable—the rough texture of stone.

He opened his eyes, blinking rapidly as the bright sunlight filtered through the canopy of trees above him. For a moment, Ren was disoriented, unsure of where he was. His first thought was that he’d fallen asleep at his desk, but the sharp pain in his back from lying on hard stone told him otherwise.

He sat up, his heart racing as he took in his surroundings. He was in a dense forest, the trees towering high above him, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. The forest floor was covered in a thick layer of moss and fallen leaves, with shafts of sunlight piercing through the gaps in the foliage. It all felt eerily real.

“What the hell…?” Ren muttered, rubbing his eyes. He tried to stand up.

This wasn’t just a cutscene or some VR experience—he could feel the cool breeze on his skin, hear the distant chirping of birds, and smell the earthy scent of the forest.

“Haha… this must be a dream, right?” Ren could only laugh at how absurd his current situation was.

Panic began to creep in, and he looked down at himself. To his surprise, he was still wearing his usual clothes—a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, the same outfit he had on when he was playing the game. There was nothing out of the ordinary about his appearance, but everything around him was completely different.

“Nothing different about me… I think,” Ren murmured to himself after checking his condition.

Ren then looked around. He was in the middle of a forest, but somehow it all seemed familiar.

“I could have sworn I’ve seen this place before,” Ren thought to himself.

Suddenly, something struck him—a memory of playing his favorite game, Illustria Chronicles.

“This is the forest near the starting town of the 2nd Arc of the game,” Ren murmured, still puzzled by the whole situation. “But how? This isn’t possible.”

Ren’s mind raced. This wasn’t a dream—it felt too real. But how could he possibly be here? How could he have been pulled into the game world?

He stood up slowly, feeling the firmness of the ground beneath his feet. Everything was solid, tangible, just like the real world. But this wasn’t his world. It was the world of Illustria Chronicles, the game he had spent countless hours exploring. The landscape, the trees, even the air—all of it was familiar yet different. It was as if the game had come to life around him.

“This... can’t be real,” Ren said aloud, though the evidence all around him suggested otherwise.

Ren took a few tentative steps, trying to get his bearings. He recognized the area—it was a starting zone for new players in the game, a peaceful forest meant for beginners to learn the basics. He had spent hours here when he first started playing, but now, being here in person, it felt surreal.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

There were no immediate threats, no enemies lurking in the shadows. Just the quiet rustling of leaves and the distant call of birds.

“It’s real… all of it is real,” Ren said as he touched the trees and grass, his mind still processing everything.

He needed to think. He needed to figure out what had happened and how—or if—he could get back home. But first, he needed to find people, or at least some signs of civilization. If this world was anything like the game, there should be a small town nearby.

“The beginner town should be nearby if I remember correctly,” Ren murmured as he continued walking. “I should find at least one person to gather some information first.”

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. A faint chime echoed in the air, and in an instant, a translucent screen appeared in front of him, hovering in midair. It was blank, with nothing but a faint outline and a few icons at the edges.

“It’s a status screen…” Ren froze, seeing the holographic screen in front of him. This was a status screen—something every player in Illustria Chronicles used to manage their character’s stats, inventory, and skills. “But why is it so empty?”

This one was empty, devoid of any information. There were no health bars, no mana, and no level indicator. Just an empty slate.

“What the...?” Ren reached out hesitantly, his fingers brushing against the screen. It didn’t feel like anything, yet it responded to his touch, the icons flickering slightly as if waiting for input. This wasn’t just some projection—it was interactive, like the menus in the game.

“Is the game glitching even here?” Ren wondered, puzzled by why the screen was so blank.

The screen suddenly flickered again, and this time a single word appeared at the top:

image [https://i.imgur.com/I1ys78J.jpeg]

Ren stared at the word, his mind racing as he considered what to do.

“Should I just say the word?” Ren murmured to himself.

Seeing nothing else he could do, he finally decided to say it.

“Initialize!” Ren said out loud.

The screen pulsed once, and then, slowly, text began to fill the empty spaces. His name appeared at the top, followed by a couple more stats.

image [https://i.imgur.com/u05daOc.jpeg]

“That stamina is almost hurtful to see,” Ren muttered, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.

But something else caught his attention. Where his level should have been displayed, there were three mocking question marks.

"Why is it a question mark? This never happened when I played the game..." Ren murmured, confused. It was as if the system didn’t fully recognize him, as if he didn’t belong here—an anomaly in this world. But at least he had some information now.

“Well, this is a disappointment,” Ren sighed heavily. “At least give me my game character if you’re going to transport me here, not this… abomination.”

His words stung, a realization sinking in. The abomination he was referring to... was himself. For a brief moment, he felt his heart sink, weighed down by the harsh truth of his reality. But then, something shifted within him. His disappointment gave way to determination.

Suddenly, Ren stood taller, his resolve hardening. Even if his stats were garbage, he still had something far more valuable—his mind.

"I still have all my game experience and knowledge," Ren said, his voice steady with newfound conviction. "I’ll use every hidden trick, every loophole. I survived countless challenges in Illustria Chronicles—I’ll survive this too."

He waved his hand, closing the screen, and took a deep breath. His questions were many, but one thing was certain: this was his new reality, and he had no choice but to survive.

Ren began walking forward, his steps cautious but deliberate, unaware of the predicament he was about to face.