Hiroshi Tanaka had never expected his life to end in such an unremarkable way. He was only 23, still figuring out his place in the world. One moment, he was walking home from work, his mind preoccupied with the day’s mundane thoughts—the same routine he’d been through a hundred times before. Then, without warning, a speeding car veered out of control, crashing into him. His world went dark. There was no dramatic buildup, no last-minute epiphany. Just an abrupt end.

When Hiro finally opened his eyes, it wasn’t the familiar gray skies of his city that greeted him. No, instead, he was lying on cold stone, surrounded by towering trees whose leaves glowed in unnatural shades of blue and purple. He could smell the dampness of the forest, the scent of pine and moss filling the air. The ground beneath him was soft, as if the stones were alive, pulsing gently with an energy he couldn’t comprehend.

"Where am I?" Hiro muttered under his breath, his voice sounding strange in the still air. He sat up slowly, his limbs stiff, as if he had been lying there for hours. His head throbbed with a dull ache, and his heart raced as panic started to settle in. Was this some kind of dream? Or...?

A sudden flash of light burst in front of him. Startled, Hiro instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes. The light faded, revealing a translucent screen floating in midair. It glowed with a strange, digital hue, displaying something that made Hiro’s stomach churn: [System Online: Welcome to the Realm of Xarath!]

Before he could react, a series of words flashed across the screen, too fast for him to read them all. His eyes caught snippets of text: Health: 100%, Level 1, and Class: Unknown. He blinked. This was like something straight out of one of the games he used to play.

"Is this... a game?" Hiro whispered to himself. But everything felt too real—the air, the soft ground beneath him, the faint hum in the distance. The screen disappeared with a flicker, but the uneasy feeling in his chest remained. He wasn’t in Japan anymore. This was no game. This was real. And if it was, then there was only one explanation: he was dead.

"Great," Hiro muttered sarcastically. "Guess I’m not going to work tomorrow." He pulled himself to his feet, feeling the strange weight of his body. It felt like he wasn’t fully connected to the world around him. His body moved with an odd, almost weightless grace, like he was suspended in a dream.

But before he could process what had happened, a distant roar echoed through the trees.

Hiro’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t alone.

His body stiffened, eyes darting toward the sound. There, just beyond the trees, a massive creature lumbered into view. It looked like something from a nightmare: a giant, insect-like beast with sharp mandibles and glowing red eyes. Its legs were too many to count, spindly and long, each one leaving a trail of glowing spores behind it as it moved. It was slowly heading in Hiro’s direction, unaware of his presence.

Hiro froze. This was it. This was how he was going to die—again.

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He had no weapons, no skills, no knowledge of how to defend himself. And yet, instinct took over. He bolted into the trees, his heart racing. His breath came in short gasps as he sprinted away from the creature. His legs felt stronger than they had any right to, propelling him through the forest with surprising speed. It was as if his body knew exactly what to do, moving without hesitation.

The monster’s roar grew louder, but Hiro didn’t dare glance back. He pushed forward, feet pounding against the soft earth, his mind focused on survival.

Then, just as his legs were about to give out, Hiro tripped on a vine and went sprawling into the dirt. The beast’s shadow loomed over him as it closed the gap. His heart stopped. This was it. He was done.

But then, something strange happened. A sharp pain pierced his chest, an icy sensation that took his breath away. The world around him flickered. The trees. The creature. The ground. It all disappeared in a blur.

Hiro gasped as he sat up in the same spot—his heart still pounding, the same vine still tangled around his legs. He blinked, disoriented. Was it a glitch? Had he blacked out?

Then he saw it.

The creature, still stalking toward him, had not moved. It was as if the last few seconds of time had rewound. Hiro’s mind raced. Had he just done that?

His heart was still racing from the previous sprint, but this time, he didn’t hesitate. The strange pain in his chest was gone, replaced by a burning determination. The creature was still coming for him, but now he had a chance. He jumped to his feet, ignoring the soreness in his muscles, and bolted again.

But as he ran, something else changed. His body felt different—sharper, more focused. The path ahead of him, which had been a chaotic blur just moments ago, was now crystal clear. His reflexes were faster. His movements smoother. He could hear the monster’s footfalls behind him, but he knew it was too slow. He was faster now.

With a powerful leap, Hiro vaulted up onto a low-hanging branch, his body moving instinctively. The creature crashed into the spot where he’d been moments before, its mandibles snapping shut with an audible hiss.

Hiro barely had time to catch his breath before the system notification flashed back in front of him:

[Time Rewind Successful: Time Rewind – 15 Seconds] [Warning: 1% Vitality Loss. Rewind More Than 3 Times and the Risk Increases]

His head spun as the realization hit him. He had rewound time—and it wasn’t without cost. That strange, painful sensation in his chest was the price he paid for rewinding.

Gritting his teeth, Hiro wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. He had to figure out how this worked. He had to survive. And most importantly, he needed to know why he was here—and how he could escape.

A rustle in the trees behind him pulled him out of his thoughts. Someone was there.

Out of the shadows stepped a figure: a tall, imposing man, clad in a silver armor that gleamed under the strange moonlight. His long, dark hair framed his face, his sharp eyes scanning Hiro’s form as if he were inspecting a piece of meat.

“Are you going to stand there all day, or do you need help?” the man asked in a deep voice, his tone surprisingly calm. He spoke as if Hiro had been here for hours, not moments.

“I—” Hiro stammered, his mind racing for words. “Who—Who are you?”

The man raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lips twitching into a smirk. “A lost soul like the rest of us, I assume. Name’s Arius. And you are?”

Hiro didn’t know whether to trust him, but at this point, he didn’t have many options.

“Hiro. Hiroshi Tanaka.”

Arius nodded, his eyes sharp. “Good. Keep up, Hiro. You’ll need all the help you can get in this world.”

With that, Arius turned and began walking deeper into the forest. Hiro hesitated for a moment, but the pull of survival drove him forward. Whatever this world was, he needed to understand it—and the mysterious entity controlling it.

Hiro took a deep breath and followed.